Como Park Senior High Newsletter

Prefer a language other than English? You can open the newsletter link and click the button on the top to have it translated into many different languages. Please know that the translation function may be inaccurate or incomplete. If you have any questions, please call us at 651-293-8800.

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

January

9-12- Youth in Government Conference Field Trip

13- Winter Band Concert 7:00

14- Winter Open House for Prospective Families 5:30-6:30

14- Booster Club Meeting 6:30-8:00

17- MCTC Intro to Urban Ed Classroom Observation at Highwood Hills Elementary 9:00-2:30

20- No School (MLK)

24- End of Quarter 2

27- No School (Grading Day)

29- Wrestling Alumni Night 5:00

29- Murray Parent Forum at Como 6:00-7:00

February

6- Parent and Youth Substance Abuse Assembly 5:30-7:30

10- NAAPID Celebration 10:00-12:15

11- Booster Club Meeting 6:30-8:00

13- Red Cross Blood Drive 9:00-3:00

Please check out our upcoming athletic events: https://sppscomoparkhighschool.rschoolteams.com/

WINTER BAND CONCERT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED

Monday, January 13th

7:00 PM

Auditorium

Please come and support our students and music program!

Greetings,

In order to keep the structure of the school day for all students, we would appreciate if you decided to pick up your student prior to 3:00 to pick them up in the office. We understand the effort to avoid the traffic of the buses, however, if you would like your student to meet you outside, you will need to pick them up at parent pickup which starts at 3:00 when the school day ends. Buses typically leave the school around 3:07, coming after that time to avoid the bus traffic is allowed as long as your student is picked up before 3:15. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your support with this matter.

Respectfully,

Dr. Brown

2024-2025 ACCESS Test for English Learners

State and federal laws require that all English Learner (EL) students are assessed yearly to measure their English reading, writing, listening and speaking progress.

Minnesota uses the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs test as its annual assessment. EL students who receive special education services and who meet certain guidelines may take the WIDA Alternate ACCESS test instead.

These tests are used to see if students meet the WIDA English Language Development Standards and if a student is ready to exit from SPPS’s EL program.

All SPPS EL students in grades K-12 will be given the ACCESS for ELLs or WIDA Alternate ACCESS tests between January 27 - March 21, 2025.

If you have questions about your student’s participation, please reach out to your child’s principal.

For more information on English language proficiency assessments and the MDE Parent/Guardian Participation Guide and Refusal form, please go to:

• ACCESS Family Test Information website: spps.org/about/departments/research-evaluation-assessment/test-coordination/access-family-information

• MDE Family Testing Information website: education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/tests/

Also available in Karen, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.

Please reach out to Jamie Hoffman if you have any questions at jamie.hoffman@spps.org.

Please make sure that if you are attending an athletic event at Como that you park in one of the designated parking lots in front of the school. We have had quite a few cars lining up alongside the entrance of the building, which restricts access to emergency responders.

Please do not park in spaces that are marked "Reserved". These are designated for admin who are working athletic events or other evening events at Como.

Please do not park in the space marked "Police Vehicle Only".

Thank you for your cooperation and for your continued support of our student athletes.

Attention Como Families and Community!

The Youth Substance Use Prevention and Awareness is coming up on February 6th. Please RSVP to Nelly Peterson so Continuum Care Center can plan accordingly for a meal. Thank you.

Danelle@continuumcarecenter.com or 651-621-0418

END OF QUARTER 2 IS JANUARY 24TH

GRADING POLICY REMINDERS:

Retakes & Redos:
Students can retake summative assessments if they make a plan with their teacher within a week of the grade being posted in Schoology. Teachers may require additional coursework (e.g. completing a missing assignment or redoing a formative assessment) before the summative retake. Teachers may provide in class opportunities for retakes.

Late Work
All work should be turned in by the due date. Students may submit late work within two weeks of the due date, as long as it is turned in one week before the end of the quarter (January 17th).

Shoe Drive Fundraiser starts January 6th! We need your shoes, Como families!

ATTENTION SENIORS!

