Reading Room

As a charter public school, Lakes International must meet the same requirements as all public schools in the state as well as additional requirements particular to charter schools. This means we administer state tests for core subject areas, including reading, writing and math, just as you would expect in any of the public schools. We also test for proficiency in Spanish.

Like all Minnesota public schools, Lakes International offers services to students that qualify for Special Ed. We contract with a Special Ed instructor on an as-needed basis, in compliance with Minnesota law.

Our aim is to keep class sizes down so that we can give all children the attention they need. In addition, the IB PYP curriculum fosters differentiation and encourages accelerated learning opportunities that adapt well to G&T students. (In fact, some schools in Canada have chosen the IB PYP for this very reason.) The Spanish-immersion component provides a highly engaging facet for all students. We have assembled a highly capable group of teachers that will place a high priority on developing appropriate instruction approaches for their students.

The staff directory provides a biographical sketch of each of our staff members. Some of the criteria used to select Lakes International staff include:

Starting with the first week of school, you should receive a weekly newsletter from your child’s teacher, concerning classroom schedules and activities. We also encourage an open flow of communication between teacher and parent, such as e-mail, phone conversations or classroom meetings. Parent-teacher conferences will also be scheduled during the school year.

Small class sizes are one of our charter objectives. Currently, our target limits for classes are as follows:

The nature of immersion education makes it difficult for new students to enter the program in later years, say 3rd or 4th grade. Their classmates will be speaking Spanish with considerable proficiency by then; the new students must play catch-up. So, immersion classes rarely increase in pupils once a group starts. For this reason, immersion schools often plan for limited attrition—students moving away or leaving the school—by allowing a slight bump up in enrollment in the early grades.

Tell your child why you’re so excited that s/he will be attending this school. Meet other families and join the PTO. Children adapt amazingly well to new environments (even the ones who start out rather skeptical)!

For families, this conference gives parents and students a chance to meet individually with the child’s teacher, get an overview of the curriculum, ask questions, and tell the teacher a little about the child and family. This meeting time will allow the child to meet his/her teacher, thereby removing a large “unknown.” For the school, the bienvenidos conference is a chance to get to know the student, open the lines of communication, let parents know how they can help their children, suggest how parents can help the teacher and school to benefit their children, and describe what events they can expect through the year. These conferences, common at charter and immersion schools, also give Mr. Hedlund a better idea of the numbers of families that are firmly committed to having their children attend Lakes International. Children whose families do not attend a bienvenidos conference without contacting the school will be removed from the enrollment roster and replaced by children on the waiting list.

Bienvenidos conferences are held at the school, located at 246 11th Avenue SE in Forest Lake.

At least one parent/guardian must attend the conference with the child. Both parents are strongly encouraged to attend.

Children whose families do not attend a bienvenidos conference without contacting the school will be removed from the enrollment roster and replaced by children on the waiting list.

Yes, hot lunch is available. We contract food services from Forest Lake School District #831.

We work with a licensed school nurse on a consultant basis to ensure our procedures follow state safety guidelines. We lso have someone designated as a health aide onsite who is trained in First Aid and CPR.

Yes, however, the Board of Directors has decided against a school uniform policy.

A parent survey in the Spring of 2006, which yielded a low response rate, demonstrated many parents were indifferent on the subject. Of those who responded to the survey, an overwhelming majority expressed uncertainty regarding whether they would remove their children from Lakes International if uniforms became standard.

Board members were not prepared to support a major policy shift regarding school dress code at this time, especially at the risk of losing students already progressing in the Spanish program. Many members commented that they also felt strongly that school uniforms were incongruous with the overall mission and vision of the school in combination with the PYP program.

Lakes International Students are picked up and dropped off on the same route with the junior/senior high school students, along with the children attending St. Peter’s and the public Montessori school. A shuttle from the junior high school brings students to Lakes International, and delivers them back to the senior high school in the afternoon. This is not a new idea—St. Peter’s Elementary School has successfully contracted busing service with Forest Lake ISD #831 for more than thirty years.

We are very pleased that you have shown interest in Spanish immersion and filled out enrollment materials. Perhaps you filled out registration materials to hold a slot for your child, even before you were firmly committed. We ask that you now make a decision. If you decide not to enroll your child at Lakes International, please let us know immediately so we may confirm another student for this fall.

We’re all lucky that Lakes International has opened in the north Metro in time for our children to attend. This charter school was inspired and developed by parents; all of the current board members plan to enroll their children in the school (we’re subject to the same waiting lists as you are, of course). We hope for many of the same things you do for your children. We’re doing our best to create an exceptional learning environment for your children and ours. We expect that this commitment to education will generate more and more enrollment applications, just as other immersion schools have experienced. All immersion schools in the Metro area have waiting lists to get in. Highland Park in St. Paul, currently the only authorized IB PYP school in the Midwest, is now experiencing a flood of interest, too. Your family was in the right place at the right time to enroll your child in a public school that offers both Spanish immersion and the IB PYP curriculum—without tuition!

Most of our students will be riding Forest Lake school buses. This means that we will be following the Forest Lake Area School District #831 calendar, including the all-day-every-other-day schedule for kindergarten. Kindergarten students will attend Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and every other Friday.

Although we are currently unable to provide a tuition-free all-day-every-day option, in the Fall of 2007 we are offering Amiguitos. This is a fee-based program which runs alternate to Kindergarten days. Contact the main office at 651.464.0771 for enrollment information.

Like the Forest Lake Area School District, we accept early entrants under certain circumstances. For example, an early entrant must pass a readiness test, which is paid for by you. Mr. Hedlund, the school director, will make the final decision on a case-by-case basis.

Although it’s possible to hold a child back a grade, Mr. Hedlund prefers to review each request individually. Lakes International will retain a student at a particular grade level only after a meeting with you and the previous school to determine the educational appropriateness of such an action.

LILA, an independent public charter school, opened just three years ago with 177 students in grades K-4. A fifth grade was added for 2005-06 and enrollment increased to 283. Going forward, the school offers Kindergarten through sixth grade and enrollment is projected to eventually hit at or about 550-the size of a typical Minnesota K-6 public school.

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What kinds of volunteer opportunities do parents have at the school?

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Is the PTO a good group to join?

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Why is the PTO asking parents for money?

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Who are language ambassadors?

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