September 2026 Birch Grove Bulletin
Dear Birch Grove Families,
Last year at this time, I was new to BG and trying to learn names, learn how things run, and figure out where all the light switches were. Returning this August feels completely different. Walking into our building feels like my home away from home, and I hope it feels the same for you. Seeing so many of you at Open House was the best reminder of why I’m so grateful to lead this school.
We have incredible momentum going into this year and we are adding some fantastic new talent to our team to help us keep growing:
Kaitlyn Leininger, Assistant Principal: Joining us with 13 years' experience in our district, Kaitlyn brings incredible energy and a huge heart for student management and positive school culture.
New teachers throughout: From Kindergarten through 5th grade, Specialists, Special Education, and more, we've got fresh perspectives to enhance our programming.
We request and will offer you doses of grace, patience, and kindness during the first week of school. There will be new routines to learn, people to meet, and things to get used to. Drop-off lines will be a bit slow, & buses will run late. We’re all on the same team, working together to give our students a great start. You can count on us to do our best. Thank you for partnering with us!
Your child received a back-to-school folder at Open House or the first day full of important information. There are QRCodes included in this monthly newsletter that we create hoping to simplify parent tasks. Please take time to read and complete forms. If you have any questions or need help, don't hesitate to reach out.
We wanted to take potential stress and expense out of school shopping for families this year. The school purchased all needed school supplies and is requesting a $25 donation to offset the cost. Donations can be made at the link below or by bringing cash to the main office. Thank you!
Now that our foundation is set, I couldn’t be more excited for what we’re going to accomplish together this year. My goal is to strengthen relationships and communication from school to home. Please reach out with a compliment, question, or concern.
Warmly,
Stephanie Webster
Principal
Birch Grove Elementary
Attendance & Hours
- Birch Grove's school hours are 9:30am - 4:00pm for students in grades K-5. AM PreK is 9:30am-12:00pm and PM PreK is 1:30-4:00pm.
- Student absences must be reported by 10:15 am daily. Absences may be reported by leaving a message on the attendance line (763-561-1374, option 1) or texted in through the Talking Points Attendance Line.
- Student absences that are not called in by a caregiver are considered unexcused.
- More information about attendance may be found in Osseo Area Schools Policy 503: Attendance & Absences
Arrival & Dismissal
- Doors open for students at 9:15 am. Students may not be dropped off at Birch Grove earlier than 9:15.
- Birch Grove prioritizes student safety. Students will be dismissed per their usual plan at the end of the day unless a change is communicated by the student's caregiver to the office by 3:30 pm at 763-561-1374.
- If a student is picked up early due to an appointment, the student must be signed out through Raptor Safe by an approved parent/caregiver. Please bring your ID with you if you plan on picking your child up early. Approved pickups and emergency contacts may be added on ParentVUE or by talking to office staff.
- Students must be picked up promptly by 4:00 pm. AM PreK students must be picked up promptly by 12:00 noon.
- Birch Grove offers several opportunities for after school activities throughout the school year. If your child participates in any after school program, you will receive information about pickup procedures from the program's director at sign up.
- Occasionally buses and vans will run late due to weather, traffic, construction, or other factors. Live GPS of your student's route is available on the FirstView bus app for students on FirstStudent or Northstar buses. This is the fastest and easiest way to get information related to delays. Otherwise, call transportation directly at 763-391-7244 for updates on your child's route.
- Visit the Osseo Area Schools Transportation webpage for more information.
Breakfast & Lunch
- All students in grades K-5 receive one free breakfast and one free lunch daily. Students in AM PreK receive one free breakfast daily upon arrival at 9:30. Students in PM PreK receive one cold lunch daily upon arrival at 1:30.
- Students arriving to school late may get breakfast up until 10:30 am.
- Milk may be purchased a la carte for students who bring a home lunch. Create an account for a la carte purchases here.
- Caregivers may join their child for lunch at their scheduled lunch time in the designated family lunch space in the media center. Visitors must follow sign in and sign out procedures at the front office.
