News and events

August 13, 2024

It’s August....and that means school is right around the corner! We are busy preparing for the arrival of all our students. It is our sincere wish that you have a fantastic school year. Please read and review this entire email for important information! This information is up-to-date as of Tuesday, August 13 and covers general information regarding the school year.

Please save this newsletter for future reference!

We invite all students and parents to meet the teachers on Wednesday, August 28th, 4:30 to 6:00 PM. We encourage those of you whose last names begin with A-L to visit from 4:30-5:15 and M-Z to come from 5:15-6:00 to better accommodate parking and to ease congestion around the school. (We rotate times each year.) Maps of the building will be available at both entrances. At our Open House, we hope you’re able to do the following:

· Meet your child’s teacher: Please know that many of our teachers prefer to wait until students arrive to arrange/set-up their room, so the students can be part of the process. This encourages ownership and a place of belonging in their classroom.

· Pick up a packet of information for your child in his/her classroom, then read, sign and return the necessary forms

· Bring your child’s classroom supplies to place them in your child’s desk/classroom: Kindergarten students can wait until their meet and greet with your teacher on Sept. 3 or Sept. 4 to bring school supplies.

· Stop by our health office to drop off medications and discuss any student health concerns you may have (especially allergies we need to know about)

· Stop by our M154 to sign up for conferences online: You can also do this online whenever/wherever you’d like beginning Monday, August 26! Instructions will be available that night as well as sent home with students. Our fall conferences dates are Monday, October 7, and Thursday, October 10. Once you know your child’s teacher’s name on August 26, click here to sign up for conferences for your student.

· Deposit money into your child’s lunch account: Breakfasts and lunches are free for all students this school year. More information is outlined in the Lunch Information section of this email. A la carte items such as cartons of milk will have a nominal charge.

· Visit our tables in the main hallway: Sign up for volunteer opportunities, meet the PTO board members, learn about this year’s fundraiser and enter the drawing to win prizes!

· Complete your volunteer information. We have an online application that needs to be completed each year to be able to volunteer at Oxbow Creek. We’ll have numerous computers available that evening for you to complete the volunteer application. Typically, we have many volunteer needs, some of which occur the first month of school. All parents, grandparents, and other relatives are welcome and need to complete volunteer applications each year. Please complete one even if you don’t think you will have time to volunteer, as many parents decide to attend a field trip during the year. A more detailed email outlining the volunteer process will be forthcoming.

Oxbow Creek staff members are extremely busy preparing for the start of the school year, so please limit visits to Oxbow Creek to our designated Open House on Wednesday, August 28 from 4:30 - 6:00pm.

All families have been assigned an AHConnect account, which allows you to get school information online including student absence submission, teacher assignment, emergency contacts, back-to-school information verification, student report cards, and meal account information. Continuing this school year, you will need to login to AH Connect to view report cards. They will no longer be mailed. If you do not know your login or password, please call the helpline at 763-506-4357 or email them at 506HELP@ahschools.us for assistance.

To find out your child’s homeroom teacher, log on to your AHConnect account on Monday, August 26th. Teacher information can be found in the My Student Information icon in AHConnect. Pull down on the School Information drop down list to find Student Information to access your student's teacher information. Staff members will also be on hand to provide homeroom teacher information in the gym during Open House on Wednesday, August 28.

In order to facilitate a smooth start for our youngest learners, a tiered start to the school year for all kindergarten students has been planned.

Tuesday, Sept. 3 or Wednesday, Sept. 4: “Meet & Greets” These meetings will be scheduled in 30-minute time slots and will be offered on Tuesday, September 3 and Wednesday, September 4. It is preferred that meetings are held in person to ensure the most productivity in getting to know you and your kindergarten student. Your student will only attend school during these two days for the 30 minute conference. An email will be sent to Kindergarten families on Monday, August 26 with a link to sign up for a meet and greet time slot.

Thursday, Sept. 5 or Friday, Sept. 6: “Welcome Week” Half of our kindergarten students will attend school on Thursday, Sept. 5 and the other half of the students will attend school on Friday, Sept. 6. A letter stating which day your Kindergarten student should attend was mailed earlier this week.

