Community e-Newsletter

February 25, 2024

In Photos: Exciting Happenings!

Student News

Showcasing Learning

Willow Lane Elementary kindergartners celebrated their 100th day of learning with a royal tea party! They have been studying about Kings and Queens in their CKLA Knowledge lessons and decided to dress up in fancy clothes for their regal event. Principal Mr. Menier joined the celebration and gave a royal toast! The kindergartners enjoyed tasty treats, watched three different coronation ceremonies from around the world and tried out some new dance moves to close out their unit.

Snow Much Fun was had by everyone who attended the Art, Music, Science and Culture event at Vadnais Heights Elementary. Students, staff and community members enjoyed musical performances, artwork, science experiments and displays of students' cultural heritage. Each student in kindergarten through fifth grade also had three pieces of art displayed in the hallways for attendees to look at.

In gym class last week, North Star Elementary students focused on their bowling unit which was also captured in this recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". After learning the rules and skills for the sport, students put their knowledge to the test with a friendly competition. They played dollar bowing, gaining points for strikes and spares. The team with the most dollars by the end of class was declared the winner!

In honor of February being "I Love to Read" month, Birch Lake Elementary kicked off their One School, One Book initiative which was highlighted in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". During an assembly, staff and members of the Birch Lake Critter Crew made a special announcement revealing the school will be reading A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold. Students are encouraged to enjoy the book at home and at school to engage students, staff and families while promoting the importance of literacy.

Speaking of books, Willow Lane Elementary second graders had a special guest visit their classrooms. Author Ann Hobbie read her book, Monarch Butterflies, which is all about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Students also made brackets and keychains with beads, each representing a different part of the life cycle. Watch this meaningful lesson come to life in this video.

Meaningful Activities

Middle and high school students in the Nation to Nation Affinity Group are tapping maple trees to make syrup as an American Indian Education Program activity. Bags were placed on numerous trees outside District Center to collect the sap. The project teaches students about maple trees, the sap retrieval process, and steps that go into making maple syrup. See the project come to life in this video.

Oneka Elementary students watched a production from CLIMB Theater last week centered around recycling. During the play, students learned about the three different types of recycling and garbage bins in their school and what types of waste goes into each one. CLIMB Theater's mission is to inspire and propel young people towards acts that benefit themselves, each other and their community.

The WBLAHS Girls' Basketball team is making moves on and off the court. They recently visited Willow Lane Elementary to talk with our younger Bears about the importance of teamwork, bravery, empathy and determination. On the court, the team recently netted 16 three-pointers during their recent win over Cretin Derham-Hall. The win also secured their first place position in the Suburban East Conference. Find additional details in this White Bear Press article. The team also hosted their Coaches vs Cancer Pink Out games on Feb. 9. Through the team’s efforts, $1,543 was raised. The Boys’ Basketball Team held their Pink Out game on Jan. 24 and raised: $1,487, putting the total raised by WBLAHS basketball at $3,030 - well above their goal of raising $2,000. During the events, loved ones were honored, awareness was raised and money was raised for this important cause.

Sunrise Park Middle School students Neola Luswata and Cassandra Calvin joined 28 other students from throughout the Twin Cities area to participate in a Student Day Hearing held by the Minnesota Education Finance Committee last week. The students provided feedback to the legislators regarding how their year is going and whether they've noticed any changes this school year before being allowed to provide general input during their testimony.

Lakeaires Elementary Extended Day students participated in a meaningful activity last week. They took on the Lego "Build to Give" challenge. Students built a heart out of Legos and then share it with the #buildtogive #lego hashtag. By doing so, Lego will now donate a Lego set to a child in need.

Important Lessons

Lincoln Elementary Extended Day students worked together on a service project. They formed a paper chain of hearts and wrote cards with notes and pictures of words of affirmation. Their chain of hearts and cards were sent to the residents of Cerenity Senior Care in White Bear Lake hoping to bring smiles and laughs.

Middle school students are celebrating Black History month with a creative project. Students decorated their classroom doors, highlighting the theme: Art and Music. The hallways are now filled with doors covered in beautiful artwork and quotes from different historical and pop-culture figures. Get a closer look at the students' work in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds". Students at Area Learning Center displayed their Black History Month artwork around their building also including a Periodic Table of Elements with each element representing a historical figure. Meanwhile high school students who are members of the Black Student Union were highlighted by the White Bear Press after hosting their annual Black History Month Showcase. Students captivated audience members as they danced, sang, played the drums and read their original poems.

