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White Bear Lake Area Schools Community e-Newsletter |
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November 18, 2011 |
Leading
minds to learning, hearts to compassion and lives to community service. |
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In This Issue ·
A Voice from the Crowd ·
General Information ·
Opportunities ·
Awards and Honors · Girls in science · A special partnership ·
Middle School patriots and
peacekeepers ·
Reading, exploring, creating ·
Activities updates ·
Student recognition
·
Meeting agendas ·
Upcoming meetings Upcoming · No School – Thanksgiving break · School Board meeting · No School – Winter Break · Welcome to White Bear Week · Kindergarten Registration Night · No School – Martin Luther King Jr. Day · End of 2nd Quarter/1st Semester
WBLAS In the News · WBLAHS
Fall Musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” · Chinese
Acrobats – Central Middle School assembly
· New
nutrition services coordinator expands school menus with healthier
options · Washington
County voters say renewals OK, increases not
· WBLAHS
to participate in college admissions pilot
· Tastes
like school spirit · High-scoring
guards sign with ISU women · Sports
News Archives
e-Newsletter Published By Office of
Communications Please contact Marisa Vette (x7695) to submit
information for inclusion in publications. |
When the wind rose, children huddled
closely together and felt all the more a part of America. This pageant was played out in many scenes
throughout the day. As the school day neared closing, at another school the
final song had been sung. Children were seated in the gymnasium, which
overflowed with family members, including veterans from all branches of the
service. As the principal rose to dismiss the
gathering, from the back came a strong and confident voice. A veteran, a
grandfather perhaps, spoke eloquently and gently. “Kids, I want to thank you for what you
have done today. You have really made us feel honored. We thank you. God
bless you all…” Dr. Michael Lovett General Information Mark your calendar - Teacher of the Year 2012 timeline The nomination form,
which must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Jan. 20, will be available at the
District Web site on November 28. DID YOU KNOW?
Find other important information here. Parent Notices: ·
Early Childhood Family Literacy Program - Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-3:30
p.m. Find information here. ·
Nutrition Services changes - The Nutrition Services Department is
proud to announce some changes this year in the White Bear Lake nutrition
program because of the new USDA nutritional guidelines that will be federally
mandated. Find additional information here. Find a recent article about the changes 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. ·
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
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. Miscellaneous ·
Host an exchange
student - The White Bear
Lake Rotary Club is looking for families in the area to host high school
foreign exchange students for 3-4 months during the school year. This is a
great opportunity for your family to share in the life changing experience of
befriending a young boy or girl from another country. Experience the culture
and learn the language of a young adult from France, Germany, Spain, Poland,
Turkey, Czech Republic, Japan, New Zealand, or some other exotic place in the
world. Find additional information here. Opportunities Support
WBLAS students ·
“How to Succeed” - Tickets for White Bear
Lake Area High School Fall Musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying,” are now available at The Nest in Downtown White Bear Lake.
Show dates and times are: 7 p.m. on November 18, 19. Tickets cost $9 for
adults, $7 for students/seniors. Theater Hotline: 651-653-2967. Find
information here. ·
Extended Day cookbooks - Extended Day compiled a
cook book and is selling them for $10 each to fund the program’s annual
adopt-a-family service project, through which the program raises money to
help purchase gifts for a local family in need of help during the holidays,
The cook book has more than 275 recipes from Extended Day parents and staff
members of Lakeaires and Extended Day. Find an
order form here.
·
Hat and Mitten Drive
- South Campus Ambassadors are
holding a hat and mitten drive. A box has been placed at the main office
for the collection of new or gently used hats, mittens, scarfs, etc.
The donations will be going to St. Joseph's Home for Children located
in St. Paul. New is preferred, yet donations that look new are acceptable.
The hats and mittens are for children, so all sizes will most likely
work (infant to adult). The drive ends December 7th. ·
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 ·
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 District News, General
Information, Opportunities or Awards & Honors for inclusion in future
publications.
The student
participants were selected based upon a strong interest in pursuing an Engineering
or Science Degree. Many of these student rank in our top 5% of their class
and have ACT scores in the 30's, which make them eligible for Merit Based
Scholarships. The University of
Minnesota has one of the top Science and Engineering colleges in the Midwest.
Our students had the opportunity to spend the evening working with University
professors within the Science and Engineering colleges. In addition,
University of MN academic counselors discussed scholarship opportunities
aimed at top performing students. Other
college-related activities had the halls of South Campus hopping this week.
