Coyote Chronicles
January 3, 2024
A message from the principal
I often hear from people that they can't fathom being a principal and dealing with everything that comes to my door. I won't deny that there are days when I question my career path, but for the most part I cannot imagine doing anything else. Well, maybe being the Athletic Director at the University of Wisconsin. Aside from that, this is where I belong.
What propels me, and everyone at Andover Elementary, to do what we do every day are our Coyotes. Beyond teaching the essential foundational skills of reading, writing, and math, we cultivate personal connections with our students during the 35 hours a week we spend together. In this time, we witness the greatness in every Coyote, and we recognize how each one has something valuable to contribute to our society.
With the assistance of journalist Boyd Huppert, I'd like to introduce you to one such extraordinary Coyote and showcase how he contributes to our Andover Elementary community. Please take a moment to watch Boyd's 2023 Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award-winning video titled "One Sharp Kid," featuring the Coyote we affectionately call Lucas.
If Boyd only had the time to share more stories from Andover, he could illustrate 1,205 reasons of what makes Andover Elementary such a special place to work.
As we embark on a new year, let's remember, as parents, educators, and community members, the vital roles we play in ensuring our students build those crucial foundational skills in elementary school. These skills will support our Coyotes in turning their unique talents and interests into enjoyable future careers, making them contributing members of our society.
Enrollment Options Deadline for the 2024-2025 School Year is Jan. 15, 2024
Families interested in applying for in-district transfer or open enrollment should check out ahschools.us/enroll for details on the process, including the Jan. 15, 2024 request deadline. Families will be notified of their acceptance results in writing by Feb. 15, 2024.
Good-Bye and Best Wishes, Mrs. Sears
After many years of serving the students and families of Andover Elementary, our School Year Secretary, Julie Sears, is retiring! Her last day will be Friday, March 29th.
If you are interested in working in our school office, you may apply by visiting our district's employent opportunities: Class A School Year Secretary.
APTCO News
We had another great turnout for our Santa’s Brunch and Merry Market Craft Sale event! It was great that so many kids could purchase gifts for their loved ones at our Secret Shop. And Santa and Mrs. Claus were very happy to say, "Hi" to so many of our Coyotes. Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the festivities. We hope you received a wonderful gift from your child(ren) this holiday season. A huge THANK YOU goes out to our wonderful volunteers who made this event possible.
The Carnival is coming up January 25th. Keep an eye out for Raffle for Readiness raffle tickets, which will be coming home this week. Also, make sure to have your kids start saving their coins for Coin Wars coming up at the end of the month.
We hope you all had a wonderful winter break! We can’t wait to see you at our next meeting on January 18th.
Volunteer News
Happy New Year! First, I'd like to say thank you to the many who have volunteered time at Andover Elementary so far this school year. This includes everything from stuffing open house folders, making thousands and thousands of copies (YES, it's a lot!), helping with events, and chaperoning field trips. Without you generously giving your time, we simply couldn't do many of these things.
With that said, I'm excited to share a few upcoming volunteer opportunities we have in January:
- General Volunteering in the workroom
- Raffle ticket counting
- Coyote Carnival - this is a great opportunity for high school school students to volunteer
You can find all the details and dates as well as sign ups here:
Andover Elementary Volunteer Opportunities - January
Kelli Anderson, Volunteer Services Coordinator
email: kelli.anderson@ahschools.us
phone: 763-506-1723
The Coyote Carnival Is Coming Soon!
It's time once again for our annual school carnival ~ The Coyote Carnival! Here are all the details:
Raffle for Readiness - January 3rd - January 19th:
Raffle tickets will be going home with students January 3rd and 4th (depending on grade/classroom) All the instructions can be found in the raffle ticket packet. You may choose to sell some, all, or none of the tickets. You can continue to request additional tickets through Thursday, January 18th. To request additional tickets, please visit: Raffle Ticket Request form
Reminder, the Raffle for Readiness helps fund various needs around school to ensure students are ready to learn. This may include technology, supplemental curriculum and curriculum aids, supplies, etc. Winners will be drawn at the conclusion of the Coyote Carnival on Thursday, January 25th.
