Ada-Borup Elementary Newsletter

A New Year!

It is so hard to believe that winter break is over and 2021 is upon us! This school year is going by so quickly and Presidents' Day Break will be here before we know it. We are excited for a new year and the sense of excitement and renewal brought with it. Once again, we are so grateful for all the students, parents, and staff that bring joy to us on a daily basis. We truly hope that everyone had a safe and relaxing winter vacation!

Reflecting back on the first half of the year, I would like to thank two organizations that give so much to our students: The Elementary Parent Teacher Council & Ada-Borup Booster Club. Both organizations have provided opportunities and materials for our students this year including an Ada-Borup Elementary School sign, classroom supplies, flexible seating, trivia prizes and recess equipment. Please consider donating to and thanking both of these organizations for all that they continue to do for our students.

GO COUGARS!

Bree Triplett, Elementary Principal

SUBSTITUTES WANTED!!

Are you interested in becoming a paraprofessional substitute or a certified teacher substitute?

Ada-Borup Elementary is looking for both!

Qualifications for becoming a Paraprofessional Substitute:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a High School Diploma or GED
• Undergo a full criminal background check

Qualifications for becoming a Certified Teaching Substitute:

• Have a four-year degree/Bachelors Degree (in any field)
• Be able obtain a short-call license from the Minnesota Department of Education
  
• Undergo a full criminal background check

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If you have questions regarding a job posting, contact Bree Triplett, Elementary Principal, 218-784-5303, or by email at breet@ada.k12.mn.us.

Ada-Borup Elementary is proud to present the 2020 Winter Virtual Concert under the direction of Dorinda Boltsky and Tanya Kemper.

https://youtu.be/9sxRxa9h3rE

Does your child struggle with behaviors in school? Do you have trouble waking them up in the morning? Does your child seem irritable more often than not? Is their appetite poor in the morning? If you answered yes to any of these questions, your student may be sleep deprived.

Youth need 5 cycles of sleep in order for their bodies to detox and reset from the day. This process requires 5 full sleep cycles lasting about 90-120 minutes each. During deep sleep, human growth hormone is released and restores your body and muscles from the stresses of the day. Your immune system also restores itself. Much less is known about deep sleep than REM sleep. It may be during this stage that the brain also refreshes itself for new learning the following day.

Screen time negatively impacts the brain’s ability to get into the healthy sleep cycle. The blue light stimulates the brain for up to 3 hours after the last time the child looks at it. So even if they “go to bed” at 9, it is midnight before they can settle into a good sleep cycle pattern. This eliminates one full cycle- so the brain and body haven’t had a chance to “reset.” When this happens chronically: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, viral and bacterial illnesses occur. If your child struggles with any of these issues- please discuss sleep behaviors with your healthcare provider, school counselor, or myself- school nurse.

I can be reached at 218-280-3125 any time you have questions or concerns about the health of your child.

Tracy Johnson, Ada-Borup School Nurse

Ada-Borup will be observing President's Day on Monday, February 15th. There will not be school on that day.

Early Childhood Family Education’s (ECFE) mission is to strengthen families through education and support of all parents through providing the best possible environment for the healthy growth and development of their children. ECFE provides education in child development and parent/child relationships which sets the stage for children’s school success.

Due to Covid-19, ECFE will be offered virtually for the 2020-2021 school year. What to Expect: • All information and activities will be posted in the Ada-Borup Early CHildhood Family Education google classroom. • There will be no fees for this opportunity. • When we return to full, in-person education, we will reinstate our participation fees. ECFE Distance for late Winter and Early Spring will include virtually scheduled activities along with many resources for families to use at home. • The ECFE Teacher and ECSE teacher will post monthly learning activities for parents and caregivers to do at home with their children starting in December of 2020. • Teachers will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays through the school year for a phone consult during regular school hours.

In order to be included in this classroom, please notify Char Baker of your email address. You will then be sent an email inviting you to the google classroom. Please contact our administrative office at 218-784-5303 with any questions you have.

PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports. It seeks to reduce or eliminate poor behavior school-wide through the encouragement of positive behaviors. PBIS decreases office discipline referrals, increases instructional time, and improves student achievement. This intentional focus on positive reinforcement creates and maintains a positive school climate for the students and teachers.

Celebrations are one of the five components of effective PBIS practice. Celebration is simply consistent acknowledgement of the expected behaviors. Celebrations build and maintain a positive school culture. Celebrations can be for specific groups, grade levels, classrooms, and school-wide. The goal of celebrations are to be inclusive for as many students as possible.

Happy New Year!

It is that fun time of year where the weather can create some transportation issues from time to time. Please keep the following items in mind when getting your students ready for the bus:

*Rural Driveways

Please keep driveways cleaned out and passable for our rural buses

*Rural Roadways

Please give Shawn Roux a call if the roads around you are not passable.

*Call if Not Riding

Please call Shawn Roux if your child will not be on the bus.

*Bus Passes

Students will need a written note or email from home if they need to get on or off the bus at a stop other than their normal route.

Shawn Roux

Ada-Borup Transportation Director

218-784-5311

Just a reminder, all Ada-Borup School District Students will be distance learning on Wednesdays for the near future (PreK-12). The students will be bringing home devices and needed materials on Tuesdays for the Wednesday distance learning day.

If you have signed up for distance-learning meals for Wednesday, the following is the site schedule for pick up. **Please note that meals must be requested by 3:00pm on the Tuesday prior to the Wednesday Distance Learning day.

There will be 5 pick-up locations available for the meal program on Wednesdays. Below is a list of locations and pick up times:

Ada, MN

● Ada-Borup School concessions stand: 12:00-12:30pm

● St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Parking Lot: 11:15-11:45am

Borup, MN

● Fire Hall Parking Lot: 11:40-12:10pm

Halstad, MN

● Halstad Living Center Parking Lot: 11:30-12:00pm

Hendrum, MN

● Immanuel Lutheran Church: 12:15-12:45pm

**Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday meals will only be available at the Ada-Borup concession stand from 12:00pm-12:30pm.**

2020-2021 Attendance Procedures

Attendance is important for our students in any learning mode. Here are a few reminders to make sure that your child is in compliance with attendance policies.

In-person Learning (at school)

• Teachers will mark students absent if the students are not in the building.
• Absences will be marked unexcused if the office does not receive a written note within two days of the absence (an email will work).

Distance Learning (virtual)

• The expectation is that students will log into their Google Classroom and be “live” on Google Meets for instruction during the day.
  
• If your child is not able to attend live sessions, please contact the teacher for recordings and classroom expectations.
  
• All materials and course work must be completed in a timely manner.
  
• Paper materials must be returned, completed, in order to receive a grade and to be marked present for distance learning.
  
• In addition, attendance will be taken daily through contact with the classroom teacher.

Spring conferences will look a little different this year. We will hold conferences on February 25th and March 1st. Conferences will be scheduled and will have three different options for attendance. This spring we will offer phone, virtual (via Zoom), or in-person. A form will be coming home with your scheduled time and the three options. Please return the form to the classroom teacher so they can set up your conference.

If you have any questions, please contact the office.