Eagle Lake Elementary

Welcome back, Eagle Lake students and families!

We're thrilled to soon have our returning students back in our building and meet all of our new Eagles who begin this fall. The teachers and staff are excited to start another great year. We look forward to working with you to make sure your child has a successful year filled with learning and fun.

There is a lot of information in this newsletter. Please take your time reading as some information is new.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to the office. Sue Ruch (Eagle Lake secretary) and I are happy to help.

You can reach us at 507-207-3530 or email us.

Sue's email: ele@isd77.org

My email: sjohan1@isd77.org

We are looking forward to a great school year!

Steve Johanson

Eagle Lake Principal

Class placements and entrance conference sign-ups are both live, online, beginning Monday, August 24, 2026. See the steps below and call the office if you have questions.

In order to view Class Placements, the following steps need to be completed.

1. Log into your Parent Portal account. If you do not have a parent portal account, please send an email to ICSUPPORT@ISD77.ORG and they will send you an activation key.

2. Complete Census Verification. The Census Verification link in the Parent Portal will walk you through this process. This is a critical step as it keeps our student records current and replaces completing any paperwork pertaining to student information, emergency contacts, etc.

3. Click 'Schedule' to see your student's teacher.

In order to sign up for Entrance Conferences, click HERE. Once you have registered for the teacher(s) that your student(s) has/have, PTC Fast will email you a link to complete the process and pick your specific date and time(s). The email with the link sometimes does not get delivered immediately so please allow up to 15 minutes. You may also need to check your Spam folder. If your child lives in more than one household, please schedule only one conference per student.

Conference dates:

Tuesday, September 8th from 8:00am-6:00pm

Wednesday, September 9th from 8:00am-12:00pm

You are welcome to stop and visit other staff and Special Area teachers when you are in the building during entrance conferences. We look forward to seeing you and your student(s).

Strawbridge Studios takes the school pictures at Eagle Lake. Unfortunately, they were unable to be at Entrance Conferences this year. Photographers from Strawbridge will be here in the morning on Monday, September 21, and will return in October for retakes and to take photos of anyone who was absent. Individual photos will be taken of all students so that everyone will be included in the school yearbook. If you would like to opt out of the yearbook photo, please contact the school office. Information will be sent to parents at a later date with options for ordering portrait packages.

Strawbridge is looking for two parent volunteers to assist with picture day in September. Parents who volunteer will receive portrait package incentives/discounts. If you are interested in volunteering approximately two hours of your time, please contact the school office.

The BackPack Food Program is a free program providing students in grades K-5 with weekend food packs containing breakfast, lunch and a snack for each day off of school. Sign up today to give your child an additional boost of nutrition! Click HERE for the online enrollment link for families.

All public school students in MN will continue to have a free breakfast and lunch available to them each day!

While the meals are free for all students, it's still important for families to fill out the Application for Educational Benefits. This form helps determine Eagle Lake’s eligibility for other funding and can qualify families for additional benefits beyond school meals.

The more who apply and qualify, the more benefit to those individuals and to our school community. Please fill out the application even if you do not think you will qualify.

Benefits to Our Community:

• Increased state and federal funding for Eagle Lake Elementary (more staff, equipment & supplies)

• Increased social/emotional & mental health supports

• Increased math and reading supports

This year, Nutrition Services is introducing SchoolCafé Family Hub, a new, more inclusive online platform for managing your student's meal account. Families will need to create a new SchoolCafé Family Hub account. You will need your student's Infinite Campus student number (found in the Parent Portal) to connect them to your account.

With SchoolCafé, families can:

• Apply for Educational Benefits to qualify for elementary supports and reduced middle/high school activity fees

• Add money to a student's meal account for additional menu purchases

• Set up low-balance notifications

• View meal purchases

• Access school menus

Set up your SchoolCafé Account with these instructions.

SchoolCafé Website: https://family.schoolcafe.com/MAPS

Questions? Contact the Nutrition Services Office:

Summer hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Phone: 507-388-7442
Email: nutritionservice@isd77.org
Address: 15 Map Drive, Mankato, MN 56001

We are excited to continue to offer our Eagle Lake students a healthy snack option each school day.

