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White Bear Lake Area Schools Community e-Newsletter |
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January 20, 2012 |
Leading
minds to learning, hearts to compassion and lives to community service. |
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In This Issue ·
Stepping up ·
General Information ·
Opportunities ·
Awards and Honors · Busy hallways · Booktalk · Things are looking up! · Mixing it up - · Activities updates ·
Meeting agendas ·
Upcoming meetings Upcoming ·”Get to Know White Bear Lake Area Schools” events · End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester · Preschool & Family Ed Registration Night · Middle School Registration Night · WBLAHS Sno Daze Week · Parent Leaders Forum · School Board Meeting · No School - Presidents' Day · School Board Work-Study Meeting
WBLAS In the News · Hola, bonjour and guten tag · WBLAHS
gymnast · Creative
Open House · HS
hockey coaches boning up on MSHSL rules reforms · Student
recognition policy still in progress · Blue
collar effort is Bears way · Teachers,
district settle contract · ’Coaches
vs. Cancer’ set for Jan. 27 in WBL · Hockey
Day Minnesota 2012 slate altered · Grad
story – Signs and flags photo · Activities
News Archives
e-Newsletter Published By Office of
Communications Please contact Marisa Vette (x7695) to submit
information for inclusion in publications. |
Stepping Up Walking down the quiet primary grades
hallway at the elementary school, I noticed an older student, perhaps
returning from an errand to the office. She purposefully moved toward the
computer lab doorway, and then hesitated. Turning around, she walked several steps
back and picked up a scrap of paper from the floor, and deposited it in the
trash. She returned to her previous itinerary then and joined her class in the
computer room. This week I read an elementary school
newsletter that listed the names of children recognized by school staff for
"step- up" honors. Next to each student’s name was a description of
an act of responsibility, kindness, integrity, or effort that merited
telling. This simple notice is part of our recognition program for students. I recalled the image of the girl in the
hallway, acting not out of an expectation of recognition but because it was
the right thing to do. I know that because I had stopped into that computer
room and told her what I had noticed. She seemed surprised but pleased and
then explained. "Every day I try to make the school
better for everyone". "How do you think you learned
this?" I asked. Her answer was straightforward and sincere. "I know how much my mother and father
and teachers and everybody do for me. I want to show the younger kids what
they should do." Somewhere along the path from self-centered
childhood to adolescence, this fifth grader was personalizing some important
lessons about responsibility. Recognition programs are intended to help
us celebrate those who are helping us be at our best, but in a way that is
genuine and healthy for our whole community. This year as a school district
we are reviewing our recognition programs for students, staff, and community
volunteers and partners. We'll be asking you to help by completing an on-line
survey. As you do, think about what motivates us to
be at our best. At times we act because of external rewards and encouragement
- sometimes called extrinsic motivation. At other times we are motivated by
factors that are within us - sometimes called intrinsic motivation. How do
these factors influence how we build a recognition program for individuals
and groups? What is it that gives us pride in a simple
action of responsibility and helps us all "step up" and do the
right thing when no one is watching? Dr. Michael Lovett General Information DID YOU KNOW?
Find details about the Welcome to White Bear
events here.
Information forms
for the 2012 White Bear Lake Area Schools Teacher of the Year nomination
process are available as a PDF here and as a Word document here.
Nominations are due by 4 p.m. today, January 20, 2012. New/Used Audio
Book DVD Library Library & Audio
Book DVD Drop Hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The White Bear Area Senior Center is a program of the White BearLake Area Schools Community Services & Recreation Dept. Parent Notices: ·
Welcome to White Bear! - While parents are welcome to visit our schools
at any time, there are several special opportunities in January for parents
to learn more about the White Bear Lake Area Schools. Find information here. ·
Early Childhood Family Literacy Program - Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-3:30
p.m. Find information here.
