In an effort to increase communication with our students and families, we send a weekly email on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings highlighting upcoming school events. This information will also be shared with students in Schoology and in Crew on Mondays. Events are listed in chronological order.

Summer Outward Bound Opportunity: Outward Bound has some additional spots on the summer canoeing expeditions on the upper St. Croix River. This trip is specifically for OWL 9-11th grade students at a greatly subsidized cost. The available trip date is July 20-July 25, 2026. The cost of the 6-day trip is $450, which is a significant discount from a typically 6-day course. Please email dave.gundale@spps.org directly and Dave will connect you with the Outward Bound trip leader. This is an awesome opportunity to develop leadership skills and engage in a fun summer adventure.

THIS WEEK:

Monday is survey day in Crew:

· Have you had a good service experience? Fill out this survey for OWL's new service opportunity database.

· Do you have a survey to give? Email megan.hall@spps.org.

THIS WEEK!! OWL Class of 2026 Graduation: Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30 PM at O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Kate’s. All OWL Students and Families are welcome!

THIS WEEK!! 2026 Celebration of Learning is Friday, June 5 from 4-6 PM: All families are invited to see presentations and displays of high-quality work. We will have

FREE BOOKS! Come get some free books complementary of SLAC at the Celebration of Learning on Friday June 5th! Feel free to donate any books you’d like to get off your shelves- all genres and age levels welcome. Bring in any donations to the OWL library the week of June 1st or to the event, and make sure to check out the book giveaway in the south (Katie’s) commons at the celebration!

OWL Crew Parliament: We have our last meeting of the year this Wednesday during Crew in Megan and Akira's science classroom.

This month in Crew: Get ready for a new schoolwide competition! Get your beaded necklace and learn the game rules in Crew Tuesday. Read the June slides to review the details.

Last Day of School is Thursday, June 11: All students and staff will go to Lake Elmo Regional Park for a picnic with Crews and fun with friends.

Service Spotlight: Good luck to all the juniors designing your senior projects in Junior Seminar. We can't wait to see how your projects elevate OWL and the broader community!

Middle School Sports update:

This is our final update for the 2025-2026 school year.

We are wrapping up another great year for middle school sports.

Our final event is a middle school track meet at Highland Park on Friday, May 29th. The meet begins at 5:00pm. There will also be food trucks at the meet if you're feeling hungry.

Fall 2025: Last fall we had Girls and Boys Soccer, Co-ed Flag Football, and Girls Volleyball. Fall is always a busy time for middle school sports. Most of our incoming 6th graders needed a sports physical to participate so we were adding new athletes throughout the season. Luckily sports physicals are valid for 3 years, so those students will be ready to go at the beginning of the season next fall.

Winter 2025-2026: We have 2 winter seasons. Our first season includes Girls & Boys Wrestling, and Girls' basketball. Our wrestlers had a fantastic season with many of our athletes going undefeated. Our girls' basketball team was small but committed. We look forward to building up that program. In our second winter season, we had boys' basketball. The athletes really improved during the season and those heading to high school next year will bring all the skills they learned this year as well as our returning middle school athletes.

Spring 2026: In the spring, we had Girls & Boys Track and Girls Badminton. Unfortunately, we needed to end out badminton season a few weeks early due to low participation numbers. The girls that did play represented our school well. Our track numbers were huge. We were able to come away with several athletes earning awards.

One nice thing this year is the district gave us the opportunity to hire 3 assistant coaches. We were able to have extra help for our soccer, boys' basketball, and track teams. They were a valuable addition to our program.

MS Sports 2026-2027: As we look forward to next year, we are hoping to get our numbers up in all the middle school sports. Transportation is a big hurdle for our young athletes and we are brainstorming options to help those students so they can participate.

Middle School sports will begin in September. Fall online registration for middle school sports will be available as we get nearer to the beginning of the school year. The fee for middle school sports is $10 or $5 for families with financial need. All athletes must have a sports physical to participate in SPPS sports. The physical is valid for 3 years.

See you in September. Have a great summer!

Barbara Lawrence, Middle School Athletic Director barbara.lawrence@spps.org

Read the latest issue of the Purple Press: GO HERE for the May 7th issue!

DONATIONS NEEDED: Donations are key to making sure OWL bathrooms remain stocked with free period products for students. Please consider donating pads or tampons so that OWL's feminism club can continue distributing them to bathrooms (as of right now there are no pads in stock). Donations can be dropped off in the OWL office.

DONATIONS NEEDED: The Closet - We are collecting items for families who are impacted by recent local events:

Non-perishable food items: Flour, Rice, Maseca Corn Flour, Beans

Hygiene products: full size shampoo/conditioner, soaps including dish, laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper

Please bring to room 2209 - Rebekah's classroom

Join OWL PTO on Facebook: Keep up with what is happening at OWL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/878792348867374

One proven way to live a happy life is to express gratitude. Is there a staff member at OWL that has done something you are grateful for? Shoot them an email! An alternative and way has been made available by filling out this link. (This form requires an email but is sent anonymously.)

