Castle Elementary School
6675 50 th St. No.
Oakdale, MN 55128
651-748-6700
Principal, Allie Storti
Castle PTO –castleptopresident@gmail.com
Attendance Line – 651-748-6717
Health Office – 651-748-6715
Upcoming Events
 Friday, December 6 – Report Cards sent home with students
 Friday, December 6 – Girls Swim Night Out – see attached flyer for details
 Tuesday, December 10 – Wear orange ‘Stand Up’ t-shirt
 Thursday, December 12 – Last Day of Targeted Services
 Tuesday, December 17 – Papa John’s Pizza Night
 Tuesday, December 17 – Grades 3 & 4 music program 1:45 pm and
6:30 pm
 Friday, December 20 – Last day of school before Winter Break
 Monday, December 23-January 1 – No School – Winter Break
 Thursday, January 2 – Classes Resume
Report Cards ~
The end of Trimester #1 was Tuesday, November 26 th . Report cards are being sent home with students today, Friday, December 06, 2013.
Parents – please check your child’s backpack for this important document.
Winter Weather ~
With winter upon us, please be sure your child is dressed for the weather each day. Warm jackets, hats, mittens, boots are needed every day and we recommend students have snow pants (be sure to label your child’s winter gear with their name). We go outside for recess every day unless the wind chill or temperature is 5 below zero.
If your family is having difficulty funding the purchase of warm winter gear, please contact Diane Peterson, Castle School Social Worker, at 651-748-6766.
Tennis Shoes for Gym Classes~
Now that students are wearing boots to school, be sure to help your child remember to pack their tennis shoes into their backpack. Shoes are required for gym classes.

School District 622 Policy Limits Gifts to Employees ~
As we approach the holidays, many parents and students wish to “thank” their teachers and other school staff by giving them gifts. While these intentions are appreciated and thoughtful, District 622 does have a school board policy restricting “Gifts to Employees.”
Under the policy teachers and other school district staff are not allowed to receive, as personal property, a gift worth more than $5 from a student, parent, individual or organization. Instead, individuals wishing to show appreciation to a teacher or staff member are encouraged to write letters or notes of appreciation. Individuals may also show appreciation through a donation to the school in the teacher’s name.
The policy, which is based on state legislation, refers to gifts that are for personal use only and still allows parents and other individuals to give gifts or items that benefit the classroom or school, such as school supplies. Gifts of that nature wouldn’t be restricted to the $5 limitation.
If you have questions about what a teacher or other staff member may accept as a gift, please contact Ms. Storti, Castle School Principal at 651-748-6700.
Grade 3 and 4 Music Program – December 17th ~
The students in grades 3 and 4 are working on the songs for their winter music program. The program will take place on December 17 th at 1:45 p.m. for teachers and students and again at 6:30 p.m. for parents and friends.
Please mark this day on your calendars, it is very important for all students to participate in both concerts. Many of the students will be given an opportunity to perform special parts, like singing solos, playing on instruments, reciting poems and announcing the songs. Please do not hesitate to contact me in case of possible conflicts with your schedule – 651-748-6741
School Closing/Delays Information ~
With the winter season upon us, there are several ways to see if Castle School will be starting late, closing early or closed for the day. School delays or closings will be announced by 6:00 am.
Delays and closings will be listed as North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale School
District 622 NOT Castle School.
 Check the School District Web site at www.isd622.org

 Watch TV for announcements – it will be listed as No. St. Paul, Maplewood,
Oakdale Schools.
 There will be a School Messenger phone announcement to all accurate phone numbers for all families (make sure your phone numbers are up-todate to receive this important phone call).
A Message from the Castle PTO ~
We would like to thank all Castle families for their hard work in fundraising this fall. We profited over $13,000 from of the Chip
Shoppe fundraiser and over $2,000 on Spirit Cups. Box Tops for
Education collections brought in $1700 and the Vikings/Packers coin challenge raised approximately $300. So far this year our
Papa John's pizza nights have raised over $450! All of your help is truly appreciated!
Here are a few upcoming things to know:
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Spirit Cups will be here next week . If your order was small enough to fit into your child's backpack, we will send them home with your child. If not, we will be in contact with you to find a way for you to pick them up.
The students just finished up their roller skating unit in gym class. They
LOVED IT!!! Keep in mind that our first Saints North fundraiser is Thursday,
January 9th . More information will be coming home after winter break.
Our next Papa John's pizza night is December 17th. The third and fourth graders have their music program that night, so order before or pick it up afterward and help support our new playground! The winner of the
November contest was Mrs. Cahill's 3rd grade class! Congratulations!
The aluminum can bin will be picked up on December 20th and a new one will replace it. If you have any cans to get rid of now, please drop them off before this date so we can earn as much money as possible for this first time!
Start thinking about your schedule for Saturday, February 1st! This is the day of the Castle Carnival. We hope your family can make it! We will be looking for volunteers for that day very soon!
If you are looking for a 2013 tax write off , consider donating money to the
PTO before the end of the year. We would be happy to provide you with a receipt to use for tax purposes. You can donate to the general fund or directly to the new playground fund. If you have any questions regarding this, please email castleptopresident@gmail.com
. We greatly appreciate every penny we receive through fundraising and generous donations!
Meet our Castle Staff ~
Each week we will introduce our Castle Staff members. We have wonderful staff who care about each of our Castle kids!

