Cedar Island Elementary

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April 30, 2008

Dear Parents:

I realize that parents are eager for information about the changes that will be take place with the new ‘campus’ model. The following is meant to give parents information regarding plans for the new PreK-3 school at Cedar Island.

Bell Times

Cedar Island will start at 9:30 AM for the 2008-2009 School Year. The school day will end at 4 PM. If your child rides the school bus, approximate drop off time at Cedar Island will be 9:20 am. Bus route pick up times will be communicated to parents in the summer. Please note that this is 50 minutes later than our start time for the current school year. Families need to plan for this change. One option for our families at both campuses will be Kidstop. See below for more information.

One of the decisions that the Board of Education made regarding the budget for next year was to maintain the one-mile walk distance for K -12 students. The bell times and bus tier structure recommended by our Transportation Department for next year maintains that service for students, as well as meeting the following criteria:

• Our decision must have the lowest negative impact on the smallest number of students.
• Our restructure and design must meet our budget reduction goal of approximately $460,000.
• The design must insure on-time reliability of buses to preserve instructional time.

The plan created to facilitate this change is a 4 tier system.

(Red text denotes a change from the current schedule)

KidStop

Kidstop is a quality, year-round, school-age care program offered for kindergarten-6th graders to meet the childcare needs of parents in Independent School District 279. Kidstop functions as an extension of the elementary school day. For more information about this before and after care program for children, call 763-391-7120.

Capital Improvements

I have had a few parents ask if the school district is still considering putting a road between Cedar Island and Oak View. This possibility had been mentioned as a way to move buses between the campuses. This plan is no longer being considered, however the school board approved the Capital budget for next year that includes a project to improve the parking lot at our school. School district officials and city engineers are currently studying our parking lot to look for ways to make traffic flow more efficiently.

District-wide “Spring to Fall Transitions Joint Work Group”

Osseo Area Schools has put together a District-wide “Spring to Fall Transitions Joint Work Group”. The purpose is to provide stakeholders an opportunity to give input to the many transitions that are being made throughout the district.

This group will be holding a meeting at Zanewood Elementary School on Wednesday, April 30 from 6:30 PM to 8 PM. Zanewood Elementary School is located at 7000 Zane Avenue North in Brooklyn Park. They have an open invitation to parents and staff who would like to provide input and suggestions. There will be additional opportunities in May for more family/staff input.

There is a Transition Plan Updates link on the right side of the district website. This page will be updated by the Transition Leadership Team with information specific to transitions and logistics. You can also use this URL to get to the specific page: http://www.district279.org/DistrictNews/Archive/2008/042308_TransitionPlans.cfm

Early Childhood Programs

Early childhood programs will be coming to Cedar Island for the 2008-09 School Year. Both Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) are locating programs at Cedar Island. One ECFE program coming to Cedar Island is More For 3 and 4’s. This is a pre-school type of environment. This program provides developmentally appropriate activities to stimulate physical, social and emotional development. For more information, call (763)391-8764.

Another program that will be located at Cedar Island will be the Four Star Express program. This is a kindergarten readiness program for four year olds. Four Star Express is open from 6:30 AM to 6 PM and is available to children the year before entering kindergarten. Contact Community Education for more information on this option for four year olds. For more information call (763)391-7120.

As we continue to move forward with planning for a successful 2008-09 School Year, families are welcome to call with questions/concerns.

Sincerely,

Daniel Wald, Principal

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