Welcome Back To School!

Welcome to Hamline Elementary School and the 2021-22 school year! Whether you are joining our community for the first time or are already a part of our community, we are glad that you are here and honored that you chose Hamline as your partner in your child’s education. Starting a new year can be exciting as well as filled with lots of other emotions. If you are sending your little one for the first time we want you to know that our newest Huskies will be well loved and cared for.

I know we had all hoped to start a new in-person school year without COVID 19 restrictions, however due to the current reality and the challenges we continue to face with Covid 19, we will be following district guidelines that are based upon the MDH and CDC recommendations. Our first priority must always be to keep everyone safe.

Our experience with in-person school last year has taught us a lot about how to make this work. We have our plans in place and are ready to offer a safe and welcoming in-person learning environment to all our students and families. It has been a year of challenges, but also of growth, and we are confident, that in partnership with you, we will make this school year a great success. A place where students are connected to their learning community academically as well as socially.

Please make sure to read below to find out more information about Open House, SPPS Safety Plan, and all the ins and outs of Hamline. If you have questions, ideas or concerns please know I am here to listen and respond. I can't wait to see all of you at Open House on Thursday, September 2nd from 4:00-6:00pm.

In Partnership,

Principal Reilly

The health and safety of our students and staff remain our top priority. Updated COVID-19 guidelines will be in place for the 2021-22 school year. Protocols will include a mask requirement for all students and staff ages 2 and up regardless of vaccination status, daily cleaning and disinfecting of buildings, improved ventilation systems and maintenance, frequent handwashing, assigned seating and cohorting of students, contact tracing, exclusion of sick students and staff from school, and promotion of COVID-19 vaccination and testing. For more information go to https://www.spps.org/safelearningplan

All students receive a free breakfast at school, served daily from 7:15 to 7:40 a.m. through the Breakfast to Go program. As students arrive at school, they can grab their breakfast and eat in class. Hot and cold breakfast options are available. Students interested in eating breakfast will walk through the cafeteria breakfast line to pick up their food. For the 2021-2022 school year, breakfast and lunch will be free for all students. Students who bring lunch from home can also get a meal from the cafeteria. Students must pick 3 items (such as a fruit, vegetable and milk) to count as a free lunch.

We need your help! Please go to https://www.schoolcafe.com/spps to complete an Application for Educational benefits. The number of applications we get filled out, even if you do not qualify for free and reduced lunch, helps us with how much educational funding our school receives. There are many other benefits for families who qualify for free or reduced eligibility. Paper applications are available at school. If you need help please reach out. We want 100% of families filling this out.

One Stop SPPS uses Blackboard Connect to alert families about important school news and information, through email, phone and text. If you need to update your phone number, email and or other contact information, please contact Karen Azen, our school clerk, or through Campus Portal. For more details, and to update your contact information, visit spps.org/onestop.

Please go to https://www.spps.org/Page/262 to see the 2021-2022 school calendar.

The SPPS Online School is a new, no cost, online school that will serve K-12 students who prefer to learn virtually due to COVID-19 or other factors that make online school the best choice for their learning needs. Grades K-8 are an expansion of the online high school that was announced earlier this year.

Students enrolled for the fall semester will only be enrolled in the SPPS Online School and not in their current school. Requests to transfer to an in-person school will be reviewed for the next quarter or semester and based on openings. Students requesting a return to in-person instruction during the 2021-22 school year are not guaranteed enrollment at a specific school. Every effort will be made to return those students to their previous enrollment for the 2022-23 school year.

To find out more information and to enroll go to https://www.spps.org/onlineschool