- Visit the Osseo Area Schools Nutrition Services webpage for more information and to view breakfast and lunch menus.
Visiting & Volunteering
- Birch Grove hosts a variety of family events throughout the school year. Events held during the school day require all visitors to sign in through the Raptor Security System. Visitors will need to scan their driver's license to sign into the building or may sign in with the Raptor Safe App.
- Caregivers are encouraged to chaperone field trips and volunteer at school functions! All caregivers must complete the volunteer application and background check before being permitted to chaperone school function (also available in Spanish). A new volunteer application must be completed at the start of each school year. Background checks are valid for 3 years upon completion.
- Volunteer applications take 1-2 weeks to process. It is highly encouraged for you to complete the volunteer application at the start of the school year so it is processed with plenty of time before field trips are announced.
- Questions on volunteering or the volunteer application? Reach out to volunteer coordinator Dominique Gould at GouldD@District279.org or via Talking Points.
Personal Devices & Technology
- Personal student devices are turned in to the student's teacher at the start of each school day and handed back at dismissal and kept in a designated technology bin at the teacher's desk.
- Students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that respects the rights of others. Use of a personal electronic device (including cell phones, smart watches, computers, cameras, recording devices, listening devices, earbuds/air pods and any other device that can be used to transmit or capture images, sound or data) in a manner that interferes with a positive, orderly, educational environment or does not respect the rights of others is prohibited.
- More information can be found under Osseo Area Schools Policy 505: Student Cell Phone and Technology
Birthdays & Treats
- District 279 schools, including Birch Grove, do not allow food treats including cupcakes, ice cream, candy, etc. for birthdays.
- Balloons of any kind may not be brought to school.
- Birthday party invitations may not be passed out at school or given to staff to pass out to students.
- Student birthdays are recognized by their classroom teacher. Students with summer birthdays will be celebrated on half-birthdays or in May/June. Contact your child's teacher directly to find out more about how they celebrate birthdays in their class.
Download the NEW ParentVUE App!
The familiar ParentVUE and StudentVUE apps used by Osseo Area Schools have gotten an updated look. Please take a moment to download the new apps, which can be found under the names “StudentVUE (New)” or “ParentVUE (New)”. The developer is Edupoint Educational Systems. The previous ParentVUE app may be deleted.
The new StudentVUE/ParentVUE app features a more intuitive, user-friendly design with new and improved functionality, such as event security passes and improvements to attendance reporting options.
Switching to the new, updated app is simple – just delete the old version and download the new one. The new app will walk users through any setup steps to follow. For assistance, please reach out to the district’s technology support team via IncidentIQ.
Picture Day is September 25th!
Picture Day is Friday, September 25th. Kemmetmueller Photography is taking student photos again this year. You will receive a link emailed to you with your student's photo gallery 7-10 days after picture day (around October 2nd-5th). This is where you can order printed photos and select which photo you would like featured in the yearbook. Picture Retakes are on Thursday, October 29th.
More information on Picture Day and ordering: English | Hmoob | Español | Tiếng Việt
Questions? Email info@k-photography.com.
Band & Orchestra Interest Meetings for Caregivers
Caregivers of students who are in grades 3-5 are invited to attend an informational/registration meeting in September. Multiple sessions are offered for these meetings. Caregivers only need to attend one of these meetings. Please be aware that students in grades 3-5 may join orchestra. Only 5th grade students may join band.
If your student is in 5th grade and would like to join band or orchestra for the first time, attend one of these sessions:
- Monday, September 14th at 4:30 or 6:30 pm at Maple Grove Middle School
- Tuesday, September 15th at 4:30 or 6:30 pm at Osseo Middle School
- Thursday, September 17th at 4:30 or 6:30 at Park Center Senior High School
If your student is in 3rd or 4th grade and would like to join orchestra for the first time, attend this session:
- Tuesday, September 22nd at 6:30 pm at Birch Grove Elementary School
Please feel free to reach out with questions.