All kindergarten students attend school as expected beginning Monday, September 9. All Kindergartners should wear their name tags (distributed at Open House) for the first few weeks of school.

Starting Sept. 3, 2024, every student may receive one breakfast and one lunch daily at no cost during the school year. The state’s Free School Meals program will cover the cost of one breakfast meal and one lunch meal for every student daily, however the cost of a la carte items, such as milk, other drinks, or extra meal items will not be covered. Students will need to have funds in their meal accounts to purchase any additional food items.

In alignment with our district's wellness policy, students may not bring gum, candy, or pop for daily snacks or for lunch. Due to the increasing number of students with food allergies, some snacks may also be restricted. Our policy encourages healthy treats such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, and crackers. Any classroom treats should be commercially prepared. We encourage you to think about healthy alternatives to cupcakes, cookies, and other unhealthy treats for occasions like birthdays or class celebrations.

If your family needs access to any other educational benefits available to your student, please visit ahschools.us/freereduced to complete an application. The enrollment window for the 2024 Applications for Educational Benefits begins Aug. 1, 2024.

Anoka-Hennepin asks that all families complete an online application to provide additional school funding to support all students in the district. By filling out this application, your school can earn funding and you can save money.

Educational benefits include:

• Athletics fees: Eligible students may qualify for fees to be waived or reduced.
• SAT, ACT, AP Fees: Students may be eligible for discounted fees for academic tests and some lab fees.
• Other high school activities: Students may qualify for discounts on speech, debate, theater, band and others.
• Additional benefits and cost savings: Chromebook device protection, Comcast Internet Essentials discount, Amazon Prime membership discounts, discounted bus fares with Metro Transit, Xcel Energy account assistance, discounts at museums and theaters.

You can find the school menus at https://www.schoolcafe.com/anokahennepin. You can view menus as a guest or create an account.

If you have further questions or concerns about school lunch here at Oxbow Creek, please contact the Child Nutrition department at 763-506-1240.

Students are expected to be in school each day. Attendance is taken in the classroom at the 9:30AM bell. If for some reason your child will be absent or tardy, you must notify us. Our 24-hour attendance line number is 763-506-3806. Please also note that calls should not be made to the main office or the teacher for student absences. If you know your child is going to be absent for an extended period of time, please call the absence line in advance. It is extremely important to call the ATTENDANCE LINE before 9:20 AM each day your child is absent. Please do not leave early dismissal information on the attendance line.

Absence notifications can also be submitted electronically through your AHConnect account. If we do not receive an absence notification from you, an automated phone call, email or text will be sent to verify the absence. If we are unable to contact anyone, the absence will be considered “unexcused” until the reason is verified. Three or more unexcused absences in a school year requires us to start a process for reporting student truancy to the state. Letters will also be sent throughout the year for excessive number of excused absences, tardy or early outs. Please refer to the school district policy handbook for further information regarding school attendance.

Any medication to be administered at school must be accompanied with a completed health service request form. This form is also located on the district website. Please have your physician complete the form and include a parent /guardian signature. All medications must be delivered to the health office personally by a parent/guardian. This can be done at Open House. Children should never be in possession of medications while at school.

Please be aware that the school district does not provide any type of health or accident insurance for injuries incurred by your child at school. If you need or would be interested in this sort of coverage, please visit www.1stAgency.com.

Oxbow Creek students will be allowed in the building at 9:15 each day (9:10 for those who eat breakfast here). Whether your child walks, bikes, or is driven to school, please do not have them arrive earlier, as there is no outside adult supervision prior to 9:15! Classes start promptly at 9:30. Dismissal begins at 4:00, with our youngest students being released first. If you pick your child up, please do so before 4:10, as that is when our outside supervision ends.

The only place to safely cross 109th Avenue on the way to Oxbow is at the pedestrian light between Idaho Ave. and Brittany Drive. Please don’t allow any kids to cross that busy road anywhere else! When crossing Zane/Douglas, please do so only at the stop lights at 109th or Oxbow Creek Drive. For homes behind Oxbow, walkers must use the walking path. We strongly encourage families to coordinate “walking school buses” from your neighborhood, or use the free busing service offered by the district. It’s the safest way to transport your child to school!

