The CL Courier

Crooked Lake families,

It was great to see students back in the building after winter break. We generally have a cold stretch in January, and need students to be ready to go outside if the weather permits. Thank you for supporting students being prepared to go out in the cold weather.

This December with our monthly focus on Empathy. We saw some really great ways our CLS community cares about others. Thank you for contributing in so many ways to uphold this value that contributes to a supportive place to work and learn for our students!

Our focus for the month of January in our Character Strong curriculum is perseverance. We define it as pushing yourself to work through challenges and obstacles. Perseverance is what happens when you keep trying, even when it gets tough. This character quality is a crucial value for our students future success. At Crooked Lake we believe we can do hard things!

PTO has planned a fun new Bingo Event for this Friday, January 10 at 6:00. Thank you so much for planning and making this event possible. Please sign up to volunteer if you are able.

We also have our annual Crooked Lake Showcase coming up on January 30, from 4:30 - 6:00. Looking forward to this fun event again this year, and your continued support of our students.

Take care.

Sam Anderson

Crooked Lake Principal

763-506-2101

samuel.anderson@ahschools.us

• January 1: No School
  
• January 2-3: Grade 3 Map Testing
• January 3: Anoka Middle School presentation for 5th grade
• January 8: Bus Driver/Bus Para Appreciation Day & Talent Development Creativity Festival
• January 10: Oak View Music ensembles perform for 5th grade
• January 10: Family Bingo Night (6:00-8:00pm)
• January 14: PTO Meeting (6:30pm)
• January 17: No students/Staff Development
• January 20: No School/Holiday
• January 21: Long Lake Parent Meeting for 5th graders (5:00pm)
• January 30: Showcase Night (4:30-6:00pm)




Follow this link for more upcoming events:

https://www.ahschools.us/Page/16#calendar11/20250103/month




You can also find more information when you visit the Crooked Lake Elementary website here: https://www.ahschools.us/crookedlake

Showcase Night is an opportunity for students to showcase projects they have completed from school and home. This year our theme is “Express Yourself”.

Students will complete one project at school and one additional project at home.

The home project should showcase some way your child expresses themself. This event will include food for purchase, photo opportunities, and student work displayed from all grades. Bring the whole family to Crooked Lake for a great event.

Wishing you good health in this new year!

Katelyn Salwey

Licensed School Nurse, PHN, BSN, RN

katelyn.salwey@ahshools.us

Amanda Kerns

RN, School Nurse

amanda.kerns@ahschools.us

The state’s Free School Meals program continues for this next school year. Every student may receive one breakfast and one lunch 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. 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.

Thanks!

Lauren Green

Child Nutrition Site Supervisor

lauren.green@ahschools.us

Dear Crooked Lake Families,

Minnesota Youth Reading Awards

I Love to Read Month – February

Scholastic Book Fair – Mid-February

Donate Books to Our Library

• Promote Inclusivity: Offering a variety of books that reflect diverse stories and perspectives.

• Expand Our Collection: Enriching our collection with popular series and genres.

• Support Long-Term Growth: Contributing to a well-rounded library that meets students' needs.

  
  

Donated books must be hardcover and in excellent or like-new condition. Books that don’t make it to our shelves will be saved for a future book swap event, giving them a second life and more reading opportunities for students.

Thank You for Your Support!

Happy reading,
Your Crooked Lake Library Crew

Kristin Zelazny

Library Media Specialist/Core/ITT

kristin.zelazny@ahschools.us

Amy Postigo-Kocak

Library Media Assistant

amy.postigokocak@ahschools.us

Volunteers have given 717 hours to our school this school year. Volunteers give literacy and math support to students, help teachers with workroom projects, chaperone field trips, and work with the PTO at school events. I’m grateful for our wonderful volunteers and their impact on you students and schools.

