In the Know - November 17, 2023
November 17, 2023
Update on Anoka-Hennepin contract negotiations
Anoka-Hennepin Schools values the dedication of its staff members and recognizes that all employees have a shared goal and mission: To effectively educate each student for success.
While conducting contract negotiations, the district aims to work collaboratively with bargaining groups in alignment with Policy 209, the negotiations code of ethics, which details guiding principles and practices in reaching agreements with Anoka-Hennepin employment contracts:
Provide accurate, timely and complete information to employees and the general public.
Respectfully and fairly participate in the negotiation process.
Maintain support of the district, its schools and its staff.
Make every reasonable effort to arrive at a responsible settlement for each contract.
What families may notice: The District is aware that teachers at some school sites are participating in a work to rule approach during the pending contract negotiations, which Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota is calling ‘Walkout Wednesday.’
- What that means: At the end of the work day, some teachers are gathering together and walking out of the building in unison. Teachers are still reporting to work and fulfilling required work duties. This action is not at the direction or encouragement of the District.
Go deeper: It is the goal to improve terms and conditions for all employees while working within tight budget parameters that maintain financial and operational stability for the district.
💻 View the Negotiations webpage to view the status of current contract negotiations in Anoka-Hennepin Schools.
📺 View the Labor Relations and Benefits presentation, providing a status update on contract negotiations from the Nov. 13, 2023 School Board meeting.
Employee 2023 W-2 and 1095-C forms will be available electronically; opt-out option for printed copy
Anoka-Hennepin employee 2023 W-2 and 1095-C forms will be available for viewing, downloading and printing by logging into Skyward Employee Access.
Benefits of choosing an electronic copy:
- It will be ready earlier than printed copies.
- It is a safer method of delivery considering the documents contain sensitive data such as social security numbers.
- It can be accessed from anywhere you can log in to Skyward.
To access Skyward, first sign in to A-HConnect, then click "Skyward."
- To receive the W-2 electronically instead of a paper copy, please complete the opt-out form titled "Confirm W2 Delivery 2023" in Employee Access of Skyward.
- To receive your 1095-C electronically instead of a paper copy, please complete the opt-out form titled "Confirm 1095-C Delivery 2023" on your Employee Access of Skyward.
Employees have until Jan. 12, 2024, to change their preference to receiving their forms electronically. Communication will be sent out when 2023 W-2s are available electronically.
Please contact Payroll at extension 61050 or Payroll.Help@AHSchools.us with any questions.
🏒 Last chance: Sport #AHSchools team gear
Everyone is part of the Anoka-Hennepin Schools team and we all play a role in making a difference for students each and every day. And staff members can sport "The Power of Purpose" team gear themselves!
This is a final opportunity to gear up for the game: The online store will be available through SchoolPay to purchase The Power of Purpose apparel for Anoka-Hennepin team members.
🗓️ When: Friday, November 17 - Monday, November 27. (Online store to close at 11 a.m.)
📦 Delivery: Orders will be available for pick-up at the Educational Service Center (2727 N Ferry St., Anoka) in the Communication/Public Relations office, by Dec. 21. Watch your email for details when your order is ready for pick-up.
Apparel options include the traditional Power of Purpose hockey jersey, a hooded sweatshirt, a long-sleeve t-shirt and a short-sleeve t-shirt.
- Prices include last name personalization, however, the name on the front of the jersey is a lot more important than the name on the back!
- All jerseys will be assigned the number 11 - as it is the number that the state assigned to the school district when it was consolidated in 1952.
Learn more and place an order for your own team gear by visiting ahschools.us/PowerofPurposeTeamGear. Let’s go for the gold!
UnitedHealthcare November engagement toolkit: Kindness and gratitude
To support Anoka-Hennepin School District employees, UnitedHealthcare has created a monthly engagement toolkit to support employee health and well-being.
The November engagement toolkit offers resources and content on topics related to kindness and gratitude. Research shows being kind boosts mental and emotional health and that kindness can be contagious.
Included in this month’s engagement toolkit:
- A podcast and worksheet about journaling for self-compassion.
- An act of kindness calendar.
- An article listing seven ways to make someone’s day.