Name: Emily Mobeck
Job Title: 1 st Grade Teacher
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Moose Tracks
What do you like to do in your free time? Reading and spending time outside
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Hawaii
What is your favorite TV show? The Middle
Name: Mary Shake
Job Title: Special Education Resource Teacher
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Vanilla
What do you like to do in your free time?
Watch the Green Bay Packers, camping
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
The island of
Figi
What is your favorite TV show?
Modern Family
Name: Susan Rensted
Job Title: 3 rd Grade Teacher
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
What do you like to do in your free time?
Scrapbooking, bike riding, reading
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Someplace warm and by water
What is your favorite TV show?
Person of Interest
Name: Patrick Hauan
Job Title: CID Teacher
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate
What do you like to do in your free time?
Fishing
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
The beaches of Mexico
What is your favorite TV show?
Modern Family
Intra-District School Transfers ~
Intra-District Transfers are being granted, at most district buildings, for students in grades K-12 living within the boundaries of District 622 who wish to attend a school other than the one they are assigned based on attendance boundaries.
Intra-district transfer requests for the 2014-2015 school year can be submitted beginning Monday, December 2, 2013. All requests will be reviewed after Friday,
April 4, 2014. Families submitting requests by April 4, 2014 will be notified in writing

of the status by May 2, 2014. The Director of Student Services may approve exceptions at other times if extenuating circumstances exist.
The link with all of the information is: http://www.isd622.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=8212.
If you have questions about transfers, please contact the Enrollment Center at
651-748-7550.
GreenSneakers Program~
Castle School is joining in the efforts of the District 622 Next
Step Transition Program to collect new and used tennis shoes as part of Eco-Challenge for Education Program. Castle
School will be collecting new and gently used tennis shoes until
April 22 nd .
Castle Value for December ~
Embracing Individuality ~ we value the uniqueness of people and perspectives.
PTO Collectables ~
Box Top Labels - Box Tops are located on several General Mills products along with Kleenex boxes, Ziploc bags, Yoplait yogurt, Betty Crocker items, Pillsbury products, Hefty tableware, Land O Lakes dairy items, Old El Paso meal kits,
Green Giant frozen vegetables, Hamburger Helper and many. Clip and save your labels and send them to school with your child.
Cans for Castle – keep collecting your pop cans! There is a black dumpster in the parking lot to dump your cans. All proceeds will support our new playground structure. We will receive $1.00 for every 55 cans we collect. Thanks for your support!
Campbell Soup Labels – please save the UPC codes from Campbell Soup products! We are able to receive FREE gym equipment from the points! Don’t forget to look on Prego Spaghetti Sauces, V8 juices, Swanson products, Post cereals, Pop Secret popcorn, Pace Picante Sauces, Glad food storage bags and even SpaghettiOs! Cut out the UPC code and send to school with your child!
Coke Rewards - Look in 20 oz and 2 liter bottle caps or inside 12 & 24 cartons of your favorite Coke products (this includes Dasani, PowerAde, Fanta, Barq’s,
Fresca, Mr. Pibb, Minute Maid, and Mello Yello) for the 12 digit code. As you collect your rewards points, you can either enter them on the mycokerewards.com web site and donate them to Castle Elementary or send

the caps/codes to Castle with your child. A volunteer will help us enter the points.
Ronald McDonald House – Castle school collects pop tabs for the Ronald
McDonald House which provides a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost. Castle school collects the pop tabs as a service project not a fundraiser for the school. Collecting pop tabs is a great way to teach kids about helping others and the importance of recycling and a great way to help raise funds to help children and their families.
Nurse’s Corner ~ Mrs. Johnson, 651-748-6715
Flu season is right around the corner. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home.
 If you child has a 100 degree fever or more, they must stay home and
have a normal temperature before returning to school.
 If your child has a fever or has vomited, they must be symptom free for 24
hours before they can return to school.
 Over-the-Counter medication cannot be given by the nurse without a
doctor’s note and a parent signature.
Please call the Attendance Line before 9:00 am at 651-748-6717, if your child will be out of school for the day or will be arriving late. The Attendance Line is
available 24 hours a day. If your child is absent and you have not called the school, we must call you.
Karla Lawinger
Principal Secretary
6675 – 50 th St. No.
Oakdale, MN 55128
Phone - 651-748-6701
Fax – 651-748-6791