Hidden River Newsletter

SAVE THE DATES - This Week:

Mon., Jan. 20th - NO SCHOOL (MLK Jr. Day)

Mon., Jan. 20th - Skating at Highland Arena (10:00am-Noon)

Fri., Jan. 24th - End of Quarter 2

Next Week (1/27-1/31)

Mon., Jan. 27th - NO SCHOOL (Grading Day)

Tues., Jan 28th - Quarter 3, Semester 2 begins

Thurs., Jan 30th - Open House for New/Prospective Families 5:00-6:30pm

Hidden River Skating Hangout: You and your family are invited to join members of the Hidden River community for ice skating on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the Charles M. Schultz - Highland Arena from 10 am to noon. This is a free event open to the public. Skates are first come, first serve. MLK was a believer in the "Beloved Community" and we hope to honor him by building community within our school community! Lots of staff, students, and families are planning to attend. We hope to see you there! SEE FLYER ABOVE.

Kleenex/tissue donations: We are in need of Kleenex/tissues for our classrooms. If you are able, please drop them off in the main office. Thank you in advance!

SPPS Weather Plan: Before deciding to hold a non-instructional day or e-learning day due to extreme winter weather conditions, Saint Paul Public Schools Interim Superintendent John Thein consults with a variety of experts both inside and outside of the district. Our commitment is to keep families, staff and the community informed of weather-related school closings and cancellations. Click here for full weather plan.

Dear Families,

If your student is in 7th grade, they will have a vision screening at school on Wednesday, January 29 by Phillips Eye Institute’s Early Youth Eyecare (E.Y.E.) Community Initiative, part of Allina Health. This screening is designed to identify issues with your child’s vision. If your child does not pass the vision screening, you will be notified to have your child examination by an eye doctor for further evaluation.

E.Y.E. can assist with scheduling the examination, as well as provide interpreter services, transportation and financial assistance with exams and glasses.

If you have questions or do not want your child to participate in the vision screening, please contact Mary K. Green RN, LSN (school nurse) at 651-888-7657.

The students have completed their test and oral assignments for the quarter. This week, we began our lesson on the Fur Trade. The class also received a New Year wishes card from their French pen pals at Édouard Herriot Middle School in La Roche-sur-Yon, France. They decided to write back and share their knowledge about the seasonal activities of the Dakota and Ojibwe groups, as well as the Dakota tales they studied during this quarter.

Our class has completed the Westward Expansion unit. Students’ summative assessment is an interpersonal performance where they will discuss an event from the Westward Expansion in French with me.

This year's National History Day theme is "Rights and Responsibilities in History." I encourage you to discuss with your students about their progress regarding their topics, thesis statements, research, process papers, and annotated bibliographies. It is paramount that they understand that using ChatGPT and online citation generators violates academic integrity rules. Instead, please guide them with the following document: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xNWWmoLbOdmzFytvrfFB5PZvCE8KXau4/view?usp=sharing

As parents and guardians, you can also use the OWL Purdue University website to have a better understanding of MLA citations (Modern Language Association): https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_formatting_and_style_guide.html

Additionally, encourage your students to attend Hullabaloos, the research open house events, at various libraries. Use the following link for locations and dates: https://www.mnhs.org/historyday/research/hullabaloos

For any questions, please reach out to: rachel.payia-yang@spps.org or rachel.payia-yang@stpaul.k12.mn.us

We are looking forward to concluding our unit on food. Students’ final projects consist of two parts: a video presentation where they create a menu featuring Francophone dishes priced in euros, and a conversation where they order food and beverages at a restaurant in French.

Next week is the last opportunity for students to complete these projects. Please discuss with your students the various activities and themes we covered in class: the “Ratatouille” film, food trucks, table-setting, origin of French crêpes, preferences expressions, etc. After this week, students will self-assess their knowledge using the attached document to track their progress in French.

For any questions, contact: rachel.payia-yang@spps.org

In this second unit titled "Who Am I?", students explored a variety of topics, including nationalities, feelings and emotions, specific adverbs and adjectives, weather and seasons, weekdays and months, numbers from 0 to 50, sports, leisure activities, and expressions of preference among others.

I encourage you to discuss with your students their progress and the subjects we covered this quarter, such as French soccer players of African descent, a survey on French activities, New Year’s celebrations in different cultures, etc.

This quarter's summative projects consist of a weather forecast presentation and a self-introduction speaking assessment. This coming week is the final deadline for students to complete these projects. Additionally, students will use the attached proficiency goals document to reflect on their knowledge and progress through self-assessment.

Please reach out with any questions: rachel.payia-yang@spps.org

Our first debate tournament will take place THIS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22 at Highland Park High School from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Students will take place in three separate debates. Times are approximate. Family members are welcome to observe, though they cannot interact with their student during the debate. We ask that you sit quietly away from the debaters to spectate. If you plan to attend, please enter through the main entrance at Highland Park this Wednesday. There will be many debate volunteers, staff and judges circulating the building who can direct you to the debate rooms to find your debater.

The EDL Math Team competed in 5 competitions throughout the semester that included individual and team events. Hidden River mathletes finished 2nd place overall in the team event! They go to regionals next month.

3 of our members secured a top 10 individual score

Way to go OTTERS!

Student Council representatives from Grade 6, 7, & 8 attended Base Camp located in Fort Snelling, MN this week. Grade level teams were able to develop and cultivate team building skills through games and challenges. Grade 6 & 7 representatives also experienced rock climbing and archery, while Grade 8 representatives had time on the high ropes course.

Everyone embodied a growth mindset and worked together throughout the day! Way to go student leaders!

As you might be aware, Hidden River has partnered with Search Institute and Change Inc. to offer the Keep Connected program to students and their families this year. Keep Connected offers resources to families, including tips, ideas, activities and learning opportunities to support strong family relationships.

One such opportunity is an upcoming workshop series, beginning in February, designed to strengthen your connection with your child, and develop relationships with other Hidden River families. The content of the workshop is based on the research of Search Institute and explores a developmental relationship framework to help kids thrive! Change Inc.'s school-based therapists will facilitate conversations and activities with both parents/caregivers and youth, supporting mutual learning and connection. We will provide a meal, childcare, interpretation and transportation. See the flyer for more information. We'd love to have you join us!

Please RSVP to Wendy Caucutt, Family Liaison, at wendy.caucutt@spps.org with questions or to sign up! REGISTER SOON TO RESERVE YOUR FAMILIES' SPOT!

Family Talk Starters - This Week’s Focus: : Collaborate in decision-making. This is a great way to SHARE POWER through family relationships.

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

• What does it mean to be a responsible person? How does someone become responsible?
• What is a decision you need to make? How do (or could) others help you with that decision?
• How do you make decisions when you are unsure?

Box Tops For Education - ​January is full of bonus offers to help us earn more money to support our Hidden River teachers and students! We have raised almost $100 towards our $500 goal and we have five more months to reach it!! Use code SW407DT3 for an even bigger bonus after scanning your first receipt.

​Enero está lleno de ofertas de bonos para ayudarnos a ganar más dinero para apoyar a nuestros maestros y estudiantes de Hidden River! Hemos recaudado casi $100 hacia nuestra meta de $500 y tenemos cinco meses más para alcanzarla! Use el código SW407DT3 para obtener un bono aún mayor después de escanear su primer recibo.