In the Know - December 22, 2023
December 22, 2023
Now open: Above & Beyond Awards nominations accepted through Jan. 22
Do you know an Anoka-Hennepin staff member who goes above and beyond normal job expectations to ensure that students receive a high-quality education in a safe and nurturing environment? Maybe that person is a teacher, a custodian or a para? Maybe a school counselor or principal? Perhaps someone working in the cafeteria, or a nurse or a secretary?
If you know someone who does amazing work for children, you’re strongly encouraged to nominate them for the Above & Beyond Awards. The Above & Beyond Awards involve students, staff, parents and community members in recognizing and honoring Anoka-Hennepin staff who consistently go that extra mile so students can be successful.
Nominations are being accepted through Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.
Visit the Above & Beyond Awards website, ahschools.us/aboveandbeyond, for a nomination form or to read additional information about the awards.
The program is a joint effort of the district and the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation (AHEF). The 2024 Above & Beyond Awards ceremony will take place April 3 at the Educational Service Center (ESC).
Contract negotiations: Next steps include mediation, set for January 3
Anoka-Hennepin Schools values the dedication of its staff members and it is the goal to improve terms and conditions for employees while working within tight budget parameters that maintain financial and operational stability for the district.
The negotiations process the district and Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota (AHEM) has included eight meetings to date. The last meeting was held Nov. 21 and AHEM filed for mediation with the Bureau of Mediation Services on Nov. 22. Mediation sessions are set for Jan. 3 and Jan. 19, 2024.
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.
💻 View the Negotiations webpage at ahschools.us/negotiations to view the status of current contract negotiations in Anoka-Hennepin Schools.
- Graphics comparing the district and AHEM union proposals added Dec. 8, 2023.
- A chart with a summary of the status of all open bargaining contracts added Dec. 15, 2023.
Benefits spotlight: Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time
Minnesota’s Earned Sick and Safe Time law goes into effect January 1, 2024. Under the new law, Anoka-Hennepin employees shall receive one hour of earned sick and safe time for every 30 hours worked, with a maximum of 48 hours per year.
- Employees who previously did not earn paid time off, such as some part-time, substitute, and temporary employees, will begin to accrue paid leave on January 1, 2024. This paid time off can be used when the employee is sick, to care for a sick family member, closure of school or care facility due to weather or public emergency, or to seek assistance if the employee or their family member has experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.
- The vast majority of Anoka-Hennepin employees already accrue paid time off in excess of the requirements of the new law and will continue to receive paid time off in alignment with their working agreements, with the expanded reasons for which paid time may be used (e.g. expanded definition of family). These employees shall continue to report their time off as they normally would.
Read more about Earned Sick and Safe Time. Questions may be directed to Human Resources Systems Manager Diane Kilmer at diane.kilmer@ahschools.us.
Where Wellness Matters: The poWEr of Silence
There is a wintery chill in the air that lets us know what season we have entered without even peeking at our calendars. Other indicators of the season can include out-of-control schedules - scrambling to wrap up the trimester, last minute plans, family obligations, and less sunlight can make us feel less than peaceful sometimes. It can be easy to let these days of shortened daylight with added activity get the best of us. Often overpacked schedules and added worries can impact our rest/sleep as well as lower our overall productivity and sense of contentment.
While it is important to take time for yourself during this busy season, I’d like to encourage you to take your personal quiet time one step further. I invite you to experience the poWEr of SILENCE. Silence is a rare commodity in today's age of instant information and communication. Perpetual entertainment at our fingertips can mean distraction even in our time of rest. However, finding a quiet place to lay all distractions aside and just BE can have a very healing and calming effect on the rest of your day. In the silence of meditation comes clarity of thought, perspective and time for your brain to process and close a few of the endless “files” we've mentally opened throughout the day. Silence provides time for your brain to “tidy up” and organize your thoughts, helping to keep the tasks and needs of the day in perspective. So this season give SILENCE a try, and with it you may find peace as well.
Rum River fourth graders “Share the Warmth” with new to district students
Over the years, fourth grade students at Rum River Elementary School have helped provide warm blankets through many different organizations including the Alexandra House, children’s hospitals, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Department and nursing homes.
This year, fleece blankets will be donated to Anoka-Hennepin’s Family Welcome Center, the district intake office. The Family Welcome Center meets with multilingual families who are new or returning to the district and new to the U.S. and supports families with school enrollment and offers English Language assessments.
Fourth grade students and their families at Rum River donated fleece and on Dec. 22, six fourth-grade classrooms assembled 116 blankets to provide for new students.
“The fleece blankets made by our elementary students to welcome their new classmates are an incredible gesture of Minnesota love and kindness,” said Kari Xion-Carlson, multilingual learner and district cultural liaison.
