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”
shorter and I helped from home when
the opportunity arose. My husband
was more flexible and he really reaped
the benefits of volunteering. What a
warm feeling to be greeted and
welcomed by elementary students who
are excited to have the opportunity to
work with a special adult volunteer.
When families are involved in school
everyone wins.
February 2016
child’s teacher to see your child’s
wri ng. This is a great area to support
at home.
PTO Boosterthon
This is Oak Ridge’s primary fundraiser
and our success depends on the
par cipa on of our families. Please
watch for informa on from your PTO.
The event takes place on May 25th.
There will also be a launch and a
celebra on. Stay tuned!
At Oak Ridge we invite you to a+end a
PTO Mee ng, help at a school event,
In Partnership,
volunteer in a classroom, and to
support learning from home. Below are
a few events coming soon that present
opportuni es for parents to lend a
Cindy Magnuson
hand.
Principal, Oak Ridge Elementary School
of Leadership, Environmental and
PTO Oak Ridge Read-a-Thon
Health Sciences
This PTO sponsored event takes place
for 3 weeks in February which is I Love
to Read Month. Please support reading
Parent Involvement is a strong and
at home each night and perhaps read a
essen al part of the success of Oak
Ridge. We have many opportuni es for special book as a family. Watch for
informa on from your PTO.
parents to be a part of our learning
community. Whether you help from
home or can come to school, there are Around the World Oak Ridge
This is our family Title One spring event.
ways you can be important to the
Many hands are needed to plan and
success of our school and making a
staff this event. It is an opportunity for
las ng impact on your own child.
families to both learn and share. The
The benefits of volunteering at school
event is taking place on April 21st.
are not only for the children and the
Please mark your calendars and watch
school—they are for the volunteer. The
for more informa on coming soon.
joy that being a witness to learning and
helping a child find success are what
Parent Teacher Conferences
keeps volunteers returning. Thinking
Spring Conferences take place February
back to the mes we were available to 9 and 11 and the sign-up is currently
our children and their classmates brings open. Please make me to discuss your
back some of the happiest memories of child’s progress and celebrate progress
the elementary years at our house.
as well as share any concerns during
Working in the schools made it difficult this me. Our school goal this year is
for me to be available so my me was
Fourth graders moving and learning with
centered in student wri ng. Ask your
their Ar st in Residence.
Page 2
Important Dates
Feb. 5
Valen ne’s Day Par es—1:45—3:00
p.m.
Grade 5 Field Trip to “Feed My Starving
Children”
Feb. 9
Kindergarten Registra on—8:00 a.m.—
8:00 p.m.
Parent/Teacher Conferences and Scholas c Book Fair—4:00-8:00 p.m.
Feb. 11
NO SCHOOL FOR ALL STUDENTS
Parent/Teacher Conferences and Scholas c Book Fair—12:00-8:00 p.m.
Kindergarten Registra on—12:00—8:00
p.m.
Valen ne’s Day Par es
Valen ne’s Day celebra ons will be on Friday, February 5, from 1:45 to 3:00 p.m.
Students who choose to bring valen nes to
school should bring one for each child in his/
her class.
Parents are strongly encouraged NOT to
send candy or treats to school along with
valen nes. Classroom celebra ons will include snacks that are enjoyable and safe for
all students.
Mark your calendar . . .
Feb. 12
NO SCHOOL FOR ALL STUDENTS
PTO Family Night at Skateville
Feb. 15
Presidents’ Day—NO SCHOOL FOR ALL
STUDENTS
Address: 201 South River Ridge Circle
(Junc on of I-Hwy 35W and Hwy 13)
Burnsville
Feb. 22
Grade 4 Field Trip to Orchestra Hall
AHer School Classes Begin—3:45—4:45
p.m.
Feb. 23
Feb. 19
AHer School Classes Begin—3:45-4:45
p.m.
Summer GRASP Workbook Ordering
Informa on Sent Home with Students
March 3 Grade 4 Vocal Music Concert—6:30
p.m.
Thursday, March 10
6:00—7:15 p.m.—Grades K-2
7:15—8:30 p.m.—Grades 3-5
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 a+end during their designated grade level me, however, families with students in more than one grade level may come any
me during the evening. Students must be accompanied by an adult.
March 4 Kindergarten Music Concert—2:30 p.m.
March 7 PTO and Advisory Council Combined
Mee ng—6:30 p.m.—IMC
Conference Sign Ups
Parents may sign up for a conference me for February 9 or 11 by going to our school webpage and
clicking on “Sign Up for Conferences—click here”.
If you need to reschedule a conference, please call
the school office at 651-683-6970.
Kindergarten Registra on This Month
Registra on for Oak Ridge Elementary Kindergarten for the 2016-2017 school year will be on February 9 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on February 11 from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the main office.
A le+er has been mailed home to parents of incoming students with specific informa on on what
to bring to registra on.
If you have ques ons about the kindergarten for
2016-2017, you may contact the Oak Ridge office
at 651-683-6970.
Page 3
All School DEAR
During the month of February, Oak Ridge students will
be par cipa ng in DEAR
(Drop Everything and Read) to promote “I Love
to Read month. Once each week, students and
staff members will set aside twenty-five minute
periods of me when they will be reading from a
variety of reading materials.
