June 2024 Bulletin

May/June 2024

The school year is coming to an end and there is a lot to celebrate. Our 5th graders are excited about their transition to middle school. They have mixed feelings because some of their friends are going to different middle schools. Still, all of them will forever carry lessons learned in elementary school-including all their art experiences provided by our magnet programing. Our students experienced choir, drama, musical, troupes, field trips, after school programs, summer school, robotics, Girl Scouts, Girls on the Run, Black Joy and have received the love and support of our staff. We wish them the best and hope they will continue practicing arts either as a profession or a hobby.

The official results of our MCAs are not available, but we know that our students continue to show significant growth in reading, math, and science. As summer break arrives students tend to forget some of their learning. This is known as summer slide. We need your help this summer:

1. Make sure your Kindergarten and first grade students are practicing with the reading and math kits we are sending home (hand2mind materials).

2. Second, third and fourth grade students read the books we are sending home, and the two books we will mail during the summer.

3. Take them to the public library for additional books to read and participate in their reading programs.

4. All students are receiving some basic art supplies to continue being creative during the summer.

5. Check with your local parks and recreation for summer activities to help your students be active and learn at the same time.

6. Practice basic math during cooking, grocery shopping, traveling, and their multiplication facts.

7. Kindergarten – fourth grade students participate in the virtual read aloud (see schedule below).

Virtual Reading Schedule

Friday, June 28th & Friday, July 26th

Grade K 10:00-10:30 am

Grade 1 10:45-11:15 am

Grade 2 11:30 am-12:00 pm

Grade 3 12:45-1:15 pm

Grade 4 1:30-2:00 pm

Google Meet Information

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/xns-jkfd-qbm

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 678-813-8978‬ PIN: ‪867 122 742‬#

Our staff dedication to learning, working together, and planning for student learning continues during the summer. The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and equity teams will meet right after school is out to plan for next school year. Staff will be attending the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) training and the Restorative Practices seminar as well. Then in August we will continue our tradition of getting together to learn and prepare for arts integration and a book club (Driven by Data 2.0).

We would like to thank Ms. Stephanie Vleck for her commitment to our scholars and arts in general. She is retiring after a long and prolific career as a music teacher and arts coordinator. We will miss you and wish you the best with your future plans.

We thank you for giving us the honor of working with your students for another year. We wish you a great summer, success for 5th graders in middle school, and look forward to having our students and their families back next year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ronald Salazar, Principal

SalazarR@District279.org

Ms. Lindsey Patterson, Assistant Principal

PattersonLindsey@District279.org

Birch Grove has purchased summer math and literacy learning kits for current kindergarten and 1st grade students to practice skills over the summer. Look for these kits to be sent home with your child on June 6th.

Email Sara Anderson at AndersonS2@District279.org if you have questions or would like more information about Summer Learning Kits

The 14th annual Reading is Fun 5K will be held on Saturday, September 21 at Elm Creek Park Reserve in Maple Grove. Register by July 31 for early bird pricing and a guaranteed t-shirt. More than 600 community members will attend this family-friendly event to raise funds to purchase learning resources for media centers (libraries) in Osseo Area Schools. Over the past decade, proceeds from the Reading is Fun 5K have allocated over $117,000 to media centers. Here are a couple of examples of projects supported by proceeds from the Reading is Fun 5K:

• Brooklyn Middle STEAM School grew their World Language collection to represent more of the student languages spoken by students and their families. Supporting reading in a student’s native language can support them in growing as readers and learners in the English language. Languages included in this year’s purchases represent: Russian, Turkish, Farsi, Ojibwe, Spanish, French, and Swahili.
• Weaver Lake: A Science, Math & Technology School purchased a subscription to Novel Effect, which is an app that responds to your voice during a read aloud, adding music, sound effects and magic to the story. Now every time we begin a read-aloud students will ask, "Is there sound to go with it". They love it so much.
• North View Middle School purchased the entire set of My Hero Academia Manga. This popular Japanese superhero series features great characters with a creative and whacky assortment of superpowers.

Learn more about the Reading is Fun 5K, including a detailed schedule and volunteer opportunities.

As previously shared, Crest View Elementary School is being repurposed as part of the Building a Better Future plan. This means the building will transition from an elementary school to an educational site serving pre-kindergarten grades, enrichment and community-based programming needs. During this transition, our Crest View families and staff will be fully supported, and the school and its history celebrated and recognized.

