Oak Ridge Elementary News
4350 Johnny Cake Ridge Road
Eagan, MN 55122
(651) 683-6970
www.district196.org/or
“Educa ng our students to reach their full poten al”
March 2016
News from Mrs. Magnuson
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
- Doug Larson
I read this and it captured how much I enjoy the coming of spring
each year. Nature whispers and then shouts that spring is coming
with the emergence of new life, both plant and animal, and the gradual changes in weather. Spring brings changes to the world around
us on a yearly cycle. This year that cycle has increased importance
at Oak Ridge. We are starting to hear the whispers and soon the
shouts of the changes that Oak Ridge will undergo as we re-open
this fall as a Magnet School. We are navigating the Magnet Lottery
process in our office and are welcoming new families to our school.
As a staff we have been immersed in learning about our three
themes and sharing our ideas for unique and innovate educational
experiences for our learners.
Next week the planning will become a reality as a group of Oak
Ridge Elementary School of Leadership, Environmental and Health
Sciences staff will be a part of the initial conversations in the planning for construction of our entry redesign and our addition to the
building. We have been slated as a Phase 1 school for the construction of our addition. What this means is that construction is slated to
start in the fall of 2016 for our addition. Both the entry redesign and
the addition are possible through the passing of the bonding efforts
earlier this fall. We are excited to have a role in planning for both
the safe access entry and the additional space for learning that this
funding has afforded our school. Please watch for continued updates
as the planning turns into action.
In Partnership,
Cindy Magnuson
Fi+h graders at Base Camp
on January 15.
Page 2
Fourth Grade Students Select Band
Instruments
Fourth grade students will soon begin the process of
trying band instruments with Mrs. Wya2. Students
a2ended a concert at Eastview High School to hear
the instruments demonstrated on January 27. A band
handbook was sent home with each fourth grader in
February to explain the process of selec8ng an instrument and par8cipa8ng in band in District 196.
I believe every child should have the opportunity to
par8cipate in band. If your family is in financial need,
there is a place to request scholarship informa8on on
the “Band Par8cipa8on Form” on the back of the
Band Handbook. I hope all of our children are able to
par8cipate in this intrinsically rewarding experience. When children learn to play a musical instrument, they lay the groundwork for a life8me’s apprecia8on of music.
Fi h Graders Volunteer at “Feed My
Starving Children”
Oak Ridge Fi+h Graders volunteered on February 5
at Feed My Starving Children again this year. They
packed approximately 32,000 meals which will provide 58 children meals for an en8re year. Talk
about an impact! Comments from the students
included: "I love this place, I'm definitely coming
back." or "I want to do this for a job when I grow
up." It only takes a small amount of 8me to make a
difference and our students at Oak Ridge did just
that. Families can volunteer at FMSC, check the
website for opportuni8es www.fmsc.org.
Instrumental Music and Brain
Research
Research connec8ng instrumental music training with
enhanced brain development con8nues to
grow. Interested? Here is an excerpt from the following ar8cle found at www.paren8ngscience.com/
music-and-intelligence.html:
Evidence that music training is the cause-not merely
the effect-of high IQ: “…One such (long-term) study is
being conducted by Schlaug and his colleagues at the
Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical
School. These researchers are tracking the effects of
music lessons—specifically, piano and violin lessons—
on brain development and cogni on. Fi2y kids, aged
5 to 7 years, began the study with no prior music
training. Before star ng music lessons, these kids
were given brain scans and cogni ve tests to establish
baselines. Researchers are also following a control
group, matched for age, socioeconomic status and
verbal IQ. One year into the study, the musicallytrained kids already showed greater improvement in
fine motor skills and auditory discrimina on skills. …
The musicians also showed trends for a greater increase in grey ma7er volume, and greater improvement on verbal, visual-spa al and math
tests. Schlaug and colleagues are be8ng that these
trends will become sta s cally significant over me.
(Schlaug et al 2005).
Advisory Council Candidates Needed
Oak Ridge Elementary School has an Advisory Council that meets several 8mes a year for the purpose
of making recommenda8ons and/or decisions concerning the opera8on of our school. The Advisory
Council is made up of parents, teachers and other
staff members.
Each year, new parent members are elected to the
Advisory Council for a two year term of office. We
are now seeking parents who are interested in becoming a candidate for a posi8on on the Oak Ridge
Advisory Council for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018
school years. Parents who are interested in becoming candidates are asked to complete an applica8on
form and return it to the school by April 21, 2016.
An applica8on has been a2ached to this newsle2er
for your convenience. Candidate names and informa8on will be published in the May issue of the Oak
Ridge Newsle2er. Elec8on, by ballot, will occur at
the Oak Ridge PTO Fun Run on May 25 or at the
school office on May 23-25.
Please consider submiKng your name as a candidate to the Council. Through parental input, the
Council is be2er able to make decisions that help
make Oak Ridge a successful school for all students.