- A video about how to practice gratitude.
Information session for the University of St. Thomas Work and Learn program
Anoka-Hennepin and the University of St. Thomas (UST) have a partnership that provides hands-on experience to support success in future teaching careers.
The Grow Your Own and Work and Learn programs aim to recruit, prepare, retain and support highly qualified paraprofessionals and Tier 1 and Tier 2 teachers to become Tier 3 licensed special education teachers. The program offers an affordable, accessible and accelerated program to earn an Academic and Behavior Strategist (ABS) License and Master's degree in 2.5 years.
UST is offering an informational session for those interested in the program on Nov. 30 from 4-5 p.m.
The UST School of Education may offer qualified students up to $8,000 in tuition support for Work and Learn cohorts starting in Spring 2024 and Summer 2024.
Staff PD opportunity: Supporting American Indian Students in the Classroom
The Anoka-Hennepin American Indian Education Program is hosting seven virtual discussions on Supporting American Indian Students in the Classroom starting Nov. 1. The discussions will be held virtually using Google Meet from 6-8 p.m. on each date.
Virtual discussions:
- Nov. 1: Introductions, Icebreakers, Definitions
- Nov. 8: History of Indian Education
- Nov. 15: Teaching American Indian Students
- Nov. 29: Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
- Dec. 6: Dakota Oyate
- Dec. 13: Indigenous Games
- Dec. 20: American Indian Literature
The discussions will be hosted by Benjamin Burgess, Ph.D. elementary American Indian Education advisor. The courses will focus on American Indian experiences within the educational system with a special emphasis on perspectives of Ojibwe and Dakota people of Minnesota.
Join the virtual discussions on Google Meet. For more information, please contact Benjamin Burgess at benjamin.burgess@ahschools.us or 763-506-1172.
Parent Education Series: District to host three Parent Engage 360 events in 2023-24
Join parents and guardians from the Anoka-Hennepin Schools community for information and resources to support the needs of students today.
The big picture: Anoka-Hennepin is hosting three Parent Engage 360 community and parent education events during the 2023-24 school year. These events aim to provide resources for parents and guardians to support their students and others in the community. Topics range from mental health, chemical health, internet safety, and more. Parent Engage 360 forum events are offered both in-person and in virtual formats and are free and open to the public.
What to expect: The first Parent Engage 360 event will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Coon Rapids High School auditorium and will feature author and co-founder of TILL360 Joe Beckman. Over the last 20 years, Beckman has spoken all over the world with one mission, to reclaim human connection.
Beckman is an engaging and dynamic speaker who combines humor, authenticity, heart, and soul that will help attendees find self-worth, resilience, confidence, joy, and human connection. Beckman is the author of Just Look Up: Five Life-Saving Phrases Every Kid Human Needs to Hear. Attendees at this event have the chance to win one of four free copies of Beckman’s book.
Register for this event (registration is not required, but helps with planning).
Posters with purpose: Kindness poster contest winners announced
As part of October’s National Bullying Prevention campaign, Anoka-Hennepin held its 20th annual kindness poster contest.
About the contest: This year’s theme was Make Kindness Your Purpose. The district invited students at all grade levels to submit their best artwork for the competition and the school-level winners advanced to the district-level competition. Nearly 150 posters were voted on by staff at the Educational Service Center on Tuesday, Nov. 7 and 10 were named districtwide winners.
🎨 Meet the winners and view their winning posters on the district website:
- Paisley Rugroden, kindergarten, McKinley Elementary.
- Emersyn Buttweiler, first grade, Monroe Elementary.
- Ahaan Kumar, second grade, Sunrise Elementary.
- Hadley Hoehn, third grade, McKinley Elementary.
- Anh (Sofia) Ngo, fourth grade, Monroe Elementary.
- Aarohee Anand, fifth grade, Monroe Elementary.
- Avery Dikken, sixth grade, Oak View Middle School.
- Jheel Sharma, seventh grade, Roosevelt Middle School.
- Audrey Schwen, eighth grade, Roosevelt Middle School.
- Hope Fletcher, 11th grade, Anoka High School.
