THE PATH MAY 2024

Student School Hours:

9:05a-3:45p

(students cannot be dropped off before 8:55a and have to be in classrooms by 9:05a)

Office Hours:

8:00a-4:00p

Dear Sun Path Families,

We have a lot of events going on the month of May and the first week of June. Information on these events can be found throughout this newsletter.

The PTO is sponsoring a year end celebration after school on May 29th from 4:30-7PM. This will be a fun event for the entire family with food trucks and inflatables. Students will have access to the inflatables both at the event and during the school day. They must wear socks to use the inflatables, so please have your kids wear socks on the 29th. Students must have a responsible adult with them during the event.

To make the transition of our 5th graders to middle school a smooth one, our 5th graders will be visiting East and West Middle School on May 15th. Student who will be going to West will be visiting in the morning and students scheduled to go to East will be visiting in the afternoon. You should have received a permission slip from your child’s teacher. Please sign and return it to give permission for your child to attend.

These are just two of the activities that we are looking forward to as we move towards the end of the year. Thank you for making this a great year at Sun Path.

Take Care,

Patrick Leonard

Principal

Dates for Track and Field Day

1st Grade - May 16th 9:30-11:30am

2nd Grade - May 14th 9:30am-12pm

3rd Grade - May 20th. 12:35-3:05pm

4th Grade - May 16th 1-3pm

5th Grade - May 14th 12:30-3pm

Here are some reminders as you prepare to come and enjoy Track and Field Day with staff, your child and their class:

• Parents and family can report directly to the track and field area adjacent to the playground located in the lower level parking lot. You do not need to check in the office before the event.
• Classes are still in session during track and field day so family and siblings will need to stay off the playground during scheduled recess times. The playground will be open for play after dismissal at 3:55pm
• It will be a beautiful sunny day so please apply sunscreen to your child before school, if needed.
• Please refrain from bringing dogs or other pets

We encourage children to stay until the end of the day but if you choose to take your child after the event, please follow these steps:

1. Students will stay with their class and return to their classroom with their teacher

2. Parents will go to the office – entering through the upper level parking lot through the outside office doors – to check out their child

3. Office staff will verify authorized persons for pick up and call your child up to the office for dismissal

Thank you

Remaining Informances for the year:

May 9th - Informance - 3rd grade (Ms. Swallows) 11:40am -12:30pm

May 9th - Informance - 2nd grade (Ms. Sammis) 2:40pm-3:30pm

May 10th - Informance - 3rd grade (Hussong) 11:40am -12:30pm

May 10th - Informance - 2nd grade (Ms. Eastvold) 2:40pm-3:30pm

May 15th - Informance - 3rd grade (Van Fossen). 12:00pm-12:30 pm

May 16th - Informance - 5D 10:50-11am:30am

May 17th - Informance (Poppen) 2:45pm-3:30pm

May 22nd - Informance (5C) 10:50am-11:30am

May:

• 6th - 4th Grade - Outdoor Learning Day at the High School
• 14th - 4th Grade field trip to Fairbault Energy Park
• 15th - 5th Grade Visit to West & East Middle School
• 24th - Center based field trip to High School 9:30am-12pm
• 27th - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
• 29th - PTO End of the Year Celebration 4:30-7pm
• 31st - 1st Grade field trip to MN Zoo
• 31st - 2nd Grade class picnic 12pm-2pm

June

• 5th - 2nd Grade field trip to Children's Theater. 9:10am-1:45pm
• 5th - SHS Graduate parade 12:15pm
• 6th - Last Day of School

We are in need of volunteers! Volunteer shifts are 45 minutes and teachers get priority on time slots before we share it out with our families next week. Please consider volunteering a bit of your time to help make this fun night even more special with staff/teacher attendance. To volunteer, you must be an approved volunteer through the school district. Thank you in advance!!

General Volunteer Sign Up

Dunk Tank Volunteer Sign Up

Each month, students at all grade levels will be learning more about a specific positive character trait. They will read a book with their class and do an activity related to this theme. Individual classrooms may also expand upon this theme on their own. All character education themes will tie back to our school-wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) expectations of being Respectful, Responsible, Positive, and Safe.

For the month of May, our theme is Individuality. Students will learn how to recognize their own unique qualities and differences. They will also discuss the value of individuality, rather than everyone trying to dress, look, and act the same.

Our kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders will read the book “Only One You” by Linda Kranz and decorate their own unique fish to display within our school. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will read the book “Tacky the Penguin” by Helen Lester and then create an ‘All About Me’ spinner, showing off all of the unique things about them.

We encourage you to talk more with your child about this month’s theme of Individuality. Below are some ideas for ways to continue this learning at home:

- Help your child identify their unique qualities by starting to point out their good qualities, and coaching them to do the same to others. You can also model this skill by verbalizing the things you love about yourself as an adult!

- Go around the dinner table and ask each person to share two things they love about themselves.

- Engage your child in an age-appropriate discussion about the value of being yourself, rather than trying to be like someone else.