Page 3
Class List Prepara$on Begins
GRASP Returns for Summer 2016
As spring approaches at Oak Ridge, we begin our
planning for the next school year. One important
piece of our planning is the determina8on of
class lists. The teachers work hard to prepare
lists that balance many factors, such as the numbers of boys and girls, achievement levels, students with behavioral or special needs, and finding combina8ons of students who perform well
together.
Parents, the GRASP summer math and reading
workbook program is back for this summer.
Several years ago, the Oak Ridge School Advisory
Council had a lengthy discussion and decided
that we will no longer accept requests for specific teachers at Oak Ridge. We believe that this
change provides the best opportuni8es and
learning environment for the most students.
Parents will con8nue to have the opportunity to
provide input to the staff regarding their child
using a specific form. The form provides parents
with an opportunity to share specific educa8onal, social, behavioral, and emo8onal needs of
their child.
For parents who believe that their child may
have specific needs, of which the school staff
may not be aware, forms are available in the
school office. Completed forms will be due on
Friday, March 18, 2016. We appreciate the support and understanding from the parents of Oak
Ridge students in making our school the best
possible learning environment for all of our students.
More than 1,800 District 196 students completed
GRASP math and reading packets last summer.
Families say they like the GRASP op8on – it’s portable and flexible.
GRASP should not be considered as a replacement
for par8cipa8ng in summer school, if a child qualifies. GRASP is not intended to replace regular
reading for enjoyment or math ac8vi8es that
strengthen a child’s fluency and love for math.
You received a le2er and enrollment forms the in
Friday Folders on February 26. Final registra8on is
due March 29.
View GRASP materials through the end of March
in the Oak Ridge Office. Stop by and see why the
program has received rave reviews from parents,
kids and teachers!
It is recommended that students work on the
grade level just completed, to review and reinforce the skills learned during the school year.
Read-A-Thon Kick Off on March 14
The Oak Ridge PTO is organizing a Read-A-Thon for students in all grades to help promote reading at Oak
Ridge. The Read-A-Thon will not be a school fundraiser this year.
Each classroom will be seKng a reading goal specific for their classroom. All students will be sent
home packets in Friday Folders on March 10. Students who want to par8cipate in the Read-A-Thon
need to return a Par8cipa8on From signed by the students and their parent. Students will be keeping
track of the amount of 8me they read from March 14 to April 1.
Classrooms who have 100% par8cipa8on will also receive a prize or classroom reward. Each classroom
will set their own goal. Watch for the packets being sent home on March 10!
Page 4
Important Dates
March 3
Grade 4 Vocal Music Concert—6:30 p.m.
March 4
Kindergarten Music Program– 2:30 p.m.
March 7—May 13—MCA Tes8ng Window
March 7—10
Grade 3 Ar8st in Residency (Kids
Create Studio)
March 7
PTO and Advisory Council Combined
Mee8ng—6:30 p.m.—IMC
March 10
End of 2nd Trimester
Read-A-Thon Packets Sent Home
PTO Family Night at Skateville
6:00-7:15 p.m.—Grades K-2
7:15-8:30 p.m.—Grade 3-5
March 11
NO SCHOOL—Staff Development Day
March 14—April 1
March 18
PTO Read-A-Thon
Report Cards Sent Home with Students
Grade 5 Visitors from Ecolab in Classroom
March 21-25
NO SCHOOL—Spring Break
March 31—April 6
Grade 2 Ar8st in Residency—Susan
Marie Swanson
March 29
4th Grade Field Study at STARBASE
March 28th – April 1st
At the end of March, Oak Ridge 4th graders will
par8cipate in a program that will help them develop and u8lize their skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
as they explore current and future design challenges related to Mars explora8on. While at
STARBASE, our students will develop and u8lize
scien8fic inquiry skills as they formulate ques8ons, create prototypes, test predic8ons, and
conduct experiments about mo8on, rocketry,
rover technology, and heat transfer. Students
will apply their knowledge to design a rocket
that can transport rovers and landers to Mars,
using Creo CAD so+ware to design their own
rocket fins, which they 3D print, test at a rocket
launch, and evaluate. Math and technology
concepts, such as data collec8on, median,
measurement, es8ma8on, GPS technology, and
graphing, are essen8al parts of the students’
scien8fic inves8ga8ons and applied engineering. Throughout the program, students also
have the opportunity to learn about and explore STEM-related careers and how they can
pursue those careers in the future. This is such
an exci8ng opportunity for our 4th graders!
GRASP Summer Workbook Orders Due
PTO Family Night at Skateville
Address: 201 South River Ridge Circle
(Junc8on of I-Hwy 35W and Hwy 13)
Burnsville
Spring Break
Thursday, March 10
March 21-25
6:00—7:15 p.m. –Grades K-2
7:15—8:30 p.m.—Grades 3-5
No School for All Students
Cost is $6.00 per person which includes skate rental. Rollerblade rental is an addi$onal $3.00 or you
may bring your own.
Students are encouraged to a2end during their designated grade level 8me, however, families with students in
more than one grade level may come any 8me during the
evening.
