News and events Sept. 6, 2024

September 6, 2024

Sept 12: Lifetouch School Pictures

Sept 19: Senior Portrait Picture Retakes (David Bank Studios)

Sept 30-Oct 4: Homecoming Week

Oct 17-18: MEA Break

Oct 22: Lifetouch School Picture Retakes

Oct 24: Parent-Teacher Conference Night

• Open House was a huge success- CRHS was packed with students and families catching up with friends, finding their classes and meeting their teachers! Many also took advantage of some tasty treats available from some great food trucks!

• Our freshmen-only first day was a success with Cardinal freshmen and new-to-CRHS 10th-12th graders participating in new student orientation and community-building activities, meeting school support staff, having lunch in the cafeteria, and attending shortened classes and doing so with the time and space to feel comfortable practicing for their first time.
  

• Our opening pepfest of the year went great- it was a fun opportunity to build connections and school spirit right away on the first day of school!

• Early this morning, CRHS seniors gathered in Cardinal Stadium to watch the sun come up together as part of the "Senior Sunrise" celebration. This is a tradition we host each September to mark the start of our seniors' year and pairs with our "Senior Sunset," where seniors gather one last time together in Cardinal Stadium to watch the sunset and mark the close of their senior year.

• CRHS enjoyed awesome support each day this week with groups from across our community welcoming our students to school each day. We feel so thankful to work in such a connected and supportive community!

As we move into the first weeks of the school year, we are seeking ways to improve the engagement and focus of our students, particularly our 9th graders, whose experience this year will be pivotal to the success of their entire high school careers. One of the biggest barriers to student engagement is the time students spend socializing on their electronic devices. While students need to spend time socializing, it has become apparent that they are struggling to manage the appropriate time and place of cellphone usage. Our goal this year is to help our 9th grade students manage their technology more effectively and focus on their learning.

As a result, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, we have implemented a new cell phone and personal technology usage policy for our 9th grade students at Coon Rapids High School. All 9th grade classes (including classes that have mixed grade levels which include 9th graders) are now “no cell phone zones”. In other words, students do not have the option to use their phones during class time.

• All 9th grade classes have containers where cell phones will be stored during class.

• All students in 9th grade classes are asked to turn their cell phones to Airplane Mode at the start of each class.

• Cell phones and personal technology devices cannot be seen or used during class. Students are free to use their devices both during passing time and at lunch.

• As always, in case of an emergency, parents and guardians can contact their students by calling the school directly.

Students who refuse to follow expectations may be subject to disciplinary action, such as a phone call home to parents/guardians, turning in their phone to administration, detention, etc.

As cell phone usage in school will be extremely limited, we recommended that students leave their phones at home. If a student brings a phone to school, they will be expected to follow the CRHS school policy. CRHS is not responsible for any lost, stolen, or damaged cell phones.

If a parent/guardian has an emergency and needs to contact a student right away, they may call the Main Office at the school and a message will be sent right away to the classroom to have the student step out and call home.

The impact of cell phones on students' developing brains and their educational success is well researched. Please consider reviewing resources available as your family prepares for the upcoming school year.

• Get Phones Out of Schools Now
• The Effect of Smartphone Use on Mental Effort, Learning, and Creativity
• Brain Drain: The Mere Presence of One's Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity
• Surgeon General Advisory

As the year begins, we wanted to share some general building safety expectations focusing on student entrance to CRHS. Please read the items below carefully.

• Students are expected to enter CRHS through Door #1 after school starts- this includes STEP, PSEO, and Work Experience Students.

• Students entering after school starts will need to provide a student ID for entry. This ID can be in the form of your plastic ID card or your profile in the StudentVue app. We can also pull up your student page from Synergy at the security booth when you enter if you do not have a card or phone but know this will take additional time.

• Also, a reminder that students are not allowed to open doors for entry of anyone! Please remind your classmates to enter through Door #1. Students who open doors for others will earn consequences for violating building safety protocols.

All entry is required through Door #1 to ensure Cardinal Nation remains a safe and welcoming school community for all of us!

We wanted to share a few important reminders about lunch and our closed campus expectations.

• CRHS is a closed campus, which means students must remain on campus for lunch and are not allowed to order food into the building through restaurants/outside vendors (e.g. restaurant delivery, DoorDash, UberEats, etc).

