Monthly Boost

October 2024

Congratulations on successfully completing the first month of the school year!

Students, you’ve already made great strides, and we are incredibly proud of your dedication and hard work. Whether you’ve been mastering new skills, participating in discussions, or keeping up with your assignments, you are laying a strong foundation for success.

To our parents and caregivers, thank you for your continued support and partnership. Your involvement plays a critical role in your student’s progress, and together, we can help them thrive.

As we move forward, staying engaged is key. We encourage students to ask questions, reach out for help when needed, and take advantage of the many resources available. Families, please continue to stay connected with us and encourage your student’s learning journey. We’re excited for what’s to come and are here to support you every step of the way.

-Ms. Swanson and Ms. Bisson

October 1 and October 8: Trimester 1 Conferences

• Elementary: 7:15-8:15 AM
  
• K-12: 3:30-8:00PM
  

November 20: 279Online School Picture Retake & Make-Up Day
November 27: Mark Reporting Day - No School for Students
November 28-29: District Closed for Holiday - No School for Staff and Students

December 2: Start of Trimester 2

December 20: Last Day of School before Winter Break

December 23-31: Winter Break - No School for Students

December 24-25: District Closed for Holiday - No School for Staff or Students

Please mark your calendars for Trimester 1 Conferences. Conferences will be held virtually.

Conference scheduling is available NOW in ParentVUE and will close Monday, September 30th at 3:00PM. If you will need interpreter services during the conferences, please let the teachers know.

279Online's Fall Conference Dates:

Tuesday, October 1st: 7:15-8:15am (Elementary ONLY), 3:30-8:00pm (Grades K-12)

Tuesday, October 8th: 7:15-8:15am (Elementary ONLY), 3:30-8:00pm (Grades K-12)

We highly encourage you to create a ParentVUE account if you do not have one already. Please follow these instructions on how you create an account.

For ParentVUE Conference Scheduling Instructions, please visit our district’s ParentVUE page. If you scroll down to Frequently Asked Questions and then expand the “How do I schedule conferences” section, you will see links to directions in various languages.

If you are unable to schedule your conference in ParentVUE, please contact your teacher(s) directly to schedule.

If you have any other questions, please contact our main office at online@district279.org OR 763-391-8670.

NOVEMBER

• Virtual Bingo: Thursday, November 21st from 6:00-7:00pm
• Have fun with our school staff and classmates!

DECEMBER

• Advisory Challenge: December 9th-13th

JANUARY

• Elementary Night: Wednesday, January 22nd from 6:00-8:00pm
• Kindergarten-5th Grade Activity Night

FEBRUARY

• I Love to Read Month
• Join us for virtual events during this time to celebrate all things reading.

MARCH

• Secondary Night: Thursday, March 6th from 6:00-8:00pm
• Middle and High School Activity Night
• Advisory Challenge: March 18th-22nd.

APRIL

• Virtual Talent Show: Monday, April 28th-Friday, May 2nd
• Whether you sing, dance, juggle, or have a unique talent, this is your time to shine. Show off your skills at our Virtual Talent Show!

MAY

• Teacher End of Year Choices
• Teachers may choose to celebrate the end of the school year in their own special ways.

Each year we ask scholars and parents/caregivers to read and sign an agreement between themselves and 279Online concerning expectations and mutual understanding about appropriate behavior and responsibilities.

Dear Elementary Parents and Caregivers,

We kindly ask you to take a moment to review these essential highlights from the Parent Handbook. This important information will help ensure a smooth and successful school year for your child.

Please make sure to complete the form linked at the end of the document which acknowledges that you have reviewed this with your scholar.

In the event that your scholar's teacher is absent and our continuous building substitute is not available, your scholar is still expected to engage in the class work asynchronously.

• When the teacher is absent, they will post a message in Seesaw or Schoology with instructions for the lesson and an exit ticket to complete for attendance. It’s important that your child does both the lesson and the exit ticket. If the exit ticket is not completed, they will be marked unexcused.
• If they have any questions, they can email their teacher for help.

We're looking for 279Online Scholars to star in an exclusive photo session this fall! Whether you want to shine in a professional space, showcase your favorite learning spot or even feature your own home, we want YOU to be a part of this exciting opportunity!

These photos will be used to show the world what makes 279Online special, and who better to represent us than our amazing scholars?

Check out the attached flyer for information on how to sign up to participate.

Talent Development, Academic Challenge and Gifted Support (TAG) services are available to students in third through fifth grade to strengthen interests, extend grade-level content, and apply skills and concepts in authentic ways.

Please feel free to contact our TAG Specialist, Ms. Wald, at walde@district279.org if you have any questions. I’m looking forward to working with your child.

Students in grades 2-12 will take the mySAEBRS assessment this fall and again this spring. The mySAEBRS assessment, which stands for Minnesota Student Academic Behavioral Rating Scales, is student self-evaluation. It provides valuable insights into areas such as social skills, emotional well-being, and behavioral strengths and challenges. This assessment helps us gain a more comprehensive understanding of your child's needs, allowing us to better support their growth and development.

