In the Know - October 28, 2022

October 28, 2022

Anoka-Hennepin’s 2022-23 school enrollment report shows an overall increase of 11 students from the 2021-22 school year. Officially, this year’s K-12 enrollment is 36,617 students.

The elementary grades 1-5 count drove the enrollment, as an increase of 132 students over projections at those grade levels was reported.

Johnsville Elementary School saw the largest increase in enrollment due to the influx of kindergarten students from Sunrise Elementary School. Last February, the School Board approved a recommendation for a one-year temporary boundary adjustment due to rapid enrollment growth at Sunrise. Johnsville has an enrollment of 678 students, 126 over projections.

Dayton Elementary School, which is also an area of the district experiencing rapid growth, saw the second-highest leap in enrollment, coming in at 702 students, 95 over projected. Andover Elementary School has 1,189 students, 76 more than projected and Mississippi Elementary School has 434 students, 34 more than projections.

At the secondary level, Roosevelt Middle School saw 72 more students enrolled than projected and Oak View Middle School came in at 31 over projected with an enrollment of 1,277. Blaine High School, with 2,986 students, and Champlin Park High School, with 2,997 students, came in over projected totals for the school year.

Learn more about the enrollment report.

Anoka-Hennepin Community Education received a 2022 Outstanding Project Award from the Minnesota Community Education Association (MCEA) at the school board meeting on October 24. The award was given in recognition of the Future Leaders program, a partnership between the Adventures Plus school-age care program, Anoka-Hennepin Schools Student Services department and the Anoka County Job Training Center.

The Future Leaders program exists to create employment opportunities and job training for Anoka-Hennepin high school students. The program seeks to help recruit and retain staff of color and others who, for various reasons, may face barriers to employment. The Anoka-Hennepin Student Services department helps select high school students to be a part of the program, who in turn support the before- and after school child care program, Adventures Plus.

The Future Leaders program was recognized with the award for meeting the principles of Community Education by highlighting the importance of lifelong learning, diversity and inclusivity, and community enrichment.

Community Education provides lifelong learning for all. That’s why we'll be sharing stories of all the different ways people interact with Community Ed. Whether it be as an adult learner, a middle school student, a preschooler, an employee, a volunteer, or a parent. We want YOU to see yourself in our community…and in the stories we tell.

Tre’s Story
The latest Putting ‘U’ in Community Education video from Anoka-Hennepin Community Education highlights the success of the Future Leaders program. The video features Anoka-Hennepin graduate and staff member Tre’ Rundles, who started as a Future Leader and is now working as a site coordinator for Adventures Plus.

Meet Tre’ and learn more about his career by watching this short video.

The Appreciation of Diversity speaker series is offered in alignment with the Anoka-Hennepin Equity Achievement Plan, a coordinated effort to promote high academic achievement for all students and eliminate predictable and persistent gaps between student groups.

Gaining an understanding of the cultures throughout Anoka-Hennepin schools and the community is the focus of the Appreciation of Diversity workshop series, a voluntary opportunity available to all Anoka-Hennepin employees.

The three-part series gets underway on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. The workshops will be held in a hybrid format, in-person and online. Participants are encouraged to attend in person. Registration can be completed in the Learning Management System (LMS).

Staff are encouraged to attend one, all, or a combination of the series.

Visit ahschools.us/equityachievementplan to view the entire plan and additional information.

Learn more about the Appreciation of Diversity workshop series.

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 23 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.

Boys’ soccer

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) 2022 State Class AAA Boys Soccer Tournament will be held Oct. 25-Nov. 4. The quarterfinals were held at neutral sites with the semifinals and championship games being held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Andover High School boys’ soccer team won the Section 7AAA Championship Oct. 18 to earn a berth to the MSHSL Class AAA state tournament. The Huskies defeated Blaine High School 1-0 in the section final, earning their fourth trip to the state tournament in school history.

Andover earned the No. 5 seed and opened the state tournament by defeating No. 4 seed Edina High School 1-0 on Oct. 26. Senior Paul Aminga scored off of a corner kick in the second half. With the win, the Huskies improved to 15-2-2 on the season and advanced to the MSHSL Class AAA state semifinals. Andover will play top-seeded Wayzata High School on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 8 a.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Visit the MSHSL website for scores, schedules, and ticket information.

Girls’ soccer

Anoka-Hennepin had two teams advance to section championship games. Champlin Park High School (CPHS) advanced to the Section 5AAA championship game and lost to Mounds View High School 1-0. Blaine High School earned a trip to the Section 7AAA final before dropping a heartbreaker by penalty kicks to Centennial High School, 2-1.

CPHS senior Paige Kalal was named the 2022 recipient of the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaches Association (MSHSSCA) Ms. Soccer award. She was also named to the association’s all-state first team. Read more details about Kalal.

Girls’ tennis

The MSHSL Class AA Girls Tennis Individual State Championship will be held Oct. 25-28 at Baseline Tennis Center on the University of Minnesota campus.

Champlin Park High School (CPHS) senior Alex Repplier qualified for the Class AA state tennis tournament as an individual. Repplier started the tournament by squaring-off against Eagan’s Cassandra Li Thursday, Oct. 27.

Teachers at Brookside Elementary School banded together to deliver their content with bravado Oct. 19, as the school participated in Rock Your School, a worldwide event designed to energize educators, engage students and celebrate learning.

For the third year in a row, Brookside teachers and staff transformed the school into an extra fun and engaging learning environment and got creative with their lesson plans. Each grade level had a theme, ranging from a full carnival in first grade to camping and an outdoor theme in third grade. View photos from the Brookside Rock Your School event.

Read more about the Rock Your School event.

The fall issue of Anoka-Hennepin Schools' FOCUS newsletter arrived at district households last week. Mailed to all residences within the school district, the FOCUS newsletter is listed as a top resource for community members to learn more about their local schools.

Among this edition's features are results from the 2022 annual community survey, information on boundary changes, notable student and staff accomplishments, completed and upcoming renovation projects, and a graduate spotlight on 1999 Coon Rapids High School graduate Todd Archbold, who currently serves as the CEO of PrairieCare.

Additional copies are available at school sites for new families or staff and families who do not reside in the Anoka-Hennepin district. It can be viewed via the district's website at ahschools.us/focus.

Anoka-Hennepin School District families, students, staff, and community members are invited to review three new curriculum options and provide feedback. The district will offer both in-person and virtual open house opportunities in November.

These new curriculum options are in the areas of high school chemistry, high school honors chemistry, and elementary science.

Open house information

In-person: 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 17 at the Educational Service Center, 2727 N Ferry St., Anoka.

Virtual: Nov. 17-23. Participants will be emailed links and videos to review online. Interested participants must register online by Monday, Nov. 14.

The review committee will present recommendations to the School Board for approval in June 2023. Pending approval, the new curriculum will be implemented for the 2023-24 school year. Learn more about the new curriculum options.

Anoka-Hennepin offers 12 specialty and magnet schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels and are designed to provide families with additional choices at no cost. Students who live within the Anoka-Hennepin boundaries may apply to enroll at any of the specialty or magnet schools.

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).

The specialty and magnet schools are hosting information nights/open houses for families to learn more about the programs offered. Most schools are also offering in-person tours upon request. View the full list of school offerings and open house or tour information.

• Action of the School Board, Oct. 24 meeting.
• Attendance boundary changes.
• Winter weather safety.
• Increased security in place to ensure safety at school events.
• Nominations open for 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.
• SEED seminars to be held for staff again in 2022.
  
• Construction for building addition at Sunrise Elementary set to begin this fall.

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