February 2016
UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb. 4
Adventures Through Art—All Grades
6-7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5
Valentines Party—9:45-10:45 for grades K,
1, & 2 - 2:00-3:00 for grades 3, 4 & 5
Feb. 9
Grades K-5 conferences 4-8 p.m.
Feb. 9
Book Fair 4-8 p.m.
Feb. 9 and 11
Kindergarten Registration for 2016-2017
Feb. 9th 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Feb. 11th 12-8 p.m.
Feb. 11
No School
Feb. 11
Grades K-5 conferences 12-8 p.m.
Feb. 11
Book Fair 12-8 p.m.
Feb. 12
No School
Feb. 15
Presidents’ Day—No School
Feb. 17
Site Council Meeting - 8 a.m.
Feb. 17
Jump Rope for Heart
1:25-3:25
Feb. 19
Rainbow Day
9:40-11:40 and
Attention Shannon Park Families!
Shannon Park Yearbook
Order your copy of the 2015-2016 Shannon Park Yearbook
for only $15.00! Enjoy over 60 smiling, colorful pages of
memories for years to come! The yearbook order form
was sent home in your child’s Friday Folder on January
8th. Please return the order form to school as quickly as
possible. Orders received after Feb. 10th cannot be
guaranteed due to pre-ordering. Late orders will be
filled on a first come, first served basis. The yearbooks
will be distributed in May.
Questions? Contact Heidi Denysenko
heidi.denysenko@district196.org or
651-683-6969 #92973
Dear Shannon Park Parents,
When the professional staff of Shannon Park
Elementary School enters the process of putting
class lists together, our goal is to establish fair,
equitable, and balanced classes. In other words,
we strive to provide an appropriate educational
experience for all students.
Over 90% of Shannon Park parents leave
classroom placement decisions up to the professional judgment of the Shannon Park staff to
appropriately place their children.
We ask parents wishing to give input to
please make references only to teaching characteristics, specific concerns, or by stating the
specific educational needs of their child/
children.
In order to establish fair, equitable and balanced classes, not all requests can be granted.
It is our belief that ultimately, when home and
school work together, the most successful educational experience occurs.
Forms are available in the office and must be
returned by March 18, 2016. Requests after
this date will not be considered. If you are
requesting a SPECIFIC TEACHER, you must
make an appointment with Mr. Guthrie to discuss your request.
Sincerely,
Mr. Guthrie, Principal
RAINBOW DAY
February 19
Each grade level wears a designated color.
The designated colors for each grade level
are as follows:
Kindergarten – RED
First Grade – ORANGE
Second Grade – YELLOW
Third Grade – GREEN
Fourth Grade – BLUE
Fifth Grade – PURPLE
FIRST GRADE
MUSIC SHOWCASE
Mark your calendars for
Friday, March 4
(Times for each individual class will
be announced in February)
The showcase will give children the opportunity to demonstrate the skills and
concepts they are learning in first grade
music class.
Book Fair is Coming!
Mark your calendars. The Shannon Park
Book Fair will be February 9th and 11th in the
gym during Parent/Teacher conferences.
Students will have a chance to visit the Fair
with their teachers before conferences to
preview all the exciting new books. In addition to purchasing great new books for
home, the Book Fair at Shannon Park has a
long tradition of providing new books and
materials for classroom libraries and the
school library. Please be sure to stop by before or after conferences to see what all the
excitement is about! The Fair can only be a
continued success with our dedicated volunteers. If you are able to help or if you have
any questions, please contact the Book Fair
Chairperson, Kelly Youker at
youks4@lycos.com or Christine Hollenbeck
at christine.hollenbeck@district196.org.
Fair Hours: Tuesday, February 9th from 4 pm
to 8 pm and Thursday, February 11th from
12 pm to 8 pm.
Shop Online starting February 4th at http://
www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/.
Grade Level News
Grade Level News
Kindergarten
February is an exciting month in Kindergarten! We continue to read and will tally up the books we read at home
with our families in order to earn a special award. We
love writing exciting stories during Writer’s Workshop. The kids have made wonderful gains! Our 100th
day comes on February 22nd. What a great hundred
days of learning it has been! In January we learned
about our town of Rosemount and our state of Minnesota. Mayor Droste visited the kindergarteners. In February, we’re on to studying other places in our world. In
math, we will continue working on addition and subtraction, growing patterns, graphing, interpreting data, numbers to 20, coin worth recognition and 3D shapes. We
