Paw-some News

• January 9th: PTA Meeting, 7pm in Conference Room
• January 18th: PTA Sledding and Hot Chocolate 3-5pm (Weather Dependent)
• January 20th: No School
• January 23rd-24th: No School

2024-25 School Year Calendar

Are you interested in subbing for our paras that supervise recess and lunch?

Para subs have great hours in the middle of the day (they don't conflict with your child's drop off and pick up)!

If you'd like to discuss the possibility of subbing for paras in our building, please contact April Notsch: april.notsch@mvpschools.org, 651-621-7402.

Happy New Year! There are a number of things coming up in the next few weeks. Don't miss out!

The PTA is ordering t-shirts for every student and we want to make sure we order the correct size! Please be sure to request a size on the T-shirt Order Form by Wednesday, January 8th. The PTA will estimate sizes for those that do not request one and make sure that every student receives a t-shirt.

Our next meeting is Thursday, January 9th at 7pm in the conference room inside the library. Note: there is another event in the library, so please ask if you need directions.

We are hosting a sledding and hot chocolate event on Saturday, January 18th from 3 - 5pm (weather dependent - hopefully we have snow)! It will be on the small hill on the east side of the building. Extra sleds will be available for anyone who needs one.

Mark your calendars! On Wednesday, February 19th from 4 – 8 pm there will be a fundraiser event at Davanni's Pizza in Arden Hills. 20% of orders will be donated to the PTA. As we approach the date, more information will be available.

The Lost and Found is located in the back hallway by the playground. Volunteers have been doing their best to look through and return labeled items. If you are interested in purchasing labels for your student's items, while also supporting the Pike Lake PTA, please go here and type in Pike Lake PTA. 20% of your purchase will go back to the PTA.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions or need any further information.

Pike Lake PTA

pikelakepta@gmail.com

Pike Lake PTA Facebook Page

Winter has arrived! Please make sure your student is prepared for going outside with labeled cold weather gear (hats, coats, gloves or mittens, snow pants and boots).

We are currently looking for donations of new or gently used snow pants and boots. Donations can be dropped off in the office. Additionally, if you are in need of assistance in getting cold weather gear for your student, please contact Kirsten at kirsten.kane@mvpschools.org or Nicole at nicole.rasch@mvpschools.org

Please note: students go out for recess unless the temperature drops below 0 degrees and/or windchills are colder than 10 degrees below zero.

The monthly school lunch menus can be found here.

The school district has online interactive menus which include nutritional information and allergens. To view the menus, along with instructions on how to print them if you choose, click here.

Second Step is a program that we use at Pike Lake Kindergarten. Second Step is a social-emotional learning program that teaches skills to help students succeed academically, socially and emotionally. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school. Four units will cover the following: Growth Mindset & Goal-Setting, Emotion Management, Empathy & Kindness and Problem-Solving.

To see what your student is learning and what you can practice with them at home, click here. Home links are provided in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

As we move into the winter months, here are five things to know about potential snow days. The decision to close schools is a difficult one to make, and we realize that it significantly impacts all of our families. To learn more about the criteria for school closures, visit mvps.me/weather.

Do you or someone you know have a child between the ages of 3 and 4?

It is required that all children are screened prior to kindergarten and we recommend that you complete screening between the ages of 3 and 4. Beat the rush and sign up now!

To learn more and sign up CLICK HERE.

Students occasionally need a change of clothes over the course of the school day. Please remember to send a labeled set of extra clothing including pants, shirt, underpants and socks in your student's backpack.

The health office is in need of clothing donations. We are looking for new or gently used pants, elastic waist preferred, size 6 through size 12. Donations can be dropped off in the office.

If your student borrows any clothing from the health office, please be sure to wash and return them as soon as possible.

With the weather getting colder, we are finding more students coming to the health office for chapped lips. This takes time out of their school day. Please send chapstick in your student's backpack, in order for them to easily access it during the day.

As the weather gets colder, we recognize it can often take longer to prepare for a school day. However, we ask that you please still plan ahead to ensure that your child is prepared for the scheduled bus arrival time every day.

