Communications
- Mar 29, 2023
- 8 min read

Wolf Pack Press - March 29, 2023

Read on for brief news, as we head into Spring Break!

Upcoming Events

- Friday, March 31 - Spirit Day - Hat Day - Wear a fun hat to school!

- Week of April 3-7 - No School - Spring Break - See you back at school on Monday, April 10th.

Plant Presale Ends Friday

You can order your plants before Spring Break HERE!

Spring Carnival

Our fun spring event continues to take shape! Do you have a special skill, local business, make art, or have something else that you would be willing to donate as a silent auction item? Hooray! Please contact Amy Raddatz at president@sapsamn.org

How else can you help?

Volunteer to contact businesses to ask for silent auction items! This is a flexible way to support the event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044aacaa28abfa7-2023#/

Donate an item to be a prize for the kids' raffle here: https://a.co/gsHqgGX Also, as always, we're looking to conserve resources when possible by using what we already have. If you have any new toys or other items that you think could make a good raffle prize (similar to items on the raffle prize link above), please reach out to president@sapsamn.org

Library Helpers

SAP Library TA Suzanne Gural would greatly appreciate help with reshelving books for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am-noon. Re-acquaint yourself with the Dewey decimal system. Please pick a time slot if you can help keep the books organized for our kiddos. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044AACAA28ABFA7-library1

Dexter's Corner__________

A column by Dexter Jr., the guinea pig

Dexter demonstrating science. **Please use properly fitted safety goggles.

Wheek, wheek, wheek! It's here, it's here--the YUMMIEST time of the year! That's right--what else could I possibly mean? What could be more delicious than the SCIENCE FAIR? I live in the science classroom, so you know I love science. And each year I help some students with their projects, which usually involves me getting lots of healthy treats. Mr. Schrankler, Deena Strohman, and many other parent/community volunteers make it all happen, and the kids do such AMAZING and INTERESTING projects! Thank you and good job, all you humans!

By the way, this year I also did my own experiment, and I have concluded--with impressive statistical certainty--that young humans overwhelmingly like ICEE pops. Have a good end of the WHEEEK!

______________________

Staff Interview: Michele Brinkhaus

Hi, everybody at SAP! I’m Michele Brinkhaus. I am the clerk at St. Anthony Park and I have two friends here today to interview me. I’m so lucky to have Michelle Solomon and Sammy Schroeder, and they are taking just a few minutes out of their time to ask Ms. Michele a few questions. What would be your first question, Sammy?

Sammy: How old are you?

Ms. Michele: I’m very old. Um, we’re not going to share that, but I’m over 50, so I’m getting kind of old, but young at heart.

Michelle: What’s your favorite animal?

Ms. Michele: I had two dogs. One just passed away. But I’d say dogs would be my favorite animal. Do you have any dogs?

Michelle: Um, yes, one.

Sammy: I used to have two cats but they both died.

Ms. Michele: Oh, that’s sad. That’s really hard, isn’t it, when they pass away? Okay, what’s the next question?

Sammy: What is your favorite color? Ms. Michele: Oh, my favorite color ever is yellow. Would you think it’s yellow? Sometimes I wear a lot of yellow. But yellow is my most favorite color, because, you know why? I think it’s really bright and happy.

Michelle: Why do you have these birds and gnomes behind us?

Ms. Michele: That’s a really good question, too. See that little gnome up there, the little one with the red hat?

Sammy and Michelle: Yeah.

Ms. Michele: We got it as a gift for our staff and we played a game with it. I started a game with all the adults called Gnome on the Roam. And so a staff member would get the gnome and then we’d try to guess who had it, like with clues. So then, all of a sudden, I started getting lots of gnomes for gifts! I probably have 15 different gnomes. I have some for winter. I have some for Valentine’s Day. This one is for St. Patrick’s Day. I have spring ones. And I have a bunch of them in the back, because people love to give me gnomes now. Do you like gnomes? I think they’re pretty friendly looking. They’re kind of goofy looking, too. Don’t you think?

Michelle and Sammy: Wow. Yeah. Okay.

Ms. Michele: I just added the birds because I thought the birds were cute for Valentine’s,

Sammy: What is your favorite part about working here at St. Anthony Park?

Ms. Michele: Wow, you guys are really good with the questions! My favorite part is talking to all the people. Do you think I talk a lot? Do you see me talking a lot?

Michelle and Sammy: Mm-hmm.

Ms. Michele: I like to be social. I like to greet people, and say, “Hello!” I love the kids. I like the parents. And, you know what? It’s a very busy job. If you ever see me, I’m on the phone, I’m opening the door, I’m talking to people, and so I’m always busy, and I like being busy.

