Community e-Newsletter
December 1, 2019
In Photos: Hard-working Bears
Student News
The perfect angle
It was a great day to grab a camera and head outside for a photography project at WBLAHS - North Campus. High school students were able to work on a framed photo project where they looked for natural frames to shape their photos. Some students used fencing, their hands and building structures to create their artistic frames. They then headed back inside where they sorted through their favorite pictures and showed them off to the class. The fun experience can be seen in this video. From photography to performances, it was another great year for students as they wrapped up their "Aida" shows. Audience members were able to enjoy many captivating songs and dances throughout this production.
Ready, set, go! Sunrise Park Middle School students lined up in the front office to enjoy testing their wooden trebuchet projects by seeing how far they could catapult their marshmallows. The front office staff had their own wooden trebuchet they were able to test out to have fun flying a few marshmallows back at the students for defense. This was a great hands-on learning project for the students, as they were able to create their trebuchets and then examine the effectiveness when putting it to use with the marshmallow-launching task. In other tasks, students at Willow Lane Elementary have been teaming together to spread kindness throughout the school!
Pages and popcorn
The snow was falling and it was the perfect time for Oneka Elementary students to cuddle up with a book in the library and read with a very special friend, Spike. Their pal, Spike, is Oneka's therapy dog and visits the students weekly with Spike's handler, Clare. They both are great listeners and students say reading to the duo makes them want to read "more and more and more." The furry literacy experience can be seen in this video.
In middle school, Central students had fun popping up their fresh popcorn as part of Kernels for Kids. This is a fun opportunity for students to gain hands-on work experience. During this time, students are able to learn about making the popcorn in the maker and dividing the delicious popcorn out into bags to serve. The salty treat-making experience can be seen in this video.
Exciting accomplishments
Congratulations to the 2018 White Bear Lake Area Schools graduates that participated in Project SEARCH, as 100% of them learned new skills to obtain competitive and integrated employment after graduation. Project SEARCH is a partnership between the White Bear Lake Area Schools and Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare focusing on workplace immersion with a goal of competitive employment for every program graduate. Project SEARCH recognizes program sites that have achieved 70% to 100% competitive employment for participants in a given program year. The White Bear Project SEARCH site at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare was honored to receive this award for their first graduating class. They are currently in their third year of Project SEARCH. For more information about the White Bear Lake Area Schools' Project SEARCH site at Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare, please check out this flyer and learn about Open Houses to get more information about Project SEARCH.
From one exciting accomplishment to the next, high school students are brewing up one awesome experience, School Grounds. Students are working on starting School Grounds, which will be a student-run, self-sustaining coffee shop business designed to provide students with an opportunity to grow their skills while providing a dedicated revenue stream to realize student passions and ideas. Currently, they are envisioning the experience for students and brainstorming about how to make it the most beneficial offering at WBLAHS - South Campus. The accomplishments continued throughout the district! The Vadnais Heights Elementary Extended Day team successfully completed the Minnesota Afterschool Accreditation Program (MAAP), a rigorous process aimed at ensuring quality out-of-school time programs. Go Bears!
Activities Update
Oneka Elementary's "Girls on the Run" program was highlighted in a recent issue of The Citizen. Go Bears!
Find a complete list of all WBLAHS Activities, Athletics and Fine Arts here.
Please contact the Communications Department (651-407-7695) to submit Student News for inclusion in future publications.
The Week in 62.4 Seconds
Enjoy The Week in 62.4 Seconds videos highlighting weekly district activities throughout the school year.
School Board News
Upcoming Meetings
Past Meeting Highlights
November 12 Regular
November 25 Work-Study