look forward to starting our new science unit called Materials in our World. The Kindergarten teachers are
proud of all their students’ accomplishments!
Grade One
February is a busy month in first grade. We will be celebrating Valentines Day, our 100th day of school and Chinese
New Year during February. In math we will continue to develop a solid understanding of addition, subtraction and
place value through problem solving. We will work on
measurement as we learn about penguins. We will also
continue to work on counting money, and counting multiples
of 2, 5 and 10. Our first graders are recording all of the
books that they read for I Love to Read Month; be looking
for the hearts outside the first grade area. We are looking
forward to celebrating the Chinese New Year on February
26.
Grade Two
Second grade students are enjoying our nonfiction
unit of study in reading and writing. Students are
learning how to use nonfiction conventions to identify
topics, main ideas and details in a text. Second graders are excited to be nonfiction writers as they create
their own Fast Fact books and All About books. WE
LOVE TO READ in second grade! Reading in all
forms is a shared treasure. We are excited to start an
author study on two of our favorite authors in second
grade, Kevin Henkes and Cynthia Rylant! Keep practicing math facts at home, as we need to be very fluent with our addition and subtraction facts! We are
enjoying our geometry focus in math as we explore
2D and 3D shapes. Students are excited about the
upcoming Valentine’s Day party. A heartfelt thanks to
all of our parent party volunteers.
Grade Level News
Grade Three
The third grade is celebrating “I Love to Read” month by
having guest readers come in and read their favorite
story to the class. More information was in their Friday
Folders or emailed to you. Thanks for encouraging your
child to read and set goals. We are now studying the
author, David Adler, for our Unit of Study. David Adler
is known for his writing of biographies as well as the
popular mysteries, Cam Jansen, and also many fun
books about math concepts as well as other books for
children. We will be writing biographies and mysteries
to go with this unit. Our Valentine’s party will be held
from 2:00-3:00 on February 5. Students are welcome to
bring in valentines for their classmates. Multiplication
and division are the topics for math. Math fact practice
is encouraged at home. We are excited for Jump Rope
for Heart on Wednesday, February 17. We appreciate
the many volunteers who help us at school and
home. Thanks for all your support and help this year.
Grade Four
February finds our fourth graders learning about epidemiology
in science. In social studies, we have mailed our Flat Stanley
packages to various regions in the United States and anxiously await their return. We will soon complete our division studies in math and move into measurement and geometry. Our
Valentine's party will be on Friday, February 5 (led by teachers). We are excited to have the opportunity to participate in
our annual Jump Rope for Heart on Wednesday, February
17! It is a busy and exciting month for our fourth graders!
Grade Five
February may be the shortest month of the year,
but it is one of the busiest. 5th graders will get their
hearts pumping with Jump Rope for Heart on
Wednesday, February 17th. Students are invited to
share valentines during the party on February
5th. Our service project will center on random acts
of kindness. We look forward to conferences on
February 9th and 11th.
Shannon Park’s
Eight-Week Series
Focusing on
School-Wide Behavior
WE are in school to LEARN…The Shannon Park WAY!!!
Tuesdays during morning announcements we will
highlight a specific behavior for the week.
DATE
FOCUS
January 27
Hallway Behavior
Show Video “We are in school to learn!”
Lunch Time Behavior
Staircase Behavior
Show Video “The Golden Rule”
Playground Behavior
Filling Someone’s Bucket
Transition Time in the Classroom
Taking Turns
Independent Travel Time
February 2
February 9
February 16 - 19
February 16
February 23
March 1
March 8
March 15
Mark Your Calendars!
2016 MCA TESTING SCHEDULE
MCA III Math and Reading Testing for
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Students is Coming!
Third, fourth and fifth grade students will take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment during the following testing dates:
MCA-III Science Test – March 16 – 19 this assessment is ONLY for GRADE 5 students.
The MCA-III Science test is an online assessment. Each class will have one testing session in the computer lab.
MCA-III Reading Test – March 28 – April 13 – This assessment is for students in grades 3, 4 and 5.
The MCA-III Reading test will be online this year. Each class will have two testing sessions in the computer