In line with February being CTE Month (Career and Technical Education), 25 Automotive Career Pathway students explored the collision repair side of the transportation industry during a field trip. Students made three stops. First at Advanced Vehicle Solutions and learned about Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Second at 3M’s Skills Development Center to learn about how 3M has changed the collision industry with their products and tried their hands at securing body panels together through various welding and fastening techniques. Lastly, they stopped by Fairway Collision to see the ins and outs of how collision repair facilities operate and the career opportunities available to them. Meanwhile, four HOSA students (Future Health Professionals, formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America) performed as a quartet at HealthPartners Neuroscience Center providing music and joy to patients and visitors.

In other Career Pathways news, South Campus students taking Personal Finance classes were visited by Lucie Misfeldt, City & County Community Engagement Manager, who gave an interactive presentation on Credit Scores. Students gained a new understanding of how impactful a Credit Score will be in their future. This is the ninth year an employee from City & County has spoken to finance students as part of their curriculum. Meanwhile, professionals from several Career Pathways industries spoke to high school students during a panel discussion last week. The guest speakers opened up about their industries and skills needed for their particular jobs. It was a great opportunity for students to ask questions to industry leaders as they prepare for their future careers. The event was highlights in a recent video issue of "The Week in 62.4 Seconds".

Mark Your Calendar

Lincoln Elementary is preparing to bring their production of "Shrek the Musical Jr." to the big stage at the WBLAS Community Auditorium March 1-3. The cast and crew contains over 150 enthusiastic students in grades 3-5 who are ready to showcase everyones favorite ogre, Shrek along with his pals Donkey and Princess Fiona! Ticket information and showtimes can be found here.

Summer Extended Day and FLEX Program opportunities are available for elementary and middle school aged students. Registration opens March 1 at 11 a.m. with the program running from June 12 - August 16. Students can enjoy daily activities, special field trips and more! Find additional information here. Meanwhile, school year Extended Day registration opens April 1 at 11:00 a.m. Find more information here.

In The Spotlight

The Bears Varsity Competition Cheerleaders participated in the State competition and at Nationals in Orlando, Florida. The team competed in two divisions at Nationals; Small Varsity Non-Tumbling Game Day Division I (placing fourth out of 30 teams) and Small Varsity Non-Tumbling Division I (placing eighth out of 38 teams). The Bears took second at the Minnesota State High School League tournament in both the Varsity Game Day Non-Tumbling I and Class AA Varsity Non-Tumbling I divisions.

The Boys' Swim and Dive team placed sixth out of seven teams at the Section 4AA meet. Several swimmers and divers placed in the top 16 and top 8 respectively. Notable highlights includes junior Tony Parada Romero finishing second in diving qualifying for the State tournament, senior Brayden Kolb placed fourth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.87, sophomore Benedict Hoefer broke his own school record in the 500 with a time of 5:07.50 and Coach Tia Quirk was named the Section 4AA Assistant Coach of the Year.

WBLAHS Boys' Hockey's Nolan Roed was recently announced by the Minnesota All Sports Alliance as one of the Top Ten Candidates for the 40th Annual Mr. Hockey Award. The award, given to the outstanding senior high school boys’ hockey player in the state of Minnesota, will be presented at the 40th annual Mr. Hockey Awards Banquet on March 10.

WBLAHS Girls' Basketball Coach Jeremy Post was recently highlighted by the White Bear Press for his upcoming induction into the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, it was recently announced that White Bear grad Scott Larson '70 will be inducted into the Minnesota State High School League's Hall of Fame in April. The honor comes in recognition of his successful career at Independent School District 196 during a time when the district won 19 Team State Championships and 76 Individual State Champions under his administrative leadership.

Activities Updates

The Bears Varsity Competition Cheerleaders participated in Nationals placing fourth in Small Varsity Non-Tumbling Game Day Division I and eighth in Small Varsity Non-Tumbling Division I. The Girls Hockey Team wrapped up their season with a win over Gentry Academy and a loss to Hill-Murray during the Section 4AA tournament. Find additional details here. The Boys Hockey Team ended conference play with a win over CDH and tied for first with Stillwater for the Suburban East Conference title. Find additional details here. The Boys Swim and Dive Team placed sixth in the Section 4AA meet. The Bears Gymnastics Team placed third at Sections with one team member qualifying for the State tournament. Read more here.

