Fourth grade students will be hosting its "Catch the Rhythm" concert this Thursday, Feb. 22, starting at 6:15 pm in the NBAHS auditorium! If you would like to watch the concerts via livestream, you can do so at this link: https://youtube.com/live/_kWIvSyVZ8I?feature=share
Sixth grade students in Spanish Hex 4 created unique Spanish games to teach Mrs. Heath's kindergarten class some Spanish vocabulary, then walked over to the Ed Center to teach the Kindergarten students how to play their Spanish games. Awww...thanks sixth graders!
Join us tomorrow for dinner and a treat! 🍦A portion of the proceeds help fund our We Are All the Same Sock Hop.
Coming up in Community Ed!
De-Age Your Brain Virtual Workshop: Feb. 27 6-7:30 pm
Beginner Scrapbooking Grade 3-5: Feb. 27 3-5 PM
Board & Brush DIY Workshop: Feb. 29 5:50-8 PM
Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.
Thank you to all of the families that joined us for our Hmong Open House on Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 6 - 7:30 pm. If you were unable to attend and have any questions for North Branch Area Public Schools please be encouraged to contact Director of Teaching and Learning David Treichel at 651-674-1055 or dtreichel@isd138.org .
Take the Alexis Challenge!
Miss Teen Minnesota Alexis Sway donated canned goods to the Viking Vittles program recently and now you can help too! Alexis and Supt. Paul are teaming up to ask you to take the "Alexis Challenge" and support Viking Vittles!
What is Viking Vittles? For students PreK-5, Viking Vittles organizes a weekend food backpack program that provides a bag of food to any student who signs up. Every week, hundreds of students go home for the weekend with food thanks to this program. Viking Vittles also supports middle school, high school and Norse Area Learning Center students by providing access to Care Closets at each location
There is more than one way for you to take the Alexis Challenge. You could attend the program’s upcoming Lenten Fish Fry fundraiser at Trinity Lutheran Church, happening every Friday, Feb. 16 through March 22, 5 - 7 p.m. Adults admission is $15, kids ages 5 - 10 are $5, and kids under 5 eat free! (See flier for details.) Or, stop by the Viking Vittles GoFundMe page and donate directly: https://gofund.me/defc8072.
To learn more about Viking Vittles and the Alexis Challenge, see Supt. Paul's most recent School News column: www.isd138.org/page/contact-the-superintendent
Spring sports meetings will be at NBAHS on Monday, Feb. 26 at 6 pm. Attendees enter doors 1, 5, or 11 and go to assigned rooms. Practice start dates and room numbers for each sport are listed here: https://nbskolvikings.com/2024/02/14/spring-sports-information-meetings-3/
Each student in Sara Groen's class at Sunrise designed their own hat, and then former Principal Lori Zimmerman's mother helped to surprise the students by knitting their hats and bringing imagination into reality! They turned out beautifully!
Good Luck to North Branch FTC Robotics Teams as they gear up for the state tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17, at River Center/Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. Opening ceremonies begin at 8:15 am and competition starts at 8:45. Championship rounds begin at 2 pm. Way to go FTC!
NBAEF announces grant recipients!
On Monday, Feb. 12, representatives of the North Branch Area Education Foundation (NBAEF) made their annual trip through the hallways of North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS) to deliver good news to staff - grants have been approved!
This year the NBAEF, with a generous donation of $10,000 from ECMC Foundation (Educational Credit Management Corporation) Foundation, awarded nine grants to staff at the Sunrise River School, North Branch Area Middle School, the Norse Area Learning Center, and North Branch Area High School, totaling over $17,000.
The 2023-24 NBAEF grants will provide a wide variety of opportunities for students, including a “Zen Den” calming room and Outdoor Adventures field trip at North Branch Area High School, a classroom set of ukuleles, and a set of Sphero Robotics at the Sunrise River School, a mentoring and leadership program and behavior incentive items at North Branch Area Middle School, exercise equipment at the Norse Area Learning Center, classroom “clickers” for classrooms K-5, and recreation and field trip opportunities for the Chisago County Schools’ Life Work Center.
“We are so grateful, and so fortunate, to have the North Branch Area Education Foundation providing these incredible opportunities for our students and staff year in and year out,” said NBAPS Supt. Sara Paul. “Viking innovation is at the heart of how we become better every day, and the foundation provides the opportunity for creative ideas to be put into action!.”
Since 2010, the NBAEF has raised over $509,000 and awarded grants over $231,300.
A great time was had by all Friday night at the NBAEC's Grandparents Day Open House. Roughly 240 adults and 125 children attended the event, which offered the chance for grandparents and kids to paint, do crafts and puzzles, play games, explore the Move and Learn Room, and more.
To celebrate "I Love to Read" Month 📚, guest readers from North Branch and the @St. Croix River Education District are joining kindergarten classes to read 'Let's Go Play,' a book about glasses, wheelchairs, hearing aids, other tools, and the importance of all learners feeling included! 😊 SCRED director Nicole Woodward had a blast with Johannah Gillquist's class!
Coming up in Community Ed!
An Introduction to Voiceovers…Getting Started in Voice Acting Virtual Class Ages 18 and older: Register and make an appointment
Internet/Social Media Safety and Drug Information for Families: Feb. 20 6:15-7:15 FREE to attend
Photo Organization- Print and Digital Virtual Class: Feb. 21 6:30-8:30 PM
Toddler Sports Camp - Baseball Night: Ages 2-4 Feb. 22 5:30-6:30 PM BONUS! Children get their own squishy baseball to keep.
Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.
Taher and NBAPS are proud to present Display Chef Tony Menk! Chef Tony will be at the high school on Feb. 28 to do prep work with Pro Start and serve his delicious Mongolian Grill. On Feb. 29, Chef Tony will be at the NBAEC sampling fresh fruit with students. Welcome Chef Tony!
If you have a kindergarten age eligible child for the 2024-25 school year, please mark your calendar and plan to join us for our Taste of Kindergarten event on March 4th at the North Branch Area Education Center!
Thanks to our guests for a great Patron Tour last Friday, and to Norse Area Learning Center students for being such good hosts! NBAPS is hosting one more Patron Tour this year, on Friday, April 19. If you'd like to join us, contact Pat Tepoorten at ptepoorten@isd138.org.
The NBAHS Snow Court visited buildings on Friday with the new Vikings mascot, and wrapped up with a pep fest at the high school. The only thing missing from Snow Week was snow!
How're we doing? Taher wants to know what families think of school lunch. You can take Taher's brief school lunch survey by scanning the QR on the poster, or by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/48YLyiI
Congratulations to NBAMS eighth grader Alexis Sway, who was recently chosen as Miss Teen Minnesota! As part of her prize she was given can goods to donate to her local food pantry, and Alexis decided to donate them to our own Viking Vittles! Thank you Alexis!
NBAMS eighth graders completed a sand art unit with impressive results! This bold project uses sand, contact paper attached to cardboard, and Xacto knives. Students emphasized the color and shape of their ideas and were encouraged to use the "stained glass look" to make their ideas pop out by adding contrast.
Everything you see in the artwork is sand! Some students created custom colors and used blending techniques to further add complexity to their ideas. Proud NBAMS art teacher is Lee Ann Falen.
