Tanglen Update

It is that time of the year when we begin to turn our attention to creating class lists for next school year. As you can imagine, there are MANY factors that go into creating class lists, and one of those factors is input from you!

Below are some links to forms we would like to have you fill out about each of your Tanglen students, grades Kindergarten to Fourth Grade. Your input will be one of the factors we take into consideration when creating class lists for the 2024/25 school year.

Please make it a goal to fill out the forms at the links below by midnight on Tuesday, May 14. Remember everything you write is seen by MANY Tanglen employees, so keep comments positive and informational.

Thank you for sharing your insights with us!

Please fill out the forms based on your children's CURRENT grade levels. Thanks!

Kindergarten: https://forms.gle/7rdZkvypQmY3qab69

First Grade: https://forms.gle/i6c69UG1YqdxzBCt9

Second Grade: https://forms.gle/PDnp4ZRmCzfpam9v8

Third Grade: https://forms.gle/DVkg3VFwyxSE3D4m9

Fourth Grade: https://forms.gle/5Hz58yycg7LuQaqZ8

Thanks to a very generous donation from a community member, the entire Tanglen student body will be supporting local food shelves by packing around 20,000 breakfast meals through a local non-profit called Harvest Pack on May 8! This may be the ONLY time we may be able to do an event like this during your child's time at Tanglen, so if you can volunteer to help, it would be a GREAT opportunity for you to build memories with your children.

Our character strength of the month for May is TEAMWORK. We are excited to provide our students the opportunity to work as a team to benefit our local food shelves as we enter into summer. Since this is our first attempt at a project of this scale, we need your help to make it a success!

The event will happen during the school day on May 8. We have over 100 volunteer time slots from 6AM to 2:30PM to fill. We know this is ambitious, and what a beautiful way to show TEAMWORK to benefit our community as we fight local hunger together.

Please choose a time slot or two at the link below. Your support to model TEAMWORK is greatly appreciated!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B44AFAD22A1FE3-49376232-tanglen

Our school is fortunate to receive Federal Title One Funds to help us assure that our students continue to make great strides, especially in the areas of reading and math. At the beginning of the year we held a meeting to share an overview of our plans for this school year. On Tuesday, May 21, you are invited to a meeting where we will give you progress updates on this school year and get your input and ideas that we will use as part of our planning for next year. We will start the meeting at 2:45. Join us if you are able and interested.

Teacher and Staff Appreciation week is just around the corner! This year our theme is “OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF MAKE THE WHOLE SCHOOL SHIMMER”.

• "Chalk the Walk" on Sunday 5/5. Stop by the school to write messages of appreciation and draw pictures on our sidewalks. Chalk will be provided from 5-7pm, but you're welcome to stop by anytime on your own!
• Flowers will be for sale for $1 before school on May 6th, 7th & 8th. We still need volunteers before school! If you're available to lend a hand on any day, please sign up here. Check out the flyer sent home in backpacks on Friday.
• "The best day" with staff lunch and farmer's market on Friday, May 10th. Check out this link for a list of items needed and thank you to everyone signed up to donate items already!

***The final PTO meeting of the year is Monday, May 6, 2024.***

Join us in the media center for the new board elections, vote on next year's budget, and get the low-down on next year's activities. Open positions for next year include President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and At-Large. Click here to read more about each position and feel free to reach out to any current board members for more info.

We’d welcome anyone interested in helping to shape what will be a very fun school year! Please email lhtanglenpto@gmail.com for more info!

Building our social-emotional learning (SEL) skills is an important goal for our school this year. We will be asking for your 3-5th grade child to reflect on their mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school in their homerooms (we will be asking homeroom teachers to reflect for K-2 children).

The survey will ask students to self-reflect on social and emotional competencies that align with the Hopkins scholar traits outlined in the district's strategic plan.

We are asking that all our students participate in the surveys. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they can skip the item. The responses to these surveys are completely confidential. If you have any questions about the SEL survey or would like information about opting out, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You may also choose to opt your student out of this survey no later than May 3rd here.

Is your child missing a sweatshirt, jacket, water bottle or other item from school? Our Lost & Found Hallway is FULL of items that have been separated from their owners. If you happen to be at school anytime from now until June 7, please stop and take a look at our lost and found. You can also ask your child to look, or stop in the office, and we can help.

Unless the item has a name on it, all unclaimed items will be donated the week after school is out. Thank you for your help!

