Como Park Senior High Newsletter

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For Karen, Somali, Hmong, and Spanish, click here.

October

24- MCJROTC Drill Competition @ North Branch HS

28- Picture Retakes

29- Walk, Bike, and Fun Field Trip 9:55-2:00

30- All late assignments due for Quarter 1

30- Cloud Coach Summit Field Trip 10:30-1:30

31- Cloud Coach Summit Field Trip 8:30-11:15

31/1- MCJROTC Drill Competition @ Des Moines, IA

November

3- Parent Engagement Meeting 6:00

5- Q-Quest Field Trip 8:45-2:30

6- End of Quarter 1

7- No School (Staff Development)

14- MCJROTC Birthday Ball Ceremony @ Herbie's on the Park

19- 9th grade 3DE Culminating Event @ Landmark Center

20- AP/CIS/PSEO Night 6:30-7:30

Please check out our upcoming athletic events: https://www.comoparkcougarsathletics.com/

Hello Como families,

It's getting colder outside. Please encourage your student to dress appropriately for the weather.

Hello Como families! We would love your feedback on our question of the month: How is our communication? Share an example of how communication from school is working well for you.

https://forms.gle/4bcVWPvD2xh2jfFX8

Our students in Yearbook have been busy capturing all the great action shots! Check out this slideshow/video and buy a yearbook before the price goes up!

PICTURE RETAKES IS OCTOBER 28TH!

All students need to get their picture taken. Students who are photographed will get a student ID card that is used for various activities at school.

Don't Forget to Order This Year's School Pictures

ENJOY 10% OFF

your order!

CODE: F2510OFF

EXPIRES: July 31, 2026

Redeem Now

Don’t forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card!

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Parent Engagement Meetings 25-26

All Parents are Invited

Come learn more about what Como has to offer and provide feedback

We mostly meet the 1st Monday of the month. The Parent Engagement meetings help to provide input regarding school policies and school improvement. Parents are an integral part of developing our Family Engagement Plan, School Compact, and School Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP). For more information, contact Jamie Hoffman at jamie.hoffman@spps.org. or 651-744-5529.

Our next meeting is:

November 3rd

6:00-7:30 PM

Room 1208

Our agenda includes:

-Title I Annual Meeting

-PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)

-Safety & Security

For the past 20 years, public schools have been underfunded while costs keep rising, which has created a funding gap exceeding $50 million a year.

Now Saint Paul Public Schools is facing at least $37 million in cuts next year and every year going forward that will force us to make significant cuts to staffing and school programs.

This is why the district is asking voters to consider an operating levy--which is a tax for property owners--to maintain our high-quality academic programs including arts and music, language and culture, and college and career readiness, to name a few.

To protect our students’ future and invest in our community, we’re asking every Saint Paul resident to vote on November 4, 2025.

For election information and to learn more, please click here.

BestPrep's Cloud Coach Program is an effective tool in teaching students the habits and behavioral skills they need to graduate on time and succeed in their future professions. Cloud Coach empowers students to:

-Develop a caring relationship with a working professional

-Identify career aspirations

-Learn how motivation and effort effectt long-term success

-Think Forward to their future careers and Act Now to prepare for them

To view the Student Timeline 2025, click here.

COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE MONTH: FREE APPLICATIONS!!!

During college knowledge month, there are free application opportunities at Minnesota Colleges and Universities for seniors applying to college/university. Here is a list of schools that will be free during this month:

HERE IS A COMPLETE LIST OF FREE APPLICATIONS FOR THIS MONTH AND ALL YEAR

FAFSA IS OPEN!

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open for seniors and current college students planning to attend college next school year. Students can make an appointment with Phia if they need support starting or completing their FAFSA. Parents/Guardians will also need to complete the contributor section for their student to receive student aid.

Check out this FSA ID Creation Guide to create your account

Check out this FAFSA walk-through to see how to complete your FAFSA!

Please email pyang.ach@spps.org for any questions about the FAFSA.

