For your Calendar
DECEMBER 13/14: Final days of HumanKind donation drive! Food drive ends 12/13, Project Reach drive ends 12/14
DECEMBER 13: Walk-in COVID 19 vaccination clinic, 3-7 pm, free and open to anyone ages 5 and over. Offered by Odam Medical Clinic and Healthcarestrong.org (enter at Yellow doors)
DECEMBER 17: last student day before winter break
DECEMBER 20-31: No school, winter break (Note! 20 & 21 December are additional days added to winter break)
JANUARY 3: Classes resume
JANUARY 10: Middle School musical auditions
JANUARY 17: No school, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
JANUARY 27: End of Quarter 2
JANUARY 28: No School
EVERY DAY: Remind your kids to check lost & found! Items WILL BE DONATED at winter break.
Deadline Wednesday 12/15! Free and Reduced Meal Applications - please complete
The Free/Reduced Lunch Application is very important for you! Even though meals are free at this time, it may help qualify for discounted internet service, discounted transit for your whole family and the P-EBT program. Completed applications by ALL are very important for Capitol Hill - a significant portion of our funding is based on the families that could be served by the Free/Reduced Lunch Program, even if you don't think you qualify or wouldn't use the service!
Filling out the form - by everyone - benefits the whole Capitol Hill community. www.schoolcafe.com/spps
Questions? Please contact the Nutrition Services team at 651-603-4950 or ns@spps.org.
Paper forms are also available at the Capitol Hill office.
Winter reminder for morning drop-off
- Drop students off on Concordia Ave Drop-off Zone only
- Drop and go to help traffic flow
- Pull forward all the way, don't block driveways or stairs
- Follow the directions of school arrival staff
- Do not pull ahead of or swoop in front of other cars - be patient and move with the line
- Avoid making a right turn on to Mackubin
- Do not drop students off on Mackubin - we do not have enough safety personnel there to assist, and this street will be VERY narrow with the big snow
- Do not park in the Lung Association lot across from the school on Mackubin
Daily Health Screening Expectations for Families
*** Families should conduct a health screening for COVID-19 symptoms every morning before sending their student to school or the bus stop.
*** DO NOT send your child to school if they are exhibiting any of these symptoms: chills, sore throat, headache, fatigue, nausea, muscle pain, vomiting or diarrhea, new runny nose or congestion, new or worsening cough, difficulty breathing, or loss of taste or smell.
*** Please report the absence to the attendance line at 651-325-2599 and submit a report to the COVID-19 Reporting System as soon as possible.
COVID vaccine information
DECEMBER 13: Walk-in vaccination clinic, 3-7 pm, at the Capitol Hill/Mays/Rondo complex. Free and open to anyone ages 5 and over. Offered by Odam Medical Clinic and Healthcarestrong.org (enter at Yellow doors). Boosters will be available as well. Bring your vaccination card!
SPPS will continue to keep families informed about available vaccine resources. Find the latest information on spps.org/covidvaccine.
Capitol Hill is partnering with Every Meal to provide weekend meals for families
We are excited to partner with Every Meal to offer a free weekend food program to all of our students. Every Meal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. They strive to make a difference in children’s lives by focusing on food gaps like weekends, school breaks, and summer when they can’t receive food in school.
Here is a snapshot of the weekend food program:
- https://www.everymeal.org/what-we-do/weekend-program/
- Free for all families and schools to participate.
- Children receive a weekly food bag that includes 4-5 pounds of nutritious, non-perishable food.
- No qualifications required for enrollment. Every Meal does not collect information from families; privacy is protected
- Families may choose from five food bag options tailored for dietary preferences.
- Families may enroll in the program anytime throughout the school year
- A thoughtful partnership model- see the Overview
An informational brochure with registration form has been given to ALL students - CHECK BACKPACKS! Contact the Capitol Hill office at 651-325-2500 if you don't find it or need more information.
PTO UPDATES
Capitol Hill Merchandise
The winning design has been determined, and is pictured here! The PTO will have a limited supply of short sleeve t-shirts with the new logo available for purchase at parent pick-up Thursday 12/16 and Friday 12/17 (cash, check, and PayPal will be accepted). After the break, additional merchandise will be available with additional options for purchasing and pick-up/delivery.
Capitol Hill Directory
Please register your family in the school directory to receive PTO communications. Each grade has a PTO representative to help foster community through grade-specific updates and periodic meet-ups. Sign up at https://capitolhillpto.membershiptoolkit.com/ using this how to video. Contact ptodirectory.capitolhill@gmail.com if you have questions.
End of Year Giving
Consider the Capitol Hill PTO for an end of year donation. The PTO provides a budget for each grade level at Capitol Hill to fund field trips and other learning experiences.
Donations can be made via cash/check to the office, at GiveMN or through PayPal (treasurer.capitolhill@gmail.com).
Capitol Hill Ski Club: December 21!
December Support Staff Newsletter
Wondering what the Capitol Hill counselors will be up to this December? Looking for ways to give back to the community this holiday season? Searching for opportunities to give your families a special holiday this year? Do you struggle with your mental health during the winter season? Check out the support staff December newsletter!
