News

We've compiled your back-to-school checklist with all the things to do to get ready for the first day of school. Find important information, resources and answers to your frequently asked questions in this newsletter and on the Back to School hub.

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

• First day of school for grades K-8 and Lighthouse students
• First day orientation for grade 9 students and grades 10-12 students new to the high school

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

• First day of school for returning grades 10-12 students who are returning (not new) to the high school

Find other important dates for the 2024-2025 school year on the online calendar. Here you'll find a one-page view of the 2024-2025 school year including breaks and holidays to help you plan for the year a well as other dates including Meet and Greet, school events and more.

Buy School Supplies and attend Meet and Greet

School supply lists are available on our Back to School hub. Find and select your school, then select the grade level to download your student's school supply list. If you're having trouble providing supplies for your student, please reach out to us at SLPComEd@district16.org.

Meet and Greets take place before school starts and are a chance for students and families to meet teachers and explore your student's school building. Watch for more information about these events coming from your child's school.

Tuesday, August 27

• Westwood Intermediate and Middle School
  • Grades 5 and 6 - 3-5 p.m.
  • Grades 7 and 8 - 5-7 p.m.
• Spring Lake Park High School
  • Grades 10-12 - 3-5 p.m.
  • Grade 9 - 5-7 p.m.

Wednesday, August 28

• Centerview Elementary - 4-6 p.m.
• Northpoint Elementary
  • 1-2 p.m.
  • 4-6 p.m.
• Park Terrace Elementary - 4-6 p.m.
• Woodcrest Spanish Immersion - 4-6 p.m.
• Lighthouse School - 4-6 p.m.

RSVP for the "Back to School Routine & Structures to help students THRIVE" event

As we approach the new school year, it's important our students get back into a routine with structures in place to help them thrive each day. Parents and guardians are encouraged to join us for the "Back to School Routine & Structures to help students THRIVE" event on August 20 to learn the best strategies to support your student. Childcare and dinner and drinks will be provided.

Details:

• When: Tuesday, August 20, 6-7 p.m.
• Where: the Den at Westwood Intermediate and Middle School
• RSVP for this event

Apply for Educational Benefits

In the Spring Lake Park School District, all students from kindergarten to grade 12 will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch on school days. This change does not affect the food offerings or portion sizes. Despite the free meals, families are encouraged to complete an Educational Benefits application, as many may qualify for additional benefits.

The funding from the national Education Benefits program supports more than just meals. It also provides free bus cards, discounted internet services, reduced athletic and activity fees, additional reading and math specialists, and more.

Please take a few minutes to complete an application that you will receive mid-month in the mail or online, even if you don't think you may qualify. Note, if you have already applied and received a letter with your approval for the 2024-2025 school year, you do not need to apply again.

Get your iPad ready

As we near the beginning of a new school year, now is a great time to assess the status of your student's school-issued iPad and complete a little easy maintenance. Here are two steps to getting your student's iPad ready for the 2024-2025 school year:

• Update your student's iPad: Student iPads need to be wiped, set up and updated. This will free up storage and ensure the iPad's software has been fully updated to ensure a better experience. Follow the instructions at our iPad Resource Hub to make these updates so your student will be prepared and successful for the school year.
• Report iPad issues: Let us know if your student's iPad is damaged, lost or stolen, or if you are having issues with accessories not working correctly. We want to get any issues resolved prior to the new school year. If accessories are lost, a fee will be applied online on Campus Parent Portal. Learn more in the iPad Repair and Fees Frequently Asked Questions.

Need help from our Tech Support? Students and families looking to get technology help can email us at techsupport@district16.org or give us a call at 763-600-5555.

Watch for Bus Route Information and download MyStop App

Families who indicated they needed district transportation for this fall will receive bus route information in the mail the week of August 19. For general information and bus routing, contact Spring Lake Park Schools transportation services at 763-600-5590 or visit the Transportation page.

This is a great time for parents and students to download the MyStop app. The app provides access to live bus GPS information so you can track the location of your student's bus.

