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”
December 2015
Dear Oak Ridge Families,
As I write this, I am watching and listening to the buzz
that the first snow event brings to an elementary
school. Having been in elementary educa'on for a
number of years, this day always brings a smile to my
face as children and teachers are immersed in the
excitement and language that this very visual reminder
of a change in season brings. Snowman, sled, snow
pants, hats, icy roads…all wondrous words that enter
into students spoken and wri,en vocabulary as white
becomes the color of the season. It’s great to see the
excitement in even the most seasoned Minnesotans.
This year at Oak Ridge our teachers are paying
par'cular a,en'on to the development of writers
alongside the development of readers. As part of a
mul'-year implementa'on of what is known as The
Literacy Collabora ve model, teachers have spent a
great deal of 'me refining their skills in teaching
literacy. This year the focus of our staff is on the
wri'ng element of the Literacy Collabora ve.
December 2015
together on Staff Development and Data Analysis Days,
they spend 'me analyzing students’ wri,en work and
data about student wri'ng using a con'nuum of
wri'ng characteris'cs. From the analysis of student
wri'ng teachers can plan for the next wri'ng step for
each learner.
How can you help at home?
Encourage Wri ng: Ask your child to make lists, write
you le,ers about something that happened when you
weren’t around, tell you about something they read,
require a wri,en “report” in lieu of a verbal “ta,le” or
problem report.
Model Wri ng for Different Purposes: Make a
shopping list, to-do lists, write a le,er to someone,
share your reasons for wri'ng with your child.
Enjoy Wri ng: Take the 'me to read and enjoy your
child’s wri'ng. Understand that their wri'ng is an
a,empt to convey a message to a reader—enjoy the
message!
In Partnership,
Wri'ng takes place in all classrooms each day and is
most o3en connected to a thema'c Unit of Study. You
can expect that your child is learning to read and write Cindy Magnuson
Principal
about grade level specific themes that surround social
studies or science every day. Wri'ng is deeply rooted
in oral language. Teachers spend a great deal of 'me
facilita'ng students “talking” about a topic and helping
students make wri'ng decisions that eventually lead to
the structure of a wri'ng piece. This is done in a
variety of formats including modeled wri'ng, shared
wri'ng, wri'ng conferences and Writer’s Workshop.
Student wri'ng differs depending on the purpose, style
of wri'ng, and the audience for which the wri'ng is
intended. When teachers and interven'onists come
Mrs. Walrath’s Kindergarten Class preparing for Thanksgiving
and Oak Ridge’s annual Turkey Bingo.
Page 2
Important Dates
Dec. 1
Monday A3er School Classes—3:45—4:45 p.m.
Dec. 2
Grade 1 NNAT2 Tes'ng—10:00-11:00 a.m.
Tuesday A3er School Classes—3:45—4:45 p.m.
Dec. 3
End of 1st Trimester
Dec. 4
NO SCHOOL—Staff Development Day
Dec. 7, 9 & 11
Grade 5CogAT Tes'ng—10:00-11:00 a.m.
Dec. 7
Last Day for Monday A3er School Classes
Dec. 8
Last Day for Tuesday A3er School Classes
Magnet School Tours at OR—6:30 p.m.
Dec. 10, 14 & 16
Grade 3 CogAT Tes'ng—10:00—11:00 a.m.
Dec. 10
Grade 5 Vocal Music and Band Concert—
6:30 p.m.—Gymnasium
Dec. 11
Report Cards Sent Home With Students
School Closing Informa on
In the event of a school closing or late start due to
inclement weather, a phone message will be made
to primary telephone contact numbers with our
school district mass communica'on system, SchoolConnects. You may also listen for the announcement on WCCO-AM (830) radio or KSTP-TV, channel
five. Our school district will be listed as Rosemount, Apple Valley, Eagan.
You may also log into the district website at
www.district196.org to see if school is closed or delayed. If school is delayed or closed, the informa'on would at the very top of the web page.
School closing informa'on is also recorded on the
District 196 Informa'on Line (651) 423-7777.
Please do not call the school for closing informa on
so we may keep our phone lines free for emergencies.
Dec. 24—January 3—NO SCHOOL—Winter Break
Jan. 4
School Resumes
Jan. 7
Magnet School Tours at OR—10:00 a.m. & 6:30
p.m.
Tes ng Early in December
No ce to Parents
Under the Federal No Child Le3 Behind law, parents have
the right to ask for certain informa'on about their child’s
classroom teachers, and requires the District to give parents this informa'on in a 'mely manner if they ask for it.