Royal Family Fun Day, hosted by Hopkins Education Foundation in partnership with Hopkins Community Education, will be held on Sunday, May 19, outside North Middle School. We invite Hopkins families, friends, and neighbors districtwide to further strengthen the Hopkins Public Schools’ sense of community and togetherness with an afternoon of FREE family fun. Kids in pre-k through 8th grade and their supervising adults are invited to attend. This year, kids will enjoy Ninja Anywhere’s exciting warrior course, balance activities, and inflatables! We can’t wait to gather for these and other games and activities, plus FREE FOOD! Register and sign the activity waiver: https://bit.ly/RoyalFamDay

As the end of year approaches, it's a great time to thank a teacher, para, cafeteria worker, bus driver, or other special Hopkins staff member who has made a difference in your life. Hopkins Education Foundation Gratitude Gifts ($25 each) are the perfect way for you to thank Hopkins Public Schools teachers and staff for their hard work and kindness. Your $25 purchase supports HEF's educator grants program. Each gift includes a personalized thank you card, a Breadsmith chocolate chip banana bread loaf, and a BLVD Kitchen & Bar gift card. You order. We deliver. You have a lot to do; let us help. Order today: https://bit.ly/HEFGratitudeGifts

Understanding Fractions: Baking is all about precision. When following a recipe, children can practice adding and subtracting fractions. For example, if a recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar but you only have a 1/4 cup measuring cup, how many times will you need to fill it?

Estimating and Measuring: Allow your child to handle the measuring. Encourage them to make an estimate first, and then verify it by measuring. This practice not only boosts their estimation abilities but also acquaints them with standard kitchen measurements and the tools used for measuring.

Multiplication, Division and Ratios: Doubling a recipe or halving it offers a perfect chance to practice multiplication and division. Recipes frequently rely on ratios. For example, if you’re making pancakes for two people instead of four, how do the quantities of the ingredients change? This presents an excellent opportunity to explore the concept of ratios.

Recognizing Patterns: Cooking and baking often involve patterns. For instance, making a sandwich follows a specific pattern: bread, butter, lettuce, tomato, then bread again. Similarly, threading kebabs on a skewer and setting the table also adhere to patterns. Encourage your child to identify the pattern or predict what comes next in the sequence.

Time Management: Cooking and baking require careful timing. If cookies need to bake for 12 minutes, ask your child what time they will be done. If preparing multiple items, how can you plan for all food to be ready to eat at the same time? These conversations can help children understand the concept of elapsed time and the importance of scheduling.

Cooking and baking are delightful activities that seamlessly blend math into the mix, offering wonderful moments to connect while creating and enjoying your creations. Involving your child in these processes not only imparts essential life skills but also integrates math into their daily experiences. So, don your aprons and stir up some delicious math fun!

Please save this date:

Friday, May 10

• Student Step-up Day - 5th graders at NMS for the day!

Stay tuned for more information to follow!

The Tanglen Health Office is looking for any sweatpants or leggings your children may have outgrown - size 8 and smaller especially, but we would take a few size 10-12 if you have them! We will happily take pants with holes in the knees as long as they are still wearable. Drop off your donations in the main office or health office. Thank you!

Learn about coaching a district robotics team next school year! Previous coaches and coordinators will talk about the commitment to coaching, training, support, and how to sign up to coach. This is for incoming elementary and middle school students.

• Tuesday, May 7

• 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Eisenhower Community Center

• Click Here for more information

Don't want to coach but want your student to join a team? Look for team registration in July on the Community Ed website!

Today we held our assembly to honor students who are role models of GRIT. As we tell the students, we know they all model GRIT in some ways, however some of our students were recognized with certificates for modeling it in MANY ways. If your child comes home with a certificate today, make sure and display it someplace special, for it is truly an honor to be recognized.

We also watched this story clip about GRIT put together by Steve Hartman. Enjoy watching and discussing the clip together as a family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOK4oiIA5ms. Discuss ways YOU have shown GRIT in your life and ask your children if they can remember times in their lives when they have modeled GRIT as well.

Enjoy the weekend ahead! Jim - Proud Tanglen Principal

Email: jim.hebeisen@hopkinsschools.org
Website: https://hopkinsschools.org/schools/elementary/l-h-tanglen-elementary
Location: 10901 Hillside Lane West, Minnetonka, MN 55305, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4900
Facebook: facebook.com/tanglenelementaryschool
X (Formerly Twitter): @LHTanglenSchool

The Hopkins Varsity Baseball Team and the Rogers Varsity Baseball Team will be playing at Target Field on May 16, after the noon Twins game against the NY Yankees. It is approximated that the Varsity baseball will start around an hour after the Twins game, 4 or 5 p.m. The MN Twins have offered a fundraising event for both Hopkins and Rogers to buy one ticket for two games.