STMA HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

As we near the end of this portion of our school year, it’s a perfect time for reflection. We are truly thankful for the incredible families and students we are privileged to work with each day. Our successful start to the year has been possible only because of the dedication, energy, and enthusiasm of the students who make our school such a special place.

This holiday season, we hope it brings you moments of relaxation, joy, and quality time with family and friends. From all of us at STMA High School, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and look forward to an exciting new year ahead.

• Monday December 23rd, 2024- Wednesday January 1, 2025 - No School - Winter break
• Monday, January 20th, 2025 - No School - Teacher Workshop
• Thursday, January 23rd, 2025 - Registration kNight - 5:00pm - 7:00pm
• 5pm- 8th grade parent presentation PAC
• 6pm- How to earn college credit in high school presentation in the PAC
• Thursday, January 30th, 2025 - Conference Night - 4:00pm - 7:00pm
• Monday, April 14th, 2025 - Conference Night - 4:00pm - 7:00pm DATE CHANGE
• Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 - Prom
• Friday, June 6th, 2025 - Graduation

Mark your calendar for Winter Week, February 18 - 22, 2025. More information to follow.

A Focus on Excused Absences

Attendance has been a significant focus for us at STMA High School this year, as we recognize its vital role in student learning and overall school success. Earlier in the year, we asked for the community’s support in addressing excused absences, and we are incredibly grateful for the partnership we’ve received.

Nationally, school attendance rates have declined over the past five years, presenting challenges that impact both student learning outcomes and the workload of our staff in coordinating make-up work and assessments. However, thanks to your efforts, we are thrilled to report positive results in attendance.

The graph below highlights the percent positive change we’ve seen for each class period so far this school year, marked in green. This progress demonstrates the collective impact of our shared commitment to making attendance a priority.

Thank you for everything you do to support attendance at STMA High School. Together, we are making a difference!

Name: Brooklyn Bigalke

Parents: Stacy and Troy

Siblings: Kayli (15) Blake (13)

Plans after high school: I will be attending UW LaCrosse where I will play softball next year. I plan to major in Business.

Most Memorable STMA Moment: My most memorable STMA moment would be homecoming football games. I love that everyone comes. It is such a cool atmosphere.

Teacher/Staff Who Has Impacted Me: The teacher who has impacted me most is Mr. Loecken. He is always willing to help and wants all his students to be successful.

I Love STMA Because: I love STMA because the teachers and staff are always willing to help students. The school does a good job of setting students up to be successful for the future.

Name: Brock Bugbee

Parents: Joanna and Matt

Siblings: McKenna (9th grade)

Plans after high school: I plan to attend a 4 year college, where I will study some sort of Business or Marketing Management.

Most Memorable STMA Moment: My most memorable STMA moment is from the locker room after beating Anoka in Football this year. The energy in the room was incredible. We were as so hyped from the win.

Teacher/Staff Who Has Impacted Me: The teacher who has impacted me most is Mr. Burr. He is so friendly and makes it easy for students to connect with him.

I Love STMA Because: I love STMA because everyone is so friendly and approachable.

Name: Noah Tobey

Parent: Didier and Senam Tobey

Siblings: Emma (21)

Plans after high school: I plan to attend a 4-year college in Minnesota where I will major in Civil Engineering.

Most Memorable STMA Moment: My most memorable moments from STMA were on the bus rides to/from football games. We would do something like a podcast, which was fun to be apart of.

Teacher/Staff Who Has Impacted Me: The teacher who has impacted me most is Mr. Burr. He has such a positive attitude and so kind and encouraging.

I Love STMA Because: I love STMA because it has a feeling of community. I like all my teachers - sometimes I think about how lucky I am because all schools aren't like this. I appreciate how calm it is and how nice the teachers, staff and students are.

The Courtesy and Respect Award is a prestigious recognition bestowed upon students who embody the core values of our school community. This award is a celebration of individuals who exemplify the essence of a knight, demonstrating outstanding character, courtesy, and respect in their interactions with peers, educators, and staff. Recipients of this award not only uphold high standards for themselves but also positively influence and impact those around them. The Courtesy and Respect Award recognizes and applauds students who contribute to the respectful spirit of our school, making it a better place for everyone.

The St. Michael-Albertville Rotary Club is pleased to announce that St. Michael-Albertville High School juniors Caleb Lee, Caroline Michenfelder, and Isabella Williams are recognized as the Rotary Students of the month for November.

“Rotary is very proud to recognize Caleb, Caroline, and Isabella as students of the month,” said Mike Simon, STMA Rotary Club President. “They have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and represent the service above self ideals of Rotary.”