Credit Recovery for the core classes (English, math, social studies, science) started on October 13th. Counselors put in requests for students who need to make up credits and any student that is in credit recovery will see their class in Schoology. Students can be in up to 2 classes at a time; once they pass a class they will be moved into the next course if they need additional credits. For attendance, students must login and start working by Tuesday night each week to be marked as "present". Term 1 due date is November 4th. If you are unsure whether your student is signed up for credit recovery or have additional questions, feel free to reach out to your student's school counselor:

Mrs. Moser, A-Fi at holly.moser@spps.org

Mr. Lee, Fu-Ma at shupheng.lee@spps.org

Farah, Me-Reh at farah.abuqalbeen@spps.org

Mrs. Vang, Rei-Z at choua2.vang@spps.org

Students Bella Hansen (11) and Charlie Ernst (12) performed in the 2025 University of St. Thomas HS Honor Band on Monday, October 20th. They represented Como Park amongst students from 40+ schools across the state, performing under the direction of the UST band director, Dr. Matthew George, and guest conductor Joseph Cheung from China!

70 CPHS AVID 9th graders teamed up with Wilderness Inquiry for an October day of water quality testing, hiking, and team building. Wilderness Inquiry is a local non-profit whose mission is to connect people of all ages, backgrounds, identities, and abilities through shared outdoor adventures so that all people can equitably experience the benefits of time spent in nature.

Students got to know one another better and learned more about the natural world.

AVID is an academic program and an elective class students can take. The course focuses on college and career readiness, as well as writing, organization, inquiry, collaboration, and reading.

Pics: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eLkETPXOcREWRIePAzLAkNy9191oTX8-?usp=sharing

Indigenous People's Day is celebrated the second Monday in October. The Braided Journeys students at Como Sr. celebrated the day by working together learning how to set up two tipi's on the baseball field at Como Sr. We then hosted an Indian Taco lunch for parents, catered by Trickster Tacos.

Congrats!!! Our Marine Corps JROTC Raider team ripped it up this past Saturday finishing second place overall against seven other Midwest Raider teams. Grunting and persevering all five grueling physical events, with a solid first place win on the rope event. OOH RAH WARRIORS!!!

What was it you did these past three days off during MEA? The Como Park Drill Teams did - - -

Building on their teams through hard work, mental fortitude, and strategic planning, including perseverance through setbacks, a disciplined work ethic, and self-belief and lots of practice. Eat together, train together, drill together! It also involves commitment, developing skills, setting clear goals, and fostering a team environment built on trust and clear communication. Ultimately, wanting to win is a habit built on consistency, not just a single event. Cadets pictured here the past three days perfecting their craft for this school years drill season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk48xRzuNvA&list=PLpxWKmiR9bcN6PZ6clo7QcU42f0hT0EmV&index=6

We have kickstarted or Como Park MCJROTC Youth and Government registration already for SY25-26. Working closely with Mr. Pat Murphy from the State Capitol, we hope to have an increase of more than 25 cadets engaged/involved. Senior Cadet Second Lieutenant Providence Mwakana has the lead.

The Minnesota Youth in Government (YIG) program is a four-day program where cadets/student take on roles like legislators, lawyers, judges, lobbyists, or journalists to run a model government by debating issues, drafting bills, and holding elections for their own leaders. The program aims to build leadership, civic engagement, and public speaking skills while providing hands-on experience with the lawmaking process. The four-day conference typically takes place with cadets put up at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Minneapolis and the Minnesota State Capitol complex. Cadets will return with develop self-confidence, improve public speaking, and gain a deeper understanding of how the state government works.

SPPL online help: https://sppl.org/resources/homework-help/

SPPL in-person homework help: https://sppl.org/homework/

The NAMI Teen and Young Adult (TYA) HelpLine is a free, nationwide teen and young adult peer-support service providing information, resource referrals, and support to teens and young adults who have a mental health condition or may not have a condition but may still be going through a difficult time in their life. NAMI HelpLine Staff compiled this directory of outstanding resources to help youth identify possible options to meet their needs. Download Directory