Meadowbrook News

Good Afternoon Meadowbrook,

As we returned to school this week after the election, we encouraged our students to put extra attention on our school-wide Ways of Being (picture below). We recognize that big events, like elections, can bring out a range of emotions—some may feel hopeful, while others may feel disappointed. Whatever the feeling, we want every student to know they belong here and are a valued part of our community.

As a community, we also look to our Hopkins core values to guide us through moments like these: Authentic Inclusivity, Intentionally Adventurous, Optimistic Innovation, Humility of Heart, Vigilant Equity, and Love. Together, these values guide our actions, our relationships, and our commitment to making a meaningful impact. The more we live by them, the closer we come to realizing our vision for the future.

With Veterans Day coming up on Monday, I want to express my deep gratitude to our veterans—thank you for your service.

And finally, as the colder weather sets in, please send your child to school with warm gear (coats, hats, gloves, boots, etc.) for daily recess, and remember to label each item. It’s a big help in returning lost items to their owners!

In partnership,

Natalie

Join us for an evening of hands-on fun, participating in age-appropriate service projects that benefit local charities, our school community, and the environment. Dinner is from 5:30-6:15pm in the cafeteria. Project stations run from 6-7:30pm in the gym. No need to RSVP, just come join the fun! Visit MBServiceNight.blogspot.com for more details about our projects, ways to donate, the dinner menu, and volunteer opportunities at the event.

There are still a few days left in our donation drive for hygiene items! If you’d like to participate, please send donations to your child’s classroom by Tuesday, November 12th. The class in each grade that collects the highest number of items will win the Golden Service Night Trophy! Last year, we collected over 1,600 hygiene items! Let’s do it again, Meadowbrook.

• Kindergarten - Lip Balm & Tissues (small packs)
• 1st Grade - Toothpaste (full-size)
• 2nd Grade - Toothbrushes (individually packaged - adult and kid sizes)
• 3rd Grade - Shampoo (full-size)
• 4th Grade - Body Wash (full-size) or Bar Soap (individually packaged)
• 5th Grade - Deodorant (full-size)
• Kids & Co / Preschool - New Socks (adult and kid sizes) & Disposable Hand-warmers

We still need 30 volunteers to make Service Night a success! Sign up for your volunteer slot here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084AA4AB2BA7F4C34-52853417-2024#/. Shifts are 45-60 minutes, so you can volunteer AND still participate! Kids are welcome to volunteer along with you. Thanks to everyone who already signed up to help!

Here’s your weekly Health Office update:

• Lice Alert: Lice are still around, though less than last winter. Please check your child’s scalp if they’re scratching. Daily lice combing can help, and if lice persist, consider a prescription treatment from your doctor, as some lice resist over-the-counter options. Girls may benefit from braids or high ponytails after treatment.
• Strep Update: We’re seeing some cases of strep. If your child has a sore, dry throat, or stomach pains, consider a strep test. Children with strep should stay home until they’ve completed 12 hours of antibiotics and are fever-free.
• General Reminder: Please keep children home if they’re unwell—sending them to school “to see how it goes” spreads illness. Encourage good nutrition, rest, and handwashing!

Thank you for helping keep our community healthy!

Nurse Karen

To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, there are many meaningful ways to engage with Native cultures and histories here in Minnesota. Consider visiting some of these cultural centers and art spaces:

• Minneapolis American Indian Center: A community hub in Minneapolis offering programs for all ages, including language learning, cultural events, and workforce development for Native people.

• Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post: Located in central Minnesota, this museum is dedicated to the heritage of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, showcasing traditional and contemporary stories of Ojibwe culture.

• Hoċokata Ti (Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Cultural Center): The cultural center for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux community, offering insight into the Dakota culture and traditions.

• Grand Portage National Monument: Along Lake Superior, this monument tells the story of Ojibwe heritage and the fur trade era, a significant part of Minnesota’s history.

For those interested in Native art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) holds an impressive collection of Native American art, including works by contemporary Indigenous artists. The All My Relations Gallery in the Franklin Avenue East Cultural District is another excellent space dedicated to showcasing Native artists and celebrating Indigenous expression.

Engaging with these centers and galleries is a wonderful way to support and learn from Minnesota’s Native American communities this month.

We are excited to share updates about our elementary Schoolwide Enrichment (SWE) program designed to support and develop the unique talents of all students. Our SWE framework integrates opportunities into our curriculum for all students to explore, practice, and apply high-level, critical skills that are essential for academic success.

Over the course of the 2023-24 school year, elementary school leaders and SWE staff collaborated with district leadership to identify strengths of our current programming, as well as gaps we wanted to address. During the 2024-25 school year, we will begin to implement strategies to better align all of our sites’ offerings to the pillars of our SWE model - exploration, learning behaviors, and application. You can learn more about each pillar on our website.

At Hopkins, we believe that every student has the potential to excel. Our goal is to create a learning environment where every child’s abilities are recognized and nurtured, helping them to grow into well-rounded individuals ready to tackle real-world challenges. Here is how it works:

• Tier 1: Enrichment activities that are available to all students, customized to each school’s strengths and areas of focus.

• Tier 2: Deeper learning opportunities in areas of interest, allowing students to dive further into topics they’re passionate about.

• Tier 3: Hands-on, student-led projects that challenge students with advanced content and real-world problem-solving, fostering creativity and independence.
  
  

This comprehensive approach is backed by research and ensures that every student has access to enriching experiences that develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and other essential skills. Our work this year is to solidify our Tier 1 offerings at the elementary level, while beginning to pilot Tier 2 and 3 opportunities for students. Our school leaders will be sending updates via their newsletters throughout the school year, as we work to strengthen our Tier 1 (instruction for all students) and build the structures to support Tiers 2 and 3. We will include information in those communications regarding how students are provided access to the Tier 2 and 3 experiences.

