Paw-some News

Upcoming Events

• October 28: ML Family Night for families of students who receive multi lingual services
• October 30, November 2-3: Vision and Hearing Screening Conducted during the school day

No School

• November 6
• Thanksgiving Break: November 23-27

2026-27 School Year Calendar

On Wednesday, October 21 students and staff will participate in our first Hold and Secure drills of the school year. On Tuesday, October 27, we will have two Lockdown drills. Minnesota law requires schools to participate in safety drills each school year. Throughout the year these drills provide our students and staff an opportunity to practice the necessary procedures that would be used if a real emergency would occur at Pike Lake Education Center.

Please know that teachers will discuss each procedure, in an age appropriate manner, with students prior to each drill.

HOLD - Students and staff stay in classrooms and lessons continue. These are situations that require students and staff to remain in their classrooms or stay out of access areas. For example, a stray animal in the hallway may require keeping students out of the halls until it is resolved. Another example is that a medical issue may require an area of the building to be cleared, so that hallways are open and medical personnel can support as needed.

SECURE - Get inside and lock/secure outside doors. The secure action is called when there is a threat or hazard believed to be outside of the school building. This could be violence or criminal activity in the immediate neighborhood or a dangerous animal near the playground.

LOCKDOWN - Set locks, turn off lights and stay out of sight. Lockdowns are called when there is a threat or hazard believed to be inside the school building. This could include a parental custody dispute or a threatening intruder.

We held Evacuate drills on September 23 and 24. We will have more in the spring, as well as practice a Shelter drill.

EVACUATE - Leave the school building and move to a designated place. An on-site evacuation is conducted usually because of a mechanical failure that would disrupt the school day such as a power outage. If it can’t be resolved quickly, the school may have to plan for early dismissal. An off-site evacuation may be necessary when it’s no longer safe to stay in the building such as a gas leak or bomb threat.

SHELTER - Seek safety during a hazard. Shelter is called when specific protective actions are needed based on a threat or hazard such as severe weather, tornadoes, flooding or hazardous materials situations.

We appreciate your support as we continue to provide for the safety and security of all our students and staff on a daily basis. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

In partnership,

Todd Durand

We're falling for the students' beautiful artwork!

This fall, a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution would increase annual funding to public school districts without raising individual income or property taxes. It will appear on the November 3, 2026, general election ballot.

If approved by voters, Mounds View Public Schools would receive an additional $371,000 annually.

Leaving the constitutional amendment question blank has the same effect as voting no. Approval requires a majority of all voters participating in the election, not merely a majority of those who answer the amendment question.

Learn more about Minnesota's Permanent School Fund here.

Make twice the impact this holiday season. The Ralph Reeder Food Shelf Holiday Matching Challenge is back with an unprecedented $200,000 match. Every new donation made through December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling your support for local families. Give today and help make the most of this incredible matching opportunity!

Please remember to label all of your child's things with their first and last name! This includes:

• Jackets
• Sweatshirts
• Hats and mittens or gloves
• Snow pants
• Backpacks
• Water bottles
• Lunchboxes

Ways to label:

• Permanent or fabric marker
• Masking tape
• Custom labels or stamps (many places online have these)

If you wish to bring something to share with classmates for a birthday celebration, please limit it to a non-food acknowledgement. This is a district policy for grades K-5 to provide a safe environment for those with food sensitivities and/or allergies. Donation examples include, but are not limited to: a favorite book or board game for the class collection, stickers, pencils, pens, markers, erasers, etc. Do not send latex balloons.

It is not required to send anything to acknowledge a student's birthday.

When your child is absent, please use one of the two options below to ensure the office receives messages about your student's attendance. Attendance messages sent directly to teachers will not be received by the office if the teacher is absent or does not read/forward the message.

1. ParentVUE (this is the fastest and easiest) - Select "Report Absences" on the Student List/Home Screen. Click here for the ParentVUE login link.
2. Note: For midday pickups, notify the teacher directly via email, please do not submit the absence on ParentVue.
3. Call the attendance line: 651-621-7401. This is a voicemail only line so you can leave a message any time of the day or night.

If your child is sent home for illness and health staff have told you your student cannot attend the following day, you must still enter it in ParentVUE or call the attendance line. For the safety of our students we verify their absences every morning.

School menu can be found here.

The school district has online interactive menus which include nutritional information and allergens. To view the menus, along with printing instructions, click here.

Please remember to bring your ID with you to check in at the office if you are coming to the school to:

• Pick up a student
• Volunteer
• Attend a meeting
• Have lunch with your student
• Filling out a background check