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Lake Agassiz

August 2024 Newsletter

Lake Agassiz August 2024 Newsletter

January/February 2025

Parent - Teacher- Student Goal Setting Conferences: Coming Soon!

Parent-teacher-student conferences are just around the corner, and we truly value the opportunity to partner with you during this important time. These conferences are a key part of supporting your child’s success in school.

During the meeting, your child’s teacher will:

  • Share current data on your child’s learning and proficiency.
  • Outline plans for instruction and any necessary interventions to help them reach grade-level goals by the end of the year.
  • Provide updates on your child’s social and emotional progress, including their interactions with peers, work habits, and overall effort.

This conference is an essential time for collaboration, as it provides insight into your child’s progress and allows us to work together to ensure their growth and success. Because of its importance, we strive for 100% attendance from our families.

Thank you for prioritizing this opportunity to connect with us and your child’s teacher. We look forward to seeing you and working together to support your child’s learning journey!


*And don't miss out on our Scholastic Book Fair in the LA Library! All proceeds fund our library, growing our book collection! Thank you in advance!

Winter 2025 Parent Teacher Student Goal Setting Conference dates:

Tuesday, February 11th: 4pm to 7pm

Thursday, February, 13th: 4pm to 7pm

Friday, February 14th: 8:20 to 4:00 pm

*Families with siblings at Lake Agassiz are scheduled as consecutive conferences.

*Look for your confirmation sheet from your child's teacher for your scheduled time. It will be in your child's Communication Folder on a yellow sheet of paper

The Book Fair is Coming to Lake Agassiz Library in February 2025!

Book Fair Hours

Monday, February 10th (8:30 am - 3:30 pm)

(Kids can come starting at 8:00 with a parent/guardian)

Tuesday, February 11th (8:00 am - 7:00 pm)

Wednesday, February 12th (8:00 am - 3:30 pm)

Thursday, February 13th (8:00 am - 7:00 pm)

Friday, February 14th (8:00 am - 4:00 pm)

(There is no school for students, but the book fair is open during Parent-Teacher Conferences)


*Reminder: There will be sales tax.


*You will have an option to set up an e-wallet for your child(ren) - information will be sent via Seesaw.

Important: Winter Gear for School

As the weather gets colder, we want to remind everyone that it’s important for your child to have the proper winter gear for outdoor play and safety.

Please ensure your child brings the following items each day when there is snow or cold weather:

  • Winter coat
  • Hat
  • Mittens or gloves
  • Boots
  • Snowpants

We go outside each day, and it’s essential for all students to be warm and comfortable. For those snowy days, it’s also a good idea to pack extra socks in your child’s backpack in case their feet get wet.


Thank you for helping keep your child safe and warm this winter!

School Cancellation and Postponement Procedures

Click here for school cancellation and postponement procedures.

Remote Learning: Snow Day information

Our school calendar includes a cushion for two snow days this year. If a third snow day is needed, we will use a Remote Learning format for that day. If we are approaching a third snow day, your child will have a Remote Learning packet sent home. We will send an announcement via SeeSaw if and when it becomes necessary to send those packets home in preparation.

Upcoming Dates January/February 2025

Thursday, January 2nd

  • School Resumes
  • No Encore today

Friday, January 3rd

  • No Encore today

Tuesday, January 14th

  • Lake Agassiz PTO at 6:30 p.m. in the school library - Enter through Door 10

Wednesday, January 15th

  • Early Release - School is dismissed at 1:30 p.m.

Monday, January 20th

  • No School - Professional Development Day

Wednesday, January 29th

  • Early Release - School is dismissed at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 5th

  • RED Event - Parent Presentation in the gym at 2:15 p.m. - Enter through Door 10. Read to your child at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 11th

  • Parent Teacher Conferences 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Thursday, February 13th

  • Parent Teacher Conferences 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Friday, February 14th

  • No School
  • Parent Teacher Conferences 8:20 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, February 17th

  • No School - Professional Development

Wednesday, February 19th

  • Early Release - School is dismissed at 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 27th

  • 2nd Grade Program at 6:30 p.m.

Notes from the Office

Parent Information Changes

Please make sure to update the office with any changes in phone number (home, cell, work), emergency contacts, changes in emails etc. It is very important that we have your most updated information in case of emergency. Changes can be called to our main office number of 746-2275.

Notes From Our Nurse

If your child is feeling like they might have a fever or isn't feeling well before coming to school, please do not give them medication containing acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin). These medications are sometimes found in some cold medications, so please read the packaging carefully. These medications can mask a fever and make it harder to tell if students are sick. We want to be able to tell if students are sick so that they can get home to get the rest they need to get better and not have them in the classroom where they might be getting other students sick. Thank you! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nurse Jenna at jnunn020@mygfschools.org or at 701-317-3625.

When to Keep Kids Home from School: The 24 Hour Rule

*Fever - If your child's temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher, they need to remain home until they are without a fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication.

*Vomiting/Diarrhea - Children need to be kept home for a MINIMUM of 24 hours after their last bout of vomiting and/or diarrhea.

*Antibiotics - If prescribed antibiotics, children need to be kept home for a MINIMUM of 24 hours after their first dose of antibiotics. Some illnesses require a child to stay home for longer than 24 hours after antibiotics are started.

Cover Your Cough

Please reinforce covering your cough and handwashing at home!

Benefits of Water

Benefits of Water. Please send your child to school with their water bottle each day!

Winter Safety Tips

Free Covid Tests

The USPS has a site where you can order up to 4 Covid-19 test kits for FREE. Here's the site:

https://special.usps.com/testkits

Let's get ready for school! It doesn't cost you anything, but it's worth everything.

Waterford Upstart is an effective, proven online early learning program with engaging software for children and coaching for the adults who support them.

You’ll get the tools, coaching, and resources to put children on a path to learning success—whether you’re a child’s parent/caregiver, an early childhood care provider, or a community partner.

Programs run over the summer or through the school year, and thanks to our generous supporters, there’s no cost to you!


Each child's success is our mission.


Every child should enter school confident and ready to learn.

With Waterford Upstart, children build foundational skills in reading, math, and science, wherever they learn!



Click the link for English and Spanish!

https://www.waterford.org/upstart/

Message From Our Deans

Confident Parents, Confident Kids

This website, confident parents confident kids, is a site for parents and caregivers actively supporting kids' development. It is filled with information and you can sign up to receive their newsletter! To get a better understanding of the theories from which this site draws as its foundation, read through the following guiding principles.

1. The whole family focuses on learning. We are all learning always. Through reflection on challenges and the proactive teaching of skills, problems can be avoided and risky behaviors deterred. But prevention is not always possible. When an intervention is needed, asking the question, “What am I teaching through my response?” and “What am I learning?” helps guide reactions and choices made.

2. Parents are teachers and learners. We often hear that we are children’s first teachers as parents. But in addition, the best teachers are also avid learners themselves. Constantly asking questions, seeking new information, setting personal and parental goals and striving for improvement embody and model the skills for your children’s growth and success. Mistakes and poor choices and the forgiveness that follows are an important part of that learning process for all. Parental “teaching” methods include modeling, coaching, creating practice opportunities and experiences and creating a responsive environment. These are the most powerful tools for influencing a child’s behavior.

3. Behavior change begins with the adults. Adults can desire that their children change their behavior but the change must begin in the adult. When adult behaviors change, children will adapt in response.

4. You can only control your own behavior. You can work on influencing others but ultimately, your behavior and how it aligns to your own values and guiding principles as an individual define the parent that you are.

5. Discipline is about teaching the skills for your child to be self-disciplined. When your child struggles, it is an opportunity to teach social and emotional skills. Strategies are drawn from “cooperative discipline,” “positive discipline,” and “developmental discipline.” Instead of being punitive, the strategies focus on logical consequences and treat the child as a learner offering opportunities for reflection, growth and development. They also offer opportunities for the child to make amends if the offense has caused harm.

6. Self-care and reflection is a critical part of being a confident parent. This can be a great challenge when pressed for time. Cutting back on your own self-care is an easy area to neglect since it does not seem to affect anyone but yourself. However, we know self-care or lack thereof has a significant effect on the whole family since it determines whether or not you can give your best self. Reflecting upon your own childhood and parent experiences and how that shapes your current reality in addition to articulating your values and goals as a parent can help guide the small choices that shape daily life and a family’s experience.

7. Social and emotional skills are critical to school and life success. These skills include self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Each person has the ability to develop his or her skills in these areas. These life skills can be improved upon continuously over a lifetime. “Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people and then inside the child.” – Lev Vygotsky, 1978

8. Providing opportunities for your children to learn and practice social and emotional skills will prepare them with the inner resources to draw upon for life challenges and important decision-making particularly when you are not present to guide them.

9. Each individual in a family is going through his or her own stage of development. Often frustrations emerge with children and between parents that are directly related to an individual’s stage of development and his/her learning process. Better understanding the developmental needs of each individual improves communication, empathy and problem-solving.

10. Each individual desires a sense of autonomy, belonging and competence. Understanding others’ motivations for their choices can help in being more responsive and empathetic.

11. We are all our own best problem-solvers. Parents can determine how best to play their roles through their own knowledge, culture, and experience. Children can create their own solutions to problems. Parents can help their children brainstorm strategies based by reflecting back what they notice in their child.

12. Every living being deserves the right to express who they are. Individuals from every ethnicity, race, creed, gender, ability, appearance and sexual preference bring some important contribution to our understanding of what it means to be human. We learn more about ourselves through the richness of contrast.

Volunteers Needed For Kindergarten & 1st Grade Reading Intramurals

We are excited to offer an opportunity for parents and guardians to come and read to our Kindergarten and 1st-grade students in the mornings. From 8:00 - 8:20 AM, volunteers can help kickstart our students’ day with a story as they wait for school to begin. If you'd like to sign up for a morning to read, simply click on the purple box below to register. We appreciate your support in fostering a love for reading!

Connie Momerak
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