Community e-Newsletter

Note from the Superintendent

Hello White Bear Lake Area Schools community,

We are looking forward to welcoming our students and staff members back to school this fall. While this year will look a bit different, we are grateful for the continued partnership in coming together to form a plan to best serve our families, students and staff this fall. 

Please see the following important updates:

Bear wearing a mask
  • Reminder of Delayed Start Date - At the August 24, 2020 Work-Study Meeting, the White Bear Lake Area School Board supported a recommendation to change the Return to School Plan, delaying the start of the school year for all students K-12+ to September 14. The first day of Early Childhood programming will remain September 14. See complete information here.
  • FAQs - The Fall 2020 FAQs document was recently updated, with new and updated items marked with NEW within the document.
  • Free Meals for children Sept. 2 & 9 - Nutrition Services will be offering free meals to pick-up for all children on September 2 and September 9. Curbside meal pick up locations will be at the following locations between 9:30-10:30 a.m.:
    • WBLAHS - North Campus (by the main entrance)
      • 5045 Division Ave, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
    • WBLAHS - South Campus (McKnight Road side, by the flagpole)
      • 3551 McKnight Rd, White Bear Lake, MN 55110
    • Oneka Elementary (by the main entrance)
  • Free or reduced lunch applications - Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. To apply, complete the White Bear Lake Area Schools Online Meal Application either online or using a paper form from your school. A new application must be submitted each year. At public schools, your application also helps the school qualify for education funds and discounts. Please check out this flyer for more information.
  • School Age-Care information - School day childcare options will be available starting Sept. 14 at no cost for children grades K-6 of Tier 1 critical workers as defined by the state during regular school hours for distance and independent learning days. Tier 1 registrations received after August 26 may take up to 10 school days to process. Complete information, including tutorials on how to register, can be found at isd624.org/Fall2020SchoolAgeCare. Those with additional questions regarding school-age care options can contact the Extended Day Program directly at 651-407-7511. 
  • Bears Protect Bears - Find information about the White Bear Lake Area Educators’ “Bears Protect Bears Commitment” here. Remember the important steps of social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and staying home when sick.
  • COVID-19 Diagnosis Reporting Form - In order to facilitate the district’s COVID-19 contact tracing, please let us know through this form if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Please also call your school’s attendance line (for students) or submit an absence in Skyward (for staff) if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

We are also looking forward to kicking off this fall by welcoming our staff members to the 2020-21 school year at the Convocation Experience that will take place on Monday, August 31. Additional details about the event have been sent directly to staff members through the weekly 624 Update.

We appreciate all you are doing to help this school year be another successful one! Go Bears!

Dr. Wayne A. Kazmierczak
Superintendent

In Photos: Collaborative Summer Opportunities

A collage of students and adults participating in collaborative summer opportunities

Student News

Back to school

A recent Community e-Newsletter video edition covered what students and families can expect as they return to school this fall. The district's Back to School page also has important Back to School info, with School Supply lists, Free/Reduced Lunch Applications and Calendars.

Exciting work

New educators were recently greeted by other staff members when picking up a package of information and a bearified T-shirt, as they were welcomed onto the Bears team. They then later posed together sporting the essential Rec T-shirt. In other Bearified news, the Music Boosters recently worked on a fun way to showcase student talent in a virtual fundraiser. They asked for submissions and created a video featuring musical performances from WBLAHS music students - past and present. Check out the fun and creative video.

New educators smiling in Rec t-shirts

Students also enjoyed a hands-on experience building a shed at WBLAHS - North Campus this summer through a Minnesota Trades Academy opportunity! Go Bears! In other impressive news, Assistant Director of Student Support Services Jill Tessman recently spoke on a panel about mental health at a Superintendent’s Conference hosted by the Minnesota Department of Education. Jill answered questions about a collaborative the district participated in called the National Quality Initiative Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network that had monthly meetings and learned about key ingredients of a comprehensive school mental health system. They will continue this important work in supporting school mental health quality improvement during the 2020-21 school year.

Participants building a shed

Thoughtful gestures

Lakeaires Extended Day students recently celebrated essential workers at the White Bear fire and police departments by making and delivering them thank you bags with candy and a thoughtful poem.

Student holds bag to give others to express appreciation

The great student opportunities continue as middle school WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) leaders have been having fun guiding small groups of sixth grade students around their new school to welcome them, answer any questions and show them the building.

WEB leaders give students tour of the school

Fun experiences

Senator Wiger recently joined a classroom of students involved with summer programs at Lincoln Elementary, ending the visit with a "Go Bears!" photo! The fun highlights continued, as WBLAHS - South Campus student Gina Whitebird was recently highlighted in a Quad Community Press article about teenage summertime employment.

Students and adults chant %22Go Bears%22 in classroom

Activities Update

WBLAHS grad Shane Moore was recently pictured in the White Bear Press for their 10 years as a pitcher for the Metro Knights baseball team. Shane also serves as the team's pitching coach. White Bear football, and now soccer, player Jeff Odamtten was highlighted in a Pioneer Press article discussing football and volleyball athletes choosing new sports this fall, as those two sports were moved to the spring by MSHSL. WBLAHS grad Laura Osterlund recently submitted an opinion piece titled "Playing Like a Girl" in The Bethel University Clarion. The White Bear Press recently covered the WBLAHS fall sports competitions kicking off recently. Go Bears!

Please contact the Communications Department (651-407-7695) to submit Student News for inclusion in future publications. 

School Board News

Upcoming Meetings

RSS Feeds Subscribe to Alerts

Past Meeting Highlights

August 10 Regular

August 24 Work Session

District News

General Information