News and events 8/13

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Welcome to a New School Year at Sand Creek Elementary! I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones in good health and high spirits. As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new principal of Sand Creek Elementary. It is a great honor to join this vibrant community, and I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome I’ve already received from staff and families alike.

Our dedicated team of educators will be returning on Monday, August 26th, eager to begin preparations for the school year. Together, we are committed to ensuring that Sand Creek remains a welcoming and inclusive environment where every student is valued, heard, and empowered to achieve academic success. We want our Stars to thrive at school, and we emphasize the importance of being present, safe, and kind every day.

Communication and collaboration are key to a successful partnership between home and school. We encourage you to actively participate in your child's education by attending parent-teacher conferences in October & February, by attending PTO (Parent-Teacher Organization) meetings & family engagement nights, and staying connected through our school newsletters and online platforms like Facebook & Instagram. Your involvement plays a vital role in creating a successful experience for your child.

As we embark on this new academic year together, let’s embrace both the challenges and the achievements that will come our way. I am confident that with a strong partnership with each family, we will make this an amazing year for our entire school community.

Once again, welcome to a new year at Sand Creek Elementary. I am excited to be part of this wonderful community and look forward to getting to know each of you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas. Here’s to a fantastic year of growth and achievement for all of our Stars!

See you soon,

Melanie Wohlers
Principal, Sand Creek Elementary

School hours for Sand Creek Elementary School for this year will be 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The reason for this change is a result of the annual districtwide review of transportation routes that ensures efficient use of transportation resources while also maintaining safety for students.

See introduction video Linked HERE!

See introduction video Linked HERE!

Hello! I'm Alison Koshiol, and I'm excited to join Sand Creek as the new Admin Intern. I've been in education for 17 years, with the last seven at Anoka-Hennepin. My husband, three daughters, and our golden retriever make up our family. I enjoy the outdoors, reading, and spending time with my loved ones. I'm really looking forward to being a part of the Sand Creek community and getting to connect with students and families.

It’s important that each family completes the back-to-school verification process before the first day of school. Verification ensures that each student’s school has access to accurate emergency contact information and releases to ensure the safety of each student.

Back-to-school verification may be completed online. Even if families’ contact information has not changed, it’s important to log in to access a variety of other student information in the coming weeks, including class schedules and teacher assignments, attendance, school handbooks, progress reports and grades for middle and high school students. High school students will not be able to enroll in fall activities until the back-to-school verification process is complete.

Log in to A-HConnect at ahconnect.ahschools.us/ to complete your student’s back-to-school forms for the upcoming school year:

• Parents/guardians can access the forms by clicking the lock icon and logging in at the top right corner of any district or school website.
• Then, select “my student information.”
• Next, choose "Online registration."
• Select "Back-to-school annual verification."
  
  

We need all families to take time to review the Sand Creek Student-Parent Handbook. This resource is a one-stop shop for contact information, practices & procedures, school policies, and student expectations. It is our hope that all families are well versed in what is expected of our Sand Creek Stars and how parents and families can support a successful school experience for all of our students. Once you have reviewed the handbook, there is a link to a short form for you to complete, entitled Home-School Behavior Compact , confirming that you read our handbook.

Teachers assignments will be available to families in ParentVue as early as Monday, August 26th but no later than Tuesday, August 27th. We do not send postcards or letters, we encourage all parents to check in ParentVue during that window of time so that you know who your child's teacher is prior to Open House on Wednesday, August 28th.

Open House is Wednesday, August 28, from 4:30-6:00. Our DCD Families Only Open House will be from 3:30-4:30 on August 28th. This is a drop-in style event and you will be able to visit your child's classroom, meet their teacher and drop off school supplies in Grades 1-5. Our kindergarten families are encouraged to bring school supplies to the Welcome Week conference on either Tue. Sept. 3 or Wed. Sept. 4. Please refer to the Kindergarten Welcome Week Newsletter for more information.

To all families, please visit our Sand Creek school website at ahschools.us/sandcreek to find a variety of helpful information about our school. Here is a link to the Sand Creek School Supply List .

Finally, mark your calendars for Thursday, September 19 from 5:00-7:00 for our Back-to-School, family engagement night. All parents are encouraged to attend this important night. Stay tuned for more information in a future newsletter.

What an exciting time of year! A special welcome to the following new staff to The Creek:

• Katie Tedford - Grade K Teacher
• Megan Beranek - Grade 3 Teacher
• Matthew Peterson - Grade 3 Teacher
• Arielle Sturm - Grade 4 Teacher
• Scott Hanson - Grade 5 Teacher Long Term Sub
• Colleen Worby - Special Education Lead Teacher
• Emily Ylvisaker - SpEd Teacher (Setting I/II)
• Luke Strina - SpEd Teacher (Setting I/II)
• Leah Warren - SpEd Teacher (Setting II)
• Jessica Collyard - DCD Teacher (Setting III)
• Kelianne Scharphorn - DCD Teacher (Setting III)
• Rob Jensen - DCD Teacher (Setting III)
• Holly Richards - DCD Teacher (Setting III)
• Kathleen Wagner - Speech Teacher
• Lisa Olson - Literacy Specialist
• Elizabeth Tveita - Recess Para
• Roberta Davies - Safe Space Para
• Kaylee Rehani - SpEd Para
• Abby Anderson - SpEd Para
• Kari Lohn - Q-Comp Peer Evaluator
• Alison Koshiol - Admin Intern
• Melanie Wohlers - Principal

If you are interesting in working at Sand Creek or know someone who might be, please see the following postings that we are currently looking to fill.

• Special Ed Teacher (.5 FTE) - Any Special Ed License (Long Term Sub) - JobID: 18207
  
• Paraeducator Elementary (5 hrs/day) - JobID: 18293
• SpEd Paraeducator (3 Positions) - JobID: 17746, JobID: 17881, JobID: 18204
• Adventures Plus Site Coordinator - JobID: 18291

Monday, August 26 - Teachers Return

Wednesday, August 28 - Open House (4:30-6:00) *DCD Families Only Open House (3:30-4:30)

Tuesday, September 3 - First Day of School for Grades 1-5

September 3 through September 6 - Kindergarten Welcome Week

Tue. Sept. 3 & Wed. Sept. 4 - Kindergarten conferences w/families

Thu. Sept. 5 - Kindergarteners w/last name A-J attend school

Fri. Sept. 6 - Kindergarteners w/last names K-Z attend school

Monday, September 9 - First day with ALL Kindergarteners

Thursday, September 19 - Family Engagement Night/All School Dinner, 5:00-7:00

If you are no longer planning on attending Sand Creek, please let Kari know at 763-506-4302 or by email at Karyn.Wieden@ahschools.us.