Community e-Newsletter

In Photos: Fall Fun

Collage of student and staff activity photos.

Student News

Braving the October weather

Early Childhood students in the district are studying pumpkins these days, prompting a recent field trip to Pinehaven Farm in Wyoming, MN. Families were able to feed animals, take a trolley ride to the pumpkin patch and pick pumpkins. Pinehaven owner Farmer Sue graciously donated pumpkins and gourds for classrooms, which allowed teachers and students to learn about how pumpkins grow and use the materials for counting, pounding, and other fun activities.

adult and child feeding sheep

As the falling leaves unexpectedly turned to falling snow, Bears throughout the district met the weather with energy and resilience. Kindergartners in Dawn Maple’s class at Matoska International IB World School braved the snow on Wednesday  to save seeds from their Three Sisters Gardens for next year's planting. They were helped by National Junior Honor Society volunteer Ellie Vlieger.

students in winter garb working at garden in snow

The Nutrition Services team used a tent to combat the falling snow during a meal pick-up morning for distance learning families on Friday. Each week, a week’s worth of food is provided for free to all distance learning families. Free meals are provided for all hybrid learning students as well, with meals for out-of-school days being sent home with families. The free meals for all students will continue through the school year, as USDA recently extended the program through June of 2021. The WBLAS take home and meal pick-up order form can be found here.

adults under tent with food supplies in snow

Caught on video

Students throughout the district wore orange this week to celebrate Unity Day, a day focused on anti-bullying and spreading kindness. At Lakeaires, some of our youngest students signed an anti-bullying pledge and were featured in Friday's "The Week in 62.4 Seconds" video.

students wearing orange and giving thumbs-up

In honor of Unity Day, on Oct. 21 the district re-shared an anti-bullying video we partnered with GTN (Government Telephone Network) to produce a few years ago. The stories and wise words shared by our students are just as powerful today in standing up against bullying and spreading kindness.

adult and high school students standing together

WBLAHS - North Campus teacher Shannon Riebow was interviewed on WCCO this week about a Chiller Challenge tool our students are using to creatively cope with stress, expressing themselves through photography and meaningful statements. She shared that the students' creativity and resilience is shining through, both in their Chiller projects  and in the adaptability they have shown during this unique school year. See the interview here.

video boxes of news anchor and teacher interviewee

One way students and staff members are showing resiliency this year is by finding new ways to carry out old traditions. The WBLAHS - South Campus Choirs recently performed a Fall Recorded Concert that was shared out on YouTube rather than being an in-person experience. Enjoy the virtual concert here.

high school choir performing socially distanced in gymnasium

District kudos

The WBLAHS Boys' and Girls' Cross Country teams earned second place in the Section 4AA meet. Find White Bear Press articles about their races here and here respectively. A younger group of runners, from both Central and Sunrise Park Middle Schools, also recently competed in a middle school cross country race that took place at Lakeland Hills.

middle school girls lined up for start of cross country race

Birch Lake Elementary was recently ranked #4 in a "10 of the Best Elementary Schools in the Twin Cities Suburbs" listing on Schoolsparrow.com. The site publishes public K-12 school rankings that normalize for parent income, elevating diverse schools to the forefront and shifting focus away from socioeconomic status. Footage of the Birch Lake Elementary school community can be found in the district's weekly video.

elementary school cafeteria with colorful student mural

The Bear Care Clinic, a free school-based clinic located at WBLAHS - North Campus that offers a wide variety of services to all students in the district, was recently highlighted in the White Bear Press. Featured in the story is a welcoming mural facelift being created by WBLAHS seniors Ava DelCastillo and Ly Faster. The artwork is expected to be finished around December. Another fun note about the project is that clinic creator Jessica (Nadeau) Miehe, an assistant professor of nursing at St. Catherine University, is a White Bear grad. See the article here.

two student photos

Activities Update

The WBLAHS Boys' and Girls' Cross Country teams earned second place in the Section 4AA meet. Find articles about their races here and here respectively. Runners from both Central and Sunrise Park Middle Schools competed in a Middle School Cross Country race that took place at Lakeland Hills. The WBLAHS - South Campus Choirs recently performed a Fall Recorded Concert that was shared out on YouTube. The Boys' Soccer Team finished 3-8-2 for the season (see article). The Girls' Soccer Team finished 9-4 for the season (see article). The WBLAHS Football team recently beat Cretin-Derham Hall at home (see article).

White Bear Lake Area High School athletic contests are now available via live streaming provided by PrepSpotlightTV. The live stream arrangement is done in partnership with MSHSL and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) guidance. Full information, including links to purchase live streaming, can be found 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

School Board Regular Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
Community Room 112, District Center
School Board Regular Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
Community Room 112, District Center
School Board Regular Meeting Subscribe to Alerts
Community Room 112, District Center

Past Meeting Highlights

October 12 Regular

September 28 Work Session

District News

General Information