Harambee Life | August 29, 2024

Hello Harambee Families,

It was such fun to see so many of you yesterday at our Back-to-School Open House. If you weren't able to make it, I look forward to welcoming you into the building at one of our family events this year, or at any time that works for you. We want to be your partner in your student's education, and you are always welcome in the building.

I am excited for next week and the first day of school. Tuesday, September 3 is the first day of school for 1st through 6th grade, and Wednesday, September 4 is the first day of school for kindergarten. Check our social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, & YouTube) - we will post pictures of smiling faces ready to learn as we celebrate the beginning of the new year.

Have a great long weekend!

Principal Nathan

Download the 2024-2025 Harambee School Supply list using the link below. If you need assistance getting school supplies, please call berit engstrom, our school social worker, at 651-379-2516.

• Monday, September 2 - Labor Day - school is closed
• Tuesday, September 3 - First day of school, grades 1 - 6
• Wednesday, September 4 - First day of school, Kindergarteners
• Thursday, September 5 - PTO meeting in the Media Center @ 6 PM
• Monday, September 9 - First day of school for Pre-K

Roseville Area Schools has implemented a new transportation routing system to improve the efficiency of our bus schedules for picking up and dropping off students. While this system is designed to enhance our transportation services, we ask for your patience as we address and resolve any initial issues.

If you need to request a change to a bus stop or if you no longer require transportation services, please email us at transportation@isd623.org or call us at 651-635-1638. Please be prepared to provide the following information:

• Student Name
• Student ID
• Reason for the request (for example, relocation, change in transportation needs)

Please note that we are processing requests as quickly as possible; however, any changes to existing bus stops will not take effect until after the first week of school.

You will receive updates and information about any changes via email, so please ensure that your contact details are current. This includes verifying that your most recent telephone number and email address are on file to ensure you receive all necessary communications promptly.

The safety of our students is our highest priority, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this transition.

Roseville Area Schools will continue to offer free meals for all students during the school day, including healthy breakfasts, lunches, and after-school "super" snacks. To ensure our meal programs remain effective and equitable, we are implementing some changes to our procedures, specifically regarding second meals and additional lunch servings.

Changes to Meal Procedures

Elementary Schools:

• Elementary students will no longer be able to purchase additional items such as entrées or sides. However, milk may still be purchased separately.
• We encourage students to make the most of our meal offerings by eating breakfast, utilizing the share cart, and enjoying the "all-you-care-to-eat" fresh fruit and vegetable options available with their lunch serving.

Secondary Schools:

• Secondary students may purchase additional entrées, sides, or milk if they have money in their meal account.
• To purchase additional items, students must check in at the designated cashier, receive a food tray, return to the serving line for the additional items, and check out at the designated register.
• Students with negative meal balances will not be permitted to purchase additional items.

We encourage all students to take advantage of the free breakfast and lunch offerings, which include unlimited fruits and vegetables and access to the share cart. Secondary students also have the opportunity to enjoy free super snacks at the end of each school day.

Thank you for your understanding as we make these adjustments to better serve our students.

Registration is open for fall 2024 swim lessons with Roseville Community Education! Sign up today - spots fill quickly. ⏰ We offer 9 levels of lessons for youth:

💧 Adult/Child Swim (ages 9 months+)

💧 Pre-K 1 and Pre-K 2 (ages 3 - 5)

💧 Level 1 - 6 (ages 5 - 14)

We also offer adult beginner lessons for adults and teenagers age 15+, and women-only swim lessons!

We recommend registering online for the best experience. To register, call 651-604-3770 or CLICK HERE.

Register your students for September 2024 - January 2025 Youth Enrichment! 🍁 We're offering an exciting lineup of camps, classes, and field trips for ages 0 - 14. 😊 Scholarships are available - contact us to learn more! 📞 Explore fun opportunities such as:

🌀 Animal Cartoons with Young Rembrandts

🌀 Afterschool Soccer with DASH Sports

🌀 Caves & Crystals - Science Museum Field Trip

🌀 Theater Club with Character Kids Drama

...and more! To register, call 651-604-3770 or CLICK HERE. 📲

Summer is a great time to make sure your student’s immunizations are up to date. If your student will be getting a physical for sports, camp, travel or other reasons, please check with their health care provider to make sure they are completely immunized. If they receive additional immunizations, please send a copy of the updated record to the health office or have your clinic fax it to us at fax # 651-379-2590. All students must show documentation of being fully immunized or file a legal exemption with the school by the first day of school on September 3, 2024. If you are not sure if your student’s immunizations are up to date for school, or you need information about obtaining a legal exemption, please contact the health office at 651-379-2506 before July 30th or after August 26th.

Ticks are most active in spring and summer in Minnesota. Per the Minnesota Health Department, ticks may spread certain diseases. While most tick bites do not result in disease, prevention is key.

Check for ticks at least daily.

• Ticks have to be attached for more than 24 hours to transmit most tick borne diseases.
• Change your clothes and/or bathe or shower after coming indoors to wash off and more easily find ticks that may be crawling on or attached to you.
• Search your entire body closely, especially hard-to-see areas (e.g. under the arms, in and around the ears, inside belly button, back of the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs, around the waist)
• Ticks may look like a speck of dirt or freckle on skin so use a parent or a mirror to help you.

If you find a tick on yourself, remove the tick as soon as possible.

• Prompt tick removal is important in order to lower your risk of tickborne disease transmission.
• Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to grasp the tick by the head, close to the skin.
• Pull the tick outward slowly, gently, and steadily
• Clean the area with soap and water.
• Avoid folk remedies like Vaseline®, nail polish remover, or burning matches - they are not a safe or effective way to remove ticks.
• If a person is symptomatic within 14 days of the tick bite, seek medical attention. Symptoms may include rash starting at the site of the bite, muscle/joint aches, stiff neck, headache, weakness, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and chills.

Please visit the MDH webpage for more information https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/tickborne/prevention.html