Hidden River Newsletter

• SAVE THE DATES:

Mon., June 10th - Last day of school!

• 6th grade - Field trip to PINZ from 10:30am-1:30pm
• 7th grade - Field trip to Skateville from 10:00am-1:30pm
• 8th grade - Grand March at 2:00pm

Summer Break 6/11-9/2

Yearbooks!: Get them before they're gone, we still have a 20 yearbook left for sale for 6th and 7th graders! They are $19/each, please bring cash on Monday for your last chance to purchase a 2023-2024 yearbook!

8th grade Families: 8th grade families, please join us at 2:00 PM on Monday, June 10th for a new tradition at Hidden River - the Grand March! Hidden River has a day full of fun planned for just our 8th graders (contests, DJ, photo booth, food truck and MUCH MORE) and at the end of the day, we will gather as a community to wish them well as the head off to high school. 8th graders will "march" through the school past 6th and 7th graders and out on the Cambridge St. lawn where we hope to have families there to welcome them! Please arrive early - parking is a challenge in the neighborhood and there will be no parking on the Summit or Cambridge sides of the building (we have to keep these areas clear for the buses).

Hello Hidden River Families and Students,

The end of the school year is always bittersweet. We will miss seeing students everyday and yet know students have earned a break with all the hard work this year. We also recognize our 8th graders are transitioning to high school and wish them well. We are celebrating them all day on Monday, June 10. Please see the flyer above for family participation on this day!

I want to encourage our students and families to read a lot this summer; explore our city and beyond; and find time to enjoy each other and friends. We look forward to seeing our current 6th and 7th graders back next year as 7th and 8th graders at our new location: The Wilson Building, 631 North Albert St.

Have a great summer!

Teresa Vibar

The students recently completed their final summative projects for the last quarter:

Seventh and eighth graders focused on one of the 17 goals of the United Nations' Sustainable Development by choosing a country to research and investigate issues related to their chosen goal and thinking of possible solutions. The SGs are urgent calls for action to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. Students also learned and tried to cite their sources using MLA (Modern Language Association) format and gathered their results in Google Sites.

During this time, sixth graders explored immigration to Minnesota by addressing two essential questions: Why do people leave their place of origin and come to Minnesota? What is their experience like? Students were tasked with creating digital storytelling projects centered around a family member, an ethnic group, or a well-known figure. The main goal of this project was to help students tell, share, and preserve personal and family immigration stories, as well as stories of ethnic groups in Minnesota. Some of the countries that students chose to focus on included Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Haiti, France, Vietnam, Laos, England, and Ireland, among others.

After six wonderful years at Hidden River, I will be moving out of Minnesota to be closer to family at the end of the school year. Being a part of the community at HRMS has been an incredible experience, and I am so grateful for the students, staff, administrators, and most importantly, the students and their families.

With this change coming, my email address will no longer work, so I have made a dedicated email address for Hidden River students and families to send me exciting updates, news, and more! If you would like to reach me after the school year, you can email mrgallagherhrms@gmail.com

Each year, the Minnesota Association of International Baccalaureate World Schools recognizes outstanding school administrators or leaders who help promote and sustain the IB program in their school. This year the recipient of the MNIB Leadership Award was our principal, Ms. Vibar!

Teresa Vibar has been and continues to be a strong leader and supporter of IB in SPPS. Principal Vibar strongly believes in the IB Mission statement and really values the global mindset that the program provides. She sees the way the IB framework is not something extra for our teachers but a way to bring us all together around the initiatives and ideas under the Middle Years Programme (MYP) umbrella.

Congratulations, Principal Vibar for this outstanding achievement!

Last chance to claim lost items! The lost and found was moved outside the library on Friday so students could take a look over the lunch hour. It will all be bagged up and donated on Monday afternoon, so if your child is missing an item, encourage them to look MONDAY MORNING!

Thank you for a great school year of reading and recommending! See our Monthly Otters Read and Recommend Hall of Fame Winners (CLICK here)!

What will you read this summer? Check out this link https://www.spps.org/academics/teaching-learning/library-services/spps-virtual-library/books-literature) for SPPS Digital Book Resources to read on your iPad or stop by a Saint Paul Public Library for Summer Spark - Recommendations here https://sppl.org/summer/)

8th Grade Families: The YMCA is giving away free memberships for kids who will be 9-12th graders in the fall. Each site has a limited number of spots, but once registered students can go to any of the 19 twin cities locations. So if one site is full, tell students to just pick another location since the "home" location doesn't matter:

https://www.ymcanorth.org/getsummer

Saint Paul Public Schools is partnering with Saint Paul Public Library again this summer to offer classes throughout the community. Transportation is not provided to these classes. Classes are for incoming 6th -9th graders.

Camp Dates: Wednesdays July 10th, July 17th, July 24th, July 31st, August 7th, August 14th Camp Times: 3:00pm to 4:30pm

• Chess Camp: Challenge yourself! Play Chess! Exercise your brain! Master this timeless classic battle of strategy! Nothing will prepare you for critical thinking better than chess!
• Chess Camp will take place at Dayton's Bluff Library (645 E 7th St, St. Paul, MN 55106).
• Dungeons & Dragons - Tabletop Gaming Camp: Join a professional Game Master as you learn how to build a Dungeons & Dragons character, and then set out on your journey! Students will go on adventures guided by their imagination and their instructor while learning critical thinking, teamwork, roleplay and puzzle-solving skills.
• D&D Camp will take place at George Latimer Central Library (90 W 4th St., St. Paul, MN 55102) and Highland Park Library (1974 Ford Pkwy, St. Paul, MN 55116).

We are excited to share we have partnered with Search Institute and Change Inc. to offer a pilot program to Hidden River families this year. Keep Connected 360 offers resources to families, including tips, ideas, activities and learning opportunities to support strong family relationships. We are honored to announce that this program will continue next year and partnership will continue and grow stronger thanks to a generous extension of the grant. Returning families - look for more information next fall!

Please help us improve Family Talk Sparks by completing this short survey by June 10th. For your time you will be entered to win one of two $25 Amazon gift cards!

Week 33 Provide Support (Empower)

This Week’s Focus: Build each other’s confidence. This is a great way to PROVIDE SUPPORT through family relationships.

When you have a few minutes, ask other family members a question or two. Enjoy the conversation!

• Who is someone outside your family who helps you while also giving you the responsibility to take charge of your life and choices?
• When you’re feeling down, what do other family members do that helps to boost your confidence? (It may help to remember specific examples.)
• What kind of feedback deflates you? What kind builds it and motivates you to keep moving forward?
• Where does your family go for encouragement? Who turns to your family?
• What happens when someone becomes overconfident? How can other family members respond?