Updated: 5 days ago
With the Fall Festival behind us, our school year is off and rolling! What a joy to celebrate the season with the wolf pack last Friday. Now, with cooler weather blowing in, it's time to really get serious about Halloween costumes, see if last year's winter boots still fit, and make some tough decisions about which Great Gatherings to sign up for. Happy October!
- Erin Henry, editor
Upcoming Events
Thursday-Friday, October 15-16 - No School - MEA
Friday, October 30 - No School - Conference Prep
Tuesday, November 10 - SAPSA Meeting, 6:30 - 7:30 / Wolf Ridge Meeting, 5:30 - 6:30
In place of the monthly Advisory Council meeting, there will be a meeting to discuss the 5th graders' Wolf Ridge adventure coming up this spring!
Regular Advisory Council meetings will resume in December.
November 10-13 - Literati Book Fair and Conferences
Friday, November 13 - No School - Conferences
Thursday, November 19 - Give to the Max Day
Friday, November 20 - Family Friday, after drop off
Enjoy coffee and community! Takes place outside the school or in the lunchroom, depending on weather.
Thursday & Friday, November 26-27 - No School - Thanksgiving
Thanks for a Fantastic Fall Festival
The Fall Festival last Friday was a huge success! Many students and families celebrated the season and built community with goofy games, science experiments, a pumpkin run, and a terrifying haunted house. (I'll admit it, I shrieked in the Little Scare.)
All of this was possible thanks to our community stepping up to fill more than 100 volunteer openings, baking hundreds of treats, organizing for months in advance, and making time to celebrate together. Huge thanks goes to everyone who pitched in however they were able. Together we created a really special event while also raising funds to support our school community.
If, like me, you thought the Fall Festival was AMAZING, consider whether you'd be interested in organizing next year! SAPSA is looking for someone to run the show for next year's festival.
Pumpkin Contest Winners
The Science Scare at the Fall Festival has a pumpkin contest where students guess the number of seeds that were in the Science Scare jack-o-lantern (seeds displayed in a jar). Thanks to all who participated! This year there were 451 seeds in the pumpkin, and there were TWO contest winners. Otis (First Grade, Ms. Williams' class) and Marlin (Second Grade, Ms. Lee's class) both guessed 500 seeds. Congrats to Otis and Marlin! Both students won a pumpkin of their own!
Sign Up To Attend Great Gatherings
Great Gatherings are back this year, and it's time to reserve your spot!
Great Gatherings are fundraising events hosted by families, staff, and other community members. Hosts plan an event, and SAPSA sells tickets to the community. This is a wonderful fundraiser that not only supports for SAPSA but also builds community!
This year's Great Gatherings have something for everyone. Check out the list of cool events and decide whether you'd rather bond with our community over music, games, crafts, food, or adventures. There are kid-centric activities, family parties, and adults-only gatherings. Our hosts really outdid themselves thinking of fun ways to spend time together.
Tickets to take part in Great Gatherings went on sale at the Fall Festival last week, but there's still time to join in! Check out the sign-up link above for a full list of events. Here are a few coming up soon:
Oct 23: Bonfire & Smores with Ms. Paulsen & Ms. Hella Yelk
Oct 30: Willy Wonka Brunch Party
Nov 14: Learn American Mahjong with Saint City Mahjong
Nov 28: Holiday Screen Printed Wrapping Paper and Cards
Thank you for your continued support of Saint Anthony Park Elementary School and SAPSA. And a special thanks to our hosts!
Please contact Leigh Seifert at seife058@umn.edu if you have any questions.
SAPSA Volunteer Openings
The best way to build community is to get involved! Check out the SAPSA volunteer page to find an opportunity that's the right fit for you.
In particular, if you are looking to dip in a toe rather than take a plunge, we need a few volunteers to set out coffee and snacks for Family Fridays. This would be a small, concise commitment that has a big value for our school community. Think about it!
School Directory
Last call to submit your contact info for the School Directory! Any info to be included in this year's directory must by submitted by THIS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16.
The St. Anthony Park Elementary School Directory is the main resource for student and teacher contact information. It includes class and staff lists, as well as SAPSA, Advisory Council and district contact information. Thanks to Lea Chittenden for organizing the directory again this year!
This year's directory will look somewhat like last year's directory, shown to the right.
Every family will receive a copy. You are not required to submit your contact information for the directory, but we encourage you to do so!
STEAM Night - Volunteers Needed
SAP is hosting a STEAM Night to celebrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Our STEAM Night will officially be on Thursday, December 10th from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.
The Family Engagement Committee is looking for volunteers to run stations! If you are interested in volunteering for STEAM Night, please use the link to sign up for stations or station ideas.
