By Sarah CR Clark
Regardless of whether face masks get packed among students’ shiny new notebooks and folders, the start of the 20021-2022 school year feels much more normal than last year.
All the schools in the Bugle area are planning for students to begin the year full time, in person. Minnesota public schools are scheduled to start Sept. 8. Here is an update from some of our local schools:
Falcon Heights Elementary School (Roseville Area School District)
From Principal Beth Behnke: “We invite our community to ‘Come Soar with Us’ as we learn and grow together. Our Meet the Teacher event will be Wednesday, Sept. 1, from 7:30-9:30 a.m. and kindergarten orientation will be Thursday, Sept. 2 at 9:00 a.m.”
St. Anthony Park Elementary School (SPPS)
SAP students will begin the new school year with a beefed-up schedule of teaching specialists.
Thanks to a $700,000 two-year appropriation from the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund, SAP Elementary School has added a full-time art teacher and a full-time technology teacher to its weekly rotation of specialists that also includes physical education and music.
All students will also have science twice a week, which is an increase for SAP’s oldest students.
New SAP Elementary School hires also include two reading teachers for grades K-2 small group reading, a full-time math intervention teacher for all grades, a full-time social-emotional-behavior intervention teacher for all grades and a half-time English teacher.
From Principal Karen Duke: “Enrolled families, mark your calendar for Back-To-School Night at the school, Sept. 2 from 5 to 6 p.m. More information will be coming about specifics related to COVID safety—masks, visitor policy and guidelines for school events.
“Thanks to the SAP School community and SAPSA (St. Anthony Park School Association) for all of your support through the Covid pandemic. It’s not over yet, but we know that we can keep our kids engaged and learning going no matter what.”
Murray Middle School (SPPS)
From Principal Jamin McKenzie: “Murray staff are very excited to begin a new year. We are preparing to welcome many new students and families to our community and at the same time are planning for how we will support the fact that two-thirds of our students will not have participated in traditional school at the middle school level due to the restrictions over the past year and a half.
“Our Murray team is the best in the business and we will be ready to open our doors with open arms, bright smiles and countless opportunities! Go Pilots!”
Twin Cities German Immersion School
TCGIS will welcome 610 students on its first day of school, August 30.
Rich Iwen, school spokesman, said, “Teachers, staff and students are all excited to finally be in the new building (completed Aug. 8, 2020) for every class, every day.”
Spaces for new students are available in the middle and upper grades.
Sarah CR Clark, who lives in St. Anthony Park, is a regular freelance writer for the Bugle.
