Principal's Corner
With how precious life is, I am asking that we all take a moment to reflect on what matters in our lives. At Big Woods, we do want to work hard on becoming a better reader and learn important material, but what I want is for students to be kind, help others in need, and to serve with a selfless heart. Everyone in this school matters. Each student will be greeted with love and a smile. My hope is that you will partner with all of us to make Big Woods a joyful place to grow each day. We are better together.
Please know that Mrs. Miller, our Dean of Students, and I work closely each day on coaching students to have a high level of character. Yes, discipline is involved in that process. We will communicate with you to assist us in the behavior changes that we both desire. Our goal is to mold children into students who exhibit our character traits. Thank you for partnering with us.
Sincerely,
Jesse Peterson
Principal
Classroom Placements
Student classroom (tentative) placements can be found in ParentVue on Wednesday, August 21st at 8:00 AM.
Go to www.stma.k12.mn.us
Click on ParentVUE/StudentVUE
Click on I am a Parent
Log In with your ParentVUE account Username and Password
Click on Class Schedule
Please update your family’s emergency information by clicking on Student Info
Call Big Woods office at 763.497.8025 with questions
Fall Orientation 2024
Families are invited to bring their child to school for an individual orientation with their classroom teacher. This 20-minute orientation will allow your child's teacher to have time to meet with you to talk more specifically about your child's social, emotional, and academic needs for the upcoming school year. You will also be able to drop off school supplies and other essential items to begin the year.
In addition to meeting with your child’s classroom teacher, students and parents will participate in the following activities:
Bus evacuation procedures
Vision screening (1st and 3rd grade only; 2nd and 4th grade at the request of teacher and parent)
Short reading assessment (3rd and 4th grade students only; 1st and 2nd grade will take place the first week of school)
Parents and students can also participate in the following activities:
Visit the office and scan your government ID into our Raptor-Visitor Management System
Visit the school nurse
Visit the cafeteria and drop off lunch payment. Walk through the lunch line and receive a freezy treat
Visit with a PTO member at the PTO Booth
Take a “fun” photo near the PTO Booth with your child
We believe this orientation time will help families and their children make a more personal connection with their teachers. Attending an orientation day session is mandatory - the session counts as your child's first day of school.
Fall Orientation Sign-Up Directions
Sign-up OPEN on August 21st @ 8:00 AM
How to Sign-Up
Steps:
Log in and access Parent Conferences:
Log into your ParentVUE account either on the website or through the app. Once you are logged in, all of your students should appear with their names at the top.
Choose one of your students by clicking his/her name.
Click Conference (on the left menu). The parent conference screen will open for that student.
Parents Choose - Your student’s teacher has set up conferences so that you can choose a conference time, click Parent Scheduled.
Choose a Conference Time:
After clicking Parent Scheduled Conferences:
Select the orientation date and times this teacher has made available.
Choose the time you want by clicking a checkbox. It will turn green to show the selected time. Also in the upper right hand corner it shows that the time was saved. You have now scheduled a conference.
If a box is red and says Unavailable, someone else has already reserved that time
To reschedule your time, go back to the Parent Scheduled Conferences screen, uncheck the time you previously chose and select a new time. The schedule will now be updated
Email yourself the conference schedule by clicking Email Schedule in the top right
After exiting and coming back to ParentVUE, your conference date will now show on the Conference Summary screen.
To see your time, click Parent Scheduled Conferences.
Call the Big Woods Office with any questions: 763-497-8025
Morning Arrival and End of the Day Pick-Up Procedures
School begins promptly at 7:45 am. If you are dropping your child off in the morning, please arrive between 7:18 - 7:40 am. Students being dropped off can enter the building at 7:18 AM. Please wait for a supervisor before allowing your child to exit your vehicle. Students arriving by bus can enter at 7:15 AM. We stagger the students for safety reasons.
(Students not in their classroom by 7:45 am will be marked tardy). Students being dropped off must enter the building by 7:30 to receive breakfast.
Please refer to the maps below to assist you with our procedures. Student drop-off and pick-up will take place in the back of the building (Door D). The buses will be in the front of the building. Please use the front parking lot (Door A) when picking or dropping off during the school day. Thank you for following our safety procedures.
Important Points
~ Only enter drop-off/pick-up zone off of Naber Avenue. Please do not go against the one-way traffic even if you are late to school.
~ If you know you will be delayed and your child is not prepared to exit the vehicle. Keep moving forward until you are at the front of the line. Stop there and solve your family concern.
~ Drive slowly even if you are late to work. Safety of students is the highest priority.
~ If at all possible, have your child exit curbside. Cars do pull around if they are waiting on you so curbside is the safest location.
~ A few families have permission to stop at the crosswalk because of specific needs or injuries. Please be patient. We will direct traffic as best we can each morning.
~ Work together. We all have rough mornings.
Big Woods Elementary School
Enrollment 652
School Hours: 7:45-2:15 PM
Office Hours: 7:00-3:30 PM
Website: https://bw.stma.k12.mn.us/
Location: 13470 Frankfort Parkway Northeast, Saint Michael, MN, USA
Phone: (763) 497-8025
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigwoodsknights/