December 2015
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dec. 8
CogAT Testing Non-verbal Battery
Grade 3-11:30 to 12:30
Grade 5-11:50 to 12:50
Dec. 8
Da Capo Concert 8:30 a.m. for parents and
friends
Dec. 9
NNAT 2 Testing
Grade 1-9:45 to 10:45
Dec. 10
Da Capo Concert- 2:00 PM AND 2:40 PM
for Shannon Park students
Dec. 11
Report Cards go home
Dec. 11
Hat Day
Dec. 16
Site Council meeting—8:00 AM
Dec. 17
5th Grade Band Concert 2:00, 2:40 & 6:00
PM
Dec. 18
Winter Party—9:45-10:45 a.m. K, 1, 2
2:00-3:00 p.m. 3, 4, 5
Dec. 24—Jan. 1
Winter Break—No School
Kindergarten
2016-2017 Timeline
Key Dates to Remember
November 11, 2015 - Magnet school application opens.
December 8, 2015 and January 7, 2016- Spotlight on
Schools. Call your neighborhood elementary school to
schedule a tour or visit one of the magnet schools for a
special tour at 10 a.m. or 6:30 p.m.
January 11, 2016 - Magnet school applications are due
by 4 p.m.
February 9 & 11, 2016- Kindergarten registration.
Families with incoming kindergarteners register at their
child’s elementary school.
Music News
Da Capo Choir Concerts
Dec. 8—Da Capo Concert - 8:30 a.m. for
parents and friends
Dec. 10—Da Capo Concert - for Shannon
Park students.
 2:00 for gr 1, 2, 3F 3E 3I
 2:40 for gr K, 4, 5, 3K, 3S
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5th Grade Band Concert
Thursday, Dec. 17 at 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 17 at 6:00 p.m.
For the evening performance,
students should arrive at 5:30
MUSIC SHARING
All Shannon Park students in grades 1 through 5 are invited to
participate in music sharing between Dec. 14 and Dec. 18. Music
sharing provides an opportunity for students to sing or play a
musical instrument for their classmates. Music sharing is optional. It is meant to be fun and informal. Sharing selections
should be practiced at home. In the past, students have enjoyed
showcasing what they have learned at private piano lessons,
guitar lessons, community choirs, etc., or simply singing songs
they created at home. Please contact Mrs. Radspinner if you
have questions (kathleen.radspinner@district196.org).
See Friday folders and/or the SP vocal music Moodle
page for specific sharing dates for each class.
Grade Level News
Grade Level News
Grade Level News
Kindergarten
Grade Three
The Kindergarten students continue our Social Studies unit of study on
Families. We are developing reading and writing skills each day and continue to create books to share with our families. Along with this unit of study
we will be learning about different celebrations. These celebrations include
Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid ul Fitr, Diwali, Kwanzaa, and St. Nicholas
Day. We love learning! The holidays are filled with projects, songs and
gift giving. We are also enjoying our author study on H.A and Margaret
Rey. They are the authors of the Curious George books. We continue to
learn about the story structures of books. WE LOVE READING! In math,
we continue to build and break apart numbers. We are also focusing on
coin worth. The students continue to explore simple addition and subtraction. We are enjoying our number corner lessons. It is exciting to hear the
math discussions taking place. Every day is magical with the enthusiastic
kindergarten children. Enjoy the season!
Thank you for all the Moms and Neighbors donations that will help
that organization purchase items for those less fortunate. The students will continue learning geometry in math. We encourage the
students to continue to read each night. Students are still enjoying
learning cursive. For practice have them read cursive to you. Our
Unit of Study continues to be Sound and Light. The students are
reading non-fiction as part of this unit while conducting experiments. Ask them about their learning. Kindergarten buddies are an
exciting time for our third graders. We look forward to our December time for Holiday Bingo. Have a happy holiday season!
Grade Four
Grade One
Our first graders are becoming more fluent readers. They are excited about
all of the reading they are able to do. In science, we are learning about
rocks - an important earth material. We will study properties of rocks. We
will continue working on addition and subtraction strategies in math, and
then move on to place value. December is a busy month for first graders in
anticipation of the holidays and winter break. Have a happy holiday season!
Fourth graders are busy making new book goals for the second trimester (please encourage at least 20-25 minutes of silent reading
time at home each night). In math, we will begin units using division strategies. Students should continue to work with flashcards to
improve speed and accuracy on their math facts (especially subtraction and division). In health, we will begin learning about the human
anatomy and nutrition as we continue studying about energy and
electromagnetism during our science time. Thank you for your generous donations for the Moms and Neighbors project. Best wishes
for health and happiness during this joyous holiday season!
Grade Two
December finds second graders showing enthusiasm for the holiday
season! Our Shannon Park December character trait of service is being
exhibited by second graders as they bring in donations of nonperishable
items for the food shelf at the Rosemount Family Resource Center.
Please encourage your child to help with this cause, as even one can or
one box of something makes a huge difference. Students are practicing
the reading comprehension strategies of making connections, making
mental images and inferring as they read. Students are studying air and
weather in Science. They are learning many new concepts and vocabulary as they become junior meteorologists! Basic addition and subtraction facts should be reaching mastery. Thanks for encouraging them to
practice those facts at home. Students are also learning a variety of
strategies for two digit addition and subtraction, and reinforcing place
value skills. Second grade wishes you a safe and happy holiday season!
Great Gift Idea!
We have more copies of the Shannon Park cookbook available for purchase. If you would like
one, either for yourself or for a gift, they can be
purchased for 2 for $5 or 1 for $3
Cookbooks can be purchased in the office.
Grade Five
It is hard to believe that we have completed the first trimester. The
fall has passed very quickly and the wonders of winter are already
upon us. The last month has been filled with excitement in fifth
grade as we have learned about ecosystems and communities. We
raised money for The Sheridan Story and other hunger relief organizations by playing games during our fall service project party. Our
hearts are warmed as we think of the people who have been helped.
We have another busy few weeks before our Winter Break. During
the first two weeks of December, fifth graders will complete their
CogAT testing. Report cards will be sent home December 11 th. Also, each 5th grade class will conduct their class Geography Bee. The
winner of each class bee will move on to the Shannon Park Geography Bee next month.
A friendly reminder that mastering basic math facts is critical for
fifth grade students if they are to continue to make progress in the
math curriculum. Please continue to encourage your child to study
these basic facts at home, as needed.
Thanks so much for your support. We greatly appreciate it!
Shannon Park Elementary
November 18, 2015
Site Council Meeting Minutes
Parent Members Present: Stephanie Charpentier, Stefanie Kelly, Jessica Theisen, Cyndie Sikorski
Parent Members Absent: Alba Nowlin
Staff Present: Michael Guthrie, Ann Kvittem, Chris Hollenbeck, Naomi Plowman, Kathleen Radspinner, Roxann Rutt
Staff Absent: None
Additions to the Agenda: None
Call to Order: Stephanie Charpentier called the meeting to order at 8:00 AM
Approval of the October 21st meeting minutes: Motion to approve October 21, 2015 meeting minutes. Second: motion passed.
Old Business: At this time the Site Council will not fund the Rosemount Arts Council request to purchase picture frames.
New Business:
 Mr. Guthrie shared with the Site Council that Shannon Park is first on the list for playground equipment upgrade. We are currently
scheduled for a new playground this summer.
 Shannon Park parent inquired about an author visit, cost is $250. Site Council decided not to fund the author visit this year but reconsider in the future.
 It was discussed that a new plaque is needed to continue to display the names of the Barb Keckeisen and Glenda Bauer scholarship
recipients. In lieu of the plaque, it was suggested that scholarship recipient’s names could be listed on the website. Members also determined that the Site Council will continue to award $500 in memory of Barb and $500 in memory of Glenda.
Treasurer Report: Jessica Theisen
 Checking - $54,850.40
 Saving - $9,303.74
 Total - $64,154.14
 Expenses – There was an unpaid invoice for 2015 picnic ($1,600)
 Future Expenses – scholarships, water, popcorn, Perma-Bound, Math Night 3-4, Math Night 1-2, and Art Night.
Parent Leader Report: Cyndie Sikorski
 The District 196 Bond Referendum passed with 69 percent supporting the bond. The city of Rosemount had the largest turnout of voters at 20 percent. The top referendum priorities are: new elementary school, technology and upgrading security in schools.
Volunteer Coordinator Report: Chris Hollenbeck
 December band concert volunteers needed.
 January music program volunteers needed.
 A lot of food was left over from the fall conferences teacher dinner. It was discussed that in the future ask families to provide salads
and desserts and order pizza/sandwiches.
Fundraising News: Jessica Theisen, Ann Kvittem, Stephanie Charpentier
 Read-a-thon income as of 10/22, $18,581.35
 Additional Read-a-thon income, $1,525.00
 GiveMN income as of 11/13, $4,178.18
 Matching gifts (pending), $1,650.00
 GiveMN estimated distribution (pending), $4,864.35
 Total Fundraising for Read-a-thon and Give to the Max Day, $30,798.88
 Stephanie Charpentier will have thank you cards available in the office for Site Council members to sign. Cards will be delivered by
Stephanie to the local businesses who contributed financially to Give to the Max Day.
 It was suggested that a local article thanking local business and highlighting the success of the fundraiser would be a nice way to
acknowledge those who participated in the match.
 Barnes and Noble Fundraiser (Eagan location) Saturday, November 21 st.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 AM
Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Hand Washing and Health
Studies have shown that effective hand-washing is an
integral tool in the fight against a multitude of illnesses.
From the common cold and flu, to food born illness, the
frequency of illness dramatically decreases when students and families practice good hand-washing technique.
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each your children to wash their hands before eating, after using the restroom, after playing outside,
and after playing with pets. Hand-washing should be
more frequent during illness.
Monitor your child’s hand-washing technique. Proper hand washing involves using warm water and
soap.
Lather and scrub all over hands and under finger
nails for twenty seconds (about the time it takes to
sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.) then rinse with
warm running water, and dry.
Of course, disease is not always preventable. But by encouraging your family members to practice good handwashing, you may see less illness in your family this
winter.
Dress for the Weather!
Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather this winter. You can
assume we will be going outside every day, unless the wind chill and/or temperature is 0
(zero) degrees or below. Children will need
hats, mittens, jackets, snow pants, boots etc.
every day.
Label Your Child’s Clothing
Colder weather brings more items for lost and
found. This is just a friendly reminder to label
all your child’s clothing. It is also a good idea
to check with your child to make sure they have
not lost any items. Several times a year any unclaimed items are gathered up and brought to
Goodwill.
Staying Inside for Recess
The general rule is if you are well enough to go
to school, you are well enough to go outside for
recess. Please notify the school nurse if you
have a note from your child’s doctor.
Give to the Max Day: Thank you all for your donations. We raised over $5,000 in parent donations and $1,650 in matching gifts for a total of $6,735! Thank you!
We thank all families and friends of Shannon Park for spreading the news about Give to the Max
Day and for all donators to our wonderful school. Shannon Park is always committed to providing
quality staffing and all fundraising efforts helps reduce Shannon Park class sizes, which positively
effects all students at Shannon Park.
**THE HEARTBEAT NEWS**
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
WINTER NEWSLETTER
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Fitness Reports: Student fitness reports will no longer be printed unless requested. They will be available on SchoolView when report cards are completed in early December.