The big picture: The annual kindness poster contest helps create a safe and welcoming environment for students by promoting kindness and anti-bullying. The contest promotes kindness as a positive call to action to counteract the negative impact of bullying, and Anoka-Hennepin’s core values of respect, responsibility, appreciation of diversity, integrity, and compassion are the basis of kindness.
What’s next: These students will be recognized at the Jan. 22 School Board meeting and will receive a Kindle tablet from the Horace Mann Company. Winning posters will also be displayed on the district website and printed for use in school buildings across the district.
District to host Education, Employment, and Enlistment Palooza on Dec. 9 at Andover High School
Anoka-Hennepin career and college specialists from the district’s high schools have once again collaborated to host the Second Annual Education, Employment, and Enlistment Palooza on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 8:30-11 a.m. at Andover High School.
What to expect: The event will highlight a variety of college, career and post-high school planning options for all high school students and families. The format will include a mix of scheduled 40-minute sessions on focused topics.
Students and parents/guardians have the opportunity to sit in on sessions including nine different topics. The first sessions will be held from 8:30-9:10 a.m. with the second session to follow from 9:15-9:55 a.m. The fair will be open from 10-11 a.m. View the complete schedule.
Topics include:
- Pay Less for College.
- Labor Trends.
- How do I figure out what I want to do for a career?
- Trades and Apprenticeships.
- Military pathways panel.
- Lowering the costs of college while in high school.
- Why STEP might be a great option.
- Creative Careers.
- Recent grad student panel.
Plan your future: The college and career fair will feature 37 employers/apprenticeship representatives and over 40 colleges/universities and military recruiters. Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Anoka Technical College, Bemidji State University, Grand Canyon University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and University of Wisconsin-Stout will all be offering students the option to apply and receive an admissions decision on the day of the event.
Jackson Middle School students participate in Champlin Women of Today Craft Fair
Students in the Vocational and Community Experiences classes taught by Stephanie Batts and Marta Biegler at Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science were hard at work preparing for a booth at the Champlin Women of Today Craft Fair that was held Nov. 4 at Champlin Park High School.
Since the beginning of the school year, students have been creating crafts out of mostly recycled materials. Students painted, stenciled, drilled, sanded, sewn and filled over 900 items in preparation for the fair. They also learned about pricing, greeting, salesmanship and cashiering. Parents and staff were also volunteered their time to work the booth at the craft fair.
Physical activity and fun: Oxbow Creek students explore a Marvelous Super Scooter Adventure
Each year at Oxbow Creek Elementary School, physical education teachers Dan Masloski and Nicolette Collison transform the school’s gymnasium into an adventure through the Scooter World activity.
Teachers and volunteers at Oxbow Creek create a themed maze for students to ‘scoot’ through to perform healthy activities at various stations, like push-ups or jumping jacks.
🦸 This year’s theme was A Marvelous Super Scooter Adventure, a superhero-themed activity. Students enjoyed the course throughout the week in physical education class and on Thursday night, the school community was invited for a family night to experience the adventure.
📖 Anoka High School senior publishes novel, shares story at AMSA to inspire seventh graders
Students spend years reading books, few publish their own. Braylan Allison, a senior at Anoka High School, published a novel titled “Lunar” during her freshman year and has plans to publish a second book in the trilogy early next year.
The big picture: Allison started writing the story during her English Language Arts (ELA) class in seventh grade and visited Anoka Middle School for the Arts (AMSA) to inspire a new generation of young writers last month. During her visit with the students, she answered questions about the writing process, editing and how to create a story. She also helped students with their own suspense stories.
🐺 The book is a supernatural story of a teenager, Roselnn, and her struggles of navigating high school while transforming into a werewolf. The premise may sound familiar, but Allison said she wanted to find a unique take on the genre. Visit her website to learn more about “Lunar.”
“It’s a supernatural type story with a little bit of mystery,” Allison said. “I didn’t want it to be like ‘Twilight’ because it had been done a thousand times, so I took a little different approach.”
2023-24 fall sports and activities round-up
With the fall sports and activities season wrapping up, here’s a look at who’s heading to state, and how they fared when they performed and played. Also included is information about post-season awards gathered by student-athletes and coaches.
