Connect-Sept. 15

Osseo Area Schools welcomed a group of approximately 20 Ukrainian teenagers Sept. 9, spending a day to share all about what education looks like in the district.

The Ukrainian students are spending five weeks in Minnesota through a program called YouLEAD, which provides an immersive learning experience on the state’s businesses, non-profits, government systems and education.

During the first week of school, Osseo Area Schools’ Community Education launched several programs, with more underway this week and into fall.

Get involved and make a difference at Osseo Area Schools. Many district-level advisory committees are looking for parent/caregiver volunteers who are interested in influencing the direction of the district’s instructional programs, enrollment/capacity, emergency management and financial matters.

Maple Grove Senior High School senior and Community Education Adult Enrichment ceramics teacher, Elliot Thompson, was featured in the September issue of the Maple Grove Magazine. Check out the feature on page 14!

The magazine also features Chef Mimi Selam Asfaha who teaches cooking classes through Osseo Area Schools Community Education!

As shared last May, the district is taking a close look at technology’s role in the classroom this school year. The school board heard a progress update at their Aug. 18 work session.

The classroom technology that the learning/achievement and technology teams are reviewing includes anything from video platforms to educational apps to learning strategies. The central question they’re focusing on is: How do we ensure responsible use of technology for learning? The initial findings have prompted some changes that families and staff will see as they come back to school this fall.

Elementary school

• Students' ability to create Google Sites has been turned off.

• Artificial intelligence (AI) access has been turned off.

• YouTube has been blocked.

• Devices will continue to be cart based and only go home under limited circumstances, e.g. eLearning, asynchronous days, intentional learning activities, etc.

Middle school

• AI applications have been restricted to Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM).

Districtwide

• Remaining social media sites – X and Instagram – have been blocked.

Parent/caregiver resources:

• Parents/caregivers will have the ability to control some of their student’s device settings at home via the Lightspeed Parent Portal. See the email with more details from Sept. 9.

The team will continue to take a close look at classroom technology in the months ahead. A steering committee will also be formed and is expected to report out on long-term guidance and recommendations at the February school board work session.