Community e-Newsletter
May 22, 2022
In Photos: Busy Bears!
Student News
Important Lessons
For the last 26 days of school, students at Vadnais Heights Elementary are focusing on one letter of the alphabet per day. Recently they celebrated cereal day for the letter "c". Students were asked to bring a box of cereal to school. Staff set up a giant dominos trail down the hallways where students watched the more than 300 boxes tumble down. The cereal was donated to the Vadnais Heights Food Shelf.
Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Alison Gillespie and Director of Teaching and Learning Jen Babish attended an Internal AVID Showcase at Lakeaires Elementary, visiting different rooms to observe AVID strategies in action. Students engaged in Socratic Book Clubs, which consist of a structured discussion around a text to gain and share a deeper understanding through critical thinking, inquiry, collaboration, and various points of view. Lakeaires teachers also showcased WICOR trackers, which track rigorous activities in Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization and Reading. Other strategies that were demonstrated included Close Reading, Focused Note-Taking, Marking the Text for Reading, One-Pagers and Collaborative Study Groups.
Early Childhood families are taking part in a family literacy class at Normandy Park. The multi-age class focuses on improving English language skills through conversation, learning activities, music and more. The fun lessons were captured in this video.
A Transition Education Center, students take part in a weekly activity called “Spin the Wheel Wednesday” where they research different celebrities to celebrate diversity. Students recently researched Dan Reynolds. He is the lead singer of the music group Imagine Dragons and has struggled with depression since he was a child. This activity was featured in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".
Hands-on Classrooms
Third graders at Lakeaires Elementary are learning about jellyfish from a marine biologist as part of their life structure science unit. Students studied different species jellyfish, their life cycle and what jellyfish like to eat. The lessons prepared students for a fun activity; making their own jellyfish in a bottle. Watch the lesson come to life in this video.
Fifth graders at Oneka Elementary met several special guests, Safari Bob and four baby capybaras! The students just finished a semester-long book study on a Spanish book about a capybara. They celebrated by getting to see the animal in person which was highlighted in a video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".
Sixth graders at Central Middle School are building smart homes in their science class. Students took what they learned about different types of energy sources and put it into play when building their houses. See their creations come to life in this video.
Lakeaires Elementary fifth graders in Ms. Brodt's class are rocking out with kindness and joy! Students painted rocks with positive messages and different images like animals and hearts. They're now taking the rocks home to place around their neighborhoods in hopes of making other people smile. This project was made possible from the Ryan Fund Art Grant through the White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation.
Community Fun!
The White Bear Lake Area Schools’ nutrition services truck was among many vehicles at the White Bear Lake Touch-A-Truck event. Community members who stopped were lifted into the truck to explore the vehicle and were able to enjoy a few activities and tasty apples while learning about the district!
Speaking of trucks and food, it was a perfect evening for the second Food Truck Friday of the year in the Senior Center parking lot. Not only did community members enjoy some tasty food, they were also entertained by the Ukulele Bears. The remaining Food Truck Friday dates are June 24, July 22 and August 19. You can find more information in this flyer.
District leaders took part in a groundbreaking ceremony at Otter Lake Elementary to celebrate additions happening at the school which was captured in this video. The project is part of the district-wide comprehensive facilities plan which was made possible through the community’s support of the 2019 bond referendum. You can follow along in the district’s Building Our Future Facilities Process to see all the projects happening right now, what's been completed and the projects still to come.
Fourth and fifth graders at Birch Lake Elementary are preparing to visit JA Biztown in St. Paul. The interactive experience from the Junior Achievement program teaches students about different jobs and employment opportunities and what it takes for a city to run smoothly. Students conducted interviews for different positions with school staff and community members. One of the jobs students can hold is Mayor of Biztown. The citizens listened to candidates give speeches, which was captured in this video, and voted for who they think will be the best leader during their field trip.
Registration is open for the 22nd annual White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation's Golf Tournament, which will be held on Monday, June 20 at Oak Glen Golf Course in Stillwater. The day of golf supports the WBLAEF's mission to enhance the White Bear Lake Area School District's ability to provide excellence in education for all students.
District Kudos
White Bear Lake Area High School sophomores Sanyu Mwassa (pictured far left) and Mariam Elias-Danjuma (pictured far right) competed online in the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC) in Dramatic Interpretation. More than 100 students from across the country competed in the multi day event. Sanyu advanced through several rounds of judging and placed sixth overall for her performance from Lainie Robinson’s “Billie Holiday at Emerson’s Bar and Grill”. Sanyu and Mariam will also perform during the White Bear Center for the Arts' "Speak the Truth" event on May 31. More information can be found here.
Three WBLAS students were recognized as local winners in the VFW Auxiliary’s Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest. Each year, more than 4,000 high school students from across the country participate. The contest began in 1979 to recognize up-and-coming artists and encourage patriotism in youth.
The WBLAHS softball team continues to dominate on the field. In recent games, the bears downed Woodbury 14-0, Park 2-0 and Forest Lake 7-2. The bears are currently 15-2 as the regular season begins to wind down. Meanwhile, a major accomplishment was seen on the WBLAHS baseball team when Tim Boncher hit a grand slam during a recent game against Woodbury.
The White Bear Press recently featured students participating in WBLAHS Prom Grand March on May 7. Read the full article and see more photos from the evening here.
Activities Updates
During a recent game against Woodbury, Bears Baseball player Tim Boncher hit a grand slam. Read the article here. This article also highlights their recent win over Irondale. The Bears Softball Team is currently in second place in the SEC. Read their highlights here. This article also highlights their win over Woodbury. The Boys Track Team finished second out of nine teams at the Wayzata Invitational meet. Read their article here. They also placed second at True Team Sections which was highlighted in this article. Meanwhile, the Girls Track Team finished seventh at the Invitational. Read their article here. The also placed second at True Team Sections. Find that article here. The Boys Tennis Team topped Park 6-1. Read their article here. The Boys Golf Team edged out Roseville in a recent matchup. The Girls Golf Team placed fourth out of ten teams in an SEC meet. Senior Gianna Mcleod led the team with a career best score of 41 and a third place over all finish. Read their article here. The Boys Lacrosse Team recently defeated No. 6 ranked Minnetonka 8-7 in overtime. The Girls Lacrosse Team won two of their last three games.
Along with season passes and punch cards, the WBLAHS Activities office is now offering digital ticketing to all regular season, home athletic events. Information is available here.
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
School Board Student Liaisons Bemnet Tessema and Lauren Collier were recognized at the May Regular School Board meeting for their participation and commitment to this important student role with the School Board. Other students were also recognized at the meeting for state, national, and world-level accomplishments in athletics and academics with a May Student Recognition video.
Upcoming School Board Meetings
Past Meeting Highlights
April 11 Regular Meeting
April 25 Work Session
May 9 Regular Meeting