Community e-Newsletter

In Photos: Busy Bears!

Student News

Off to a good start

The District welcomed dozens of new teachers and staff last week for orientation. The new "Bears" were given the opportunity to make connections before the school year starts through an ice cream social, interactive sessions and instructional seminars. They also posed for the traditional White Bear Rec T-Shirt group photo and gave a mighty "Go Bears!"

Families and community members are invited to mark their calendars and watch for ticket information to be made available later this fall for the White Bear Lake Area High School Fall Musical "Into the Woods," which will be performed November 12 & 13 and November 18-20. Students interested in singing and dancing through the woods can audition September 15 and 16. For more information about audition material, callbacks, and show dates, click here.
 
screenshot of %22Into The Woods%22 video

We are excited for the coming school year and for the opportunity to return to in-person school, for five days a week. As we plan for 2021-22, our efforts will focus on keeping our students safe and in our buildings for in-person learning. In order to do so, White Bear Lake Area Schools will follow a Mitigation Plan that uses two indicators of county-level transmission levels (7-day case rate per 100,000 and 7-day positivity rate in Ramsey/Washington Counties as found in the CDC Data Tracker) to determine mitigation strategies that will be implemented in our buildings and on district transportation. The plan aligns with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. We will continue to monitor county-level transmission levels throughout the school year. We will inform families if the rates indicate we should change to another level of mitigation strategies. Information about our current mitigation strategies will always be available on the district’s webpage, directly at www.isd624.org/Covid-19.

screenshot of COVID-19 Info web page

The district worked with a variety of partners to offer two Back to School Extravaganza events for White Bear Lake Area Schools families who are experiencing economic hardship. The first of the two events took place Saturday, and the second will place at White Bear Lake Area High School - North Campus (5045 Division Avenue, White Bear Lake) from 1-7 p.m. on Monday, August 30. Families will have the opportunity to receive free backpacks and school supplies, immunizations and sports physicals, food and giveaways. Assistance will be provided with filling out beginning-of-school-year forms and information will be available from community organizations.

Getting attention

Mariner grad Craig Martin '74 was recently highlighted in the White Bear Press, along with an almost-50-year-old portrait of him running. In 1974, Martin was apart of a state champion relay team. The portrait is on display at WBLAHS - South Campus. Read the article that highlights Craig Martin here.
 
White Bear Lake Area Schools along with the University of Minnesota hosted the Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) Camp at WBLASH - South Campus. Eight WBLAS students and ten students from the greater Twin Cities area participated in a week-long program filled with hands-on learning experiences centered around the automotive industry. Students were challenged to think outside-the-box when discussing the future of the industry.
 

The White Bear Press recently highlighted White Bear grad Caroline Grubs, a water skier who recently earned a place as one of 35 Team USA members in the next world meet in October, 2022 in Florida. She recently placed third with a personal-best score of 17.46 in the 46th Indmar Division 1 Show Ski National Championships. See the article here.

adult water sking

The district's participation in Gen Z Connections, was recently highlighted in a video. The learning opportunity is geared toward engineering, manufacturing and automotive internships for students, who learn job skills and about different roles within the industries. Click here to watch the video.

White Bear Lake Area High School grad Ryan Drake was recently highlighted in the White Bear Press for placing second in his division in the Trans Superior Yacht Race. Drake and his wife, Kim, successfully raced from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Duluth in three days. Read the complete story here.
 
In other alumni news, graduate Melanie Pankow, a distance runner who qualified for state and garnered all-Suburban East Conference honors during her time as a Bear, will run for the University of South Dakota. See the article here.

Student Supports

The Closet is now open for appointments. When students in our school district present a need for clothing, they are able to shop for items needed, free of charge. Students and families are referred to The Closet by school administration staff and a personal appointment is needed for the family or student to visit. For more information, visit the website by clicking here.

The Bear Care Health and Wellness Clinic will reopen on September 1. Health services that are available at the clinic include no-cost sports physicals, wellness exams, immunizations, COVID testing, and acute illness care. Clinic hours are Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m. at WBLAHS - North Campus. The clinic is open to children of all ages that attend White Bear Lake Area Schools. Appointments can be made by calling (651) 653-2923, emailing BearCare@BearCareClinic.org or scheduling online. Find additional information here.

Thanks to the US Department of Agriculture, Nutrition Services is able to extend free meals to all students through the 2021-22 school year. No application is required to receive this meal benefit. However, families may qualify for additional benefits, if they complete an Application for Educational Benefits online or in paper form. Applications can be found on the district website, and information will be mailed to families before the school year begins. Find a flyer that describes the many benefits to completing the Application for Educational Benefits here.
 
screenshot of Application for Educational Benefits flyer
The District's Support Hub provides families with resources to address barriers & enhance well-being. This comprehensive resource gives families and community members access to information for essential services including crisis response, basic needs, mental health and wellbeing, physical health, social emotional learning and more.
 

Outdoor Activities

White Bear Lake Area Schools leaders, City leaders and Project managers celebrated two groundbreakings as the construction projects at North Campus and South Campus move forward. At North Campus, those in attendance stood in the area where the Field House is set to be built. The current WBLASH - North Campus sit is being expanded to serve as a unified high school site serving grades 9-12. 

The groundbreaking ceremony at South Campus took place near the McKnight Road entrance, which will become the new main entrance of the school.  The building will continue to house students in grades 11 and 12 until all students come together at the current North Campus, at which time South Campus will become a middle school. After the ceremony, guests checked out the new gym at South Campus, which is in its final stages of construction and will be used as students return to school this fall. 
 

White Bear Lake Area students in the Oneka Extended Day program recently enjoyed some time in the sun as summer break wraps up. Kindergarten-second grade kids took a trip to Hyland Park Reserve and enjoyed a day of sunshine and climbing.  The 3rd-5th grade kids got to test out their swimming skills at Como Pool and finished off the summer with a service day packing meals at Feed My Starving Children. 

 

Be a Bear!

We are currently accepting enrollment for the 2021-22 school year. Families can choose from two options: traditional in-person school and the district’s Distance Learning Academy. Find additional information at isd624.org/enroll.
 
Bear mascot holding sign with enrollment information
The district is hiring for a variety of positions, offering both school-day and out-of-school-time hours. Full- and part-time options are available. Check out the Employment page of our district website and find ways you can join us as a Bear!
 
screenshot of hiring ad

Activities Updates

The White Bear Press wrote a Bears' fall season opener article, found here. The Girls' Tennis team topped the Pioneers in the season opener. See details here. Along with season passes and punch cards, the WBLAHS Activities office is now offering digital ticketing to all regular season, home athletic events. Information is available here.

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

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