OALC Outreach
Updates from the Lions' Den
Upcoming Transition
Please read that email thoroughly, as it has important information regarding what school will look like going forward. Additionally, next week while we are still in hybrid learning, teachers will ensure that scholars are well-prepared to be successful in distance learning; thus, please attend school on your designated day next week so that we can help you best prepare for distance learning.
In the meantime, please make sure technology is ready to go:
- Chromebooks are in working order
- WiFi is up and running (if it is not, please look at the Internet Essentials program in the Resources section of the newsletter, or talk to a staff member at school)
- District 279 and OALC social media accounts are followed (if they are not, please use the links below to follow)
- Contact information is up-to-date in ParentVUE
Per Superintendent McIntyre's email, breakfast and lunch will be provided similarly to how they were during the first two weeks of school. Next week's newsletter will have additional information regarding meal distribution.
While we all certainly want to be engaged in in-person learning, we know that we must do our part to keep our community safe. And, we will work together to make distance learning successful for all.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd. We do not have school, so if you are 18, please use that day to vote. For more information, see below or the Minnesota Secretary of State's website. If you have any questions, your social studies teacher should be able to help.
You can register to vote on Election Day!
If you have missed the voter registration deadline, you can still register to vote and cast a ballot at the same time during the in-person absentee voting period or on Election Day. Simply go to your regular in-person absentee voting site -- or to your regular polling place -- to register and vote. You should bring valid ID and, if the ID does not list your current name and address, also proof of residence. Contact your Local Election Office if you have any questions.
Minnesota Voter Registration Rules:
To register in Minnesota you must:
- Be a citizen of the United States
- Be a resident of Minnesota for 20 days before the next election
- Maintain residence at the address given on the registration form
- Be at least 18 years old on Election Day
- If previously convicted of a felony, have completed or been discharged from your sentence
- Not be under a court‑ordered guardianship in which the right to vote has been revoked
- Not be found by a court to be legally incompetent to vote
If students are not feeling well, they should stay home. If they are not well enough to check in and continue working on assignments, please call the front desk at 763-391-8890 to notify the school of their absence.
OALC Deliverables
Personalized learning with high expectations
A welcoming and inclusive environment
Holistic supports for students and families
Spotlight!
Way to go, Ambrosia!
Ambrosia (Honey) T. is so motivated this year to complete credits toward graduation. She has a plan, is keeping to her schedule, and is working every single day, even while eating sugar rice in her bed on Google Meet. She is also keeping a positive, determined attitude, and it's definitely working for her!
Ambrosia was nominated by Ms. Nelson.
Way to go, Holly!
I seem to insert myself into Holly's space morning, noon, and night with technology questions. She is always, ALWAYS, patient and helpful. I am blessed to have her as a colleague, friend, and neighbor!
Holly was nominated by Meg S.
There are a few events happening around the city this weekend to celebrate the day and honor ancestors, such as this one at Midtown Global Market, one at Indigenous Roots, or one on the West Side of St. Paul.
OALC Reads
Non-Fiction
For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark--the masterpiece Michelle McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death--offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it has been hailed as a modern true crime classic--one which fulfilled Michelle's dream: helping unmask the Golden State Killer.
Fiction
Sydney Green is Brooklyn born and raised, but her beloved neighborhood seems to change every time she blinks. Condos are sprouting like weeds, FOR SALE signs are popping up overnight, and the neighbors she's known all her life are disappearing. To hold onto her community's past and present, Sydney channels her frustration into a walking tour and finds an unlikely and unwanted assistant in one of the new arrivals to the block--her neighbor Theo.
But Sydney and Theo's deep dive into history quickly becomes a dizzying descent into paranoia and fear. Their neighbors may not have moved to the suburbs after all, and the push to revitalize the community may be more deadly than advertised.
When does coincidence become conspiracy? Where do people go when gentrification pushes them out? Can Sydney and Theo trust each other--or themselves--long enough to find out before they too disappear?
Young Adult
THREE MINUTES
You wake up alone in a horrible land. A horn sounds. The Call has begun.
TWO MINUTES
The Sidhe are close. They're the most beautiful and terrible people you've ever seen. And they've seen you.
ONE MINUTE
Nessa will be Called soon. No one thinks she has any chance to survive. But she's determined to prove them wrong.
TIME'S UP
Could you survive the Call?
Reminder
Resources
The Family School Coordinator program is a program of and funded by the Northwest Hennepin Family Service Collaborative in partnership with PrairieCare, a psychiatric group that provides mental health care for children, adolescents, and adults across Minnesota. Family School Coordinators can offer the following to students in need: provide skills-based support; work closely with teachers and other school staff to support and improve functioning in school; assist families in navigating through the potentially confusing array of school and community support services; team with the student, family members, and school staff to address mental health needs; and offer referrals to other, more intensive services when needed.
Please reach out to your school social worker or counselor if you are interested in this service for your student.
Calming Room
CEAP
Hennepin County
Student Virtual Backpack
District Information
Parent & Family Toolkit
Other Ways to Stay Connected
Please also consider staying connected with the OALC in the following ways:
Conferences
The OALC has three additional days of conferences planned for the 2020-2021 school year: November 18, February 10, and April 6.
Weekly Newsletter
This newsletter will be updated weekly and will be accessible via the OALC website, via teachers' Schoology pages, and via social media.
District Multilingual Facebook Pages
The following Facebook pages have information from the district, specifically for Latino, Hmong, West African, and Vietnamese families.