In the Know - May 5, 2023
May 5, 2023
UnitedHealthcare May engagement toolkit: Calming anxiety
To support Anoka-Hennepin School District employees, UnitedHealthcare has created a monthly engagement toolkit to support employee health and well-being.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The May engagement toolkit offers resources and content on topics related to calming anxiety. Mental health awareness is important. This month, take a moment to notice signs that anxiety, stress and worry may be hurting your quality of life. Also, explore coping strategies.
Included in this month’s engagement toolkit:
- A worksheet for help coping with anxiety.
- A calming 4-7-8 breathing technique video and article.
- A guided meditation.
- Training tools to help yourself and others with anxiety.
NEW EPISODES: Anoka-Hennepin and Allina Health present SupportingYoU podcast
Anoka-Hennepin and Allina Health partnered to provide district teachers and staff with a library of resources to support employee health and mental wellness.
SupportingYoU, an employee wellness podcast, has 34 episodes available now - featuring a range of topics from self-care fundamentals to the importance of gratitude.
Listen by visiting the website at ahschools.us/supportingyou.
Tech Protect: Enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is now open. If the student qualifies for free or reduced-price school meals in the 2022-23 school year, the cost will be reduced to $0.
Technology plays an important role in preparing students for life, and Chromebooks are utilized as a daily learning tool in Anoka-Hennepin middle and high school classrooms. Anoka-Hennepin students in grades 6-12 are assigned a Chromebook from the school district to ensure access to technology systems that support classroom learning. As careful as students and schools are, accidents do happen each year - and hundreds of Chromebooks are returned at the end of the school year with damages.
Secondary students at some grade levels will get to keep their Chromebook over the summer months, and families can enroll in the device protection plan for the upcoming school year (2023-24), now. Families can opt-in to the Device Protection Plan by logging into A-HConnect, and selecting "My Student Information," and "Fees." Parents must select or decline coverage under the Device Protection Plan.
The plan cost is $20 per student or $60 per family per school year.
If the student qualifies for free or reduced-price school meals in the 2022-23 school year, the cost of the Protection Plan will be reduced to $0.
- Repairs with the Protection Plan are subject to a $15 deductible.
Visit ahschools.us/techprotect for details.
2023 employee retirements
Congratulations to our Anoka-Hennepin staff retiring this year! Check back as we will update this list as additional event information becomes available. If you would like to share a retirement announcement, please email info@ahschools.us.
- May 23: Retirement gathering for Lisa Palmer (Wilson Elementary)
- May 24: Retirement gathering for Debbie Prodahl (Franklin Elementary)
- May 24: Retirement gathering for Deb Day (Curriculum department)
- May 25: Retirement gathering for Kate Boynton, Kim Johnson, Muggy Pierfelice, Vicki Ekbom, Marti Pasterik and Denise Seviour (Oxbow Creek Elementary)
Coon Rapids High School students visit Medtronic
Seniors in the biomedical sciences and engineering programs at Coon Rapids High School (CRHS) are nearing the end of their high school journeys and one of the signs is the preparation of capstone projects.
On May 3, those seniors had a first run at presenting their capstone projects to go along with a unique experience at the Medtronic Mounds View campus. Students were able to share their projects and get feedback from Medtronic employees and take a tour of the facility and labs before ending the day with a career panel. The opportunity provided interactive hands-on experiences where students learned about emerging medical technology.
Students in the biomedical sciences program have been working on projects tied to genetic modification in the food system while engineering students designed a new product. Students will present their final capstone projects on Tuesday, May 16 at an event at the CRHS Auditorium starting at 7 p.m. Learn more about the projects students presented on and view photos from the visit.
Anoka High School students compete at Engineering Machine Design Championship
Two teams from Anoka High School - Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (AHS) competed at the 2023 Engineering Machine Design Championship at Anoka Technical College on April 21.
The two teams qualified after competing at a regional competition and were two of just 17 teams from Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin to advance in the senior level of the contest.
“The students love the opportunity to creatively apply the skills they have learned in coding; programming; laser cutting and 3D printing; soldering and circuit building,” said Todd Hunter, the STEAM teacher and makerspace facilitator at AHS, who served as the coach for the teams. “The ability to take all these skills that were purposely learned in their classes and have a chance to apply them is exactly what we want.”
