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12/4/2006 8:06 AM  Fadlan wac 651-312-9015 si aad u heshid nuqul ku qoran Somali. Yog koj xav tau qhov no sau ua lus Hmoob, thov hu rau 651-312-9015. Por favor llame a 651-216-3415 para recibir esta carta en Espanol. Dear Families, It is once again time for conferences. The teachers are looking forward for a chance to visit in person with you about your child. As a parent, I am always nervous about my children’s conference. What will the teachers say about my children? Will I get good news or bad news or some of both? There are two things I do to get ready. I talk with my children and ask them some questions.
I’m not as nervous after preparing a little. The conversation with the teacher is more productive. We can move beyond just talking about my child. We can start talking about what we can do together for my child. We can celebrate the successes. I hope you can have productive conferences too! Sincerely, Jim Litwin, Principal Referendum Passes! A $312,000 thank you to all who helped pass the school levy referendum. Thank you to those who helped with door knocking, literature dropping, and phone calling: Rebecca Wade, Doug & Sadie Stone, Debbie Thompson, Colleen Fridlund, Sarah Peterson, Weston Musachio, and Mark Lindskoog. A special thank you to our referendum captain, Carrie Asmus! Scholastic Book Fair Open During Conferences Once again the library will be turned into a bookstore during conferences. Come in and check the great selection of books and other items. The sale is a fundraiser for our PTO. Buy a book for yourself. Celebrate a great conference with a book, what better incentive. They make great gifts too. The sale and conferences will be Thursday, November 16 and Tuesday, November 21 from 4:00-7:30 and Wednesday, November 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Be Sure to Check Lost and Found Coats, hats, gloves, sweatshirts, and so on are piling up in the lost and found. Be sure to check. The box is located in the main hall across from the library. Reading Volunteers Webster is working to develop a program of volunteers to read with students. Our goal is to have many volunteers reading with students regularly. If you are available and interested, please email Eleanor Clemmons at eleanor.clemmons@spps.org or leave a voicemail at 651-293-8625, extension 1500.
How Can I Get My 5th or 6th Grader Ready for Junior High? The PTO is sponsoring an informative presentation at its December meeting. A representative from Murray Junior High will present tips and recommendations to get ready for Junior High. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. There will be snacks and drinks. Please call 651-312-9015 if you would like to reserve child care. Strategic Task Force Meeting Set The Strategic Task Force will begin meeting to plan for a restructure of Webster for next year. The meeting is set for Tuesday, November 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the library at Webster. Please contact Jim Litwin for more details or to express interest in the meeting. You can email at jim.litwin@spps.org or call 651-293-8625, extension 1504. Saint Paul Food Waste Saves Money During the 2006-2007 school year, Saint Paul Public Schools are focused on reducing the tons (elephants) of garbage our school throws out every year, and feeding as much as possible of what’s left to local pigs. By doing so, we can significantly reduce the costs we are required to pay for dumpster hauling. Starting the week of December 11-15, we will begin turning “elephants” into pigs! We will demonstrate to the children how to sort their garbage from food waste. The sorting process will work at breakfast and lunch. We will choose student volunteers to help the others to sort correctly. County helpers will be at the schools for the first week of recycling, showing the volunteers how it works. Basically, if the pigs can eat it, it goes in the blue bucket; if they can’t, it goes in the gray bucket. In addition to saving money, benefits of this food waste recycling project include:
We are excited about this opportunity to save money and reduce waste. We know the pigs are, too! Notes from the Nurse If you have a child who is between the age of three and a half and five years of age, your child is eligible to go to Early Childhood Screening. Early Childhood Screening is a requirement for kindergarten that really needs to be done before kindergarten. This screening picks up on vision, hearing and learning concerns so they can be taken care of before your child enters kindergarten. Early Childhood Screening helps your child be more successful in school by giving them the support they need to succeed. If you have an eligible child, please contact the school nurse, Terri Lundquist, at 293-8625 ext. 1510. If you leave a voicemail message, please include your name and the name of your child who currently attends Webster. Thank you. Saint Paul Wellness Policy- Classroom Parties Saint Paul Public Schools recently adopted a new policy for healthy nutrition and exercise. The policy is long and detailed. Over the next several months, we will explain different sections of the policy. The policy supports our students’ health by including more opportunities at school for physical activity and better nutrition. Principals and teachers will be responsible for most of the Wellness Policy. Families are also asked to help us create healthier schools. School celebrations, birthday parties and other recognitions at school are an opportunity for students to havve fun and to make healthy choices. The children learn by example in these instances rather than through a health lesson. We know that children often follow the lead of the adults in their lives. If we regularly choose just sweets to celebrate, children may learn to connect the fun times with that kind of food. In time, some children may not enjoy other healthy foods as much. Eventually, different and healthier foods may just not seem as enjoyable. This means students’ time in school should offer opportunities for healthful eating. Treats for celebrations often include cupcakes, candy, cookies and pop. An occasional sweet is not the problem. Sadly, foods high in sugar and fat and low in nutrients have become the norm rather than the exception. Saint Paul Public Schools also requires that all foods brought in for students be prepackaged. Prepackaged foods are again usually low in nutrients and high in sugar or fat. It is more difficult for children to make healthy choices if they regularly are given treats that are less healthy. We don’t want to teach that the only “fun” foods are sugary, fat-filled ones. How can we make school parties and events healthier? We can offer children different choices. Children get excited about new things. If the grown-ups try to encourage and help with healthy choices, the students will try too. make an effort to promote and support healthy choices, students will follow. Below is a list of ideas, but remember that all food brought into school for students must be prepackaged. You can check with your child’s teacher or the nurse about allergies in the room to nuts and other foods. These foods also make great snacks.
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