In the Know - November 22, 2023
November 22, 2023
Update on contract negotiations
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Art and imagination bridges language barriers at Anoka Middle School for the Arts
🎨 Visitors from the Walker Art Center visited students in the English Language (EL) program at Anoka Middle School for the Arts (AMSA) Nov. 20-21 thanks to a grant designed to increase off-site programming while serving students and schools from underserved backgrounds. Activities engaged students beyond language, incorporating creativity and expression using modeling clay. 📸 View photos from the visit.
Why it matters: AMSA Curriculum Integration Coordinator Jolanda Dranchak said the EL program was chosen for the grant because “Art is a bridge that connects cultures and offers a unique avenue for vocabulary acquisition and practical engagement.”
The big picture: The primary goal of the English Learners (EL) program is to help students use U.S. academic English, understand the culture of U.S. schools, and be successful learners.
There are EL teachers at each school in the district and at AMSA there are about 90 students in the program, 60 at Fred Moore and another 30 at Washington. At Fred Moore, Micolette Paul, who has been teaching EL in the district for 18 years, said the Walker Art Center experience helps connect the EL students with the rest of the school population.
Seasonal concerts at district middle and high schools
High School students participate in DECA/BPA New York experience
🗽 A group of 19 students from the Coon Rapids and Anoka high school DECA programs and the Blaine High School Business Professionals of America (BPA) program traveled to New York City to participate in the New York DECA/BPA Experience.
Students experienced corporate presentations and seminars from executives and managers from Nintendo, Wells Fargo Investments, Google, Blackstone, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the New York Stock Exchange.
🗣️ What they’re saying: “The business tours in New York solidified my choice of going into business as a career. Every business we went to made me want to ask so many questions. I left New York with a strong desire to work for an organization like the ones we visited.” - CRHS senior Anna Kelley.
“Going to Blackstone in New York was a transformative experience, where I had the privilege of meeting David Obwaya, a BHS alumni. Witnessing his journey from Blaine High School to his current position is a testament to the power of determination and the doors that open when passion meets opportunity.” - BHS senior Dorcas Aroloye.
“The New York Stock Exchange is perhaps the coolest thing I’ve ever seen, and Madison Square Garden is massive, and their story is amazing!” - AHS senior Joe Keane.
The New York experience: Students also had the opportunity to visit many cultural and historic landmarks, including the 9/11 Memorial.
📊 DECA is a student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. BPA is for students pursuing careers in business management, information technology, finance, accounting and office administration.
Putting the 'U' in Community Education: The Storytellers
It didn’t take long for three Champlin Park High School juniors to realize they’ve got a volunteer gig that keeps on giving.
“They’re all great! They are interesting people,” said 16-year-old Maia Ark. “They have really cool stories.”
Once a month, Ark, Brynn Schmidt, and Emilia Nguyen meet at Saint Therese Senior Living Community in Brooklyn Park to listen to stories from several residents who are part of an on-site Oxbow Lake Storyteller group. Members of the group write and share personal stories. The girls then take the handwritten notes home to type before adding them to a categorized collection.
“We made a table of contents,” said Schmidt. “We organized them by person and then wrote all the names of the stories in order by how they are laid out in the book.”
Not only are the girls helping preserve memories from another generation, but they are also getting first-person accounts of what it was like to live in a different time. Saint Therese residents have shared stories about Pearl Harbor and JFK’s assassination, as well as stories about working on a farm, marriage, and family.
The girls say it’s a win-win for everyone. “I think they just like having someone, our generation, hearing their stories,” said Nguyen.
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).
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.
☃️ Winter decor and more on display during Say it Again extended hours on Nov. 29
Say it Again is a store that sells home decor, furniture and gifts refurbished by special education students practicing on-the-job skills through an Anoka-Hennepin Schools work-based learning program called Teaching Employability through Assessment and Manufacturing (TEAM).
The store in Andover (13735 Round Lake Blvd. NW) will have extended hours on Wednesday, Nov. 29 until 6 p.m. Everything in the store is 30% off. Regular store hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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 MSHSL Football State Tournament was held over three weekends starting on Nov. 9 and culminating in the Prep Bowl Nov. 24-25.
The Andover High School football team saw its historic season come to an end in the state semifinals. The Huskies and Chanhassen High School combined for 100 points in a back-and-forth affair at U.S. Bank Stadium on Nov. 18 that would need overtime to decide a winner.
Chanhassen earned a 54-46 overtime win over Andover to advance to the state championship.
Andover finishes the season with a record of 10-2, and its longest playoff run in school history ending in the state semifinals. This marked Andover’s seventh state tournament appearance in school history with the last trip coming in 2021.
⚽️ Adapted soccer
The MSHSL PI Adapted Soccer State Tournament was held Nov. 17-18 at Stillwater High School.
The Anoka-Hennepin Mustangs earned the No. 7 seed in this year’s tournament and were making the program’s 19th consecutive state tournament appearance.
The Mustangs lost their tournament opener 12-3 to No. 2 seed Minneapolis South before seeing their season come to an end in a 9-2 loss to Park Center in the consolation bracket.
Robbinsdale/Hopkins/MoundWest defeated Minneapolis South 4-1 in the state championship game.
🏊♀️ Girls Swimming and Diving
The MSHSL Class AA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet was Nov. 16-18 at the Jean F. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Below is a list of student-athletes that made finals and placed at the state meet.
Anoka High School
- Ally Diehl placed 12th in the 100 yard butterfly and was 16th in the 200 yard individual medley.
- The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Diehl, Abi Johnson, Sydney DeRung and Nora Sloth placed 13th.
- AHS totaled 14 points to place 26th.
Blaine High School
- Kalli Stark was sixth in the 50 yard freestyle to earn All-State honors. She placed tied for 12th in the 100 yard freestyle.
- The 200 yard medley relay team of Gabby Busch, Sydney Edwards, Nevaeh Miller and Stark placed 14th.
- The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Miller, Kate Pennoyer, Lana Ryan and Stark placed 16th.
- BHS totaled 25.5 points to place 21st.
Champlin Park High School
- Sophie Norsted placed ninth in the 100 yard backstroke and was 11th in the 100 yard butterfly.
- CPHS totaled 15 points to place 25th.
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