Elizabeth Pim, Orchestra: PimE@District279.org
Michaela Byland, Orchestra: BylandM@District279.org
Jeremy Abbott, Band: AbbottJ@District279.org
Ms. Leininger, Assistant Principal
Kaitlyn Leininger is excited to join Birch Grove as assistant Principal! Ms. Leininger loves playing pickleball, biking, and golfing.
Ms. Davis, Music Teacher
Abigail Davis is joining Birch Grove as our music teacher! She recently moved to Minnesota from Memphis. One fun fact about Ms. Davis is that she loves playing board games. She is excited to see kids sing, say, dance, play, and most importantly create at Birch Grove. She hopes to meet you at our Open House!
Ms. Polly, PreK Teacher
Polly Pampusch is so happy to be joining team Birch Grove for the Arts as a VPK teacher! Ms. Polly was an English language learner teacher for many years, but she yearned to go back to teaching early childhood education. She can't wait to meet our pre-kindergarten students and caregivers! She looks forward to a year of wonder, joy, curiosity, kindness, energy and all sorts of learning!
Mr. Hanson, Kindergarten Teacher
Sam Hanson has joined Birch Grove's amazing kindergarten team! A fun fact about Mr. Hanson is that he used to work at Disney World as a character attendant!
Mrs. Thao, 5th Grade Teacher
Sophia Thao has joined Birch Grove's awesome 5th grade team! Mrs. Thao is originally from Wisconsin and moved here when she married her husband. She has a cat named Pidge, and a dog named Lucy. She loves anything arts and crafts, and over the summer she started her own Press On Nail business on Esty (NailsBySophiaElaine). Mrs. Thao is so excited to be in a community that combines her two passions--teaching and the arts!
Ms. Schmidt, 3rd Grade Teacher
Danielle Schmidt is the newest addition to Birch Groves terrific 3rd grade team! Ms. Schmidt is excited to meet her students and families and create a classroom where everyone feels welcomed, supported, and excited to learn. Outside of school, she loves traveling, playing volleyball, and enjoying a good cup of coffee (or several!). She is also a new mom and have a cat at home, so life is definitely full of excitement these days! Ms. Schmidt is looking forward to getting to know our families and becoming part of the wonderful Birch Grove community!
Mrs. Dass, 4th Grade Teacher
Megan Dass has joined Birch Grove's wonderful 4th grade team! Mrs. Dass and her husband have moved back to their hometown after spending 16 years in northern Minnesota. They are excited to be back home with their two daughters, Scarlett (4) and Vera (2).
Mr.Jacob, Speech Language Pathologist
Jacob Osborne is Birch Grove's new speech language pathologist! This is Mr. Jacob's first year in the Osseo Area School district, the second year of his career, and only his second year being in Minnesota!
Ms. Brawford, School Counselor
Ms. Ree, Special Education ESP
Some of you may recognize Sheree Risvold as a familiar face at BG, and we are excited to welcome her to our special education team as an ESP! Ms. Ree is a BG parent, active member of the PTO, and a cat lover!
Nurse Daja, RN
Mrs. Z, Special Education Teacher
Ms. Turner, Special Education Resource Teacher
Averi Turner has joined Birch Grove's special education team as a resource teacher! Ms. Turner so excited to return to the classroom in a new role this school year. She has truly missed working directly with scholars and being on the teaching side of education. Some of Ms. Turner's favorite parts of teaching are helping children grow as readers, making learning meaningful and engaging, and supporting scholars as they reach their fullest potential. She is grateful to join the BG Bobcat community and look forward to getting to know our scholars and families!
Ms. Tiffany, Occupational Therapist
Tiffany Eininger has joined Birch Grove to support our scholars as our occupational therapist! Ms. Tiffany is excited to join the BG Bobcats this year!
