In the Know - May 12, 2023
May 12, 2023
District to discontinue use of Screencastify August 1, 2023
Anoka-Hennepin will no longer purchase Screencastify for staff use, effective August 1, 2023. This tool was purchased during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to support teachers and staff with video creation, and is no longer being used by a number of staff.
EdPuzzle, purchased around the same time as Screencastify, will remain and become the preferred substitute for video creation for secondary sites (grades 6-12). For grades K-5, Seesaw or Quicktime will now serve as the platform for video creation.
Teacher licenses in Screencastify will be downgraded on August 1, 2023 to the free version. Visit the Screencastify website for information on the free version. Users will need to download any videos they wish to save out of Google Drive.
Please contact your technology teacher in your building for additional assistance.
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.
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 Jeff Richards (Secondary Virtual Academy)
- May 23: Retirement gathering for Lesli Skelly (Champlin-Brooklyn Park Academy)
- 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)
- May 31: Retirement gathering for Darla Heil (Dayton Elementary)
Anoka-Hennepin Schools celebrates 29 Wallin Scholars
Congratulations to the 29 students from Anoka-Hennepin Schools who were named Wallin Scholars. Funded by the Wallin Education Partners, the competitive scholarship provides up to $16,000 over four years in support of higher education pursuits.
Wallin Scholars at Blaine High School were surprised by Wallin Education Partners with the news of their selection. Watch their reaction video, then read more about all the 2023 Wallin Scholars from the district.
The class of 2023 adds to a long-list of Anoka-Hennepin students and families that have benefited through the support provided by Wallin. In 31 years of awarding scholarships, Wallin Education Partners has named nearly 550 Anoka-Hennepin students as Wallin Scholars, which equates to more than $12 million of aid.
Andover and Coon Rapids high school seniors recognized as National Merit Scholars
Andover High School (AndHS) senior Eleanor Fredine and Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS) senior Jesse Co have earned one of the top honors for graduating seniors, being named National Merit Scholars on May 10 by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®).
With this distinction, Fredine and Co were awarded a $2,500 scholarship. The 2,500 Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. Fredine and Co are two of 44 students from Minnesota to earn this recognition.
Blaine High School senior Adhithya Anandaraj and Champlin Park High School senior Maura Wahl were also finalists and still have the opportunity to be named a college-sponsored Merit Scholarship recipient.
From stories to the stage: AMSA students perform stories written by Lincoln fourth graders
Fourth grade students from Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts took a walking field trip across 5th Avenue to Anoka Middle School for the Arts (AMSA) on Wednesday, May 10 to see their narrative fiction stories come to life.
Lincoln Elementary students were provided with pictures and prompts to create a story and the finished products, which ranged from three sentences to three pages, were handed over to seventh and eighth graders in the Theater Arts III class at AMSA. Middle school students had about three hours of class time to read the stories, write scripts, and decide on costumes and props to adapt the story to the stage. Read more about the collaboration.
CRHS junior Natalie Berg, campaigns for children’s literacy and the title of Miss America Teen
(05/10/2023) Natalie Berg, a junior at Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS), has been on the go since she was five years old. She began competing in princess pageants and now she has her sights set on becoming Miss America Teen.
In March of 2023, Berg earned the title of Miss Minnesota Teen and will spend the next eight months building her resume for the ultimate title at the Miss America Teen pageant in January of 2024, where she will be one of 50 contestants for the honor.
As she builds her campaign, Berg shared that her real passion is for promoting children’s literacy. She has collected and donated over 1,500 books and has partnered with Books for Better Minnesota with the mission of getting as many books in the hands of children as possible. Learn more about Berg's story and her goal to win the crown of Miss America Teen.
District Indian Education program honors graduating seniors
The Anoka-Hennepin Indian Education program recognized 74 graduating seniors at its annual senior honoring banquet on May 11 at the Educational Service Center in Anoka.
The evening began with a performance by the Little Earth Singers Drum Group and a welcome from program coordinator Mindy Meyers, Waapishki Kiisis Ikwe. Indian Education Parent Committee Officer Tony Drews also shared a message with families before introducing keynote speaker James Vukelich, Kaagegaabaw.
Vukelich, who has been recognized as a leading voice in Native American language, was the keynote speaker. View photos from this year’s Indian Education senior honoring banquet. Read more about this year's Indian Education senior honoring banquet.
2022-23 spring sports and activities round-up
With the spring 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.
Adapted bowling
The Minnesota State High School League adapted Bowling tournaments for autism spectrum, cognitive impairment and physical impairment divisions is being held May 12 at Bowlero in Brooklyn Park.
Speech
The Minnesota State High School League Class AA speech state tournament took place April 28 at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn. A total of 12 students from three high schools participated in the tournament. Visit the district website for individual results from this year's state speech competition.
Robotics
The Minnesota State High School League robotic state tournament took place May 6 at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The Blaine High School GEARS represented Anoka-Hennepin with their robot Cube-rt.
- Action of the School Board, May 8, 2023.
- Highway 10 update: Ramp from Ferry St. to eastbound Hwy 10 will close May 8.
- Staff may subscribe to receive emergency text messages.
- UnitedHealthcare May engagement toolkit: Calming anxiety.
- Suicide Prevention Training available in the district's learning management system.
- Students can enroll in Tech Protect for the 2023-24 school year, now.
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This e-newsletter is published by Anoka-Hennepin Schools. It's sent to all Anoka-Hennepin staff on a weekly basis during the school year, excluding breaks (and periodically during the summer). Questions, comments or concerns about In the Know e-newsletter? Contact us.