Alice Smith Weekly Connections

Dear Alice Smith Family!

We loved seeing all our families at our Open House last night! Please check out the photos below capturing this exciting event! If you were unable to attend, check your Infinite Campus parent portal to find your scholar's homeroom teacher and bring your school supplies on your first day of school.

Need to create or access your Infinite Campus parent portal account?

Details maybe found at https://www.hopkinsschools.org/services/technology/infinite-campus-info

• Remember that the first day of school for grades 1st-5th is Tuesday, September 3rd.
• For Kindergarten, Tuesday, September 3rd is Visiting Day (See more info below)
• Kindergarteners first full day of school is Wednesday, September 4th.

Dropping Off or Picking up your child?

If you drop off/pick up your scholar, make sure to check the maps below and please please have patience the first few days while everyone is figuring out the timing.

Alice Smith families,

Thank YOU for your continued partnership and collaboration. If you have any questions please email or call me and I would love to connect and make sure you and your family have everything you need to make this year a complete success! This year I will also be hosting Monthly "Cafe con Navidad" the last Friday of each month. The first CcN will be on Friday Sept 27th from 7:00am- 8:30am.

Principal Navidad

Direct Line: 952-988-4201

Email: eduardo.navidad@hopkinsschools.org

School Hours

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

Follow Alice Smith on Social Media

Twitter: @AliceSmith270 and @NavidadASE

Facebook: @AliceSmithElementarySchool

Alice Smith Weather Station

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year! Find information you need here to get your school year off to a great start.

• Monday, Sept. 2nd - NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)
• Tuesday, Sept. 3rd - First day of school for grades 1st - 5th
• Tuesday, Sept. 3rd - Kinder Visiting Day (See info below)
• Wednesday, Sept 4th - 1st day for Kinder! Welcome class of 2037!

Kindergarten Visiting Day Information
Alice Smith's Kindergarten Visiting Day is Tuesday, September 3, 8:30am-10am or 12pm-1:30pm.

Parents or guardians will join their child with the kindergarten team for a brief overview presentation and Q & A. You will learn important information for the school year and you will go home with your child after Visiting Day. The first full day of kindergarten will be on Wednesday, September 4th.

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

1st & 2nd Grade Parents/guardians,

In order for 1st & 2nd grade Drop off & Pick Up to go smooth this year, we ask you to follow these norms:

1. DO NOT park in the THROUGH LANE
2. During Drop off, please have your child ready to exit your vehicle (using the passenger side) before arriving school.
3. Do not LEAVE your vehicle unattended for any reason. Stay in or stand by your vehicle and have your scholar come to you!
4. PLEASE obey the speed limit. We have so many kids coming in and out of cars and we don't want to have an preventable accident!

We understand the uncertainty around transportation has been stressful, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in bus assignments. Transportation Staff are currently working through our list to assign bus stops, prioritizing resident families first and then assessing available space for open-enrolled and inter-district transfer students.

If you have NOT yet received a bus assignment, please continue to check your email or your parent portal (instructions to follow).

Bus Stop Routes will be added to the parent portal (Infinite Campus).

Here are the instructions to access:

1. Bus information is available in the parent portal (known as Infinite Campus)

2. Families can log into their child’s account and go to the transportation menu on the right side. You will be redirected to our e-Link transportation routing system (outside of Hopkins)

3. The username and password you need to access the e-Link (Versatrans) system is available in small print in the transportation tab in Infinite Campus or check out the flier received at Open House from your child's teacher

If you don’t know how to access your parent portal or need a reset of your username or password, please visit this page.

If your bus information is still missing after Sept. 9th, please contact the transportation department at 952-988-4115 or by email at SchoolBus@HopkinsSchools.org

Please be aware that requests submitted after August 1 are waitlisted and may not have bus service for the first week(s) of school.

Bus Pass Policy:

New this year, all requests for guest/friend bus passes must be pre-approved by the Transportation Department. With increasingly full vehicles, transportation must first ensure there is appropriate room for an extra scholar. Please request bus pass from the Alice Smith office, one day prior for approval.

The Free School Meals Program was signed into law in the spring of 2023. This state-funded program allows us to provide meals at no cost to all students. The Free School Meals Program offers one free breakfast and one free lunch to each student every school day.

Complete your Educational Benefits Application today:
It is very important that all families continue to complete and submit meal benefit applications for educational benefits. School funding is impacted by our free and reduced price eligibility, so it’s important this number is as accurate as possible. In addition, students and families may qualify for other program fee reductions based on their eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. Download an application for meal benefits at HopkinsSchools.org/nutrition or call Nutrition Services at 952-988-4060.

Even though school is just a few days 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!

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.

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).

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

Families are welcome to make an appointment to receive groceries from a fully-stocked food market, while ICA relationship managers are on hand to provide additional resources at Alice Smith.

Appointments available: EVERY WEDNESDAY (Beginning 9/11/24) from 3pm-7pm. Call 952-938-0729 to reserve your 30 minute time slot.

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