Coin Wars - January 19th - January 25th:
Coin Wars begin Friday, Jan 19th and runs through Thursday, Jan 25th. Save those coins until then! Each grade level is competing against each other. A large jug to collect coins for each grade is displayed near the office. Students may bring in coins to add to the jugs all week long. They drop positive points into their own jug and negative points into the opposing grades jugs.
Points:
Quarters = +25 points
Dimes = -10 points
Nickels = -5 points
Pennies = +1 point
The game ends on Thursday, Jan 25th at the end of the school day. The winning grade receives a special popcorn party!
Coyote Carnival - January 25th - 5:30PM - 8:00PM:
The big event! The Coyote Carnival is a long standing tradition and it is a favorite event at Andover Elementary School. Here is what to expect:
Inflatable Zone - South Gym: The gym is full of fun inflatables including an obstacle course, slides, and traditional bounce houses.
Food Court - South Cafeteria: Meal baskets available for purchase - $5 includes choice of pizza or corn dog, chips, sweet treat and a drink.
Midway Games - Throughout the School: Fun games like plinko, sucker pull, putt putt, bean bag toss and more!
Sports Zone - North Cafeteria: Try your luck at the basketball shoot, football toss and hockey shoot.
Prize Track - North Gym: This fun, fast paced game is much like a traditional cake walk. Students walk the track and when they land on the lucky spot called, they win a prize.
Admission: $5 for students grade K-8, preschoolers and adults FREE.
Admission includes a wrist band allowing access to all the games and the inflatable zone and 2 prize track tickets (additional tickets available for purchase, bundle of 4 tickets for $2).
Meal basket tickets: Sold for $5 each.
Volunteer NEED - Coyote Carnival - January 25th:
MANY volunteers are needed to ensure the annual Andover Elementary Coyote Carnival is a SUCCESS! More volunteers = shorter lines = happier kids and families! Over 80 volunteers are needed to provide a safe and fun experience for all.
Positions/duties include:
SET UP: 4:15PM - 5:15PM
Lifting
Carrying light to medium weight items
Setting up games throughout the school
EVENT: 5PM - 6:45PM and/or 6:30PM - 8:15PM
Midway games
Inflatables zone
Food service
Admissions table
This is a great opportunity for high school students. Please visit the sign ups below. Please note, there is a separate sign up for students.
Need more information? Visit the Coyote Carnival information website here: COYOTE CARNIVAL INFORMATION
Child Nutrition Update
Attention Students & Parents ~ New menu items starting Jan 3rd, 2024
We are happy to announce new menu items that will be served starting after winter break:
- Bean and Cheese Pupusa (Gluten Free and Vegetarian) will be replacing the Cheesy Chicken Ranch Sandwich.
- Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries will replace Crinkle Cut Sweet Potato Fries.
- Meatballs will be served with the pasta rather than meat sauce.
- And lastly we will be adding Green peas into the steamed vegetable offerings (once per cycle).
Students, please remember that you must have a 1/2 cup fruit or vegetable on your tray, for your meal to be considered complete. And remember that scanning your lunch tag is the quickest way to get through the breakfast/lunch line.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful smiles and great manners we see on a daily basis.
Health Services
January Tidbits from the Health Office
Happy New Year!
I’m a bucket filler
Each and every day
Kind things I do
Kind things I say
And I do my best
Not to ever dip
And I say “I’m sorry”
If I ever slip
Along with our Coyote character trait we are focusing on being bucket fillers in the health office this month too! Mindset, kindness, happiness, smiling and laughing all increase endorphins that have a positive impact on our bodies and our health.