Fall Bulb Sale
The Fall Bulb Sale is nearly over! You still have time to buy your alliums, daffodils, and tulips, tulips, tulips to plant in your flower garden this fall. The sale runs through October 15 and the bulbs are shipped to your home in October. Remember, fall bulbs turn into spring flowers! Order bulbs here to support SAP Elementary: Fall Bulb Sale
SAPSA Funding Request Info
SAPSA's mission is to provide support for our elementary students and community. We aim to make life at Saint Anthony Park Elementary exciting, inclusive, and enriching. To carry out that mission, we need to get funds to the people who can use them.
We welcome funding proposals from the school community! In years past, we have funded playground equipment, professional development seminars, and classroom supplies. We recently approved funds to cover a guest speaker for an assembly, special seating for classroom flex spaces, and equipment updates for sensory friendly self-regulation tools in the Green Room.
Do you have an idea that would help us support our diverse community? Maybe you've thought of a cool enrichment opportunity for our kids. Or perhaps you're considering ways we can say an extra "thank-you!" to our awesome teachers. If you have ideas, we want to hear from you!
In addition to fund requests that go through this process, we also help facilitate projects through larger donations. An example is our new sound system in the multiuse room. This anonymous gift was given as dedicated to the teachers, staff, students, and families who all find themselves sharing their lives together so we all can "better hear each other."
More information about funding proposals and timelines can be found at our Funding Requests page.
MIA Art Adventure - Volunteers Needed
Volunteers and kids alike are enthusiastic about the upcoming Art Adventure! The group has started meeting already, but they are looking for more volunteers.
Parent volunteers are needed to help teach 2nd - 5th grade students about six works of art found at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Volunteers will tour the MIA with a docent to learn about the works, then teach classes to students at SAP throughout November and December.
SAP Art Class times:
7:35 - 8:25 Fourth Grade
8:25 - 9:15 Fifth Grade
9:15 - 10:05 Third Grade
1:05 - 1:55 Second Grade
If you are interested, the next meeting is on Tues Nov 3 at 5:00 PM in the art room on the 2nd floor. If you want to be involved and can't make this meeting, email Sarah Langford at geraghty.sarah@gmail.com.
Volunteers will tour the MIA with a docent to learn about the works. Tours are available on the following dates:
Thurs Oct 29 at 5:30 PM
Thurs Nov 5 at 12:00 PM
Help Us Lend a Hand to Those in Our Community!
This fall, the Student Support Team is launching a gift card drive, with a goal to provide immediate, short-term relief for our school families facing unexpected transitions. When a need arises, our school social workers and counselor will be able to hand these directly to families to bridge the gap while long-term support is arranged.
How you can help: We are collecting $50 gift cards for Groceries, Gas, and Target.
To keep the program fair and impactful, we have structured guidelines in place, ensuring your generosity stretches to help as many neighbors as possible.
Drop off your gift card donations at the main office today and make a direct impact for our community.
Many Thanks,
Kelly Lynch, Rachel Curtis, & Stephanie Beckley
Wanted: Guinea Pig Sitters
Pancake and Pumpkin are looking for a place to stay during school vacations! If your family would like to take the guinea pigs home during one of our school breaks, please reach out to Ms. Wilson at jodie.wilson@spps.org.
They are available for the following breaks:
Winter Break
Spring Break
Summer Break
For the smaller breaks, one family usually takes them for the whole break. For summer break, five families usually take them for shifts of 10 days or so.
Wolf Ridge Calendar Fundraiser
At the end of the school year, St. Anthony Park Elementary will continue its tradition of sending fifth graders off to spend a "week of school away from school" at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Finland, MN. This immersive, hands-on outdoor learning adventure is an incredible opportunity for our students, and SAPSA works to raise funds each year to ensure all families that wish to participate have access through grants and fundraisers.
One of the easiest ways to support this effort is to purchase a stunning, 12-square inch 2027 calendar, featuring Minnesota bird photography by Jill Beim, a conservation photographer from Silver Bay . The calendar is available for $20 each at the link below. They are produced on sturdy matte stock by the Environmental Learning Center to support endeavors like ours. They make great gifts, so consider buying several while supplies last!
Using the link below, simply enter your student's name and classroom teacher, provide a payment method, and we will make sure the calendars are sent home with your student in the next few weeks. There is an open field to provide special notes if you'd like your calendar(s) dropped off at your home. Our SAPSA volunteers are happy to help.
MITY Fall Session Info
New Spirit Wear!
Have you noticed all the sage green shirts around SAP? Don't they look great?!!
We have a new t-shirt design this year for Spirit Wear (thank you Allie Rykken!). Buy a t-shirt for you, your kids, or other loved ones at SAPSA events, including Family Fridays. Sales of the shirts support SAPSA, and they are just plain hip to wear!
See you next week, Wolf Pack!
If you have suggestions for content or questions about anything in the Wolf Pack Press, please reach out to Erin Henry at communications@sapsamn.org .
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAPSAnews
