Meadowbrook News
February 24, 2023
From Mrs. Sawatzky
Good afternoon Meadowbrook,
A huge thank you to all of you for supporting your children with our e-Learning days this week. As a working caregiver, I know how difficult (and at moments impossible) to balance your own work and support your children's learning. I am grateful for you (and that we didn't end up with 20 inches of snow)!
Due to the e-learning days, we will be making some changes to our breakfast and lunch menu next week. Chef Paul and our awesome kitchen staff will prepare:
Monday:
- Breakfast - Bagel with Cream Cheese and Fruit
- Lunch - Pasta with Marinara, Garlic Bread and Fresh Garden Bar
- Breakfast - Breakfast Sandwich and Fruit
- Lunch: Sloppy Joe with Roasted Squash
- Breakfast - Great Griddle and Fruit
- Lunch - Chicken Hard Shell Taco with Rice
Also next week, we will celebrate 'I Love To Read Week' with some fun events. In addition to the visiting the Book Swap, we encourage students to show their love of reading by:
- Monday-Wear tie-dye or a color that makes you happy to celebrate how books brighten our world.
- Tuesday- Cozy up with a good book and wear your PJs!
- Wednesday-Dress up like a book character day. (See below for guidelines)
In partnership,
Natalie
PS Remember there is no school next week Thursday or Friday (March 2 and March 3) due to conferences!
Caregiver Conferences
Our teachers are looking forward to connecting with you during our upcoming conferences! Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, March 2nd from 11:00am to 7:00pm and Friday, March 3rd from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Each student is allotted one 20-minute conference slot. For students with two households, we ask that you plan to attend the conference jointly. If there are circumstances that prevent this from being possible, you may divide the 20 minute spot into 10 minute increments.
You can sign up for conferences using the links below. Please make sure you search for the correct teacher’s name, then find the day and time that works best. Sign ups will close on Sunday, February 26th at 12:00pm.
Grades K–2
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054BADA629A1F58-meadowbrook21
Grades 3-4
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054BADA629A1F58-meadowbrook20
Grades 5-6
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054BADA629A1F58-meadowbrook19
Black History Month
This weekend there is an event at the Minneapolis Convention Center called I Am My Ancestors Wildest Dreams Expo. This is the inaugural event that will hopefully continue for many years. There will be vendors, music, poetry and more to help highlight the importance of Black American History and Black communities ongoing contributions. Click HERE for details.
This week many Black Americans were nominated by students to be featured in our morning announcements.
Serena Williams is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Her natural athletic ability combined with her hard work and dedication led her to win 23 Grand Slam titles. She is the only player, male or female, to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
Beyoncé Knowles is a highly talented singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and business owner. She gained momentum as part of the 90’s R & B group Destiny’s Child. Her solo career skyrocketed and she has gone on to win many awards and is one of the world's best selling recording artists.
John Lewis was an American politician and a civil rights activist. He served in the American House of Representatives from 1987 until his death in 2020. He is known for peacefully inspiring many to fight for equality. “Good trouble, necessary trouble—It's not only OK, but necessary to enact and inspire meaningful change.”
Book Swap
Its BOOK SWAP time!
During the month of February, Meadowbrook will be collecting gently used or new books for the annual book swap that will take place on February 28 and March 1. Students may bring their gently used books directly to their classroom teachers. Every student will get to go through and pick books to bring home at the book swap. Students are projected to get 2-3 books at the swap regardless of how many they donate.
We also need as many parent volunteers as we can get to help set up and run the swap. Please sign up using the link below to help out!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084BA8A929AAFF2-meadowbrook
Meadowbrook Elementary Kindergarten Roundup
February 28, 2023, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
5430 Glenwood Avenue, Golden Valley, MN 55422
Incoming kindergarten families! Join us at Meadowbrook for our Kindergarten Roundup event, where you can meet your teachers, explore the school, and connect with Principal Natalie Sawatzky! This event will be held on February 28 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. See you there!
