Lester Park School Newsletter - #3
August 29, 2024
Hello from the Office
Thank to everyone who came to the Open House! Your children have grown so much over the summer! We missed them sooooooo much!
And again one last reminder to those who received this email but their child no longer attends Lester Park School...will continue to receive our emails through Sept 3rd. After that, we will leave you alone. :-) We do hope your child/children have a fabulous school year at their new school!
Enjoy your long holiday weekend!
~Tracy Thompson & Brianna Solberg
Lester Park Admin Assts
Upcoming Dates:
Sept 3...First day of school for 1st-5th Graders
Sept 5...First day of school for Kindergartners
Sept 3-4...Individual Family Meet&Greet with Kindergarten Teachers
Sept 9...First day of school for Preschool
(lots of more important dates to be posted next week)
Lester Park Calendar can be found HERE
2024-25 District Calendar with 4 day rotation can be found HERE
(PD=professional development/NO SCHOOL for students)
Important Bussing Tips
- Children need to be at their bus stops 5 minutes prior to their pick up time
- Buses will likely run late the first couple of schools, especially for drop off.
- Bussers should never have to cross these busy streets/avenues to board their bus: London, Superior, 43th, 45th, 47th, 52nd. If your child is this is an oops, so please let us know so we can let our district Transportation know.
Any bus changes made this week will likely not be ready for next week. Plan on a 3-7 business day for changes made next week.
If you need help with bussing...
- If your child is in K-5th grade...please email Tracy Thompson or lesterpark@isd709.org
- If your child is in Preschool...email earlychildhood@isd709.org
School Day Hours
7:30am - School doors unlock. (SEE BELOW)
7:45am - Start of the school day. Students should be in their classrooms.
2:15pm - End of the school day.
Similar to last year, the front doors will not unlock until 7:30am. Please keep your child in your vehicle with you until this time. There are no staff to supervise students waiting to come into the school. Thank you for understanding.
Important for Students who walk to school
We will only have crossing guards at 2 intersections for the first week or two of school. These intersections are 52nd Ave & Glenwood street, and 54th Ave and Glenwood Street.
We are hoping to find more interested 5th graders who would like to be crossing guards. Once we do and have them trained, we will have crossing guards back at the Oneida Street intersections of 52nd Ave & 54th Ave for the 2nd week of school.
Drop off and Pick up Lines
Yep they will be long, but they can go fast. Please check out the tip slip that was in your Open House packet on how to help these lines move faster and safer.
Big thing to remember is...drive slow in the school parking lot! If you are stuck in a long Drop off line in the morning...your child will NOT be marked late.
The drop off and pick up lines will be longer starting Thursday when Kindergartners have their first day of school.
ILLNESS AND ABSENCE INFORMATION
What do I do if my child is going to be absent from school?
Email lesterattendance@isd709.org (the office & nurse will both see these emails)
or call attendance line 336-8875 then “3” to leave a recorded message
Please list any specific symptoms.
Teachers may have a preferred way for you to report an absence to them.
If the office does not know why a student is absent, an automated phone call and an email message will be sent out at sometime between 8:30-9:00. This is for safety reasons.
If you have health questions, you can call our school health office at 336-8875 x2654
"Visitor" Stickers changing to Badgers Sept 9th
Starting Monday, September 9th...
We will switch from using orange "visitor" stickers to red badges per a new school district policy. If we run out of badges, we will put out the stickers. Please return these badges when you leave the school. Missing badges cost the school district money.
You will still need to sign in and out of the GREEN binder. We will still need to buzz you into the main hallway.
IMPORTANT - BLENDED LEARNING FORM
Each school year, parents must fill out a new online Blended Learning Agreement. This allows their child/children to have full access to Duluth Public Schools Digital Resources (Chromebook, tablet, curriculum online programs and testing, etc.). More information here: https://www.isd709.org/academics/digital-innovation
Below is the link. You do NOT need to enter your child's school email.
