WEEKLY HAPPENINGS

• Veteran's Day Program 10:00 AM- Link : https://www.youtube.com/live/8N66mgkjg4k?si=c_yxVJtG0owyYwui
• Book Fair (3:15 PM- 4:30 PM)
• Cougar Pack

• Board Meeting @ 7:00 AM
• Book Fair (3:15 PM- 7:00 PM)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:15 PM- 7:00 PM
• No Cougar Pack

• Book Fair (3:15 PM- 4:30 PM)
• Cougar Pack

• Book Fair (3:15 PM- 4:30 PM)
• Cougar Pack

• Cougar Pride Friday- Wear your Cougar Gear
• Cougar Pride Assembly
• 1:00 PM- K-2 Cougar Pride Assembly
• 2:00 PM 3-5 Cougar Pride Assembly
• Book Fair (3:15- 4:00 PM)
• Cougar Pride Friday!

Mark your calendars! The Ada-Borup-West Elementary Fall Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our Elementary Library from Monday, November 11th through Friday, November 15th. Students will have the chance to shop during their library times throughout the week, and the fair will be open to the public in the afternoons.

But WE NEED YOU to help make this event a success! We're looking for volunteers to help staff the Book Fair. Shifts are available from 3:15 PM to 4:30 PM, and we also need extra help during parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday, November 12th until 7:00 PM. Any time you can spare would be greatly appreciated!

If you're able to help, please reach out to Mrs. Triplett at breet@ada.k12.mn.us. Your support helps us raise funds that go directly toward building classroom libraries and supporting our Elementary Library.

Thank you in advance for your help, and we look forward to seeing you at the Book Fair! 📖🎉

Studies show that a strong connection between home and school benefits children tremendously. Students whose parents stay actively involved in their education do better in school and demonstrate a higher attendance rate, better social skills, and an increased graduation rate.

I would like to keep working to make our home and school connection better. To do this, I'm going to be putting choice boards in the school bulletin at the beginning of every month for kids to complete if they would like. The monthly choice board is attached to this letter. For the rest of the months, please print one off from the school bulletin and help your child figure out which activities they would like to complete for the month. If you don't have the ability to print one off, please send me a message and I will send one home with your child/children. These are simple and fun activities that they can complete with you. I want this to be fun and interactive. If your child completes their required amount of tasks, have them bring their paper back to me for a prize. Prizes include cool pens, slap bracelets, small stuffed animals, cars, water bottle stickers, fidgets, desk pets, stress balls, and Gatorade.

Grades K-2 complete at least 5 activities throughout the month
Grades 3-5 complete at least 7 activities throughout the month
*Parents/Guardians: Please initial the squares that your child completes. You
don’t need to send any of the activities back with them.

Thank you for staying involved in your child's education. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Email: alaynaw@ada.k12.mn.us
Phone: 218-784-5353
Remind: @hdg627 (Mrs. Wagner Title 1 Coordinator)

Alayna Wagner

Title 1 Coordinator

At Ada-Borup-West Elementary, Cougar Pride Days are all about showing our school spirit and coming together as a community! Cougar Pride Fridays will start Friday, November 1st and go every Friday throughout the school year, students and staff proudly wear our school colors—red, black, and white—or their favorite Cougar gear to celebrate what it means to be a part of the Cougar family.

Each week, we hold exciting drawings for individual prizes, and at the end of every month, we celebrate the classrooms that go above and beyond in showing their Cougar pride! It’s a fun way to boost school spirit, build community, and cheer on each other.

Come join the fun every Friday and share your Cougar spirit with us! Let’s make every Cougar Pride Day one to remember! 🎉🐾

Dear Parents,

This message serves as a reminder of our established Transportation Plan policy, outlined in the Ada-Borup-West Elementary Handbook, designed to ensure that all students from Pre-K through 2nd grade arrive at their designated destinations safely and without confusion. In recent weeks, we’ve noticed an increase in schedule changes impacting both morning and end-of-day routines, and this policy helps us manage these changes effectively.

About the Transportation Plan Policy

The Transportation Plan Form must be completed for families with students whose schedules vary. If your child has a consistent schedule each day, there is no need to submit the form. However, if your child’s routine changes weekly, a new form is needed each week to keep our staff informed.

Key Transportation Guidelines

1. Weekly Schedule Changes: Any adjustments to a student’s schedule must be documented using the Transportation Plan Form each week, ensuring we know where each child should go at the end of the day.

2. Bus Route Adjustments Require Approval: As stated in the handbook, changes to bus routes cannot be made on the day of the change without prior approval from the Transportation Department. An exception applies only if a student is switching from Cougar Pack (after-school care) to their regular bus route home.

3. Day-of Changes from Bus to Pick-up:

   • Notify both the Elementary Office (email: merileep@ada.k12.mn.us) and your child’s teacher on Remind.
   • If there is no response from district staff, please call 218-784-5303 to confirm the change.
   • For same-day pick-up changes, the adult picking up must come to the office to sign out the student no later than 3:05 PM, as students will not be brought to the pick-up lane.

Access to the Transportation Plan Form

The Transportation Plan Form is attached in this communication and also available on the Ada-Borup-West Elementary website for your convenience.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in following this established policy to maintain the safety and organization of our daily dismissal process. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Elementary Office.

