Hidden River Newsletter

SAVE THE DATES - This Week:

Tues., April 22nd - All School MCA Math Testing from 9:00-11:00am (Bring charged iPad)

Thurs., April 24th - 8th Grade Visit to Junior Achievement

Thurs., April 24th - Family Staff Organization Meeting @ 5:30-7:00pm in library

Fri., April 25th - 8th Grade Visit to Junior Achievement

Next Week (4/28-5/2)

Tues., April 29th:

• 6th Grade Field trip to Ordway
• 7th Grade Field Trip to Science Museum
• 8th Grade MCA Science Testing (Bring charged iPad)

MCA Testing: HRMS students did an AMAZING job on the Reading MCA. Tues 4/22 is the MATH MCA (8:30-11:00). Students can have WIRED headphones for the Math MCA, they can choose to have the questions read to them. Students will need their charged iPads on Tuesday 4/22 for the Math MCA. Info for students and families about testing here. Science MCA (8th grade only) April 29th (8:30-11:00). If you have questions about your student’s participation in statewide assessments, reach out to Katie Bannon, testing coordinator at kathryn.bannon@spps.org. Additional information can be found here.

Volunteer Appreciation Week: A huge thank you to all the volunteers who give of their time and talent to help us make Hidden River run a little smoother! From family members who help us welcome students who are running a little or in keeping the cafeteria organized - and college students in the classrooms - your students are likely interacting with volunteers every day. Ask them about how volunteers help them out and encourage them to offer up a thank you this week!

All 8th graders are invited to visit Junior Achievement this Thursday or Friday with their Foundations classes. This field trip is a culmination of a study of financial literacy in which students learned about saving, investing, money management, credit and debit, and more. Students should pack a lunch or should check with their Foundations teacher to confirm if they have ordered a lunch.

Permission slips are due by 8:00 am on Tuesday, April 22. A signed copy may also be emailed to Ms. Hart at melissa.hart@spps.org by the same due date. Copies of the permission slip and more details can be found at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePXfMh7iTpQlvqSOh1MO2ufOZxN-FNjr6LH9wKML5ikWudqQ/viewform?usp=dialog

8th grade Health students planted seeds with the Como Seed Library and also gave back to the community by packing seeds for the MN Seed Project. This is a part of their Mental Health unit; gardening, time outside, and giving back to the community are all ways to boost mental health.

Shoutout to Ms. Rolig and all of the Hidden River artists that participated in the Arts Alive last week.

Last Thursday, nine 8th grade French Immersion students participated in the annual À Vous la Parole French speaking contest at the University of Minnesota. They all won awards for their theater presentations and Prix Renaud, a monetary prize named for the founder of this contest. Congratulations to Frankie B, Stella F, Elizabeth G, Henry J, Lyra K, Iliana N, Henri P, Cailyn P, and Melat Y!

Also, all 8th grade French Immersion students, regardless of their participation in the contest, practiced and presented a play, a poem, or a song in class showcasing their acting or singing talents in French.

Greetings,

Hidden River students have had some things to celebrate this week. They also have a number of things to prepare for in the days ahead.

Honor Roll Certificates

Our 6th and 7th grade quarterly assemblies have passed, where we recognized Honor Roll Recipients during their respective assemblies. Honor Roll Certificates have been and will continue to be distributed in Foundations’ classes early next week (7th grade on Monday and 6th and 8th on Tuesday).

Quarter 3 Grades Reports

Student grades reports are ready for student/parent viewing in Campus Portal. For families requesting an individual printed report for their student, please reach out to the Hidden River School Counselors for a copy.

School Year 2025-26, Course Registration

Students will be registering for 2025-26 classes this upcoming week. Tuesday & Wednesday (4/22 & 4/23), current 6th/7th grade students will receive a sample Course Registration Info Sheet in their math classes. Please have conversations with your Hidden River student about selecting courses and reach out to the Hidden River School Counselors with any questions that arise. iPads will be needed to complete course selections. Please ensure your students have their iPad charged and ready everyday.

Thursday April 24th & Friday April 25th are the official course registration days for Hidden River students. Counselors will engage students in a full presentation to assist with course selections. Current 6th grade students will be selecting courses for 7th & 8th grade. Current 7th grade students will be selecting courses for 8th grade. High School Counselors will follow a similar format, using the same scheduling system to assist our 8th grade students transitioning to high school.

Course Selection/Information for incoming Freshmen

Over 160 Hidden River students are slated to attend Central in September. Students will be receiving (or already have received) information about High School Requirements and credit information from their Foundations Teacher.

In addition, to this a few dates to be aware of:

• Thursday April 24th, Central High School will host a New Student Registration Night at the High School from 5-7pm. Please plan to attend with your 8th grader as that would be a prime opportunity to ask questions regarding the transition to High School.

