Alice Smith Weekly Connections

Dear Alice Smith Families and Scholars,

Welcome to the 2024-25 school year!

We hope you enjoyed a restful and exciting summer break. We are eager to reconnect and hear all about your summer adventures. To our new families joining Alice Smith, we are truly grateful that you have chosen our exceptional school, and we look forward to getting to know you.

The purpose of this S'more is to provide you with essential back-to-school information and key dates.

Alice Smith Staffing Update:

We are delighted to welcome the following new members to our Alice Smith Family. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to:

Classroom Teachers:

• Lilliana Largo - Kindergarten Juntos Teacher
• Ilduara Jaimes-Morales - Kindergarten Juntos Teacher
• Carlos Morales-Tarapues - 3rd Grade Juntos Teacher
• Sophie Holbrooke - Long-Term Substitute for 1st Grade & 4th Grade
• Abby Steinmetz - Student Teacher with Mrs. Larson (4th Grade)
• Brooke Sandmann - Student Teacher with Mr. McKusick (3rd Grade)

Specialist Teachers:

• Taylor Huwe - Performing Arts/Music Teacher

Special Education Teachers:

• Anna Dahl - Special Education Teacher
• Elena (Tseng-Hui) Chen - Special Education Teacher
• Claire Peacha - Special Education Teacher
• Sam Kosel - Social Worker

Paraprofessionals:

• Karina Campos Hernandez - Kindergarten Juntos Paraprofessional
• Kyue Woods - Special Education Paraprofessional (RISE Program)
• Jerry Fisher - Special Education Paraprofessional (RISE Program)
• Ma'yari Marshall - Special Education Paraprofessional
• Kowthar Omar - Special Education Paraprofessional
• Sarah Han - 5th Grade Learning Support
• Jennifer Garcia Ortega - Kindergarten Learning Support
• Kinder Juntos Paraprofessional (TBD)

This summer, we dedicated time to creating a comprehensive Student & Caregiver Handbook. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with this valuable resource.

Thank you for your continued collaboration. If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. I would love to connect and ensure that you and your family have everything you need for a successful school year!

In Partnership,

Mr. Navidad
Alice Smith Elementary Principal
952-988-4201

School Hours

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

Follow us on Social Media

Twitter: @AliceSmith270 and @NavidadASE

Facebook: @AliceSmithElementarySchool

Tuesday, August 20: Kindergarten Playground Night, from 6-7 p.m.

Wednesday, August 28: Alice Smith New Family Open House, from 6-7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 29: Alice Smith Open House, from 4-6:30 p.m

September 2nd: NO School (Labor Day)

September 3rd: 1st Day of School (1st - 5th Grade)

September 3rd: Kinder Visiting Day (More info below)

September 4th: 1st Day for Kindergarten!

Parents/guardians will join their scholar with the kindergarten team for a brief overview presentation and Q&A. You will learn important information for the school year and then you will go home with your scholar after Visiting Day.

The first full day of kindergarten will be on Wednesday, Sept 4.

Please join us either at:

8:30 - 10:00 am OR. 12:00 - 1:30 pm

For the 2024-25 School year, bus stops were assigned ONLY to students who qualified for busing AND only to those families who Opted-In last Spring.

*2024-2025 Fall transportation information will be mailed to families on Monday August 26th. Please check your email if you are eligible for Hopkins busing.*

Please email the transportation department at schoolbus@HopkinsSchools.org with any questions.

When will I receive my student’s transportation information?

All families will receive their bus route information on Monday, August 26th. After August 26th, you can find your bus route information by going to the Infinite Campus Parent portal and selecting the transportation option.

How can I access my child’s bus information?

• Bus information is available in the parent portal (known as Infinite Campus)
• Families can log into their child’s account and go to the transportation menu on the right side.

1. You will be redirected to our e-Link transportation routing system (outside of Hopkins)
   

2. The username and password you need to access the e-Link (Versatrans) system is available in small print in the transportation tab in Infinite Campus.
   

• If you don’t know how to access your parent portal or need a reset of your username or password, please visit this page.
• If your bus information is missing and you believe you qualify for bussing, please contact the transportation department at 952-988-4115. We acknowledge the high demand on a small dispatch office. Thank you for your patience.

What happens if I had not completed the OPT-IN form?

If you did not complete the form, we have assumed you do not need transportation for next year and your students were not routed on a bus.

What if my circumstances change?
We understand that sometimes schedules change and those changes can’t always be anticipated on a timeline. If you need transportation after declining service, our transportation department can help you process this change.To Opt In, Please email your request to Schoolbus@HopkinsSchools.org. When we receive Opt-In forms after the March 24th deadline, transportation requests will be fulfilled on a quarterly basis. Services will begin on the following dates.

November 4th, 2024

January 27th, 2025

April 7th, 2025

My student is open-enrolled. How will the required transportation process work for my family?

If you would like to apply for bus transportation for your open-enrolled or in-district transfer student, please complete the Open Enrollment / In-District Transfer Transportation Application on our Transportation page.