The blankets help new students feel truly welcome as there may be anxious or uneasy feelings when going to a new school.
Students, staff, school community team up to make spirits bright
For the 14th year, Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy (CBPA) students and staff hosted “Making Spirits Bright,” an adopt-a-family program which supported 38 families in need from the school just this year.
It’s a tradition that started in 1995 at Champlin Elementary School by Mary Nettleton, now a School Social Worker at CBPA, who has coordinated the event for a combined total of 27 years. Many years ago, when introducing the opportunity to give to classrooms, the focus was on "compassion," a core value of Anoka-Hennepin. Now, students are also able to tie their acts of giving to the Character Strong word of the month, “Empathy.”
School families, classrooms, departments, faith and community partners volunteer to donate items of need during the holiday season, which can range from toys, gifts, clothing, food and gift cards for fuel or grocery stores from early to mid-December, and volunteers from the school come together to wrap and organize the gifts for pick-up before winter break.
“The need never goes away,” Nettleton said. “A lot of people in our school community join in to help, and I have always felt blessed that we were able to do these things, because that is what social work is.”
Holiday helpers: #AHSchools students partner with police to spread cheer
The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and the Blaine Police Department partnered with Andover and Blaine-area elementary schools to spread holiday cheer by shopping for and wrapping gifts for families in need.
The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office hosts "Shop with a Cop,” made possible by donations from Andover Walmart, Constance Free Church, and Willy McCoys. The Blaine program, "Heroes and Helpers," is funded by the Blaine Festival grocery story, Target, and the Blaine Police Federation.
Superintendent McIntyre continues student roundtable series at Blaine High School
On Dec. 18, Anoka-Hennepin Superintendent Cory McIntyre visited with the Blaine High School (BHS) Student Voices group for his second of many student roundtable discussions scheduled throughout the district.
Why it matters: The hour-long sessions aim to gather student perspectives on the high school experience. To guide the discussion, both Superintendent McIntyre and the Student Voices group, which is a mix of students from each grade level at BHS, came prepared with questions.
A few of the topics included:
- How student groups and activities are funded and why are there disparities between different groups.
- What courses should be required and what classes have been useful or memorable.
- How the teacher-student relationship is and how staff support students.
- Areas where the school or district could improve.
- The possibility of increasing passing time.
Student voice: There was a resounding sense of pride for how much the teachers and staff at BHS supported and cared for the students. One student said, “The relationships with teachers helps me to feel safe and welcomed.”
Student Voices at BHS consists of a diverse, multi-grade level of students who represent the student body as a whole to discuss and share the perspectives of students to help build and maintain relationships with the administration and staff at BHS. The group meets monthly to discuss student-generated topics providing the students opportunities to ask questions for clarification and seek additional information to share with their peers.
District to host hiring event for non-teaching positions Jan. 25 at Coon Rapids High School
The Anoka-Hennepin School District will host an in-person hiring event for non-teaching positions on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 3:30-6 p.m. at Coon Rapids High School located at 2340 Northdale Blvd. NW.
Attendees should park in the parking lot off Raven St. and enter the activities entrance of the school using Door 16.
Join us to learn about employment opportunities and have a same-day, on-site interview for various positions. View available positions and begin filling out an application at ahschools.us/jobs and come prepared to interview with hiring managers.
Anoka-Hennepin has employment opportunities for any phase of your work life. Full-time, part-time and substitute positions are available, including flexible weekly schedules with hours ranging from early morning, mid-day, late afternoon or evening opportunities.
Everyone plays a role in student achievement; help your community succeed by applying today!
💻 Visit ahschools.us/jobs or call 763-506-JOBS for more information.
College Now: Earn a diploma and a head start on college in the same classes
A partnership between Anoka-Hennepin’s Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP) and Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) provides high school juniors and seniors a way to earn college credit while pursuing their diplomas through a program called College Now.
How it works: Students combine Post Secondary Education Option (PSEO) and Concurrent Enrollment courses that fulfill 4.0 credits for high school graduation requirements and at the same time earn 16 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) college credits from ARCC.
- MnTC credits are transferable to any Minnesota State College or University and the University of Minnesota, in addition to other institutions, with a grade of a C or higher in the course.
- College credits may also be applied towards completion of the MnTC or an Associate of Arts (AA) Degree at ARCC.
- All classes, including PSEO classes, are taken at STEP in a cohort model with high school peers.
- Students who participate in College Now both junior and senior year can earn up to 8.0 high school credits and 32 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) college credits at ARCC.
Why it matters: With the rising cost of higher education, College Now can deliver over $5,000 in tuition value, allowing students who participate in both 11th and 12th grades to enter college with a full year of college credit before they receive their high school diploma. College Now is provided at no additional cost to students.
