Bobcat Bulletin Oct. 27, 2024

October 27, 2024

Halloween Reminder:
Holidays provide schools the opportunity to balance maintaining a productive learning environment while acknowledging the festivity of special events. This Thursday is a regular school day at Oak View Middle School. This is a reminder that students are not allowed to wear costumes to school or bring bags of candy for distribution, as these activities cause distraction during the day. Our goal is that students have a productive school day and that they have a fun evening.

November 5: No school - staff development

November 22: End of trimester one

November 25: No School - Teacher Professional Development

November 26: No School - Teacher Grading/Planning day

November 27-29: No school - holiday

December 10: 7 and 8 grade band concert, 6:15p - OVMS

December 12: 7 and 8 grade choir concert, 7:00p - OVMS

2024-25 Middle School Digital Day calendar, etc.

In order to provide greater support for students, Oak View Middle School is excited to offer our Bobcat Den tutoring program again this year. The Bobcat Den is an after-school opportunity that began on Monday, October 21, 2024, and ends on Thursday, May 29, 2025, for students to work on homework, get help from a teacher, or make up tests or assignments after being absent. Students will need to bring all necessary materials when they report for support. The Bobcat Den is open Monday through Thursday from 3:10p to 4:15p in our Media Center. Bobcat Den is not held on conference dates. Staff who support students represent a variety of content areas. Tuesdays and Thursdays there is an after school activity bus that departs Oak View at 5:00p (students are supervised in the Media Center until the bus leaves). Mondays and Wednesdays, students must arrange their own transportation home after the Den (for safety reasons, students will not be allowed to linger in the building after the Den). The purpose of Bobcat Den is to provide a safe, organized place for students to receive additional academic support. Students who are off-task and/or disrupt the opportunity for others will be removed from the Den and may lose the privilege of future participation.

The Anoka-Hennepin School District is administering the annual Student Anti-Bullying survey to a sample of classrooms (not all students in each grade are surveyed) in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10 between October 8th and November 15th. Our school will be conducting the survey on Monday, Nov. 4 during PRIDE (homeroom).

The survey asks students about bullying behaviors they may have experienced or witnessed at school. The results are used to help identify and address areas of concern to make the school environment safe and welcoming for all students.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Cahow, assistant principal, at 763.506.5622.

Order Today!

*Not sure if you've ordered a yearbook?

Call Jostens Customer Service: 1-877-767-5217

*Help us include as many students as possible!

Do you have pictures of Oak View/Andover activities or sporting events?

Share pictures of your Oak View student and their friends for a chance to be in this year's yearbook!

When sharing, please keep in mind:

*All content is reviewed by the yearbook staff. Anything inappropriate will be deleted.

*Don't use photos with filters, logos or hand gestures.

*Screenshots are low resolution and not print quality. They cannot be used.

*Don't use watermarked photos.

Use the QR Code to share photos.

Hey Students!
If you like learning things and have a lot of facts stored in your brain, consider joining Knowledge Bowl! Knowledge Bowl (KB) is a season of academic competitions where students answer questions about history, literature, mathematics, science, current events, and everything in between. We meet Wednesdays in room 309, 3:10p - 4:00p.

It's fun, challenging, and a great opportunity to meet new people who enjoy knowledge competition, as well!

For more information, see Mrs. Clark in Room 309.

• I need to pick my student up during the day, what is the process? Please call the Attendance line at least 1-2 hours in advance or send a note with your student the morning of the appointment. (Attendance, Absences, Early Dismal and Late Arrival policy)
  
• Do I need to come into the building to pick up my student? Yes, a parent/guardian must sign the student out. (Attendance, Absences, Early Dismal and Late Arrival policy)
  
• Do I need my identification to enter the building during the school day? Yes, all visitors/parents/guardians must scan their identification, typically a driver's license, before entering the building.
  
• How do I report if my student is going to be absent, will be picked up early, or arriving late? Please call the attendance office at 763-506-5606. (Attendance, Absences, Early Dismal and Late Arrival policy)
  
• Can I report my student's attendance online? Yes (Directions to report student attendance online)
  
• How do I add money to my student's Lunch Account? (Directions to add money to student lunch account)

The goal of the OVMS cell phone and electronic device policy is to create opportunities for
digital citizenship and use of technology, while maintaining high standards for learning. In
order to promote the most effective learning environment possible, and limit distractions,
cell phones and other personal electronic devices will be powered off and put away from
8:25a to 3:05p. During the school day, staff will provide access to electronic devices needed for any activities or assignments.

Students are not allowed to make phone calls or send text messages from their personal devices. Students will be allowed telephone use in the Main Office during the school day provided they have a signed pass from their classroom teacher. Students will be allowed to have a call placed home for forgotten items.

In the event of an emergency, parents can contact the Main Office to get a message to their student.

Students who have their phones and or other personal devices out during the school day will be directed to put them away. Repeated infractions will result in parent communication and possible school consequences, which may include leaving the device in the office, having a parent pick
up the device, detention, etc.

The current district policy and language can be found in the student handbook (page 45-46).

Our goal is to ensure the safety of all students. In order to do so, we have specific procedures in place for drop-off and pick-up. The student school day is 8:25a-3:05p.

For morning drop off, the doors to the school are open for students at 7:45a to wait in the foyer until the building/hallway doors and cafeteria open at 8:00a. Please do not drop your student off before 7:45a (especially in the upcoming cold months) unless it is prearranged for a club, class or activity. For these scheduled items, the instructor will meet the students for entry at the front entrance per the arrangement.

