Hoover Happenings Newsletter

Dear Student Caregivers,

At Mankato Area Public Schools, the safety and well-being of our students and staff are of the utmost importance. To ensure our preparedness for various emergency situations, we will be conducting a safety drill known as "Lockdown " on Tuesday, November 7th at 9:40am.

Purpose of the Drill: “Lockdown” is designed to prepare students and staff for an exceedingly rare circumstance - when an intruder enters the school premises. During this drill, teachers will follow specific safety protocols, including locking classroom doors, turning off lights, moving individuals away from windows and doors, not opening doors, instructing students to remain silent, and ensuring that students remain out of sight.

Opt-Out Option: We want to inform you that, as per Minnesota Statute 121A.038, parents have the option to opt their student(s) out of this required safety drill. If you choose to opt your student out, please notify the school office. You will be able to pick up your student(s) 30 minutes before the drill begins and return them 30 minutes after it is completed. This absence will be excused, and no adverse actions will be taken due to their absence.

Special Considerations: If your student has experienced violence or trauma that participating in this drill might reactivate, we kindly request that you notify the school office. We are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodations to ensure the emotional well-being of our students.

Our Commitment to Safety: Rest assured that these drills are conducted with the utmost care and attention to safety. Our staff is well-trained to oversee the process, and our primary goal is to equip both students and staff with the knowledge and skills to respond effectively in emergency situations.

We sincerely hope that we never have to put this training into practice, but preparedness is an essential aspect of ensuring the safety of our school community.

Contact Information: Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the secure or our school's safety procedures, please feel free to contact me, Mollie Meyer, at mmeyer1@isd77.org. We are here to address any inquiries you may have and to work together to maintain a safe and secure learning environment for our students.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Mollie Meyer

Hoover Elementary

Please be reminded Wednesday, November 8th is a two hour early release, students will be dismissed from school at 12:30 pm. If your dismissal plans are different from a normal school day you MUST tell your students' homeroom teacher.

If you need your student to stay until 2:30 pm you must register your child for supervision. We ask that you continue to register each month for early release supervision as many families' plans change. If your student attends ACES or YMCA you still need to register for child supervision each time.

Parents/Guardians that pick up students please park in the parking lot and go to door number 1 at 2:30 pm. A staff member will meet you at the door. We ask that you please refrain from picking up between 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm as our staff wishes to focus their time on engaging in meaningful activities with students. We understand that circumstances may change, but appreciate your help with this request.

If you need child care for your student between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm on Wednesday, November 8, please fill out the form linked below. (If you would like to send a snack for after school please feel free to do so as lunch is served early.)

Hoover Elementary 2 Hour Early Release Child Care Registration

Hoover Families,

At Hoover Elementary, we want to honor our veterans. Veterans can join us from 8:15-9:00 on Thursday, November 9th for coffee and a breakfast treat in our school cafeteria: 1524 Hoover Dr., North Mankato.

Our students will come through to meet and greet you during this time and deliver messages of appreciation. Veterans related to Hoover staff and students or veterans from the local community are all welcome and encouraged to attend.

Please RSVP by Nov. 6th so we have enough coffee & treats.

If you cannot attend, we would still love to honor you as a veteran. Whether you are attending or not, you may use this form to upload a photo with the veteran's name, service branch, years of service (if desired), and name of student or staff you are a relative to (if applicable).

https://forms.gle/ssqd2X5UfPuMefcs6

Thank you,

Hoover Community Engagement Team

• The health office would really appreciate any used or new sweatpants/pants/leggings sizes 5-8.
• Please be reminded to not block the entrance & exits to our parking lot in the morning & after school while dropping off & picking up kids.

In Minnesota, 1 in 8 children struggle with hunger and experience food insecurity. According to the USDA, food insecurity is defined as not having consistent access to nutritious food to live an active and healthy lifestyle (2018). The effects of hunger can be both short and long term, and it can present itself in various ways, including missing meals, skipping meals, having less to eat at meals, etc.
​
Hunger can affect anyone, but the devastating reality of food insecurity can be felt all throughout a student’s life. When kids in our community go to school, they are able to receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch, but what happens when school is out?

