Community e-Newsletter
May 9, 2021
In Photos: Hands-on Happenings
Student News
Learning in action
The kindergarten team at Lakeaires Elementary is bringing a fun experience into the classroom - and across the airwaves - these days. Ducklings were hatched in an incubator, and the process was available to watch through a livestream “duck cam.” Living/nonliving science standards have been a focus during the classroom experience, as students have been learning about ducks and writing informational reports about them with various topic sentences. The kindergarten teams will soon bring the ducks outside so the students can watch their feathered friends interact. The teachers will also fill up a "baby pool" so the ducklings can practice swimming with the students cheering them on. The ducks will stay in the classrooms for a couple of weeks and then go to a new home.
White Bear Lake Area High School students have once again had a terrific showing in the State History Day competition, which was done virtually this year due to COVID-19. See a full list of the district’s State History Day honorees here. Also, our district’s 17 consecutive year streak of sending a scholar on to the National competition continues with this year's 2021 National History Day Qualifier - Scarlett Ellison and her Individual Performance on Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
A group of 6th Grade Students at Sunrise Park Middle School recently hosted a Poetry Event to culminate the ending of April as it is Poetry Month. The 6th Graders are a part of an after school Poetry Club, where they write poetry weekly inspired by music, nature, pictures, they study other poets along with many more inspirations. Each week the students work on a specific skill in their poetry. One of the students discussed how he never felt like a strong writer, but through poetry he realized that he was a great writer and he stated, “Words have such power and we can use those words for the positive!” Several elementary classes, across the district joined in on reading their wonderful poetry from the month. Students as young as Kindergarten shared their poems. It was a wonderful, positive event and it really rang true how powerful poetry can be!
Registration for 2021 Early Childhood Family Education classes is now open. We are excited to bring back classes, field trips, community events, and new programs to meet family needs. Programs are offered at Hugo Elementary and Normandy Park Education Center. See the registration guide here. The Early Childhood Program was recently highlighted in the weekly video update. See the students and staff members having fun together here.
Students were actively involved in a recent initiative to help students and families learn about Bear Care Clinic offerings. See the students' informative handiwork in this video. The Clinic is open to help district families with health needs. All health services are free and available to all children in the White Bear Lake Area School District. Call us at (651) 653-2923 or email BearCare@BearCareClinic.org or click here to schedule an appointment. The clinic’s Facebook page provides clinic updates and can be found here.
Planning ahead
The White Bear Lake Area High School spring play, "The Auditioners," is being performed in a virtual format this year. The play is a comedic look at the auditioning process, featuring monologues from a pool of wacky characters. The play was professionally recorded, and will be available for viewing on May 13th, 14th, & 15th as a video on demand. Additional information can be found on the play's Facebook page or buy tickets at bit.ly/wblahsauditionersplay.
White Bear Lake Area Schools will continue to offer distance learning during the 2021-22 school year for those families who choose that learning model for their child(ren). Complete information, including the application / VERSIÓN en ESPAÑOL to enroll, is available on the Distance Learning Academy website. Additionally, we will host virtual Parent Information Sessions next Wednesday, May 12 at both 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. The links to the virtual sessions can be found here (11 a.m. session) and here (5 p.m. session). Those who enroll in DLA by May 20 will be guaranteed a spot in the 2021-22 Distance Learning Academy. Applications received after May 20 may be placed on a waiting list.
The district's Senior Program is hosting a Parking Lot Rummage Sale from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on May 22 in the Normandy Park Education Center parking lot. Those who wish to reserve a spot to sell can do so through the district's Community Services Registration platform here.
The district is looking to fill seasonal grounds positions. The role is great for college students or 18+, with both full-time and part-time options available. Former summertime employees have commented it’s like “working out in the sunshine” as tasks include mowing, weed-whipping and prepping fields to name a few. The posting is on the district website here.
Impressive accomplishments
WBLAHS senior Caleb Binkert was recently highlighted in a Gillette Children's Hospital article for his incredible recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Included in the article is a lighthearted classroom connection, with Caleb mentioning "All the therapy sessions felt like gym class." Read the inspiring story here.
Matoska International kindergarten teacher Kendall Gonzalez was named the 2021 White Bear Lake Area Educators Teacher of the Year in a recent virtual Teacher of the Year Celebration. Gonzalez was named among an impressive group of six finalists.
White Bear Lake Area High School, the first Minnesota high school to offer Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Certification to Students, recently met a milestone. The Health & Wellness Teacher Team recently completed their first round of YMHFA Training to 23 WBLAHS Seniors. Thanks to a generous Greater Twin Cities United Way grant, Katie Marsh and Shannon Riebow have become nationally certified YMHFA instructors for WBLAS. Read more about the experience in the WBLAS Career Pathways May Newsletter.
The district's Middle School Musical performance of "High School Musical Jr." recently came alive on stage. The experience was highlighted in the White Bear Press here. Those who were not able to attend the performance in person have the opportunity later in May to watch the show via streaming on Friday, May 21 at 7 p.m. and/or on Saturday, May 22 at either 2 p.m. or 7 p.m. The link to purchase streaming services will be available on the district website in mid-May.
White Bear Lake Area High School students were recently recognized for honors in the VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest. Daisy Vanderwood was the overall winner, and her work advanced to become the district winner as well. Her work, which she based on photos of her dad and her grandfather in their respective uniforms, will now move onto state competition in June. Other students honored include second place Natalie Preiner, third place Fayeth Soto and Honorable mention Angel Roe Lumbo.
A Class of 1982 member will visit White Bear Lake Area High School later this month to be inducted into the district's Wall of Fame. The alumni honoree is Head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, who enjoyed a variety of activities as a student and has gone on to an impressive career. See the White Bear Press article about the 4-star grad here.
WBLAHS seniors reached rank of Eagle scout together after a lot of hard work on projects that benefit Matoska International, their former elementary school. Projects included a new playground feature in the shape of a large hollow log, an outdoor life-sized chessboard and blacktop markers, and an outdoor stage for elementary students to use during recess. Read more about the projects in a recent White Bear Press article here.
The More Than Meals program, which the district participated in this winter with a pick-up location at the Senior Program, has come to an end after serving a total of 27,152 meals this winter. This “pay-it-forward” program was launched, thanks to a generous local donor, to help give back to restaurants who have given so much to our community, while helping people who were dealing with food insecurity and financial challenges. The More Than Meals program restaurants prepared more than 2,000 meals each week, and those meals were either delivered by NewTrax or brought to the WBL Senior Center or Hanifl Performing Arts for curbside pickup. To ensure that no meals went to waste, helpful volunteers brought unclaimed meals to Union Gospel Mission, Salvation Army, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, and the WBL Fire Department.
Activities Update
With Spring sports seasons underway, track and field and tennis were highlighted in this week's issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds."
Please contact the Communications Department (651-407-7695) to submit Student News for inclusion in future publications.
The Week in 62.4 Seconds
Enjoy The Week in 62.4 Seconds videos highlighting weekly district activities throughout the school year.
School Board News
Upcoming Meetings
The May 10, 2021 School Board Work Session Meeting will be conducted in person at District Center, with social distancing measures being put in place.
The remainder of the 2020-21 School Board meetings will continue to be viewable via electronic means. Livestream links are available on the district's online calendar and will be posted on the Meeting Materials page the week prior to each meeting.
School Board Work Session
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School Board Regular Meeting
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Past Meeting Highlights
April 26 Work Session
April 16 Special Session
