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Dowling Newsletter - January 24, 2025

Dowling Newsletter - January 24, 2025

Si aad u turjunto Soomaali, Isbaanish ama Hmong, fadlan guji tabka luqadda ee ku yaal geeska midig ee hoose ee bogga. Tani waxay u tarjumi doontaa dhammaan shabakadaha luqadda aad door bidayso.

Para traducir al somalí, español o hmong, haga clic en la pestaña de idioma en la esquina inferior derecha de la página. Esto traducirá todo el sitio web a su idioma preferido.

Dowling Newsletter

Friday, January 24, 2025

FINAL REMINDER: The school request window closes on Friday, January 31st. exploremps.org/ 

From the Principal

The safety and support of students and families is a high priority. Please review the following district information:

  1. Help to ensure that student emergency contact information is updated in Infinite Campus. If you have not updated your school office, please do so immediately so it can be updated on Infinite Campus so that all staff systemwide have the most up-to-date information when responding to a crisis.
  2. HelpMe App: Encourage individuals to use the HelpMe App, which connects them with vital resources and support.
  3. Support for Immigrants and Refugees: Utilize resources from the City of Minneapolis and the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs for students and families. Access the local resource page created by our Office of Latine Achievement (OLA) for Spanish-speaking students and families.

Also as a reminder, if you are coming into school, you will be asked who your student is and this will be checked with our Infinite Campus system. Thank you for your patience as we ensure visitors are connected with a student or part of our volunteer program. 

Dowling Afterschool

Dowling Afterschool Theater Class is putting on a fully student performed, directed, and run Talent Show!

Join us for some amazing performances! 2/4/2025 at 4:30 in the Dowling Auditorium.

flyer by Lowell Peterson 

From the Library Media Center

What Students Are Learning

Students continue to learn about how the library and informational resources can be organized, how to access the online catalog, how to access ebooks and other online resources, how to tell the difference between facts and opinions, how to develop and use criteria for giving awards, and so much more!  Students really enjoyed learning about other forms of reading, like Braille, during this Braille awareness month.  

More Mart Hart Lovelace Books

I received a grant for more Maud Hart Lovelace books for 3rd -5th graders.  Please encourage your student to participate. 

Nonfiction Reading Challenge

After learning about nonfiction books are organized in the library, all 3rd-5th grade students were issued passports for the Dewey Decimal Passport Challenge, which will run until spring break.  Students can record any nonfiction book they read, including reading in the classroom.  The challenge is to read at least 1 book from each of the 10 Dewey sections in the library. Thanks for encouraging students to explore and read nonfiction books. 

Overdue Notices

Overdue notices for books that are overdue by several weeks will soon be sent home.  Please help your child find their book, replace it with another of equal value, or pay the replacement cost.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Mangal:  melina.mangal@mpls.k12.mn.us or through TalkingPoints.  

From the Front Office

Report Cards

Quarter 2 report cards will be available to caregivers for viewing/downloading/printing in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal beginning Thursday, January 30th. Individual report cards will not be printed and sent home. If you have not yet created a portal account, please email the school secretary at brenda.hennen@mpls.k12.mn.us for a link and your Activation Key. 

What are Dowling students up to?

The fifth graders are so kind and patient with my first graders. They really are great role models. This is one of our favorite things to look forward to each week.
 

Students reading together in the classroom

Kindergartners were excited to FINALLY have packable snow to make snowballs and snowpeople. 

Boy playing in the snow

These students were working together to build a shelter for a beanie baby.

From the Social Worker

The Importance of Sleep for Mental Wellbeing

The Mental Health Support Newsletter, Breaking the Stigma, is focused on the importance of sleep and its impacts on our mental health.  To learn more about how you can support positive mental health in your students and family, please read the January edition of the Mental Health Support team’s newsletter:

Please click:

Here for English

Here for Spanish

Here for Somali

Here for Hmong

 

QPAC - new district wide  parent advisory group

"QPAC" is a new Minneapolis Public Schools Parent Advisory Council for the caregivers of LGBTQAI+ students and caregivers who are themselves LGBTQAI+. 

The first meeting will be Monday, February 3rd  from 6 to 8 PM at the Davis Center. Dinner will be provided. Childcare and transportation assistance is available upon request for those who need it. To attend, RSVP by filling out this form: https://forms.office.com/r/b7dj3ijf7g

 

 

Summer Scholars

Registration for Summer Scholars is now open. Please check out the link for information and registration about this great summer opportunity: www.mpschools.org/academics/extended-learning/summer-scholars 

Community Education

Caring, Cards, Cookie and Community! 

Bring your family for indoor fun - Friday February 14, 12-3 PM at Sanford middle school. More information: English, Somali, Spanish

Spring After School Registration - Now Open

Registration for Dowling’s Spring afterschool session is now open! Registration will remain open until January 31st at 12:00pm. Registration information here: minneapolis.ce.eleyo.com/search?redirected_yet=true&sf[category]=129 

The Spring session will run from February 18th-May 14th. Students need to be re-registered for classes even if they were enrolled in them in the Fall/Winter, (e.g. your student attended GEMS/GISE in the Fall/Winter and wants to continue doing GEMS/GISE, they need to be registered again for Spring). 