Michelle: Why did you choose to go to this school?

Ms. Michele: Oh my gosh, for first graders, you two are fabulous, very insightful.

Sammy: Thank you.

Ms. Michele: You know what? I worked at two other St. Paul schools before this school, and I just heard such fabulous things about St. Anthony Park. You guys don’t remember Ms. Jane. She retired two years ago.

Sammy: This is my second year.

Michelle: She retired right before we came.

Ms. Michele: Right. She was the clerk before, and so I started when you guys started, last year, when you were in kindergarten. So this is my second year, too, just like you guys.

Michelle and Sammy: Oh!

Ms. Michele; I just heard really great things about this school. What do you like best about first grade?

Sammy: I think I just like being able to meet new people, and I just like how this school is. I love the people here. It feels good!

Ms. Michele: Yeah, it does feel good.

Michelle: My favorite part about first grade is just that you can spend time with friends. You get to make a new friend. Another part that I like about first grade is that Ms. Cariveau is here.

Ms. Michele: You have really got a special teacher, don’t you?

Sammy: What is your favorite fairy tale creature?

Ms. Michele: Wow, you guys thought about this! I really like Snow White. Is she a fairy tale creature? She kind of is. It’s a fairy tale.

Sammy: Yeah, it’s a fairy tale person. That counts.

Ms. Michele: Which one is your favorite? Sammy: I think my favorite is gnomes and fairies and the Loch Ness Monster.

Ms. Michele: Oh, yeah, goodness.

Michelle: I like gnomes and I’m going to ask you something and then we’ll be done.

[Mr. Budin comes in to ask Ms. Michele a question. She helps him. She is so busy!]

Michelle: Do you like to read books?

Ms. Michele: I love to read books. I bet you guys do, too.

Sammy: Yeah, I have a connection. I have one full closet of books, and a whole bookshelf of books.

Ms. Michele: So how many books did you read for the Read-a-Thon?

Sammy: I read a lot. I forget how many, but it was a lot.

Ms. Michele: So did you fill up the whole page plus more?

Sammy: I definitely read a lot more, but I didn’t fill it up. I just love all the books and where they can take you.

Ms. Michele: Yeah, it’s almost like watching a movie.

Michelle: I think I got 109 minutes.

Ms. Michele: 109 minutes? Whoo!

Sammy: I think I got maybe 1000 minutes.

Ms. Michele: Oh my goodness!

Michelle: Or I might have gotten a couple trillion.

Ms. Michele: What kind of books are your favorite? Sammy: My favorites are Calvin and Hobbes and Jasmine Taguchi.

Ms. Michele: Oh, I’ve never heard of that!

Sammy: One’s a Japanese one, and you’ve probably heard of Calvin and Hobbes.

Ms. Michele: Yes, I’ve heard of Calvin and Hobbes. What do you like to read? Michelle: My favorite books are kind of like animal books. I don’t like the books that, like animals might die.

Ms. Michele: Oh, yes, and that happens.

[The doorbell rings. Ms. Michele lets someone into the office and helps them. See, she really is so busy!]

Michelle: I really don’t like those books. I love just cute animals and stuff. I just love to see and watch animals. I actually love squids, because I have a squid. A pet one.

Ms. Michele: You have a squid? What’s your squid’s name?

Michelle: It’s not a pet squid, it's just a stuffie. My pet squid is purple and that’s why I named him Purple Guy.

Ms. Michele: Very cool. What’s your favorite class or your favorite part of your day?

Sammy: My favorite part of today, I think, was art class. But before I forget, there’s one thing I wanted to say. I also like that this school has a nurse for if you’re not feeling well. It’s just a really good school.

Ms. Michele: Yeah, it’s important because a lot of times, kids don’t feel good.

MIchelle: The main thing I like about today, I just like to spend time with people, especially you, today, and meeting new people.

Ms. Michele: What do we share in common, Michelle? Michelle: Our names.

Ms. Michele: Our names. You’re Michelle with two Ls and I’m Michele with one L. But it’s still the same name, right?

[Someone else needs help from Ms. Michele. She is so busy!]

Ms. Michele: So that’s a wrap, I think! You guys did really good! Do you want to sit here with me for a few minutes and help me work?

Sammy and Michelle: Yeah!

Ms. Michele: Well, we thank Michelle and Sammy, very insightful first graders, I’d say! You really thought about your questions, and I really enjoyed our time.

Michelle and Sammy: Thank you! Me, too!

All: Thank you!

Talent Show

Want to help with the Talent Show? More info coming after break, but get a sneak peek of the sign up HERE.