Lighthouse School Newsletter
Lighthouse families,
It’s homecoming week for Spring Lake Park Schools! This week, we are getting into the school spirit by dressing up in different themes each day. It is fun to see students and staff dress up to show their school spirit!
During this homecoming week, you can win $500 for our school! The Panther Foundation is running the daily Panther Pride Trivia Sweepstakes. Answer the question each day to have your entry included in the random drawing. The drawing winner will win $500 for our school and a $50 gift certificate to the Panther Store. It would be great if we had the most entries!
As you look ahead, please remember, there is no school for students Thursday, October 3 or Friday, October 4. These are our staff’s first professional learning and design days of the year. Our goal is for students to experience the benefits of staff learning and design time in the coming days and weeks as staff apply their learning. Our facilitators will spend much of the time focused specifically on learning related to deepening the engagement of our students, as well as preparing for conferences in October.
Facilitators are looking forward to conferencing conversations with you. They will be sending their signup link in their weekly communication to you. There will be times available for in-person or virtual conferences. Sign up for a conference time that works for you. Office hours will be available throughout the fall as well for families to connect as needed.
Tomorrow, watch for the first pulse check of the year. Expect a text/email from Possip, our partner, with a couple of quick questions. We do encourage you to share your name to help with follow up, if needed. We should have themes to share with you next week.
Enjoy the rest of this homecoming week! Let’s go, Panthers!
Lisa Cisewski
Coordinator of Lighthouse School
Spring Lake Park Schools
Watch for the first pulse check of the year tomorrow
Once again this year, we will be doing occasional pulse check to gain insights about your experience with our school. Watch for the first text/email from Possip, our partner, tomorrow, Thursday, September 26. Respond in your language of choice. Share needs, praise, questions or ideas. You can choose to share your name - or stay anonymous. We do appreciate when people share their names in case there is a need to follow up. It all takes less than a minute.
Early next week, will be looking at the results. We'll circle back on trending topics, respond directly to needs, questions and concerns, and share feedback with our staff. Thanks - in advance - for taking a few moments to share your voice!
The Back a Bus fundraiser has begun!
Good luck to students in their Back a Bus fundraising efforts! We are encouraging students to each raise $100 to help support field trip bussing and other PTO-sponsored enrichment activities. Envelopes, which were sent home with students last Friday, are due back October 11 - this also coincides with the day of the celebration. Parents are welcome to attend from 1:30-3 p.m. where there will be games, treats, and a magic show! If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to Sheri in the Lighthouse office so she can have a visitor badge ready for you. Thank you in advance for your support!
The PTO has partnered with GiveButter to help collect donations via credit card, PayPal and Venmo (cash and check are also still welcome!). Feel free to share the following link (and QR code) with friends and family: givebutter.com/lighthousePTO .
The daily bus ride: Going the extra mile
Every September an iconic symbol returns to the roadways: the big yellow school bus. Its presence signals a new school year – and for students who ride the bus – each school day begins by walking up the steps to a warm greeting from their bus driver.
Cheryl Schnebly and Shannon Lathe are two bus drivers who have collectively driven buses of all kinds for 60 years. They work for Lorenz Bus Service, the transportation company that has partnered with Spring Lake Park Schools since 2009 and runs 216 daily routes for the schools.
On separate ride-alongs this month, Cheryl and Shannon show and tell what it means to be a bus driver: the responsibility, the skill and how the job has brought them both many cherished memories over the years shared between driver, student and family. Follow along their route.
Community Partnership Opportunities at SLP
Spring Lake Park Schools invites community involvement to help develop the future workforce. Partners can engage through workplace opportunities, financial support, or direct interaction with students. Find more information about Community Partnership Opportunities or contact Eric Van Brocklin, SLPHS Career Pathways Lead.
- Ways to Get Involved:
- Class Speaker: Share your career journey
- Shark Tank Judge: Provide feedback on student projects
- Project Facilitator: Guide students through real-world projects
- Mentor: Support students considering your industry
- Teaching Assistant: Help students with projects in your expertise
- Advisory Council Member: Offer input on educational programs
- Workplace Opportunities:
- Host worksite tours
- Provide internships or apprenticeships
- Financial Support:
- Sponsor a program or donate equipment
- Support student scholarships or provide summer job opportunities
- Fund a field trip bus or offer direct employment to students
After-school programming for grades K-4, starts the week of October 7
- AKA Sports - Multi-Sports - Get introduced to a variety of new sports and games with our Multi-Sports Sampler. In this after school program, kids get to learn skills and play different sports, which may include such sports as: Lacrosse, Floor Hockey, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, Baseball.
- Grandmasters of Chess - Learn, Practice and Play chess each class. The {YEL!} Teach It! Practice It! Play It!® method keeps students on track with new chess lessons and puzzles each week as well as guided games and in-class tournaments.
- Young Rembrandts - Drawing Palooza - Embark on an artistic adventure filled with colors and imagination they’ll absolutely adore - yummy taffy apples to charming seasonal scarecrows, and bunnies full of sass!
Last chance: Panther Store Homecoming Sale and Special Edition Shirt
There is still time to get new Panther gear during the Homecoming sale. Save 15% online now through September 28 with code 24Homecoming. Limited shirts are still available for the special edition shirts. Buy one now before they sell out! Shirts are available online or check out in-store shopping options here.
Panther Foundation Sweepstakes is on
The Panther Foundation Sweepstakes began on Sunday. Today is the last day to enter this year's Sweepstakes. Enter today and have a chance to win for your school and you! Go to the Sweepstakes webpage to complete the daily entry form. There will be one student winner drawn for each school. Students will win a $500 prize and will chose where to direct the funds from several pre-determined projects identified by the school. The winning student will also win a $50 Panther Store gift card to purchase future Panther gear. The winners will be randomly drawn on Thursday, September 26. Good luck and go Panthers!
- Sunday's Question: The Panther Foundation celebrated a milestone at February's 2024 Panthers for a Purpose fundraising event. How many years has the Foundation been giving to Spring Lake Park Schools?
- Monday: What percentage of SLP High School students actively engage in athletics and activities?
- Tuesday: The Panther Foundation is a long supporter of the OEC, Opportunities in Emergency Care program at Spring Lake Park High School. This summer our OEC program competed in the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas with 12,000 competitors from all over the world. What place did our students win?
- Today's Question: What is the total seating capacity of Panther Stadium?
Answers: Sunday, 20 years; Monday, 85%; Tuesday, two teams placed 1st; Wednesday, check back tomorrow!
