Dear Cedar Island Families:

Welcome to the 2023 – 2024 school year at Cedar Island! I hope that you were all able to enjoy this beautiful summer with plenty of outside time. This newsletter and links include important dates and other information to prepare your family for a smooth start to the school year.

Important Dates - place on your calendar!

• Wednesday, August 30, 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Cedar Island Open House. Students can meet their teachers and see their new classrooms. Cold treats will also be available courtesy of PTO. Please stop and have one as you leave the building. It will also give your family a chance to see our newly remodeled west side of the building.

• Tuesday, September 5. This is the first day of the 2023-2024 school year. The first bell rings at 9:20 AM. Classes then begin at 9:30 AM. The school day ends at 4 PM. Parents who pick up their children are asked to be here between 3:55 and 4:05 PM. Buses leave the parking lot at approximately 4:05 PM.

• Parents of kindergarten students who bring their children to school on the first day are invited to walk them into their classrooms at 9:20 AM. Then please join us in the Media Center for a short reception with our PTO leadership and myself. Parents of new students in other grade levels are also invited to attend this reception.

Summer Building Remodeling

Anybody who drove by our building this summer had to be curious about all of the construction work happening. We had the west side of our building (everything past the Media Center, grades 1-5) remodeled. This included an all new HVAC system, new cabinets, sinks, ceiling, LED lighting, wall tiling and carpet. It is already looking brighter in the building! See photos below of some of the updates.

Teacher Bulletin Boards

You may notice when you come to our Open House that teachers do not have displays on some of their bulletin boards. We are working to help children gain the sense that this is “their” school and “their” classroom. With this in mind, teachers may leave the bulletin boards blank as a “teachable moment” about how they will work as a class to create their environment. The boards will be covered soon after school starts with student work and/or information that directly relates to curriculum that is being taught.

Building a Better Future, Phase II ballot question: Addressing school needs to provide learning spaces that are secure, modern and structured to equip students for tomorrow

Our community is being asked to reinvest in district schools to address critical school building needs, This is considered to be Building a Better Future, Phase II. In addition to addressing critical school building needs, Phase II also expands on efforts already made in Phase I and continues strategic plan work. Priorities include:

• Secure learning environments with enhanced safety.

• Spaces for math, science and career programs, specialized learning services and growing student populations.

• Access to similar learning experiences at all district schools, including program opportunities, class sizes and space functionality.

Visit district279.org/BetterFuture for a list of proposed projects and Nov. 7 voting information.

Over the next couple of months, we will be providing additional information on the purpose for this referendum. Please watch for this information and read so that you are well aware of the purpose of the referendum. Thank you!

I hope you all enjoy the final days of summer and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Open House on Wednesday, August 30th!

Sincerely,

Daniel Wald,

Cedar Island Principal

1. Welcome Sheet - School contact information, hours, lunch/recess times
2. School Calendar - Pro tip...save all the asynchronous and no-school days in your phone with reminders!
   
3. Cedar Island FAQ's - Have a question? The answer is likely here!
4. Parking Lot Procedures - Please be sure to follow the rules during student drop-off and pick-up!
5. School Supply List – Broken down for all grade levels
   

Teacher assignments will be posted in ParentVue after 4:00pm on Monday, August 28. Staff and administration work hard to create balanced and healthy classrooms. For this reason, please respect that we do not make changes to classroom assignments.

New families, please click the button below to create a ParentVue account.

Returning families, your ParentVue account is the same as last year and will work for all of your students in the district. Use the button below to access more information about ParentVue.

All back to school forms MUST be completed and/or verified to enter ParentVue for the first time each school year. ParentVue will prompt you to do this when you login. Be sure to select the begin registration button. You will have to verify ALL CHILDREN in your home, even young siblings!

Bus information (Bus number, bus stop location, pick-up and drop-off times) will be emailed to families from the District Transportation Department on Friday, August 24. Transportation information will also be available in ParentVUE on Friday, August 24.

Cedar Island will not have access to transportation information before Friday, August 24. Please wait for the Transportation Department communication.

If your child's bus information is not posted in ParentVUE on Friday, please inquire with transportation at 763-391-7244.

As a reminder, transportation is only available to students who live within the Cedar Island attendance boundaries. To find out if your address, daycare address, etc. is in our boundaries, please click here.

If you have further transportation questions, need to make changes to your student's bus information, etc. please email transportation at BusQuestions@district279.org.

One breakfast and one lunch per day are free for all students in Minnesota.

If students bring a lunch from home and wish to have school milk, they must purchase one for 50 cents using their SmartSchoolK12 lunch account. Once you’ve created this account, you can log in and add money to your child’s meal account. Balances are shared by all students in a household.

To load your student’s lunch account, view menus, apply for free/reduced lunch, etc., please visit www.district279.org/services/nutrition-services.

Click the button below to create a SmartSchoolK12 account.

PLEASE APPLY!!!! Our school receives critical funding based on the number of families in our building who qualify for Educational Benefits (aka Free/Reduced Lunch).

To be considered for free or reduced-priced meals and other educational benefits, parents/caregivers must complete the Free/Reduced Meal Application each year. The benefits of filling out the application and being approved (or qualifying) may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Free or reduced meal costs for your student if your household income qualifies.
• Applications completed and approved prior to Oct. 1 will help provide funding for the school your child attends, which can be used to provide additional resources that benefit students.
• To qualify for P-EBT benefits if extended into the upcoming school year.
• Testing fees for the ACT, SAT and AP Fees may be discounted as well as field trips and instrument rentals.
• Reduced internet rates with certain providers.
• Athletics fees waived or reduced.

It has been a busy summer at Cedar Island! Here's a glimpse of what the building is looking like...

• August 30 - Open House (5:00-6:30pm)
• September 5 - First Day of School
• September 13 - Fun Run Kick-Off
• September 14 - PTO Meeting (6:30pm - Media Center)
• September 22 - Fun Run!
• September 28 - Culver's Dining Night
• September 29 - Fun Run Rain Date

Attendance Email: CIAttendance@district279.org

Email: cedarisland@district279.org
Website: https://ci.district279.org/
Location: 6777 Hemlock Lane North, Maple Grove, MN, USA
Phone: 763.425.5855
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CedarIslandElem