Fridley High School Newsletter
December 2024
Hello Fridley Families!
Happy Holidays to all! We’re excited to share some upcoming learning opportunities and events. Join us for Parent/Family Conferences on December 4th from 4-8 PM, where families may receive calls about creating a cellphone contract for their scholar. Don’t miss our Lunch & Learn with classroom teachers on December 12th, and mark your calendars for the Pause curriculum window from December 9th to 18th—be sure to check in with classroom teachers for more details. Thank you for your continued support and partnership!
¡Felices fiestas a todos! Estamos emocionados de compartir algunas oportunidades y eventos de aprendizaje que se acercan. Únanse a nosotros para las Conferencias de Padres/Familias el 4 de diciembre de 4 a 8 PM, donde las familias pueden recibir llamadas sobre la creación de un contrato de teléfono celular para su estudiante. No se pierdan nuestro Lunch & Learn con los maestros de aula el 12 de diciembre, y marquen sus calendarios para la ventana del currículo Pause del 9 al 18 de diciembre; asegúrense de consultar con los maestros de aula para más detalles. ¡Gracias por su continuo apoyo y colaboración!
Kelly McConville
Principal
(O) 763-502-5601
Lamii Zarlee
Assistant Principal
(O) 763-502-5603
With winter weather approaching, it’s important to understand that school closings may occur when weather conditions create a risk to the safety of our students, families and staff.
Please take a moment to read the following to understand more about what will happen if a school cancelation occurs due to inclement weather.
https://www.fridleyschools.org/students-and-families/school-closings
On Wednesday, December 11, Fridley High School freshmen will take the PreACT test.
Students will take the PreACT online during hours 1-4 at FHS. All 9th graders must come to school on December 11 with a fully-charged Chromebook.
The PreACT assessments provide you and your child with information that can help you select the right high school courses, think about ways to target areas for improvement, and even begin discussions about college and career. These assessments helps identify:
• How a student is doing with the skills and knowledge required to succeed in college and beyond
• Areas where extra help or additional courses are needed
• Career possibilities on PreACT that match the student’s interests
The PreACT is free of charge for 9th grade students.
If you have questions, please contact your student's dean.
Academic Support - One Lunch
This is a reminder that students should visit teachers during office hours if they need help in their classes. Teachers have office hours during One Lunch and are available to help students with homework help, reassessments, study skills, and more. Students have time to eat lunch and receive support from teachers during this time.
Media Center - One Lunch
Our media center is now open during lunch as a quiet study hall for all students. Students are encouraged to use this space if they need a quiet space to work on homework or projects. There are also tutors available for many subjects during lunch. Please encourage your student to use this opportunity to get caught up.
Tiger Tutors- Student Tutoring
The Tiger Tutors are a peer tutoring program available to all students at FHS! Members of Fridley’s Minnesota Honor Society tutor other students in English, Math, Science, Individuals and Societies, Chinese, and Spanish. If you would like to sign up your student to receive peer tutoring, please contact Matt Kiefer at kiefer@isd14.org or 763-502-5790.
2025-2026 FAFSA- OFFICIALLY OPEN!
Attention parents/guardians of 12th grade students: the FAFSA is officially open! The FAFSA stands for the Free Application For Federal Student Aid. It is an online application form that provides financial aid for college students. It is based upon financial need. It sets up your financial aid eligibility for different financial aid programs including grants, work study, and loans.
Matt Kiefer, Fridley’s College and Career Specialist, is available to help Fridley 12th grade students and their families complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA. In order to complete the FAFSA, the first step is to create an FSA ID for the student and one parent/guardian. The FSA ID is your FAFSA username and will be used each time you log into the FAFSA application.
Students and parents can create their FSA ID HERE
Once the FSA ID is created, the FAFSA application can be found HERE
To Complete the FAFSA, the following information is required:
FSA ID created for student and parent
Social Security Number and birth date for student and parents
2023 Tax forms (1040 and W-2 forms)
Current checking and savings accounts amounts
FAFSA Completion Nights!
The College & Career Center will be hosting FAFSA Completion Nights in the high school media center starting in December through the end of the school year. The first two FAFSA Completion Nights will be held on December 4th and December 19th from 3pm-8:00pm. Please complete this form if you plan on attending a FAFSA Completion Night: CLICK HERE
Questions on the FAFSA Completion Nights? Contact Matt Kiefer at kiefer@isd14.org or 763-502-5790
Letters of Recommendation (12th Grade)
Students may need letters of recommendation for some college applications or for scholarships. Typically, recommenders may be teachers (current or former), employers, coaches, or other adults who can highlight the leadership and/or academic qualities of the student. Students are asked to fill out the Letter of Recommendation Form and give the completed form to the recommender. The form can be found outside of the SSS office or linked here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-VZIJoeDaaF3M_XYKWYKawndBKIgK479EhGnbM_BQy4/copy
If the application requires a school counselor, please use the academic dean to complete that portion.
Things for students to remember:
Talk to the recommender early! 2 weeks is generally a good minimum amount of time for a recommender to complete a well-written letter.
Give recommenders the exact details—What/who is the letter for? When is it due? How is the letter submitted?
Always ask the recommender permission to use them as a recommender on an application. Ask in person, if possible. Email is generally acceptable as well.
Use recommenders who will be able to highlight positives.
It’s ok for a recommender to say no. They may not have the time to devote to a letter right now.
ACT Exams
Stay tuned for more information as we offer the ACT later in the spring. Students are always welcome to take the ACT outside of the assigned district testing day. The ACT test does have a fee ranging from $50-$67. Fee waivers are available in the SSS office for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Please see your dean with questions.
