News and events Sept. 13, 2024

September 13, 2024

Sept 19: Senior Portrait Picture Retakes (David Bank Studios)

Sept 30-Oct 4: Homecoming Week

Oct 17-18: MEA Break

Oct 22: Lifetouch School Picture Retakes (Grades 9-11)

Oct 24: Parent-Teacher Conference Night

Monday morning is our first Late Start Monday morning of the year. Below are some important details about Late Start Monday mornings at CRHS:

• Buses and transportation run normally on Late Start mornings. However, students who drive or get a ride do not have to be at school until their classes begin at 8:30am.
• Please allow extra time if arriving after 8:10am as traffic is often heavy due to CRMS arrival around the same time.
• Students who arrive early may complete homework, study, or socialize before school in supervised locations until class starts at 8:30am.
• After 7:40am, students may only enter through Door 1.

Additional Late Start Monday mornings include 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/21, 10/28, & 11/11.

On Saturday, September 7th, the Coon Rapids Marching Band competed in the Eastview Marching Band Festival. Competing against 7 other bands in their class, Coon Rapids Marching Band member Eddison Lee won the "Best Soloist" Award - congratulations Eddison! The band travels to Rosemount High School this Saturday for their next competition.

The Cardinal Tennis Team practices and plays hard- relentlessly smashing serves, forehands and backhands all Summer and Fall, which takes a serious toll on their tennis ball supply. So, they regularly check for tennis balls that are no longer serviceable for play. However, rather than throwing them out, the Cardinal Tennis Team recently donated their out-of-service tennis balls to a local assisted living facility who were thankful to share them with their residents!

A big thank you to Coach Storrick and his players for their generosity- what a great way to pay it back to our awesome community and live out the spirit of “It’s a Great Day to Be A Cardinal!”

We wanted to share some reminders about our Activities attendance & general expectations. These changes are in effect for all activities including football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, performing arts, etc.

• Save time and avoid long lines and purchase your tickets online by clicking here.

• Entrance expectations- Football Games

• Only students from CRHS and the opponent's school will be allowed into the game.

• CRHS students must enter through the student gate on the East end of the stadium and have a student ID ready to show at entry. Students may not bring guests from other schools.

• Elementary and middle school students must enter through the Main Gate

• Football - spectators will be charged to enter the football game through the end of the 3rd quarter and no spectators will be allowed entry after the start of the second half. Please share this information with those attending so they can plan accordingly.

• Elementary and middle school students must have an adult with them entering any CRHS event and are expected to sit with their adult throughout the event.
  

• No Bags, backpacks, or outside food/beverages are allowed into events. If you bring one of these items you will be asked to finish or throw them away prior to entering the event. There will not be a place to securely store bags- please leave backpacks and valuables at home or in your vehicle. CRHS is not responsible for any items left in or around the stadium/school.

• Students are expected to be supporting their classmates during events from the stands and not wandering in or around the event (e.g. behind bleachers, Fieldhouse, Mezzanine, etc). Of course students are allowed to purchase snacks from the concession stands but are expected to return to the stands immediately afterwards.
  

• Students must have a scheduled ride, or exit the grounds, at the conclusion of the event

Here is important information related to David Bank Senior Pictures for 12th grade students. Please read the info below:

• David Bank will be at CRHS to take Senior Pictures for the yearbook on Thursday, September 19th.
• Pictures will take place in the Mezzanine throughout the day.
• All seniors who did not attend the summer photo session at CRHS will need to take photos on this date or earlier.
• Seniors looking to take photos prior to this date are welcome to schedule a session by contacting David Bank Studios directly. The deadline for portraits is October 31st.

CRHS had LifeTouch school pictures this week for 9th-11th grade students. Below is information about school pictures moving forward:

• Ordering: School pictures can be ordered by logging on mylifetouch.com and using the CRHS picture code EVTHGNK9M. Ordering information is available here. If you’d like a hard copy of the Lifetouch order form, they are available at the CRHS Check-In Desk from 7:00am-3:30pm.
• Retakes: CRHS school picture retakes with Lifetouch Photography (used for Student IDs and school pictures) will be on Tuesday, October 22nd. Lifetouch school pictures are taken for all students (grades 9-11) and are used for CRHS Student IDs as well as yearbook photos. Seniors are not taking LifeTouch photos. CRHS students attending PSEO or STEP may also come in to have their picture taken on these days but must check in at the CRHS Check-In Desk.

As the year begins, we wanted to share some general building safety expectations focusing on student entrance to CRHS. Please read the items below carefully.

• Students are expected to enter CRHS through Door #1 after school starts- this includes STEP, PSEO, and Work Experience Students.

