FOCUS - January 2025
School Board approves property tax levy with 1.20% reduction for 2025
The Anoka-Hennepin School Board approved a 1.20% reduction in the school portion of the property tax levy for 2025 following their annual truth-in-taxation public hearing at their Monday, Dec. 9 School Board meeting.
Go deeper: Similar to cities, counties and other taxing authorities, the School Board authorizes property tax levies annually at their December meeting. The levies, which amount to $138 million in 14 different categories, amount to a $1.7 million reduction for next year, or 1.2%.
💻 Read more and watch the Truth in Taxation presentation on the district website.
Preparing for the 2025-26 school year: Enroll, or explore school choices in Anoka-Hennepin Schools
⏰ Families have many choices for their student’s education. Now is the time to discuss plans for the upcoming school year.
What Anoka-Hennepin families can expect: Students currently enrolled at an Anoka-Hennepin school are assigned to attend school based on their home address. Students transitioning to elementary, middle or high school next year received an initial placement email the week of Dec. 2, 2024, indicating the assigned school for each student.
Why it matters:❓Anoka-Hennepin wants to confirm plans for the upcoming school year with families as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition to middle and high school.
Families that live outside of a school or district attendance area can act now to request an in-district transfer or open enrollment application for the upcoming school year.
If your family plans to stay at the school they are assigned to based on your home address, no additional action is needed.
"Youth teaching youth" peer connections engage learning in middle school health classes
📝 Every month, 140 high school students from Anoka and Coon Rapids high schools link up to support sixth-graders in over 30 health classes across the district, all thanks to a 25-plus year partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension’s 4-H “Youth Teaching Youth” program.
The program trains eligible high school students to teach lessons to younger students about healthy living while developing leadership and public speaking experience and engaging in opportunities for career exploration. Student leaders are selected and named “Teen Teachers” at the start of each school year and participate in a full day of training. Once a month, Youth Teaching Youth teams at each high school regroup to develop teaching schedules, refresh their knowledge on the current topic of focus and plan for the upcoming lesson.
📘 Read more about Youth Teaching Youth.
📷 View photos from a recent visit to Oak View Middle School.
Northdale Middle School WEB leaders engage in winter fun with Eisenhower elementary students
❄️ Eighth grade WEB leaders at Northdale Middle School (NMS) welcomed kindergarten and first grade students from Eisenhower Elementary School on Dec. 16 and 17 for a fun-filled hour of winter activities.
Students teamed up to create winter arts and crafts, including a winter wonderland scene and ornaments. The projects were inspired by Maureen Wright's book “Sneezy the Snowman.”
WEB stands for Where Everyone Belongs, a national mentoring program that typically works with sixth graders at the school. Each middle school has teachers serving as WEB Advisors and eighth grade students volunteering at WEB leaders to mentor younger students.
📷 View photos of students working together on winter arts and crafts.
Stepping up for the pups and families in need at Hockey Day Coon Rapids
🐶🐾 An annual celebration in the Coon Rapids community featured a special donation benefitting Alexandra House and their new Linus’s Pet Haven to support families in crisis who have pets. Members of the Champlin Park/Coon Rapids girls hockey (CPCR) and Spring Lake Park/Coon Rapids boys’ hockey (SLPCR) programs created and donated over two-dozen pet beds to support Linus' Pet Haven, which is set to open in January 2025.
Alexandra House is a dedicated refuge created to support victims/survivors of violence which will now be able to support those facing the impossible choice between personal safety and leaving their beloved pets behind through this new program.
CPCR and SLPCR teams provided the donation to Alexandra House during a special donation ceremony held on the outdoor rink at the Coon Rapids Ice Center during Hockey Day Coon Rapids on Saturday, December 14.
College and Career Specialists support families in harnessing resources, navigating future pathways
Last month, Anoka-Hennepin career and college specialists from the district’s high schools hosted over 300 attendees for the third annual Career and College Palooza Dec. 14 at Champlin Park High School. The event highlighted a variety of college, career and post-high school planning options for high school students and families, with representation from numerous employers, apprenticeships, colleges, universities and military recruiters. 📷 View photos from the event.
Each high school in the district provides students with opportunities to connect with the Career and College Specialist at their school to assist with career exploration, scholarship opportunities, financial aid resources, ACT and testing preparation, military resources, information about post-secondary pathways and more. Families of high school students can work with their high school to schedule a Career Center appointment.
Acing Authorship: Sixth-grader publishes novel, inspired by his fourth-grade classroom
📝 As a fourth-grader at Sunrise Elementary School, Hayuu Seeroo spent time drafting stories in his fourth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) class. It was there that his dream to become an author was inspired - and became a reality this fall as he started sixth grade at Roosevelt Middle School in Blaine.
📘🔎 Seeroo’s book, “Agent Ace,” is now available in bookstores and online, but also in the Sunrise Elementary School library - where Hayuu’s family donated copies of the book.
Krista Cullen, his fourth-grade teacher, is now reading the story with her current class. “It’s an honor that Hayuu was inspired in my class, but his accomplishments are also a testament to all of his teachers and his family who have supported him in this journey,” Cullen said.
Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting celebrates Alley & Ave in Downtown Anoka
🎉 Anoka-Hennepin’s student-focused Alley & Ave retail boutique is now open in Historic Downtown Anoka, building employment skills for students and value for shoppers. The Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting December 5 to welcome the new store in time for holiday shopping.
🛍️ Alley & Ave is open to the public to shop home decor, gifts and furniture refurbished by students. The store provides hands-on experience for special education students who are part of the district’s work-based learning program, TEAM (Teaching Employability through Assessment and Manufacturing), a program designed for high school and transition-aged students to grow additional skills before seeking paid employment.
💻 Learn more about the new retail store and view photos from the ribbon cutting event.
District to host hiring event for operational and student support positions Jan. 16 at Champlin Park High School
The Anoka-Hennepin School District will host an in-person hiring event for operational and student support positions Thursday, Jan. 16 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at Champlin Park High School. The hiring event will take place in the school cafeteria located at 6025 109th Ave. N (Enter Door E4).
Anoka-Hennepin Schools is a great place to live and work. Our communities work together to provide residents with safe and friendly neighborhoods, high-quality schools, a wide range of business and economic opportunities, beautiful parks and abundant recreational activities.
Join us to learn about employment opportunities and have a same-day, on-site interview for various positions. Participants are strongly encouraged to begin filling out applications ahead of time at ahschools.us/jobs and come prepared to interview with hiring managers.
💻 Learn more about the Jan. 16 hiring event at Champlin Park High School.
Community Education offers many exciting opportunities this winter!
❄️ Anoka-Hennepin Community Education is dedicated to lifelong learning, involving people and enriching communities.
A variety of youth activities are available near you! Register your child for after-school or evening classes at their elementary or middle school. Browse all youth enrichment, middle school athletics and aquatics opportunities online.
Our lineup of adult classes offers something for everyone. From technology and travel to fine arts and food — we’ve got it covered. View the new catalog and register online.
Anoka-Hennepin Community Education offers educational and enrichment classes for families with young children, ages birth up to kindergarten. View the catalog and register online.