Due to the large number of vehicles and foot traffic, please understand that the drop-off/pick-up process will take time.

• Please patiently wait in the vehicle line to drop-off/pick-up your children.
• Use the entire curb area, at the main entrance, for pick-up and drop-off. (The first vehicle in line should be almost to the stop sign, not in front of the main entrance.)
  
• Students should exit the passenger side onto the sidewalk.
• Do not cut through the middle of the parking lot.
• Students are not to cross traffic to get to vehicles or out of vehicles. (Do not let your student cross the parking lot.)

Several vehicles are able to pick-up or drop-off students simultaneously when utilizing the whole curb, which speeds up the process for everyone.

MS Parent/Student Technology Resources

For help with your Chromebook, send an email to:

Michele.Dunleavy@ahschools.us and Lisa.Cole@ahschools.us

or call

Michele Dunleavy 763-506-5726 or Lisa Cole 763-506-5639

** Remember to try a Hard Reset before asking for help.

Oak View Middle School would love to have you sign up to volunteer! There are a variety of opportunities throughout the school year, including helping teachers prepare materials for lessons, chaperoning field trips, and preparing popcorn for staff appreciation every other Friday. If you are interested in being notified about these opportunities throughout the year or if you're interested in helping out with a specific activity, please follow the link below to fill in the Volunteer Application and Criminal Record History Release. We're looking forward to working with you to enhance your student's experience at Oak View!

Please direct volunteering questions to Volunteer Services Coordinator, Cindy Roerig at 763-506-5730 or Cindy.Roerig@ahschools.us

Community Education Opportunities for OVMS students after school, evenings and weekends.

• Bobcat Book Club
• Outdoors Skills 101
• Golf Squad
• Pickleball
• Chess
• Introduction to Cricket
• Girls Volleyball Gr 6
• Dungeons & Dragons Crew
• Advanced Archery Gr 6-12
• Strength, Speed and Agility Training
• Fencing

• Bobcat Photo Club: A Year in Review

Please view the district wide Community Education offerings online at

https://ahschools.ce.eleyo.com/

To find your student's bus information follow these step-by-step directions. Contact the transportation department at 763-506-1125 with questions.

Real-time bus information through FirstView app

Anoka-Hennepin families can check where their bus is — live — through a transportation app, called FirstView. The app monitors regular school bus routes in real-time. Best of all, it’s free for parents/guardians and students to use.

This app provides families the necessary information to know when their bus will arrive. Families can also see the anticipated length of any delay, an estimated arrival time and if a substitute is driving the route. Email, push and/or text notifications can inform families of such information instantly.

FirstView can be downloaded from app stores (iTunes app store; Android Google Play store). On-screen directions walk first time users through the easy setup process:

• Choose Minnesota and then Anoka-Hennepin from the dropdown menus.
• Log in with your parent/guardian username and password once directed to A-HConnect (if you’ve forgotten your parent/guardian username or password, please call 763-506-HELP).

The app will then automatically populate your student’s information. It’s that easy!

A number of factors converged in early 2024 that led to the need to reduce district expenditures by $26 million. Anoka-Hennepin acted quickly in the spring to plan a two-phased budget reduction and realignment process.

• Phase 1: $5.1 million in central administration and services were reduced for the 2024-25 budget in an effort to mitigate the impact of additional cuts for the 2025-26 budget.
• Phase 2: The district is currently determining a solution to address a $21 million budget reduction gap. Community meetings were held Sept. 25 - Oct. 10 in combination with a feedback process on two recommendations. A final decision is expected in November.

Factors impacting the district budget: The elimination of federal pandemic relief funds, higher than budgeted employee contract settlements, the impact of inflation on transportation and other operations, limited new revenue from state and federal sources and new requirements without funding support have developed a need to reduce expenditures by $26 million by the 2025-26 school year.
Proposed solutions: Anoka-Hennepin Schools have followed School Board direction to provide a reduction plan that cuts away from the classroom, particularly for the district’s youngest learners. The draft budget solution recommendations impact central services before schools with 53 percent of the reductions taking place at the district office/central services area, and 47 percent impact at the school level. The board is also studying a plan that would make additional central services and administrative cuts but spare reductions in schools allowing community members to decide on that impact through a levy referendum election in the fall of 2025.
Two options have been proposed for School Board consideration:

• Option 1: $21 million total reduction.
• Option 2: Make additional central services/administrative reductions and authorize an operating referendum election in the fall of 2025.

Looking ahead: Following robust community feedback for an initial draft plan, draft proposals are expected to be shared at the Monday, Oct. 29 school board meeting and eventually adopted at the Monday, November 25 school board meeting. This timeline is required ahead of key planning decisions on student registration and staffing decisions prior to the 2025-26 school year.
Provide feedback: School Board expectations provide for a process that encourages robust community and staff input prior to approval of the final recommendation.

• Community meetings were held Sept. 25-Oct. 10.
• View the community meeting held at Coon Rapids High School on Sept. 25, which was live streamed and archived on the district YouTube channel. The same presentation will be given at the following four community meetings.
• Provide your feedback for school board consideration.

Learn more: ahschools.us/budget

Following a formal program review in the spring of 2024, the district will continue exploring opportunities for aligning new courses with state requirements while remaining focused on goals of the district for the 2024-25 school year.

The middle school program will not implement a schedule change from the 7 period day to the 6 period day in the 2025-26 school year based on guidance from the School Board. Regardless, changes in program offerings are required due to changes in state guidance.

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