Specifically, parents have the right to ask for the following
informa'on about each of their child’s classroom teachers:
• Whether the Department of Educa'on has licensed
or qualified the teacher for the grades and subjects
he or she teaches.
• Whether the Department has decided that the teacher can teach in a classroom without being licensed or
qualified under state regula'ons because of special
circumstances.
• The teacher’s college major; whether the teacher has
any advanced degrees and, if so, the subject of the
degrees.
If you would like to receive any of this informa'on, please
call Tom Pederstuen, Director of Human Resources at
651-423-7859.
Students in grade 1 will be taking the NNAT2 test
(Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test second edi'on) on
Wednesday, December 2. This test uses progressive matrices to allow for a culturally neutral evalua'on of students’ nonverbal reasoning and general
problem solving ability, regardless of the individual
student’s primary language, educa'on, culture or
socioeconomic background.
Students in grades 3 will be taking the CogAt
(Cogni've Abili'es Test) on December 7, 9 and 11.
Fi3h graders will take the CogAt on December 10,
14 and 16. The CogAt measures students’ learned
reasoning abili'es in the three areas most linked to
academic success in school: Verbal, Quan'ta've
and Nonverbal.
Please help prepare your student for test days by
making sure they have a good night’s rest and a
healthy breakfast. Also, be aware of test dates and
make sure your child is at school to par'cipate with
his/her class. Appointments, late arrivals, and early dismissal are disrup've during tes'ng.
Page 3
Computer Science Educa on Week
Oak Ridge Parking Lot Informa on
December 7-11
The use of technology is embedded into so many
different areas of our daily lives. To spark our students’ interest and to build their skill level with
technology, every child at Oak Ridge will par'cipate in The Hour of Code during Computer Science
Educa'on Week. The Hour of Code is a one-hour
introduc'on to computer science. The ac'vi'es
students complete will help nurture their problemsolving skills, logic, and crea'vity. By star'ng early,
students will have a founda'on for success in any
21st-century career path!
We would love to have parents volunteer during
this Computer Science Educa'on Week Event.
Here are ways you can volunteer:
Talk with students about careers in computer
science
Help with Hour of Code ac'vi'es during IMC
Please call the school or email
karla.bisco@district 196.org if you are able to volunteer.
As the weather has go,en colder, drop off 'me in
the morning has increased. Let’s work together to
keep our morning drop off efficient for all! All drop
offs and pick ups should enter the parking lot from
Clemson Drive. When you get by the sidewalk,
please pull all the way forward to the fire hydrant. Please be prepared for drop off before you
reach the parking lot (backpacks zipped, shoes
'ed, hugs and kisses delivered). Your child should
be ready to exit when your vehicle stops. We will
provide supervision for your child as he/she walks
to the front doors. You may exit the parking lot
immediately a3er your child leaves your vehicle
and the cars in front of you move. Thank you for
your coopera'on.
Moving and Learning Residency
Students in the four Oak Ridge classrooms that
have been par'cipa'ng in the weekly Movement
and Learning Residency. The Residency is being
offered to students throughout the school day as
a way to learn skills to develop self-regula'on,
manage emo'ons and build physical and emo'onal strength. This integrated approach creates op'mal learning environments that improve children’s focus, behavioral skills, physical
health and emo'onal stability.
Children describe their experiences so far as:
“It makes me feel fresh.”
“My head feels happy.”
“Things you forget come back.”
Page 4
5th Graders at STARBASE Minnesota!
The STARBASE experience was a week of engaging
ac'vi'es rooted in math, science, technology and
engineering. STARBASE curriculum complements
the Minnesota Science and Math standards, so it
supports and extends all students’ learning. The
challenge for the week at STARBASE was to design
a way to live on Mars. Students used the engineering design process to create an energy system
(with back-up plan), they determined how survival
needs would be met, and designed, and redesigned, solu'ons to the Mars colony system challenges.
Students explored how STEM career skills work
alongside teamwork, perseverance, and crea'vity.
Students even began tracking their own growth in
each of these areas, including iden'fying their
strengths as well as strategies to grow in all STEM
skills.
Students were inspired with crea'vity and handson learning with powerful ac'vi'es like rocket
launches and 3D design. They designed their own
wind turbines, which were then printed for each
of them on a 3D printer. They tested these to collect data on how much energy would be produced
for their Mars colony. Wow!
Since opening in 1993, STARBASE has partnered
with the Department of Defense and the Minnesota Air Na'onal Guard. The 133rd Airli3 Wing of
the MN Air Na'onal Guard hosts this site and has
provided facili'es and volunteer support for the
program.