Update Your Contact Information in Campus Parent Portal

Campus Parent Portal stores your contact information so you receive district and school communication. Please take a few minutes to review and update the following in Campus Parent Portal before the school year begins:

• Primary phone number
• Emergency contact and phone number
• Email addresses
• Parent and guardian changes and updates
• Adding/removing household members
• Primary address changes
• Communication preferences: you can indicate how you'd like to receive various communications - text, email, phone

Download instructions on how to update contact information in Campus Parent Portal.

Why update your contact information? We'll be keeping in contact with you throughout the school year with:

• Messages from your child's teacher(s)
• Updates on your child's progress, report cards
• Your school’s weekly newsletter - emailed home on most Wednesday evenings throughout the school year with need to know and nice to know information and glimpses of your student's school experience
• News and announcements
• Any concerns about attendance, illness, etc.
• Automated phone calls, texts and email messages for emergency and/or weather-related school closings (snow days, water main breaks, etc.)

Make sure your child's immunization records are up-to-date

All students in Spring Lake Park Schools must comply with Minnesota Immunization Laws. All immunizations need to be up-to-date by the start of the school year. Minnesota School Immunization Laws require ALL students enrolled in school to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, hepatitis B, ​meningitis and varicella.

The only exceptions are:

• A student has had the chickenpox virus
• Medical exemption ​with paperwork from your provider
• Conscientious exemption ​with notarized exemption form

If you believe your child's records need to be updated with proof of immunizations, please bring or send these to your school nurse or call for verification. Learn more about immunizations and find a downloadable immunization form on our Health Services page.

You can also find a variety of other health services resources and forms on the Health Services page.

Review beginning of the year notifications

At the beginning of each year, we provide families with important required notifications. Many of these notifications align to our school district policies and practices. Please take a few minutes to review the information and take any actions that align with your family’s preferences.

These notices cover:

• Media and directory information
• Technology Responsible Use
• Voluntary Supplemental Student Accident Insurance
• Digital Tools and Data Privacy

All notification policies can be found on the Annual Notifications on the Back to School hub.

Download the SLP Mobile App to your phone

Our free and translatable mobile app is a go-to spot for the most accessed school information - news, school breakfast and lunch menus, calendar of events and activities, notifications - breaking news, school closures and other important updates, directory of staff, school newsletters, and more.

1. Download the app from the Google Play Store or iTunes Store by searching for Spring Lake Park Schools.
2. Select My Family Login and enter your district username and password (the same you use to login to Schoology and Campus Parent Portal) to access student-level information
3. Customize by selecting the school and program information you want to see.

Learn how to translate our major communication tools

Many families in Spring Lake Park Schools speak and read more than one language. Many of our district communication platforms provide the ability to translate information into multiple languages.

School newsletters - To translate school newsletter information into another language, click on the newsletter in your email to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select the language from the dropdown menu.

Website - To translate our website into another language, click on the "Translate Website" button in the upper right corner of the webpage and select the language from the dropdown menu.

Mobile App - To translate our mobile app into another language, click on the settings icon and click “Select Language.” From here, you can select the language you want the app to translate content to.

Register students in grades 7-12 for fall athletics and activities

Right now, registration for Minnesota State High School League athletics is open for the fall. Visit the registration page to register today. Registration will remain open for the first few weeks of the season. All fall sports begin on Monday, August 12.

Here's what is available:

• Adapted Soccer (co-op with Centennial), grades 7-12
• Cross Country - Co-Ed, grades 7-12
• Fall Dance Team - Co-Ed, grades 6-12 (New this year - 6th graders can join the fall dance team!)
• Football, grades 9-12
• Girls Soccer, grades 7-12
• Boys Soccer, grades 7-12
• Girls Swim and Dive, grades 7-12
• Girls Tennis, grades 7-12
• SLP Clay Target Club, grades 7-12
• Volleyball, grades 9-12

Physicals: As a reminder, a current sports physical is required for participation in all middle school and high school sports. Physicals are good for three years. Physicals can be dropped off in the Spring Lake Park High School Athletics and Activities office or the Westwood Middle School main office or emailed to activitiesandathletics@district16.org.

Questions: For any questions, please reach out to the Athletics and Activities Department at 763-600-5149 or activitiesandathletics@district16.org.