Fridley Public Schools Did You Know? E-Newsletter is a newsletter designed for Fridley families, staff members, and community members. This e-newsletter will be distributed bi-weekly on Thursdays during the school year to all parents, guardians, staff members and community members who have joined the distribution list. If you would like to add your email to the Did You Know? distribution list, click here. February 25, 2021 Dear Fridley Families and Staff,
Welcome back to many of our Fridley Public Schools students and staff members! It has been great to safely welcome students back, across all grade levels, to in-person learning at our schools.
The District would like to remind you that there is NO SCHOOL tomorrow, Friday, February 26, 2021 due to a district-wide Vaccine Clinic for all staff members. The clinic will be hosted at Fridley High School by Anoka County Public Health. We are thankful for the opportunity for all Fridley Public Schools staff members to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on-site! Fridley High School seniors named MSHSL Triple "A" Award recipients Congratulations to Fridley High School (FHS) 2021 Minnesota State High School League Triple "A" (Academics, Arts, and Athletics) Award winners, seniors Cassady Callahan and Michael Ude! Each year, the award honors two senior students, one male and one female, who have excelled in the classroom, athletics and fine arts. Both Callahan and Ude are standout, exemplary students who have challenged themselves academically at FHS, with rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme classes, while simultaneously maintaining extensive involvement in extracurricular activities. Click to read the full story... Congratulations to Michael Ude, who was selected as the Triple "A" Region 5AA winner and finalist in the distinguished statewide MSHSL Triple "A" Award. The recognition was earned against other student male candidates from Maple Grove, Anoka, Centennial, Columbia Heights, Osseo, Blaine, Irondale, Mounds View, Rogers, Champlin Park, Mounds View, Park Center, St. Michael-Albertville, Coon Rapids, Spring Lake Park and Totino-Grace high schools. Ude will now advance to the state competition, where he is a candidate among eight other regional finalists vying for the state title and scholarship opportunities. The final Triple "A" Award-winning recipients will be announced during a virtual recognition ceremony to be held on April 9 and 10 on KSTC-45 during the boys and girls state basketball championship. Click to watch video... Congratulations to Fridley High School (FHS) junior Akshay Rai, who earned several awards at the Minnesota Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Rai's work was selected from more than 2,000 entries from across the state. Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners are selected for their originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision.
Rai's works earned the following awards:
Rai said his winning photograph, a self-portrait titled If I Shine Bright Enough, Will You Love Me? was one of his favorite pieces. "I got creative with the composition and used the guitar to provide strong leading lines," said Rai. "It was an in-the-moment photograph and I'm proud of how the final product turned out." Have you checked out Fridley Public Schools' Black History Month websites?
The district's Equity and Inclusion department, in partnership with the Get Ready college and career readiness program, developed activities and resources for Fridley students and families. Each school's website features content that highlights and honors many aspects of Black History, and includes student participants, story time read alouds from Fridley administrators, Key Note Speaker Dr. Jesse Mason, plus much more! Celebrated recording artist Cory Wong made a triumphant virtual return to Fridley High School (FHS) on February 8, 2021, teaching two seminars to current band students.
Wong, a Class of 2003 FHS alumnus, has become a noted performer, both as a solo artist and a member of several collaborations with international musicians. His genre is a fusion of funk, R&B, rock and jazz. He also stars in a YouTube variety show, Cory and the Wongnotes.
As an experienced professional musician, Wong's first workshop featured lessons on mastering the guitar. Fridley students had the opportunity to learn styles, technique, basic chords and other principles. Relating approaches to current popular artists, kept students engaged and smiling throughout. Read the full story... Congratulations to Fridley Public Schools February Employee of the Month, Kim Imholte! Imholte has been a longtime employee at Tiger Club Childcare, the district's childcare program.
According to Community Education Director Stephen Keeler, Imholte has always been open minded and adaptable. "She always works to ensure that all students and staff are cared for," said Keeler. "Kim goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone knows what is expected of them."
In addition, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Imholte has consistently worked to create strong relationships with students, parents, and staff while managing the Critical Kids Care site at Stevenson Elementary School. The Critical Kids Care program is a state-funded childcare program to provide Tier 1 critical workers with childcare. Click to read more... Congratulations to the 18 Fridley High School (FHS) band and choir students who were selected to participate in the virtual Tri-Metro Conference Fine Arts Festival on February 5, 2021. The festival is an annual event held to honor high achieving music students in the Tri-Metro area. During the festival, students participate in workshops and activities led by high caliber music conductors. The FHS students earned "All Conference" honors and were given the opportunity to participate based on their musical skill, dedication and work ethic. This year, the entire festival was held virtually due to the pandemic. According to FHS Band Director Becca Shuman, the virtual conference still served as an incredibly valuable experience, even though students didn't play or sing in traditional ensembles this year. Click to read more... We are still in the middle of winter, and the weather can change unexpectedly. We want to remind families that when extreme cold temperatures or heavy snow create a health and safety risk for students and staff, the district may decide to close school buildings for that day. The district will communicate with parents as soon as possible so that families can plan accordingly for their children.
In the past, school closures meant that students had no school for that particular day. This year, when school buildings are closed due to inclement weather, students will be required to participate in distance learning for that day. For more information, please visit our website at: www.fridleyschools.org/students-and-families/school-closings
Our Fridley Public Schools Nutritional Services department is continuing to provide free meals to all children, ages 18 and under. The funding is provided by an extended waiver by the USDA, which allows school districts to provide free meals to all children while learning at school and learning at home.
Reminder: As elementary students are returning to full five days/week in-person learning, they are ineligible to pick up meal bags. (Students receive their free meals while learning at school). Families are encouraged to follow their assigned learning model group when picking up meals,
If you have any questions, please contact Nutritional Services
Please remember to wear your mask when picking up meals to help keep our nutritional services staff safe! Thank you to all our families who have been picking up meals! You may also read this message in ARABIC HMONG SOMALI SPANISH
Students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals may be eligible for Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) to purchase food for the days they are not in the school building.
To be considered, households must submit an application for free or reduced-price meals for the 2020-21 school year or be approved for Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Families who received P-EBT benefits last summer are not automatically eligible; eligibility is based on the current school year.
Benefits may be retroactive to September 2020, depending on when eligibility for free or reduced-price meals is determined. To ensure you qualify for the most benefits, please submit your application as soon as possible.
Click here to log in to Parent Portal and apply for free or reduced meal benefits Click here to learn more about meal applications on the district website Click here for more information including breakfast and lunch menus Fridley Public Schools We are proud to offer the full IB Continuum from Preschool to Grade 12. 6000 West Moore Lake Drive, Fridley, MN 55432 |