Important Reminder about Attendance:

If your child is going to miss school, please call, email owlattendance@spps.org or write a note to explain the reason for the absence. If we do not hear from you, the absence is documented as unexcused. After 3 days of unexcused absences, you will receive a letter from the school reminding you to please communicate with us so the absence(s) may be documented accurately. If your child continues to miss school, unexcused, he/she will be referred to the SAM (School Attendance Matters) Program for intervention.

The following reasons for absence qualify as an excused absence; illness, doctor, dental or therapy appointment (please be sure to obtain a note to give to the school), extreme family emergency or religious holiday not already recognized by our school district. When a student misses 3 or more class periods in one day, this is considered to be a full day of absence. Please call us if you have any questions/concerns.

SUMMER PROGRAMS

2026 Asian Cooking & Crafts Summer Camp: August 3rd-7th, Monday-Friday, 9:30-noon for students entering grades 3 to 8.

Travel with us without flying —kids explore Asia through cooking, crafts making, Chinese learning, and new friendships.

The students will:

🍳 Cook authentic Asian dishes (hands-on, sensory learning)

🎨 Create cultural crafts (paper cutting & stamp making)

🗣 Learn Chinese naturally through activities and interaction

🤝 Build friendships across cultures

Please register at your earliest convenience to secure your spots by clicking the link today:

https://tolib.org/summercamp

Age: Entering grades 3 through 8

Date: August 3-August 7 (Monday-Friday)

Time: 9:30 AM- 12:00 PM

Cost: $125/person

Location: 3300 University Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 (Map)

We look forward to seeing you!

The University of St. Thomas School of Engineering STEPS Camp Registration is open!

What is STEPS?

STEPS is a one-day camp designed to inspire girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade to explore engineering, though all students in these grades are welcome to participate. Campers will explore the engineering design process, visit UST engineering labs, and explore life on campus. Students will have the opportunity to make new friends and learn from college students and teachers about engineering. Lunch and a morning snack are provided. You can read more about STEPS here.

Who is it for?

For students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grade for the 2026/2027 school year, so that they will have the opportunity to sign up for STEM electives at their school in the fall.

When is STEPS being offered?

Monday, June 22, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Tuesday, June 23, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Wednesday, June 24, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Thursday, June 25, 2026: 9:00 am-3:30 pm

Friday, June 26, 2026: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Note: There is a $15 non refundable registration fee. Please register for the day that works best for you.

Where is STEPS?

The University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus. 2115 Summit Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105

You can register here. Please share this email with other families and spread the word about this low-cost program.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kelsey Irizarry at CEE@stthomas.edu.

Math Corps at Macalester: Paid positions for high school students in grades 9-11 in June and July. More information HERE

Summit Education: 2026 Summer Programs

Summit Education organizes virtual summer programs empowering the next generation of leaders in STEM. In 2026, Summit will host the Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF) and Summit Research Scholars (SRS).

Summit STEM Fellowship (SSF): SSF aims to empower the next generation of leaders in STEM. Students explore diverse STEM fields and career pathways, learning from 50+ mentors from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. The fellowship is a flexible 10 - 15 hour/week commitment, allowing students to participate alongside other summer activities.
Summit Research Scholars (SRS): SRS equips students with the tools to conduct original research. The bootcamp covers essential research methodologies and technical skills, such as research design, literature analysis, Python programming, and data science, culminating in a Research Capstone project. The program emphasizes using research to solve real-world problems.

Applications for Summer 2026 programs are now open! Admissions are rolling, and students are encouraged to apply early to maximize their chances of acceptance. To learn more and apply, please visit www.summiteducation.org

FREE Summer Camp at the U of M: The Science of Breadmaking Info HERE

FREE Summer Camp at the U of M: Food, Agriculture and U Info HERE

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

The Best Buy Teen Tech Center (BBTTC) at CLUES St. Paul is a vibrant, free drop-in center designed for youth ages 14-18 to explore their passions through high-end technology. Whether a student is interested in becoming a great music producer or a graphic designer, we provide the space, the tools, and the mentorship to help them get there.

What we offer:

· Creative Arts: Hands-on experience in photography, graphic design, filmmaking, laser-engraving, and more!

· Digital Media: Professional-grade music production and recording.

· Innovation: VR and emerging technologies.

· Mentorship: Guidance from mentors to help students turn hobbies into future career paths.

More information HERE

Questions: Vicky 651.379.4201 VDelgado@clues.org

Food Resources Information from Ramsey County: Click HERE for more information

Give Kids a Smile is a charitable outreach program that provides free dental care to underserved children (typically ages 3-18).

OWL Schoolwide Norms

· Respect people, their boundaries and identities, materials, and spaces

· Be kind, caring and friendly, especially when it’s difficult

· Keep an open mind: engage in opportunities and courageous conversation

· Help create safe and brave spaces so that everyone can be their authentic selves and speak their truths

· Actively listen and participate (one mic, one voice), staying engaged and following through on commitments and expectations. We are Crew, not passengers.

OWL Weekly Email

June 1, 2026