• Students entering after school starts will need to provide a student ID for entry. This ID can be in the form of your plastic ID card or your profile in the StudentVue app. We can also pull up your student page from Synergy at the security booth when you enter if you do not have a card or phone but know this will take additional time.

• Also, a reminder that students are not allowed to open doors for entry of anyone! Please remind your classmates to enter through Door #1. Students who open doors for others will earn consequences for violating building safety protocols.

All entry is required through Door #1 to ensure Cardinal Nation remains a safe and welcoming school community for all of us!

We wanted to share a few important reminders about lunch and our closed campus expectations.

• CRHS is a closed campus, which means students must remain on campus for lunch and are not allowed to order food into the building through restaurants/outside vendors (e.g. restaurant delivery, DoorDash, UberEats, etc).

• Any food delivered to CRHS will be turned away, and students who order food to CRHS may earn consequences.

• Students cannot go to their cars during the school day without a pass from the Main Office.

• Students may eat lunch in the cafeteria only- other spaces are not open to food.

The CRHS Robotics team, C.A.R.D.S. is looking for students who have a passion for coding, web design, marketing, CAD design, building complex projects, welding, and having fun while meeting the challenge of creating a robot from start to finish. The team competes at FIRST Robotics Challenge competitions.

Students interested in joining the team should come to a "Try Robotics" event on September 18 in Room 116 at 2:30. Team meetings begin September 23 and run on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The OPTIONAL Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Exam (PSAT/NMSQT) will be administered on Wednesday morning, October 9 at CRHS for students in grades 10 and 11. Check out details below:

• Get Familiar with the Digital PSAT/NMSQT – SAT Suite | College Board
• Students & parents may pay for the exam through their SchoolPay account. Exams cost $20.
• The deadline for payment is Friday, September 20, 2024.
• If you have any questions, please reach out to Amy.Storrick@ahschools.us or call 763-506-7127.

Student parking permits for the CRHS parking lot are now available for purchase. Parking permits are sold on a first come, first served basis while available for $35.00 per trimester or $105.00 for the 24-25 school year. As always, please remember that all outstanding fines and fees must be paid before a permit can be issued.

Parking permits are purchasable in-person at the CRHS Finance Window or online via School Pay/Parent Vue. Please have your vehicle/s license plate number(s) handy when purchasing your permit as this is required information. All online purchases require students to pick up their permits from the Finance Window once school starts. Students that do not purchase a valid parking permit but drive and park at school on an occasional basis can purchase a daily parking pass for $2.00 from the Finance Window to prevent a violation.

A list of parking rules and regulations is available from the Finance Window. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Matthews at the CRHS Finance Window, by email at lana.matthews@ahschools.us or by phone 763-506-7302.

Attention Senior Parents- Senior year is an important milestone in many student's lives and it’s important to find creative ways to commemorate your student’s senior year, celebrate all of their hard work and accomplishments throughout their school career, and let them know that you love and are proud of them. A fun and easy way to do this is to place a Recognition Ad, or an “Ad for Grads”, in the 2024-2025 Yearbook. This is something that your student can look back on for years to come. It is very simple to create an “Ad for Grad.” Just follow the details below:

• Visit www.jostensadservice.com to begin creating your ad today using your favorite photos of your student and a personal message.
• Choose any photos you like: a baby photo, a grade school photo, or just a photo of your student that you love--you can even take a picture of the photo you want to use and upload that image from your phone.
  
• Photos may be in color or black and white, and you pick the fonts and background.
• Ads are available in two different sizes, 1/4 page for $60 or 1/8 page for $40.
• The Ads for Grads deadline is February 1, 2025.

If you have any questions or need tips on how to upload the pictures you want to use, please email Kari Berg at karilee.berg@ahschools.us or check out this sheet from Jostens with FAQs.

Click on the button below to check out the CRHS Activities running this week. We'd love to see you come out and support Cardinal Nation!

🍽 Join the New Elite ProStart Culinary & Management Competition Teams of Anoka Hennepin! 🍽

Passionate about cooking or dream of leading a restaurant? Now's your chance to shine! The ProStart Competition Teams are looking for talented, driven individuals to represent our school in the prestigious culinary and management challenges.

• 🔥 Culinary Team: Showcase your cooking skills, creativity, and teamwork as you prepare gourmet dishes under pressure.
• 💼 Management Team: Lead, plan, and strategize to create winning restaurant concepts that impress industry professionals.

Why Join?

• Network with industry leaders and Chefs

• Compete for scholarships

• Gain real-world experience

• Build your resume

• Check out this video to learn more about the ProStart Culinary & Management Club Here

Spots are limited—apply today! Let's cook up something amazing together! Ask your Culinary Teacher for details!

