DEERWOOD NEWSLETTER - Independent School District 196

J ANUARY 2015
D EERWOOD N EWSLET TER
1480 D EERWOOD D RIVE
*
E AGAN , M INNESOTA 55122
P HONE : (651) 683-6801 * F AX : (651) 683-6808 * W EBSITE : WWW . DISTRICT 196. ORG /DW
K INDERGARTEN -G RADE 1 M ATH N IGHT
J ANUARY 15 - 6:00-7:00 P . M .
All Kindergarten and First Grade parents are invited to come and enjoy a
fun-filled evening of math activities. More information to follow!
K INDERGARTEN R EGISTRATION
FOR
2015-16
U PCOMING E VENTS
January 5
* School Resumes
January 15
* K-1 Math Night - 6:00-7:00 p.m.
January 16
* H.P. Theater - 8:45/9:45 a.m.
Kindergarten registration for the 2015-16 school year will be held on February
11 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on February 12 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00
p.m. If you cannot register your child on this date, please call to let us know
when you can come in and register. Children who will be five years old on or
before September 1, 2015 are eligible to attend kindergarten in 2015-2016.
January 19
* No School - MLK Jr. Day
Parents are asked to bring their child's birth certificate or other satisfactory
evidence of age and proof of Early Childhood Screening. This session is for
PARENTS ONLY. Students will have an opportunity to visit Deerwood Elementary during an open house on April 23.
February 5
* Site Council Meeting - 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
N EWBERY M EDAL W INNER M ARGI P REUS IS
C OMING TO D EERWOOD !
Deerwood readers, get ready for a fun chance to
meet an award winning author!! On January 20,
2015 Newbery medal winner, Margi Preus will be
coming to Deerwood. 2nd grade through 5th
grade classes will have the opportunity to hear her
speak and answer their questions.
Red Balloon Bookshop will have copies of her
books available for Deerwood students at a discounted rate. More details will be sent home on
January 5 with book orders due on Friday, January
9th, so watch for that letter.
Kindergarten and First grade students will have an
author visit later this year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
January 20
* Booster Club Mtg. - 5:00 p.m.
February 6
* Valentine’s Day Party - 1:15 p.m.
February 9
* Deerwood Ski Club - 3:30 - 9:00 p.m.
February 11
* Conferences - 3:30-8:00 p.m.
February 11
* Kindergarten Registration 7:30-8:00 p.m.
February 12
* NO SCHOOL
February 12
* Conferences - 12:30-8:00 p.m.
February 12
* Kindergarten Registration 12:00-8:00
p.m.
February 13
* NO SCHOOL
February 16
* NO SCHOOL
Dawn Lyons , School Library Media Specialist
~ E DUCATING O UR S TUDENTS T O R EACH T HEIR F ULL P OTENTIAL ~
D EERWOOD N EWSLETTER
P AGE 2
V OLUNTEERING AT D EERWOOD
J ENNY W ILLIAMS , V OLUNTEER C OORDINATOR
P HONE : 651-485-7357
E- MAIL : JENNYWILLIAMS @ COMCAST . NET
How quickly time flies; we’re already halfway through the school year! We are very fortunate to have so many parents and
family members volunteering at Deerwood, and without you, many of our programs and activities would not be possible. If
you are wondering how you can become involved with volunteering, please contact me. I hope you all have a wonderful winter break, and I look forward to helping you volunteer in 2015!
D EERWOOD N IGHT AT S OLOS P IZZA
WHEN: Tuesday, January 20 ~ 4:00-9:00
WHERE: Solos Pizza in Eagan
WHY: Deerwood will earn 30% of the proceeds from our orders (dine-in and carry-out). Simply turn in the flyer (which
should come home with your child on Friday, January 16, when you place your order. Let friends and family know about this
night, and help support our school, while enjoying delicious pizza!
T HANK YOU …
Our Deerwood staff was very grateful for all of the holiday treats and appetizers made for them at the Holiday Treat Buffet.
Thanks to those of you who provided the delicious goodies. This is always a nice treat during the holiday season!
B OOSTER C LUB M EETING - D EERWOOD ’ S P ARENT O RGANIZATION
T UESDAY , J ANUARY 20 AT 5:00 P . M .
Lynn McGrane will be discussing District 196’s new “Units of Study” literacy initiative. If you want to know what this
means for your child’s classroom, join us! We will also discuss some of Deerwood’s upcoming events, including the Winter
Social. Attending a Booster Club meeting is a great way to meet other parents, share ideas, and learn about important things
going on at our school. We look forward to seeing you!
G ROCERIES F OR G OOD C AUSES AT K OWALSKI ’ S
Please continue to support Deerwood through Kowalski’s Groceries for Good Causes program! Here’s how it works…
simply place your receipt in the box labeled “Deerwood Elementary” by the exit doors. You can even use your receipt from
the Starbucks located inside the store! Every quarter, Kowalski’s donates money to Deerwood based on the number of receipts collected.