🏈 Football
The Andover High School football team (10-1) advanced to the semifinals of the MSHSL Class AAAAA State Football Tournament. The Huskies will square off against Chanhassen High School on Saturday, Nov. 18. Opening kick-off for the state semifinal game is set for 7 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Andover is making its seventh state tournament appearance in school history with the last trip coming in 2021.
Visit the MSHSL website for more tournament information. All tickets for the state tournament must be purchased online.
The MSHSL Class AAAAA state semifinals can be streamed live (for a fee) at nspn.tv/mshsl. Live stats are also available online.
Dig deeper: Take a deeper look into the Andover High School football team.
🏊 Girls swimming and diving
The MSHSL Class AA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet will be held Nov. 16-18 at the Jean F. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Diving and swimming preliminaries are set for Nov. 16 and Nov. 17, respectively, while the finals are scheduled for Nov. 18. Below is a list of qualifiers by school (events).
Andover High School
- Ali Oswell (50 yard freestyle) and (LeeAnna Seward (200 yard freestyle).
- Oswell, Seward, Bella Kirschman, Eva King (200 yard freestyle relay).
- Camille Madsen and Reid Scheurman were named Minnesota State High School Swim & Dive Coaches Association Section 7AA Assistant Coaches of the Year.
Anoka High School
- Ally Diehl (100 yard butterfly and 200 yard individual medley), Kirsten Bailey (1 meter diving) and Nora Sloth (100 yard freestyle and 200 yard freestyle).
- Sydney DeRung, Abi Johnson, Grace Morphew and Mackenzie Solberg qualified with relay teams.
- 200 yard medley relay team.
- 200 yard freestyle relay team.
- 400 yard freestyle relay team.
Blaine High School
- Kalli Stark (50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly), Nevaeh Miller (200 yard individual medley), Sydney Edwards (100 yard breaststroke and 500 yard freestyle) and Lana Ryan (500 yard freestyle).
- Gabby Busch and Kate Pennoyer qualified with relay teams.
- 200 yard medley relay.
- 400 yard freestyle relay.
- Kristin Luedtke was named Minnesota State High School Swim & Dive Coaches Association Section 7AA Coach of the Year.
- Nick Johnson was named Minnesota State High School Swim & Dive Coaches Association Section 7AA Diving Coach of the Year.
- Kalli Stark Minnesota State High School Swim & Dive Coaches Association Section 7AA Swimmer of the Year.
Champlin Park High School
- Sophie Norsted (100 yard butterfly and 100 yard backstroke and Olivia Knox (100 yard breaststroke).
⚽️ Adapted soccer
The MSHSL PI Adapted Soccer State Tournament will be held Nov. 17-18 at Stillwater High School.
The Anoka-Hennepin Mustangs earned the No. 7 seed in the PI adapted soccer state tournament and will play No. 2 seed Minneapolis South on Friday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m.
The winner between Anoka-Hennepin and Minneapolis South will advance to the semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m. to play the winner between Dakota United and Park Center.
Anoka-Hennepin is coached by Pete Kutches, Ryan Roth and Nick Schmitz.
For more information on the 2023 MSHSL PI Adapted Soccer State Tournament, please visit the MSHSL website.
🏐 Volleyball
The MSHSL Class AAAA Girls State Volleyball Tournament was Nov. 8-11 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. After winning the Section 7AAAA championship, Anoka High School (AHS) advanced to the state tournament and placed thrid.
AHS earned the No. 5 seed in the Class AAAA state tournament bracket and defeated No. 4 seed Eagan High School in a five-set thriller Nov. 8 in the quarterfinal round. Logan Brent totaled 28 kills and Hayden Reeder added 24 kills. Carmen Shimek dished out 55 assists and led the team with 25 digs. Anoka won the first two sets 29-27 and 28-26, before falling in sets three and four by the score of 26-28. AHS dominated the decisive fifth set by the score of 15-4.
The Tornadoes ran into No. 1 seed and undefeated Wayzata High School in the semifinal round and fell by the score of 3-0. Reeder had eight kills and a team-high 10 digs.
