In the Know - October 7, 2022
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.
Safety at school events continues to be a focus area for the district and surrounding communities. Anoka-Hennepin recently increased security procedures at events to ensure safety following incidents at other metro area high schools. These guidelines limit entrance to students at participating schools with identification and adult supervision for younger students amongst other strategies, which is one of the strategies in place to keep our activities safe.
As your family makes a plan to attend school events, keep the following guidelines in mind:
Bring student IDs and allow extra time for admission and entry. Students from the hosting and visiting schools are welcome with student ID. No student ID, no entry. Students from any other schools/non-participating schools must be accompanied by an adult chaperone.
Allow extra time for admission and entry. Increased security may mean lines are longer at the entrance gate. Please plan accordingly.
Plan for parent/guardian chaperones in accordance with district guidelines to monitor student activity and behavior. The student-to-adult chaperone ratio is 2:1. Adult chaperones are expected to supervise middle and elementary school students they escorted to the game at all times. Adult chaperones are NOT allowed to leave the stadium without their students. Adult chaperones and students who are unable to follow these guidelines may be asked to leave the facility. Students from any other schools/non-participating schools must also be accompanied by an adult chaperone.
Get behind your team! Spectators are expected to view the event in the appropriate designated seating area.
Leave extra items at home or in your vehicle. Backpacks, large bags/purses and outside food or drink (if concessions are sold on-site) are not allowed. Anoka-Hennepin prohibits weapons, alcoholic beverages, e-cigarettes / vaping, tobacco products and controlled substances.
It takes everyone to keep school events and activities safe. If your student, you or anyone in your family sees something or hears something suspicious or threatening in nature, report the information to school leadership or law enforcement immediately.
Spectators who are unwilling or unable to follow the rules, regulations, or directions from event staff may be asked to leave the event. For more information, please visit ahschools.us/eventpolicies.
The Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation (AHEF) has opened a second round of grants for the 2022-23 school year (the grant guidelines are here and the grant application is here). Described as “mini-grants” because each grant is capped at $500, this round of grants is in response to teacher and staff feedback about the annual grant process.
“We had feedback from teachers that our annual process, which is open in the spring and awarded for the next school year, doesn’t always work for them. Teachers may not know what grade they will be teaching the following year, or what unique needs or challenges their students may have,” said Tess DeGeest, executive director of AHEF. The mini-grant process is designed to address these needs.
“It is because of our generous donors that we can sustain this second round of grants for this school year,” said DeGeest. “Donors make this possible because they care about kids and they care about education.”
Education Minnesota, the voice for professional educators and students in Minnesota, is now accepting nominations for the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award program.
Online nominations are open now through Nov. 14. The 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year will be named at a ceremony May 7, 2023, at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. The Minnesota Teacher of the Year also becomes Minnesota’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
To be eligible for the award, nominees must meet the following criteria:
- Teach in a public or nonpublic pre-kindergarten-12th grade school, or in an Adult Basic Education or ECFE program, working at least 50 percent of the time directly with students.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree and a Minnesota teaching license.
- Have completed at least five full years of teaching by the nomination deadline.
- Intend to teach during the 2023-24 school year.
Anyone may nominate a teacher.
Nominations will be accepted online. For more information or to receive a paper nomination form, call Ashley Behrens at 651-292-4862 or 800-652-9073.
The Minnesota Wild are showing their appreciation for educators and their hard work and dedication by holding an Educator Appreciation Night on Thursday, Oct. 20.
Educators have the opportunity to purchase an exclusively-priced ticket pack that includes a Wild-branded canvas tote, a pregame on-ice photo and a pregame gathering. Additionally, a donation will be made to the Education Minnesota Foundation from a portion of each ticket pack purchased.
Start MEA break by watching the Minnesota Wild take on the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, Oct. 20. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Former Anoka High School (AHS) boys hockey coach Todd Manthey will be inducted into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association (MHCA) Hall of Fame during the Minnesota Wild game Saturday, Oct. 8.
Manthey, who teaches sixth grade Minnesota Studies at Anoka Middle School for the Arts, coached at AHS for more than 20 years. After serving as an assistant from 1994-98, he earned the role of head coach, a position he held until retiring from coaching in 2016. He guided the Tornadoes to a Class AA state championship in 2003 and was named section coach of the year in 2003, 2008, 2015 and 2016.
Manthey’s first high school hockey coaching experience was as an assistant coach at Blaine High School (BHS) from 1990-1994. BHS finished third in state in 1992. From there he became an assistant coach at AHS, where the team placed fifth at state in 1997 and second in 1998 before he took over as the bench boss.
Contest highlights National Bullying Prevention month
As a part of October’s National Bullying Prevention campaign, Anoka-Hennepin is excited to participate in the 18th annual kindness poster contest.
The district invites students at all grade levels to submit their best artwork for the competition. Each elementary and middle school will select one winning poster for each grade level, K-8, and each high school will select one winning poster from grades 9-12 to advance to the district-level judging contest.
This year’s kindness poster contest theme is There is POWER in Kindness, and those words must be on the poster. All participants will help create and spread kindness messages in their schools through this competition.
What is kindness? Kindness is a positive call to action to counteract the negative impact of bullying, and Anoka-Hennepin’s core values of respect, responsibility, appreciation of diversity, integrity, and compassion are the basis of kindness.
The winning posters that advance to district-level voting will be judged the week of Nov. 7 by district staff at the Educational Service Center in Anoka. The district winners will then be recognized at a future School Board meeting and will receive a Kindle tablet from the Horace Mann Company. Winning posters will also be posted on the district website and printed for use in schools across the district.
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