Work has begun to further define the repurposed site’s future plans. The pre-kindergarten grades component is set to provide an innovative heritage learning model focused on cultural immersion centering Indigenous, Hmong, East/West African and Spanish. At this time our district has also committed to offering a community-access clinic in collaboration with Park Nicollet and an American Indian Cultural Center alongside a native language revitalization program. Space still exists to offer more opportunities in addition to these needs and commitments.

Community involvement matters: Our goal for the repurposed site is for it to be reflective of the hopes and dreams of our community. Please share your thoughts/ideas on how to best utilize the additional space via this anonymous ThoughtExchange. The process can be completed in as little as two minutes.

Construction timeline: The feedback you share will help the programming team with final recommendations to provide to the designers and architects. Construction is tentatively set to start summer 2025 with the newly repurposed site tentatively set to open fall 2026.

Stay tuned: The board will be discussing these next steps at the May 7 and 21 meetings. Community members are welcome to share comments at the May 21 meeting. Detailed information will continue to be shared via district279.org/BetterFuture (improvements to site) and district279.org/Repurposing (transition plans for Crest View families and staff).

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) knows how important it is for your child to have a successful transition to kindergarten. MDE wants to hear your thoughts on how schools can best collect information about what children entering kindergarten know and can do. This process is referred to as the Kindergarten Fall Assessment (KFA). We also want to hear how you think this information can be shared meaningfully with families so that all adults and systems can work together to support successful learners. Focus groups, led by a consulting firm, The Improve Group, are part of the initial phase of MDE’s multi-year plan to gather community input to shape the development and implementation of the KFA.

Focus Group information

Please participate in a two-hour in-person or virtual focus group to share your thoughts on kindergarten assessments. Your time and expertise are valuable, and you will receive an $80 gift card in appreciation for your participation. In-person focus groups will also provide transportation, a light dinner and childcare. Accommodations will be provided upon request.

Hmong, Spanish, and Somali focus groups will be available. Contact Nancy for more information.

Register for a focus group!

Focus group options run May 29 through June 20 and spots are limited.

Questions? Contact Nancy Lo at nancyl@theimprovegroup.com.

Birch Grove Elementary will be closed over the summer. No summer programs will be held at Birch Grove and staff will not be on site. If your child is enrolled in a summer program, you will receive contact information from them. Otherwise, please reach out to any of the following if you have questions.

Transportation

Phone: 763-391-7244

Email: BusQuestions@District279.org

Contact if you need to add or change transportation for your child or if you have questions about busing.

Enrollment Center

7051 Brooklyn Boulevard

Brooklyn Center, MN 55429

Located inside the Northwest Family Services building

Phone: 763-585-7350

Email: EnrollmentCenter@District279.org

Contact if you would like to enroll your child in any District 279 school, if you have had a change of address, or have questions about enrollment.

Camp Rocks

Phone: 763-391-7242

Email: TorenJ@District279.org

Your child's program director will provide you with site-specific contact information.

KidStop

Phone: 763-585-7281

Email: CECares@District279.org

Your child's program director will provide you with site-specific contact information.

Birch Grove's 5th graders took a field trip to Base Camp in St. Paul. Here, they participated in team-building activities and got to try rock climbing and archery. Check out some pictures below!

Ms. Lewis's spider plant has been thriving this year - so much that she has been able to share a part of her plant with each one of her third graders! They started with the plants in a cup of water before moving them into a cup with soil. The students will be able to bring their baby plants home with them and continue to nurture them over the summer!

Mrs. Volk's pre-K class celebrated Kindness Day on May 15th as part of their ABC Countdown to Summer!

Birch Grove orchestra students performed their spring concert for family and friends in May!

Every Monday, Mr. Hubert came to Birch Grove to meet with a group of 4th or 5th graders for the Black Joy Affinity Group during their lunch time. They had their last group with him in May and got a certificate to take home signed by Mr. Hubert and Dr. Salazar!

Troupe students in grades 2-5 had the opportunity to showcase their amazing work to family and friends. Students in Choir, Drama, Art, and Media Arts performed and presented over two nights.

Mr. McNamer and Ms. Luehman's classes recently attended a field trip to the Imagination Theater!

Birch Grove 5th graders recently participated in the annual Peeps Sculpture Contest! The students had a great time showcasing their creativity with themes ranging from anime to restaurants to everyday activities and more! Here are just some of the many amazing displays made by students.

Birch Grove first graders got the incredible opportunity to see (and smell!) a rare corpse flower as it began to bloom at the Como Zoo! Amorphophallus titanum, commonly called the corpse flower due to its distinctive smell, takes 7-10 years to grow. It blooms rarely, once every year or two. When it blooms, the flower is only open for 24-36 hours. The flower at the Como Zoo is named Horace and it has amassed many fans who have been following its journey to blooming! The photo below is a screenshot from the livestream of Horace when the first graders stopped by!

