Principal Hitchens's Notes

Maxfield Families,

As we look forward to the end of the year celebrations with PreK and 5th grade scholars, some of us had the honor of celebrating our first cohort of student teachers. In reflecting on the completion of our first year, the graduates are eager to begin their teaching careers and we hope it will be within the St. Paul community. As this partnership grows, we hope to see our former and future Maxfield scholars attending University of St. Thomas as well as entering the field of education. We want them to strive to attain to reach all their goals.

There are many opportunities for summer learning fun in St. Paul this summer. Please make sure get your child or children registered. We have Power Scholars summer programming with YMCA Beacons sponsored by Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood. Maxfield scholars have priority registration.

There are also the Freedom School summer programs and Extended School Year (ESY) for scholars needing additional services through the Office of Specialized Services.

There is also an opportunity for 3rd-5th graders to attend summer programming through our partnership with University of St. Thomas. Transportation is available but limited to the RONDO neighborhood.

We are coming to the end of the year and are looking for all overdue library books to be returned so we can replenish our library. Help your scholars search high and low for their books to return them to Ms. Delaney. Last day for library check out will be May 21st.

• Tommie Tuesdays: We are encouraging our scholars to wear their purple collaborative shirt on Tuesdays ONLY!
• Spirit Week: May 27th- 31st
• Water Day for PreK-2nd grades:
• PreK and Kinder: June 5th
• 1st and 2nd grades: June 6th
• Book Fair for Grades 1-3: May 30th (Students will get 10 free books to start their summer library)
• All School Assembly: May 31st 8am
• All library books due: May 31st
• PreKindergarten Celebration: June 6th 1pm
• End of the Year Family BBQ sponsored by Saint Paul Promise: June 6th from 3:30-6pm
• 5th Grade Promotion: June 7th at 10am
• Last Day of School for Scholars

The winter months mean more sickness going around, if you have questions about whether or not your scholar can come to school, please call the health office at 651-888-7648. Please call the office to report every time your scholar(s) will be missing school, 651-293-8680 ext. 42853

Thank you for continuing to work hard to get your scholar to school every day, on time! When students miss more than 10% or 18 days, excused or unexcused, in a school year they are:

• Less likely to read proficiently by 3rd grade

• Missing out on important academic time which impacts whether or not they make appropriate grade level gains

• Fewer opportunities to build positive relationships with staff and peers

• May not develop behavioral and social-emotional skills necessary for success in school and life

We understand that kids get sick and things come up, we trust your judgement when keeping your scholar home. But we know kids need to be in school as much as possible in order to make grade level gains!

If you have questions or concerns with getting your scholar(s) to school please contact school counselor Kary Kuenzli, 651-744-7644 or text 612-405-9477 or principal Dr. Hitchens 651-744-4534. We are here to support you and your family!

Classroom Counseling Lessons for Kindergarten-4th Grade:

This week during your scholar's classroom counseling lesson we started to talk about bullying. We will be spending the next couple of weeks learning about how to recognize, report, and refuse bullying. Check with your scholar to see if they can tell you how they recognize what bullying is!

Classroom Counseling Lessons for 5th Grade:

5th grade is reviewing identity and learning about self esteem. We focused on how identity and self esteem can be positive or negative, which can impact academics, connectedness to school, and relationships. 5th grade scholars started an activity "what I love about myself", be sure to ask what they wrote down!

Hey Hey Listen Up! We continue to demonstrate our use of PBIS C.A.R.E.S. Our May and June focus for C.A.R.E.S. is Self-Control. We want all our scholars to model self-control in all that they do. As adults we can also model self-control at school and encourage our scholars model it with each other.

UPDATES & REMINDERS

• • Families will receive a postcard in the mail with transportation information at the end of August. If your child rides the school bus, you’ll receive the bus stop, pick-up and drop-off times. This postcard will also include information if your child walks to and from school, or uses Metro Transit at participating high schools.
  • If your family moved over the summer, update your address at spps.org/onestop.
  • If you believe your student is taking the bus but did not receive a postcard at the end of August, please call your child's school.
  • Please arrive at the bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to pick up your child.
  • Track the status of your child’s bus on your school’s website or the Bus Status app linked below.
  • For your up-to-date bus pick-up and drop-off times, log on to your Campus Parent account and click on the Transportation tab.

  
  

TRACK YOUR BUS WITH THE BUS STATUS APP

• The Bus Status app reports buses greater than 10 minutes late and displays up-to-date bus information for SPPS families and students.

  Notice: Bus Status has a new and improved app just in time for the new school year! The Bus Status app currently installed on your phone will not update automatically to the new app, and will end notifications after September 29. Download the new Bus Status app for free at the Apple App Store and via Google Play.

Education Benefits Discounts for Families

• Amazon - 50% off Amazon Prime Membership
• Xcel Energy’s Income-Qualified Home Energy Saving Program - Free advice and energy-saving improvements, including weatherization and replacement of your older appliances for newer models.
• Minnesota Children’s Museum - Discounted tickets and membership
• Science Museum of Minnesota - $15/yr membership for two adults and all dependents under 21. Includes free admission, Omnitheather movies, and parking. Discounts on summer camps and the Explore Store gift shop.
• Metro Transit’s Transit Assistance Program (TAP) - $1 rides for all household members
• Xfinity Internet Essentials - $10/mo high speed internet
• Affordable Connectivity Program - Up to $30/month towards broadband service and a one time reimbursement of up to $100 for a device (i.e tablet, laptop). Through approved providers only.
• The Minnesota Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) - TAP is a bill credit of $10 monthly for landline service and LL is a bill credit of up to $9.25 monthly on either landlines, cell phones or broadband internet service.
• T-Mobil 10million Project Free Internet access & hotspots for students for 5 years
• The Works Museum - Discounted admission, memberships and camp scholarships.
• Guthrie Theater Gateway Program - Up to four tickets per production for $5 each
• Bell Museum Curiosity Membership - $15/yr membership for two adults and all dependents under 21 within one household. Unlimited free gallery admission, $2 planetarium tickets, early access to summer camp programs, and pre-qualification to apply for camp scholarship lottery.