Anoka closed the tournament with a 3-0 sweep of Stillwater Area High School to claim the third place trophy. Reeder led the team with 13 kills and 14 digs. Brent totalled 11 kills and added three aces. Shimek handed out 33 assists in the win.
The Tornadoes finished the historic season with a 28-4 record and made the state tournament for the first time since 2012. AHS swept their opponent in 24 of its 28 victories.
Providing choice, empowering minds: Middle school specialty and magnet offerings
Anoka-Hennepin offers a specialty and a magnet school at the middle school level that are designed to provide families with additional choices at no cost. Students in kindergarten - grade 12 who live within the Anoka-Hennepin boundaries may apply to enroll at any of the specialty or magnet schools as an opportunity to explore interest areas in depth.
The specialty and magnet programs provide in-demand educational options such as the arts, science, technology, math, engineering and biomedical sciences (STEM/STEAM), as well as International Baccalaureate (IB).
🎨 Magnet school - Anoka Middle School for the Arts
- Offered to students districtwide in partnership with the Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD).
- Transportation is provided.
- The application window is open for the 2024-25 school year and closes Dec. 31, 2023.
🔬 Specialty school - Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science
- Students may enroll at the specialty schools using an in-district transfer process.
- Families are responsible for providing transportation.
- Applications are accepted between Dec. 1, 2023 and Jan. 15, 2024 for priority consideration.
Both schools are offering in-person tours upon request.
Bid now: Student-built sheds, outdoor tables and a chicken coop up for auction
Students in Anoka-Hennepin have built sheds, outdoor tables and a chicken coop, which are now all open for bidding. The sale of these student-built items covers the cost of materials and supports future hands-on learning opportunities.
🧰 Three student-built lean-to sheds
- Built by the Exploring Construction class at Champlin Park High School.
- Bidding starts at $500 and the auction ends Dec. 5.
- Shed #1 auction.
- Shed #2 auction.
- Shed #3 auction.
🔨 Four student-built outdoor tables with seating
- Made by students at Blaine High School out of exterior grade brown treated lumber.
- Bidding starts at $275 and the auction ends Dec. 6.
- Outdoor table #1 auction.
- Outdoor table #2 auction.
- Outdoor table #3 auction.
- Outdoor table #4 auction.
🐓 Student-built luxury chicken coop
- Built by work experience students in the Anoka-Hennepin Work Experience Program.
- Bidding starts at $500 and the auction ends Dec. 4
- Chicken coop auction.
Student-built shed
Student-built outdoor table
Student-built chicken coop
Anoka-Hennepin offers community a voice in curriculum review decisions
As the district reviews and adopts new materials in courses, it involves students, parents, and the community in the process. The district held an in-person open house Nov. 17 and will host a virtual review opportunity for those that are interested. Families, students, staff, and community members may virtually review and provide feedback on eight new curriculum options in the areas of secondary science, math, and social studies. View photos from the in-person open house.
Take action: Interested community members should complete this form by Tuesday, Nov. 21 to register for the virtual review option. Participants will be provided links and videos to review and provide feedback.
New curriculum review options are in the areas of: AP Calculus, Physics, Biology, IB Chemistry, IB Biology, U.S. Studies - 7, U.S. History - 10, World History - 11.
In the News: BHS choir embraces AI
"We are educators and we are really good at adapting."
- Daryl Boeckers, Blaine High School Technology Coordinator
📺 Check out this WCCO story featuring BHS and how choir teacher Alyssa Ellson found a creative way to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) with her students.
- Action of the School Board, November 13, 2023.
- First early snowfall serves as reminder to review winter weather plans.
- Staff may subscribe to receive emergency text message alerts.
- Bid now: Student-build luxury playhouse up for auction until Nov. 22.
- Highway 10 construction update.
- Redeem your Rally® rewards before they expire.
- SupportingYoU an employee wellness podcast, has 34 episodes available.
- Suicide Prevention Training available in the district's learning management system.
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This e-newsletter is published by Anoka-Hennepin Schools. It's sent to all Anoka-Hennepin staff on a weekly basis during the school year, excluding breaks (and periodically during the summer). Questions, comments or concerns about In the Know e-newsletter? Contact us.