News and events

February 7, 2025

Oxbow Creek Families,

February is I Love to Read Month. Whether you are an avid reader or you seldom pick up a book, we all know how important reading is. Reading instruction is a main focus in our classrooms and one of the most challenging skills for students to acquire. Learning to read is so complex! It requires analyzing and synthesizing information from multiple parts of your brain simultaneously. Reading is a lot of work and our students work hard to be the best readers they can be. At Oxbow Creek, we are sharing how important reading is by showing how books impact and inspire us. We have staff photos displayed sharing what we've learned from a book we've read. Talk about what you're reading and preserve reading time in your home. It's a great excuse to drop what you're doing and snuggle up with a great book together.

Here are a few idea to make reading even more fun this month.

• Read with a flashlight
• Read in a laundry basket
• Read a comic
• Read to someone on the phone
• Read a book about a place you've never been

I'm excited to hear how books impact and inspire our students this month.

Thank you,

Mrs. Monson - Oxbow Creek Principal

The book fair is coming to Oxbow Creek! It will be open to all families during conferences. Conference dates are February 18th and 20th.

During the school day, students will be able to shop the book fair during their Media time ONLY. You can set up an eWallet for your student to shop the book fair during school. Students brought home information about the book fair, including a flyer with some of the books we will have.

We can't wait to see you at the book fair!

The winter conference schedules are now available. Please visit www.myconferencetime.com/oxbowcreek to reserve a time with your child(ren)'s homeroom teacher(s). The dates and times for winter conferences are as follows:

Tues. Feb. 18 7:30-8:30AM, 1:30-8:20PM

Thurs. Feb. 20 7:30-8:30AM, 4:10-8:20PM

Email reminders will be sent out on Tuesday, February 11th.

If you need to change your conference date & time,

please contact the Main Office at 763-506-3800 or reach out to your student's teacher directly.

Conference sign ups will be locked on Sunday, February 16th. Any changes or last-minute scheduling will need to go through the teachers directly.

We love our volunteers at Oxbow Creek!

Thank you to all of the volunteers that have spent time supporting our students, teachers and staff! Our volunteers have logged 2869 hours this school year!

Interested in volunteering at Oxbow? Click here: Volunteer application.

February is a particularly busy month with many volunteer needs at Oxbow Creek. Check out the list of volunteer opportunities below!

We also have many field trips coming up over the next few months and it’s really important to get your forms submitted well in advance of field trips.

• Arts & Academics Expo: The 25th Annual Expo is Thursday, February 27th from 5:30-8:00pm. Volunteering is a fun way to see all of the amazing projects! We need a lot of help from Feb. 24th-26th and during the day of the event on Feb. 27th. Volunteer opportunities include:
  Expo set-up, project check-in, project display, clean-up: 2025 Arts & Academic Expo
  Expo Encouragers Wednesday Evening: Expo Encouragers Evening
  Thursday Daytime: Expo Encouragers Daytime.
  Contact Jessica KC with questions at Jessica.KC@ahschools.us

• Winter Conferences Donations: Help us support our staff during the busy conference week! Sign up to bring an item or click to see how to donate funds: Winter Conferences Donations

• Winter Conference Meal Helpers: Please consider donating your time to help with set up or clean up for our winter staff appreciation lunch. Conference Meal Helpers

• Book Fair: The Scholastic Book Fair is a favorite event at Oxbow every year! We need many volunteers for this event. Cashiers must be at least 18 years old. Volunteer forms must be submitted in advance of signing up. Our Book Fair will run from Wednesday, February 12 - Friday, February 21st. Sign up here to help: 2025 Book Fair Sign Up

• Yearbook: Please share photos you have taken with the yearbook staff! Email them to oxbowyearbook@gmail.com. Include any information available such as grade, classroom and event.

Haley Belongia

Jessica KC

Volunteer Services Coordinators

Oxbow Creek Elementary

763-506-3830

Haley.Belongia@ahschools.us

Jessica.KC@ahschools.us

If you are planning on sending your Kindergarten age child* to Oxbow Creek in the fall, please review the following information!

• Families will need to visit the Anoka-Hennepin District website to Enroll their incoming Kindergarten student.

• Please read the website thoroughly and choose the appropriate registration option.

• All children entering kindergarten must complete the Early childhood Preschool Screening. If your child has not completed the screening, please call 763-433-4910 or visit ahschools.us/page/358 to set up an appointment.

