Crimson Newsletter - Feb. 23, 2024
February 23, 2024
From Principal Becker
A busy stretch –
Greetings, Crimson Families!
One week from now brings March 1, and soon we'll reach the conclusion of our second trimester. I thank each of you for your collaboration over this school year as our staff has worked diligently to engage our students in rigorous and relevant learning experiences. We strive to see each student achieve their academic potential, and where patterns exist which inhibit their achievement from attendance to behaviors, we are grateful for your partnership to achieve a positive change among our students.
To that end, we are reinforcing our expectations of student cell phones in class as we begin the third trimester. The expectation across classrooms is for phones to be off and away. It is no secret to anyone, including our students, how distracting phones can be to one's engagement in learning. Teachers, then, will be responsible for enforcing this expectation in their class, with the professional judgment to differentiate as they choose. For example, students in Strength and Conditioning may be allowed by their PE teacher to listen to music while they work out. If a student chooses to use their phone against a teacher's expectation, the teacher can confiscate the phone for the remainder of the class period.
I ask that you have a conversation with your student(s) about keeping their phones off and away during class. Implementation of this expectation will look differently across subject areas, however the bottom line is no wrong can be done if the phone is off and away.
Next Tuesday we are hosting our annual College Fair in our main gym, in which our sophomores and juniors can engage with representatives from public, private, two-year, four-year, in-state and out-of-state institutions! It's an exciting time and provides our Crimson students with a good glimpse at post-high school educational opportunities!
Finally, it's tourney time for our many winter activities! We've already celebrated state appearances in Nordic Skiing, Dance and Girls' Hockey, and look forward to more in the coming weeks! See below for a full list. As always, we pride our student athletes in their academic achievement while also representing our school community in competition, from student groups to fine arts to athletics. I am very grateful to our many coaches across activities for their leadership and positive impact on our students. We are very lucky here at Maple Grove. It's a great time to be a Crimson!
Yours very respectfully,
Bart Becker, Principal
College and Career Resource Center
Here's the latest from the Crimson CRC:
- All of the local scholarships have been updated. Please visit the CRC scholarship page to learn more.
- Reminder: The ACT will be given to juniors on Tuesday, April 23, along with the PreACT for sophomores. There are two virtual sessions offered by Revolution Prep; ACT 101 on February 29 and a practice test on March 16. Students MUST sign up to attend. In addition to the ACT Prep sessions, there are a ton of great online resources on the CRC website.
- QuestBridge partners with top colleges to offer select college prep scholars the opportunity to take college-level courses at a top-tier university and learn more about the college experience. These scholarships offer high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds to experience life beyond high school and to learn more about the experience of attending a selective college.
- Quest for Excellence Awards, such as $1,000 for a new laptop or other resources, to help students enhance their college application. Or, an award may include a full scholarship to a summer college program hosted by Vale, Emory UChicago and more. Learn more here.
- The CRC is hosting its annual MEF College Fair on Tuesday, February 27 during Foundations for Sophomores and Juniors. There will be over 100 colleges and universities participating.
- The CRC is seeking representatives from a variety of local professions to participate on a career panel and senior mock interviews throughout the year. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this form.
As always, check out the CRC website for more information!
Winter Activities
State tournament schedules!
Winter MSHSL activities bring a six-week rush of post-season and state events, many of which our Crimson student-athletes have and/or will participate in, representing the Crimson Family with class and honor:
- Nordic Skiing (Giants Ridge) – February 14-15
- Dance (Target Center) – February 16-17
- Girls' Hockey (Xcel Energy Center) – February 21-24
- Gymnastics (Roy Wilkins Auditorium) – February 23-24
- Boys' Swimming & Diving (Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center) – February 29-March 2
- Wrestling (Xcel Energy Center) – February 29-March 2
- Boys' Hockey (Xcel Energy Center) – March 6-9
- Adaptive Floor Hockey, CI (Coon Rapids High School) – March 8-9
- Adaptive Floor Hockey, PI (Coon Rapids High School) – March 8-9
- Girls' Basketball (Williams Arena) – March 13-16
- Boys' Basketball (Williams Arena) – March 20-23
Yearbook information
You can visit www.MapleGroveYearbook.com to order a yearbook, or submit a community photo.
The deadline to order a yearbook is March 31.
Issues or questions about the website or yearbook? Please email Ashley at ashley@maplegroveyearbook.com.
Senior All-Night Party information
Register for the Senior All-Night Party! The SANP is a safe, lock-in party immediately following commencement. Registration is $75 before Spring Break and $90 until the deadline of May 31.
Order a Yard Sign! Let the neighborhood know how proud you are of your Senior! This is a fundraiser for the Senior All Night Party. Deadline to order is March 22. Signs are $20 plus cc fees. Pickup will happen at the school after Spring Break. Shipping is not available.
Upcoming dates and events
- February 27: College Fair
- March 7: Last day of the second trimester
- March 8: No school – Mark Reporting
- March 11: First day of the third trimester
- March 18-22: Senior mock interviews
- March 23-31: No school – Spring break
- April 18: Mid-trimester conferences (in-person)
- April 19: Asynchronous learning day
- April 23: ACT/PreACT test day for grades 10 and 11, asynchronous learning for grades 9 and 12
ISD 279 is hiring!
Recent highlights
Crimson Nordic Skiing at State!
Crimson Dance Team takes 2nd at Jazz!
Crimson Girls' Hockey win their 5th section 5AA title!
Congratulations to our Crimson Girls' Hockey Team, who won the section 5AA championship for the 5th time in school history! They conclude their season tomorrow for the state consolation championship!
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