Know a family who's interested in Capitol Hill? Tour dates are set! Share this link with them!
Lost & Found! Much has been lost - please come find your things!
Please inform you scholars to look in the lost and found for their misplaced items! Items not claimed prior to winter break will be donated to a local charity. The lost and found is in the hallway outside the kitchen on the first floor.
Winter sports
**Seeking more wrestlers!**
Winter Sports 2 (January - March) Boys Basketball
Students are required to complete 2 forms prior to be eligible to participate in our Middle School athletic program:
- Sports physical (good for 3 years) https://drive.google.com/file/d/14hFWR0kDRU6j467TgMkQOPJGj7_0FwSh/view
- Middle School athletics registration form https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q5CWejaOqGDKHxGzPJlimYKv1mHASPCJ8hYu_qCOyws/edit
Dylan Wakefield-Dagen, Athletic Director, Capitol Hill
Picking up earlier than 4:15 dismissal time?
Please, to the extent possible, be mindful that students are still engaged in learning until dismissal time. We have many families picking up early this year. If you must pick-up early, please see the notes below.
- Facemasks are required. We have them available in the office if you need one!
- Check-out by a parent/guardian in the main office is required - as was our policy before the COVID pandemic.
- All changes should be called into the office (651-325-2500) by 3 pm
- Please plan accordingly. Students move throughout the day into different classrooms and spaces. We ask for your patience while we find them for you, which can take some time.
- We will not call your child(ren) to the office for early dismissal to wait for pickup. Because we are still in a pandemic, we are limiting the number of people in our main office.
- Use the Blue C doors and buzz Capitol Hill to come in. After signing them out, go to the lobby to wait.
- Students should not be calling home to get picked up early without being seen by an adult first, such as the nurse, counselor, or an administrator. If your child is not feeling well, they should be seen by the nurse and the nurse will call you if your child needs to be picked up.
- Students are not allowed to leave the building without being signed out or checked out by the front office. Student safety is our top priority and always need to be accounted for.
Parent Drop-off and Pickup Procedures
DROP-OFF PROCEDURE:
- Parents/guardians drop off students on Concordia Avenue, no earlier than 9:30am.
- Please do not cut in front of other cars already in line.
- When you get close to the front of the line, pull up as far as you can to Mackubin Street.
- NO PARKING on Concordia: this a pull up and drop off quickly area. If you must park your car, please park safely on another street to take care of your drop-off needs.
- There is no parking for drop-off in the MLK or Lung Association lots.
- DO NOT BLOCK PARKING LOT DRIVEWAYS. Avoid stopping at the stairs as well.
- Students get out on the right side (curbside) on Concordia.
- Parents/guardians stay in the car. Once your student is out of the car, please safely pull out of the line.
DISMISSAL TIME PICKUP PROCEDURE:
If you are driving, park safely along Makubin, Carroll, Igelhart, or Marshall - not in the MLK or Lung Association lots
- Please do not stop in the middle of the street
- Please do not park in the cross walk
- Please park and pick up your scholar on the sidewalk
- Be mindful of student safety
Elementary students will be grouped inside by last name, with 3 pickup lines outside on Makubin: Student last names starting with A–G, H–O, and P–Z.
Staff members will be outside calling Elementary student names on the radios. Middle school students will continue to exit the Green Doors on Mackubin.
All changes should be called into the office (651-325-2500) no later than 3 pm. Please, to the extent possible, be mindful that students are still engaged in learning until our 4:15 dismissal time.
Capitol Hill OFFICE NOTES
Office Hours: 8:30 - 4:30
Morning Drop-off Time
We want to ensure each child is safe when arriving for school. Staff supervision begins at 9:30am. Please do not drop off your child earlier than 9:30.
Attendance/late arrivals:
Please make sure to always report your child's absences. You can do this in two ways:
- Dial the attendance line directly at 651-325-2599 -OR-
- Email us at capitolhill.attendance@spps.org.
Please include your child's name, grade, the reason for their absence, your relationship to the child, and a return phone number that you can be reached at if we should have questions.
Calling Your Child
When calling the school to speak to your child, the office staff will deliver your message to have your child call you back. Teachers are teaching during the day and we are trying our best to lessen the interruptions during instructional time. Thanks for understanding.
Dismissal
Dismissal is at 4:15. We appreciate you making every attempt to honor this time. Students are still actively involved in classroom instruction up to dismissal time.
Please call the Capitol Hill office at 651-325-2500 if you are picking up your child early or letting your child go home any other way than their normal routine. Sign-out in the Main Office is required again, as was our policy before the pandemic struck.
***Please make sure to call the office no later than 3:00 pm if you have to make changes. If you call later than 3:00, we cannot guarantee that your child will get the message.***
Have you completed the iUpdate?
The iUpdate process is very important for you and for us – it’s an easy way to streamline all the forms and information that your students need: Free/Reduced Lunch form, the Media Release form, and the use of Internet form. Please go to https://www.spps.org/onestop to complete the iUpdate for your SPPS student(s) if you've not done so already.
