STEM Newsletter

11/1/2024

Happy November,

Fall came and left us with our first snowfall. I do not enjoy winter driving, but I enjoy the beauty of winter. Winter is a wonderful time to explore nature because mosquitoes / other insects are gone, allergies are less prevalent and who does not enjoy a nice hot cocoa after a nice nature walk. At Weaver Lake, we pay close attention to the weather (online) and we go outside to feel the weather prior to deciding if we are having indoor recess. We have indoor recess if the wind chill is -5, temperature is -0, or it is raining. We have enough winter jackets to lend to students that may have forgotten theirs at home, and we have a good number of hats and gloves, and a few snow boots. This week we provided students with a winter coat, hats and gloves. A couple of students borrowed snow boots as well (we only have a few snow boots). I apologize for not sending a reminder of our winter recess policy nor reminding you to send your student prepared for our first snow fall.

We are happy with the fence around the north playground. It increases safety for students that need a clear boundary around their play area and for the after programs that use the playground during bus dismissal.

We have been informed that we are receiving an interactive display (interactive playground) for the gym. We are the first school in the district to receive this system (https://play-lu.com/).

I want to thank you for the support you give to our school. Every day we have volunteers working with our students, families providing materials/snacks, parents/guardians sending supportive notes to the staff, and everyone working with the PTO to fundraise so that all students can have access to our excellent STEM programing.

Thank you and have a great November

Principal Salazar

Open Enrollment for priority application at Weaver Lake is now available and will remain open until December 31st. Families with currently enrolled siblings are highly encouraged to apply for any other children who are not yet enrolled for the next school year. If any families are interested in applying, please click HERE to go to the application page.

Mark your calendars for Weaver Lake's annual STEM in Action Fair! Come to see what our scholars have been working on during the first trimester. This event will be held on Thursday, November 14th, from 5:00-6:30. You'll be able to see a butterfly garden, museum exhibits, zoo exhibits, and mini-gardens to name a few. Hope to see your family there!

As the weather changes and getting colder, please send appropriate clothing with your child to school. This may include mittens, hats, coats, snow pants and boots. We ask that parents PLEASE put their child's name on all clothing. Our lost and found gets crazy and we do check each item for a name to try to get it back to the owner.

Any families that would like support with winter clothing, please contact our social worker, Rebecca Buckley at buckleyr@district279.org. We were gifted a TON of new coats AND snow pants this year for students and families in need. Thank you to the Knights of Columbus, Osseo Lions, and Premier Bank for this generous donation!

School picture retake day will be during the morning of Tuesday, November 12th. A volunteer will come to each classroom during the morning to gather any students who either wish to get their picture taken because they missed Picture Day OR who wish to have retakes done.

If you miss retake day, there is an opportunity to go to Kemmetmueller Studio on November 23rd to get your student's picture taken.

If you have any questions regarding your student's pictures, please contact Kemmetmueller directly at (952)473-2142 or email them at info@k-photography.com.

Weaver Lake Families, please take a moment to read and understand the Weaver Lake Family Handbook. There are helpful and important information regarding the school and its policies and procedures.

Please report your student’s absence from school before 10:00 a.m on the day your student is absent or will be late to school. Absences must be reported by calling the Attendance Line. This procedure also applies to extended absences such as vacations, family concerns, etc.

Please call the Attendance Line at (763) 420-3337 and Press 1 to leave a voicemail.

If your student is not reported before 10:00 am on the day of their absence an automatic unexcused call will follow. The student will be marked unexcused unless the school is informed the same day with a valid reason for the student’s absence.

Starting November 4th, we'll be trying out a new system for family members to have lunch with students. You may sign up for one date using the link below. At the end of the month, we'll evaluate the system and make any needed changes so that the process goes smoothly for everyone. Thanks for your patience as we try this out!