Neighborhood Forest

It's FREE tree time!  Dowling Elementary is partnering with @Neighborhood Forest to provide free trees for kids to plant during Earth Week 2025. 🌎🌲

Parents/guardians, sign your child up for a free tree by March 15th!  Sign up using this LINK!: https://www.neighborhoodforest.org/parent-registration/?school=444  Trees are set to arrive in time for Earth Day 2025.  We will be in touch with you regarding when you can come pick up your tree! 💙💚#EarthDay2025 

Dowling Wishlist

We are in need of snacks for our various affinity groups. We have a few new groups started. Families can also drop off snacks purchased from other vendors in the office. Marisa has a storage space for them. Thanks!

www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/14PSR0XTC8HAL?ref_=wl_share 

MPLS Kids Jrs is back!

MLPS Kids Jr is returning to Dowling for the 2025-2026 school year if enough students enroll! Enrollment opens on January 31st. Please check out this informational flier to learn more and please feel free to share with others in the community!

Community Opportunities

Winter and Summer Articulture class information

University of Minnesota Talented Youth Mathematics Program

Grades K-3 Winter Woodland Adventure, February 3.

Report Card Update- Science

Teachers will be working on report cards tomorrow, Jan. 24 during the grading day. It was recently discovered that the science units currently being taught at some of the grade levels do not match what the district generated report card states. Please know we are teaching science but we may not be able to accurately represent the unit grades at this time. Teachers will communicate more in their specific families.

From the Health Office - Repeat

As you’ve likely heard in the news, cases of norovirus are trending upward nationwide.  We are tracking ill calls and Health Office visits and, at this time, we are not seeing unusual numbers of stomach illnesses.  We will continue to track this and will be in communication with MPS Health Services as needed.  Information: 

'Norovirus' refers to a group of viruses that can cause GI illness.  The virus is present in the stool or vomit of an infected person.  If that person does not adequately wash their hands after using the bathroom, the virus spreads to common surfaces or food and is then picked up by others on their hands and transferred to their mouth. 

Symptoms:  most common - stomach cramping, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Less common are low-grade fever, chills, aches.  Symptoms typically last 1-2 days.  Note that the only way to definitively know that a person has norovirus is for a provider to check a stool sample.  Most providers diagnose norovirus based on symptoms. 

PREVENTION:  *Handwashing is the key*.  Washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom and before eating is the most effective strategy.  Hand sanitizer has not been proven as effective as handwashing for this group of viruses.  Please talk to your child about the importance of handwashing and practice at home! 

Treatment:  there is no specific treatment for norovirus.  Treating symptoms and taking adequate fluids is important. Some providers may recommend anti-diarrheal or anti-nausea medication, but this should be given only after consulting with your provider. 

Need more info?  Links:

https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/norovirus/noro.html

https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/index.html 

Questions? Call the Health Office – Roxanne Truen, RN, LSN at 612-668-4416 or Adrienne Bisping, LPN at 612-668-4415.

From the PTO

Next PTO Meeting and No School Days Coming Up

Monday 2/10/2025 6:30-7:30pm and will be by Google Meet. Here is the link and connection information:

meet.google.com/ohv-sphv-oak

Phone Numbers(US)+1 678-653-1972 PIN: 871 538 047#

Looking forward to seeing you there!

 There will be no school 2/14 (family-teacher conferences), 2/17 (Presidents’ Day) and 2/28 (professional development).

 Winter Get Outdoors

Please join us February 1, 2025 1-3pm for our next PTO sponsored event. We will meet on the school grounds outside the Ag building for a variety of fun winter activities, hot cocoa and roasted marshmallows. What activities we will do that day depends on if we have snow, and how much, but will likely include bird watching, a scavenger hunt, exploring/playing in the woods, enjoying warm campfires, roasting marshmallows and a craft. Please dress for the weather, bring your own water bottle and, if you can, a reusable mug for hot cocoa. This is not a drop off event.

We will need volunteers to pull this event off so please check out the sign up with link below: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DA9AA2BA0F4CF8-54585887-winter

Save the Date(s)! 2025 Spring Events

Please mark your calendar for these fun PTO events in 2025. We are seeking volunteers to help plan these events, and of course, additional volunteers to run them. Please email board@dowlingpto.org if you are interested in volunteering to help organize these events.

Friday, March 21, 2025 (evening) - Dowling School Dance Thursday, May 29, 2024 (afterschool) - Carnival

Read-A-Thon!

Our annual read-a-thon kickoff will be on February 7th! The read-a-thon is the Dowling PTO's largest fundraiser, generating 2/3 of the annual PTO budget. This is a school-wide event with experiential prizes for meeting reading minute goals. Look for envelopes coming home with your student/s and help them track minutes they read at home. All reading counts– novels, picture books, graphics novels, audiobooks, read-a-louds– include it all and help reach our school goal!

Fridays “Stay to Play Time on the Ramps” from 4:05-5:00 p.m.

Continue to stay after school on Fridays to play on the Ramps Playground, connect with old friends, and make some new friends. Our continuing gratitude for parent Katie Murray, who is coordinating again this year!

MembershipToolkit - AKA the way to find your kids’ friends!

Please register or update your profile now to connect with the families who are in your child’s class. Last year’s directory was wiped at the end of August for data management purposes, so your previous information does not carry over. The district cannot release any personal information, so registering for school does not include you in the school directory. Membership Toolkit allows you to be included in the directory as well as receive important messages and updates from the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) over the summer for informal meet ups and start of school opportunities. Please let us know if you have questions or concerns.

Register here: https://dowlingpto.membershiptoolkit.com