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White Bear Lake Area Schools Community e-Newsletter |
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January 6, 2012 |
Leading minds
to learning, hearts to compassion and lives to community service. |
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In This Issue ·
Pride and Humility ·
General Information ·
Opportunities ·
Awards and Honors · Four-legged friends · Tournament teams · Kids and cookies · Students register · Parents connect · Activities updates ·
Upcoming meetings Upcoming ·”Get to Know White Bear Lake Area Schools” events · Welcome to White Bear Week · High School Registration Night · Preschool & Family Ed Open Houses · High School Pizza with the Principals · Kindergarten Registration Night · No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day · End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester · Preschool & Family Ed Registration Night · Middle School Registration Night
WBLAS In the News · WBLAHS
students participate in Spotlight Awards · High
school students mentor fifth graders · Listening
and learning: Indian musician performs for WBLAHS students · WBLAHS
Alexis Foley named to All-West Team · 2011
Year in Review · Star
MN prep guard points way to ISU · Oneka dance day · Activities
News Archives
e-Newsletter Published By Office of
Communications Please contact Marisa Vette (651-407-7695) to
submit information for inclusion in publications. |
Pride and Humility On the Monday after New Year’s Day, our
community was saturated with good intentions. Our local YMCA was crowded with
adults determined to get in shape. At the grocery store, carts were filled
with fruits, vegetables, and whole grain breads. Even seven year olds were
asking mom for low sugar breakfast cereals. Teenagers woke up early, even
before noon, to finish homework before Tuesday’s return to school. Nearly all of us will admit to setting
resolutions to begin the New Year. Some are written down and posted on the
refrigerator or computer. Others are in code, with enough detail that we can
remember what they mean, but hidden from the rest of the world. After all,
what if we set a goal and fail? The truth is that most of us make
resolutions for self-improvement; we take stock of what we have been given in
life—by our family, by friends, or by those who have entrusted us with
responsibility—and want to be at our best. Last spring as I walked through a middle
school, I came across a group of students in the hallway eager for
self-improvement. They were good-natured but boasting, imitating the manner
of a conceited athlete or media star. “Be humble,” I said. They looked surprised. “Humble?” one asked. Now they were
genuinely puzzled. What is humility? Taking up the challenge to figure it out,
when they saw me during the summer around town or last fall in school, they
smiled and proudly reported, “We’ve been humble!” I shared this story last fall in remarks
for inductees into our Junior National Honor Society, middle school students
who were recognized for scholarship, leadership, character, and service. Our students were reserved and a little
embarrassed by the attention. All day long teachers, parents, and
grandparents had been telling them how proud they were of their
accomplishments. We all want our students to be proud of
their accomplishments. In fact, the word proud comes from a Latin word
meaning “to be good.” We want our students to be proud in the sense that they
have self-respect and honor, and that they are able to give respect and honor
to those who have helped them succeed. But we don’t want our youth to act out the
kind of pride that is selfish or conceited, or puts others down. Secondly, we want them to be humble about
their accomplishments. Yes, another Latin root.
Humble comes from the Latin word meaning “ground.” We want our students to be
humble in the sense that they are modest and unpretentious about their
achievements. We also want them to be genuinely happy for the success of
their classmates. What does this have to do with the resolutions
we make each January? So often we think about a resolution only as something
we need to do day after day to make it a habit. At some point we may fall
short—maybe by mid-January. Instead, list as resolutions the qualities we
want to develop in ourselves and our youth. From this standpoint, we resolve to
practice genuine pride and humility that will grow into lifelong habits of
the mind and the heart. 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 January 20, 2012.
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. ·
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? - Click here to find a website created to help parents
determine their child’s kindergarten readiness. ·
ADD/ADHD Support Group - The District 622 ADD/ADHD Support Group will
hold its next meeting of the school year on Monday, January 9 from 6:30 -
8:30 p.m. at the District Education Center at 2520 E. 12th Ave., N. St. Paul.
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 tips on how to resolve to save energy this year, 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
Student Enrichment
Scholarship
- The Eugene D. Johnson and Kathleen J. Johnson Student
Enrichment Scholarship. Applications reviewed on a continual basis throughout the year until
a maximum per year has been awarded. 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. ·
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.
Awards and Honors ·
Paraprofessional Recognition Week – Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed the week of January 16-20, 2012,
as Paraprofessional Recognition Week. Find a copy of the Certificate of
Commendation here. ·
RtI Study Finalists – The District learned this week that Lincoln Elementary and Hugo and
Oneka Elementary Schools have been nominated and chosen as finalists in a
national research study. We anticipate we will hear within a few weeks
whether we are among the 110 schools chosen throughout the nation to
participate in a congressionally mandated national impact evaluation of
Response to Intervention (RtI) in elementary reading. ·
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. ·
The Eugene D. Johnson and Kathleen J. Johnson Student
Enrichment Scholarship. Applications reviewed on a continual basis throughout the year until
a maximum per year has been awarded. Please contact Marisa Vette (651-407-7695) to submit Staff News, General Information, Opportunities or Awards & Honors for inclusion in future publications.
