Alice Smith Weekly Connections

Dear Alice Smith Families and Scholars,

Today we welcomed our AMAZING Alice Smith staff! They spent the morning learning about the Science of Reading (LETRS Training) and then we all came together and shared a meal from our favorite local restaurant Nachos. Check out this fun FB Post!

We are so excited to kick off the year and welcome our scholars!

Do you want to know WHO your child's HR teacher is? Well the wait is almost over!

• Homeroom Teachers will be displayed in your child's Infinite Campus parent portal on Thursday, August 29th @ Noon!
• To make sure you have your Parent Portal Access, please click this link to sign in OR sign up.
• If you need assistance, you can also email Aileen White (Alice Smith Data Specialists) aileen.white@hopkinsschools.org

New Family Open House VS. Open House - Which should we attend?

• Our NEW Family Open House on Wednesday August 28th from 6:00 - 7:00 is intended for NEW to Alice Smith families that have kids in grades 1st - 5th grade!
• Our School Open house on Thursday Aug 29th from 4:00 - 6:30 is INTENDED for all returning families and all of our 88 new Kindergarten families that will call Alice Smith their new home!
• Please note that HR teachers assignments are released on Thursday @ Noon and that all teachers will be in attendance on Thursday but not Wednesday.

What BUS will my child take this year?

• VERY important to check your email on Monday August 26th for information about school routes and bus assignments.
• IF you signed up and are eligible for a bus, you should be receiving this very important email - If you don't by the end of the day, please email the transportation department at schoolbus@HopkinsSchools.org with any questions.

Have a wonderful Weekend!

In Partnership,

Mr. Navidad
Alice Smith Elementary Principal
952-988-4201

School Hours

Alice Smith will start at 7:50 a.m. and end at 2:20 p.m.

Follow us on Social Media

Twitter: @AliceSmith270 and @NavidadASE

Facebook: @AliceSmithElementarySchool

Wednesday, August 28: Alice Smith New Family Open House, from 6-7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 29: Alice Smith Open House, from 4-6:30 p.m

September 2nd: NO School (Labor Day)

September 3rd: 1st Day of School (1st - 5th Grade)

September 3rd: Kinder Visiting Day (More info below)

September 4th: 1st Day for Kindergarten!

Alice Smith Families,

Even though school is just a few weeks away, it is not too early to check out the MANY Youth Enrichment activities that will be offered at Alice Smith this fall/year!

Chess club, STEM Club, Soccer camp, Let's get creative with KidCreate Art Studio and now our newest course: Spanish Enrichment class offered by our very own Profe. Serrano!

Since we will not be offering a FLES (Spanish) specialists to our 2nd - 5th graders this year during school, Alice Smith is partnering with Hopkins Community Education to offer this course for our AS Families.

Check out this and ALL the great enrichment activities and SIGN UP!

Parents/guardians will join their scholar with the kindergarten team for a brief overview presentation and Q&A. You will learn important information for the school year and then you will go home with your scholar after Visiting Day.

The first full day of kindergarten will be on Wednesday, Sept 4.

Please join us either at:

8:30 - 10:00 am OR. 12:00 - 1:30 pm

For the 2024-25 School year, bus stops were assigned ONLY to students who qualified for busing AND only to those families who Opted-In last Spring.

*2024-2025 Fall transportation information will be mailed to families on Monday August 26th. Please check your email if you are eligible for Hopkins busing.*

Please email the transportation department at schoolbus@HopkinsSchools.org with any questions.

Beginning during the 2024-25 school year, Hopkins Public Schools is joining Minnesota’s Free School Meals Program. Under this program, all students can receive ONE breakfast and ONE lunch free of charge each day at school. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important!

Your child(ren) may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees at school. Your application may also help the school qualify for education funds, discounts, and other meal programs.

The NEW School year means it is time again to complete your Educational Benefits (Free & Reduced Lunch) Form. Forms for the 2024-25 School year need to be dated and submitted on or after July 1st, 2024.

Since last school year have you had a change in family circumstances?

Have you checked to see if you or your family may qualify for Educational Benefits (Free & Reduced Lunch)?

For more details on the program

https://www.hopkinsschools.org/services/nutrition Click on the Free Meals & Food Assistance tab (midway on the page)

Kids & Company is Hopkins Public Schools' before- and after-school and summer care program for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. A fee-based program, Kids & Company is offered in each of the District's six elementary schools.

Due to a national workers shortage, Kids & Company is experiencing a waitlist. If you need childcare and have not signed up with Kids & Company yet, you are still encouraged to do so. We're working through our wait list as quickly as possible and look forward to serving you as soon as we are able. You may want to explore backup-plans as we might not be able to serve you at the start of the school year.