• Tuesday May 6th, Central High School Counselors will come to Hidden River to support students STILL needing to complete their online Course Registration for 2025-26. 8th graders will most certainly need their iPads to select their high school classes.

Hidden River 8th graders NOT attending Central High School

Mr. Nigatu has received emails from High School Counselors regarding Course Selection and Registration at other SPPS high schools. Please watch your email for New Student Registration Nights at those schools and reach out to your child’s assigned High School with any questions that may arise.

Summer Learning Program through SPPS

As the school year winds down (7 weeks remaining), there are students in need of supplemental academic support and enrichment in the form of Summer Learning. The SPPS School Placement Center has mailed postcards home to all students recommended for and invited to Summer Learning programs through SPPS. Summer Program enrollment can be done by completing and submitting an application online (through Parent Portal) or by contacting Ms. Woodruff and Mr. Nigatu directly, for a printed form. Please visit spps.org/summer for more information and sign-up.

Continuing to strive for Academic Excellence

We understand that it is very easy as the sun starts to peek out and the countdown begins for summer, that academics might have a diminished importance to some students. Please urge your Hidden River student to finish the last 2 months strong and to continue to attend class, complete work and try their best on summative work and tests.

We are coming up on the show! Performances are May 15-17 - ticket links will be coming out soon. We will be doing school performances on the 13th and 14th for all science classes. I sent out an email about performances/additional rehearsals last week. Please see the attached document with information about transportation, volunteers, and a potluck sign up!

Additionally, there is a PUFFS t-shirt order form. Please return the form and money to me (Sonja Thorson) by Tuesday, April 22nd.

If you have a student interested in Biking. Central High School has a group/team that’s a part of the Minnesota Cycling Association. 6th-12th grade students are encouraged to join. Their season runs from Mid-July to Mid-October with practices on Tues/Thurs and Sat, NO experience is necessary. You can find more information at www.centralmtb or at info@stpcmtb.org. Gillian Puryear St. Paul Central Mountain Biking Team (774)264-4324

Our next FSO Monthly meeting will be on Thursday, April 24th at 5:30 PM in the library. Come here the exciting details about the renovation of our permanent home at 1700 Summit Avenue from the SPPS Facilities team in charge. Childcare and transportation available. Contact wendy.caucutt@spps.org or 651-744-2007 for details.

The Hidden River French Immersion Intern Program intends to recruit one native French-speaking intern for the 2025-26 school year. French interns help students continue to improve their French literacy skills in their two French immersion classes in all three middle level grades and prepare them for their path to bilingualism at Central High School.

The Intern Program is operated by a committee made up of Hidden River parents, teachers, and administrators. The committee is collaborating with the L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion (LNFI) Intern Program to recruit interns and host families. Interns live with host families from the Hidden River community and we are asking for three Hidden River families to sign up to host (2 primary / 1 backup).

Please see the following frequently asked questions to learn more about being a host family for the French Intern Program.

Host Family Q&A:

• Do families host for the whole school year?

No. Hosting is for 5 ½ months, either from mid/late-August through mid-January, or from mid-January through mid-June.

• Do host families need to provide a private bedroom for the intern?

Yes, but not a private bathroom.

• Do host families need to provide food for interns?

Yes. All meals must be provided. During the week, families can either fund school lunches or provide food for interns to make a lunch to bring from home. Host families are not compensated.

• Do host families need to transport interns to/from school?

Interns can either ride the school bus or be transported by the host family.

• Do host families need to live in Saint Paul to host an intern?

No; however, the closer to public transportation, the better.

• Do host families need to provide health insurance for the intern?

No. Insurance is provided through the FSO.

• Do host families need to have a student in the French Immersion program, or speak French at home?

No. Anyone from the Hidden River community can be a host family and interns are able to communicate in English.

For more information about the Intern Program or to get involved with hosting, please send an email to HiddenRiverFSO@gmail.com.

Keep Connected Family Engagement Partnership with Search Institute and Change Inc.:

As you might be aware, Hidden River has partnered with Search Institute and Change Inc. to offer the Keep Connected program to students and their families this year. Keep Connected offers resources to families, including tips, ideas, activities and learning opportunities to support strong family relationships.

Family Talk Starters - This Week’s Focus: Explore how members of your family enjoy being together. This is a great way to EXPRESS CARE through family relationships.

When you have a few minutes, ask other family members a question or two. Enjoy the conversation!

• When have others enjoyed being together and you felt left out? Why?
• With whom do you find it easy to relax? What makes it easy?
• What fun things do you really enjoy doing with your family? (See how long of a list you can make together. Include new things you’d like to try.)