School News

Monday        cycle day   2D   
Tuesday       cycle day   3A - Student Council Meeting
Wednesday  cycle day   4B - Unity Day WEAR ORANGE 
Thursday      cycle day   5C   

Friday           cycle day   1D - MAP Math Testing Ends
                                               - School Store  

School Picture Delay

Due to some delays at the Lifetouch lab, our school picture packages are arriving later than anticipated.  Due to this delay, we will have to move our picture retake day to Tuesday, October 29^th (originally scheduled for next Tuesday 10/22).  Thank you for your patience.

Fall Parenting Series at FACTS >>>>TOMORROW
(Family, Adolescent and Children Therapy Services, Inc) 

Bonding with Your Child: 
Learn the best ways of connecting with your child and how these principles can be applied to parenting throughout your child’s development.  These strategies will help both in good times as well as challenging times in raising your child. For parents of children ages 0-8

Thursday, October 17, 2019 !!!!
6:30 - 8:00 pm 
Sessions take place at FACTS, 1385 Mendota Heights Rd., #200, Mendota Heights, 55120 

In the Computer Lab
Notes from Mrs. Skalski

5^th Grade: Parents, please help your child edit a personal poem that he/she has been crafting called “I Am From”. It is saved on the iPad and should include approximately 15 specific memories from his/her life using descriptive words that help the listener see/feel/hear/smell the memories. Soon you will see your child taking pictures to represent each of these memories.

3^rd Grade: Check it out! Your child has made a slideshow in Collab. Please take a moment to sign in to the account with your child and see the work they are so proud to have made.

Red Pine's B&N Bookfair – SAVE THE DATE!!!
Please mark your calendars for this year's Fall Bookfair on Friday, November 15^th at the Barnes & Noble in Eagan from 9am- 10 pm.

After school highlights to include:
Visits from Big Red
Red Pine Rouser w/ Mr. Goeldner
Prizes and Gift Card drawings every half hour
Face Painting / Tattoos
Teacher / Classroom Wishlist Board
Vast selection of books*, other gift items* and cafe items* (*all purchases marked for Red Pine add to our percentage of net proceeds from Bookfair sales)

This is a wonderful school fundraiser each year and we depend on many volunteers to make it happen.  Our B&N Book Fair Chairperson is Karlye Hackenberg (karlyehackenberg@gmail.com).  Thanks to Karlye for volunteering to take over chairing this tremendous fundraiser J.   Over $3,500 worth of library books will be added to RP's Library due to this fundraiser alone --- AND classroom teachers will hopefully benefit from many wish-list donations for individual classroom libraries.

We'll be sure to send volunteer sign-up links for adult volunteers and 5th graders soon.
Looking forward to this event! Hope to see you there! 

Happy Reading!
 

Mrs. Robertson & Mrs. Jarvi
kelly.robertson@district196.org
suzanne.jarvi@district196.org

Voting Open for Levy Referendum and School Board Election

District 196 voters can vote now through Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 5, on the levy referendum and School Board election.

In the School Board election, 12 candidates are seeking election to four open seats, including incumbents Joel Albright of Apple Valley, Sachin Isaacs of Burnsville and Jackie Magnuson of Rosemount, and challengers Maggie Bruecken of Apple Valley, Rebecca Gierok of Apple Valley, Curtis Henry of Rosemount, Laura Holm of Rosemount, former board member Gary Huusko of Eagan, Cory Johnson of Eagan, Angela Noonan of Eagan, Kristin Schaub of Apple Valley, and Hannibal Smith of Apple Valley.

The League of Women Voters of Dakota County held a School Board Candidates Forum Oct. 9 at Rosemount City Hall. The forum is available to stream on theDistrict 196 YouTube site.  

On the levy referendum question, the district is giving voters the choice of …

• YES, a tax increase of $25 per month on the average-value home in the district to: 1) avoid more budget cuts for at least five years, 2) lower class sizes, 3) increase mental health support, and 4) provide after-school activity buses at the middle schools and high schools, or
• NO, no tax increase, no class size or program improvements and additional budget cuts of up to $18 million over the next two years.

The district made $7 million in budget adjustments this school year, including cutting 31 teaching positions. These are on top of $34 million in budget adjustments the district made from 2009 to 2012. District voters approved a levy in 2013 to stop the consecutive years of cuts, but none of the previous cuts to classroom staffing and other areas were ever restored.

