Trevor Sherbert gets a knee hug and a "hey, Mr. T" as he welcomes kindergarteners to school. He’s the day's sub. As substitute teachers are harder to find, Educator Apprentices, like Trevor, are part of an innovative approach to keeping learning going when teachers are gone. For Trevor, a Spring Lake Park Schools grad, the job is helping him explore teaching as a career.
SLP Experience is a print and electronic publication produced several times each year that offers a look into life at Spring Lake Park Schools across school buildings and grade levels. Watch for the bigger stories of Panther pride and purpose in your email and home mail.
The paper plants on the wall are all different and filled with students’ hopes and dreams. In another room, there is a student signed poster with the class rules. In another space, Tuesday mornings are circle time. Across Spring Lake Park Schools, specific, intentional strategies and practices like these are creating a learner-centered environment.
This fall, Panther athletics, activities, and fine arts offered incredible opportunities for students to connect, grow, and shine. With 15 sports for girls and boys, plus 48 student-led clubs, over 85% of high schoolers got involved in something meaningful.
400+ silent auction items will be available for online bidding to support Panthers for a Purpose
2,086 unique voices have shared insights from their school experiences in our Possip family pulse checks so far this year
1,100 students are in the Spanish Immersion programming across all grades
$13 million returned to taxpayers over the last 10 years through bond refinancing
To our community:
A highlight of my work is visiting our schools to see our students and staff in action. It is so much fun to see the amazing learning happening in each of our schools. This learning depends on a lot of factors, and ensuring an enriching, positive learner-centered environment has been an ongoing focus throughout our district.
What do we mean by learner-centered? We mean creating an environment where students feel a sense of value and belonging. It’s a space where students can safely develop and practice skills like working together and treating each other with respect and kindness. It’s a place of shared responsibility where each member of the school community feels supported in learning.
In this issue of SLP Experience, we share some specific examples of strategies and tools our staff use to cultivate a learner-centered environment. While the examples are specific to grades K-6, these strategies apply at our middle and high school as well.
At the core of this work is relationships – between teachers and students and among peers – that provides an environment each day for each of our students to experience the conditions they need to learn and succeed. And, to help create the conditions for their friends and peers to get what they need. This means learning to work together to create and live as a community.
I can share – from my walks through our buildings this year – that these efforts are paying off across schools and grade levels. I hope you’ll take a moment to read some concrete examples of these strategies in action and the difference they are making.
I hope you will also check out the feature on AVID – an elective at our high school – that prepares students for postsecondary education options. There are also plenty of Panther highlights from fall athletics teams and 48 different activities and clubs.
Mark your calendars for the many opportunities coming up to engage with our schools. New Family Kindergarten events are right around the corner (Enrollment for next fall is open!). We’re gearing up for Panthers for a Purpose, and we’re always entertained by Live on 65. I hope to see you, along with a friend or neighbor. We wouldn’t be the community we are without you. Thanks for your support.
Get your "High School Musical" Tickets
Westwood Middle School students present “High School Musical” (One-Act Edition) on February 27, February 28 and March 1. Don’t miss out on the music and the drama as the jocks, brainiacs, thespians and skater dudes all find their way to the stage for some song and dance. Get your tickets.
Save the date: Panthers for a Purpose
Week of Giving: February 16-22, 2025 Participate in an online silent auction, dine-to-donate opportunities at local restaurant partners and Panther Pride activities all week long!
Party: Saturday, February 22, 2025 (tickets on sale Jan. 2) Join us at Bunker Hills Event Center in Coon Rapids. Guests will enjoy a Live Auction, Giving Moment Program and musical entertainment - Sweet Keys Dueling Pianos.
Visit the Panthers for a Purpose webpage.
Enjoy Live on 65: Ring of Kerry
Live on 65 welcomes Ring of Kerry on Wednesday, March 19, 7 p.m. at the Spring Lake Park High School Fine Arts Center. Enjoy Irish music that captures the hearts of listeners. With sounds that range from the thunder of the Irish bodhran drum to the sparkle of the hammered dulcimer; from the lilt and rhythm of fiddle and guitar to the haunting wails of flutes and pennywhistles, the band has developed a blend that is animated, ruggedly beautiful and fun. Get your tickets.