Ms Kate, Special Education ESP
Kate Yoo has joined Birch Grove as a special education ESP in our center-based classrooms. In the past, Ms. Kate taught English in Ukraine and Japan. She has two little boys, and two chubby cats. She loves reading, traveling, and doing yoga. Ms. Kate is thrilled to be supporting the students at Birch Grove this year!
Ms. Hannah, Speech-Language Pathologist
Hannah Boyles has joined the BG community as a part-time speech language pathologist. Ms. Hannah is a big ice cream lover and recently started doing yoga this summer! She is excited to be joining the school community and getting to know all of our students and families this year.
NOT PICTURED:
Rachel Dlouhy - 5th grade teacher
Bryan Wright - PreK ESPIsaiah Byrd - special education ESP
Hailey Vo - ESP
Mike Belmont - special education teacher
Gail Blosberg - special education resource teacher
Noemi Sandoval - Spanish multilingual liaison
Michaela Byland - orchestra teacher
Jennifer Weinand - TAG teacher
September 9th: PTO Meeting
The Birch Grove PTO meets once monthly. The first meeting of the 2026-27 school year is Wednesday, September 9th. Monthly recurring dates will be discussed and voted on at this meeting. All caregivers are welcome to attend! Join in person in the Birch Grove Media Center or online at the link below.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, September 9th
Time: 5:30-6:30 pm
Location: Birch Grove Media Center
September 23rd: Family Arts Night
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Wednesday, September 23rd
Time: 5:00-6:30 pm
Location: Birch Grove Elementary School
September 25th: Picture Day
Picture Day is Friday, September 25th! Please connect with your child's teacher directly if you have questions about when they will take their photos. See "Announcements and Important Information" for more details.
Download the Raptor Safe App
Have you downloaded Raptor Safe yet? Raptor Safe is the district's safety and security management system, which manages visitor sign-in, student sign-out, and school day events. Downloading the app and creating an account simplifies check-in and student sign-out processes. Creating an account with Raptor Safe allows for faster sign-in and student sign-out with a simple QR code rather than having to scan your driver's license.
Download Raptor Safe on Google Play
Download Raptor Safe on Apple App Store
Two ways that visitors are able to utilize this new system
1. NEW: Visitors can utilize the Raptor Safe app. This app can be downloaded for free through your phone’s app store. Families can set up an account, and then each time they visit can open the app and use the iPad to scan a personalized QR code located in the app for a faster check in. RaptorSafe allows you to register in advance for school events and will send a QR code "ticket" directly to your phone. This allows for the quickest and most streamlined experience.
2. Visitors can scan a drivers license or Minnesota state ID using the iPad camera. After scanning, visitors will follow prompts on the iPad to select their destination inside the building. Following the prompts will produce a badge to wear.
Thank you for your partnership in keeping our schools safe. If you have questions or need support, please contact our school office.
Osseo Area Schools Community Education
Discover Osseo Area Schools’ Community Education! Find classes, programs and events for all ages — from early childhood, youth to adult. Browse Community Ed or register at osseo.ce.eleyo.com.
Language Services at Osseo Area Schools
Osseo Area Schools is proud to provide language services throughout the district. These services are actively being shared to ensure families and staff are aware and have the resources and training to use them effectively. Please refer to the district's Language Access Plan for further information. Visit the Osseo Area Schools Language Services webpage for more information, including services offered.
Sign Up for Free Food Bags with Every Meal
Would you like to take home a FREE bag of nonperishable groceries each week? Complete the form below or reach out to Jennifer Anderson, School Social Worker, to sign up or if you have questions about the Every Meal Program. 763-549-2335
Hennepin County School to Housing Program
Hennepin County's School to Housing program offers support to help families find stable housing. Families must have a student in grades PreK-12 enrolled Osseo or Brooklyn Center school districts to qualify for this program. Please reach out to Kendra Kuhlmann at SHSS@District279.org to learn more about the program and see if you qualify. More information can be found at the links below.
Information available in: English | Hmong | Somali | Spanish