• Any food delivered to CRHS will be turned away, and students who order food to CRHS may earn consequences.

• Students cannot go to their cars during the school day without a pass from the Main Office.

• Students may eat lunch in the cafeteria only- other spaces are not open to food.

The state’s Free School Meals program will continue during the 2024-25 school year, families still are encouraged to apply to qualify for more educational benefits. Even if you have been approved for free meals in the past, a new application needs to be filled out each year.

Starting last school year, every student received one breakfast and one lunch at no cost during the school year. The state’s Free School Meals program will continue to 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 2024-25 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.

Resources:

• Educational Benefits flyer

• A-H Educational Benefits website

Student parking permits for the CRHS parking lot are now available for purchase. Parking permits are sold on a first come, first served basis while available for $35.00 per trimester or $105.00 for the 24-25 school year. As always, please remember that all outstanding fines and fees must be paid before a permit can be issued.

Parking permits are purchasable in-person at the CRHS Finance Window or online via School Pay/Parent Vue. Please have your vehicle/s license plate number(s) handy when purchasing your permit as this is required information. All online purchases require students to pick up their permits from the Finance Window once school starts. Students that do not purchase a valid parking permit but drive and park at school on an occasional basis can purchase a daily parking pass for $2.00 from the Finance Window to prevent a violation.

A list of parking rules and regulations is available from the Finance Window. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Matthews at the CRHS Finance Window, by email at lana.matthews@ahschools.us or by phone 763-506-7302.

Please read important information about upcoming Lifetouch school pictures for 9th-11th graders.

• Lifetouch will be at CRHS to take school pictures for Student IDs, lunches, and yearbook photos on Thursday, September 12th.
• Pictures will be taken in the CRHS Small Gym throughout the morning.
• All 9th-11th grade students are required to have their picture taken by Lifetouch, including students in PSEO and STEP. Even if a student is not ordering pictures, they must have their picture taken.These pictures will be used for Student IDs, lunch accounts, etc.
• Seniors will not take LifeTouch photos.
• Students that attend PSEO or are out of the building may come in and have their picture taken from 7:00am-7:40am, or they may check in through the Security Desk at the main entrance and have their picture taken during the day.
• If a student is unable to attend on September 12th, they may have their picture taken on the LifeTouch Picture Retake Day on Tuesday, October 22nd.

• Pictures can be ordered by logging on mylifetouch.com and using the CRHS picture code EVTHGNK9M. Ordering information is available here. Paper order copies are available in the Main Office.

Here is important information related to David Bank Senior Pictures for 12th grade students. Please read the info below:

• David Bank will be at CRHS to take Senior Pictures for the yearbook on Thursday, September 19th.
• Pictures will take place in the Mezzanine throughout the day.
• All seniors who did not attend the summer photo session at CRHS will need to take photos on this date or earlier.
• Seniors looking to take photos prior to this date are welcome to schedule a session by contacting David Bank Studios directly.

Welcome back Volunteers! Last year our Cardinal Volunteers donated over 14000 hours of their time! That is 580+ full days of service or over $500,000 worth of work that was so generously given to the students and staff here at CRHS. We truly have the most wonderful volunteer community and I know that this year will be better than ever.

Volunteers are such an incredible asset to the students here at CRHS. Let’s make sure your impact is recorded and recognized. By filling out your volunteer application you are doing your part to keep our students safe while enriching their lives through extracurricular activities. You can access this year’s volunteer application here: CRHS Volunteer Application and Criminal Record History Release Form or email your Volunteer Services Coordinator, Danielle Callahan at danielle.callahan@ahschools.us or call (763) 506-7130)

Attention students and families! CRHS will once again run our optional after school tutoring and studying space called Quiet Study Time (QST)! Here are some important details about our program:

• QST is a great opportunity for students looking for a quiet place to complete school work or needing a little extra help to study for quizzes/tests or catch up on assignments.

• QST runs Monday-Thursday 2:30-5:00pm in the CRHS Library (2nd Floor).

• Students do not need to stay the entire time at QST. The Activity Bus is available on Monday and Wednesday at 5:00pm for students that need it (note- there is no Activity Bus available Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday). If students have a ride or can walk home, they can leave anytime once they have completed their work.