To add to the excitement, Chris Egert from KSTP news was also waiting in line to do a story on Horace. Check out his TikTok featuring some familiar faces!

And here are some more cool things the first graders saw at the Como Zoo!

The Wide Mouthed Frog is about a Mother Frog whose babies hatch from eggs. They grow into tadpoles and then into frogs. Mother Frog realizes she needs to feed her babies so she hops along to find food. She meets many animals along her way such as a giraffe, lion and elephant to ask what they feed their babies. In the end she runs into a crocodile who tries to catch them! Do you think Mother Frog will be able to escape? Come support our kindergarteners and find out!

Are you planning on attending the show? Please RSVP at the link below to help streamline the visitor sign-in process! All adults must sign in and receive a visitor badge to attend the event.

EVENT DETAILS

When: Friday, May 31st

Time: 3:15 pm

Location: Birch Grove Gym

Minneapolis Public Schools, Hennepin County, and Greater Twin Cities United Way are hosting a Community Wellness Festival at Minnehaha Falls. Experience the joys of the season while exploring mind and body practices, coping skills, activities, music, free resources, and more. Transportation will be provided if it is requested! Food and childcare will also be provided. Register and request transportation at the link below. Contact mental.health@mpls.k12.mn.us if you have questions.

EVENT DETAILS

When: Saturday, June 1st

Time: 12:00-3:00 pm

Location: Minnehaha Falls Regional Park

4801 South Minnehaha Park Dr.

Minneapolis, MN 55417

Family and friends of Birch Grove's youngest Bobcats are invited to attend the Pre-K Celebration on June 4th! Pre-K students will celebrate moving from pre-K to kindergarten. RSVP is not needed for this event. All adults must sign in and receive a visitor badge to attend the event.

EVENT DETAILS

When: Tuesday, June 4th

Time: 11:00 (AM section) and 3:00 (PM section)

Location: Birch Grove in Mrs. Volk's Classroom

Birch Grove's phenomenal 5th graders are excited to celebrate the important milestone of completing elementary school and moving on to middle school.

Are you planning on celebrating your 5th grader? Please RSVP at the link below to help streamline the visitor sign-in process! All adults must sign in and receive a visitor badge to attend the event.

EVENT DETAILS

When: Wednesday, June 5th

Time: 2:00 pm

Location: Birch Grove Gym

Birch Grove students will celebrate their last day of school celebrating with their grade level at the Bobcat Blastoff! Different outdoor games and activities will be available. If you are interested in volunteering, please feel free to sign up below! Donations of bottled water are welcome and can be dropped off in the front office at any time.

Event Schedule:

5th grade: 9:45-10:30
3rd grade: 10:30-11:15
4th grade & AM PreK: 11:15-12:00
2nd grade: 12:45-1:30
Kindergarten: 1:30-2:15
1st grade & PM PreK: 2:15-3:00
Connect: 3:00-3:30

Please read the following information about District 279 security protocols and visitor requirements. This is for visiting any school in the Osseo Area Schools, including Birch Grove. It is important to follow this protocol to ensure the safety of students and staff.

It is highly recommended to complete the volunteer application to make signing into the school a quicker and easier process. Please make sure to bring your ID with you anytime you come to the school.

Dr. Ronald Salazar, Principal: SalazarR@District279.org

Lindsey Patterson, Assistant Principal: PattersonLindsey@District279.org

Elise Dorgan, Administrative Assistant: DorganE@District279.org

Abbie Lecy, Counselor: LecyA@District279.org

Megan Ruhland, Social Worker: RuhlandM@District279.org

Emily Wenz, Psychologist: WenzE@District279.org

Baylee Holtz, Psychologist: HoltzB@District279.org

Olivia Hoff-Golmen, St. David's Therapist: ohoffgolmen@stdavidscenter.org

Jean Thurmer, Nurse: 763-549-2308 / ThurmerN@District279.org

Help Desk & Tech Support: HelpDesk@District279.org

Birch Grove PTO: PTOBirchGrove@gmail.com

Download the Box Tops for Education App and start earning money for Birch Grove by scanning your shopping receipts.

Learn more about Box Tops for Education!

Osseo Area Schools ISD279 offers varies meaningful job opportunities! Learn more by completing the ISD279 Job Interest Form and our recruitment & retention team will connect with you or by visiting www.district279.org/careers.