Parent Newsletter

January 9, 2020

Message from Dr. Thompson

Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope you all had an enjoyable winter break and are feeling rested and ready for the home stretch. The first semester ends Thursday, January 23.

Congratulations to Sid K. for being our Geography Bee winner for the second year in a row! Anton L. was our second place winner and our third place winner was Nived K. Congratulations to all of our class champions: Max G., Jack S., Nidhi K., Lauren J., Madeleine L., and Adhya k.

Thank you Mrs. Hallson and students for your great art work. Congratulations to the following Plymouth Creek students who have their artwork displayed at the Wayzata Public Schools District Office for the month of January:

First Grade: Grady G., Halle K., and Judy M.

Third Grade: Victoria Y. and Lexi B.

Fourth Grade: Sachi S., Morgan B., Kaylin H., Caden S., and Eddy B.

Fifth Grade: Owen K., Parker L., Mohitha A., and Avinitha K.

Our school health para, Sharon Hanson, is in need of clean, gently-used clothes:

Gender-neutral elastic-waistband pants, size 6-8 (colors such as navy, grey, black, green, blue, or district apparel are preferred)
Gender-neutral mittens and gloves

If you have items you are able to donate, we would appreciate it.

Panther Pride Winners - January 3

Panther News Network

Did You Know?

Picture Retake Day

Lifetouch will be here Wednesday, January 15 for retakes.

Parking Lot Safety Reminders

Thank you for your support in keeping our children safe at school. Here are a few parking lot safety reminders:

Please slow down in the parking lot.
Only drop students off along the front curb, or park and walk your child to the front sidewalk.
Please no parking along the curb so we can keep the carpool lane moving.

End-of-Day Change of Plans

If you have an end-of-day change that affects Home Base or any of the smaller childcare buses that serve the school, you must let them know if your student will not be riding that bus or attending Home Base. At the end of the day, we have to hold all buses if we are looking for students who are supposed to be in those locations. Thank you for your support in helping our end of day run smoothly!

Lost and Found
Please check out our lost and found, located in the front entryway. There is a large collection of gloves, sweatshirts, hats, and water bottles. Parents can stop by during the day or after school. Students can search for missing items before school or during their lunchtime.

Reminders

Reporting Attendance in Skyward Family Access

A reminder that all absences (vacations, religious holidays, doctor appointments, illnesses, family emergencies, etc) should be entered via Skyward Family Access. Families will no longer need to complete a Travel Plan Form when they go on vacation, as all absences are now entered via Skyward Family Access. A few reminders when it comes to attendance:

Children are considered unexcused without an entry in Skyward Family Access or a call to the attendance line from a parent or guardian.
Students will also be marked unexcused if they arrive late to school and are not escorted into the office by a parent or adult.
When you are submitting the attendance request in Skyward Family Access, you must be logged in as a parent, not a student.
Calls to the attendance line (763-745-5855) should be reserved for last-minute attendance requests or changes.
Remember to also reach out to your classroom teacher to notify them of a planned full-day or multi-day absence.

Emergency Information Form

For a variety of reasons, there is often a need to contact you throughout the course of the school year. Parents/Guardians are asked to keep their contact information up-to-date in Skyward Family Access Emergency Information Form. Watch the Skyward Family Access video guide and to complete the form.

PTO News

Join or Volunteer

A Note from PTO President, Amy Edwards

With the start of 2020, it seems like a great time to reflect on the ways in which your support has impacted Plymouth Creek this school year! Thanks to the generous support of Plymouth Creek families and friends, PTO has been able to purchase new technology programs, classroom subscriptions, offer classroom support, and help subsidize a number of field trips so far this year:

5th graders went to Gale Farms and Bowlero,
4th graders went to the Bakken Museum and Stages Theater,
3rd graders went ice skating at the Plymouth Ice Center,
2nd graders went to the Arboretum,
1st graders went to the Children's Theatre Company,
Kindergarten had a visit from the Raptor Center.

PTO was also able to fund an assembly by The History Theater, and author Hena Khan visited our Media Center. Many more exciting field trips, assemblies and author visits are to come this second semester!

Thank you to all for supporting our Book Fair this fall. Over $6,500 was raised to purchase new books and online education subscriptions for the Media Center. Our February Book Fair is right around the corner. Proceeds from the sale of those books go to the teachers to purchase new books for their classrooms!

Thank you parents and students for also turning in your box tops (or submitting online). Through those donations we were able to purchase a new popcorn machine for the teachers' lounge so they could continue their popcorn Fridays! It has been a great year so far and we could not do it without you all. Thank you!

Box Tops are Going Digital!

