Orioles Newsletter

Dear Osseo Middle School Families,

We hope you had a restful and joyful winter break! As we kick off the new year, we are excited to welcome our students back and look forward to all the learning and growth this trimester will bring.

We also want to keep our families and community members informed and engaged as important decisions regarding our school district boundaries are being made. Proposals are currently being developed using the community-built parameters established earlier this fall. These proposals will be finalized over the next few weeks and made available online at district279.org/boundaries the evening of Tuesday, January 14. Community members will be welcome to provide feedback on these proposals via an accompanying feedback form.

Community Informational Meetings

In addition to the online feedback form, we are hosting Community Informational Meetings to provide further insight into the proposals and gather valuable input from community members. Each meeting will begin with a half-hour presentation detailing the proposed changes, followed by small group discussions where attendees can share their thoughts and ask questions directly with district leaders.

Meeting Dates:

• Wednesday, January 15 at 5:45 p.m. – Brooklyn Middle STEAM School Café
  (Please fill out this Google Form if you plan to attend.)

• Thursday, January 23 at 5:45 p.m. – Maple Grove Middle School Café
  (Please fill out this Google Form if you plan to attend.)

For those unable to attend in person, the presentation portion of the meetings will be livestreamed on the Osseo Area Schools YouTube channel.

Important Timeline

The school board is expected to approve the final attendance boundary changes by May 2025. These changes will take effect in fall 2026 to coincide with the anticipated opening of the new elementary school in the northwest region of our district.

Building Update:

As part of the district’s Build a Better Future initiative, our community has supported several school improvement projects. Here at Osseo Middle School, we look forward to the construction of new science classrooms this summer, with students set to enjoy upgraded spaces and flexible seating in many classrooms by the fall of 2025.

We appreciate the collaboration and engagement of our families and community members as we work together to shape the future of our schools. Your voice is essential, and we look forward to hearing your feedback.

Brian Chance, Principal

Jan Bitzer, Assistant Principal

• To help ensure student safety during arrival and dismissal, please form a single car line only for parent drop-off and pick-up.

• If your child is going to be picked up early for any reason, please send a note with them in the morning and have them bring it to the front office so we can issue them a pass for dismissal at the appropriate time, ensuring a smooth pick-up process and minimizing disruptions to the learning day. If you do not send a note, you will need to come into the office to sign your student out.

• Current 6th Graders: Registration will take place in Science class on Thursday, January 30th.

• Current 7th Graders: Registration will take place in Science class on Wednesday, January 29th.

• Current 8th Graders: High school counselors from Maple Grove Senior High (MGSH) and Osseo Senior High (OSH) will visit Osseo Middle School on Wednesday, January 22nd to assist with high school registration.

If your family will have a new 6th grader at Osseo Middle School for the 2025-2026 school year, we invite you to join us for a special Open House and Registration Event:

• Date: Tuesday, January 28th

• Who: Incoming 6th graders and their families

More information about the registration process will be available on our website and sent home to all families in the coming weeks. For now, please mark your calendars for these important dates!

8th grade Osseo Middle School students will be registering for High School classes on Wednesday, January 22nd during the school day. To prepare for registration, your student will be receiving registration materials to assist with selecting courses for 9th grade early next week during Advisory.

Questions about registration materials and the course selection process will be addressed at Registration Conference Nights hosted by the high schools and by high school counselors during their middle school visits.

Below is a list of dates for each high school Registration Conference Night and links to high school registration websites:

Maple Grove Senior High:

January 23, 2025

Student Registration - Class of 2029 (current 8th graders)

Osseo Senior High:

January 16, 2025

Osseo Family Portal - Registration Hub

Park Center Senior High

January 16, 2025

PC COUNSELING - Registration

279Online:

January 30, 2025

College and Career Resources - 279Online Registration

Planning for High school is an exciting time for all 8th grade students. For additional questions, please contact your student’s counselor, Meghan Brawford, MA LSC at BrawfordM@district279.org or call 763-391-8827 ext. 34480.

As our 8th graders prepare to wrap up their middle school journey, we want to celebrate how far they’ve come! Families are invited to submit a baby photo of their student to be featured in the yearbook.

To participate, click here to upload your student’s baby picture.

Submission deadline: February 1st

It’s not too late to order your Osseo Middle School yearbook! This is a great way to capture and celebrate the memories of this school year.

If you're interested in purchasing a yearbook, simply follow the link below for more details:

🔗 Yearbook Order Link from Our OMS Facebook Page

Annual event providing free dental care to children. See below or click on the picture for more information.

January 17: Student asynchronous (remote) learning day, licensed staff instructional planning

January 20: No school, holiday

February 3, No school for students, licensed staff workshop

February 17, No school, holiday

School Year Calendars

Lunch Menus

Staff Directory

ParentVUE

FirstView (bus tracking app)