At Hopkins, we’re committed to giving every student the chance to reach their fullest potential. Our SWE program is designed to challenge and engage all learners, ensuring that every child—no matter their starting point—can grow and thrive. By aligning our approach with the Hopkins Learning Framework, we’re focused on providing opportunities that match each student’s strengths and interests while preparing them for success in a rapidly changing world.

Want to dig deeper into the research that informs our work? See the following resources:

• Video: An Overview of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model

• Article: The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A Focus on Student Strengths & Interests

• Article: The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A Focus on Student Creative Productivity, Strengths & Interests

• Chapter from Systems & Models: The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A Focus on Student Strengths & Interests
  
  

We look forward to your continued support as we work together to inspire and empower our students.

Leanne Kampfe

Principal on Special Assignment

Hopkins Public Schools

It’s time to order your yearbook!

This year, the PTO won’t be able to provide a yearbook for each family, so please be sure to place an order if your child would like one in the spring.

Visit ybpay.com and enter code 14465725 to order. All orders must be placed by April 12, 2025.

Monthly Newsletter

• August
• September
• October

Restaurant Nights

• What are Restaurant Night funds used for? The sales from Meadowbrook Restaurant Nights are used for PTO funds. These funds provide many opportunities for all students and teachers. This includes, but is not limited to field trips, equipment for classrooms and the media center, artist residencies, and transportation costs for events and field trips.

• Tuesdays at The Local: Tell your friends, tell your neighbors! This year Meadowbrook is partnering with the Local in the West End; every time you or someone you know dines or gets take-out at the Local, mention "Meadowbrook PTO" and a portion of the proceeds will be provided to the Meadowbrook! This is an on-going partnership, taking place every Tuesday.

How to Help The PTO:

• Volunteer with us! Click here to learn about our many volunteer opportunities. There is something for everyone!

• Visit the PTO website, MeadowbrookPTO.weebly.com for current info on all things PTO!

• Sign up for the PTO’s monthly newsletter to stay in-the-know on all PTO events, activities and opportunities. Sign up here!

Any questions? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at MeadowbrookElementaryPTO@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, or our PTO website.

Maximize fun with your friends at this special Friday night event for all 4th and 5th graders. Unleash your game skills with gym games and competitions. Dance the night away with a DJ and enjoy snacks that are available for purchase. The middle school swimming pool will also be open for swimming! RSVP is required. Learn more.

It may seem like fall has just started, but we’re already heading toward November next week, which means it’s time to start thinking about thanking Hopkins teachers and staff. Hopkins Education Foundation (HEF) aims to help make the gift-giving season easier on busy parents. Order a HEF Gratitude Gift for each of the special teachers and staff who have made a difference in your child’s life.

Each Gratitude Gift includes a loaf of delicious bread, a restaurant gift card, and a personalized note. And, best of all, HEF will package and deliver it for you before winter break. Orders open on Friday, November 1. Start thinking about the teachers, paras, bus drivers, coaches, cafeteria workers, and other Hopkins Public Schools staff who deserve your gratitude. Your gift orders ($25 each) support HEF’s teacher grants that kickstart learning opportunities for Hopkins students. Visit HopkinsEducationFoundation.org to order.

Are you the caregiver of a child who transcends traditional binary gender roles? We are offering a supportive, ongoing group for parents and caregivers to ask questions, share ideas, and support one another. Some children may identify as transgender, gender fluid, non-binary, gender queer, gender expansive, or simply move through the world in a much more gender-free type of way.

This is for parents and families from all of Hopkins schools -- and from all grade levels (elementary, middle, and high school, and beyond). Laura Jensen, Hopkins Schools LGBTQ+ Community Liaison will facilitate the meetings. This is not a group to debate the issue, rather for parents looking to support their child.

North Middle School, 5-6:30 p.m. Room 506 (use side parking lot, Door R)

Questions? Email Laura.Jensen@hopkinsschools.org

The Golden Valley MLK Human Rights Contest provides a path for children and youth to follow as they grow. Quotes from Dr. King and the over-arching themes give children and youth a starting point on the path to understanding Dr King's message to the world. Students may submit any kind of original work that exemplifies the themes, including artwork, essays, poetry, songs, raps, videos, and more. Students are encouraged to base their entries on these specific prompts:

• Quote: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
• Quote: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
• Quote: “Life’s most persistent and urgent questions is, ‘What are you doing for others?’.”
• Quote: “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
  

The contest is open to students in grades Pre-K-12 who live in Golden Valley, attend a school in Golden Valley, or attend a Robbinsdale Area District or Hopkins District school. Prizes will be awarded to two students in each of the following grade groupings: Preschool-Kindergarten, 1-3, 4-7, and 8-12.

Submissions are due by Monday, Dec 16, 2024, 4 pm, to Seth Kaempfer, 7800 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley, MN 55427 or skaempfer@goldenvalleymn.gov.

The contest is sponsored by the City's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission. for more complete entry information about entering, visit www.goldenvalleymn.gov/DEIC

November 15: Meadowbrook Service Night

November 22: School Spirit Friday

November 27-29: No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 6: No School - Staff Professional Learning

December 23 - January 3: No School - Winter Break

Main Office Line: 952-988-5100

Attendance Line: 952-988-5110

https://meadowbrook.hopkinsschools.org/families/attendance

Email: natalie.sawatzky@hopkinsschools.org
Website: https://hopkinsschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/meadowbrook-elementary
Location: 5430 Glenwood Avenue, Golden Valley, MN 55422, USA
Phone: (952) 988-5100
Facebook: facebook.com/HopkinsMeadowbrook
Twitter: @MeadowbrookGV