As a reminder, a parent or designated responsible person must always be at the bus stop in order to provide "eye-to-eye" transfer of kindergarten students. Bus drivers are not allowed to release kindergarteners off of the school bus without this type of transfer.

Please plan to be outside at the bus stop with your child for bus pick up and drop off 5 minutes prior to the scheduled bus arrival time every day. Buses will always try to run as close as possible to their scheduled stop times.

The Lost and Found at our school fills up very quickly, especially with easily removable items such as:

• sweatshirts (most common unlabeled item)
• hats
• mittens and gloves
• jackets
• snow pants
• boots

Please label all clothing items with your student's full first name (not nickname) and last initial. Ideas for difficult to label items:

• permanent marker
• ball point pen (for tags that bleed easily)
• white or silver sharpie for dark colored material
• white out pen
• fabric pen
• iron or sew on labels

To ensure the office receives messages about your child's attendance, please use one of the two options below. Attendance messages sent directly to teachers will not be received by the office if the teacher is absent or does not read/forward the message.

1. ParentVUE - Select "Report Absences" on the Student List/Home Screen (See mobile device screenshot. Format for the desktop version is very similar). Click here for the ParentVUE login link. Note: For midday pickups, notify the teacher directly via email, please do not submit the absence on ParentVue.

2. Call the attendance line: 651-621-7401. This is a voicemail only line so you can leave a message any time of the day or night.

When reporting absences, please be sure to indicate the reason for your child's absence. If your student is ill, please list your child's symptoms.

Early start students (those who live in the Bel Air or Sunnyside attendance areas) may enter the building at 7:55. Their school day is 8:20-3:00. If you arrive at school after 8:20, please park in the visitor parking and walk your student into the office.

Late start students (those who live in the Pinewood or Valentine Hills attendance areas) may enter the building at 8:45. Their school day is 9:05-3:45. If you arrive at school after 9:05, please park in the visitor parking and walk your student into the office.

To find your child's home elementary school, click here and enter your address.

Our number one priority during drop off and pick up is SAFETY. Thank you for consistently following the instructions and expectations our staff provide during this busy time of day. When everyone follows the expectations for drop off and pick up the process is SAFE and FAST.

1. STAY IN YOUR CAR - DO NOT park and walk over to our staff. We do not want pedestrian traffic mixed with car and bus traffic.

2. STAY OFF YOUR CELL PHONE

3. PULL ALL THE WAY FORWARD

4. TEACH YOUR CHILD HOW TO BUCKLE IN. If your child needs help with this, please pick up your child and then pull forward to a parking spot in the front lot where you can assist them and not slow down the car line.

This video discusses how to safely enter and exit the parent drop off and pick up.

If you need to make a transportation change for the end of the current school day, please call the office (651-621-7400) at least 60 minutes prior to the end of the school day. Because teachers are not always able to check their email during the course of the day, reaching out to the office is the best way to make sure the message is received. Also, please do not rely on your child to communicate the information to their teacher. Unless we hear from an adult, the transportation change will not be made.

• If you are picking up your child early from school, please park in the visitor parking and make your way in to the office.
• Please be prepared to show your identification when you arrive.
• The front office staff will call your child down when you arrive to check them out. This enables the student to take part in as much of their school day as possible.
• Please try to give yourself a little extra time when picking up your child as we find that it can take some time for kindergarteners to gather up their items and make their way down to the office.
• It can often be very helpful to let your child's teacher know via email 1-2 days prior so they can help to have your child ready and awaiting the phone call from the office. Also, if at all possible, it can be helpful to try to avoid picking up your child during times when they are not in their classroom, such as lunch, recess, or specialist.

In order to provide a safe environment for our students with food sensitivities, all kindergarten and elementary schools have the following guideline for birthday celebrations: If you wish to bring something to share with classmates for a birthday celebration, please limit it to a non-food acknowledgement. Please do not send latex balloons. Donation examples include, but are not limited to: student's favorite book to the class collection, stickers, pencils, pens, markers, erasers, a board game to the class for indoor recess days, etc.