Tennis Shoe Reminder: Please help your child remember that they need tennis shoes that are nonmarking and are secure on their feet. During winter months when they are wearing boots, it is easy to
forget tennis shoes. If they can leave a pair here at school or in their back pack, that can be very helpful.
We want to thank the 3rd grade students and parents who attended our Third Grade Activity Night. We
appreciate you taking time to come and spend time with your son/daughter and learn about what we
do in Physical Education here at Shannon Park. We truly had a great night!
What’s next? Students will be participating in some of these activities:
 Volleyball
 Bowling
 Jump Ropes
 Floor Hockey
 Basketball
Our Physical Education beliefs…..
 We believe in cooperation. We teach students how to get along with other kids in a friendly, safe,
fun, learning environment while being physically active.
 We feel sportsmanship is very important. We teach the importance of sharing positive feedback to
teammates and opponents.
 Showing respect to yourself and others is emphasized. This starts with listening to the student’s
classmates and teacher.
 We rarely keep score in a game situation. One of the reasons we don’t keep score is because we believe it’s the personal effort one puts forth that’s important.
 We do not have students pick teams. The teacher will randomly pick teams to make them as fair as
possible. This also eliminates the old idea of never wanting to be the last one picked for a team. A
majority of the time we have coed teams. Sometimes, we have girls play against girls and boys
against boys.
 We don’t make students exercise because they are misbehaving. Why should someone have to exercise if they are not following the guidelines? We believe enjoying exercise is an important life
skill.
 When teaching class, not only do we strive to keep the students physically active, we also believe in
teaching students to think on their feet. Thinking about game strategy, how and what skill should
be used, and analyzing the results of the choices are all vital to being active and finding purpose and
meaning in being active.
**THE HEARTBEAT NEWS** (Continued)
INDOOR H.E.A.RT. COURSE!!
Students in Grades 3-5 have the opportunity to be active on indoor recess days by using the indoor
H.E.A.R.T. cards. Students can perform exercises from various H.E.A.R.T. cards. Listed below are
two sample cards, we encourage you to give them a try with your student!
40 Pogo Springs
1 Minute Jog in Place
30 Mountain Climbers
20 Crab Push Ups
30 Second Plank Stand
40 X-Motion Jumps
1 Minute March in Place
30 Push Up Object Transfer
20 Burpees
5 Curl Ups
WAYS TO BE ACTIVE IN THE WINTER MONTHS
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Go sledding
Walk the dog
Build a snowman/snow fort
Play tag in the snow
Shovel the driveway
Try snow shoeing
Try cross country skiing
Try down hill skiing
Go ice skating
A note from the Volunteer Coordinator…..
Upcoming Events:
January – Box Tops for Education - More information will be sent out
Box Tops for Education – Please keep saving those little coupons for our BIG
contest in January!
A big “THANK YOU” to Alicia Westbrock and all the parents who provided dinner and treats for the
Parent/Teacher Conferences. It was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you to Amy Schulz and Rachel James for coordinating
the Give to the Max Day and the Barnes & Noble Book Fair! THANK YOU!
Give to the Max Day: Thank you all for your donations. We raised over $5,000 in parent donations and
$1,650 in matching gifts! THANK YOU!
Barnes & Noble Book Fair: Thank you to all the families who came out and supported Shannon Park.
Thank you to the SP Staff for reading!
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - We are always looking for volunteers to help at school. Please check out the
Shannon Park website for more volunteers opportunities or sign-up at http://www.signupgenius.com/
go/4090a4baeac23a75-201520161
 Welcome Desk
 Library
 Book Fair- February
 Videographer – for grade level performances and band concerts
 Music – In need of someone who can sew and repair costumes and put together props for grade level music programs.
Limited Supply for Purchase
Shannon Park Cookbook 1 for $3.00 or 2 for $5.00
Shannon Park Directory $4.00 each
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Hollenbeck @ 651-423-7670 or send an email to Christine.hollenbeck@district196.org