- 21 hours ago
- 5 min read
Only a few more days to Winter Break! Note that due to the vacation, there will be no Wolf Pack Press on December 31, and our next issue will be out January 7.
Upcoming Events
Friday, December 19 - Spirit Day! (Fancy Day)
Friday, December 19 - Kindergarten Make a Memory Day, 7:45 - 9am.
December 22 - January 2 - WINTER BREAK!
Tuesday, January 13 - Information session about Murray Middle School. 5:30 - 6:30 in the library. See below section for details
Tuesday, January 13 - SAPSA meeting, 6:30 - 7:30 in library
Monday, January 19 - NO SCHOOL (Martin Luther King Jr. Day)
Volunteers Needed for Read-a-Thon!
The Read-a-Thon is a beloved winter event at SAP, and it is usually SAPSA’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in $17-22K per year! Read-a-Thon season is upon us, and we are looking for a few additional volunteers.
What is the Read-a-Thon? SAP students record their reading times and are sponsored by family, friends, and community members to raise money for the school. They earn raffle tickets and the chance to win prizes, and classrooms win cookie parties if they meet their classroom reading goals. If the school meets the whole school reading goal, the principal will do something outrageous to reward the students!
Volunteering for Read-a-Thon is an incredibly fun and rewarding experience. It’s a fairly intensive but also very time-limited volunteer position. The projected dates of this year’s Read-a-Thon are January 12-23, with the prize assembly on January 29.
SAP parent Sara Shepard, who helped lead the Read-a-Thon for the last 4 years, says that her entire family enjoyed getting involved. She will be available as a resource to the team who takes over this role. While there are clear steps that have been followed for the past few years, there is also space for you to add your own creativity and make it your own, if you’d like!
As a Read-a-Thon volunteer you would be involved in some of the following:
Create the theme and materials (posters, stuffies etc.) that go along with it.
Set reading goals, based on reading in past years etc.
In some years a short video was created introducing Read-a-Thon and the theme and featuring Frost. The video was shown in classrooms to get the kids excited about the reading challenge.
Create the Read-a-Thon flyer and the sheet that is handed out to students for recording their pledges and reading progress.
Collect reading sheets and donations from the school office. Volunteers count reading minutes by student and classroom. (Lots of counting!)
Distribute raffle tickets earned by the students for reading.
Be present at the school assembly where the results are revealed and the lucky raffle winners drawn.
Arrange for a cookie party or similar reward for classes that meet their goals.
Please reach out to our SAPSA volunteer coordinator Lauren Cox (volunteercorrdinator@sapsamn.org) for more information about volunteering for Read-a-Thon.
Information Night for Murray
On Tuesday, January 13, there will be an information night about Murray Middle School, hosted by Murray Principal Jamin McKenzie.
Questions can be asked in advance by filling out this form.
In the Classroom with Ms. Phillips
Congratulations to Ms. Phillips for celebrating her 30th anniversary at St. Paul Schools this year!
Wolf Pack Press editor Joel Van Valin had a few questions about her long adventure at SPPS and SAP Elementary.
WPP: You are a Second Grade teacher now, but have you taught other grades in your career?
Ms. Phillips: I have taught grades 1-6 during my career with the most years being spent in grades 4 and 3. I taught third grade at SAP for 8 years before working as a WINN reading specialist for 1 year and then landing in 2nd grade starting in the 2024-2025 school year. I think I will spend my final days as a teacher in grade 2 at SAP!
What is your favorite part of teaching?
There are numerous things I love about teaching! I enjoy meeting a new group of students each year and getting to know them as individuals and learners. I also enjoy meeting their families and working together to best serve their child. I also value the collaborative nature of this job. I work with so many wonderful, funny and supportive educators. I never tire of the exchange of ideas about education and curriculum. Lastly, it is a privilege to work with students whose families come from all over the world. These experiences give educators a world view that is invaluable.
When Ms. Phillips is not having a blast teaching, what does she do for fun?
For fun, I like a balance of quiet and active! I like to spend time at home reading, cooking and watching Netflix. I also like to go to the YMCA, snowshoe in the winter and kayak in the summer. With my family, we like to have movie nights when everyone is home and spend time at a cabin or campsite for a long weekend in the summer.
Did you like school as a kid?
I always liked school as a kid! I especially liked the language arts activities we did in elementary school and humanities classes I took in high school. Of course, I always liked the social part of school, which to this day, I believe is a huge part of education—learning how to connect, respect and collaborate with other people.
Did you know anyone growing up who inspired you to be a teacher?
I did not want to be a teacher as a young person. When I look back now through my teacher lens, I see a few teachers who had qualities of good teachers. They made lessons fun and engaging. There was a common thread of involvement and dedication to the craft.
If you could travel into a book of your choice, which book would it be?
I am a huge fan of the Maud Hart Lovelace "Betsy-Tacy" series. I have read the series at least 10 times starting when I was in elementary school and used to play "Betsy-Tacy" as a kid. In a way, I feel I travel back to the late 1800's Deep Valley (Mankato), MN whenever I read one of her books!
Wolf Ridge Calendars for Sale
Each year, SAP Elementary 5th graders take an unforgettable trip to Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, MN. This 5 day, 4 overnight camp experience builds core memories through outdoor adventures and experiential learning about MN History and the Lake Superior Area. The cost to attend is $300/student but NO child is turned away for lack of payment.
One way scholarships are provided is through the sale of calendars featuring Minnesota Wildlife. This year's photographer is Dominique Braud.
Calendars cost $20 and ALL proceeds go towards funding Wolf Ridge scholarships for 5th grade students.
Order your Wolf Ridge 2026 calendar by filling out this form:
Library Helper
Mr. Watson, our Library and Materials Management EA, would greatly appreciate help with reshelving books for an hour during the school week.
To sign up as a library helper, click HERE .
Spirit Wear
Rep your favorite elementary school! T-shirts ($15/kid, and $20/adult) and school signs ($10) are available for pre-order now. Email president@sapsamn.org for preorders. Or, look for in-person sales at school events.
For existing orders, shirt pickup is moved back to 10/10, not curriculum night as I initially planned.
Have a great break, Wolf Pack!
If you have suggestions for content or questions about anything in the Wolf Pack Press, please reach out to Joel Van Valin at communications@sapsamn.org
