St. Louis Park Middle School's Weekly News



Please note: For the most up to date information please click on the Middle School website. (Language Translations available)

January 5, 2023

Happy New Year to all Middle School students and families! This has been quite the start to 2023. I hope you and your family were able to enjoy the all of the snow yesterday. Our wonderful Site Council organized a Welcome Back students rally this morning, please see pictures below.

I am excited to let you know that we are taking a new approach to alleviating the crowded drop off morning routine. Starting Monday January 9, students will be allowed to enter the building at 8:40am, ten minutes ahead of our current entrance time of 8:50. Our hope is that this extra 10 minutes will allow for better traffic flow. Students will be supervised in the main foyer until released at 8:50. We appreciate your cooperation and patience as we move forward with this plan.

Last month some of the members of the Site Council Communications team met at the Middle School to look at ways in which we can improve our website. One of the ideas was to highlight sections of the website in OT News with a "Did You Know" section. Please see below the highlight on our Student Handbook below. I so appreciate our parents and staff teaming up to make our school website a better experience for all families.

Jason Boll

Interim Principal 

• 1/9/23 - Students will be allowed into the building at 8:40 am
• 1/16/23 - NO SCHOOL Dr. Martin Luther King Day

Did you know that the Student Handbook is new this year and provides a comprehensive guide for all Middle School students and their families? Evelyn Lashley, Language and Literature/Keystone teacher, did an amazing job of putting this together last summer. This is a great resource to check out!

During Large Group Advisory (now called Level Up) over the next two weeks, students will be learning about Vaping. School Counselor, School Social Workers and our School Resource Officer will be presenting from Catch My Breath Curriculum.  Lessons will be differentiated by grade level.  For parent and caregiver information, please click here.  The website offers supports to parents and caregivers including how to assess your student’s risk and how to have conversations with your student.    

Consider asking your student(s):

“I heard you learned about Vaping during Advisory this week in the Performing Arts Center”

• What did you learn about the dangers of vaping?
• What did you learn about the chemicals in a vape? 
• Who can you ask for help or if you have a question? 

Free Quit Resources smokefree.gov  teen.smokefree.gov

Boys Basketball Starts January 9!

Registration is open for all 6-8th graders and practice starts after school on Monday, January 9th. Registration and information can be found on the Middle School Athletics page on the Middle School website. If you have any questions please email Derek Wennerberg - wennerberg.derek@slpschools.org

2023-2024 District Calendar Now Available



The School Board approved the 2023-2024 school calendar at the December 13, 2022 Board Meeting. Visit the calendar page on the website and click on the calendar for next school year (23-24).

Want to receive District emails and phone recordings in Spanish or Somali?

Families can now receive district-level communications (emails and phone recordings) in a preferred language such as Spanish or Somali. Some families currently receive messages in Spanish or Somali and may wish to receive information in English.

If you wish to update your language preferences, please contact your school and ask that the preferred guardian language be updated in our student information system (PowerSchool). This will ensure you receive district-level communications such as closures and emergencies in your preferred messages.

Whenever possible, we will do our best to ensure SLP phone recordings go out in your preferred language. 

Share the Mic Podcast with Suwaydah Aden, Erin Enright, and Ibtisam Ahmed whose climate action project inspired the Idle Free SLP Campaign

Seventh Graders Suwaydah Aden, Erin Enright, and Ibtisam Ahmed coined the term "Idle-Free SLP" during their Climate Action presentation last spring during science class. Their slogan and presentation have since served as inspiration for a new initiative in St. Louis Park to reduce carbon emissions in parking lots all across St. Louis Park. Listen to episodes 1-3 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Missed the December episode? Listen or Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6satuElql-c&t=6s 

Chess Club 

*NEW SESSION*

Middle School Chess Club 

Mondays, January 30-March 27

4-5 pm 

$130 

Click here to register now!

Newspaper Club 

Enjoy writing, illustrating, interviewing, photography, graphic design, or editing? Join our student-led newspaper The Report Card. 

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5:15 pm beginning Oct. 11

Sliding Scale pricing: $10/$20/$30/$40 (pay what best fits for you)

**NEW Leadership Club**

See flyer below

Mr. Jason Boll, Interim Principal

Mr. Cam Muata, Interim Assistant Principal

2025 Texas Avenue South

St. Louis Park, MN 55426

Phone: 952-928-6300

Attendance: 952-928-6394

Fax: 952-928-6383

boll.jason@slpschools.org

muata.cam@slpschools.org

ms.slpschools.org