Conference Meals
March 2023 Conference Meals Sign Up
We are looking for food donations and volunteers to help us provide conference meals for our amazing Meadowbrook Staff March 2nd and March 3rd.
Please bring all donations to the front office on Thursday 3/2 all day or Friday 3/3 BEFORE 10am. We DO have fridge space - please specify to office staff if your donation must be refrigerated. Please label donations "Conference Meals".
Thank you!
Meadowbrook Mingle
HEF's Special Appeal 2023
At HEF, we believe that every Hopkins student deserves a brilliant future. This year our special appeal, Step into a Brilliant Future, comes alongside all Hopkins students in the core areas of reading and math while also increasing their paths for future careers and further education.
Read about the exciting ways HEF is helping to impact, develop, and expand learning resources and opportunities for our students at HopkinsEducationFoundation.org. Donate today and join HEF in assuring all Hopkins students Step into a Brilliant Future.
Get Tickets and more info: HopkinsEducationFoundation.org
St. David's Center Gala
Did you know that Hopkins partners with The St. David’s Center to provide therapists for students in all 6 of our elementary schools? If you'd like to support St. David's or attend their annual gala, it is a very worthy cause. The Annual Make Them Shine Gala is a philanthropic event that supports the 4,000 children and families who benefit from St. David's life-changing early intervention services.
On March 11, 2023, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and 500 guests will attend the 34th Annual St. David’s Center Make Them Shine Gala held at the McNamara Alumni Center. Tickets are available – visit St. David's website for more information.
Hopkins Public Schools State of the District
Join Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, superintendent of Hopkins Public Schools, school board members, and staff, for a comprehensive look at the present state of Hopkins Schools and where we are going. Dr. Reed will also provide a five-year progress update on Vision 2031, the District's strategic vision.
The State of the District will feature a 45-minute presentation and about 15 minutes to ask questions. Each session will provide the same content in a live format so that you can choose the virtual session that works best for your schedule. Sessions will be held virtually using Zoom. Register to attend the sessions at this link.
Session Dates:
Monday, February 27 at 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 4 at 11 a.m.
Hopkins Schools Transportation now has live GPS information through My Stop
We are excited to share that Hopkins Public Schools is now able to offer caregivers and students access to live school bus GPS information through My Stop. My Stop is a web-based application that families can use to track their child’s bus in real-time. This service will be especially useful during days when winter weather has slowed transportation. You can access My Stop at this link or on our transportation webpage.
Parents can sign in to MyStop with their child's district username (which is their school email address before the @sign) and district password (which is their initials in capital letters and the last four digits of their school id). If you need support, contact the Hopkins technology help desk at 952-988-4111. You can also download the My Stop App on Apple or Android platforms.
Tech Support: For all questions regarding My Stop, please contact IT at mystop@hopkinsschools.org. Do not contact the transportation department, as they cannot answer questions regarding My Stop. Please send any feedback to mystop@hopkinsschools.org regarding your experience with the application. We will forward that information to the technicians.
6th Grade End of Year Celebration Planning
Thanks to everyone who has already expressed an interest and/or offered to help with the planning for the 6th grade celebration! We have been able to fill some committee spots and have heard a lot of great suggestions. If you are interested in helping or learning more, please visit our website, https://mbgrads2029.weebly.com, for more information. We cannot do it all without your help. Please consider joining a committee, volunteering on the day of or providing a donation for the students.
Additionally, we are looking to put together a slide show featuring all the kids of this class for their graduation party. In order to make that happen, we need your help. All you have to do is find two pictures of your child from their time at Meadowbrook that you want in the slide show, you can go to the link below to find out more information and where to upload them. Thanks so much. https://mbgrads2029.weebly.com/slideshow.html
5th Grade Year-End Celebration Planning
This is our 5th graders last year at Meadowbrook. Who else is crying already? We've kicked off planning to help our almost-middle schoolers mark the end of their time in elementary school. On Wednesday, June 7th, the last day of school, we hope the weather will cooperate so the kids (and any caregivers who want to tag along) can have a day of celebration!
