Compiled by Janet Wight
Chelsea Heights Elementary
Submitted by Principal Guillermo Maldonado Perez.
Building community and collaboration
Staff members, teachers and teaching assistants met during opening week of September and held important conversations regarding special education students and how they can best be served this academic school year.
These open conversations were designed to allow staff members to collaborate and learn as they embrace the diversity and strong sense of community that defines Chelsea Heights.
Oct. 21 PTO meeting
Chelsea Heights invites all families to attend the next PTO meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Dinner will be served in the cafeteria from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. followed by the PTO meeting in Room 1103.
Child care and dinner are provided in order to make it easier for families to participate.
Benjamin Nelson, a Chelsea Heights parent, prepares the healthy meals that are s0erved prior to each meeting. These meetings enable school families to connect with one another and strengthen community ties.
During these sessions, families hear important school news and announcements with a time for questions and answers.
Also, Community Recreation Director Ari Dahlager shares information about enrichment opportunities.
St. Anthony Park Elementary School
Submitted by Principal Phillip Hutcheson.
Back-to-School Night
The St. Anthony Park Elementary School community is geared up this fall for the new school year.
Despite back-to-school night signifying an end to summer, many enthusiastic students came to meet new teachers and visit favorite teachers from previous years. The energy in the building was high as students dropped off supplies and found their classrooms. Teachers worked hard to create a warm and welcoming environment at the start of the school year.
Fall carnival
As autumn begins it is a great time to get ready for the fall carnival. The festival and pumpkin run will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10. This is a great opportunity to meet other families and learn what is special about this school community.
Avalon School
Submitted by Program Coordinator/Advisor Tim Quealy.
More space, more opportunities
Avalon opened its new middle school space this year with a second-floor expansion and the addition of 5,000 square feet.
The expansion will allow more students to take advantage of the project-based, student-centered learning model.
This year marks Avalon’s 25th school year as a tuition-free public charter school. The school is located in south St. Anthony Park at 700 Glendale St.
Murray Middle School
Submitted by Principal Jamin McKenzie.
Outdoor classroom service project
Recent Murray graduate Julia Rentmeester completed her Girl Scout Silver Award project, which involved working with the community to establish an outdoor classroom in the Murray courtyard.
Rentmeester collaborated with Principal Jamin McKenzie, National Junior Honor Society leaders and teachers to map out the scope of the project. More than 150 volunteer hours were spent working on the outdoor classroom, which included weeding, planting and moving mulch.
Kern Landscape Resources generously donated all of the mulch.
The courtyard is now available for teachers and students to learn, read and relax.
“I hope that future Murray students continue to maintain and honor the space,” Rentmeester said.
Epic bicycle ride for father/daughter duo
Seventh grader Molly Ehlers had an incredible adventure this summer as she bicycled nearly 2,500 miles with her father, Aaron Ehlers, in the western United States.
Most of their riding was done on the trails and dirt roads of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
The journey began mid-June at the Canadian border and ended 45 days later in Antelope Wells, New Mexico, at the Mexican border.
Molly and her father were greeted by her mother, her brother, friends and relatives at the end of the ride. When Molly and Aaron returned home to St. Paul, their family hosted a party to welcome them back.