The cost will be $75.00 per child for the school year. To ensure that your child has a snack on the first day of school, payments need to be received by September 8th.

There will be a few choices each day for students including such items as: baby carrots, apples, oranges, yogurt, string cheese, graham crackers, pretzels and more.

Payment can be made through your parent portal. Use this link for payment instructions: Step by Step Instructions to Pay for Snack Cart - Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

Donations to sponsor a child in need are welcome, appreciated and can be selected in the parent portal as well. Yearly, we have around 60 students in need of a sponsored snack. Thank you in advance for your support, if you are able.

Morning Drop-Off & Supervision

• Before 7:35 AM: Students needing supervision before 7:35 AM should be enrolled in the ACES program. The entrance for ACES is at Door 2. Please call or text ACES staff to be let into the building.

• At 7:35 AM, supervision for all students begins. Students will enter through Door 2 to go to the cafeteria for breakfast or head to the playground. If your student is a biker, walker, or dropped off, please make sure that they do not arrive until after 7:35 as we don't have supervision for them outside Door 2.

• At 7:50 AM the First Bell rings and students on the playground or in the cafeteria will be directed to line up with staff supervision to walk to their classrooms.

• After 7:50 AM, students that arrive at school will enter through Door 1, as the other entrances will be locked.

• At 8:00 AM, the Tardy Bell will ring. All students are expected to be in their classrooms for attendance. If your child arrives after 8:00 AM, they must check in at the office (Door 1) for a pass before going to class.
  
  

Afternoon Dismissal Schedule

• 2:28 PM (First Bell): Walkers & Bus Riders Dismissed from Classrooms

• Kindergarten and 1st-grade exit through Door 12.

• 2nd and 3rd-grade exit through Door 11.

• 4th and 5th-grade exit through Door 1.

• 2:30 PM (Second Bell): ACES and Car Riders Dismissed from Classrooms

• Students going to ACES will go to the cafeteria. K-3 students will be walked to the cafeteria by staff.

• Students who are Car Riders will wait in the main hall.

• 2:32 PM: Car Rider Pick-up Begins

Help us keep the morning drop off line moving! To ensure all students arrive safely and on time, please follow these simple steps:

• Pull Forward: After you have driven through the loop (as seen in the map), drive as far forward as possible toward the 2nd crosswalk (by Door #1).
• Don't Wait for the Front: Drivers should not wait until they are at the very front of the line to let their students out. Pull as far forward in line as possible. If you are stopped next to a sidewalk, your student should exit immediately. We can fit 6+ cars at a time along the drop off sidewalk.
• Quick Drop Offs Only: If your student needs assistance getting out of the car or a longer goodbye, please park in the parking lot. There are a few visitor spots near the school. (Handicap parking spots should not be used unless you have a valid permit.)
• Safety First: Always come to a full stop at stop signs and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks.

Let's work together to keep the line moving and our Eagles safe!

Students begin exiting the building at 2:28. If you are picking up your student in a car, we ask that you get in our car line. This is the safest way for us to get your student to your vehicle after school. Please follow these guidelines:

• Enter the school parking lot and keep to the right (see map).

• Circle through the parking lot and enter the pick up lane (closest to building).

• Stay next to the curb and pull as far forward to the crosswalk as possible (by Door #1).

• Display your green number in your vehicle’s window.

• A school staff member will call your family’s number once you enter the pick up lane.

• Your child(ren) will then exit door #1 to your vehicle.

Note: Please do not park or leave your car unattended in the pick up lane! If you need additional time to load your car, you can park in the parking lot and walk to the staff with walkies to have your student called outside.

An essential part of starting a new school year is taking time to review the norms and rules around how we function as a school community. At Eagle Lake Elementary, we take the responsibility of maintaining safety seriously. All of us play an essential role in protecting our school community.

Please take a few moments to read the information below regarding the specific plans and practices we have in place to ensure safety for everyone in our building.

