Panther Newsletter

Fourth graders transformed their classrooms into a Hollywood red carpet event to read their personal narratives. They were proud to show off their work in style!

Mrs. Mathews and Mrs. Scofield put on a "Neurodivergent and Differently Abled" museum for students! Topics of conversation included braille, Autism, ASMR and more.

Cold weather is coming soon! Please make sure your students are dressed appropriately for outdoor recess. We recommend labeling jackets, snow pants, hats, mittens and boots. Each spring, a very large amount of our "lost and found" items are winter gear, and we would love to return them to their owners!

Second graders and their families enjoyed a donut breakfast while sharing the difference between "pinnate" leaves and "palmate" leaves!

Palmer Lake students had a special guest at recess on Wednesday. A former Palmer Lake Panther himself, Quinton Hooker stopped by to play some basketball! Quinton graduated from Park Center and was named "Mr. Basketball" in 2013. Thanks for hanging out with us, Quinton!

Unity Day is a national observance dedicated to promoting kindness, acceptance, and standing united against bullying. Our Panthers created orange tile boards for their classrooms. The color orange symbolizes warmth, safety, and respect, and wearing it sends a clear, visual message that our school is a kind and inclusive place where every child belongs.

Miss Goebel's first grade class had a guest reader... Miss Amanda! She read a book about monsters.

This school year, three Community Conversations are going to be held to better understand from family and community members what is going well and what needs improvement as well as ensuring all feel valued and heard. District leadership and school board members will host the events, which are set for Nov. 5, Feb. 3 and May 12.

Your help is needed to start the planning process. If you could please take five minutes to let us know your thoughts on our schools via this Google Form. The themes arising from your responses will help inform the topics chosen for the Community Conversations. Additionally, if you’re interested in participating in a conversation, please share your name, contact information and the dates that work best for you in the space provided on the form.

During the Community Conversations, the team will be focused on listening to understand. The goal is to help inform our team of the why behind what is working well and what areas of growth are needed. Knowing this information will guide us toward improving our day-to-day work, making necessary adjustments and continuing to become the best place to learn.

A summary of the results will be shared community-wide. Thank you, in advance, for your partnership on this journey.

No School, Teacher Workshop Day: November 4

Picture Retakes: November 11

Family Bingo: November 20

No School, Report Card Marking: November 26

No School, Thanksgiving break: November 27 and 28

Panther Den Parent Gathering: December 4

No School, Winter Break: December 24-January 2

The Family Events Committee is seeking prizes for our Family Bingo Night. If you happen to have a connection to businesses, have any new things around your house that you didn’t use (and that kids would like to win), or feel the urge to donate an item, we would love your help!

What is Chronic Absence?
Chronic absence is missing as few as two days per month for each month of the school year—for any reason, excused or unexcused. In a school year, that’s about 16 total missed school days. Research shows that absenteeism begins to negatively affect student performance at that point.

Starting as early as kindergarten or even preschool, chronic absence predicts lower 3rd-grade reading scores. By middle school, it’s a warning sign that students will fail key classes and drop out of high school.

This is not just a matter of truancy. Many children, especially in the early grades, miss too much school because of chronic health problems, unreliable transportation, or housing moves—barriers we can help families address in partnership with other resources.

Pictures from Picture Day are ready to be viewed! If your student did NOT get their photo taken on September 19, or if you would like re-takes, our next photo day will be November 11. Please call or email the company if you have any questions. We do not have access to the photos here at Palmer Lake.

Phone: 952-473-2142

Email: info@k-photography.com

Website: https://www.k-photography.com/about-us/contact-us

Discover your path at the Osseo Area Schools Information Fair
Explore the full range of opportunities available for every learner in Osseo Area Schools. From early childhood and preschool to elementary, middle, and high school, families can connect directly with school leaders and staff to learn what makes each school unique.

The fair also highlights specialized options that expand learning beyond traditional classrooms., including magnet programs, 279Online and community education.

Whether you are new to the district, preparing for kindergarten, navigating the move to middle or high school, exploring specialized programs or have general questions, this event offers answers, resources and next steps in one place.

EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. - noon
Location: Osseo Senior High School, 317 5th St NW, Osseo, MN 55369
*This event is an open-house style event open to the public, come anytime between 9 a.m. - noon

Safety is our number one priority. ANY person wishing to enter Palmer Lake will be expected to wait in the vestibule and speak with office staff via doorbell camera and microphone. Please have your ID ready for office staff to scan. Forgotten items (lunch boxes, instruments, etc.) can be left on the table in the vestibule for a more efficient drop off. Again, ANY person wishing to enter Palmer Lake will be expected to wait in the vestibule and speak with office staff via doorbell camera and microphone.

If you would like to speak with an administrator or teacher, you are strongly encouraged to call ahead to schedule an appointment.

https://pl.district279.org/

Transportation Office: 763-391-7244
BusQuestions@district279.org

Office hours-

School in Session: 6:00am-5:00pm
Non-Student Days: 6:00am-4:30pm

Here at Palmer Lake, we know information throughout the school year can get confusing and be overwhelming at times. The link below will bring you to a separate Newsletter that contains what you need to know, whenever you need it!

https://secure.smore.com/n/rz6mt-panther-newsletter