lab. The testing sessions will occur on two separate days.
MCA-III Math Test – April 14 – May 6 – This assessment is for students in grades 3, 4 and 5.
The MCA-III Math test will be online this year. Each class will have two testing sessions in the computer lab. The
testing sessions will occur on two separate days.
Once again, illness cannot be helped, however, we are asking you to not schedule any appointments or vacations during this testing time. Make-ups are very limited.
Please call Ann Kvittem at 651-423-7670 if you have any questions.
2016 MCA Testing Schedule
Reading 1
Reading 2
Math 1
Math 2
am 11:30 -1:00
11:30 - 1:00
9:30 - 11:00
9:30 - 11:00
3E Tu. April 5
W. April 6
Tu. April 19
Th. April 21
3F Fr. April 1
M. April 4
M. April 25
W. April 27
3I M. March 28
Tu. March 29
F. April 15
W. April 20
3K W. March 30
Th. March 31
Tu. April 26
Th. April 28
3S Th. April 7
Fr. April 8
Th. April 14
M. April 18
am 9:30 - 11:00
9:30 - 11:00
9:30 - 11:00
9:30 - 11:00
pm 2:00 - 3:30
2:00 - 3:30
2:00 - 3:30
2:00 - 3:30
4A W. Mar. 30 pm
Th. Mar 31 pm
W. April 27 pm
Th. April 28 pm
4F M. Mar. 28 am
Tu. Mar. 29 am
M. April 18 pm
Tu. April 19 pm
4H W. Mar. 30 am
Th. Mar. 31 am
Th. April 14 pm
Fr. April 15 pm
4K Fr. April 1 am
M. April 4 am
M. May 2 am**
Tu. May 3 am**
4M M. Mar. 28 pm
Tu. Mar. 29 pm
M. May 2 pm
Tu. May 3 pm
4P
M. April 4 pm
M. April 25 pm
Tu. April 26 pm
am 11:55 - 1:25
11:55 - 1:25
11:55 - 1:25
11:55 - 1:25
pm 1:50 - 3:20
1:50 - 3:20
5A Th. April 7 pm
Fr. April 8 pm
Th. April 14
Fr. April 15
Tu. March 15
5C Tu. April 12 am
W. April 13 am
Th. April 28
M. May 2
W. Mar. 16 am**
5K Tu. April 5 pm
W. April 6 pm
Tu. April 26
W. April 27
W. March 16
5L M. April 11 am
W. April 13 pm
W. April 20
M. April 25
M. March 14
5O M. April 11 pm
Tu. April 12 pm
M. April 18
Tu. April 19
Th. March 17
Fr. April 1 pm
Science
1:40 - 3:15
Testing times for Grade 3 are 11:30—1:00 for Reading and 9:30—11:00 for Math.
Testing time for Grade 5 is 1:40—3:15 for Science. **Conroy will test from 11:50—1:20 for Science.
Testing times for Grade 5 are 11:55—1:25 or 1:50—3:20 for Reading.
Testing time for Grade 5 is 11:55—1:25 for Math.
Testing times for Grade 4 are 9:30—11:00 or 2:00—3:30 for Reading.
Testing time for Grade 4 is 2:00—3:30 for Math. **Kowlessar will test from 9:30—11:00 for Math.
Adventures In
Art Night
Thursday,
February 4th
6-7:30 p.m.
JUMP ROPE FOR
HEART…
The tradition continues!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Our 24th year of participating in Jump Rope For Heart is
fast approaching. We have raised over $358,000.00 for the
American Heart Association.
An all school celebration of the Arts!
Everyone is invited to join us in the 2nd annual
Art Adventure Night at Shannon Park. Artwork by the
students will be on display along with the Art Adventure
collection from the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Local
artists will be demonstrating and there will be hands on
opportunities for all.
It is open house style. Stop in for a while or stay for the
entire night. We hope to see you there.
The theme for this year is…
It takes HEART to be a HERO.
Make a difference in somebody’s life.
On February 17, we will have over 400 students in grades
3, 4, and 5 taking part in our Jump Rope For Heart community service project.
Look for sponsor envelopes to come home with participating students on Thursday, January 21st. Through
the efforts and generosity of our students and community,
Shannon Park will continue to work towards being a leader
in helping with the fight against heart disease and stroke.
Kindergarten Registration
Welcome letters were sent out in January to all kindergarten students who will be attending Shannon Park
Kindergarten for the 2016-17 school year. The letter
gives you details about kindergarten registration which
will occur on Feb. 9th (8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.) and Feb
11th (12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.) at Shannon Park.
Shannon Park’s Annual Geography Bee!
Fourth and fifth grade students participated in the National Geographic Society’s Geography Bee again this year! Every student took part in a classroom competition, and the top
scorer from each room competed in the school bee on Friday, January 8th. Fourth grader
Blake Leuth from Mrs. Anderson’s class won the bee, with fifth grader Doha Kassem
from Ms. Conroy’s class coming in second. Way to go! Other classroom winners who participated in the school bee included:
Charlie Ewing
Peyton VeDepo
Will Harder
Ella Froehle
Avery Flanders
Carson Blume
Dash Campbell
Collin Archer
Lauren Droberg
Congratulations!
Mark Your Calendars!!
26th Annual Family Picnic & Silent Auction
A note from the Volunteer Coordinator…
Upcoming Events:

Adventures in Art Night – Feb. 4th, 6-7:30pm
Location: SP halls and gym. Enjoy a night of the
Arts!!!

Book Fair - Feb. 9th 4-8pm and Feb. 11th 128pm in the SP gym. We are still looking for volunteers for the Book Fair – please contact Kelly
Youker at youks4@lycos.com.

Winter Conference Dinner – Provide dinner and
beverages for staff during conferences. Please
contact Amy Schulz if you are able to help out at
amys@aaaparts.com.

Box Tops for Education—Jan. 11th—Feb. 18th
The class that brings in the most box tops by
percentage will win a Pizza Party!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITES - We are always
looking for volunteers to help at school. Please
check out the Shannon Park website for more volunteer opportunities or sign-up at http://
www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a4baeac23a75201520161
Benefiting Shannon Park Elementary
Date: Thursday, May 19, 2016
Time: 5- 7:30 pm
(Alternate Picnic Day/Rain date: May 24th)
More information will be sent home in the beginning of
March. Please contact Silent Auction Chairperson—
Melia Nagel at (612) 251-3028 if you know of any businesses or individuals interested in donating items to
the auction.
See you there!
SAVE THE DATE
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Take me out to the Ballgame!
Shannon Park Elementary Family DAY
with the Minnesota Twins will be
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Target Field
Shannon Park has negotiated a block of tickets for students, staff and
families. The Da Capo Choir will be singing the National Anthem before
the game. Please stay tuned for further details.
FEBRUARY IS I LOVE TO READ MONTH!
1. Welcome Desk
2. Library
3. Videographer – for grade level performance
and band concerts.
4. 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
Shannon Park T-Shirts (from previous years)
$5.00. Limited sizes and colors
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Hollenbeck @ 651-423-7670 or send an email to Christine.hollenbeck@district196.org.
January Site Council Meeting
January 20, 2016
Parent Members Present: Stephanie Charpentier, Jessica Theisen, Cyndie Sikorski
Parent Members Absent: Alba Nowlin, Stefanie Kelly
Staff Present: Michael Guthrie, Ann Kvittem, Chris Hollenbeck, Naomi
Plowman, Kathleen Radspinner, Roxann Rutt
Staff Absent: None
Call to Order: Stephanie Charpentier called the meeting to order at 8:00
AM
Financial Request for Kindergarten – Second Grade Family Math Night
by Kay Shaw and Jill Kopperud

Family Math Night will take place on Thursday, March 10 th, 6:00 PM
– 7:30 PM.

The money given to family math night goes to paying staff and replenishing supplies.

The request amount was $1000. This is $100 more than 2015 but in
2015 there were two family math nights which needed $900 each.
This year there is only one for $1000.

Motion to approve the financial request of $1000 for family math
night. Second: motion approved.
Approval of the December 16th Meeting Minutes: Motion to approve
December 16, 2015 meeting minutes. Second: motion passed.
Old Business: none.
New Business:

Shannon Park was the biggest donor to Moms and Neighbors this
year. Thank you to all the families who contributed!

Discussed bond information - Shannon Park projects could begin as
early as this spring/summer. There will be entrance modifications as
well as the driveway will be widened. The district is seeking input on
start times for all schools.

The Barnes and Noble Fundraiser raised $866.57 for the Shannon Park
Library.
Treasurer Report: Jessica Theisen
Checking: $65,479.39
Savings: $9,305.29
Total: $74,784.68
Parent Leader Report: Cyndie Sikorski

The meeting was held at Apple Valley High School where they were
given a tour of the FAB Lab. They have 12 different types of fabrication machines. Kids can design something on the computer and make
it real. Students can do etching, engraving, and other various tasks.
Apple Valley was given the FAB Lab based on a grant and also sponsored through companies.
Volunteer Coordinator Report: Chris Hollenbeck

Box Tops are up and running. Can always use volunteers for cutting
and counting.

The music department found the volunteers they needed.
We will need volunteers to help with the Book Fair setup.
Financial Request: Mr. Guthrie

Mr. Guthrie requested $25,000 to cover the amount SP is currently
over budget in staffing. Shannon Park has three more teachers than
what is allocated. There was a motion to approve the financial request. Second: motion passed.
Fundraising News:

Stephanie Charpentier will create a survey for Shannon Park seeking
input on the Fall Fundraiser including its successes and areas for opportunity. The survey will be calculated prior to the next Site Council
Meeting.

