STEM Newsletter
11/27/2024
A Message From The Principal
Dear families,
As I write this newsletter, the building is quiet as everyone is celebrating their first day off for Thanksgiving. Still, we can feel the joy that everyone brings to Weaver Lake every day. We truly have an amazing staff dedicated to providing a high-quality education while celebrating each person/child as an individual. Our staff is dedicated to helping our students learn to work with each other and to respect self and others. It is an honor and pleasure working with a gifted staff, students and family. I enjoy every day at work, and every day marks a new beginning. I give thanks for the opportunity to be your principal, colleague and partner in educating such a wonderful group of students.
In the last few weeks, we have accomplished so much. It is amazing to see our students learning to read using phonics, the new reading curriculum, doing STEM, and participating in band and orchestra among many other events including sports after school. Our STEM in Action night, 4th grade bird houses, and 2nd grade COMPAS were very successful. Our special thanks to all the volunteers who made these events possible. Being a top STEM school requires all of us working together. Thank you for sharing your gifts with us, including volunteering, and most of all, for sharing your children with us.
We need your help making sure winter wear does not end up in the lost and found. Please label your student(s) winter gear with their initials/name so we can return it to them.
I have an open-door policy please feel free to stop by with any questions.
Have a wonderful December and thank you for November.
Principal Salazar
Weaver Winter Spirit Week
Join us in showing your school spirit with your coziest winter wear!
Donations for Weaver Stem Give and Glow: Dec 9th-13th
Please bring in items to benefit Cross Services, a non-profit organization that supports families and individuals in need.
Yearbook Cover Art Contest
Weaver Lake is running a cover art contest for our yearbook cover this year! Flyers were sent home with students on November 20. Each entry must include the name of the school, the school year and represent our school’s theme of the year: Engineer Your Identity. Entries are due by December 18, 2024. The winner will be chosen by Weaver Lake staff and will be announced in February. Runner-up entries will also appear in the yearbook! Please see the attached flier for more info.
STEM in Action Fair- Thank You!
A huge thank you to volunteers for helping in matting and displaying student work for the STEM in Action Fair. Thank you, families, for coming to school and letting your children share their learning with you. We had around 350 families come - which is about 100 over our typical number! Look for photos on our website.
Families at Lunch
Thank you to all the parents who joined their students for lunch in November. After our trial run, we are moving to a different process.
If you would like to have lunch with your student, please contact the office in advance. We will need to make sure there is enough space and there are no other school-based conflicts. We ask that you limit your visits to special occasions so that all families have an opportunity to join us.
Blue Lights!
All district buildings, including Weaver Lake, have blue lights located outside of each doorway. These blue lights are to alert anyone outside of the building that there is a LOCKDOWN happening INSIDE of the building. If you see this blue light flashing, please move a safe distance away from the building. If you are trying to pick up or drop off a student, please wait AWAY FROM THE BUILDING until the blue light is no longer flashing.
During a lockdown DRILL, the lights will be flashing and there will be a sign on the front door. Please wait outside until an office team member removes the sign indicating the drill is complete.
St. David's
St. David’s school based mental health providers offer support to both children and families and are easy to access. With school based support, transportation is not a barrier to services and providers can easily communicate with school staff. St. David's is committed to all the children enrolled in our program and wants to provide the best treatment for your child. We offer services year-round, not only during the school year, as we find that this increases positive outcomes. Weaver Lake students receive school based mental health services for a wide variety of reasons. The St. David’s case load is filling up, but once full we will still be taking referrals and names will be added to a wait list. If interested in these services, please contact Maria Andersen at andersenm@district279.org.
From the Nurse
Volunteer Updates
Greetings Weaver Lake Elementary Volunteers!
We have continued to keep our volunteers busy this fall! From classroom help, to field trips to STEM in Action Fair and more. Volunteers are here everyday to help support our staff in many ways. Each month, you are collectively giving hundreds of hours, and we want to make sure you know how much you are appreciated! Thank you for making our school community what it is.
We plan to bring back recess groups after winter break. These small group activities are run by volunteers and are a way to offer more choices during recess for our students. There are many options available for helping with these groups. For more information, please click the link below!
Recess Groups volunteer request email
December brings some class parties and fun activities. Be sure to fill out the volunteer application below so you don’t miss out!
https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT
Stephanie Clark
Weaver Lake Elementary
Volunteer Coordinator/ESP
Office hours M-F 9:15am-2:15pm
763-391-8873 | Ext. 53341
Attendance Reminder
Please call the Weaver Lake Attendance Line to notify the school if your student will be late or absent from school. Attendance emails sent to the teacher as a courtesy do not always get transferred to the school office. The school office should be notified directly. To avoid an unexcused absence and automatic unexcused call, please report your student to the school Attendance Line by 10:00am.
Weaver Lake Attendance Line (763) 420-3337, option 1
Important Dates
December 2nd: Start of Trimester 2
December 11th: Report Cards will be available to view in ParentVUE at the end of the day
December 23rd - January 3rd: No School for students; Winter break
January 6th: School resumes for students
PTO Updates
Weaver Spirit Wear
The Weaver Wear Store will be open from 11/18-12/1. Remember--you can choose school or home delivery for your family's order. The orders will be delivered the week before Winter Break in December. We have added new cold weather items to the online store. These items make great gifts! If you have any suggestions for items you’d like to see in our next online store, please reach out to Beth Bergfield at weaverwear@weaverlakepto.org
Weaver Wear Donations
We are in the final days of the Weaver Wear Recycle Project which runs through Dec 1. Please keep us in mind if you are doing a bit of decluttering during the upcoming school break. We will have a box available in the school entrance for any used Weaver Wear donations.
Staff/Teacher Gifts
Please check out our PTO website weaverlakepto.org for teacher and staff gift ideas. There is a tab for "Teachers Favorite Things" and most of the staff have an Amazon Wishlist and their favorite items posted.
Omni Brewery
On December 9, Omni Brewery is offering cash back to Weaver Lake PTO for all sales. They now serve coffee and breakfast sandwiches, as well as non-alcoholic beverages and pizza!
PTO Committees
A few committees are forming for some upcoming school events. We also have some special requests for items and services. Please reach out to Lyn at president@weaverlakepto.org for questions and connection to committee chairs if you have interest in helping or donating items.