WBLAHS was one of 17 schools statewide that will participate in
"Minnesota College Application Week," a pilot program headed by the
Department of Education. The activities hosted throughout the week –
Motivating Monday, T-Shirt Tuesday, World Wide Web Wednesday, Transcript
Thursday and Financial Aid Friday – offered usful
information in student- and parent-friendly formats.
The program also preares and delivers hot
meals to many senior living facilities throughout the metropolitan area.
Students working at the Commissary Kitchen
practice and increase their employment skills, with the support of job
coaches, in a variety of job areas
that currently include packaging, light custodial, and dishwashing. In the
future, we hope to expand our array of opportunities at the Commissary Kitchen
to also include light office/clerical and food preparation. Our students
enjoy their new responsibilities and come back from work smiling and brimming
with sense of pride and accomplishment.
The partnership between the White Bear Lake
Area School District and Presbyterian Homes and Services provides
opportunities for our students to learn essential employment skills in
several vocational areas. Securing a partnership that simultaneously supports
seven students, rather than just one or two, has also resulted in increased
efficiencies related to staffing and transportation. About the Program: White Bear Lake Area
School District’s Transition Plus is a Special Services program that provides
a set of coordinated activities that assist students with disabilities, age 18
to 21, to move from the school setting into post-graduation activities. These
activities include post-secondary investigation and preparation, vocational
training, and employment preparation. These services occur both on-site at
Transition Plus as well as in the community. Middle school patriots and
peacekeepers The men had great stories to share. Henriksen attended Central Middle School and graduated
from White Bear Lake High School before earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
the University of Minnesota. He served 22 years in the Army Reserves and
retired as a Major in 2004 after at tour in Iraq in 2003. Peterson joined the
Navy in 1942 and he served on several different ships during WW II. He also
served on the USS Los Angeles during the Korean War. In 1982, he retired as a
Master Chief with 40 years of service.
Four other District middle school students were
also recognized recently for their work, this time in the 24th Annual Lions
International Peace Poster Contest. The following students’ entries, with the
theme of “Children Know Peace,” will be headed to a district competition.
Central Middle School's Lions Club Peace Poster Winners are first place Tia Hannes and second place Kaycie Kinde. At Sunrise Park Middle School, first place went to
Nick Oien and second place to Ashley Reinhardt. Through the program, students read a
Milkweed young readers book, meet with the book’s author in-person or via a
live web chat, and explore the book’s themes with a COMPAS artist.
The students will
work with COMPAS artist Rhonda Lund to explore wolves as they are portrayed
in different cultures, from European myths and folktales to Native American
stories. They will improvise, rehearse and perform a story using wolf
mythology. They will develop problem-solving skills and learn how to build a
supportive atmosphere that encourages teamwork as they create and perform
their new tales.
Poet Dana Jensen
will lead the older students through a deeper exploration of the prairie.
Dana teaches students specific techniques of figurative language and other
aspects of poetry such as form, sound, rhythm, alliteration, rhyme and
repetition. The themes of nature will be explored through poetry, which
students will share with the greater school community. Activities Updates WBLAHS North and South
Campus Student Councils just finished their district-wide food drive,
with the final tally of two trucks filled with more than 14,000 pounds
of food collected and $1,500 raised. Choral
Updates: Students Luke Gion, Taylor Okonek and Olivia Shepler have been selected to participate in the 2012 State
9-10 High School Honor Choir program. A total of 619 students auditioned
for the choir, with 130 being selected. The Mariners from WBLAHS – South
Campus were recently chosen as one of only four solo choirs to be featured
this coming January 28 at the annual Concordia College (Moorhead) Choral
Festival. Two South Campus choir students, Sarah Hiner
and Emily Nies, were recently selected from
more than 1000 auditionees to participate
in a 100-member Regional Honor's Choir this February at the North Central Division
of ACDA (American Choral Director's Association). South Campus Ambassadors recently made
more than 500 sandwiches for an organization called 363 DAYS, a non-profit
organization that feeds about 2000 homeless people per day. White
Bear Lake Area High School Athletics schedules can be found here.
Thank
you to the White Bear Lake Area Schools community for your support of
our students and programs. Find election results here. Student
recognitions Before
the November 14 Regular School Board meeting, the White Bear Lake Area
School Board recognized the following students for state- and nation-wide
achievements: Cheer Team, Sailors, Soccer All-State Athletes, Girls
Cross Country Team and Boys Cross Country team.
Another sort of Student Recognition took place as a part of the Superintendent's Report. Student actors from WBLAHS's fall musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" gave meeting attendees a sneak peek at the production. Find information about the production (final performances are happening this evening and tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. at North Campus) here.
Upcoming meetings
·
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. ·
Thursdays at 10 a.m. |
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