Hidden River Newsletter

SAVE THE DATES - This Week:

Next Week (2/10-2/14)

Mon., Feb. 10th - National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) See info HERE!

Wed., Feb. 12th - Coffee with the Principal from 8:15-9:00am

Fri., Feb. 14th - School Dance/Activity Day 1:30-3:00pm

Kleenex/tissue donations: We are in need of Kleenex/tissues for our classrooms. If you are able, please drop them off in the main office. Thank you in advance!

Hi Families- Please notify the health office if you send your student to school with any medications INCLUDING over the counter medications and complete the following Parent/Guardian Authorization for the Administration of Over-the-Counter Medication

Over the counter medications can be kept in the health office for student use as needed. Students may be able to self-carry and self-administer. Please review the SPPS policy on SELF-ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION.

SELF-ADMINISTRATION OF MEDICATION

• State law permits select medications to be self-carried and administered by the student at school (i.e. insulin, inhaler, pain relievers) with written parent/guardian permission, and in some cases, healthcare provider authorization as well
• If a student requests to self-administer medication, the Licensed School Nurse will assess the student’s ability to administer the medication accurately and appropriately
• Students of any age with demonstrated competency can carry an inhaler (asthma medications), Epi-Pen, or insulin. However, only secondary students, grades 6-12 are allowed to carry over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers (e.g. Tylenol, Advil, and ibuprofen)
• The privilege to self-medicate can be revoked at any time if unsafe use of medication is observed

Hello Hidden River Families,

This February we are starting a new session of Extended Day Learning. The LOOKBOOK link below has all the information in regards to new and cancelled classes for this term.

Please have student take THE QUIZ requested to see if the interest for NEW classes is enough for it to be sustainable – GERMAN , FRENCH , CHOIR.

As the Hidden River site lead, I am able to make certain adjustments to the timeline and deadlines for EDL. If you have any questions , please feel free to email me or come see me. I am at school 9-5 M/W .

LOOKBOOK FOR EDL - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PsvphhezyNH2Gblk2dvQCGOvrLNogNoikNxD-XJjb1o/edit#slide=id.gc6f59039d_0_14

THE QUIZ for new classes - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1V3ucBj3cqo60cUnJRRUCrBwmfMPpnqNz5qPda-T_FG4/edit

ENROLLMENT LINK - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aPo-jdLiiqQ0IFCjhrDAVzEqIi5Mklya-QYG5bsGjG4/edit

Thank you,

Genesis Lopez

Hidden River EDL site lead

*Students that are NOT on the team need to be with an adult in order to attend the game.

Practice is M-Th 3:15-4:45pm. If you are needing transportation after practice click the link below. We are only offering transportation on Mon/Wed; Tues/Thurs parents would still need to pick up at door 4 or 3. https://forms.gle/PwthgBkeGLADyzit9

ALL players now have uniforms; gear needs to be returned at the end of the season. Lost/damaged or unreturned uniforms will result in a fee.

Where did you grow up? Inver Grove Heights

What is your role at Hidden River Middle School? Math Teacher

What's your go-to karaoke song? I will survive

What are your interests or hobbies? Kickboxing

What do you like most about Hidden River? The amazing students!!

Where did you grow up? Long Beach, California

What is your role at Hidden River Middle School? 6th grade Readers and Writers Workshop teacher

What's your go-to karaoke song? Dancing Queen - ABBA

What are your interests or hobbies? Camping, getting outside, knitting, embroidery, reading, and playing with my 3 pets!

What do you like most about Hidden River? I love that everyone is so excited to be a part of this community!

Keep Connected Family Engagement Partnership with Search Institute and Change Inc.:

As you might be aware, Hidden River has partnered with Search Institute and Change Inc. to offer the Keep Connected program to students and their families this year. Keep Connected offers resources to families, including tips, ideas, activities and learning opportunities to support strong family relationships.

Family Talk Starters - This Week’s Focus: Help each other learn from mistakes and setbacks. This is a great way to CHALLENGE GROWTH through family relationships.

When you have a few minutes, ask other family members a question or two. Enjoy the conversation!

• When have you interpreted a mistake as a sign that you were a failure, not that you made a mistake? How did that internal message to yourself affect you? What helps to change your perspective?
• What are healthy ways you deal with failures or setbacks?
• How do family members and other people you are close to help you keep going when setbacks happen?

Saint Paul Public Schools is implementing an 8/2 block schedule at all of our middle schools beginning in the 2025-26 school year. This means students will have eight, 78-minute classes -- four classes per day, rotating every other day.

There are many reasons why our school is changing to the 8/2 block schedule. All SPPS high schools and about half of the middle schools already have this schedule. We believe this schedule will provide an improved and more equitable experience for our secondary students and staff. More information about the rationale and what this schedule may look like can be found here.

Some of the primary benefits of aligning secondary schedules across the district include:

• Reduces the number of transitions in a day; students can focus on fewer subjects per day, improving concentration

• Longer classes allow for more time to build relationships and gain educational experiences from many cultures and beliefs systems.

• Opportunity for students to access to more coursework that isn’t required, but will help learning

• Advisory Class (Foundations) to support community building and growing into a young adult

• The majority of SPPS secondary schools are already on a block schedule, which promotes familiarity for students who may attend more than one SPPS school during 6-12th grade

As a school, we will be working to create a schedule that best meets our students’ needs within the 8/2 block schedule. Together, we will work through this transition that we believe will benefit our students and staff in the long term.