Community e-Newsletter

In Photos: Indoor and outdoor activities

collage of student and staff photos

Student News

Important information

This coming week the ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves, MN’ vaccine outreach campaign is focusing on Minnesotans aged 16 and 17. Between April 27th and May 1st, 16 and 17 year olds, and their parents, will be prioritized for vaccines at Minnesota’s Mall of America Community Vaccination site. Register for your appointment at Mall of America at the following link: Mall of America Community Vaccination Registration. Complete information can be found on the White Bear Lake Area High School website here.
 
Every Minnesotan age 16 years and older is now eligible to get their shot.
Our student support services and equity team have added a number of resources to our WBLAS Support Hub, and we invite families and staff to access materials if you are wondering how to talk about these unprecedented times with our children. The National Association of School Psychologists reminds us, when a historic event occurs, “it can cause strong and deeply felt reactions in adults and children. How adults express their emotions will influence the reactions of children and youth.” This is a reflective time. We hope the inclusive list of resources we’ve collected will be helpful for families and staff.
 
screenshot of Support Hub
At the April 16, 2021 School Board Special Session, the Board and District leaders discussed  the district's current efforts to redesign operations based upon an equity audit that was conducted in 2020. Future changes and commitments were also made by the district and by individual school board members. See a White Bear Press write-up covering the meeting here.
 
At the Special Session, the School Board also approved the School Start Time Change proposal to be implemented in the fall of 2021-22. The recommendation that has been discussed in recent months aligns with the District’s Strategic Plan and research on adolescent sleep. Information about the proposal can be found at www.isd624.org/schoolstarttimechange. The meeting was covered in a recent White Bear Press article, found here.
 
table of school start times

 

Celebrating students

The district's Middle School Musical performance of "High School Musical Jr." will take place May 6 - 8. Tickets are currently on sale for families of the actors and for district staff members. Any additional tickets will be made available for community members to purchase. Although the musical will look different this year, with limited seating available due to social distancing measures, the students have worked hard to bring the story to life!
 
High School Musical Jr logo
The district's Career Pathways April newsletter covers a June 6 Water Walk update and a highlight of the scholarships being provided for 17 WBLAS students ages 13-17 who will  attend advanced manufacturing summer camps thanks to support from the Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation (VHEDC). Also included in this issue are a graduate spotlight of '20 grad Day'Monie Nins, who will complete her CNA and Phlebotomy Certificate in May from Century College, and notice of upcoming events. Read the full issue here.
 
screenshot of Career Pathways Newsletter
During the month of April, Oneka Elementary has been participating in a school-wide reading experience with the Oneka Reads Wishtree. Fun activities surrounding the initiative include a door decorating contest, a school-wide scavenger hunt, virtual field trips with a local wildlife center, a community service project for area senior living facilities, and partnerships with local Hugo businesses. The project will culminate on April 30 with a Wishing Day event. The initiative was highlighted in video here.
 
The WBLAHS band recently found a way to perform for the masses without literally performing for the masses. The group's in-person February was video recorded and made available for those who wish to hear the students perform in the convenience of their own home. To help people enjoy just a snippet of the action, a short "commercial" of the concert was created as well.
 
high school students playing band instruments on stage
WBLAHS athlete Natalie Andres, who participated in basketball, cross-country, track and field and will attend Wisconsin-La Crosse, was recently named an Athena Award winner. The St. Paul Area Athena Awards program honors outstanding female high school senior student-athletes from St. Paul and suburban public and independent high schools for their athletic achievements.   The award is based on excellence in individual sports or for participation and accomplishments in team sports. See a complete listing of this year's Athena Award recipients here.
 

Building Our Future

A groundbreaking took place recently at the site of the new elementary school being built in Hugo. Community leaders representing the school district, the city of Hugo, construction partners, came together for the event. Also in attendance were members of the Peloquin family (pictured below), who grew up on the land sold to the district to be the site of the new elementary. The building will serve students in kindergarten through fifth grade and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022. This project, and all those approved in the Bond Referendum, was made possible through the support of district residents. See the article written about the groundbreaking by The Citizen here.

five adults posing for photo at construction site
The construction project to renovate the current North Campus site into the unified White Bear Lake Area High School, which will serve students in grades 9-12, is moving along and recently received official approval by the White Bear Lake City Council to double the size of the current building. See the White Bear Press article about the project here. The School Board will receive an update about the project at tomorrow evening's April 26 School Board Work Session. The presentation will also include an update on the renovation of the current South Campus building, which will eventually serve as a middle school building. These projects are a part of the district's 2019 Bond Referendum, complete information about which can be found here.
 
rendering of building
Students are benefitting from other types of "building projects" as well. This week's issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" (here) highlighted students at Birch Lake Elementary enjoying a new outdoor classroom that can be used for a learning space when the weather is nice. The Early Childhood program housed at Willow Lane Elementary was also featured, planting flowers in honor of Earth Day. The students will watch their flowers grow this spring.
 
young students sitting on tree trunk stools outside

Activities Update

WBLAHS athlete Natalie Andres, who participated in basketball, cross-country, track and field and will attend Wisconsin-La Crosse, was recently named an Athena Award winner. See a complete listing of this year's Athena Award recipients here. The WBLAHS Varsity Boys' Baseball team was featured in last week's issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" here. Middle School Athletics teams had their first practices lately and were highlighted in video 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

The April 12, 2021 School Board Work Session Meeting will be conducted in person at District Center, with social distancing measures being put in place.

The remainder of the 2020-21 School Board meetings will continue to be viewable via electronic means. Livestream links are available on the district's online calendar and will be posted on the Meeting Materials page the week prior to each meeting.

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Past Meeting Highlights

April 16 Special Session

April 12 Regular Meeting

District News

General Information