·
Strategic Planning - The White Bear
Lake Area Schools Strategic Planning website allows community members,
students, parents and District staff members to follow the plan as it is
considered by the School Board. Updates can be found here. ·
Schools for Energy
Efficiency® (SEE)
- Find a newsletter from the SEE program, with information about district
schools applying for the Green Ribbon Schools Award, which has an application
deadline of February 22, here. ·
Activity Calendar – To request a
2011-12 Activities Calendar, pick one up at a neighborhood school or District
Center, or email Jody Reber to
request a copy be mailed to you (please include your full name and address in
the email). Find an electronic version here. Other calendars that are available
are: 2011-12 and 2012-13 Parent Calendar, 2011-12 Staff Calendar, 2012-13 Staff Calendar ·
White Bear Lake Area
Educational Foundation - The White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation, Inc.
(WBLAEF) is an independent, non-profit corporation promoting excellence in
education in White Bear Lake Area School District 624 schools. Find the
WBLAEF website here. o J. Stanley and
Doris Hill Legacy Award – Nominations are being
accepted for the 2012 J. Stanley and Doris Hill Legacy Award. Created by the Century
College, White Bear Lake and Mahtomedi educational foundations in 2007, the
award acknowledges a local citizen who, like the award’s late namesakes, has
devoted a lifetime of outstanding volunteer service to his or her community.
Find additional information here.
Opportunities Support
WBLAS students
·
Coaches
vs. Cancer - The WBLAHS boys'
basketball team is hosting its annual Coaches vs. Cancer event Friday, January 27. It will
be purple night at the game. The team’s goal is to surpass last year’s
amount of $2200 raised for the American Cancer Society. T-shirts will
be available for sale the week of January 24th and at the event, in
addition to a variety of fundraisers including Wall of Hope cards, luminaria
sales and a silent auction. Find a flyer here. ·
33rd Annual
Jazz Night - Join the
WBLAHS Jazz Ensembles for an evening of delicious Italian Cuisine and
outstanding Jazz Music. Enjoy a catered italian
dinner from WBL's own Donatelli's followed by the
Jazz Ensembles from North and South Campus playing jazz standards from 1920's
classics to current favorites. We also have a Special Guest Performer this
year: Saxophonist Peter Vircks, currently with
Rhythmic Circus' touring production of Feet Don't Fail Me Now. This annual
community favorite is Saturday February 11th at WBL South Campus. Doors open
at 5:30 PM, dinner served at 6:00 PM followed by dancing/entertainment from
7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. There will be door prize drawings throughout the night -
if you would like to donate a door prize, please contact either Shannon
Anderson or Jeremy Rockford. For tickets or information, see attached flyer
or contact Sue Wennen (651-271-3336). Find a
poster here and find a ticket order form here. ·
Donate Greeting Cards - Staff
member Mary Pokorny is collecting used greeting
cards for school Media Center and bookmark projects. If you have any used
greeting cards to donate to the cause, please send them through
inter-district mail to Mary at Willow Lane or Oneka
Elementary. ·
Hire WBLAHS students - White Bear Lake Area High
School - South Campus opened a new Career Center this year. The Career Center
will have a job board with all current local job opportunities for their
students. If you are looking to fill any positions at your business and are looking
for WBLAHS students to fill them, please contact Josie Robinson at WBLAHS to advertise on the Career Center job
board.
Provide input for
school counseling program ·
Take the survey for Middle School Students here ·
Take the survey for High School Students here ·
Take the survey for Parent/Guardians here ·
Take the survey for Teachers here The
list of needs on the survey may already be addressed in your school
counseling program. Even though all the topics may sound interesting or
valuable, some needs will rate more time and
programming than others. Parents, teachers, and students are being asked to
rank the items to determine which are the most important in their opinion.
Results will provide direction for the school counseling program. Chinese exchange
teacher Reunion
information Awards and Honors ·
2012 WEM Foundation Outstanding Educator Award - Willow Lane Elementary teacher Barbara Bade has been nominated for a
2012 WEM Foundation Outstanding Educator Award for her passion for teaching
and learning, which has made a significant, positive difference in students’
lives. ·
J. Stanley and Doris Hill Legacy Award – Nominations are being accepted for the 2012 J. Stanley and Doris Hill
Legacy Award. Created by the Century College, White Bear Lake and Mahtomedi
educational foundations in 2007, the award acknowledges a local citizen who,
like the award’s late namesakes, has devoted a lifetime of outstanding
volunteer service to his or her community. Find additional information here.
Please contact Marisa Vette (651-407-7695) to submit District News, General Information, Opportunities or Awards & Honors for inclusion in future publications.
The District’s
Welcome to White Bear week, which offered elementary families the opportunity
to tour our K-5 sites during daytime and evening hours was a popular event
last week. The Kindergarten Registration Night, hosted at elementary schools
throughout the District, also was a hit. Families who missed those
festivities can call the schools directly to arrange for individual tours and
register their children for the 2012-13 academic year. January 26 will
be a special evening for Early Childhood and Middle School families. Central
and Sunrise Park Middle School families will welcome parents for a special
Information Night at 7 p.m. at both schools. From 4:30-7:30 p.m. that day the
Early Childhood program will accept Preschool and Family Education
Registrations for all three Early Childhood program locations at Normandy
Park Education Center. High School
family night have already been hosted at the high school campuses, but families
who wish to learn more about WBLAHS can contact either locations to schedule
a tour. Find a complete
overview of the District’s welcome events here.
The conversations help students prepare to make
informed decisions about purchases at the Sunrise bookfair
approaching in February and in conjunction with March Parent Teacher
Conferences. The event offers students and families the opportunity to
discover a great collection of the best books around at a reasonable price,
and it helps the school community promote learning while raising money for
special school projects.
A
creative ceiling tile display is the product of advanced painting and drawing
students from the early 2000s. Students chose a Master artist and studied
his/her work, then reproduced a favorite image from that artist onto a
ceiling tile – 125 of them total. Also included in the assignment was a
discussion about the value of public art around the world and technical
lessons about using acrylic paint, preparing surfaces for painting, and
dealing with large painting formats. People
are drawn to the end result. Reports art teacher Lou Ferreri,
who was responsible for the original assignment, “The murals have become a
part of the magic of the space. Students often refer to them, as do I. During
parent night, the ceiling is always a topic of conversation. Grads who visit
still look for the tile they painted as a student, and it brings them back to
a lot of memories.” Current
students are adding to the inspired cause. Mary Dahle’s
Spanish classroom boats of ceiling tiles painted with Spanish painter-related
themes. A second art program of painted tiles, led by teacher Shawn Gritzmacher, also has recently begun. Twenty WBLAHS
students will replicate sections of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling.
This will be completed in room 112, the AP Art History space. Mixing it up – art, history and technology The
ALC students have been learning about and creating paintings and drawings in
the style of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), who is considered to be one of
the most extraordinary and great black artists of the 20th Century. While the
original assignment called for three paintings in Basquiat’s
style, a few of the students enjoyed the style so much that they painted even
more.
In
an innovative twist that combines art and technology studies, the students
also have added QR (Quick Response) codes to be placed next to each piece on
display. The box-shaped icons allow passers-by the opportunity to scan the
codes with their phones and read a web-based interpretation from the student
artist. Find a complete write-up of the experience, pulled together by ALC
math teacher Seth Salenger, here. District
activities in honor of Black History month are varied, with many
opportunities to get involved through roles as audience members, participants
and volunteers. Those who wish to receive additional information about any of
the Black History Month activities in the district are invited to contact Rashad Turner, African American Liaison for
White Bear Lake Area Schools, at 651-407-7628. Activities Updates White
Bear Lake Area High School Athletics schedules can be found here.
Upcoming meetings
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