In February Site Council will start tweaking and planning for the 2016
Fall Fundraiser.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 AM.
The next meeting will be held: Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Help Prevent Pertussis
Have you heard a child with a cough that lasts more than a week?
A whoop? Gasping for breath? Gagging or vomiting after a coughing spell? It could be pertussis (commonly known as “whooping
cough”). Yes, pertussis is still around!
You may be wondering how people can get pertussis when most are
vaccinated against this disease. It takes several doses of pertussis
vaccine to provide protection, and protection does not last forever.
Adolescents and adults are at risk for pertussis even if they have
been vaccinated. If they get pertussis, it is usually mild, but they can
spread the disease to un-vaccinated and partially-vaccinated infants
and young children. These children are more susceptible to severe
illness and complications such as pneumonia and seizures.
If you are suspicious that a child in your family has pertussis, please
take the child to the doctor and request to have your child tested for pertussis. It is very important to know if a person has pertussis in order to treat it and to prevent the spread of the illness to
others. Pertussis is treated with an antibiotic. If the antibiotic is
started early in the illness, it may decrease the length of the cough.
People who have been exposed to a person with pertussis are also
often given an antibiotic to prevent them from developing the disease.
The best protection for pertussis is vaccination. DTaP vaccine
is for infants and children 6 years and younger. Tdap vaccine is a
new booster vaccine for children 10 and older and adults up to age
65. Tdap is strongly recommended for adults who spend time with
or provide care for young children (i.e., childcare providers, parents,
grandparents, and healthcare providers). If you haven’t already had
a Tdap booster and it’s been at least two years since your last tetanus (Td) booster, you should get Tdap as soon as possible.
DTaP and Tdap vaccines are available at your medical clinic or at
the Dakota Public Health Department (located in Apple Valley and
West St. Paul). Children and adults who do not have health insurance that covers vaccinations may be eligible for low-cost vaccine.
For a schedule of public health clinics, go to www.co.dakota.mn.us
and click on “Immunizations” in the “Health & Family” section, or call
952-891-7999.
If you would like to learn more about pertussis and hear what a pertussis cough sounds like, go to http://www.pertussis.com. If you
have more questions, call 952-891-7500 and ask to speak to a Public Health Nurse in the Disease Prevention and Control unit.
Help protect those you love and
care for by preventing pertussis.
Think Summer! GRASP 2016 Preview
Parents, it’s time to start thinking about summer and how you’ll help your children keep
their math and reading skills sharp. Many of
you know that the GRASP workbook program, available
through Community Education, is one way to help your children during the summer. However, GRASP should not be
considered as a replacement for participating in summer
school, if a child qualifies. This year, GRASP registration
information will be sent home with students February 16-19.
Sample workbooks will be available for review in the school
office during parent/teacher conferences and the registration
period. The deadline for registration this year is March 29.
Watch for more information later this winter.
Vote Here
to Win a Jan Brett Visit to Shannon Park
Shannon Park Families
Join us in Voting
Jan Brett is an Author/Illustrator Unit of Study in first grade. The children get to know Jan Brett by exploring and
reading her books. The students make a connection to her style of writing and illustrating . We invite you, your
family and friends to help Shannon Park win a visit from this award winning author. Follow the link above and
vote for Shannon Park!
Here is the information you need to voteShannon Park Elementary
Shannon Park Elementary Library
13501 Shannon Parkway
Rosemount, MN 55068
The school or library that has the most parents, teachers, friends, or supporters who enter the contest will win a
free school or library visit from Jan Brett in the 2016-2017 school year. Contest ends April 4, 2016.
Spread the word and please vote.
Thanks for your support!
District 196 School Board
Jackie Magnuson, Chairperson
Gary L. Huusko, Vice Chairperson
Joel Albright, Clerk
Bob Schutte, Treasurer
Art Coulson, Director
Rob Duchscher, Director
Mike Roseen, Director
Jane K. Berenz, Superintendent
District 196 does not discriminate in employment or in any of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, familial status, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, disability, sexual orientation, age or genetic information. District 196 provides equal access to designated youth groups. The Director of Human Resources (651-423-7859) has been designated to respond to employment-related inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies. The Director of Elementary Education (651-423-7782) and the Director of Secondary Education (651-423-7712)
have been designated to respond to student-related inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies. The Director of Special Education
(651-423-7629) has been designated to respond to inquiries concerning the rights of a student with a disability. The mailing address for all
directors is 3455 153rd Street W, Rosemount, MN 55068.