If you still have a collection of the traditional clippings, please continue to turn those into your child's teacher, the office, or the container by the gym door, but be aware that the physical Box Tops are being phased out. Plymouth Creek's lifetime earnings from Box Tops is almost $38,000! This is a fantastic program that has benefited our children greatly over the years. Please take a minute to download the new Box Tops app, scan your receipts after each shopping trip, and watch our school earnings increase thanks to you!

Volunteer Needs

Around the District

January Wayzata Legislative Action Committee Update
The Wayzata Legislative Action Committee (LAC) met Wednesday, January 8. Dawn Willson, Health Services Supervisor for Wayzata Public Schools, and Scott Gengler, Principal at Wayzata High School, presented on mental health services and supports available in Wayzata Public Schools and at Wayzata High School. The 2020 Wayzata Legislative Platform will be approved by the School Board at the Monday, January 13 School Board Meeting. In the coming months, members of the Wayzata LAC will be meeting with state senators and state representatives from the nine senate and house districts that represent Wayzata Public Schools to discuss these legislative positions. The Wayzata LAC is a non-partisan group of citizens that monitors legislative activity as it affects K-12 education and advocates positions on behalf of the district. For more information, please visit the Wayzata Committees webpage or contact Alexia Wierzbicki, your school’s Wayzata LAC representative.

Cold, Flu, and Lice… What Can You Do to Help?
Influenza, commonly called “the flu”, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus, which infects the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. If your child will be out sick with the flu, they must be without a fever for over 24 hours before returning to school. When contacting the school to report that your child is sick, please be specific including if the fever is 100 or greater and if your child has a cough or a sore throat. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Health website.

Head lice are a common problem for children in childcare settings and schools and anybody can get it. Most cases of head lice are acquired outside of school. Remember to check your child’s head after returning from a play date or sleepover – two common settings where head lice are spread. Regular observation by parents can also be an effective way to detect and quickly treat head lice. More information is available on the Minnesota Department of Health or CDC websites as well as ways to treat head lice.

When to keep your child home from school

Partners in Prevention Ask Ali

We've had so many great Ask Ali questions in our inbox – thanks to all who have submitted! Ali, along with her network of local experts, has been working hard to answer these questions. Responses are posted every Monday on her blog at partnersinpreventionmn.org/askali. Parents, you've got to check out the responses to these questions! There are some interesting ones that have been asked; chances are you might be wondering some of these things.

Community Ed

Winter after school class opportunities at Plymouth Creek:
Yoga & Art
Art Lab
Engineering Club

Financial assistance is available, find more information here or call 763-745-5200.

Introducing Wayzata Kids
Beginning in Summer 2020, Community Ed's Home Base and Bright Start programs are getting a new name -- Wayzata Kids! There will be no change to the programs, only the name. Community Ed will still provide high-quality before- and after-school care for children at our elementary schools, including on-site full-day preschool for 4-year-olds.

Summer 2020 and 2020-21 school year registration for families currently contracted in the program opens Feb. 3 at 7 a.m. and runs through Feb. 7 at 4:00 p.m. Registration opens for everyone else on Feb. 12 at 7 a.m. Learn more online or call 763-745-5200.

We also have some great age 18+ Yoga options:
Mindful Flow Yoga
Tuesdays, January 21 - March 17 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Wayzata East Middle School

Gentle Yoga
Wednesdays, January 22 - March 11 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Wayzata East Middle School

Upcoming Events:
Young Scientist Roundtable: Man's Best Friend Helping to Treat Brain Cancer -There is groundbreaking work being done at the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Medical Center and Masonic Cancer Center in the treatment of brain tumors in dogs. Dr. Liz Pluhar, Board Certified Veterinary Neurosurgeon and Director of the Canine Brain Tumor Clinical Trials Program, will discuss new immunotherapies that greatly extended the survival of canine patients with Glioblastoma (GB) and how these are to be translated into trials in human GB patients. *note date change from the printed calendar
Wednesday, January 15 at 7 p.m., Central Middle School Auditorium

Parenting with Vision: Bully Proofing Your Kids - Bullying is experienced in a variety of forms and can be distressing for both kids and parents. Navigating the dynamics of bullying can be complicated and has become even more difficult with the prevalence of cell phones and social media. Parents may feel overwhelmed, defenseless and caught off guard when issues of bullying emerge with their child. Learn about the different types of bullying that exist, who is likely to be affected, and what parents can be attuned to, and leave with tools that can be used within parent-child relationships to be preventative and responsive to issues of bullying. January 13 at 7 p.m., Central Middle School Auditorium
**Most examples in this presentation will pertain to students within the ages of kindergarten through 8th grade. However, all parents, grandparents, and caregivers are invited to attend.

Events are free with no registration required.