The time to submit cap and gown measurements for graduation is NOW.

Please complete the following link Cap and Gown.

If you need to paste into a browser:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYwdeGx2OnNHC5m1TBg_OsDW0OrI2bm_LmYEjgeJ4yDTqDKA/viewform?usp=sharing

This must be completed by January 31st, no exceptions.

Link also provided:

https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/18uPcSRv0R_XAzjSV7aVi9ySpA58PnZ64KJS2J3u25RM/viewform?edit_requested=true&pli=1

Also available in Español

January 14, 2025

5:30-6:30

Please help spread the word about our Winter Open House for prospective families. Parents need to apply online by February 14th for the best opportunity to get into the school of their choice.

You're Invited to the Biggest Como Park Wrestling Alumni Night to date!

Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2025 @ Como Park

Match Details:

• Opponent: Humboldt
• Time: 5:00 PM
• Recognition: Join us for a brief senior and alumni recognition before the match.

After the match, please join us for social time at Gabe’s by the Park.

We want to ensure that every decade of Cougar wrestling is well represented on the 29th.

Murray and Washington Senior High wrestlers are also invited!

Please share this invitation with fellow alumni. For questions and RSVPs, contact:

Roy Magnuson

Email: roywmagnuson@gmail.com

If you have any questions or need support, please contact your student’s counselor:

9th-12th (Alphabetical by last name):

A-Fr Holly Moser, holly.moser@spps.org, 651-744-4664, (https://calendly.com/holly-moser)

Fu-Ma Kia Thao, kia.thao@spps.org, 651-744-8170 (https://calendly.com/msthao)

Mc-Reh Farah Abuqalbeen, farah.abuqalbeen@spps.org, 651-744-1141 (https://calendly.com/farah1)

Rei-Z Choua Vang, choua2.vang@spps.org, (https://calendly.com/choua2-vang)

The CPC is Open! The Career Pathway Center (CPC) at Como is open Monday-Thursday from 9:00am-4:00pm in room 1304 (across from the Counselor’s Office). Students can email Ms. Aisha (amohamed.ach@spps.org), check out the Career Pathway Center website, drop into the CPC, or sign up for an appointment! for information on student career opportunities, college planning, and scholarships and check out the Como Park page under “Student” and then “Career Pathway Center”.

For the latest updates from the counseling department and the Como Career Pathway Center, click here.

For Karen, Somali, or Spanish, click here.

Attention Como Students

Do you speak more than one language? It is time to be recognized and earn up to 20 FREE semester college credits per language!

What? A Bilingual Seals assessment is a language proficiency test. The test includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Earn your Minnesota Bilingual Seal or Certificate with a qualifying score!

Where? Como Park High School

When? April 29, April 30, May 1, 2025 / (calendar link to all schools)

Curious? Have a look at a sample test HERE or HERE.

Register today! Registration ends January 31, 2025.

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

Districtwide Career Pathways Program at the 3M Advanced Training Center

Are you an SPPS student interested in taking college courses that match your interests and career goals? We invite you to review the course offerings and signup during your high school's course registration process. Students enrolled in this program are exploring high demand, high wage careers. They will spend mornings at their home high school and afternoons at the Districtwide Career Pathway Center, located on the campus of Saint Paul College, completing career-related college courses. Students need to meet the college eligibility requirement for the PSEO course(s) of interest.

*Note - Counselor's approval is needed for final enrollment into the program to ensure students can stay on-track to graduate.

Course Descriptions and Schedule: SPPS Districtwide Career Pathways Program

Please read what a Hyland Hills Ski Area employee had to say about our MCJROTC cadets:

"I work at Hyland Hills Ski Area and while working the food court area on Friday, December 20th I had the opportunity to interact with several of the participants in your program.

In a typical week I interact with students from 10-15 schools and frequently am discouraged by lack of manners, rude behavior and needing to confront theft.

Today I was so impressed by your students who exhibited excellent manners and when asked were so positive about the program, the leadership opportunities and chance to participate in activities they might not otherwise have exposure to.