Safety Basics at Eagle Lake Elementary:

SINGLE ENTRY

During our school day at Eagle Lake Elementary, we are considered a single point of entry building. All of our building doors are locked during the day. The only place that anyone can enter our building after 8:00 am is through Door 1.

If adults are planning to enter Eagle Lake after 8:00 am, you can expect the following:

• Once you are in the entryway, you can buzz the office and an office staff member will ask for your name and purpose for entering the building. New this year: To give our building an extra layer of protection, guests will now need to present a valid form of ID upon entering. We will share full details on this process soon, but we wanted to give everyone a friendly heads-up ahead of time!

• If it is determined to be absolutely necessary for you to be in the building and it is an appropriate time for your visit, you will be given a visitor sticker or badge, and the staff member will direct you to your destination.

• If you are simply dropping something off for your student, you may not be given access to the building. We will ensure the item is delivered to your student.
  
  

DRILLS

To help our students feel confident and prepared rather than anxious, we practice our safety routines together throughout the school year. Our scheduled drills include:

• 5 Fire Drills

• 5 Standard Response Protocol Drills (Lockdown, Secure, Hold)

• 1 Severe Weather Drill

These practice runs give everyone a chance to learn the routines in a calm, supportive setting so our school feels like a safe haven every day. Per state statute, we will inform you prior to doing Lockdown drills so that you may opt your student(s) out of the drill if you wish.

REPORTING

Safety is a community effort, and your voice matters to us. If you ever have a safety concern, question, or feedback during the school year, please don't hesitate to reach out. You are always welcome to contact your child's teacher, our front office, or the building principal.

Additionally this year, students and parents have the option to submit concerns via the the school safety reporting form linked below. These reports can be anonymously submitted if desired.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership, trust, and support in keeping Eagle Lake a wonderful place for our students!

It’s official—the wait is over!

Over the past year, our team (that included a parent, a teacher, the principal, and 2 student representatives) worked hard behind the scenes to streamline our elementary branding and secure full licensing ownership for MAPS. Students and staff voted in the spring and selected this new Eagle Logo!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring this vision to life. Opportunities for ordering new Eagle Lake gear will be coming.

Our American Indian Education (AIE) Program supports the academic, personal, and cultural success of Native students, closely guided by our American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (AIPAC) to ensure that parental and community voices shape our educational offerings.

We are excited to welcome our new AIPAC Co-Chairs for the 2026-27 school year, Abby Dubois and Stacy Hillesheim. Our upcoming AIPAC Fall Kick-Off at the Wacipi is on September 18, 2026. Please check out our website for more information. Please email AIE staff or our co-chairs to join our group!

AIE Staff:

Ayasha Williams awilli4@isd7.org, 507-990-3937

Winona Williams wwilli1@isd7.org, 507-990-3937

Co-chairs:

Abby Dubois abbydubois8@outlook.com

Stacy Hillesheim stacy.hillesheim@gmail.com

AIPAC DATES 2026-27

Friday, September 18th, 4:30 - 6:30, Floyd Roberts Jr. Pavilion at Land of Memories Park

Tuesday, October 20th 5:30 PM, Franklin Elementary

Tuesday, January 19th 5:30 PM, Franklin Elementary

Monday, February 1st: 5:30, Intergovernmental Center, Mankato Room

Tuesday, March 16th 5:30PM, Franklin Elementary

Tentative: Sunday, May 16th AIPAC Celebration

The Greater Mankato Mental Health Hub has launched! This hub was developed by Greater Mankato Area United Way's Youth Mental Health/Suicide Prevention Committee and is hosted by the Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The hub is meant to be a tool for parents and caregivers to easily find information on crisis support, local mental health services, parent education, and more.

Find more information HERE.

K-5 Student School Supply List

2026-2027 Student Calendar

Looking for a way to connect to MAPS? We strive to connect our community to our district and schools. Subscribe to this newsletter to get the current information and links to events.

Follow MAPS Facebook and Instagram for student celebrations:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISD77MAPS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isd77maps/

MAPS Website: https://www.isd77.org/