Northpoint Newsletter
Dear Northpoint Families,
Monday, we celebrated Veterans Day around Northpoint. Some classes watched a video about Veterans Day and included it as part of their sharing during Morning Meeting. One class made a red, white and blue quilt in math class to celebrate. Other students wrote letters to veterans. All classes found various ways to celebrate those who have or are currently serving our country. Thank you, veterans, for your service.
Thank you for sharing your experiences in our pulse check last week! We’ve heard from 190 of you so far this year. We are seeing that 97% of you are happy or mostly happy with how things are going around Northpoint. Great news!
This week, we heard members of the community share examples of praise, appreciation, and feedback or questions.
Praise for amazing teachers who inspire and motivate students
Appreciation for excellent weekly newsletters providing important updates
Feedback on communication from teachers regarding student progress
A comment about the apps and websites used for school communication
Just a reminder that we are nine days away from the end of the trimester. The end of the trimester does not mean that learning stops. It provides us an opportunity to update families on how students are doing with all the learner progressions and competencies and work as a team to make any adjustments that may be needed.
Finally, just a reminder that we’re testing our notification system on Thursday evening in advance of winter weather. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Tyler Nelson
Northpoint Principal
Pertussis (whooping cough) in the community
Cases of Pertussis are on the rise in our community including reported cases in our school community. While children receive pertussis vaccine, immunization is not always 100 percent effective, and immunity decreases over time.
Minnesota Department of Health is recommending that a child be tested for pertussis if the child develops a cough lasting three or more days.
Pertussis often begins with symptoms similar to the early stages of the common cold - runny nose, possible low-grade fever, and a mild cough. After a week or two, a persistent cough develops. The cough occurs in bursts and may end with a high-pitched whooping sound and sometimes vomiting. Between bursts of coughing, the person appears well. Coughing attacks may continue for months and are more common at night. Pertussis can lead to pneumonia, particularly in infants.
Please call the health office if you have questions, your child has symptoms, or your child has tested positive for pertussis.
Fall Festival recap!
Northpoint Families, thank you so much for joining in the fun at our Fall Festival last week. We hope you and your kiddos had a wonderful time! A big THANK YOU goes out to our co-chairs, Nancy, Susan, Kristin, and Katy, as well as to all of our amazing volunteers for making it happen!
All About AVID
Nestled in a busy hallway of Spring Lake Park High School’s B Wing is a classroom with college pennants pinned on the walls. Inside, students enrolled in the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) elective are being supported in building their academic and life skills for college readiness and post-secondary success.
AVID is a nationally recognized college preparatory program, and one of many class options available for Spring Lake Park students in grades 7-12. This school year, there are 124 students who participate in AVID at Westwood Middle School (grades 7-8) during Panther Time and at Spring Lake Park High School as an elective class.
In this story, we hear from four current students about their AVID experiences, as well as testimonials from parents and graduates about how the program was successful for them.
Tickets available for Westwood grade 5/6 play "Lost Boys"
Westwood grade 5/6 theater students invite you to join them for their upcoming performances of "Lost Boys" where storybook characters come to life to take heroes on an incredible adventure! This magical tale follows four clever kids who, with the help of beloved characters like Cinderella, Captain Hook, Peter Pan's Lost Boys, and more, must rescue a stolen magical book to restore the power of reading to the world.
Bring the whole family for a night of laughter and catchy songs! Performances are Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m. Purchase your tickets.
