News and events
September 2022 E-NEWS
September 9, 2022
A message from the principal
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! We sincerely hope you had an enjoyable summer and are as excited as we are to start the new school year. We have been working hard all summer to prepare for this school year and we are ready to partner with you! We value the home and school connection and believe strongly that our partnership is critical for student success. When you have questions about classroom related things, please reach out to the teacher. We have a dedicated and very skilled staff who are eager to partner with you to provide the best possible support for your student.
Thanks to your support, you will see a couple of building upgrades including new flexible seating options in our east wing and bottle filling stations for our students. We are so grateful for your PTO support and we are ready to kick off another Fun Run again soon.
Upcoming events
Calendar Updates
- Picture Day, Sept. 16
- Fun Run Kickoff, Sept. 22
- Fun Run, Sept. 30
- Staff Development, Oct. 3 - No School
- Parent/Teacher Conferences, Oct. 3 7:10-8:30am and 4:10-7:40pm
- Parent/Teacher Conferences, Oct. 6 7:30-8:30am and 4:10-8:10pm
- Staff Appreciation, Oct. 6
- Parent/Teacher Conferences, Oct.11. 7:30-8:30am and 4:10-7:40pm (Virtual)
- Picture Retake Day, Oct. 12
- Teacher Convention, Oct. 20-21 - No School/MEA
- Parent Night: Talent Development Sampler, Oct. 27 6:30-7:45pm
School Hightlights
PICTURE DAY IS COMING!
Tuesday, September 16, 2022
Order before picture day on mylifetouch.com with your Student's School ID or Picture Day ID: EVTDPDHRX
Please Welcome These New Folks to Oxbow!
- Christine Vossen - Nutrition Department
- Sarah Gatica - Safe Space Manager
- Sara Finstad - EL Teacher
- Lisa Yang - EL Teacher
- Kelli Wacker - Gr. 2 Teacher
- Lydia Dillinger - SPED Para
- Kelly Lund - Special Education Teacher
- Jessica Ranes - Special Education Teacher
- Amy Stensvad - Reading Corps Tutor
- Sandya Maraj - Social Worker Intern
NO SCHOOL!
No School Thursday & Friday 10/20-10/21 MEA
Enjoy your long weekend!
Volunteer news
Volunteer Information
Volunteer Information
Oxbow Creek loves Volunteers! Please visit our school’s volunteer page and fill out both the application and background check forms: Oxbow Creek Volunteer Forms
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Popcorn Popper: Popcorn is popped by volunteers each Friday. Training is provided! Please sign up here to pop popcorn!
Weekly Teams: A team of volunteers comes in on a weekly basis to help with copying, miscellaneous or last minute tasks. This team of volunteers are so important and an invaluable resource! You can volunteer once a month, once a week or once in a while! Sign up to Volunteer in the Office Sign up for Teacher Support
Fun Run: The Fun Run fundraiser kicks off on Thursday, Sept 22nd. The Fun Run event is Friday, September 30. We need many volunteers to help with daily prize distribution. Sign up here: Fun Run Daily Support
Laminator: We have volunteers laminate every Tuesday and Thursday and training is provided: Laminator
Staff Appreciation: With long days of teaching and conferencing before and after school, we come together to provide dinner for the fabulous Oxbow staff. Please Sign Up to donate your time or send a monetary donation to school with your student.
Staff Breakfast/Coffee Bar: Coffee bar on the early morning conference days has been a huge hit with staff! If you would like to donate an item please Sign Up Monetary donations are also appreciated, click the sign up link for more information.
Field Trips: We will be going on field trips this year! If you would like to potentially chaperone, you must have your volunteer application forms filled out. Do this as soon as possible as we already have some field trips coming up in the near future!
Our first PTO parent meeting is Tuesday, September 13th from 6:30-7:45pm in the Oxbow media center. Please join us!
Other ways to help:
Please send in gently used clothing and new packages of underwear in various sizes to the health office. The health office is also looking for donations of the mini deodorants. Any donations are greatly appreciated!
Effortless Fundraising! Shop through Amazon using the Oxbow Creek Amazon Smile account!
Haley Belongia
Volunteer Services Coordinator
Oxbow Creek Elementary
763-506-3830
Talent Development at Oxbow Creek
Please join us for our annual "TD Sampler" on Thursday, October 27, at 6:30pm!
During the sampler, we'll introduce and explain all the "extras" we offer for all our Oxbow students. If your student is highly talented in one specific area or has intense interest in another - you'll want to hear what we have to offer. We also have many programs that serve all Oxbow students. It's a full agenda that we think you'll find quite interesting. We especially want to welcome our new Oxbow families!
Oxbow Creek Social Workers
Did you know...that our school has TWO social workers? Ann Parisian and Gina Newlander! We are also fortunate enough to have Sandya Maraj, a social work intern, working with us through May! Social Workers can help students understand their thoughts and feelings, and teach strategies to help cope with big feelings in a healthy and effective manner. Social Workers also assist parents in finding resources for basic needs and/or mental health support for their student(s) or family. Feel free to reach out to either of them with any questions or concerns! Ann Parisian (works with Grades 1, 4 ,5) can be reached at: 763-506-3825 or ann.parisian@ahschools.us. Gina Newlander (works with Grades K, 2, 3) can be reached at: 763-506-8384 or gina.newlander@ahschools.us. Click here to check out our School Social Work Google Site as well!
Photo L to R: Gina Newlander, Sandya Maraj and Ann Parisian
Items to Note
- Our school is once again partnering with Every Meal, a free weekend food program. During the week of Sept. 12, all students will bring home an informational letter attached to an enrollment form. If you wish to participate, please fill out and turn those in as soon as possible!
- Be sure to sign up online for parent/teacher conferences with your child's homeroom teacher. Schedules are filling up quickly.
- If your child is a biker, please remember to equip him or her with a safety helmet and be sure to have them walk their bike when on school property.
- Notify the office at 763-506-3800 before 3pm if you need to change the dismissal plan for your student for the day. Also, if picking them up is a change in their normal dismissal, you will need to sign them out at the office.
- Do not leave your car unattended if you're in the pickup lane at dismissal. If you plan to leave your car to meet your child, please park in the lot. Students should always remain on the sidewalk areas while waiting for parents to pick them up.
- Picking up your student early? Please remember to call and notify the office of what time you will be here to pick your student up and also email your students teacher with that information. Our sign out procedure are the same as last year. You will come into the vestibule, where we will scan your drivers license and then send your student out to you.
- Dropping off items students forgot to bring? We will email the teacher, but will not call into the room during instruction time. If an item is for lunch or for winter recess, we will attempt to get those to the class if they are not picked up in a timely manner.
This e-newsletter is published by Oxbow Creek Elementary School, supported by the Anoka-Hennepin communication and public relations department. Questions, comment or concerns about the school e-newsletter? Contact us.