W ANTED : B OX T OPS F OR E DUCATION
Please remember to collect Box Tops off of your favorite products, and have your child turn them into their classroom collection container. We will continue to periodically send home collection sheets, but feel free to visit boxtops4education.com, to print out your own collection sheets!
N O S CHOOL ON THE F OLLOWING D AYS :
J AN . 19 - MLK D AY
J ANUARY 2015
P AGE 3
S AVE THE D ATE !
T UESDAY , J ANUARY 20 - B OOSTER C LUB M EETING - 5:00
(S PEAKER : T OM T AYLOR - T ECHNOLOGY )
T HURSDAY , F EBRUARY 19 - J UMP R OPE
~ 6:00-7:30
FOR
P. M.
H EART F AMILY N IGHT
P.M.
F RIDAY , F EBRUARY 27 - D EERWOOD W INTER S OCIAL
~ 6:00-8:30
P.M.
F RIDAY , M AY 15 - I CE C REAM S OCIAL
~ 5:00-8:00
BE
AND
B ASKET R AFFLE
P.M.
SURE YOU MARK YOUR CALENDAR TODAY !!
D EERWOOD E LEMENTARY ’ S
2015 W INTER S OCIAL
Friday, February 27
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Put away the winter coats, boots & snow pants, and join us for an evening of fun!
All Deerwood families are invited!
Mark Your Calendar Today!
Volunteers make the fun happen. If you’d like to help behind the scenes or the day of the social,
please contact Jenny Williams: [email protected]
 Dance to the DJ’s awesome music
 Visit the fabulous photo booth
 Burn off some energy on the inflatables
 Fabulous face painting
 Fun games and crafts
 Enjoy delicious pizza and snacks
 And so much more!
P AGE 4
D EERWOOD N EWSLETTER
2015 B ASKET R AFFLE I NFORMATION
We are starting to plan the Deerwood annual basket raffle. We are seeking donations of time or talent from our Deerwood
families. Creative new ideas are always welcome to add a new flair to our always wonderful baskets.
Here are a few examples of what we are looking for:
* Do you have a pair of event tickets you can't use?
* Can you arrange for a behind the scenes tour of someplace interesting?
* Do you have a connection to the Gophers, Timberwolves, Vikings, Lynx or Wild so we could raffle autographed items?
* Do you make jewelry, take portraits, arrange flowers or teach piano?
* Gift cards/gift certificates to local businesses
* Does your work/business have items they could contribute?
Like last year, we will be wrapping all of the baskets ourselves so, in order to keep down our expenses, there will be only one
basket per theme. Please don't limit yourself to this list! If you have a great idea for a basket or a basket item, gives us a
call...we'd love to hear from you. Call Jenny Williams at 651-485-7357 by March 20, 2015.
W EATHER - RELATED S CHOOL C LOSING I NFORMATION
With the arrival of wintry weather comes the possibility of school closings due to snow, ice and/or cold weather. District 196
has specific plans and procedures in place to respond when severe weather occurs.
To help ensure the safety of students and staff, when there is severe winter weather the district relies on two key factors to
determine whether to keep schools open:
·
Road conditions – whether it is safe for school buses and cars to travel throughout the 110 square miles of the school district, and
·
Temperature and wind – whether it is safe for students to walk to school or stand at bus stops waiting for their school bus
to arrive.
Information about school cancellations or changes to the school schedule will be available first on local television and radio
stations. The information is also communicated by district staff, as quickly as possible, on the recorded District Information
Line (651-423-7777) and at the top of the front page of the district web site at http://www.district196.org.
Morning and afternoon sessions of kindergarten will be canceled when school is delayed. This change was made due to safety
concerns over buses being able to pick up early start afternoon kindergarten students on time.
P ARENT -T EACHER C ONFERENCES
Parent-teacher conferences are roughly six weeks away so we want to give families the opportunity to begin signing up for a designated 15
minute block of time to talk with your child’s teacher. Conferences will be held on Wednesday, February 11 from 3:30-8:00
p.m. and Thursday, February 12 from 12:30-8:00 p.m. There will be no school on February 12-13 and on Monday, February 16.
Sign-up for parent-teacher conference appointments will again be completed on-line this year. A letter will be sent
home on January 12 with all the necessary information regarding on-line scheduling.
Families with more than one child attending Deerwood will be able to schedule more than one appointment while online. If you have difficulty scheduling a conference appointment online or do not have computer access, please contact
the Deerwood front office at 651-683-6801 and we will gladly assist you.
Again, if you have any questions or need assistance, please call the Deerwood office.