New to the contest in 2023 was a redesign challenge, which was won by Snoops Dogs. The team also claimed the College & Career Ready Award for being the team that exemplified skills in applied knowledge, effective relationships, and workplace skills. View photos from the event.
Three district schools recognized by Project Lead the Way
Three schools from Anoka-Hennepin have been recognized as Distinguished Schools by Project Lead the Way (PLTW).
Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (BHS) and Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS) were both named PLTW Distinguished High Schools and Monroe Elementary School - Mathematics, Science and Children’s Engineering was named a Distinguished School Launch.
PLTW is a national program that creates engaging classroom environments by empowering students to develop and apply in-demand, transportable skills by exploring real-world challenges. Through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, students not only learn technical skills, but also learn to solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate, and collaborate. PLTW also provides teachers with the training, resources, and support they need to engage students.
PLTW Launch is an elementary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum designed for PreK-5 grade levels that taps into students’ exploratory nature, engaging them in learning that feels like play, and encourages them to keep discovering.
The PLTW recognition program is designed to honor districts and schools committed to helping students own their education by increasing student access, engagement and achievement in their PLTW programs.
This is the sixth straight year BHS has been recognized by PLTW and the fourth overall and third straight for CRHS. Monroe has earned this recognition in four straight years.
Gene Haas Foundation awards a total of $21,000 to three Anoka-Hennepin high schools
Three Anoka-Hennepin high schools received grants from the Gene Haas Foundation to support student scholarships and machining and manufacturing engineering program needs.
Anoka High School - Center for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math and Anoka-Hennepin’s Secondary Technical Education Program each received $8,000 in grant money. Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science was awarded $5,000.
The Foundation’s primary goal is to build skills in the manufacturing industry by providing scholarships for CNC machine technology students. For high schools, a portion of the funds may also be used to support the school’s participation in student competitions such as FIRST or VEX Robotics, SkillsUSA and Supermileage programs that highlight their manufacturing programs.
Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP)
Anoka High School
Blaine High School
School letters presented to three Anoka-Hennepin figure skaters
Andover High School sophomore Ashlee More, Anoka High School sophomore Maisie Stover and Coon Rapids High School senior Paige Christianson were presented school letters during a special ceremony held during the Coon Rapids Ice Show on April 29 at the Coon Rapids Ice Center. The skaters were recognized with a school letter in 2023.
Anoka-Hennepin Schools coordinates with area figure skating programs and clubs to recognize skaters who meet U.S. Figure Skating criteria to receive school recognition for their achievement and hard work. Cindi Shore, district figure skating advisor and math teacher at Champlin Park High School, presented the honors.
Youth service club hosts tree planting event with focus on sustainability
The Leo Youth Service Club at Andover High School didn’t let cool weather and gray skies stop them. The group hosted a successful tree planting event on Saturday, April 29. The purpose was to offset the school’s annual energy consumption and make the community more sustainable.
The students partnered with the nonprofit organization Tree-Plenish to determine how many tons of carbon Andover High School emitted into the environment via gas and electricity consumption. It was determined they would need to plant 250 trees to offset the 300 tons of carbon their school emitted in a year.
Residents were able to order the free saplings online. Volunteers planted the trees in Andover yards the day of the event. Residents also had the option of picking the saplings up at the school and planting the trees themselves.
Putting "U" in Community Education: An Elvis concert for all
It’s incredible to see how colorful decorations, an Elvis impersonator and a roomful of excited fans can shake up the Northdale Middle School cafeteria and create a night full of precious memories.
Anoka-Hennepin Community Education hosted a Community Inclusion event featuring Absolutely Elvis by Todd Anderson. The concert was supported by the Anoka-Hennepin Education Foundation and brought individuals from two adult learning programs together.
Read more about this event, visit the Anoka-Hennepin Community Education website.
- School Board meeting set for Monday, May 8.
- Subscribe to receive emergency text messages for staff.
- Say it Again hosting last extended hours event of the school year on May 11.
- Highway 10 update: Ramp from Ferry St. to eastbound Hwy 10 will close May 8.
- Suicide Prevention Training available in the district's learning management system.
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