"Reading Around the World"

Our 'opening ceremony' for I Love to Read Month was held this afternoon, kicking off a month-long celebration that will focus on reading. In combination with the upcoming Olympic Winter games, each classroom at Falcon Ridge was assigned a country that they will be learning a little more about in the weeks to come. Each classroom had a student enter the gym with a flag representing their country. Our 5th grade band played the Olympic theme as the students entered, and our reading specialist, Ms. Anderson read the Olympic Creed-a poem to help inspire students to read. All in all it was a great way to kick the month off!

NPAS Spelling Bee

This past Saturday, our district spelling be was held, and Falcon Ridge was well-represented by 19 students. In the end, only one Falcon Ridge student would eligible to move on to the regional competition on Tuesday, February 18 at South Central College in North Mankato. Congratulations to Manjiri Palayekar, who edged out Matthew Cherro to take first place. After 37 grueling rounds, she won by spelling the word 'postponable' correctly. The winner of the regional competition will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.D. during Bee Week, May 25-31, 2014.

Family Fun Night

Check out the pictures from our recent Family Fun Night held right here at Falcon Ridge. The building was packed with children of all ages, along with plenty of exciting activities to keep everyone on the move. We had plenty of pizza and snacks on hand as well-all in all, a very good time was had!

4th ANNUAL CREATIVITY HELPS HUNGER

Falcon Ridge fourth graders will proudly host a soup night on Thursday, February 13, from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Falcon Ridge Elementary School. This night will help raise money for the Peace Center food shelf. At the event, handmade bowls created by students will be on sale for $5 per bowl. In addition, a soup dinner will be available for a separate cost of $5 per person; it will include your choice of Broccoli Cheese, Chicken Wild Rice, or Chicken Noodle soup, crackers, and lemonade. Silent auction items will be on display and available for bidding at the event – including art by local artists and gifts from local businesses. Over the past three years we have raised over $4,300. Please join us and help fight local hunger!

Preschool Open House and Registration for 2014 Coming Soon!!

Expectations for children entering kindergarten are increasing and preschool is becoming an important part of a child's school preparation.  A quality preschool experience can provide the foundation for your child's future social and academic success. The New Prague Area School District offers preschool classes for three, four, and five year olds at three locations.  Traditional two or three days a week classes are held at the Central Education Campus and the Early Childhood Center in New Prague and at Eagle View Elementary School in New Market.  PM Preschool is a unique evening preschool.  Children attend one night a week.

The classrooms are fun, busy places for learning and being with others.  Licensed Early Childhood Teachers use the OWL curriculum (Opening the World of Learning) to focus on the language, literacy, and math skills that children need prior to kindergarten entrance.  Curriculum is aligned with MN Early Learning Standards.

Preschool Open Houses:  Come and check it out!

Central Education Campus     PM Preschool             PM Preschool           Early Childhood Center   Eagle View   

420 Central Ave N                  420 Central Ave N     25600 Nevada Ave    1234 Columbus Ave        25600 Nevada Ave

New Prague                            New Prague               Elko New Market       New Prague                   Elko New Market

Thurs Jan 30                            Mon Jan 27                Tue Jan 28                 Thurs Jan 30                   Thurs Jan 30

6:00-7:30 pm                          5:30-6:30 pm              5:30-6:30 pm              6:00-7:30 pm                  6:00-7:30 pm

New Preschool Choice Class at Eagle View Elementary

Tuesday/Thursday extended day preschool from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is an option to add AM and/or PM Kids' Company to these days.  Kids' Company is the district's school-age, child-care program. 

All children who are preschool eligible will receive a preschool brochure by mail in January.  Register early as classes fill quickly.  New Prague Area Schools can offer preschool scholarships to eligible children ages four and five.  Please call 952-758-1670 for more information.

Family Fun Night

Falcon Ridge Elementary will be hosting a Family Fun Night this Thursday from 5-7 p.m. All of our students and families are welcome and encouraged to attend! We have planned a night full of activities for kids of all ages. There will be math bingo, face painting, a book exchange, scooter racing, science alley, Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), free popcorn, snowflake making/coloring, inflatables with an obstacle course, and pizza available for purchase. It is sure to be a nice escape from the cold weather and a great time for your entire family!

Zones of Regulation

See teachers Mrs. Zweber and Mrs. Wolf working with students from Mrs. Kluegel and Mrs. Maier's room discussing the Zones of Regulation. Z.O.R. is a behavioral approach that helps students to correlate their behavior to one of four colored zones. The idea is that students are better able to independently regulate their activity level and decision-making through learning a series of self-monitoring steps. This idea is not just taking place in 5th grade at Falcon Ridge, but in other pockets of the building as well. Great work everyone!

Congratulations Falcon Ridge Spelling Bee finalists!

Congratulations to the students listed below who will be competing for a chance to represent Falcon Ridge at the Regional Spelling Bee in Mankato.  The New Prague School local Bee is Saturday, January 25, 10:00 a.m., at the New Prague High School Lecture Hall. Come cheer on the Falcon Ridge participants!

Best of luck to: Drew Otteson, Billy Simon, Matthew Zweber Melissa Daniel, Matthew Cherro, Tori Moe, Aaron Foss, Keelie Buesgens, Hannah Jensen, Manjiri Palayekar, Sophia de Jong, Riley Goldberg, Ryan Hunter, Simon Mathiowetz, Stephen Whipple, Hunter Mork, Jazmine Hamm, Carly Gothberg,  Anna Schoenbauer, Trace Mayer,  Sklyar Meyer, Grant Spencer, and Sam McDougall!

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Science Fair Information-UPDATE

Our annual district-wide Science Fair is just around the corner and will be held at noon on March 1, at the New Prague Middle School. The Elementary Science Fair Kickoff Meeting for 4th-6th Graders has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 14, 7 p.m. at Falcon Ridge's Multi Purpose Gym. Packets are available in school offices if you would like to start sooner. The kickoff will have information available to pick up, an explanation of what the science fair entails, and a display board can be purchased for $4. It will be informative and a great way to start your project! The Help Session scheduled for Falcon Ridge Elementary on January 14 from 4-5 p.m. will still take place. Please sign up to participate in the science fair and help sessions on the community education website.