The state’s Free School Meals program is continuing throughout the 2024-25 school year, so families are still encouraged to apply to qualify for more educational benefits. Even if you have been approved for free meals in the past, a new application needs to be filled out each year.

Starting last school year, every student received one breakfast and one lunch at no cost during the school year. The state’s Free School Meals program will continue to 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.

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 2024-25 Applications for Educational Benefits began 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.

Resources:

• Educational Benefits flyer

• A-H Educational Benefits website

Welcome back Volunteers! Last year our Cardinal Volunteers donated over 14000 hours of their time! That is 580+ full days of service or over $500,000 worth of work that was so generously given to the students and staff here at CRHS. We truly have the most wonderful volunteer community and I know that this year will be better than ever.

Volunteers are such an incredible asset to the students here at CRHS. Let’s make sure your impact is recorded and recognized. By filling out your volunteer application you are doing your part to keep our students safe while enriching their lives through extracurricular activities. You can access this year’s volunteer application here: CRHS Volunteer Application and Criminal Record History Release Form or email your Volunteer Services Coordinator, Danielle Callahan at danielle.callahan@ahschools.us or call (763) 506-7130)

Attention students and families! CRHS will once again run our optional after school tutoring and studying space called Quiet Study Time (QST)! Here are some important details about our program:

• QST is a great opportunity for students looking for a quiet place to complete school work or needing a little extra help to study for quizzes/tests or catch up on assignments.

• QST runs Monday-Thursday 2:30-5:00pm in the CRHS Library (2nd Floor).

• Students do not need to stay the entire time at QST. The Activity Bus is available on Monday and Wednesday at 5:00pm for students that need it (note- there is no Activity Bus available Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday). If students have a ride or can walk home, they can leave anytime once they have completed their work.

• Students can get help in a variety of subject areas, but please check the QST schedule linked here for the subject areas that are supported that day.

Our goal is to help our students do their best by offering a productive place to work or get help from staff- and we hope our students take advantage of this great opportunity! See you at QST!

Seniors & Vaccinations

The state of Minnesota requires all students to have a meningococcal booster by the beginning of senior year. Now is a great time to schedule this vaccination! For most, the first dose was given with a tetanus booster back in 7th grade. For those who have not received the first dose, only one dose will be required if your student is at least 16 years old. For those who do not want to complete the vaccination, please complete the exemption portion of the MDH Immunization Form, sections 1A and 1B. https://www.health.mn.gov/people/immunize/basics/readyk12.pdf

Please send completed exemptions or updated vaccination records to julie.swanson@ahschools.us or have your

Illnesses & Appointments

If your student is feeling ill during the school day and contacts you to go home, please remind them that they need to check in at the Health Office, as any student going home sick during the school day must have a pass from the Nurse or Health Para in order to leave the building.

If the student has an appointment during the school day, please send a note with the student, use Parent Vue, or call the attendance line rather than texting your student during class. When it is time for the appointment, the student can go to the front office to be dismissed.

Cardinal Health Zone- Focus for the Month & Recipe

September is Better Breakfast Month! With free breakfast being offered for all students this year, your student can stop by the CRHS café before school and start their day off in a healthy way with the wide variety of menu items that are available. Not hungry yet? The café offers many prepackaged items such as whole grain muffins, yogurt parfaits, milk, and breakfast sandwiches for a grab-n-go option. If you miss first breakfast, the Café also offers free Second Chance Breakfast between first and second period. Look for the Café carts in the lunchroom or on the second floor. According to the National Institute of Health, eating a healthy breakfast has a positive effect on learning, behavior, and overall school performance. Energy, creativity, and increased concentration are also included in the benefits of eating the most important meal of the day—BREAKFAST!

Try these easy recipes for a healthy start to your day-

• Greek Yogurt Fruit Smoothie
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup frozen strawberries (or other berries)
• 1 cup frozen mango, peaches, or pineapple
• 1 banana, cut into chunks
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ cup ice
• Place all ingredients in a blender, blending until creamy and frothy. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator in a covered container for up to a day.
• Overnight Oats
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats or gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup milk, whichever type you prefer
• 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• For serving, optional: fresh fruit, sliced or slivered almonds, other nuts or nut butters, etc.
• Instructions
• Combine oats, milk, maple syrup and vanilla in a mason jar or bowl. Seal with a lid and shake to mix or stir if using a bowl. (If making a larger batch, you can stir the ingredients together in a bowl.)
• Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours and up to 4 days. Stir and add toppings right before serving.
• Before serving stir and add any preferred toppings such as peanut butter, chia seeds, blueberries, yogurt, dried fruit, honey, almonds, banana, nuts, etc.