Family Newsletter

March 2020

1863 E. Clear Ave. St. Paul, MN, 55119

Phone 651-293-8815 Fax 651-293-8977 Attendance Line 651-744-2273 Website: spps.org/heights

Principal’s Note

The Heights Community School

MARCH 2020

Tuesday, March 3

Cancelled 6:00-8pm Saints North Roller Skating Friday, March 6

NO SCHOOL Conference Prep Day Sunday, March 8

Daylight Saving Time Starts-Spring ahead 1 hour Thursday, March 12

5:00-7pm PTA & 2020-21 Title I Budget Meeting Friday, March 13

3:00-9pm Chuck E Cheese Fundraiser Date Change! Tuesday, March 17 (instead of March 24)

3:00-6:00pm Evening Conferences Thursday, March 19

PreK NO SCHOOL - Conferences 7:30am-2:00pm PreK Conferences 3:00-6:00pm Evening Conferences Friday, March 20

NO SCHOOL 8:00am-1:00pm Conferences Thursday, March 26

8:50am Eagles Assembly PreK, K, 2, 4 9:40am Eagles Assembly 1, 3, 5, Jakubic/Gould Monday, March 31-Friday, April 5

NO SCHOOL Spring Break APRIL 2020

Monday, April 6

Classes Resume Friday, April 10

NO SCHOOL Prof Dev Day Thursday, April 16

5:00-7pm PTA & 2020-21 Title I Budget Info Monday, April 20 – Friday April 24

Administrative Professional (Secretary's) Week & National Volunteer Week Wednesday, April 22

AM/PM PreK Take Your Parent to School Day Friday, April 24

7:45-9am Volunteer Appreciation Brunch Thursday, April 30

8:50am Eagles Assembly PreK, K, 2, 4 9:40am Eagles Assembly 1, 3, 5, Jakubic/Gould Find the Family Calendar and Handbook on The Heights’ website. Go to: spps.org/heights

Greetings Heights Families, Can you believe it’s already March? Attendance counts! Students with chronic absenteeism and/or tardiness struggle in our classrooms both academically and behaviorally. Sleep is a basic human need for us all and without it your child’s learning and progress can be negatively impacted. Please help us help your child be successful by setting an early enough bedtime for him/her to get plenty of rest and an early enough wake up time to ensure that s/he has the time needed to be at school on time every day. Thank you! It’s time to start planning for next year and we need your help. Please attend the March 12 PTA meeting where we will review and discuss our 2020-21 Title I budget. We also start reviewing the SCIP, Family Engagement Plan and Compact for next year. Please contact Julie Wellman at julie.wellman@spps.org if you need child care, transportation and/or an interpreter. Conferences are scheduled for March 17, 19 and 20. It is important for us to have 100% participation from our families. Our teachers and support staff want to celebrate and share how your child(ren) are growing and discuss how your partnership can support our students’ success. This is one way you can show just how important school is for you and your child(ren). Please help us plan for next year during conferences by participating in the Parent Survey to review the Title I Budget and Activities to Support Partnerships. Families who participate are entered in a drawing to win $25 Target gift cards! Principal Moeller Principal Moeller

Don’t Forget! Set clocks ahead 1 hour on Sunday, March 8.

School Hours 7:30am – 2:00pm Office Hours 7:15am – 3:00pm

Early Admit to Kindergarten Students whose fifth birthday falls between Sept 2

and Dec 31, 2020, may apply for an early admission to kindergarten assessment through the Student Placement Center. The deadline for applications is March 20, 2020. Students recommended for early admission to kindergarten will be enrolled based on available space, and only after all kindergarten-eligible students are placed. For more information, please call the Student Placement Center at 651-632-3760.

The Heights Community School 651-293-8815

The next PTA meeting is scheduled for:

Thursday, March 12 5:00-7pm

Please join us!

Child Care, Transportation and Interpreters are

available upon request. Contact Julie Wellman

(651)293-8815.

**********************************

The 2019-20 PTA meetings are held: Oct 10, Jan 16, March 12, April 16 and May 7 from 5-7pm.

The PTA and Title I budgets are discussed at the March 12 & April 16th meetings.

Saints North Family Skate Center 1818 Gervais Ct, Maplewood (651) 770-3848 Cancelled Tues, Oct 22 6:00-8 pm Cancelled Tues. Dec 10 6:00-8 pm Cancelled Tues, Feb 4 6:00-8 pm Cancelled Tues, April 16 6:00-8 pm Sts North is looking for a school for us to pair up with next school year. All dates for this school year have been cancelled. Chuck E Cheese 445 Commerce Dr, Woodbury Wed, Oct 16 3:00-9 pm Fri, Jan 17 3:00-9 pm Fri, March 13 3:00-9 pm Fri, May 8 3:00-9 pm

Box Tops for Education is moving

toward collecting via an app.

Sign up and get the app at

BTFE.COM

A conversation with your child is a great way to encourage children to increase vocabulary and gain confidence with speaking. Mrs.Galowitz has put together some ideas to help you get more than a “yes”, “ok”, or “no” answer when asking your child about their school day. On the way home, at dinner or even bedtime is a great time for these simple questions.

1. Who did you play with today? 2. Tell me something you know today

that you didn’t know yesterday. 3. What is something that challenged

you? 4. How did someone fill your bucket

today? Whose bucket did you fill? 5. Did you like your lunch?

As answers develop using a phrase such as, “tell me more” will help your child make more connections to school. It is a busy day full of learning and we hope children begin to talk more about the wonders of their school day.