For more information about assessment items and questions asked click here.

If you would like to opt your child out of this assessment, please complete the Parent/Guardian Refusal for Student Participation in Districtwide Assessments/Testing linked on https://www.district279.org/academics/assessments.

Our first edition of the 2024-2025 College and Career Newsletter is out now. Packed with updates, exciting opportunities, and valuable resources, it is here to guide you with your future college and career success.

October's edition includes:

• College and Career Planning Checklists for each grade
• FAFSA Updates and Virtual Help Sessions Information
• Career Exploration: Interest Surveys and Assessments
• Upcoming Learning Opportunity Information: Girlhood Summit 2024
• Top Five Scholarships to Apply For

Check it out at this link: https://secure.smore.com/n/v5dum

For more resources, visit our college and career website.

• Follow us on social media:
• Facebook at 279Online
• X (formerly Twitter) at 279Online
• Instagram at 279Online_K12
• 279Online website.

• Keep your contact information current in ParentVUE. You can update phone numbers and email addresses at any time in ParentVUE. For instructions, please visit the ParentVUE Site.
• At the elementary level, please check Seesaw for daily assignments and schedules, information from your teacher, and more.
• At the secondary levels, please check Schoology for current grades, daily assignments, and overall progress. Mid-trimester grades and Trimester grades are posted in ParentVUE.
• Review our current and past newsletters on our website for important information.

Check your email regularly for Blackboard and Schoology emails from us. If you aren’t seeing them, please look in your junk folder or check your setting to make sure you don’t have emails blocked.

We would love to partner with you to build our parent/caregiver community.

If you'd like to share ideas, feedback, or connect with other parents and our administration team, please contact Assistant Principal, Ryan Bisson at BissonR@district279.org or 763-391-8682.

Volunteering is an opportunity for you to:

• Show your children or the youth of our community that you are interested in their school life and their future
• Show your commitment to the community
• Help others and develop new skills
• Meet new and interesting people and develop friendships
• Share your time and talents
• Open communication between you and your child when you’re involved and know what is going on at school
• Give your child a boost -- studies show that parent and community involvement and volunteering enhances student success
• It’s fun!

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities for 279Online, please contact us at online@district279.org

The District Planning Advisory Council (DPAC) provides community and ISD 279 staff involvement in planning for and evaluating existing instructional programs. DPAC membership is based on interest, not educational expertise. This committee meets monthly between October and April and helps to shape the future of our students, families and community members by providing community-based input and feedback in planning for and evaluating existing instructional programs.

We need two parents from each elementary site and three parents from each secondary site to serve on the District Planning Advisory Council (DPAC). In addition, each high school can have up to three students participate as members. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear the perspectives of our students.

Meetings take place from 6:30-8:00 p.m at the Educational Service Center (11200 93rd Ave North, Maple Grove)

• October 7
• November 11
• December 2
• January 6
• February 10
• March 10
• April 7
• May 15
• May 20th (School Board Presentation)

Subcommittees may, at their discretion, schedule additional meetings or extend their meeting.

Committee Structure

DPAC operates with three subcommittees. DPAC members select the subcommittee on which they want to serve. The three subcommittees with brief descriptions are listed below:

Achievement & Evaluation:
Members of the Achievement & Evaluation Subcommittee advise the district on student assessments, achievement expectations and the levels of achievement reached by ISD 279 students. The group examines multiple sources of information, including data from standardized tests. Analyzing trends over time, the subcommittee recommends priorities for improving achievement in certain curricular areas and student populations.

Program & Assessment:
This subcommittee offers input and advice to subject areas in the pre-assessment phase of the Program Improvement Process. Typically, the subcommittee focuses on one of the subject areas that is in pre-assessment phase. Activities include gathering information, identifying trends, analyzing needs, and preparing recommendations. In addition to being included in the DPAC report to the School Board, these recommendations are forwarded to the assessment team for that subject area.

Student Services:
This subcommittee reviews the student support service areas which enhance and supplement regular education programs. The service may be directed to a student or groups of students and/or consultation to regular education classroom and leadership staff. Typically, this subcommittee will select one or two areas to review and make recommendations for improvement. The student support service areas are as follows: Community Education, Counseling and Guidance, Health Services, Media, Special Education and Gifted Education.

If you are interested in being a representative, please send e-mail at sweeneyr@district279.org with your name and contact information (email address and phone number).

Need help logging in to an account, checking in for an online meeting with a teacher, or setting up a device? Check out the technology resources in the Parent and Family Toolkit.

Need more technology assistance? The district tech support help desk is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on student days, and 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on non-student days.

Submit a ticket for technology assistance through our new ticketing system, IncidentIQ.

