Welcome to the “Castle Connector”
Castle Elementary School
6675 50th 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
 Monday, February 17 – No School – President’s Day
 Tuesday, February 18 – Kindergarten Registration for 2014-15 school year
6:00 pm
 February 18 to February 21 – Box Tops for Education labels contest
 Thursday, February 20 – Castle School Choir Performance 1:45 and 6:30
pm
 Wednesday, February 26 – Papa John’s Pizza Night – use promo code:
CASTLE20
 Friday, February 28 – School is in session for students and staff due to the
weather-related school cancellations
 March 3 to March 7 – Book Fair and Read & Feed
 March 3 to March 7 – Teacher Conferences *See Book Fair hours below
 Friday, March 7 – School is in session for students and staff due to the
weather – related school cancellations
 March 10-March 14 – No School – Spring Break
 Thursday, March 27 – Family Night 6:30-8:00 pm
Save the Date ~
Celebrating Castle Family Night – 6:30-8:00 pm on March 27th. Look for more
information to come! Dinner will be provided and transportation will be
available!!
Teacher Conferences ~
Please return your child’s “TEACHER CONFERENCE PREFERENCE FORM” as soon as
possible. Due to the cold weather days, we will now conduct conferences on
Tuesday, March 4th from 4:00-8:00 pm and Thursday, March 6th from 4:00-8:00
pm. There will not be day conferences on Friday, March 7th as it will be a regular
school day for students and staff.
School Make Up Days due to Weather-Related Cancellations ~
The District 622 School Board approved a plan to convert two existing staff
development and/or conference days into instructional days for K-12
students. Friday, February 28 and Friday, March 7 will now be regular school
days for students and staff in District 622.
Cycle Day Changes ~
February 28th will be cycle day 6
March 7th will be cycle day 5
Lunch Menu for February 28th ~
Hot lunch for Friday, February 28th will be:
 Mini rib sandwich or Mini cheeseburger
 French fries
 Vegetable tray with dip
 Fresh fruit tray
Castle Book Fair is March 3rd-March 7th ~
Each fall and spring, we transform our library into a book store with books for all
ages. The motto of the March Book Fair is “Read every day, lead a better life”.
Book Fair Hours:
Monday, March 3rd: 8:45a.m – 3:15p.m.
Tuesday, March 4th: 11:00a.m. – 1:00 pm and 3:45 p.m. - 8:00p.m.*
Wednesday, March 5th: 11:00a.m. -1:00p.m.*
Thursday, March 6th: 1:00a.m. – 1:00 pm and 3:45 p.m. - 8:00p.m.*
Friday, March 7th: 8:45a.m. – 3:15p.m.*
*Indicates Read and Feed. Read and Feed is an opportunity for parents to
come and have lunch with their student and then shop the Book Fair together.
The hours for the Read and Feed are11:00a.m. - 1:00p.m. Check your child’s
backpack for the gold sign-up sheet that was sent home this week.
A Message from the Castle PTO ~
 Send your Box Tops for Education labels with your child February 1821! The class with the most box top labels will win a classroom party! We
receive $.10 for every label we turn in! Most years we earn about
$2,000.00!
 Our next Papa John’s fundraiser night is Wednesday, February 26th. Use
Promo code CASTLE20 when placing your order to receive your discount!
Girls Youth Softball Clinic ~
Tartan Softball Boosters and coaching staff are sponsoring a softball clinic.
 What: girls in grades 3-8
 When: Sunday, February 23 and Sunday, March 2
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Where: Tartan High School Gym
Cost: $25.00 – includes a t-shirt (payment taken at the door)
Time: 6:00-7:00 pm
What to bring: glove, batting helmet, tennis shoes (you may also bring your
own bat)
Please RSVP to: fastpitch@oaaonline.com
OLPA Math Tests – grades 3, 4 & 5 ~
Our third, fourth and fifth graders will be taking the OLPA math test in
February. This stands for the Online Practice Assessment for the MCA’s. This is an
opportunity for students to take a practice test which mirrors the MCA math
assessment (which will take place in mid-May). The OLPA serves multiple
purposes:
1. It gives teachers another check point on student progress.
2. It measures students’ knowledge of standards being taught.
3. It provides students a practice opportunity for the MCA (math) test, using
the computer for an assessment.
Below you will find a schedule for the OLPA test. It can also be found
on our website. Your child’s classroom has been scheduled one
day in February for the OLPA. Please make sure your child has a
good night’s rest and eats a nutritious breakfast the morning of the
OLPA.
Looking ahead…
Reading MCA’s- Grades 3-5 Paper and Pencil) – April 15-17th
Math MCA’s Grades 3-5 (Computer) – April 21st – May
Science MCA’s (Computer) 5th grade – May 12-15th
Look for more specific information in the next month regarding specific dates
about the MCA and when each classroom takes the tests.
Thanks! If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me.
Allie Storti
astorti@isd622.org
651-748-6710
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014 – Mrs. Hanson, grade 3
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 – Mrs. Rensted, grade 3
Thursday, February 20, 2014 – Mrs. Anderson, grade 5
Friday, February 21, 2014 - MAKEUPS
Exciting 5th Gr. 5 Field Trip to STARBASE MN ~
STARBASE MN is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to educate and
inspire youth in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The Dept. of
Defense and the MN National Guard provide an exciting, technology-rich
facility and access to the unique aerospace environment.
At STARBASE MN, students will learn scientific and engineering
design concepts; conduct experiments like real scientists and
engineers and learn about Newton’s Laws, forces of flight,
properties of air, friction, mass, weight; gain skills in graphing,
plotting, geometry, median, mode, volume, data analysis and
much more!
Students learn to think like scientists and engineers and explore careers by
interacting with members of the MN National Guard, local scientists and
engineers to see, first-hand, how STEM is used in the workplace.
This program aligns with our state standards in Science. We are very excited for
our 5th grade students to be able to participate in this wonderful educational
experience during February!
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: Diane Peterson
Job Title: School Social Worker
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Toasted Almond Fudge
What do you like to do in your free time? Spend time with family and
travel
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? San Diego,
CA
What is your favorite TV show? NCIS and Biggest Loser
Name: Jennifer Schwartz
Job Title: Instructional Coach
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cookie Dough
What do you like to do in your free time? Workout with friends, go on runs
with my husband, train for running races, read, family board game/move
nights, and watch my boys play hockey, soccer or baseball
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? An island in
the Caribbean
What is your favorite TV show? Reruns of Friends or HGTV
Name: Vicki Strandberg
Job Title: CID Paraprofessional
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Raspberry chocolate chip
What do you like to do in your free time? Read, spend time with my family, watch sports
and do craft projects
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Hawaii
What is your favorite TV show? 2014 Sochi Olympics and watching hockey
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. 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 22nd.
Castle Value for February ~
Respect: we are careful with and care for ourselves, others, ideas, belongings
and our environment.
PTO Collectables ~ send items to school with your child or drop in the marked
bins in the main entrance of school
 Box Top Labels - Box Tops are located on several General Mills products
 Cans for Castle – keep collecting your pop cans and put in the dumpster
in parking lot
 Campbell Soup Labels –save the UPC codes from Campbell Soup
products.
 Coke Rewards - Look in 20 oz and 2 liter bottle caps or inside 12 & 24
cartons for the 12 digit code.
 Ronald McDonald House – save pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House
Nurse’s Corner ~ 651-748-6715
 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 – 50th St. No.
Oakdale, MN 55128
Phone - 651-748-6701
Fax – 651-748-6791