Click for signup

Weaver Lake KidStop will be sponsoring a Halloween candy/treat collection for Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, who sends care packages to our troops stationed overseas. Please consider bringing in any leftover candy to provide a little cheer to the women and men serving in the military.

The collection will run November 1st through November 8th. Students can bring donations to their classroom, drop off at the KidStop room #41, or the main office.

Parent Drop off in the morning:

• 2 options when dropping your child off at Weaver Lake
• Pull up to the drop off curb and have your student exit the car ALONG THE CURB ONLY. Please practice with your child to exit the car on their own, if they don’t have that mastered yet. This will help keep your child AND yourself safe by not stepping out into the vehicles in the driving lane.
• Park your car and walk your child to the front door area. You will always need to cross with the patrols no matter where you park in the front lot.
• Students need to start exiting the cars at 9:17 so we can get as many cars ahead of the busses that start to pull out at 9:20. As long as you are on the curb, students can exit their car. The bells rings at 9:20 and we want students to have time to grab breakfast, if they’d like, and get to class on time.
• Students arriving after the 9:30 bell check in through the office and receive a tardy pass.

Parent Pick Up at the end of the day:

• The Dismissal bell rings at 3:55. Please be aware that we have 6 grade levels exiting so they do come out staggered most of the time.
• If you choose to park your car and wait outside the front door, all students and families need to cross the parking lot with the patrols-no matter where you park in the lot.
• If you are pulling up to the curb in the afternoon-you need to remain in the car and your child will come to you. Students must enter the vehicle on the curb side only-this is for safety reasons.
• We would like as many cars as possible exiting the school lot by 4:05 so that you don’t get stuck behind the bus departure backup that starts at 4:07.

Ultimately our goal is to always keep everyone safe.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make our fall Literati Book Fair a success! Each Book Fair requires over 250 volunteer hours, and you all knocked it out of the park. I want to give a special shout out to our Book Fair PTO Chairperson, Laura. Without her hard work, dedication, and love for this Chair position, we wouldn’t have such great offerings for our students and families. Thank you, Laura!

I get a lot of questions from volunteers about speaking to or helping out in their child’s classroom. If you have a special skill, career or interest (for example, demonstrate things like proper dental hygiene or discuss things like cultural traditions) that you’d like to share with the students, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher to discuss it with them.

November opportunities will include picture retake day, STEM in Action Fair (links below) and some classroom activities. I will also be sending more information about starting up Recess Groups! If you’ve been waiting for a chance to work with small groups of students by leading them in fun projects or activities (including snowshoeing, if we get snow this year!), then this opportunity is for you. I will send out more details to all registered volunteers around mid-November, so keep an eye on your inbox!

Picture Retake Day Volunteer Sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-52561063-picture

STEM in Action Fair Prep Volunteer Sign-up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-52779655-stem#/

Don’t want to miss out on anything? Make sure you’re registered to volunteer with Weaver Lake by clicking the link below to fill out the Volunteer Application.

https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT

November 5th: Licensed Staff Workshop (No School for students)

November 12th: Picture Retake and PTO Meeting at 6 - 7:30 pm

November 14th: STEM in Action Fair

November 27th: Mark Reporting (No School for students)

November 28th: District Closed (No School for students)

November 29th: District Closed (No School for students)

The Butter Braids, Wooden Spoon Cookie Dough, and Bella Napoli Frozen Pizza fundraiser will end on Nov. 4th.

Family will be able to pick-up their orders on Nov. 22 between 3:40 pm - 5:30 pm at Weaver Lake Elementary School.

Please use the link below to register for Weaver Lake Elementary PTO fundraisers:
https://store.myfundraisingplace.com/RegisterSeller/4c774262-49fa-40a7-99cc-f2a5b926bfc2

Stop by and meet the PTO President and Vice President at the STEM in Action Fair on Thursday, November 14th, from 5:00-6:30. Children can engage in a fun craft activity, and parents can get some important information about how to stay connected!