• The best way for scholars and families to submit a ticket is to use the following external link to IncidentIQ. https://district279.incidentiq.com/guest/5K9FRZD3/help-desk-kiosk. Once you submit the ticket, then your user information will be in IncidentIQ for the future.
• You may also call the tech department directly at 763-391-7180.

ParentVUE is an application you can use to view your scholar(s) attendance, report cards, schedule conferences, update your contact information and more. We highly encourage you to create an account if you do not have one already. Please follow these instructions on how you create an account.

You may also visit our ParentVUE page for more step-by-step instructions on how to access and change things in ParentVUE.

If you have any questions regarding your ParentVue account, please submit a ticket to our technology department via Incident IQ.

Families will need to complete the Back-to-School Annual Verification form in ParentVUE before accessing their accounts for information regarding students in the new academic year. Please review the information thoroughly to make any necessary changes to you or your scholars information.

In the back-to-school forms process, families have the ability to deny the release of all directory information (including a student’s image) or to specifically deny the release of a student’s image only. Families who wish to change their student's opt out preferences can do so at any time in ParentVUE.

What is the difference between denying a release of a student's photograph and denying a release of directory information?

• If you deny the school district the ability to release your child’s photo only, the school district will not include a photo or a video/audio recording of your child in yearbooks, school/district websites, school/district social media pages or other school/district publications accessible outside of school.
• If you deny a release of all of your student’s directory information (which includes the student’s photograph), the school district will not include your child’s name, image, voice, school of attendance, awards, participation in officially recognized activities/sports, or any other directory information in any school/district publication that is accessible outside of school.

More information about the Directory/Photo Release information can be found here: https://www.district279.org/info-center/media-inquiries/opt-outs

Seesaw is a digital portfolio that your scholars will use in grades K-5. Scholars can post images, drawings, videos, and other examples of classwork to show what they are learning in school and share it with their family.

For more detailed Seesaw technology tips and instructions, please click here.

For families who use Schoology, we created this handy reference guide to help you navigate what you’ll see in Schoology, how Schoology is different than ParentVue, and how to get support for accessing the parent side of Schoology.

Click here for the reference guide.

Parents/Guardians can access the Schoology Parent Access Code in ParentVUE under the Lunch PIN in Student Info.

Per the Minnesota department of education, Online and Homeschool families are not eligible for the Minnesota Free School Meals Program. But it is still important for families to fill out an application for educational benefits.

Fill out the Educational Benefits Application to take advantage of benefits available to families who meet income requirements, including free or discounted costs for the following:

• Field trips
• Community education programs
• Clubs, activities, and athletics
• Instrument rentals
• Fees, including for AP testing, graduation, student parking permits and more
• Sliding scale for repair costs on school-provided devices for qualified damages
• Comcast internet for home
• Xcel Energy account assistance for electricity bills

Additionally, the state of Minnesota uses a school district’s percentage of qualifying students from applications completed and approved prior to October 1 each year to calculate each district’s funding level. School district funding impacts every student:

• Class sizes
• Number of support staff the district can hire to help scholars (counselors, social workers)
• Extra programming opportunities

Please fill out the Educational Benefits Application TODAY to make sure your family can take advantage of these and other benefits! To bypass creating an EduTrakConnect account you can simply fill out an application at the following link ….https://bit.ly/3hWdk7Q.

Over the next several months, elementary and middle school attendance boundaries will be reviewed to determine needed changes. These adjustments will reassign the elementary and/or middle school some households are zoned to attend. Our community’s support of Building a Better Future in 2023 is helping to minimize the extent of the changes.

Community involvement matters: There will be multiple ways for staff, students, parents/caregivers and community members to be involved throughout this process. The first opportunity is to share what considerations should be adhered to during the review via this ThoughtExchange. Please note any responses you provide are anonymous and can be completed within minutes. The provided feedback will help the team create draft attendance boundary scenarios. Staff, students, parents/caregivers and community members will then be able to provide feedback on each of the possibilities presented.

Timeline: This first feedback opportunity is open until Oct. 9. Scenarios will be created mid-October through December using the considerations shared. These scenarios will be presented shortly after winter break. Edits may be made based on that feedback, and again presented with the opportunity to share comments. The overall process is expected to wrap up in the spring. The new attendance boundaries will go into effect fall 2026.

Stay tuned: Detailed information will continue to be shared on the district website, district279.org. Any questions or concerns should be directed to BetterFuture@district279.org or 763-391-8990.

ARE YOU AT RISK OF LOSING YOUR HOUSING?

• Owing back rent
• Received a notice of intent to evict
• Non-renewal of lease
• Do you have a child attending school in the Brooklyn Center District 286 or Osseo District 279?

Then you may be eligible for HOMEWORK STARTS WITH HOME, NORTHWEST, a program that offers resources and supportive services to families experiencing housing instability.

Please contact HSWH@district279.org for further information.

Rather than posting numerous resources each week, we are compiling them in a Google Doc that will be updated accordingly. Please click here for assistance regarding things like mental health, food and clothing support, and Internet access.