Community Education
- Intro to Dance 1/17
- Grandmasters of Chess 1/17
- Floor Hockey Camp 1/18
- Volleyball with Tournament 1/22
- Bricktopia Catapults 1/22
- Mini Brand Jewelry Making 1/24
- Archery 1/25
All offerings for Andover Elementary can be found here!
MCA Individual Score Reports available to view online
Starting this school year, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) Individual Score Reports for students will be available for families to access online and will no longer be sent through postal mail. The 2023 MCA report is available now for students who took a test during the 2022-23 school year and families can access the document by logging into A-HConnect or viewing it on the ParentVUE mobile app.
Who takes the MCA test? Students in grades 3-8 and in grades 10 and 11 take MCA tests each year. Current MCA reports will only be available for students who took an MCA test during the 2022-23 school year.
In addition to detailed test results, the report also includes a QR code directing families to an individualized video report of the student’s score. Parents, guardians and any person with educational rights to a student will be able to access the student’s MCA report online.
If you need assistance logging in to A-HConnect or forgot your password, call 763-506-HELP (4357) or email 506help@ahschools.us. For questions about the MCA report or for printing accommodations, please contact the main office at your child’s school.
How to view the MCA report from A-HConnect (view detailed instructions):
Login to A-HConnect.
Click on the ‘My Student Information/ParentVUE’ icon.
Select a student from the dropdown menu.
Select ‘Documents.’
Select and view ‘MCA 2023’ from the ‘Documents’ window.
The report will open as a PDF in a new tab where the capabilities to download or print will be available.
View from the ParentVUE app (view detailed instructions):
Go to the AppStore or Google Play and search for the ParentVUE app.
Enter your zip code when prompted, and select “Anoka-Hennepin School District” from the menu options.
Confirm ‘yes’ and select ‘Already Activated,’ if prompted.
Use login/password to login.
Select a student from the student list.
Select ‘Documents.’
Select and view the ‘Assessment MCA 2023’ document.
Click the share button to save or share the PDF.
District hiring event for non-teaching positions on Jan. 25th
The Anoka-Hennepin School District will host an in-person hiring event for non-teaching positions on Thursday, Jan. 25th from 3:30-6:00 p.m. at Coon Rapids High School located at 2340 Northdale Blvd. NW.
Attendees should park in the parking lot off Raven St. and enter the activities entrance of the school using Door 16.
Join us to learn about employment opportunities and have a same-day, on-site interview for various positions. View available positions and begin filling out an application at ahschools.us/jobs and come prepared to interview with hiring managers.
Above & Beyond Awards
If you know an Anoka-Hennepin staff member who does amazing work for children, you are strongly encouraged to nominate them for the Above & Beyond Awards. The Above & Beyond Awards involve students, staff, parents and community members in recognizing and honoring Anoka-Hennepin staff who consistently go that extra mile so students can be successful.
Nominations are being accepted through Monday, Jan. 22, 2024.
Visit the Above & Beyond Awards website, ahschools.us/aboveandbeyond, for a nomination form or to read additional information about the awards.
The program is a joint effort of the district and the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation (AHEF). The 2024 Above & Beyond Awards ceremony will take place April 3 at the Educational Service Center (ESC).
Coyote Spirit Shop - Available 24-7!
You may purchase school spirit wear any time by visiting:
Jan. 01-02 - Winter Break
Jan. 03 - School Resumes
Jan. 15 - No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Jan. 18 - APTCO Mtg - 6:30 PM - S. Media Center
Jan. 25 - School Carnival - 5:30 - 8:00 PM
Feb. 15 - APTCO Mtg - 6:30 PM - S. Media Center
Feb. 19 - No School - Presidents Day
Feb. 20 - No School For Students - Staff Development / Conferences
Feb. 21 - Conferences
Feb. 22 - Conferences
Feb. 20-29 - Muscle Week in Phy Ed
This e-newsletter is published by Andover Elementary School. Questions, comments or concerns about the school e-newsletter? Contact us.