Lighthouse School Newsletter
Lighthouse families,
I was in Mr. Mac’s classroom last week when students were getting ready for a writing challenge, and I later heard from him how it all played out. Their task was to write a five-paragraph essay in 30 minutes answering the very important question: Is a hotdog a sandwich? As you can imagine, there were some stressed faces at the beginning!
For some of our gifted learners, getting started can be the hardest part. When you have lots of ideas and want your work to be just right, that blank page can feel a little intimidating. But as students got going, they found their ideas, developed their arguments, and ended up excited to share their writing with one another.
This example is a great reminder that sometimes we just need to start. The first sentence doesn’t have to be perfect, and our ideas don’t have to be fully formed before we put them on paper. Sometimes the thinking happens along the way. And sometimes, even a writing assignment about whether a hotdog is a sandwich can turn into something students genuinely enjoy!
We are now about halfway through the trimester, and conferences are getting underway. Our facilitators are looking forward to connecting with families over the next few weeks. Partnering with families is such an important part of your child’s education, and conferences are a great opportunity to check in on how things are going at home and at school, share your hopes and questions, and continue working together to support your child.
Use this scheduling link to reserve a conference time with Ms. Julius, Mr. McAnally, or Ms. West. There are options for both in-person and virtual meetings.
A few dates and reminders:
There is no school tomorrow, Thursday, or on Friday. Our teachers will be engaged in professional learning and preparing for conferences. We’ll also be off for fall break Wednesday, October 14 through Friday, October 16.
While our teachers are together this week, one of the areas we’ll be digging into is student engagement. We’ll be looking closely at our unit designs and lessons, thinking about our students, and considering how we can intentionally build in design qualities that support learning, engagement, and meaningful experiences for our learners.
And looking ahead, Lighthouse Picture Day is Tuesday, October 20. All pictures will be taken in the morning.
We’ll see students back in school next Monday and Tuesday, and then we’ll head into fall break. We’ll take a short break from the newsletter next week and look forward to welcoming everyone back from fall break on Monday, October 19.
Have a great week!
Lisa Cisewski
Coordinator of Lighthouse School
Spring Lake Park Schools
West Corporation, Inc.
Ms. West’s class makes connections beyond the classroom with the West Corporation, Inc. classroom economy. Students apply for a job, such as administrative assistant, custodian, event planner, and many others, and earn a monthly salary based on their job requirements for the classroom. Students can also earn stipends for additional jobs, get bonuses for job performance, or even incur fines. At the end of the trimester, students will have the opportunity to spend their earnings in a classroom auction with both silent and live auction items.
October is College Knowledge Month
College Knowledge Month is in full swing. There are a variety of events students are encouraged to attend as they explore their options after high school.
- Monday, October 12:
- Financial Aid 101, 10 a.m., B138
- Direct Admissions - You got your letter, now what? 10 a.m., Fine Arts Center (Class of 2027 only)
- Tuesday, October 13:
- Finding your Fit - The College Search Process, 10 a.m., B138
- College Essay Help, 10 a.m., C130
- Rep Visit: Hamline University, 10 a.m., B138
- MN Goes to College Virtual Session - Understand Financial Aid, 7 p.m.
- Monday, October 19:
- Rep Visit: Macalester College, 10 a.m., B138
- 2-year or Career - Finding your fit after high school, 10 a.m., B136
- Tuesday, October 20:
- Rep Visit: North Center University, 10 a.m., B138
- College Essay Help, 10 a.m., C130
- MN Goes to College Virtual Sessions - FAFSA 101, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 21:
- Rep Visit: St. Thomas University, 10 a.m., B138
- UMN Morris Field Trip, See Ms. Blaido to sign up
- Thursday, October 22:
- College Application Help, 10 a.m., B138
- College Essay Help, 10 a.m., C204
- Friday, October 23: College Fair, Panther Gym, 9-10 a.m.
- Monday, October 26:
- Explore Careers - Pathways Flex, 10.m. (Join Pathways panel of teachers to learn about classes with a career focus)
- Rep Visit: St. Olaf College, 10 a.m., B138
- Tuesday, October 27:
- College Essay Help, 10 a.m., C130
- Financial Aid 101, 10 a.m., B136
- College Possible Presentation with Q&A (for Class of 2028). 10 a.m., B138
- MN Goes to College Virtual Sessions - Minnesota Alternative State Financial Aid Application 101, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 28:
- 2-year or Career - Finding your fit after high school, 10 a.m., B136
- PSEO and Earning College Credit in High School, 10 a.m., B138
- Thursday, October 29:
- Rep Visit: Drake University, 10 a.m., B138
- College Essay Help, 10 a.m., C204
- Transportation Career Day, Able parking lot, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Friday, October 30:
- Rep Visit: University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, 10 a.m., B138
- NCAA Info Sessions, 10 a.m., B136
Events may be added or changed throughout the month. Check out the full calendar of College Knowledge eventsto see all the opportunities happening in October.
Winter athletics registration is open
Registration for Minnesota State High School League winter athletics is now open. Visit the registration page to register. Registration will remain open for the first few weeks of the season.
Here's what is available for grades 7-12:
- Adapted Floor Hockey - Grades 7-12
- Alpine Ski - Grades: 7-12
- Boys Basketball - Grades 9-12
- Boys Hockey - Grades 9-12
- Boys Swim & Dive - Grades 7-12
- Dance - Grades 7-12
- Girls Basketball - Grades 7-12
- Girls Hockey - Grades 7-12
- Gymnastics - Grades 7-12
- Nordic Ski - Grades 7-12
- Wrestling - Grades 7-12
There are also more than 50 student-based interest clubs and activities. See the full list of SLPHS activities
Powering Schools with the Sun
A year ago, Centerview Elementary and Westwood Intermediate and Middle School began generating electricity from the sun. State and federal grants covered 90 percent of the cost, and one year later, the results are solar-iously encouraging.
Centerview and Westwood are not the only district schools benefiting from solar energy. Read more about how we're Powering Schools with the Sun.
Winter Market (and Thrift Shop)
Community Education will be hosting the Winter Market for our students/families again on Saturday, December 5. This is an opportunity for students to shop for inexpensive items to give as gifts to loved ones for upcoming holidays and gift-giving events. There are two ways you can participate and help make this a great event:
- Donate Panther gear for the Thrift Shop: Donate your gently used Panther gear with current SLP branding and get a coupon to use in the Panther Store for a future purchase. Gear will be re-sold at thrifty prices to students, staff, and families at the Winter Market. Plan to drop items at the DSC to get your coupon; email your questions to PantherStore@district16.org.
- Donate gift items for the Winter Market Gift Shop: Donate gently used, almost new, or new items to the Winter Market. Bring items to the District Services Center to the attention of Community Education. Items appropriate for the Gift Shop include: small household items, household decor, puzzles, board games, jewelry, figurines, décor, kitchen gadgets, children’s books, cookbooks, etc. Think about items a child would be excited to pick out for an adult in their life, and what an adult might be happy to receive and use in their daily life. We are especially looking for items that could be gifted to men. Questions, please contact us at SLPComEd@district16.org.