While I address the problems I see with students from some schools, I also let teachers and chaperones know when their kids are polite or have a grasp of math (which many students dealing with money simply don’t have). I didn’t have a chance today to seek out the leadership of your program to let them know how truly impressed I was.

One of the young women was a senior and I told the group of four that my husband is an Army Ranger, my father was a Korean War veteran and I have military heritage that goes back to the Civil War. They were engaged, interested and all had no issue establishing eye contact which frequently is not the case.

When I talked about the bond they must be building, based upon our relationships with friends established through the military they eagerly shared “we’re like family”.

I just wanted you to know what a profound impact and positive impression the students in your group made today and clearly will continue to make beyond their participation in your program!

Job well done!"

Community Service. Tonight, the cadets in support of our motivated Parent Liaison, Ms. Jamie Hoffman helped with a shoe fund drive in order to make the upcoming Como Park High School Family Fun Night a success. Cadets distributed more than 100 bags and flyers and then went back out today in the snow to collect hundreds of gently used shoes (all sizes and kinds). The goal was to collect 99 bags of 25 shoes per bag. Not quite reaching our intended goal, but great effort today cadets. All lead by Junior Cadet Corporal Johavani Weni Maloba. Ooh Rah!

The Como Park HOSA-Future Medical Professionals of America participated in the HOSA mid-winter competitive conference in Anoka on January 8th. Students were asked to demonstrate skills ranging from assessing a patient in chronic pain, providing home health care services, examining a body forensically, and creating a PSA on the dangers of Fentanyl. Our students did an amazing job in their competitions and are ready to move on to the spring competitive conference which will be held March 30-April 1 in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. If you are interested in a future career in healthcare please consider joining the Como Park HOSA. We meet during seminar/club on B days. See Gail or Dr. N.B. For more information, or email Gail at Gail.Grogan@spps.org.

Congratulations to two of our students who were accepted into a new HOSA internship program: Junior Katie Avila and Sophomore Linnea Pedersen.

Students from Ms. Mohamed’s Accounting class participated in a job shadowing field trip to downtown Minneapolis, at the RSM Accounting & Consulting Firm. The students learned what Auditors, Tax Accountants and Consultants do on a daily basis and partook in an on-the-job simulation!

Would you like to know what is happening around the Como Park neighborhood? Click the link for the latest news and updates from your District 10 Como Community Council. View this as a webpage.

Also in Karen and Spanish.

Joseph’s Coat

1107 West 7th Street, St. Paul, MN 55102
Shopping Hours: Mon/Wed by appointment only 9am – 3pm Call 651-291-2472 to schedule; Must have a valid ID https://www.josephscoatmn.org

St. Thomas More Free Store

St. Thomas More School Basement, 1065 Summit Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105 Open from 10am – noon on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month https://www.morecommunity.org/free-store

FOCUS House Clothes Closet

550 Rice Street, Saint Paul, MN 55103
Open Monday, Wednesday, & Thursdays 10am – 2:00pm Call for appointment: 651-222-0712 https://www.focusmn.org

Kaitlyn’s Kloset

Saints Martha and Mary Episcopal Church, 4180 Lexington Ave S, Eagan, MN 55123 Open Mondays & Wednesdays 10am – 4pm, and Saturdays 11am – 2pm https://kaitlynsklosetmn.com

Hallie Q. Brown Clothing Closet

270 N Kent St, St Paul, MN 55102, Enter on MacKubin Street & come up the stairs Shopping by appointment only; Call for appointment: 651-224-4606 https://www.hallieqbrown.org

Alley Shoppe

Arlington Hills Lutheran Church, 1115 Greenbrier Street St. Paul, MN 55106 Tuesdays, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm, by appointment only
Call for appointment: 651-771-5501 ext. 100
https://ahlc-stp.org

Neighbors Clothes Closet

222 Grand Ave W, South St Paul, MN 55075
Based on need, certificates for free clothing and household items may be available for use in their non-profit thrift store. Call 651-455-5000 to request certificates. Monday through Friday: 9 am to 4 pm
https://www.neighborsclothescloset.org/