Staff members
report the students' faces just light up when it is their turn to read. Students
read books they are working on in their classrooms or books they are reading
for enjoyment. Research shows
animals can be ideal reading companions because they help increase relaxation
and lower blood pressure. Unlike peers, animals are attentive listeners; they
don't judge or criticize, so children are more comfortable and inclined to
forget about their own fears. Information about R.E.A.D. Dogs Minnesota can
be found here. Willow teacher
Emily Gallatin recently received a grant that will allow Willow to expand the
program to three dogs. The plan going forward is to include ELL students and
other students who can benefit from chances to improve on their fluency,
comprehension, and decoding skills.
Next weekend, the
White Bear Lake Area High School boys’ hockey team will compete in the
Suburban East Conference’s 2nd Annual Hockey Day. The boys’ hockey teams from
all ten conference schools will play throughout the course of the day on the
arena’s two rinks. The Bears will play Hastings at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday,
January 14th at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena north rink. The SEC Hockey Day originated last year as a way
to showcase the players from all ten schools in a tournament-like setting.
Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for students and will allow admittance for
all games throughout the day provided fans do not leave the arena.
Recipients
of the students’ and families’ generous activities were the White Bear Food
Shelf, the White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation ANGEL Fund, Phoenix
Alternatives, Youth Link, East Metro Women's
Council, Lady of Guadalupe Resource Center and two families who were adopted
for the holidays. In
total, the Extended Day Program donated more than $3200.00 coats, mittens
gloves and boots, and $271.00 worth of free books. As Carrie Troske, the program leader from Willow Lane Elementary’s Extended Day program observed, "Never
underestimate what a bunch of kids and some cookies can do." Editor’s Note: The
District’s Extended Day program is a high quality before and after school
childcare program available to students enrolled in any of our elementary
schools. The program also is open to 4-year-olds at Hugo, Lakeaires,
Otter Lake Elementary Schools.
Along
with registration events for current students, new students and families also
are being welcomed for next year. The District’s Early Childhood Program is
hosting Open Houses this month and a Registration Night on the 26th.
Elementary schools are hosting “Welcome to White Bear” school tours next
week, with the District-wide Kindergarten Registration Night following on
January 19. January
26 will provide new middle school parents with an opportunity to get to know
Central and Sunrise Park Middle School communities, and WBLAHS – North Campus
will welcome families new to high school in the District for a “Pizza with
the Principals” event on January 17. A
complete listing of the District’s Registration activities can be found here. Parents Connect The
following Q & A format is an excerpt from a parent’s response about the
District’s use of Schoology, a learning management
system that makes it easy to create and share academic content. Schoology allows teachers to share classroom content,
calendars, and assignment information with information with students and
parents. With robust discussions, and interactive assignments it can also
serve as a true digital extension of the physical classroom. Students log in
with their White Bear Apps credentials by visiting whitebear.schoology.com.
Parents log in to schoology.com after receiving a code from
their child's teacher. 1.
Have you logged on and viewed our Schoology page? Yes, and it was very easy for a busy and
not very tech-savvy parent like me. I love that my child’s teacher keeps
reminding us to go Schoology and take a look as
well. 2.
What do you like best about the Schoology page? I can't stand missing out on what my kids
are doing at school, so for me the best thing is to see the pictures and
videos of things they have done at school with their class. It is priceless
to have these memories recorded and shared. Anything that bridges the gap
between school and home thrills me. For example, I had forgotten that our
class was having a visit from a real turkey, so the pictures were really fun
to see. I think some of the parents who can't volunteer at school much would
really like something like this to help them feel more connected to the
classroom. 3.
Have you used the Schoology page with your child?
(Looked at pictures/videos) My son has looked at some of the photos
with me, and he loves to look for all of his friends! It also gets him
talking about more things that are going on at school that we may not have
heard about. The site gives a parent more information about a child's
academic and social life at school. I love to see my son's big smile when he
is with his class! 4.
What would you like to see on the Schoology page? It would be fun to see pictures/videos of
recess, lunch or specialist classes at times. Parents don't often get to
visit during specialist times like PE, music and media. I keep meaning to ask
my son’s teacher if it's okay to let family members log in to the site as
well. I think the Grandparents would love it. 5. Would
you be interested in a training on how to use Schoology? Sure, although I don't currently do much
with social media, so I may have a learning curve. I have told many parents
that our teacher is using Schoology, and I think
there is a lot of interest. Teachers across the District are putting Schoology to use at this time, and even more will follow
in the coming months. Please contact your child's teacher to find out if have
a Schoology presence at this time. Once teachers
are set up you can request your parent access code and follow what is
happening in your child's classroom. Activities Updates WBLAHS
senior boys’ alpine Ski standout
Eddie Cox won the Wild Mountain Invitational on December 16, 2011. The Alpine
ski event had 24 school and 143 racer competitors. The team was 14th overall.
The girls’ Alpine Ski team also
participated and placed 23rd. Find additional details about the
competition, along with a photo of the champion skier taken by a WBLAHS
student photographer, here.
The White Bear Lake Area High School boys’
basketball team traveled to Winona MN over the holiday break for the 3rd
consecutive year and won two games in the Winona State Warrior Club Classic.
The Bears are 6-4 (1-1) and play Mounds View at home tonight (1/6) at a
Parent Appreciation night game. Find additional details about the team here. White
Bear Lake Area High School Athletics schedules can be found here.
Upcoming meetings
·
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. ·
Thursdays at 10 a.m. |
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