Picture Day is coming soon to Alice Smith: Lifetouch will be here to take scholar photos. You can preorder today on Lifetouch.com using your Student ID or Picture Day ID EVTGNTX23. If you prefer to order with a paper order form, they will be sent home the first week of school. If you have any questions about Picture Day, please contact Lifetouch directly at 1.800.736.4753.

Alice Smith is partnering with Ready Set Smile to provide a dental clinic for Alice Smith PK-5th graders on Friday, November 15th AT Alice Smith. Parents/Guardians must complete required paperwork before the Ready Set Smile staff can do a dental check-up and provide you with follow-up information.

Please see our electronic backpack for a flyer about additional information about the clinic as well as the QR codes to register your child(ren) for the clinic at Alice Smith school.

Please contact Kristin Lutz-School Counselor for additional information: kristin.lutz@hopkinsschools.org

952-988-4214

Please email Kristin Lutz-School Counselor @ kristin_lutz@hopkinsschools.org or call @ 952-988-4214 if your child or children need tennis shoes for the school year. We are able to give 50 students Nike shoes. Students will be pulled from class by Mrs. Lutz/staff to measure their feet in the first few weeks of September and the shoes usually arrive in December. This is a program for students in NEED.

https://www.shoesthatfit.org

In preparation for the upcoming school year, a few reminders about medications:

• If a student requires the use of medication during the school day, those medications need to be brought to the Health Office. It is district policy that elementary students cannot possess medications on their person, and all medications are to be stored in the Health Office.

• Medications require a current document from the child's physician within the past year to be eligible for distribution during the school year.

• The medication must be in the original pharmacy container with the medication clearly labeled.

• Caregivers need to fill out a Medication Administration form (these can be obtained in the Health Office).

• All emergency action medications (asthma, allergy, anaphylaxis) need a current signed allergy/asthma action plan signed by their health care team. We do not have "stock" emergency medications in the health office (this includes Benadryl).

Now is also a good time to see that your child is fully vaccinated for the school year. Minnesota state law requires all students attending educational settings to be fully vaccinated for common childhood illnesses. The latest Minnesota Department of Health Vaccination Information sheet is linked below.

For the last four years, we have been very fortunate to be able to use Gethsemane Road & the Gethsemane Church Parking spots as our Drop off & Pick Up location for our Kinders! This has been a great new practice for our school because it allows for Kinder families to accompany their kids and personally drop off or pick up.

In order to maintain a positive relationship with our neighbors,

I BEG you that you please abide by the following expectations:

1. Use Gethsemane Road as the main road to and from pick up. Cutting across the Chapel View Health Care Center main entrance or parking in their parking lot is creating a lot of stress and could revoke this privilege for our school
2. IF you want to park and walk your kinder to the Kinder Drop Off zone, PLEASE park in the Gethsemane Church Parking Stalls and NOT on the road blocking traffic or in Chapel View's parking lot.
3. SLOW DOWN when driving on Gethsemane Road! We have so many excited kids that dart through the line of cars and I don't want anyone to get hurt!

IF we can collectively be GREAT neighbors, show patience during these busy times, we should make this year FUN and SAFE for our kinders and their families

We Are All Members of the PTO

You are invited to join us for the first PTO meeting of the 2024-25 school year!

Date: Tuesday, September 24
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Alice Smith Cafeteria

Come meet fellow Alice Smith parents, hear from Mr. Navidad, enjoy a meal, and learn about the exciting events we’re planning to support our teachers, staff, and students! Children are welcome! Dinner will be served first, and then children will go outside or to the gym with Alice Smith staff while the adults discuss the PTO’s mission and activities.

We all bring unique strengths and talents to the table, and there are numerous opportunities to volunteer. Whether you come alone or bring a friend, this is a great chance to explore how you can contribute to the Alice Smith community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our PTO board members listed below. We look forward to meeting you!

Alice Smith PTO Board:

• Kelli Gabbert - Secretary, kmgabbert@gmail.com
• Laura Ciotti - Treasurer, laura.ciotti@gmail.com
• Ellen Wilkinson - Volunteer Coordinator, eswilkinson12@gmail.com
• Tim Hawkinson - Fundraising Coordinator, tim.hawkinson@gmail.com

We hope you had a fantastic summer! We’re excited to reconnect with you on September 7, 2024, at our annual Rock-n-Royal 21+ Block Party. If you're interested in supporting our events or assisting in the office next year, we encourage you to sign up as a Hopkins Education Foundation volunteer.

Please take a look in our Electronic Backpack to find a variety of offerings & information for our scholars:

School Supply List 24-25

August & September Immunization Events

Ready Set Smile Dental Care (English version)

Ready Set Smile Dental Care (Spanish version)

Website: https://hopkinsschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/alice-smith-elementary
Location: 801 Minnetonka Mills Road, Hopkins, MN 55343, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/AliceSmithElementarySchool
Twitter: @AliceSmith270