Senior community members (age 65+) who live in the District are invited to participate in the Senior Activities Pass program and enjoy complimentary admission to most school activities. Find out how to receive your free pass 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 School Board Meetings

Past Meeting Highlights

Feb. 12 Regular Session

Jan. 22 Work Session

Jan. 8 Regular Session

District News

General Information

Family Notices

Golf Tournament - The 24th Annual White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation Golf Tournament is scheduled for June 17th at Oak Glen Golf Course in Stillwater. Find registration information and more here.
Lynn Mielke Distinguished Educator award - Another opportunity to recognize a WBLAS' staff member, is to nominate them for the Lynn Mielke Distinguished Educator award. The deadline to nominate someone is April 8, 2024. Lynn Mielke was a speech clinician and Special Education Coordinator in the White Bear Lake Area School District. This award was established to recognize an individual who has exemplified Lynn’s dedication and care for the students and staff in our district. Educators are nominated by colleagues, supervisors, students, parents or community members. Find additional information and the nomination form here.
Enrollment Info - As middle school and high school students are deciding on their classes for next year and have been attending Welcome to White Bear registration activities, incoming kindergarten students are getting signed up for their K-12 career as Bears... including the excitement of knowing they'll receive an "I'm a Bear" t-shirt in the mail after they're officially enrolled! Find enrollment information here.
Youth Enrichment - Children's Performing Arts Teaching Artists is hosting two camps at the Hanifl Performing Arts Center: Level Up: Video Games from Screen to Stage and Inside Out: Exploration of Emotions. Click the links for registration information.
Bear Care Clinic - Bear Care School-Based Health Center has extended their hours! Find information about the Bear Care Health and Wellness Clinic, located at WBLAHS - North Campus but available to all district families, here. Bear Care now also offers Nutrition Counseling. See a flyer for this new service here. See a new Bear Care flyer here.
Community Services & Recreation Winter/Spring Catalog - Registration is open for a variety of different winter/spring activities and programs through White Bear Lake Area Schools Community Services & Recreation. Find more details here.
Calendars approved - At the November 13, 2023 School Board Regular Meeting, the School Board approved the following calendars.
- 2024-25 Academic Calendar
- 2025-26 Academic Calendar
Asynchronous E-Learning - Find information about the Communication and Student Responsibilities that would take place in the situation that an Asynchronous E-Learning day must happen at the bottom of the Emergency School Closings page of the district website.
DHS Announcement: Re-Enrolling in Health Care Coverage - The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that the Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare (Medicaid eligibility) renewals, which were paused post-pandemic, are now restarting the final timeline for annual renewals in public health care programs. View the full timeline. Please visit DHS's Renew My Coverage communications toolkit for resources in multiple languages.
SchoolCafé Automatic Payments - With school meals free to students this year, automatic payments through SchoolCafé have been removed in order to avoid unwanted charges from those families that used the automatic service in the past. If a family would like to set up automatic payments for extra entrees or ala carte purchases, they will need to log into School Café and re-set up that information. Instructions to do so can be found here. Those who have questions may contact the Nutrition Services Office at nutritionservices@isd624.org or 651-407-7515.
2023-24 Annual Notifications - Click here to find a variety of annual notifications, including notices related to: pest management pesticides, asbestos, indoor air quality and lead-in-water.
Bears Boards and More - Bears Boards and More is a student operated school-based business selling customized cutting boards and tumblers housed at the district's Transition Education Center. Find examples of student work here. Information on how to order can be found here.
Application for Educational Benefits - Our school offers healthy meals each day. We are a part of Minnesota’s Free School Meals Program, which means that all students can get one breakfast and one lunch free of charge each day at school. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important because children may qualify for other benefits such as reduced sports/activity fees, reduced internet access and utility bills, reduced AP test registration and college application fees, reduced drivers training and more! Complete the Application for Educational Benefits online at www.schoolcafe.com/isd624. Paper applications can be requested by contacting Nutrition Services at 651-407-7515.
Receiving district messages - District-level emails are being sent from the communications@isd624.org email address. If you are not receiving emails from this account, it is possible that the email address is currently blocked in your email account. Find instructions to unblock the communications@isd624.org email address in different email platforms here.
Requesting an interpreter - Find more information about requesting a call with an interpreter in the language your family speaks.
We Are Hiring! - White Bear Lake Area Schools is hiring for a variety of positions, offering both school-day and out-of-school-time hours. Full- and part-time options are available, and many positions offer flexible hours if needed to accommodate family schedules. The district is seeking paraprofessionals, community services and recreation staff and coaches, and more. Find the online application page here.
Stay connected! - Join White Bear Lake Area Schools' social media circles - Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
School Linked Mental Health Services - Find information about School Linked Mental Health Services available to our families here.
Support Hub - 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.
Calling all baby models - We're looking for "Born to be a Bear" photos! Email photos to us here and you may find your little one featured in District publications!
Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan - The health and safety of our school community is a top priority. White Bear Lake Area Schools will continue to partner with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for guidance and planning regarding COVID-19. To maintain a healthy and safe environment for all, the following protocols will be implemented for the 22/23 school year: The details of our plan can be found at isd624.org/programs/health-services. As required by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, school districts who received funds as part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds must maintain a Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services plan through the 2023-24 school year. Every six months, the district must review and revise as necessary. If you have any questions or comments that you’d like to share, please do so through this form.