The repeating cycle of budget cuts and levy referendum requests is something all Minnesota school districts are experiencing due to years of inconsistent and inadequate funding from the state and federal governments for basic and special education. Last year alone, for example, the special education funding provided to District 196 was $29 million short of the actual cost of providing these necessary services that are mandated by the state and federal governments but not fully funded. The district uses general fund revenues to fill this gap each year.

For more information on the levy question and what it would provide, if approved, go to www.District196.org/Levy2019.

Early voting by absentee ballot is available through Nov. 4 either by mail or in person at the ISD 196 District Office in Rosemount and the Dakota County government centers in Apple Valley, Hastings and West St. Paul. To vote absentee by mail or in person, voters must first complete an Absentee Ballot Application. Voters do not need a reason to vote absentee in Minnesota.

Voters can also cast their ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the 14 combined school district precincts. To find out where you vote, go to www.mnvotes.org or call the Superintendent’s Office at 651-423-7725.

News from the Bird Feeder:

On Thursday, Oct.24^th we will be serving:
SKOL!!  VikingsPurple& GoldCauliflower!!!  A side vegetable

Back-to-School Reminders >>Free/Reduced Applications are Online**
**Remember a new application is needed for each new school year.

We welcome all visitors to come in and join us at lunchtime.  
Students love having a special guest for lunch!

Cheryl Rosa
Food and Nutrition Manager
Red Pine Elementary

Nurse's Corner

Greetings Red Pine Families!  
Influenza season (not stomach flu) is around the corner.  Please get your flu shots!

Be aware or beware: fever, headache, fatigue, cough, sore throat and body aches - these are signs of Influenza.

What can you do to stop the flu?
Wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve and stay home when you are sick.  Routinely clean and disinfect commonly used areas and frequently touched surfaces.  Flu can remain on surfaces for up to 8 hours.

Students and staff who become ill during the day should go home or stay home.  Influenza Like Illness is described as a fever of at least 100 and a cough or sore throat.  It is recommended that students and staff may return to school when their fever is gone without fever reducing medication such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen or Advil.  They should be well enough to participate in school before returning.

If you call your child in for Influenza-Like Illness, please let us know the symptoms.  The Minnesota Department of Health collects the symptoms for all areas of Minnesota and can keep us up to date on where it is prevalent or on its way to becoming prevalent.  I do not submit names – just a number if we reach the threshold.

Kids ages 3-13should be getting between 9 and 13hours of sleep a night.

Lack of sleep can affect your immune system.  Studies show that you need a good night of sleep to fight infection.  Lack of sleep puts you at more risk when exposed to Influenza, common colds, and other viruses.  Also, lack of sleep will lengthen the amount of time it takes you to get better.

Nurse Danna 
Danna Steffen, RN, BSN, LSN, PHNDirect Phone: 651-423-7871/ Fax: 651-423-7875

PTO News

BOX TOPS
Do you have Box Tops around your house?  We are still submitting these to Box Tops for credit.  Please bring your Box Tops to school for our submission deadline by Oct 25th.  Look for information on the new digital app for Box Tops coming soon.

Hey Red Pine Parents! 

Our Red Pine Fun Run is well underway and your students have been working hard to help their school! We have a goal of $35,000 and we need YOUR help to spread the word! EXTENDED!!! You can still contribute up to next Wed.!

Here are three easy ways to help:

- Send an email to family and friends using our Easy Emailer Templates.
- Share your Student Star Video (your family will love it!).
- Share your student’s FUNRUN.COM profile through social media, and feel free to tag our PTO social media page as well!

Coke Rewards
We’re excited to share that our school is part of the Coca-Cola Give program. This opens up Red Pine to new funding opportunities to help improve learning environments for students. 

The best part? Donations don’t come out of your own pocket. When you make Coca-Cola purchases, you simply enter the product codes here: https://us.coca-cola.com/give/schools/ and our school receives a donation.

Do you know of any company that would allow a box to be set up to collect Coca-Cola caps? We can get a box all set up and will drop off and pick up the caps!

Please contact Ashlie Brown at Ashliebrown427@gmail.com if interested.

Community News

ISD 196 Community Education Activities:

Click herefor the latest highlights from our Community Education!