If you plan on dropping off and/or picking up your child, please use extreme caution in the front parking lot. Only let children exit or enter your car curbside. Also, only allow them to cross the drop-off lane at the marked crosswalk. If you park in the lot, please meet your child at the front of the school in the designated area and escort them to your car. Staff will be outside to assist with traffic flow and pedestrian safety during arrival (9:15-9:30) and dismissal (3:58-4:10).

All school staff will be greeting and directing students to their classrooms at all entrances the first couple days of school. Staff will meet the buses as they arrive to direct those students. Walkers and students who are dropped off at school will assemble outside the main entrance, where staff will also provide direction.

If you need to change your child’s dismissal plan on any given day, you must contact the office no later than 3 PM. Any child leaving early must be signed out by the adult picking up. If another family member will be picking up your child, please call the office staff to let us know. Any individual picking up a student must have a picture ID.

The list of school supplies needed for each student was emailed to all families in June. Lists are available in the school office, at many local retailers or on our website. Please label your student’s supplies when possible!

If you are buying school supplies for your children in kindergarten through 12th grade, you may qualify for tax relief programs available through the MN Department of Revenue. Find out more information here – Child's Education Expenses.

Weather permitting (above -10°F wind chill), students will go outside for recess each day. Students are expected to dress appropriately for the season. We encourage you to check the weather and monitor your child’s outfit accordingly. Labeling clothing also helps lessen the number of items in our Lost and Found bins!

All personal electronic devices are prohibited at school. Cell phones and electronic watches may be brought to school with permission from a parent. However, phones and electronic watches must not be used during the school day. Phones must remain off and in a backpack/locker during the school day. Any such devices out during the day may be confiscated and returned to a parent/guardian. We assume no responsibility for lost or stolen items such as these.

Oxbow Creek utilizes a compass room to help students get back on track if they are in need of additional support during their day. The compass room may be used for students for any of the following situations:

· work completion,

· a quiet place to cool down or take a short break,

· conflict resolution /problem solving, or

· a place for positive reinforcement.

It is staffed by a paraeducator and supported by our school social workers.

Unfortunately, we have bins at school that are often overflowing with clothing left behind by students. Please label your child’s clothing and check the bins often! Three or four times a year we clear them out and send the clothes to a charitable organization.

We strongly encourage you to actively participate in our PTO. It’s a great organization that is vital to our success. We hope to be very responsive to the needs, concerns, and interests of our parents - so please join us in this worthwhile endeavor. An informational newsletter will be sent home each month.

This year’s executive board is as follows:

President: Sarah Gatica

President-Elect: Jenni Bremer

Secretary: Missy Reichert

Treasurer: Mara Niedermayer

Members-at-Large: Jessica Ploehn, Dan Powers, Megan VanHouten, Negin Emami-Simones, Kelli Kellerhals

If you have any questions or want further information about the PTO and its projects, please feel free to contact the PTO at oxbowcreekpto@gmail.com.

We prepare a monthly electronic newsletter for Oxbow Creek families. This newsletter is typically emailed out to all parents on the first Friday of each month. It will look very similar to the format of this newsletter.

Typically, once a week on Sunday evenings, we’ll deliver important and timely information to you over the phone, text and/or email based on your preferences in AHConnect. Please contact us right away if you’re not receiving these messages once school starts.

We also utilize the Oxbow Creek Facebook page to deliver information regarding upcoming school events, reminders, as well as last minute transportation notices. Please like and/or follow us there for the most up-to-date information regarding Oxbow Creek.

Main Office: 763-506-3800

Fax: 763-506-3803

Health Office: 763-506-3804

Absence Line: 763-506-3806

Community Ed: 763-506-3812

Adventures Plus: 763-506-3813

Website: https://www.ahschools.us/oxbowcreek

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OxbowCreekElementary

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ahschools