Awards and Honors

Sunrise Park Middle School students Neola Luswata and Cassandra Calvin joined 28 other students from throughout the Twin Cities area to participate in a Student Day Hearing held by the Minnesota Education Finance Committee last week. The students provided feedback to the legislators regarding how their year is going and whether they've noticed any changes this school year before being allowed to provide general input during their testimony.
Lynn Mielke Distinguished Educator award - Another opportunity to recognize a WBLAS' staff member, is to nominate them for the Lynn Mielke Distinguished Educator award. The deadline to nominate someone is April 8, 2024. Lynn Mielke was a speech clinician and Special Education Coordinator in the White Bear Lake Area School District. This award was established to recognize an individual who has exemplified Lynn’s dedication and care for the students and staff in our district. Educators are nominated by colleagues, supervisors, students, parents or community members. Find additional information and the nomination form here.

Recognitions - The following celebrations and holidays are upcoming in March:

March - National Nutrition Month, Music in our Schools Month & Women's History Month
March 1 - Employee Appreciation Day
March 2 - Read Across America Day
March 4-8 - National School Breakfast Week & National School Social Work Week
March 11-15 - Spring Break
March 29 - Non-Student Day

Please contact the Communications Department (651-407-7578) to submit District News, General Information, Opportunities or Awards & Honors for inclusion in future publications.

Community Services

The WBLAS Community Services and Recreation Department provides a wide range of services and opportunities that enhance the quality of life for all members of ISD 624.

Seasonal Catalogs - Seasonal catalogs are available now! The Community Services Winter/Spring Catalog, with multiple opportunities for community members of all ages, can be found here.
Digital Backpack - The Community Services Department distributes electronic flyers on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Flyers include announcements from the school district, as well as local organizations. Those who wish to request distribution of a flyer should email the files to Director Tim Maurer at tim.maurer@isd624.org.
Youth Enrichment - Children's Performing Arts Teaching Artists is hosting two camps at the Hanifl Performing Arts Center: Level Up: Video Games from Screen to Stage and Inside Out: Exploration of Emotions. Click the links for registration information.
Senior Program
- Check out the latest edition of The Voice.
- Resources Guides - View our updated Resource Guides: Senior Services and senior housing; The Directory.
- Community Bridge - Check out opportunities here. The Community Bridge Consortium is an adults with cognitive disabilities program supported by the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale, South Washington County, Roseville, White Bear and Mahtomedi School Districts.

Senior Program Updates

The White Bear Area Senior Center is a program of the White Bear Lake Area Schools Community Services & Recreation Department.

The Voice - Stay informed about the latest community offerings for seniors in the community through The Voice.
Resources Guides - View our updated Resource Guides: Senior Services and senior housing; The Directory.
FREE Activity Pass for Senior Community Members (age 65+) - White Bear Lake Area Schools offer a variety of activities - home athletic contests, concerts, and theater productions to name a few. Join us! Please fill out this application and you will be sent the pass in the US Mail. If you have questions, please contact Rachael Markuson at 651-407-7563 or rachael.markuson@isd624.org.
Be a Bear! The district currently has many staff openings available! Find the online application page here.

Support WBLAS Students

Bears Boards and More - Bears Boards and More is a student operated school-based business selling customized cutting boards and tumblers housed at the district's Transition Education Center. Find examples of student work here. Information on how to order can be found here.
The White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation (WBLAEF) is an independent, non-profit corporation promoting excellence in education in White Bear Lake Area School District 624 schools.
- We are in need of volunteers to assist at The Closet. If you are a parent that has a flexible schedule and would like to help our district families in need, please contact info@wblaef.org. More information about The Closet can be found HERE.
Be a Bear! - White Bear Lake Area Schools is hiring for a variety of positions, offering both school-day and out-of-school-time hours. Full- and part-time options are available, and many positions offer flexible hours if needed to accommodate family schedules. The district is seeking paraprofessionals, community services and recreation staff and coaches, and more. Find the online application page here.