The Oriole Newsletter

February 2024

We heard the month kicked off with Punxsutawney Phil not seeing his shadow! This means spring is expected to come early in 2024 -- but maybe we skipped most of winter all together this year? Cold or not, we mark February at OSH with Black History Month, Snow Daze, mid tris and the official halfway point of the academic year.

There are many things that warm our hearts about OSH, and being in community with one another tops the list. We're reflecting on the past few weeks and remain thankful for our scholars and staff filling our hallways, athletic events, dances, offices, club meetings, professional development days and classrooms with true Osseo Excellence. We've focused this year on working together as a community to define what Osseo Excellence in action means to us as we move throughout the different spaces in the building. Halfway through the year it is evident that collectively, we are invested in showing up for one another, showing up for ourselves and showing up in Excellence.

Thank you to our scholars and staff for your collective commitment to our community!

February is Black History Month! For the last six years we have observed Black History Month by centering, honoring and elevating the unique brilliance and voices of our scholars. Osseo Speaks: A Black History Month Showcase emerged as a celebration of the contributions and impact of our Black community. Now in its 7th year, Osseo Speaks remains a time to share space, share truth and share community with one another. What better reason to extend an invitation to you, our Osseo community, than for the voices of our scholars. Join us. We invite you.

February 28th, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., OSH Auditorium.

• February 19: No School - Presidents Day
• March 8: No School - End of Trimester 2
• March 25-29: No School - Spring Break

Each year, the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) honors two seniors at each school throughout the state who have a 3.0 or higher-grade point average and who focus on League-sponsored athletic and fine arts activities with the Triple A (Academics, Arts, and Athletics) Award.

The 2023 OSH Triple A Award winners are Abegayle Ahlquist and Michael James.

Ahlquist is a six year varsity diver on the swim and dive team, a five year varsity athlete on the gymnastics team and a two time state participant with Osseo rugby. She is the Secretary of National Honor Society as well as a section leader in both of the top orchestra groups at OSH.

James is a decorated member of the OSH band, participating in multiple groups including marching band, jazz ensemble and pep band, as well as All-State band. He is also a six year athlete and captain of the tennis team and was named the ‘Mr. Oriole’ recipient for his contributions to the boys soccer team. Please join us in celebrating our courageous and dedicated 2023 Triple A Award scholars!

Once again the line stretched out the door of our cafeteria as we celebrated 700+ conscientious and focused scholars at our Excellence Breakfast - recognizing scholarly achievements from trimester #1! Scholars making the A Honor Roll, as well as those nominated by teachers for their exemplary accomplishments spent their Advisory period enjoying doughnuts, juice and accolades from admin & staff. Keep up the great work, Orioles -- you ARE Osseo Excellence!

Our music department and scholars always impress us with their dedication to their craft - courageously sharing their talents with the OSH community. The concert was certainly a highlight of January. Five bands entertained their audience with innovative, student-chosen musical pieces supported by their instructors.

The Osseo HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) - Future Health Professionals team recently attended and competed at the Metro Mid-Winter Conference on Jan. 12.

The team is made up of students in the OSH Health Sciences Magnet Program, drawing participation from Maple Grove, Osseo and Park Center Senior High schools as well as the Osseo Area Learning Center.

The HOSA mid-winter competition is an introduction and warm-up for the State Leadership Conference and Competition in April. The HOSA competitive events fall into three categories— tests, skills, and presentations. Some competitions are individual and some require a partner or group -- covering every aspect of the healthcare world, from Veterinary Science to Health Career Photography and Job Seeking Skills. The OSH HOSA team courageously competed in a multitude of events and landed 24 top 10 finishes!

Congrats to our scholars pursuing innovative learning opportunities both in and out of our classrooms!

Our OSH BPA scholars courageously competed in this year's Regional Competitions to kick off the new year. They competed against students from Anoka, Benilde St. Margaret's, Blaine, Champlin Park, and St. Michael Albertville. Region 4 comprises of over 250 students and 36 OSH scholars qualified for the state competition in March! Congratulations on a job well done!

This year, nine Osseo Area Schools educators were named candidates for the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. We are thrilled to share that our very own fine arts instructor Daniel Prody (of The November Chirp professional development ceramics fame!) has been named a candidate. In the next few months, semifinalists and finalists will be narrowed from a field of 159 candidates, with the Teacher of the Year being announced at the banquet in May.

CONGRATULATIONS to Daniel Prody on your nomination. You are thoughtful in your approach to teaching, reflective in your practices and focused on Osseo Excellence. We know how amazing you are as an educator and colleague -- we're pumped for your state-wide recognition!

Have a question about daily schedules? Forget where to find the latest registration information? Hoping to report your scholar's absence without making a phone call? The OSH Family Portal is the resource for you! We keep the site up to date with helpful dates, reminders, programmatic & contact info. It is a deep (yet easily navigable) wealth of information. Click the OSH Family Portal image direct access and remember -- there is always a button linked at the bottom of The Chirp each month!

There is still time this winter to consider a new hobby or build upon an existing skill set! District 279 Community Education opportunities can be the perfect place to "test the waters", meet new people, and have fun in a comfortable, low pressure environment. There are even online options!

Click through the catalogue image to check out the nearly 275 upcoming January class sections by category from culinary courses to mindfulness and art offerings or browse & register for we have to offer you in 2024 HERE!