​Here at FOCP, we believe that hunger should never be a barrier to success. Community funded and community led, the BackPack food program provides elementary school students with nutritious, well-balanced meals when school is out. Free food is distributed weekly in FOCP food packs (i.e. large freezer bags). With help from FOCP volunteers and staff, the food packs are discreetly delivered at the end of each week to the student's teacher. The packs are then placed into the student's backpack when they are out at recess or away from their lockers for them to take home for the weekend.

Student enrollment is open year-round. Students in grades K-5 are eligible for free meals from the BackPack Food Program. FOCP honors most allergies, dietary restrictions and culturally specific diets within our food packs.

If you need help enrolling, please confidentially contact our school social worker, Megan Schultz at MSchul5@isd77.org or call her at 507-832-9636.

Source: FOCP

October and November bring many exciting activities in Physical Education class at Hoover! In October, students participated in a variety of activities that worked on hand/eye coordination, gross motor skills, and building physical fitness. Manipulative games, striking activities, and teamwork building are just a few of the fun lessons planned for November.

Progress reports and conferences are also in November. We would love to visit with families about your student’s progress in PE. Please stop by the PE office if you have time during conferences. Demonstrating school expectations in PE is something every student works on during class. Each student will receive marks on their progress report for how they show Husky Pride during PE.

With the weather changing and snow coming, please remember to leave a pair of tennis shoes at school for PE days. This will help students participate safely in the gym.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email or call. Have a safe and active November!

Adam Hanson- ahanso4@isd77.org

Amanda Kroehler- akroeh1@isd77.org

We had a couple of fun Attendance Matters Suprises in October. The Mankato West Girl's basketball came to play with some of our students, other students recieved and attenDANCE party with the principal, and we handed out some certificates to DINOs for students who weren't tardy.

If you have any contributions/donations you'd like to make in support of our Attendance Matters initiative, please feel free to reach out to principal Meyer.

Students are to arrive no later than 7:50 and be in thier classrooms by 8:00. Students can arrive at school as early as 7:35.

As always stay home if your child is running a fever over 100 degrees or are vomiting. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing your child at school daily!

Fall Conference Registration is Open!

Conferences are scheduled for the following dates and times:

Monday, November 13th 3:20 pm - 8:00 pm

Tuesday, November 14th, 3:20 pm - 8:00 pm

OR

Thursday, November 16th, 3:20 pm - 8:00 pm

You pick which date and time works best with your schedule.

To schedule your preferred time for Parent/Student-Teacher Conference:

1. Go to https://ptcfast.com/schools/Hoover_Elementary

2. Select your student's Homeroom Teacher

3. Click submit at the bottom of the page

4. Fill in student information and your contact information, use an email account that you can access. PTCFast will email you a link to then select a conference time.

5. Choose which date and time that works best for your schedule

If you do not have access to a computer or internet device, a computer is available in the office at Hoover Elementary for your convenience.

The school office hours are Monday - Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Hoover Families -

The Hoover PTA helps organize meals for our teachers and staff during the evenings that conferences occur. The PTA orders meals to be catered by local businesses. Please consider sponsoring conference meals by providing a monetary donation to help cover the cost through the link below.

SPONSOR CONFERENCE MEALS BY DONATING HERE:

https://hooverpta.memberhub.com/store/items/147148

We know our teachers and staff greatly appreciate having meals provided on conference evenings when their schedules are packed.

Thank you!

- Hoover PTA

Nov. 7: Lockdown Drill @ 9:45 am

Nov. 8: Early Release Day

Nov. 10: No School

Nov. 13: Conferences

Nov. 14: Conferences

Nov. 16: Conferences

Nov. 21-24: No School

Nov. 28: Club Huskies Starts

Dec. 13: Early Release Day

Dec. 25-Jan. 2: Winter Break

Jan. 3: Classes Resume

Email: mmeyer1@isd77.org
Website: he.isd77.org
Location: 1524 Hoover Drive, North Mankato, MN, USA
Phone: 507-388-5202