Upcoming ACT tests/registration deadlines:
Test: February 8 Deadline: January 3
Extended Day – Credit Recovery
Credit recovery information has been given to students in 11th and 12th grade who need to recover credits for graduation. Credit recovery CLPs must be signed by a parent/caregiver and returned to the SSS office. Credit recovery started on November 12th and is on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 3:15-4:15. Credit recovery is required for any student who fails a required course for graduation. If students need transportation home on these days, please use this link:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4GvulpvgjULae6oez2BPXgvyXyY0U4j1y5GrTXUZr70wLGQ/viewform
The schedule for credit recovery is as follows:
December: 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19
January: 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30
February: 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27
March: 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25
April: 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29
May: 1, 6, 8, 13, 15
February: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
March: 14, 21,
April: 4, 11, 18
May: 2, 9, 16
Save the Date
The high school is hosting an Earning College Credit at the HS evening on Wednesday, January 15th at 6:00pm in the HS auditorium. Families of current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students are able to attend. The deans and administration will share information about how students can earn college credit at the high school, including PSEO. For any students who are interested in PSEO for the 2025/2026 school year, this meeting is mandatory.
Wallin Scholarship
Parents of Seniors: The Wallin Scholarship application is now live. There is a 4 year program which offers up to $16,000 over four years. The 2 year community or technical college program application opens this spring!
Graduating senior (class of 2024) from a partner school
Minimum 3.0 GPA (unweighted)
Demonstrated financial need
Enrolled in Fall 2024 in an accredited, 4-year, public or private (not-for-profit) institution in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or any Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the nation
Go to wallinpartners.org to apply, see Mr. Cummings or Mr. Kiefer for details.
2025-2026 FAFSA- OFFICIALLY OPEN!
Attention parents/guardians of 12th grade students: the FAFSA is officially open! The FAFSA stands for the Free Application For Federal Student Aid. It is an online application form that provides financial aid for college students. It is based upon financial need. It sets up your financial aid eligibility for different financial aid programs including grants, work study, and loans.
Matt Kiefer, Fridley’s College and Career Specialist, is available to help Fridley 12th grade students and their families complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA. In order to complete the FAFSA, the first step is to create an FSA ID for the student and one parent/guardian. The FSA ID is your FAFSA username and will be used each time you log into the FAFSA application.
Students and parents can create their FSA ID HERE
Once the FSA ID is created, the FAFSA application can be found HERE
To Complete the FAFSA, the following information is required:
FSA ID created for student and parent
Social Security Number and birth date for student and parents
2023 Tax information (1040 and W-2 forms)
Current checking and savings accounts amounts
FAFSA Completion Nights!
To help students complete their FAFSA, the College & Career Center will be hosting FAFSA Completion Nights in the high school media center starting in December through the end of the school year. The first two FAFSA Completion Nights will be held on December 4th and December 19th from 3pm-7:30pm. Please complete this form if you plan on attending a FAFSA Completion Night: CLICK HERE
Questions on the FAFSA Completion Nights? Contact Matt Kiefer at kiefer@isd14.org or 763-502-5790
Please click on the button below and fill out the survey regarding graduation. This survey is important! We will begin to take inventory of gown sizes, tickets and ADA seating availability. Please fill this out. This survey is due January 31st! If you do not fill this out I cannot guarantee the correct gown size for your child.
If you have any questions regarding graduation please contact Ashley Davis (Principal Secretary) at 763-502-5602 or shoot me an email at adavis@isd14.org.
Did you know that Nutritional Services utilizes a variety of pre-made and school made items at lunch time? High School students have a choice of 2 hot entrees and 2-3 cold grab and go entrees daily. The lunch menus need to meet strict nutritional guidelines including calories and sodium. We offer 4-5 different vegetable choices and 2-3 different fruit options daily. Students must take at least 1/2 cup serving of fruits or vegetables on their tray. We encourage students to take more items to ensure they get enough to eat. Our menu items are tested by students and we use student feedback to make menu changes. We recognize that some students may not like what is served everyday but we plan our menus to reflect the tastes of our student population. Please encourage your students to try new menu items. It takes trying something at least 10 times before they know if they like it or not. Menus can be found on the nutritional services website and they can change due to supply chain issues. We continue to provide student favorites including orange chicken with rice, burrito bowls, Sambusa, walking taco, hamburgers, and pizza.
Remember that students are able to receive one breakfast and lunch at no charge each day.If your student comes through second chance breakfast for an additional breakfast, they will be charged. Please talk with your student about any extra charges on their meal account. Parents can find your student meal balances on the Parent Portal of Campus.
Students are able to purchase Ala Carte if they have a positive lunch balance. All lunch money must be received by 11:00 am and deposits may not show up quickly on the cashier computer due to wifi connectivity. Cash is not accepted at the cashier station during lunch. We are seeing an increase in students depositing money in their lunch account and then the deposit is reversed due to insufficient funds. This may cause the loss of Ala Carte privileges for students. If you have any questions please contact Renee Arbogast at arbogast@isd14.org or 763-502-5022.
Students when paying with cash or change, please try to limit the amount of change to less than $5.00. This will help us in reducing the risk of a counting error when making the deposit into your lunch account.
Don't want to miss an announcement from us, or want to be alerted if your child is absent from class, as well as stay up to date on their coursework? Complete your Campus Parent Portal account. The Parent Portal is designed specifically for parents, providing school information at your fingertips with real-time access to announcements, attendance, assignments, Transportation, grades (if applicable), schedules and more. Parents can view all children they are assigned as guardian to and that are currently enrolled in Fridley Public Schools, grades PreK 12. Each parent/legal guardian should create their own account for their children.
Click to find out more information and for instructions on creating your account today!