We will be hosting breakfast in the morning, along with a slideshow from our student’s years at Meadowbrook. Buses will then take the kids to Brookview Park for a day outside together. A DJ will be playing, and a catered lunch will be served. Around 3pm we will head back to Meadowbrook for popsicles on the playground!
To pull this off, we need your help.
- Do you have experience with video editing to create a video or slideshow to showcase photos of our kiddos over the years?
- Do you have yard games or other activities for the kids to do while at Brookview? We will need help in sourcing the games, and with supervision the day-of.
- Join the planning committee to make sure no details are missed.
- Come along on Tuesday June 6th to celebrate with your child and help as needed.
Donations! We will not be able to host most of this day without donations. We will need to raise at least $3500 (still finalizing our budget) to provide the students with breakfast, lunch, a DJ at Brookview, t-shirts, bussing, and popsicles. To donate, please visit our planning website: mbgradpicnic2030.weebly.com or donate directly here: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=G8U7MNEXBBZMA
One last request for all 5th grade caregivers: start looking through photos of your 5th grader. We'll be asking for up to three pictures of each student at Meadowbrook - one baby photo and two of them at school events (focusing on photos from school events will give us a more inclusive video). Once you find these photos, you can email them to mb5thgrade2023@gmail.com. Be sure to include the name of your student and their teacher.
If you want to get more involved in the planning process, please email meadowbrookpto@gmail.com or check out our planning website here.
Are you a caregiver of a Black or African Diaspora scholar?
Meadowbrook Plant Sale
Mark your calendars! **2023 Meadowbrook Plant Sale**
Saturday, May 6th (one day only)
Online ordering February 27th-March 27th
Watch for order pick-up sign-ups as well as volunteer opportunities in the weekly Meadowbrook email!
Yearbooks
Supporting Gender Expansive Kids Parent and Caregiver Group
Are you the parent or caregiver of a child who transcends traditional binary gender roles? Hopkins Schools offers a supportive, ongoing group for parents and caregivers to ask questions, share ideas, and support one another. Click here for more information.
Meadowbrook PTO
Please visit our website for all things PTO!
Restaurant Night
- Noodles & Company: 7808 Olson Memorial Hwy, Golden Valley
- March 13th, 4-8pm
- If ordering online, use coupon code GIVING25
- If dining in, mention Meadowbrook Elementary
- 25% is donated to the PTO!!
Volunteer
If you would like to be a room parent in your child’s class or help in a variety of other ways this school year, let us know! Complete the volunteer interest form here: https://forms.gle/AZiPf7kamK6Z317Q7
Online Directory
To connect with other families at Meadowbrook, please register with our Meadowbrook Online Directory. *Please note this is different from the forms you completed for your teachers! This directory will allow you to search for other MB families, and for others to find your information if you choose.
Any questions? Reach out to us at meadowbrookelementarypto@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook , Twitter, Instragram, or our PTO website
Important Calendar Dates
February 28: Kindergarten Roundup 6:00-7:30pm
March 2: No School - Caregiver Conferences 11:00am-7:00pm
March 3: No School - Caregiver Conferences 8:00am-4:00pm
March 13: Restaurant Night @ Golden Valley Noodles & Co.
March 20-25: Meadowbrook Mingle Week
March 31: No School - Professional Learning Day for Staff
April 3-7: No School - Spring Break
Lost & Found
Meadowbrook Elementary
Main Office Line: 952-988-5100
Attendance Line: 952-988-5110
https://meadowbrook.hopkinsschools.org/families/attendance
Online Student Directory: www.meadowbrookpto.ptoffice.com
Email: natalie.sawatzky@hopkinsschools.org
Website: https://hopkinsschools.org/schools/elementary-schools/meadowbrook-elementary
Location: 5430 Glenwood Avenue, Golden Valley, MN 55422, USA
Phone: (952) 988-5100
Facebook: facebook.com/HopkinsMeadowbrook
Twitter: @MeadowbrookGV