Go deeper: Contact Alyssa Zemple, STEP Counselor at alyssa.zemple@ahschools.us or review this informational flyer for details.
Parent Engage 360 Podcast Episode 38: The Power of Human Connection with Joe Beckman
Human connection matters. In today’s increasingly digital world, it is more important than ever to make personal and engaging connections with your children. Joe Beckman, author and co-founder of TILL360, joined Liz Burgard on the Parent Engage 360 Podcast to share more about the Power of Human Connection.
Joe was the keynote speaker on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Coon Rapids High School to kick off the 2023-24 Parent Engage 360 Parent Education Series. Joe delivered a high-energy presentation about the importance of human connection.
Tune in to the Parent Engage 360 Podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or at ahschools.us/parentengage360. The podcast is also available on Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio and Samsung Podcasts.
Episode highlights
- Joe and Liz provide a recap of topics covered at the Dec. 5 Parent Engage 360 event held at Coon Rapids High School.
- Joe talks about the importance of human connection and the addictive nature of cell phones and social media targeting today’s youth.
- Joe shared resources, including two helpful exercises families can engage with their children at home to help create healthy habits with technology.
The Parent Engage 360 Podcast aims to provide parents and guardians with knowledge from experts in chemical health, mental health, internet safety and more, as well as the tools needed to support their children. Anoka-Hennepin hopes that providing timely and helpful information through the Parent Engage 360 podcast series will strengthen the bond between school and home with resources parents and guardians can use and share with others.
Coon Rapids High School engineering students help create solutions for local business
Seniors enrolled in the engineering program at Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS) recently completed a mini capstone project and presented their new products to representatives from Aggress Hydraulics, a local custom hydraulic equipment supplier.
👷 What’s the scoop: While touring Aggressive Hydraulics in November, students were assigned a mini capstone project to design a device/tool that could used in the welding process of building custom hydraulics, an actual problem within the company’s current manufacturing process.
Aggressive Hydraulics welds ports on cylinders and needs a fixture to hold the part onto cylinders which are made in high quantities within the company. Students were tasked with developing a device to make this process more efficient.
📐 Why it matters: CRHS students learned more about the engineering field and received a real-life look into the engineering process while on tour. Students also gained practical field experience through Project Lead the Way curriculum using the engineering design process, defining a problem, generating concepts, developing a solution, creating a prototype and evaluating and presenting their findings.
Dig deeper: Learn more about this project giving CRHS engineering students hands-on field experience.
📸 View photos of students presenting their projects at Coon Rapids High School on Dec. 21.
Eisenhower Elementary students go ‘wild’ for fitness and healthy living
🏃 The Minnesota Wild Faceoff For Fitness school assembly program was at Eisenhower Elementary School Friday, Dec. 22 to energize students and promote the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.
🏒 The program also helped students learn more about the sport of hockey with visits from former Wild forward Stéphane Veilleux, former Minnesota Whitecaps forward Kalli Funk, Minnesota Wild mascot Nordy, and the Wild in-arena announcer.
🥕 During the event, the representatives from the Wild revealed a donated set of street hockey equipment to the school and each student received a pack of Wild hockey cards that featured a fitness or nutrition tip. Eisenhower physical education teacher Chris Diemer coordinated the visit.
“We wanted to get the kids excited about being physically active,” Diemer said. “The old floor hockey set was getting old. The donation will help keep the students active in class and we can now use the money for something else.”
📸 View photos from the school assembly with the Wild.
Other district schools have also joined the program in the past two years and had visits from the Wild organization.
Application deadline for six district magnet schools is Dec. 31
Anoka-Hennepin offers six magnet schools at all levels that are designed to provide families with additional choices at no cost. The application window for the 2024-25 school year ends Dec. 31 and is conducted through the Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD). Transportation is provided for students who attend schools outside of their assigned attendance boundaries.
The six magnet schools in the district are:
- Anoka High School - Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
- Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science.
- Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering.
- Anoka Middle School for the Arts - Fred Moore Campus and Washington Campus.
- Evergreen Park Elementary: STEM School of Innovation.
- University Avenue Elementary School: Aerospace, Children's Engineering and Science (ACES).
- Action of the School Board, December 11, 2023.
- Student-built pergola swings up for auction.
- Contribute to a 403(b) retirement plan.
- Employee 2023 W-2 and 1095-C form will be available electronically.
- Reminder to review winter weather plans.
- UnitedHealthcare December engagement toolkit: Stress and anxiety.
- Staff may subscribe to receive emergency text message alerts.
- SupportingYoU an employee wellness podcast, has 34 episodes available.
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 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.