Parent Pick-Up/Drop-Off Lane Guidelines

To keep our pick-up/drop-off process smooth and safe for everyone, please follow these important guidelines for the lane on the north side of the building:

1. Keep the Line Moving: When dropping off or picking up your child, please continue to move the line forward. Please pick your student up, and leave the line. Do not stop to talk or allow students to talk. This helps keep traffic flowing and prevents congestion.

2. Do Not Block the Crosswalk. Please keep back from the crosswalk to ensure that students are able to safely walk to the parking lot.

3. Do Not Leave Your Vehicle Unattended: If you need to step into the building, please park your car in one of the spaces in our school parking lot. This allows others to continue using the drop-off lane efficiently.

4. Reminders for Unattended Vehicles: If we notice any vehicles left unattended in the pick-up/drop-off lane, you may receive a reminder and be asked to use a parking space next time.

Thank you for helping us keep our students and parents safe while ensuring everyone can get to and from school in a timely manner!

Please be reminded that all bicycles must be parked in the designated bike racks located on the northeast side of the Cougar Den. We kindly ask that you refrain from parking bikes near the garbage bins or the service door. This ensures safety and accessibility for everyone in our school community. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Remind App:

The District has chosen to add Remind as a formal method of communication. In the elementary, we will be using this communication platform in all grade levels and classrooms. The nice thing is that you will not need to join any classrooms like we had to do with the free version. Our system will work with the platform to retrieve any necessary information for efficient communication. Parents will receive notifications in the form of a text message.

School Messenger/Thrillshare:

Please make sure your contact information is updated in Synergy as this tool is used for communication including weather related announcements. The vast majority of communication is sent through email or text (other than weather related announcements). Be sure that your email address is current in the system. Contact Merilee in the elementary school office for assistance.

A weekly newsletter will be sent out on Mondays with all of the weekly Ada-Borup-West Elementary happenings via School Messenger/Thrillshare and will be sent to the email that is on file. If you are not receiving a weekly email from me, please let the office know. All information about upcoming programing and other items will be sent via email through the Thrillshare platform.

Synergy-ParentVUE Gradebook:

On the homepage of the school website is a link to access student grades for grades 1-5. The link can also be found using the button below. If you need help accessing Synergy-ParentVUE for the first time, please contact Merilee . Please take advantage of this and have regular conversations about school with your child(ren). We will be sending out links on how to use Synergy-ParentVUE as we get closer to school starting.

Daily Bulletin:

The daily bulletin will be posted on the school website. If parents would like the bulletin emailed directly to them, please email Merilee and she will add you to the list.

https://cloud.samsara.com/o/3733/fleet/viewer/HdM5IDvOhigW9dcyZP5p

The Ada-Borup-West Booster Club partners with the ABW School to support needs in the classroom and in extra-curriculars. If you have not yet become a member, please consider joining this group. Use the following link to view the sign up or pick one up outside the commons. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rFEbHKiceCYjtUmCn1xRV_SRsgH9-GWV/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105483597367163603345&rtpof=true&sd=true

If you are in need of Cougar Gear, check out their online store https://tinyurl.com/4ntnveve Team Code is cougars

• 2nd- School Pictures
• 8th- School Board Meeting @ 7:00 AM
• 10th- MEEP Meeting @ 7:45 AM
• 14th- ECFE Pumpkin Patch
• 16th- Certified Staff Meeting
• 16th- Early Release @ 12:30 PM (Paras and Teacher Workshop)
• 17th-18th- No School MEA
• 23rd- Unplugged Day
• 24th- U of M visit Water Quality 4th and 5th Grade

• 1st- Halloween Parties
• 1st- Early Release (Paras and Teachers Workshop)
• 1st- End of Quarter 1
• 5th- Picture Retake Day
• 7th- Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 11th- Veterans Day- Link Will be Sent out to Classes
• 11th- 15th Book Fair
• 12th- Board Meeting @ 7:00 AM
• 12th- Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 15th- 1:00 PM- K-2 Cougar Pride Assembly
• 15th- 2:00 PM 3-5 Cougar Pride Assembly
• 18th- Continuing Education
• 19th- TAT Meeting
• 20th- Grades K-3 to MSUM for Gerda and the Snow Queen
• 21st- Certified Staff Meeting
• 21st- School Thanksgiving Dinner
• 26th- Fall Band Concert (6-12)
• 27th- Early Release @ 12:30 PM (paras and teacher workshop)
• 27th- Teacher of the Year Presentation
• 28th-29th- No School Thanksgiving Break

• 6th-7th - December 6th-8th Old Fashion Christmas
• 7th- 8th - ABW Musical- Frozen Jr.
• 12th- Choir Concert
• 19th- 4th and 5th Grade Concert
• 19th- Certified Staff Meeting @ 7:45 AM
• 20th Early Release @ 12:30 PM
• 23rd- Jan 1st- No School Christmas Break

Email: breet@ada.k12.mn.us
Website: https://www.ada.k12.mn.us/
Location: 604 West Thorpe Avenue, Ada, MN, USA
Phone: 218-784-5000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057630782213)