JANUARY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Please take a moment to view the upcoming volunteer opportunities. In addition to the usual opportunities, Crooked Lake PTO is hosting two evening events; Bingo Night and Showcase Night. They have worked hard to plan these events and would appreciate the help from volunteers. Please click the links below for more information and to sign up if you’re able to help.

• At Home Volunteer
  Volunteers will help teachers with projects such as cutting, stapling, and pasting at their home.

• Bingo Night
  Volunteers will help sell bingo cards or handle concession sales.

• Book Repair Volunteer
  Book repair can include mending torn pages, restorning covers, binding repairs, etc. No experience is needed. Volunteers will be given directions from Mrs. Zelazny.

• General Help
  Volunteers will help teachers with various projects such as copying, stapling, laminating, cutting, etc. Volunteers will complete projects in the workroom.

• Hanging Artwork
  Volunteers will hang student artwork throughout the school Volunteers must be comfortable with using a step ladder.

• Media Organizer
  Volunteers will help with various tasks such as straightening, organizing, and dusting bookshelves.

• Media Workroom Volunteer
  Volunteers will help with various workroom projects such as cutting bookmarks, making copies, sharpening pencils, etc.

• Showcase
  Volunteers help with food sales and service.

ALL volunteers are required to complete/update the 2024 - 2025 Crooked Lake Elementary Volunteer Application form and Criminal History Record Release form.

Melissa Hayek

Volunteer Services Coordinator

763-506-2130

melissa.hayek@ahschools.us

The PTO board members hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays. We have some events coming up this month that we'd like to invite everyone to attend. We hope to see you there!

Bingo Night! 1/10/2025

The PTO would like to invite you to attend a fun family Bingo night! Come and join us for some fun and prizes!

Showcase Night 1/30/25 from 4:30 - 6:00 PM

Students will showcase their work and projects they are going to be working on. Pizza dinner will be sold in the cafeteria with support from the Student Council. Stay tuned for more info from your teachers!

PTO Meetings - They're for you!

Tuesday, January 14th at 6:30 in the Crooked Lake Media Center. All CLS parents are encouraged to attend. There is free childcare during the meeting. Hear updates from your principal, Mr. Anderson, our teachers, volunteer service coordinator, and the PTO about what's happening in your school.

Follow us on Facebook at the CLS Parents group on Facebook!

Crooked Lake PTO Board:

Nicole Rutt-Livgard-Chairperson

Beth Emmel- Co-Chairperson

Sandra Anderson-Treasurer

Jonathan Conyers-Co-Treasurer

Katie Coulter-Secretary

Nicole Schumman- Co-Secretary

Angie Siddons- Board Member at Large

Danielle Husnick- Board Member at Large

abigail.kowles@ahschools.us

What if my child's bus doesn't come in the morning and/or my child doesn't get off the bus in the afternoon and I am unable to reach the school? This is rare, but if this does happen, please call your child's bus company. The bus company will assist you in the morning and also take the lead and contact you in the afternoon when they locate your child.

Kottkes' 763-755-3100

Busses: 11, 30, 39, 68, 69, 461, 516

First Student 763-421-3199

Bus: 301

Attention Crooked Lake Families! There is an app called FirstView! This app enables families to get real-time information on regular bus routes - in the palm of your hand! Features include email, push, and text notifications of any route changes.

Simply download FirstView from your device's app store. On-screen directions walk first-time users through the easy set-up process. Choose Minnesota and then Anoka-Hennepin from the drop-down menus. After doing so, the app will direct you to A-HConnect. Log in with your parent/guardian username and password (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.

Crooked Lake Elementary is on Facebook! Get the latest news by following:

@https://www.facebook.com/crookedlake/?ref=bookmarks

Follow Crooked Lake's PTO too at:

@https://www.facebook.com/groups/767642639953487/

Crooked Lake Elementary School

2939 Bunker Lake Blvd. NW | Andover, MN 55304 | P: 763-506-2100 | F: 763-506-2103 | crookedlake@ahschools.us | Translate