If you have any additional questions about our character education programming, you can reach out to Tammy Doyle, dean of students (952-496-5899, tdoyle@shakopee.k12.mn.us) or Stephanie St Peter, school psychologist (952-496-5812, sstpeter@shakopee.k12.mn.us)

If your child has any medications at school, we will be sending them home with students on the last day of school, Thursday, June 6th. If you would rather pick up the medication at school, please let us know. We are not able to keep medications at school over the summer. Thank you!

Thank you!

Sun Path School Nurses

952-496-5894

Amy Johnson

ajjohnson@shakopee.k12.mn.us

Vickie Van Heuvelen

vvanheuvelen@shakopee.k12.mn.us

When severe weather affects the regular school day, daytime Community Education activities or classes that meet immediately after school will also be canceled. Evening activities may be held if there is significant improvement in weather conditions. In that situation, participants will be contacted by Community Education regarding class status.

CLICK HERE for more information.

CLICK HERE for access to Connected Learning Days (CoLD).

CLICK HERE for access to SABERS Boards (also known as CoLD Choice).

The Sun Path PTO will help close out another exciting year with a few more special events and activities. The PTO will provide ice pops to all students during their upcoming track and field days and we will help send off our fifth graders with some fun swag.

We will also host the second annual End-of-Year celebration on Wednesday, May 29 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. in the Sun Path field. We will have inflatables, a dunk tank and six food trucks! There will be fun for the whole family, but please note that students cannot be dropped off. They must be supervised by an adult.

We would like to thank all of our incredible parent volunteers and Sun Path families who have helped us make this year a great one for our youngest Sabers! Whether you donated to our Fun Run, attended one of our events, offered supplies for teacher appreciation or Blizzard of Wishes, or helped plan any of our activities, we are truly grateful for your support.

For more information about what we do, you can always reach out via email at sunpathpto@hotmail.com or follow us on Facebook.

And save the date for the first PTO meeting of 2024-2025 on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

"Helping Sun Path Shine"

2023/2024 Leadership Team:

President: Erin Bryan

Vice President: Christy Congdon

Treasurer: Kristina Kimpling

Secretary: Tami Weispfenning

In an effort to keep a continuous dialogue and feedback loop within the Shakopee Public Schools community, a 2024 online family survey and community conversation kicked off on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

Similar to past district feedback opportunities, the survey and community conversation will help further define areas of growth and improvement that can be implemented alongside the district’s vision, mission and overall priorities.

The online family survey and community conversation responses are anonymous & will be open starting Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (6:00AM.) through Sunday, May 26, 2024 (11:59PM) via an online, multilingual platform called ThoughtExchange. Please click here to access the survey.

Just a reminder, you DO NOT have to pay for school lunches or breakfasts for the 23-24 school year. The only thing you will have to pay extra for at the elementary school level is if your child wants an extra milk or gets a milk to go with their cold lunch they bring from home ($.55 for extra milk).

WANT TO COME FOR LUNCH WITH YOUR CHILD?!:

If you plan to come for lunch , please call the front desk by 10:00am so we can plan accordingly. You can bring in outside food or eat our school lunch. If you want to eat school lunch, please make sure you have the right amount of cash or check ($5) to give to Food Service.

If you forget to call ahead, that is OK....please still come and join your child(ren) for lunch.

Thank you!

Social Worker Corner

By Nikki Roles

Saber Nation Station

As the social worker at Sun Path Elementary I have been working to develop a Saber Nation Station at Sun Path. Saber Nation Station is a resource where students can access items they need to eliminate barriers to success. With the support of our incredible community, Saber Nation Station provides clothing, toiletries, snacks, and school supplies to students in need, free of charge.

• Its Easy to Donate to Sun Path Saber Nation
• New or gently-used clothing and shoes. Important: we are trying to build confidence. Please ensure clothing is clean, in-style, and age appropriate.
• Toiletries: new items only
• School Supplies: new items only
• Snacks - Individual snack size items - Such as popcorn, granola bars, cheez-its, etc.

Are your kids outgrowing their winter gear? Please consider donating gently used jackets, snow pants, boots and sweat pants to Sun Path to help other Sun Path families.

The school district is hiring for multiple positions. Specifically here at Sun Path, we are hiring for a building substitute teacher and Phy Ed/Building subsititue position. We would love for you to be part of our team! Please click on the link below to see all the Employment Opportunities we have in the district. Thank you for considering!

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Palmer is hiring for big bus drivers, small bus drivers and bus aides. A CDL is required for the driving positions and we have a paid training program to walk you through the process.

This is a part time position and hours/days are based on the school calendar. You would be joining a great team and entering a rewarding career.

Contact Palmer Bus Service at 952-445-1166 for more information.

For over 20 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn cash for their school, with products they already buy.

In the past, you would cut the little "Box Top" (see image to the side) off and bring them into school. We are asking if you have any of these still trickling around at home please send them with your child to school. They have phased this way out.

If you buy a product that has the "Box Tops" logo on it, now you can simply scan your store receipt with the Box Tops mobile app to identify participating products and instantly add cash to your school's earnings online.