*Important to note: all applications submitted after August 1, 2024 may be processed as late as October 1, 2024. Please complete the application form as early as possible to avoid disruptions.

I have applied for an in-district transfer, how will this process work for my child?
An in-district transfer means that you have applied to attend a different Hopkins school other than your neighborhood school or a magnet school (VirtualEDU Blended, Juntos, XinXing). Similar to our process for open-enrolled families, the transportation department will route your student to the bus stop closest to your home pending available space. Please fill out this form whether you need transportation or wish to decline.

My student receives transportation through special services. How do I make a change?
Students who receive special services transportation will make changes with their schools special services secretary. This information will be sent to transportation for routing.

Do I need to fill out this form if I need transportation for my preschool or ECSE student?

If you have students in preschool or ECSE and are in need of making transportation changes, please contact your school’s special services secretary. This information will be sent to transportation for routing.

My student needs transportation and we have qualified for McKinney Vento. How can I make a change?

If you are a part of the McKinney Vento program and you have a change, please contact Kevon Whitlock at kevon.whitlock@hopkinsschools.org

My physical address has changed. What should I do?

If your physical address has changed, please contact our Enrollment department to make the change.

I have a question about my specific situation that is not addressed in this document, who should I reach out to?

If you are not sure who you should reach out to, a good place to start is your school. They will help route your question to the correct person. You may also find the following contact information helpful, depending on your question.

Beginning during the 2024-25 school year, Hopkins Public Schools is joining Minnesota’s Free School Meals Program. Under this program, all students can receive ONE breakfast and ONE lunch free of charge each day at school. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important!

Your child(ren) may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees at school. Your application may also help the school qualify for education funds, discounts, and other meal programs.

The NEW School year means it is time again to complete your Educational Benefits (Free & Reduced Lunch) Form. Forms for the 2024-25 School year need to be dated and submitted on or after July 1st, 2024.

Since last school year have you had a change in family circumstances?

Have you checked to see if you or your family may qualify for Educational Benefits (Free & Reduced Lunch)?

For more details on the program

https://www.hopkinsschools.org/services/nutrition Click on the Free Meals & Food Assistance tab (midway on the page)

Kids & Company is Hopkins Public Schools' before- and after-school and summer care program for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. A fee-based program, Kids & Company is offered in each of the District's six elementary schools.

Due to a national workers shortage, Kids & Company is experiencing a waitlist. If you need childcare and have not signed up with Kids & Company yet, you are still encouraged to do so. We're working through our wait list as quickly as possible and look forward to serving you as soon as we are able. You may want to explore backup-plans as we might not be able to serve you at the start of the school year.

For the last four years, we have been very fortunate to be able to use Gethsemane Road & the Gethsemane Church Parking spots as our Drop off & Pick Up location for our Kinders! This has been a great new practice for our school because it allows for Kinder families to accompany their kids and personally drop off or pick up.

In order to maintain a positive relationship with our neighbors,

I BEG you that you please abide by the following expectations:

1. Use Gethsemane Road as the main road to and from pick up. Cutting across the Chapel View Health Care Center main entrance or parking in their parking lot is creating a lot of stress and could revoke this privilege for our school
2. IF you want to park and walk your kinder to the Kinder Drop Off zone, PLEASE park in the Gethsemane Church Parking Stalls and NOT on the road blocking traffic or in Chapel View's parking lot.
3. SLOW DOWN when driving on Gethsemane Road! We have so many excited kids that dart through the line of cars and I don't want anyone to get hurt!

IF we can collectively be GREAT neighbors, show patience during these busy times, we should make this year FUN and SAFE for our kinders and their families

We Are All Members of the PTO

You are invited to join us for the first PTO meeting of the 2024-25 school year!

Date: Tuesday, September 24
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Alice Smith Cafeteria

Come meet fellow Alice Smith parents, hear from Mr. Navidad, enjoy a meal, and learn about the exciting events we’re planning to support our teachers, staff, and students! Children are welcome! Dinner will be served first, and then children will go outside or to the gym with Alice Smith staff while the adults discuss the PTO’s mission and activities.

We all bring unique strengths and talents to the table, and there are numerous opportunities to volunteer. Whether you come alone or bring a friend, this is a great chance to explore how you can contribute to the Alice Smith community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact one of our PTO board members listed below. We look forward to meeting you!

Alice Smith PTO Board:

• Kelli Gabbert - Secretary, kmgabbert@gmail.com
• Laura Ciotti - Treasurer, laura.ciotti@gmail.com
• Ellen Wilkinson - Volunteer Coordinator, eswilkinson12@gmail.com
• Tim Hawkinson - Fundraising Coordinator, tim.hawkinson@gmail.com

We hope you had a fantastic summer! We’re excited to reconnect with you on September 7, 2024, at our annual Rock-n-Royal 21+ Block Party. If you're interested in supporting our events or assisting in the office next year, we encourage you to sign up as a Hopkins Education Foundation volunteer.

Please take a look in our Electronic Backpack to find a variety of offerings & information for our scholars:

School Supply List 24-25

August & September Immunization Events

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