• Oxbow Creek is hosting our Kindergarten Welcome Night on Thursday, April 10th, 2025 from 5:00-7:00pm. This night offers a chance to meet our Kindergarten teachers, tour the classrooms and receive some helpful information the upcoming school year!

• If you need information for before or after school care please contact Adventures Plus at 763-506-1400 or visit ahschools.us/adventuresplus for details and registration information.

*A child must be five (5) years or older on or before September 1st, 2025 to be eligible for Kindergarten.

• Check out this month's Character Strong Family Newsletter! Honesty

• Please have your child dressed for outdoor recess all winter long! We go outside for recess every day unless the temperature drops below zero or the windchill is below -10 degrees.

Accommodations for children with special medical needs can be made with the health office; written documentation from a doctor will be required. Also, it is imperative that you label your child's winter clothing with their name, so it can be returned if it is lost/misplaced.




• With colder weather upon us, please consider sending in a complete set of extra clothes for your student. Sometimes, the little ones don't quite make it in time when removing the extra layers as well as clothing can become wet from the snow and ice.

• New phone number or email? Please log onto your AH Connect Account, go to "My Student Info" and click on "Online Registration" then "Back To School Verification." Thank you for updating your contact information. It is imperative that we have the correct information for your student.

• We are committed to helping families in need of assistance with food, clothing, household items and some basic services. Please contact Oxbow Creek's Social Workers if your family is in need. All communication is confidential.

Ann Parisian (Grades K, 1, 3) 763-506-3825 or ann.parisian@ahschools.us
Gina Newlander (Grades 2, 4, 5) 763-506-8384 or gina.newlander@ahschools.us

• Fri., Feb 14th - 5th Grade Ski Trip to Trollhaugen
• Mon., Feb. 17th - No School; Presidents' Day
• Tues., Feb. 18th - No School; Staff Development
• Wed., Feb. 19th - Kindergarten Field Trip to Stages Theater
• Wed., March 5th & Thurs., March 6th - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Baker Park
• Thurs., March. 6th - End of Trimester Two
• Fri., March 7th - No Students; Staff planning
• Mon., March 10th through Mon., March 17th - No School; Spring Break
• Thurs., April 10th - Kindergarten Welcome Night

Need your AH Parent Credentials??

Call 763-506-HELP (4357) or email 506HELP@ahschools.us

We recommend you keep these in a safe place as you will use them until your child(ren) graduates.

Parents/guardians can submit online when their student is going to be absent or arriving late through the My Student Information app via A-HConnect or in the ParentVUE mobile application. You can still call the school at 763-506-3806, this is simply a convenient alternative.

To report an absences online, follow these steps:

Once logged into My Student Information or the ParentVUE app, select the “Report Absence” button by your student’s name. A pop-up window will appear asking for further information. Follow the on-screen directions and click “Save.” Refer to these step by step directions.

Just a reminder, if a student is not at school and a notice of an absence hasn't been received, the parent/guardian will receive a call, text or email. The student's absence will be recorded as unverified. If the absence continues and we have no communication from a parent/guardian, the absence will be recorded as unexcused.

Minnesota weather is shifting gears, and the Anoka-Hennepin School District has plans in place for when extreme winter weather arrives.

The safety of all students is the first priority when determining if schools should stay open in adverse weather. If a determination is made to close school due to extreme winter weather, the district will alert families in a variety of ways, including:

• Phone, text or email message from AHlert system (for Anoka-Hennepin parents/guardians only).

• District and school websites.

• District and school social media pages (e.g. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

• Media outlets including WCCO, KSTP, FOX 9, KARE 11, CCX Media, WCCO radio and Star Tribune newspaper.

Those responsible for activities scheduled in schools over the weekend will determine if adverse weather conditions necessitate a cancellation.

Read more about the district’s policies on extreme winter weather at ahschools.us/weather.

Families with three- or four-year-old children at home can prepare for preschool and kindergarten now, if they are considering a start in the fall. While school doesn’t start until September, preschool and elementary school teams are working now to ensure that your child’s school experience is positive.

If your family, a friend or neighbor is thinking about having their child start preschool or kindergarten in the fall, view three easy steps to get started!

Hint: Verify eligibility and enroll online today! - So we can notify you about upcoming welcome events scheduled this spring at your child's new school.