J ANUARY 2015
P AGE 5
F ROM THE S CHOOL S OCIAL W ORKER
Reduce Asthma Triggers in Your Home
Dakota County has a new Asthma Program for students that live in the county, are low-income, and have a child 0-18 diagnosed with Asthma. This program is free thanks to a grant from the UCare Foundation. It includes up to three visits from a
Public Health Nurse. You may be eligible for equipment to reduce asthma triggers, establish an Asthma Action Plan, and learn
about the condition and how to help your child with it.
For more information, contact the Dakota County Public Health Department at 651.554.6115 or
email [email protected].
Earned Income Tax Credit
Dakota County's Claim It campaign is encouraging working families to learn about the Earned Income Tax Credit. If you are a
family of four, making less than $53,000 a year, you may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $6,143. Credits vary based on
income and the number of dependents. If you need help learning about this tax credit, or in preparing taxes, you may call 651
-287-0187 or go to the www.prepareandprosper.org for free tax preparation services or more information.
If you have questions or concerns about these resources, please call me at 651-683-6801 or an email can be sent to
[email protected]
DW S TUDENTS I N G EOGRAPHY B EE : J ANUARY 2015
Congratulations on your accomplishment!
The following 11 students tied at 6 points in the Preliminary Competition of the National Geographic Bee. They will be part
of a Tie Breaker Competition in January to see who moves on to the Final Competition.
Solange Conlon, 5-T/M
Henry Franken, 4-Si
Gayathri Gajjela, 5-O
Bryna Gulbrandson, 5-O
Delaney Hicok, 5-H
Kelly Hjulberg, 4-Si
Jackson Larson, 5-H
Tony Marudas, 5-H
Josh Moeller, 5-Th
Sana Tahir, 5-O
Shreya Takkella, 5-Th
The following 2 students listed below had all 7 correct in the Preliminary Round and will be part of Deerwood's Final Competition in January! Two people from the Finals will go on to compete in the Championship Round of our National Geographic
Bee. That winner will be our Deerwood Geography Bee Champion!
Rowen Phillips, 5-O
Jordan Wold, 4-Si
CONGRATULATIONS to all Deerwood 4th and 5th graders who took on the challenge of this year's
Geography Bee. We love that you chose to get involved in this enrichment opportunity!
J ANUARY 2015
P AGE 6
F ROM THE N URSES
By Mary Melcher, School Nurse
KEEP CHILDREN HOME WHEN THEY ARE SICK:
Our ongoing goal is to promote health and prevent illness for all. We have students and staff in the
school with medical conditions that are at increased risk of infection. Please help us by keeping your
child home when they are sick. We follow the Minnesota Department of Health Guidelines and will
send children home who have temperatures of 100 degrees or more, vomiting, or diarrhea. Your child should be fever free
(without the use of fever reducing medication), eating regular food and experience no vomiting or diarrhea for at least 24 hours
before returning to school. If your child is unusually tired, has an uncontrollable cough, or is not able to participate in normal
activities at home, then he or she is probably too sick to come to school. Students with prolonged coughing (over 1 week),
difficulty breathing, or wheezing should be evaluated by a health care provider.
HAND WASHING:
Studies have shown that hand washing is the simplest way to fight illness. From the common cold, and flu, to food born illness,
the frequency of illness dramatically decreases when students and families practice good hand washing techniques.
· Teach your children to wash their hands before eating, after using the restroom, after playing outside, after blowing their
nose, and after playing with pets. Hand washing should be more frequent during illness.
· Monitor your child's handwashing technique.
Lather and scrub all over hands and under finger nails for twenty seconds (sing Happy Birthday twice).
Use soap and running warm water
Rub hands vigorously
Wash tops and bottom of hands and in between fingers.
Rinse well
Dry hands with a single use paper towel
CONTACT INFORMATION:
We appreciate your efforts to keep the office informed of phone number changes and emergency contact numbers for your
child.
WARM CLOTHING:
Winter is here and the children do go outside for recess. Please make sure they have the appropriate clothing and boots to play
outside this winter season. Thank you for continued support to keep your children healthy this winter.
HEAD LICE:
This is the time of year when head lice become more prevalent, although it is safe to assume that one or more students may have
head lice at any given time during the year. We ask that parents take a proactive approach to prevention and treatment of head
lice so our focus at school can remain on teaching and learning.
Head lice are not an infectious disease, but are a tremendous nuisance. The district website (www.district196.org/headlice)
contains updated information about preventing, detecting and treating head lice. We encourage all parents to read and familiarize themselves with this information so they know how to detect and treat head lice on their own children.
Please contact Mary Melcher with any questions you may have and for notification purposes. We will notify at the grade level
when we become aware of clusters of students with head lice.
P AGE 7
D EERWOOD N EWSLETTER
P AGE 8
D EERWOOD N EWSLETTER

Download Report