• Please talk to your child about respectful bathroom behavior. We have found paper towels in the sinks with water running in an attempt to flood the bathroom in the middle school. In the elementary school, items that should not be are being flushed down the toilet. Please remind your child to be respectful of our school.
• Please talk to your child about being a respectful community member. We received a call from the manager at Kowalski's informing us he has received several complaints from customers about our students congregating at the store and not practicing social distancing guidelines. Please remind your child that they are an ambassador for our school. 

School Starts at 8am: 
All doors will lock at 8am. Students arriving after 8am must check in at the front office by entering via Door #1.
Students arriving after 8am will be marked as tardy.

*** Please e-mail nurse@annunciationmsp.org with ALL tardies, absences, appointments, or traveling notices.***

• Wednesday, October 14^th we will be going to Cinema Grill in New Hope.  The bus will leave at 11:00am and will return at 2:30pm. The children DO NOT need to bring a lunch.  We will be having pizza there.  The movie is yet TBD. 
• Thursday, October 15^th we will be going to Skateville in Burnsville.  The bus will leave at 11:15am and will return at 2:30pm.  The children will need to bring a lunch.  They must wear socks and may bring money for snacks/lunch and games.  
• Friday, October 16^th our theme for the day will be Fall Celebration.  The children will be participating in several fun and exciting events/activities dealing with the changing seasons.  The children will need to bring a lunch from home and we will be staying on school grounds. 

Curious about what PSPE (gym class) will look like this year?

Below are some of the Personal, Social, and Physical Education policies Annunciation has adopted with guidance from the CDC, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minnesota Department of Education:

• We will have class outside as much as possible. We have completed a very successful wiffle-ball unit, and are currently in a soccer unit. The students are excited to be outside with their friends running around in the fresh air! Still to come, weather permitting: Ultimate Frisbee, Ultimate Football, bocce ball. 

• We will use individual equipment as much as possible. We are disinfecting shared equipment.

• We have issued a personal scrimmage vest (pinny) to each student, so we can still make teams! Your child will have to remember to:

  • Bring it to every PSPE class.

  • Treat it like a uniform by not altering or decorating it.

  • Periodically launder it. Please look for them in the laundry!

If your child’s lower elementary teacher has agreed to manage his or her class’s pinnies, you may not see them at all!

For the impending cold weather, when we will regularly have class in the gym:

• Students will sanitize hands on the way in and out of the gym.

• We have turned on the air exchanger in the gym. The gym is also the largest indoor space in the school.

• We will play small-sided games. Students who are not playing will maintain social distance.

• We will wear masks whenever possible and reasonable in the gym, including the teacher. When masks are allowed to be off, students will have only incidental contact with each other in games.

Some of the guidelines from the CDC and MDH about in-school Physical Education:

“Face coverings may be temporarily removed when engaging in indoor physical activity (e.g., during recess, after school sports, or when exercising in a gym) where the level of exertion makes wearing a face covering difficult, and during classes or activities held outdoors. People participating in these activities should maintain 6 feet of distance while doing so to the extent feasible.” MDH, 2020-2021Planning Guide for Schools, p. 8

“People who are engaged in high intensity activities, like running, may not be able to wear a mask if it causes difficulty breathing. If unable to wear a mask, consider conducting the activity in a location with greater ventilation and air exchange (for instance, outdoors versus indoors) and where it is possible to maintain physical distance from others." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html

Our activities in the gym will range from the first, second, and third circles in this guide:

Thank you as always for the privilege of helping your kids to enjoy a lifetime of physical activity!

Please email me if you have any questions!

Harry Kaiser
hkaiser@annunciationmsp.org

Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month is celebrated every year from September 15th to October 15th.

Around 20% of the US population is Hispanic, and we use this as a time to honor and remember people in our community and country who have come from Spanish-speaking countries.

At Annunciation, we honor Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month in many different ways! The fourth grade students are creating a collaborative mural that includes famous Hispanic and Latino faces. They are also learning about the contributions those famous people have made to America. Fifth graders are studying the Spanish-speaking countries that Hispanic and Latino people come from. The fifth grade is learning a lot about the geography of Central and South America, as well as the influences they have had on our culture here in America.

Middle school students have been learning about influential Hispanic and Latino people in American history. They have had the opportunity to learn about many people who are often overlooked in history. The middle school students have learned about people like Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, Felicitas Mendez, Jovita Idár, and Sonia Sotomayor. Hispanic Heritage Month gives us time to reflect on the contributions these people have made, as well as time to honor them.
 

• If one of your children is showing one of the more common symptoms or two of the less common symptoms, ALL children must stay home even if other children are feeling fine.  Please notify nurse@annunciationmsp.org for the next steps.
   
• Our school nurse, Christy McFadden, can guide you on helpful testing locations and procedures to get your children safely back to school while keeping everyone else healthy too.

Join PACER Center for a special virtual event with Dr. Bravada Garrett-Akinsanya and PACER’s Children’s Mental Health Project staff on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Dr. Garrett-Akinsanya is a clinical psychologist and nationally recognized expert in mental health, diversity, and multiculturalism. At this free webinar, she will discuss strategies that families and professionals can use to support the emotional wellness of children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following Dr. Akinsanya’s presentation, PACER's Children’s Mental Health Project staff will present a brief session featuring recorded interviews with members of PACER’s Youth Advisory Board on tips and strategies for support at school.

This virtual event is sponsored by PACER’s MN Statewide Family Engagement Center and the Children's Mental Health Project.