North Branch Area Public Schools

NBAMS 6th grade Spanish students spent a week creating games to teach Kindergarten Spanish students basic conversation words. The 6th graders then visited the Ed Center and spent the class period teaching and playing their games with the younger students. Sounds like fun!

The NBAHS gymnastics team was invited to the MN Gymnastics Coaches Association True Team Meet on Saturday, Jan. 25! Only the top 10 highest scoring teams in the state for Class A were invited to compete. North Branch along with 2 other Mississippi 8 teams of Monticello and Becker are part of this elite meet. The meet is being held at Big Lake High School, competitions starts at 12 pm. SKOL! and way to go!

SKOL! and congratulations to senior Ella Kuhlman - she scored her 2000th career point in a 56-55 win over Zimmerman on Thursday night. She scored a career high 39 points in the game and for the 2nd time in a week broke North Branch's single game scoring record (34 pts at Grand Rapids on 1/4, 39 pts at Zimmerman on 1/9). Ella also scored 30 pts in another close 58-56 victory over Cambridge-Isanti on Tuesday. The team is 9-4 this season, highlighted by their first win against section opponent Grand Rapids in over 2 decades. The Vikings host Princeton in a boys/girls doubleheader on Tuesday at North Branch Area High School. Varsity boys play at 5:15 pm, followed by the Varsity girls at 7 pm.

All are invited to join NBAPS for a FREE fun and inspiring talk about building self-worth, resilience, confidence, joy, and strong connections. Joe Beckman brought his message to students, now it's your turn! Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 - 7:15 p.m. See flier for more details.

The North Branch Educational Center received two new murals over winter break. The helmet logo is located in the cafeteria. The horn tips are over 11’ off the floor! The Viking “V” is located just inside the front door. Middle school art teacher, Lee Ann Falen, completed the murals and is pictured for scale along with her granddaughters, Reyna and Veyda.

Mrs. Falen's 8th grade art students just finished their weaving unit while working on inkle looms. The word "inkle" means strap or band, so these looms are designed to create long, narrow weavings. We have 18 inkle looms and a plethora of colorful spools of cotton warp, thanks to a grant through the North Branch Area Education Foundation. Students worked with a team of 3-5 students per loom and learned weaving vocabulary, including: warp, weft, heddles, shuttle, tension bar, shed and fringe. Everyone took their turn "stringing up" their chosen color of warp on the loom, applying heddles to hold each of the top warp strands in place and weaving at least 3" of the team weaving. After the team weaving is complete, students can sign up to work on the loom on their own and choose their own length, width, colors and pattern if they'd like. Students were very excited and surprised when they cut their completed weavings off the loom!

📣 Attention Parents of Future Kindergartners! Join us for Incoming Kindergarten Parent Information Night at North Branch Area Education Center! 🗓 Date: Tuesday, February 4 🕕 Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM 📍 Location: 38705 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN Come learn about our kindergarten program and all it has to offer your child. Plus, child care will be available! 🎉 Let’s give a warm welcome to the Class of 2038 – Future Vikings! For more information, call us at 📞 651-674-1220. We can't wait to meet you and your future kindergartner!

Coming up in Community Ed! Pickleball Lessons Starts Jan 13 / 5-6:30 PM The World Groove Movement Starts Jan 15 / 6:30-7:30 PM Seven Steps to Reverse or Prevent Diabesity Virtual Workshop Jan 15 / 6-7:30 Home Alone Grades 3-6 Jan 17 / 12:30-2:30 PM Child and Babysitting Safety Grades 4-8 Jan 17 / 9 AM -12 PM Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

🎉 Winter ECFE Classes Are Here! 🎉 ✨ Classes start January 6th – enroll now! 📚 Learn, Play, Engage! Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) offers: ✅ Parenting resources ✅ Child development activities ✅ Opportunities to connect, learn, and grow 🗓️ Class Options: 👶 Infant ECFE (Wednesdays, FREE!) 👦 ECFE for All Ages (Mondays, $49/family – Scholarships available!) 🌟 Terrific Tots (Fridays, $49/family – Scholarships available!) 🍽️ Evening ECFE (Tuesdays, $10/family – Dinner included!) 📍 Register today: www.nbaeonline.org 📞 Have questions? Call us at 651-674-1220. Don’t miss this chance to support your little one’s growth while having fun together!

SKOL! and congratulations to NBAHS 2001 alumnus Mitch Savage! He is Colorado's Golf Course Superintendent of the Year: https://youtu.be/KiPri-xvUTs Proud dad Mark (a retired teacher here) had this to say: "It all started at North Branch Golf Course...working a summer job while attending NBAHS. The power of being a Viking is endless!"

Merry Christmas to our students, staff, families, partners, and community members!

Taher, the district's food service provider, has over a half-dozen job openings at NBAPS. These positions are perfect for parents looking for something while their kids are in school. To apply, see Taher's Indeed page at: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Taher&l=North+Branch%2C+MN&fromage=1&from=searchOnDesktopSerp&vjk=59a32d5429a7f055 Here also is Taher's jobs site: https://recruiting.adp.com/srccar/public/RTI.home?c=1171051&d=ExternalCareerSite#/ Put North Branch in the "where" box to see openings. For questions, contact Kali Mewhorter, K-12 Assistant Food Service Director at NBAPS: kalimewhorter@isd138.org or 651-674-1520.

We had a blast today at Youth Connections with our first wrapping paper party! It was a huge success!

Coming up in Community Ed! Learn the Sport of BMX Bike Racing Jan 2 / 5:30-7:45 PM Drivers Education Zoom Class Starts Jan 6 / 3-6 PM Snowboard & Ski Club Starts Jan 6 / 3-9:30 PM Register here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

The Viking Newsletter - December 2024 is now available! Click here to read: https://secure.smore.com/n/5und4

Student's in Heisick's 7th and 8th grade classes battled in the Marshmallow Igloo Challenge. Students had to create an Igloo that followed the expectations of circular walls, domed roof, and could fit a lego figure inside. A wide variety of engineering strategies were used, but fun times were had by all!

Middle School students were greeted by the MS Jazz Band this morning. What a great way to start the day!

The NBAHS Dance Team is hosting the Conference Meet at NBAHS this Thursday, Dec. 19! The meet starts at 6 p.m. Don't miss your one and only chance to see the Vikettes at home!

Youth Connections staff wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! They would also like you to know they are currently enrolling ages 3-6th grade (must be potty trained). Kids in Youth Connections do fun stuff like painting snowflakes with noodles or making snowman cookies every day! To learn more, go to: https://www.isd138.org/o/nbace/page/school-age-care

Eighth grade art students just finished their Mixed Media Mannequin projects. Each student drew 2 of the 12” wooden mannequins, posing them in a way to convey their chosen theme. Each mannequin was highlighted with a white charcoal pencil and shaded with an Ebony pencil to match their light source, cut out and placed in the best layout to fit their idea. They also chose background paper and had to incorporate at least one paint “splotch” to further fit their theme. Students chose a wide variety of themes, including: baseball, volleyball, music, the balance of ying and yang, dancing, surf boarding, paint ball, playing the piano, soccer and even various emotional states of mind. Proud art teacher is Lee Ann Falen.