Alice Smith Weekly Connections

Dear Alice Smith Families,

Sign up for your scholar's Parent Teacher Conference!

Elementary Spring conferences will last up to 30 minutes and will be held in person on:

Thursday, March 6 from 12 p.m.- 8 p.m. and

Friday, March 7 from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Please select the time slot that works best for your family.

Please contact Renee Shakerin at Renee.Shakerin@HopkinsSchools.org or call our office at 952-988-4200 if you have any questions about how to sign up for a conference. Please contact your student's teacher if you have any questions about a specific conference time.

Please click on the following links to sign up for a conference with your scholar’s teacher(s):

PreK - 1st grade

2nd & 3rd grades

4th & 5th grades

The Sign Up Genius will be closed for online sign ups at the end of the day Monday, March 3. After this point, please contact your student's teacher individually to sign up for a conference.

Please take a few minutes to peruse this week's Newsletter:

• Sign Up for Spring Parent Teacher Conferences
• Staffing Update
• Community Survey! We need your INPUT!
• Free Spanish Enrichment Classes! Filling up FAST!

Thank YOU for your continued partnership and collaboration. If you have any questions please email or call me and I would love to connect and make sure you and your family have everything you need to continue making this year a complete success!

Principal Navidad

Direct Line: 952-988-4201

Email: eduardo.navidad@hopkinsschools.org

School Hours

Alice Smith will start at 7:50 a.m. and end at 2:20 p.m.

Follow Alice Smith on Social Media

Twitter: @AliceSmith270 and @NavidadASE

Facebook: @AliceSmithElementarySchool

Alice Smith Weather Station

We are extremely fortunate to welcome Mrs. Orham as our new PE teacher. She started learning with and from Mrs. Ellingson this week and will transition to lead our scholars in her role on this Monday Feb 24th

Hello! My name is Meriel Orham, and I am the new physical education teacher. I am from St. Michael, MN, and attended St. Cloud State University for college. I also played soccer there for four years! I enjoy being active, outside, hiking, watching movies, and spending time with my family and friends. I am an aunt to an amazing red lab named Link. After being a part of the Alice Smith family for a week, I know this is the place for me. The other teachers are so welcoming and eager to help if and when I need it. Everyone shows up with a smile on their face and is ready to teach our amazing students. I look forward to working with my colleagues, students, and their families here at Alice Smith Elementary!

We are extremely fortunate to welcome Mrs. Frueh as our new Art teacher. She will begin in mid March and or as soon as our HR department can finalize the hiring process.

I am Nikki Frueh and I am so excited to be the new art teacher at Alice Smith! I live in the district with my husband, 4 year old son, and 2 year old daughter, and my kids currently go to school at Harley Hopkins. I am in my 10th year of teaching and have taught nearly every grade level and art medium there is from Art history, to clay, from painting, to Photo Editing, I've done it all. Elementary art is by far my favorite though, and I love the joy and exploration that comes with this age group. In my free time I enjoy watercolor painting, crafting, attempting to garden, getting out in nature and spending lots of time with my family. I look forward to meeting everyone!

Mrs. Frueh

Our Assistant Principal, Ms. Burnett, who has been a big part of our Alice Smith community supporting our scholars and families will be transitioning to support our largest elementary school in our district for the remainder of the year. This elementary school has people in two key positions going on leave and needs the support. I have been working with our staff and district leaders to develop a support plan for Alice Smith for the Remainder of the year. We will be able to communicate to our families by March 7th on what those supports will be.

Alice Smith Community - We need your Input!

Our school in partnership with our PTO are asking ALL members of our community to take a few minutes and complete this PTO/School Co-created Survey that will gather this critical information.

ENGLISH: https://hopkinssd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVndm0hjJrU3Cxo

Español: https://hopkinssd.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9EwWIUBnKIUZxbM

This survey will INFORM our school leadership team and principal with a summary of our communities priorities as we begin the process of planning for our 2025-26 School Year!

Please take the a few minutes to fill this super important survey and share with us your hopes and dreams for our school!

Mark Your Calendar

03/05 - No School (Grading/PD Day)

03/06 - No School (Conferences from 12pm - 8pm)

03/07 - No School (Conferences from 8am - 4pm)

03/20 - Imagination Fair from 5pm-7pm

03/31 - 04/04 No School (Spring Break)

We start off every Friday with a PAW ticket drawing. Scholars earn PAW tickets throughout the week for being Respectful, Responsible, & Ready to Learn. On Fridays, Mr. Navidad draws 12 tickets randomly during morning announcements and if your name is on that ticket, you are rewarded with a prize. Congratulations to this week's drawing winners!

Thursday, March 20th from 5pm-7pm!

Students in grades K-2 are invited to create projects at home. Students grades 3-5 will work on projects during Schoolwide Enrichment. Bring your project to the Gym after school on March 19th or before school on March 20th.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the schoolwide enrichment teacher, Ms. Myers, at 952-988-4455 or Jillian.Myers@HopkinsSchools.org.

As you all are probably aware of, cold weather and illnesses are hit hard in the winter months. I found an interesting article on the Mayo Clinic website that sheds some light on how and why illnesses are on the rise.

"When your parents told you to put on a coat before you go outside or you'll catch cold, there's a small kernel of truth to that.

"If you're a little bit colder outside, your body's immune system may just drop a little bit because it's spending extra effort to keep you warm. That's not with everybody, but, in some cases, it may predispose you to a cold," says Dr. Bracamonte.