• Students can get help in a variety of subject areas, but please check the QST schedule linked here for the subject areas that are supported that day.

Our goal is to help our students do their best by offering a productive place to work or get help from staff- and we hope our students take advantage of this great opportunity! See you at QST!

Click on the button below to check out the CRHS Activities running this week. We'd love to see you come out and support Cardinal Nation!

Join one of the best student organizations in the country- DECA! DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for future roles in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA's first meeting is Wednesday, September 11 in Room 142. Find out what DECA is all about- and treats will be provided!

For more information contact DECA Advisor Blake Bodenburg at Blake.Bodenburg@ahschools.us

The state of Minnesota requires all students to have a meningococcal booster by the beginning of senior year. Now is a great time to schedule this vaccination! For most, the first dose was given with a tetanus booster back in 7th grade. For those who have not received the first dose, only one dose will be required if your student is at least 16 years old. For those who do not want to complete the vaccination, please complete the exemption portion of the MDH Immunization Form, sections 1A and 1B. https://www.health.mn.gov/people/immunize/basics/readyk12.pdf

Please send completed exemptions or updated vaccination records to julie.swanson@ahschools.us or have your

If your student is feeling ill during the school day and contacts you to go home, please remind them that they need to check in at the Health Office, as any student going home sick during the school day must have a pass from the Nurse or Health Para in order to leave the building.

If the student has an appointment during the school day, please send a note with the student, use Parent Vue, or call the attendance line rather than texting your student during class. When it is time for the appointment, the student can go to the front office to be dismissed.

As a long-standing tradition in Anoka-Hennepin Schools, view the 2024-25 back-to-school video, "It takes all of us."

What it means: The difference that every staff member makes in school communities each day is powerful. Everyone plays a role in the success of each student in Anoka-Hennepin Schools.

The handoff: With each “win” that students achieve in their educational journey, staff in the district are all working together - preparing for that handshake they will receive at commencement, before a diploma is placed in their hands. 🤝🎓

Students are in pursuit of their educational purpose at each stage in their journey:

• From early learning - where students are introduced to a world of possibilities - 🌎
• To elementary school - where we build community, and spark joy in learning - ✨
• On to middle school - where students test their own independence, and may connect with a staff member who they can count on - 📚
• And then, finally, to high school - where their own purpose may be realized as they prepare to walk across the stage on graduation day… 📖

As we approach the 2024-25 school year, it is more important than ever to focus resources on something that every staff member, student, parent, and community member would agree is an essential function of our school district - preparing our students to cross the stage at graduation.

The back-to-school season is a busy time for families, school staff and our communities. There is often more traffic congestion in this season and it’s more important than ever for drivers to pay attention before- and after-school to keep families, students and staff safe.

Check out these tips from the Anoka-Hennepin transportation department as a back-to-school reminder:

• Crosswalks: Be mindful that we are sharing the road with young walkers and staff helping them across the crosswalks or intersections. Always stop for school patrols and crossing guards.
• Know drop-off and pick-up procedures: Schools have procedures in place to keep traffic safe. Make sure you know your school’s plan for the safety of all students and staff.
• Use slow speeds: Use caution in school zones and be aware of your surroundings. We can all work together to ensure the safety of drivers, school buses, walkers and bikers.
• School bus safety: Familiarize yourself with school bus safety tips on the road. Always stop if yellow or red lights are flashing or if stop arms are extended from a school bus. Allow extra time for students to board and exit the bus and proceed to safe sidewalks to enter school zones or return home.
• Share the road: Be patient of other vehicles stopped for pedestrians or using caution in school zones. Do not pass other vehicles or school buses. Be alert, young children may take an unpredictable path as they are learning safety rules.

Thank you for your partnership in school traffic safety!

A broad range of parent/guardian representation is needed at upcoming Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) meetings for the upcoming school year from families with students in all age levels - including early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school, and transition-aged students - with a full continuum of student disabilities.

What it is: SEAC (pronounced “seek”) is comprised of parents/guardians of students in the district who receive Special Education services.

Why it matters: The intent of SEAC is to advise the school district on parent involvement, current issues, program development and established department priorities. The council serves as a resource and as an advisory council for special education programs in the district.

See meeting details and learn how to get involved.