Lighthouse School Newsletter
Lighthouse families,
We are so excited for another year of learning at Lighthouse School! Over the summer, facilitators worked on designing multidisciplinary units to help launch co-created inquiry. We will be adding more specific areas of growth in language arts to the academic and career and life competencies we already use for learning goals and reporting.
This week, we welcome new staff. We are thrilled to have Erin Julius join our team as a facilitator. She is excited to join the Lighthouse team this year. In May, she graduated with her master's degree in Reading from the University of Sioux Falls. Most recently she was teaching middle school Language Arts, inspiring her students to become lifetime readers, writers and learners.
Lighthouse School Staff
I am pleased to work with such a great group of staff. These are the people who will be working with your children at Lighthouse this year:
- Erin Julius - Facilitator
- Laurie Pouliot - Facilitator
- Amanda West - Facilitator
- Char Johnson - Paraeducator
- Kevin Koch - Innovation and Personalized Learning Lead
- Sheri Koehn - Administrative Support
The Campus Parent Portal has been updated with your child’s advisor. Students have one advisor to check in with on their learning goals and inquiries. Students will have the opportunity to work with all of our facilitators throughout the year.
Cell phones and other personal electronics
Lighthouse is joining other schools within Spring Lake Park Schools and across the state in following new guidelines for personal device use – such as cell phones and earbuds – during the school day. Limiting the use of personal electronic devices will help support students’ digital well-being, engagement in learning and success in school.
At Lighthouse School, personal electronic devices will be kept in lockers or backpacks. Elementary students will keep their devices put away during the entirety of the school day. Secondary students (grades 7-12) will be able to use personal devices at breaks and during lunch. Exceptions will be made based on 504 plans and accommodations for medical and or health care plans.
Our goal is to foster a more positive and uninterrupted learning environment and help counteract recent research indicating the impacts of excessive cell phone use on student mental health and well-being (See Surgeon General Advisory).
If you need to reach your child during the school day and instructional time, you are always welcome to use the main Lighthouse phone number (763-600-5200) to relay messages to your student(s).
I hope to see each of you are our meet and greet event next Wednesday, August 28, at Lighthouse School from 4-6 p.m. Join us when you are able to meet with the facilitators and drop off school supplies. Watch for this weekly school newsletter each Wednesday. Please let us know if you have any questions. Most importantly, enjoy these last few days of summer.
We are excited to see you soon!
Lisa Cisewski
Coordinator of Lighthouse School
Spring Lake Park Schools
Back to School hub
If you haven't done so already, make sure you check out the Back to School hub to find important information and resources as you prepare for the year and answers to your frequently asked questions to help you stay on top of your back-to-school to do list.
Hub highlights:
- School Supply Lists
- Meet and Greet dates and times
- How to prepare your iPad for the new school year
- How to update your contact information to ensure you receive communication throughout the school year
- and more!
Health office updates for back to school
- ·School medications: The Spring Lake Park High School Nurse works with Lighthouse School for medication distribution. She will not be available at our Meet and Greet, so if you have medications you need to drop off please let her know so the correct paperwork and procedures are followed. You can contact Mindy Bellomy at mbello@district16.org or 763-600-5104.
- Immunizations and vaccines: Now is the time to make sure your child is up to date on all recommended immunizations. Getting vaccinated is an important tool to keep our students safe and healthy while they are in school. See our website for more immunization information.
- Peanut/nut aware classrooms: Spring Lake Park Schools continues to implement peanut and nut-aware practices to protect students with severe allergies. Parents are asked to avoid sending snacks containing nuts or nut products and to ensure all snacks are pre-packaged for safety checks. This effort aims to create a safe environment for all students. Learn more on our Health Services webpage.
- Communicate illnesses: Please continue to update the school nurse if your child tests positive for a communicable illness such as flu, RSV (Respiratory Syncitial Virus), or COVID-19. The nurse will provide information on return to school. Please keep your child home if they are sick.
- Communication home: Our school nurse will call home in case of serious illness or injury, or if consultation with a parent/guardian is needed. Many times, students can return to class after a brief rest or treatment from the nurse.
Get Ready to "Start Your Engines"
The 3rd Annual "Start Your Engines" Big Trucks, Food Trucks & Automobiles event is Saturday, September 14 from 11 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. at Spring Lake Park High School.
This family/community event will feature a variety of exhibits with engines – think big trucks, automobiles, and recreational vehicles. Lunch from the food trucks will be available for purchase. The event is free to attend, and no registration is required - just show up!
Featured Food Trucks:
- Pigs Unlimited
- Turkey King
- 9 Yum Yum
- Eastern Star
Other event features:
- Panther Store Pop-Up Sale
- We are accepting bike donations for Bikes4Kids
- There will be a booth that showcases all of our Community Education fall offerings for youth, families, and adults. Make sure to stop by and sign up!
Fall programs available for all!
The start of a new school year brings new and exciting fall Community Education programming options for the entire family! As we kick off the new year, now is the perfect time to explore interests, discover passions, learn a new skill and connect with others within our Panther community. Registration is officially open. Browse and register for a variety of enrichment and learning youth, adult and family opportunities.