Conversation Corner

Please keep sick children home a full 24 hours after their last symptom of fever, vomiting or diarrhea before letting them attend school. Kids are still contagious and this will cut down on spreading illness to other students. Please consider sending extra clothes on the days with melting snow especially if your child is drawn to puddles! The health office has a limited selection of clothes that is used for emergencies. Finally, the health office could use more clothing especially for the older students. If you have extras, we’d love to have them! Thank you!

News from the Health Office

7:05-7:15 Patrols on duty for walkers

(Patrols are not on duty when the

temp/wind chill is -10 degrees below 0)

7:15 Cafeteria opens for FREE Breakfast to Go

7:30 All students must be in their classrooms or they will be marked tardy.

Please, always use the Attendance Line to call in an absent student!

(use even during regular school hours!)

651-744-2273 The Attendance Line is Available 24 Hours a Day/7 Days a Week!

Reporting Absences

School Hours 7:30am-2:00pm

Office Hours 7:15am-3:00pm

The Heights Community School 651-293-8815

Parent Reminder Parents please remember that if your child has had a fever (over 100), diarrhea or vomiting; please wait 24 hours of symptoms free before you send your child back to school.

Science - Ms. kartes Greetings from the science room! Here is what we are working on: Kindergarten- Sorting and describing objects 1st Grade: Air and Weather 2nd Grade: States of Matter and Habitats (plants specifically) 3rd Grade: Engineering 4th Grade: Immune system and states of matter 5th Grade- Biomes and Motion If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Physical Education - Mr.Beason This month in PE at the Heights School we will focus on a variety of things in PE classes.

• striking activities of soccer and floor/scooter hockey • Winter Olympic relays • Aerobic=non-stop, continuous exercise • "March Madness", basketball skills • Also continue to work on Positive Behavior

Music - Mr. Claver This month, scholars continued to develop their skills playing instruments. All scholars in grades K-2 spent time perfecting their drumming technique, and were able add musicality to their performances. In 3rd grade, we have perfected the notes B and A on our recorders. In 4th and 5th Grade, we have mastered playing single notes (reading tablature), and have begun playing chords. Starting this month, all students will begin their preparation for the May Concerts! We are so excited to share our new skills with you.

Looking Ahead: Our Spring Music Concerts are Friday, May 15, 2020 K-2 8:50am 3-5 9:40am Enrichment News - Ms. Clardy February lessons in honor of Black history month. We continued to study our social-emotional curriculum. Parents of 4th and 5th grade students ask your students about the videos they are making.

GT classes - On Mondays, students continue working on researching and creating a biography. On Fridays, students work on thinking skills and emphasizing problem-solving.

Student Council is taking pictures for this years’ yearbook, planning School Spirit Days and writing letters to local “celebrities” to invite them to the Heights.

2019-20 YEARBOOK will be ready in May. Look for order forms in your students’ back packs. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Mary.frances.clardy@spps.org

Specialists’ News

The Scholastic Book Fair will be in the library during conference times

March 17th, 19th and 20th

Our Spring Scholastic Book Fair theme is:

Book Fair Jungle: Elephants, Tigers, and Books, OH MY!

Watch for a flyer to come home that will show some

of the items that will be coming to our book fair. (The flyer cannot be used to place an order, but you can visit the book fair online at scholastic.com/fair.)

Volunteers are needed! Please contact Julie

Wellman (651-293-8815).

Scholastic Book Fair

The Heights Community School 651-293-8815

Parents are welcome at The Heights at any time. Families are encouraged to participate at The Heights throughout the year in a variety of ways:

1. Volunteer (PTA, library, classroom, field trips, family events, etc)

2. Participate and/or observe in your child’s class

3. Communicate with your child’s teacher Please call or email Julie Wellman for more details! 651-293-8815 julie.wellman@spps.org

Family Engagement School documents can be translated upon request or interpreters made available upon request. Āmarinya (Amharic) yeti / bēti senedochi bet’iyak’ē weyimi āsiterigwamīwochi līteregomu yichilalu. Myanmar (Burmese) kyaungghcaraote hcarrwathcartammyarr taunggsomhukshoetmahote m r shinine lote hcakarrpyan aapawshoet bharsarpyan htarrsaw nineparsai . Nēpālī (Nepali) Anurōdhamā skūla kāgajātaharū anuvāda garna sakincha vā vyākhyākartāharū upalabdha garā'una sakincha. Spanish Todos los documentos pueden ser traducidos o interpretados oralmente si usted lo solicita Hmong Tej ntaub ntawv tom tsev kawm ntawv uas xa los rau nej, peb yuav pab txhais thiab nrhiav neeg txhais lus rau nej yog nej hais qhia peb Somali Dhammaan dukumiintiyada iskuulka waa la turjumi karaa ama waxaa la heli karaa turjumaan haddii la codsado" Karen

Translations & Interpreters

Background Check Required for Field Trips

All volunteers who wish to chaperone field trips are required to have completed a background check. The cost is $15 (cash only). The background check is good for one year only. Please allow 2 weeks for processing. A background check is not required for volunteering in classrooms.

THE OLDBOX TOPS CLIPS

Traditional Box Tops clips are being phased out of production, but may continue to be found on

many products throughout the store. You can still clip them and send them to school.

Every valid Box Tops clip is worth 10¢ for your school. Make sure each one has a clearly

visible product acronym and expiration date.

*All valid Box Tops clips submitted per the Program Rules by a Coordinator(s) of (an) eligible, enrolled school(s) will be honored.

THE NEWBOX TOPS LABELS

Eventually the Box Tops program will become digital-only. Participating brands are starting to

change their packaging from a traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Tops label.

If you see this label, use the new Box Tops app to scan your receipt. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ for your school. The app will find participating products purchased at any store and

instantly add cash to your school’s earnings online.