Page 5
Media—Disconnec$ng with our Children
TV, smartphones, tablets, computers and video games affect our children and
our relationship with them. There have been more than 4,000 studies about the effect of “screen
time” on children, and most suggest that excessive screen time correlates with aggressive behavior,
lower school success, shorter attention span, less imagination, and stereotyped perceptions about
gender, race, and ethnicity.
A larger concern is what your children may NOT be doing when they are watching a screen. For example, social and emotional skills are best learned through interacting with people. Values are best
learned through interaction with parents and other adults. Don’t throw your screen away – use it in
different ways. Here are a few suggestions:
•
Set daily screen time limits for the computer, videos, and video games. The American Academy
of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of screen time each day for children of all
ages.
•
Work with your children to plan and choose screen time before the technology is turned
on. This can build healthy problem-solving skills.
•
Always turn off the screen during family mealtime. Use this time to communicate
with y our children. Studies have shown that families that eat meals together have children that are more successful in school and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors
such as drugs and alcohol.
•
Put the screen in a family area, not in the children’s bedrooms.
• Watch TV with your children. Play computer games with your children. Build connections with them! Ask your children to teach you about new technologies.
•
As you watch TV with your children, use the opportunity to talk to them about topics
such as family values, stereotyped roles, fantasy versus real life, conflict, and violence.
•
Internet safety is important for children of all ages. Go to www.mediafamily.org
http://www.mediafamily.org/ for tips. They can also give you information about ratings on
video games. Don’t allow your children to play violent video games that are meant for
adults.
• Enjoy daily physical activities together as an alternative to screen time: play ball, go for a walk
to the park, ride bikes, go sledding or build a snowman.
•
Children should be off a screen 1-2 hours before bedtime. The blue light emitted from
screens keeps brains alert instead of getting it ready for sleep.
Written in part by Carolyn Barinsky from the Carver Health Partnership
Please feel free to call me anytime with questions or concerns. I am available Mondays,
Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. My confidential voice mail is 651-6836969, ext. 94822.
Alisha Kaul, LICSW
APPLICATION FORM
FOR
OAK RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Parent Name
Address
Home Telephone
Work Telephone
Child’s Name
Grade
Grade
Grade
Permission is granted to publish informa8on in May, 2016, Oak Ridge Newsle2er:
Yes
No
Please provide a brief statement about your background and interest in the
Advisory Council:
Please return to the Oak Ridge Administra$ve Office by April 21, 2016
OAK RIDGE PTO
Looking for ways to get involved??? We need your help!
Oak Ridge PTO has a number of different ways you can get involved! We support the school helping with family events such as the
Fall Fes8val, Spring Fling and Book fairs during parent/teacher conferences.
SO, do your part and get involved!
Elec8ons are going to be held at our May mee8ng. The average PTO Officer puts in 5 hours per week.
The PTO Board consists of 8 -10 members depending on the fundraising, social and teacher rep posi8ons. President, Vice President,
Secretary, and Treasurer are elected posi8ons. Fundraising Chair(s), Social Chair(s), and Teacher Representa8ve(s) are appointed
posi8ons. The Oak Ridge Principal also serves on the PTO Board.
All Board posi8ons are elected every year with a maximum of 2 years served in each posi8on. Current board members are: Shannon Mar8n-President, Beth Ristow- Vice-President, Carissa Dahlen-Treasurer and Susan Bazzano-Secretary. The Fundraising and
Social Chairs are open for nomina8ons. Please let any Board member know if you are interested.
Here is a summary of PTO Board posi8ons and responsibili8es:
President: Oversees PTO. Responsible for managing PTO board and general mee8ngs. Acts as a resource for the rest of the Board
as needed and ul8mately responsible for the planning, execu8on and follow-up of all PTO ac8vi8es.
Vice President: Responsible for coordina8ng volunteers for events. Maintain volunteer page on school website.
Secretary: Responsible for maintaining PTO website, crea8ng and distribu8ng monthly agendas and mee8ng minutes for PTO General Mee8ngs and Board Mee8ngs. Manages the database of ac8ve PTO members.
Treasurer: Handles all financial transac8ons, tracking and policies for the PTO and prepares a monthly financial report. Also responsible for filing tax return on behalf of the PTO.
Fundraising Chair (appointed posi8on): Oversees all fundraisers (ac8ve and passive), helps coordinators with fundraising needs and
ques8ons.
Social Chair (appointed posi8on): Responsible for scheduling and overseeing social events sponsored by PTO such as the Spring
Fling, Fall Family Fes8val, Family Bingo Night and Around the World at Oak Ridge
Remember: Many hands make light work!
www.oakridgepto.org
oakridgeparents@gmail.com
APPLICATION FORM FOR
OAK RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL’S
PTO BOARD
Parent Name
Address
Home Telephone
Work Telephone
Child’s Name
Grade
Grade
Position interested in:
_____ President
_____ Vice President
_____ Treasurer
_____ Secretary
_____ Fundraising Committee Chairperson
_____ Social Committee Chairperson
Permission is granted to publish information in May, 2016, Oak Ridge Newsletter:
Yes
No
Please provide a brief statement about your background and interest in the PTO position:
Please return to the Oak Ridge Administrative Office by April 21, 2016.