The following dates/ mes have been set aside
for D.E.A.R. mes:
February 4—1:35-2:00—Fic on DEAR
February 10—10:35 –11:00—Nonfic on DEAR
February 19—2:35-3:00—Poetry DEAR
February 26—10:00-10:25—Favorite Author DEAR
Think Summer! GRASP
2016 Preview
Parents, it’s me 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 Educa on, is one way to help your
children during the summer. However, GRASP
should not be considered as a replacement for
par cipa ng in summer school, if a child qualifies.
This year, GRASP registra on informa on 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 registra on period. The deadline for registra on this year is March 29. Watch for more
informa on later this winter.
Class List Prepara on Begins
Keep Saving Box Tops for Educa on
As spring approaches at Oak Ridge, we begin our
planning for the next school year. One important
piece of our planning is the determina on 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 combina ons of students who perform well
together.
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 opportuni es and
learning environment for the most students.
Parents will con nue to have the opportunity to
provide input regarding their child using a specific form. The form provides parents with an
opportunity to share specific educa onal, social,
behavioral, and emo onal 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 will be available in the
school office beginning February 8, 2016. 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.
Keep those box tops coming in! Our school’s “Box
Tops for Educa on” is well underway. As you
know, our school will receive 10 cents for every
qualifying box top for educa on collected. A qualifying box top for educa on can be found on hundreds of products throughout your local grocery
store. If you need a sheet with specific products
listed you can go to the Box Tops for Educa on
web site or contact us. Together, we can collect a
bundle of box tops and help make a big difference
at our school. Our next shipment will go in the
week of February 22nd.
Dropping Off Students at School
Students who are brought to school aHer the
school day starts should be brought into the
school office and signed in by whoever is bringing
them to school. They should not be dropped off
at the curb and sent inside by themselves. Students are then given a pass to go to class and
their a+endance is edited.
Yearbook Sales in February
Reserve your copy of the Oak Ridge Yearbook for
the 2015-2016 school year by sending in the order form and payment with your child. Ordering forms will be sent home in February. A few
extra copies will be available for sale in May but
plan ahead to make sure you get a copy.
Page 4
Magnet Update
We are in the research and development year of becoming a magnet school. Our work this
year entails unpacking what it means to be a magnet school, learning more about our themes:
leadership, environmental and health sciences, inves ga ng what other magnet schools are
doing, brainstorming innova ve programming, and crea ng a plan for making the ideas a reality
at Oak Ridge next year and beyond.
During the month of January the staff has been charged with dreaming up ideas for programming related to our magnet themes. They will have the opportunity to share their magnet ideas with the rest of the staff on February 3rd.
At the January PTO Mee ng, there was a short presenta on given to inform parents about our
magnet work so far, and to give informa on about a way for parents to give input about what
they want for their children at Oak Ridge. We want to include families in the process of becoming a magnet school as much as possible.
If you are interested in par cipa ng or have ques ons, email karla.bisco@district196.org. I am
happy to send you the email a+achments shared at the PTO Mee ng. The a+achments would
include a list of staff magnet program ideas, sites to inspire your thinking and help inform you
about magnet programming, and the form where you can outline your idea(s).
This is a very exci ng me for Oak Ridge and we can’t wait to hear your programming ideas!
Karla Bisco
Magnet Coordinator
Page 5
From the School Social Worker
New Home Alone State Guidelines
As of Jan. 1, 2016 per State of MN:
•
•
•
•
Children age 7 and under may not be leH alone for any period of me
Children ages 8-10 may be leH alone for up to 3 hours
Children 11-13 may be leH alone up to 12 hours
Children ages 14-15 may be leH alone up to 24 hours
Children ages 16-17 may be leH alone for more than 24 hours with a plan in place concerning how to respond to
an emergency
Regarding babysiQng:
•
•
Children under age 11 should not provide child care
Children ages 11-15 who are placed in child care role are subject to the same me restric ons of being leH
alone as listed above
Children age 16-17 may be leH alone for more than 24 hours with adequate adult back up supervision
All of these assume that children know how to reach a parent or adult, are not afraid to be alone or babysit, and
have average behavior, health and maturity levels for their age. Occasionally other circumstances are considered
on a case by case basis.
Give Kids a Smile Day
On Feb. 5th and 6th, 2016 dental professionals in our community will provide free care to low-income children.
This event is called “Give Kids a Smile” and is coordinated by the Minnesota Dental Associa on. All pa ents must
have an appointment. ACer Jan. 1, 2016 parents may call United Way 211 (just dial 211) and operators will help
you find a par cipa ng dental office in your area. You can find more info at www.mndental.org or call me at
school.
Need Help With Tax Prepara on?
Prepare and Prosper is a volunteer Income Tax Assistance site that offers free tax assistance to individuals with an
income of $35,000 or less and families with an annual income of $55,000 or less. Call 651-287-0187 or go to prepareandprosper.org for more informa on.
Tips for parent-teacher conference
While I hope you understand that conference me is not the only me you can talk with your child’s teacher,
there is a lot of informa on that will be shared with you that during that short amount of me. Ahead of me
think about (and even write down) some ques ons you may have. Save these for the end of the conference since
the teacher may answer them before you even need to ask! Be ready to share any informa on the teacher may
not know about your child, such as favorite subjects, outside hobbies as well as things happening at home that
may affect schoolwork and/or the child’s behavior at school. If you don’t understand what the teacher is repor ng, please ask for clarifica on. Don’t forget to talk to your child about the conference; stressing the posi ves
and planning for ways to improve if necessary. Your child’s teacher is looking forward to seeing you! J
Alisha Kaul, School Social Worker at 651-683-6970 voicemail 94822