Duluth Public Schools Blended Learning 1 to 1 Agreement for 2024-2025 - Digital Form
See below on how to look up your child's Student ID #
How do I find out my child's Student ID # (Lunch #)?
* Log into Infinite Campus:
https://duluthmn.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/duluth.jsp
* Click on your child's picture
* Their Student ID # is under their small picture.
2024-25 School Supply List
The K-5th Grade 2024-25 School Supply Lists can be found on our school website or by clicking here: https://secure.smore.com/n/29kef
Volunteers needed for Kindergarten and 1st grade lunches
We are looking for some volunteers to help with kindergarten and 1st grade lunches the first few weeks of school. You can help every day or just a few days a week. Timeframe is 10:35-11:30.
Tasks would be opening up milk cartons, handing out napkins & utensils, helping students find their assigned tables, etc.
You will need to fill out a mini-background check ahead of time. The online form is HERE. These need to be done every year in order to volunteer at our school.
If you are interested, please email lesterpark@isd709.org. Thank you!
Door Security
- On school days, the interior vestibule doors unlock at 7:30am, then lock again from 7:45am-2:15pm.
- All other exterior doors are locked during the school day, and most are locked 24/7.
- The Office door is only unlocked from 7:15am-8am
- There is a blue lit doorbell to the right of the office door that you push to speak to the office staff.
- Visitors sign themselves into the green book and grab an orange "visitor" sticker" if they are coming into the building. (stickers will change to badges Sept 9th)
- Parents sign in/out their child in the yellow book if they are coming in late or returning to school.
Parent Portal, Infinite Campus, ParentSquare
We have received a lot of questions about what these 3 are and how they work together. Below will hopefully help explain the difference
Infinite Campus
Program containing the database with all our student and guardian information, schedules, bussing, etc.
Parent Portal
Parent/Guardian access to Infinite Campus and how they view their child's information, as well as change their own contact information.
ParentSquare
The communication system our school district uses to send emails and phone calls to families, and families can respond back in a secure way. It uses the contact information set up in Infinite Campus. ParentSquare syncs with Infinite Campus every night, so any updates will go into effect the following day.
Click HERE for more information on ParentSquare
Click HERE for instructions on signing up for ParentSquare
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lester Park School have a Family Handbook?
We sure do! It is here: Handbook for Lester Park Families
Does the School District have a Family Handbook?
Yep they do! It is here: Family/Student Handbook
Who do I contact about a charge on my child's lunch account?
Who do I contact about my child's immunizations showing up as non-compliant?
If your child is going into kindergarten, or you are a new family, the nurses will be entering them in the next few weeks. They don't start back to school until next week and have 2 days of training. If they are missing any, you will receive an email later in September.
Why can't I see my child's email and password in Infinite Campus?
This is likely because you haven't filled out the Blended Learning form. Scroll up in this newsletter for more information.
How do I change my phone #?
Parents can change their phone #s and emails in the Parent Portal.
Will I still receive messages from the school and teacher if I do not have a ParentSquare account?
Yes, as long as your contact information is correct in Infinite Campus.
How do I volunteer in my child's classroom?
This information is on our website HERE
Optional Keyzone Piano Lessons available again
During the time your child is at Keyzone they can have piano lessons!
- 9 sessions - $225.00
- Students register through Community Education by clicking HERE.
- Families will be contacted by the instructor to set up a time that will work for you!
- Lists of books used by families will be provided before the first lesson.
- Supply fee for first books will be $20.00. Repeat students pay a $10 book fee.
- Payment is for lessons that meet on Tuesdays during the 9-week session. The instructor will assign a specific lesson time after registration. Unfortunately, alternate days of the week are not available and missed lessons cannot be made up.
Community Flyers & Registrations
ABOUT US
Email: lesterpark@isd709.org
Website: https://lesterpark.isd709.org
Location: 5300 Glenwood Street, Duluth, MN 55804
Phone: (218) 336-8875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lester-Park-Elementary-1900216436910729