![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/u/backgrounds/custom_bg-62d705c7b29504792c664783-169a196f974c.jpg)
Backpack Online -September 22, 2023
![Backpack Online -September 22, 2023](https://cdn.smore.com/u/thumbs/b27b/thumb-77c999eabf1a4fbd3d5eaf7a5f4276bf.jpeg)
September 22, 2023
The Class of 2024 marks the start of senior year with “Senior Sunrise”
A growing tradition at high schools in Anoka-Hennepin is students marking the beginning and the end of their senior year with sunrise and sunset events. During the first week of the 2023-24 school year, seniors gathered at the athletic stadiums - blankets in tow - to watch the sun rise on their final year at their school.
These events provide students with the opportunity to connect, build community and celebrate their last year of high school together. Before seniors walk across the stage at graduation, on the final week of the year for seniors, they will once again gather at the stadium as the sun sets on senior year.
“The event unites us, and gives a symbol of how this is us starting our final year together," said Blaine High School senior Olivia Corr. “It’s special to bring all the seniors together into one place so early in the morning and see them all bonding over the sun, or the lack thereof in this case.”
📷 View photos: Andover HS | Blaine HS | Champlin Park HS | Coon Rapids HS
Champlin Park High School seniors watch the sun rise.
Coon Rapids High School seniors show school spirit.
Blaine students bring yard games fostering connection.
Coon Rapids Middle School student wins national school bus safety poster contest
Avrie Siedschlag, now a seventh grade student at Coon Rapids Middle School (CRMS), was named the winner of the 2022-23 National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest, the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) announced Sept. 18.
Siedschlag completed the winning poster as a sixth grade student last school year. She was also named the winner of the Anoka-Hennepin poster contest and the 2023 Minnesota School Bus Safety Poster Contest. 🎨 View Siedschlag’s winning poster.
The 2022-23 theme was Safely Rolling to my Destination. The transportation department invited students in all grade levels to submit their best artwork for the competition. Each school held their own poster contest, with one winner being chosen from each grade level, and the winning poster for each school was entered into the district poster contest.
🗞 Read more about the national school bus safety poster contest.
Students start off a ‘good year’ cleaning up the Rum River
Students at Andover and Blaine high schools recently teamed up to help a community in need. After learning used car tires were being illegally dumped in the Rum River, students from both schools developed a plan to clean up the mess.
Bob Ameli, environmental science teacher at Andover High School, and Larry Osmek, science teacher at Blaine High School, enlisted over 60 students to help clean up the area and properly dispose of the tires.
After scouting the area this summer, Ameli figured there were around 75 tires needing to be removed, but once they got to work, they learned it was so much more. “All totaled, we removed well over 200 tires from the river using canoes and a lot of determination,” Ameli said. “The students were very enthusiastic about making such a tangible difference.”
📷 View photos of students cleaning up the Rum River.
Famous musical duo pulls strings, invite CPHS students to perform at the Orpheum
Five Champlin Park High School (CPHS) students shared the stage at the Orpheum in Minneapolis with The Piano Guys, an internationally known musical duo famous for their YouTube channel, which blends classical and popular music and films in whimsical locations around the world.
Violinists Garrison Finke, Andres Johnson, Hmai Fanai, Westin Zubert and Maia Ark rehearsed with two students from Parnassus Preparatory School for one week before the event, but only met with the Piano Guys for a 10-minute sound check the night of the show. Students performed on stage for the song Beethoven’s Secrets, which is about the power of great music to reach across distance and time and connect one generation to another.
“It was a great experience of what a professional gig is really like,” said Levi Comstock, orchestra director at CPHS.
Get involved: Join a district committee
Anoka-Hennepin values parent involvement in education and is committed to offering resources to meet the changing needs of parents and families. The district invites parents/guardians and community members to participate on committees as a meaningful way to get involved with the district.
The district is coordinating an annual committee application process for committees in need of new members as a strategy to increase awareness of opportunities and participation from community members and parents.
There are currently nine committees districtwide and four are in need of more members. The Early Childhood Family Education Parent Advisory Council (PAC), Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC), Student Services Advisory Council (SSAC) and the Parent Advisory Committee for Racial and Ethnic Equity are all seeking new members.
Superintendent Cory McIntyre connects, reflects on shared purpose with retirees
The Anoka-Hennepin Retired Staff Association (AHRSA) has been gathering district retirees since 1977 when the group was formed - to provide an opportunity to connect with each other and hear about the happenings in the schools.
Supt. Cory McIntyre visited with approximately 65 members of AHRSA on Tuesday, Sept. 19 to share “11” fun facts about what’s new this school year, his background, why he wanted to return to the district, and the theme that staff are focused on this year.
“The Power of Purpose” theme resonated with members in attendance, recalling why they dedicated their careers to the field of education and how schools and students made an impact on them. Keith Huso, a retired job coach and paraeducator shared, “I feel blessed by the connections that I was able to make with students during my time in the school district. It was the best job I ever had. Those students brought such light and joy to my day.”
Each meeting also provides an opportunity to contribute to a local cause; this month: The Dictionary Project, a collaboration with the local Lions and Rotary Clubs, which provides a resource dictionary for every third-grade student in Anoka-Hennepin Schools. 📷 View photos from the Sept. 19 event.
School Board approves increased wages for a range of positions
Child nutrition, substitute teachers, custodians and other operational positions
Families can save money, earn educational benefits
While the state's Free School Meals program to being in 2023, families will still need to apply to qualify for more educational benefits
Starting Sept. 5, 2023, every student may receive one breakfast and one lunch at no cost during the school year. The state’s Free School Meals program will 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 2023 Applications for Educational Benefits begins Aug. 1, 2023.
School Board meeting set for Mon., Sept. 25
The Anoka-Hennepin School Board will convene for its regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, September 25 at the Sandburg Education Center, located at 1902 Second Ave. in Anoka.
Agenda items include:
- Appointment of election judges resolution.
- Morris Leatherman community survey results.
- Mental health supports update.
- Preliminary tax certification for taxes payable 2024.
- First read - Policy 506.0 District Student Discipline policy.
- First read - Policy 413.0 Harassment, Violence and Discrimination policy.
💻 📺 Watch the meeting live online, or on local television. Also, watch for the summary of meeting details in the Action of the School Board publication later next week.
Changes to School Board meeting video streams, meeting minutes
Beginning October 2023, viewers will notice some changes to the format of Anoka-Hennepin School Board meetings when streaming them online and viewing meeting agendas and minutes. The school district has tested using YouTube for video streaming the past few meetings, and will begin using a new meeting software, BoardBook, for organizing School Board documents.
📂📄 Community members can still access the meeting materials the same way they are familiar with, by visiting the district website at ahschools.us/schoolboard.
Additional district news
- District to host hiring event for non-teaching positions Oct. 12 at Anoka High School.
- Device Protection Plan available for families with students assigned district Chromebooks.
- Parent Engage 360 Podcast Episode 35: Welcome back Cory McIntyre.
- Media centers, other improvements continue as Fit for the Future projects near the final year.
- District to replace ash trees in response to emerald ash borer.
Translate this message
To translate this information to another language, please click anywhere on the message to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
This e-newsletter is published by Anoka-Hennepin Schools. It's sent to Anoka-Hennepin families and community members who subscribe on a weekly basis during the school year, excluding breaks (and periodically during the summer). Questions, comments or concerns about the Backpack Online e-newsletter? Contact us.