But, he says, the cold weather itself doesn't cause the common cold. However, as winter temps dip down, the chances of spreading a respiratory virus go up because more time is spent indoors with others.

"When it's cold outside, typically people gather around the fireplace or around your home. Therefore, if people are sick, you're more likely to be in close proximity to someone who is ill, thus catch the cold," says Dr. Bracamonte.

He says if you do catch a cold or one of the common viruses that cause the common cold, it's important to remember that it's a virus in most cases not a bacterial infection, so antibiotics usually don't help. Staying hydrated, getting plenty of rest and eating healthy are all important.

"In most cases, for most healthy people, we call it supportive management: time, rest, chicken soup and just staying away from others is usually the best medicine," he says".

Alice Smith Families with kids in ALL GRADES!

I want to bring your attention to an incredible opportunity for your child to participate in an afterschool Spanish Enrichment Opportunity at NO COST to you! YES - FREE!!!

We are now offering 2 sections tailored for different ages with our amazing teachers, Profe. Serrano and Profe. Alfaro! All classes will be on Thursdays from 2:20 - 3:20 here at Alice Smith!

Kinder - 2nd grade (Profe Heidi Alfaro) - (8 spots still available)

March 13th - April 24th (No Class on April 3rd)

May 1st - June 5th

3rd - 5th grade (Profe Heidi Serrano) - AT CAPACITY (Waitlist in place)

March 13th - April 24th (No Class on April 3rd)

May 1st - June 5th

SIGN UP USING THE LINK BELOW!!

Summer 2025

Contract requests will open online on Monday, February 17, 2025 at 8 p.m. for Summer 2025 for Kids & Company (Grades 1-4) and Blink Summer (Grades 5 & 6).

School Year 2025-26 (Grades K-5)

Contract requests will open online on Monday, April 7, 2025 at 8 a.m. for the 2025-26 school year.

Families are welcome to make an appointment to receive groceries from a fully-stocked food market, while ICA relationship managers are on hand to provide additional resources at Alice Smith.

Appointments available: EVERY WEDNESDAY (Beginning 9/11/24) from 3pm-7pm. Call 952-938-0729 to reserve your 30 minute time slot.

Earlier this year, Hopkins Schools invited families, staff, and secondary students to share their input through a Cell Phone Policy survey. On January 31, we emailed the survey findings to families, and these insights helped shape the draft Cell Phone Policy. The policy outlines district expectations for cell phone use among Elementary, Middle, and High School students. This draft policy will undergo its First Read at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, February 25. If you would like to provide feedback or attend the meeting, we welcome your participation. Pending review, the policy is expected to go before the board for approval on March 11. We appreciate your engagement and feedback in developing this policy.

Ticket sales close at midnight tonight (Feb. 21) for the Hopkins Education Foundation Royal Bash on March 1. Get your today! This 30th-anniversary fundraising gala will feature live and silent auctions, games, great food, live music, and more. HEF grants support teacher's classroom projects and unique district initiatives. This year, our Outdoor Opportunities special project aims to get students out of the traditional classroom and expand their learning with experiences that develop outdoor and leadership skills, build community, and help students experience joy and connection to the natural world. It's all possible with your support. Starting today, you can begin bidding in our online silent auction. Anyone can join the auction (it's free to be a virtual bidder). We hope you can support Hopkins schools in style with us on March 1 at the Metropolitan Ballroom in Golden Valley! If you can't attend, we hope you will bid in the online silent auction, buy a raffle ticket, or donate. https://bit.ly/RoyalBash2025

This month’s focus is Cooperation. One way to think about Cooperation is “working together to reach shared goals.” Cooperation is one of the traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Kind. Across grade levels, students will be developing skills like perspective-taking, conflict resolution, and leadership.

Our PTO supports our school in a variety of ways, but it relies on parent volunteers and we need YOU! This is a great way to stay in-the-know about what’s happening at Alice Smith, share your ideas to make our school the best it can be, and support both students and staff. Can you give some of your time? Email Kelli Gabbert (kmgabbert@gmail.com) to learn more or lend a hand. Current volunteer opportunities include:

Short-term projects:

• Coordinate the ordering and delivery of a meal for school staff during spring conferences on March 6

• Create and implement a plan to celebrate and thank teachers and staff during the first week of May

Longer-term board positions:

• Meeting Leader: Set the agenda and keep the meeting on time

• Treasurer: Balance the PTO budget and provide a treasurer's report at each PTO meeting

• Secretary: Take meeting minutes

• Fundraising Coordinator: Help raise money for Alice Smith through read-a-thon and other fundraising events.

• Volunteer Coordinator: Secure volunteers for PTO events throughout the year.

If you missed the February PTO meeting, you can still access the minutes.

The digital backpack is an area where you can find documents with updates and information on school related events and topics.

Friendly reminders to our care givers as we prioritize safety during drop-off and pick-up times:

• Be patient.
• Be alert, drive slowly and refrain from using your phone to minimize distractions.
• Be mindful of the drive-thru lanes and avoid blocking them.
• Wait until you are in designated lane (closest to curb) before your child gets out/gets in the car.
• Wait until the car in front of you exits before exiting to ensure smooth flow of cars.
• If you park and walk your student into school, please use the crosswalk and wait until a staff member/student helps you cross safely with a crossing flag

Website: https://hopkinsschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/alice-smith-elementary
Location: 801 Minnetonka Mills Road, Hopkins, MN 55343, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/AliceSmithElementarySchool
Twitter: @AliceSmith270