Back row left to right: Scot Sorenson, Jox Metcalf, Mitch Harmoning

Front row left to right: Heidi Leland, Steph Lahr, Jill Anderson, Ashley Groth, Jesse Hackenmueller

Counseling Office Updates

Angela Narducci A-Del angelan@mystma.org

Lisa Slbernagel Dem-Jar Lisasi@mystma.org

Serena Schmidt Jas-Moo Serenas@mystma.org

Rachel Dayton Mop-Sch rachelda@mystma.org

Kinsey Essler Sci-Z kinseye@mystma.org

Mary Poss- Administrative Assistant - Maryp@mystma.org

2025-2026 Course Registration

Registration for next school year is right around the corner! Here the important dates:

• Wednesday, January 15th- students will receive registration information and materials.

• Tuesday, January 21st and 22nd- all incoming 8th graders will receive registration information at their middle schools.

• Thursday, January 23rd- Registration Knight 5pm-7pm

• 5pm- 8th grade parent presentation PAC

• 6pm- How to earn college credit in high school presentation in the PAC

• Friday, January 24th- Online registration window in StudentVue opens for all students to enter course selections.

• Friday, January 31st- Registration window closes. All courses must be requested in StudentVue.

Remember that it is difficult to make schedule changes once the master schedule is built so please put time and effort into your choices for next year!

ACT Testing

The high school will offer an opportunity for juniors to register and take the ACT on a school day in April. More information regarding this opportunity will be sent out in January through email to all junior families. There will be no late registration exceptions.

Juniors

As the school year progresses the counseling team would like to offer Junior students support to continue or begin their college and career planning journey. In order to meet the needs of all students, we will be offering the following sessions students may sign up to attend.

Session Options:

Thursday, December 12th and 19th during SNAP

-Four Year college planning- -Topics covered in these sessions will be types of colleges, admission requirements, researching colleges, creating your list, and next steps.

Wednesday, January 8th during an extended homeroom.

-Xello! This is our new college and career planning online tool. This session will focus on how to use this program in the college, career and scholarship search process.

Thursday, February 13th During SNAP

-2 year/Technical College and Apprenticeships information- This session will cover the important information to know regarding applying to and securing a spot in a Technical or Apprenticeship program as well as the benefits and process of attending a 2 year college.

To sign up for these sessions please click here. Students will be assigned to selected sessions in Shield Hub.

Save the Date! Thursday, January 30th at 6pm- we will host a Junior College and Career Planning session for parents to attend during conferences.

Ready, Set, FAFSA Series: 1/7/25 @ 7 pm

Hosted by Minnesota Goes to College- A Series of Virtual college and financial aid events. The next virtual session is January 7th, 2025, at 7:00pm and will cover how to create your FSA ID, Register today.

North Star Promise=Free College Tuition

Did you know that students who come from families with an adjusted gross household income of less than $80,000 qualify for the North Star Promise which equals free tuition to MN colleges. Follow the link for more information.

Wright Technical Center

Information will be presented on Tuesday, January, 7th during SNAP to Sophomores who are interested in hearing more about these hands-on technical programs. Students may also sign up to attend a tour of the WTC on Friday January, 17th from 8:40-10:40am. More information and tour registration form will be sent home following the SNAP information session.

Rivers of Hope!

Love should never hurt! If you or a loved one is experiencing Domestic Violence, there is a local resource offering help! Rivers of Hope is a Domestic Violence center that works to provide adults and youth with a community coordinated response to end family violence in Wright and Sherburne Counties. Visit https://riversofhope.org/ for more information.

Services offered:

• 24/7 crisis line at 763-295-3433

• Assistance filing Orders for Protection and Restraining Orders

• Support navigating the complicated civil and criminal courts

• Resources to address immediate safety, housing, food and medical needs

• Weekly virtual trauma-informed support group for survivors

Rivers of Hope is always looking for donations. Contact info@riversofhope.org to learn more of their needs.

The Resource Room, that is staffed by a High School teacher, is available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school from 3:30pm - 4:30pm in the High School Media Center.

Assessments can be taken in the Media Center before school when scheduled in advance with a classroom teacher.

Ways to help teens with their mental heath:

• Help teens remember that, while important, grades, test scores and athletic performance don’t define them as a person. They’re much more than that.
• Help teens put things in perspective. Remind them that tough or stressful situations will pass. Put yourself in their shoes…even if something doesn’t feel like a big deal to you, recognize and provide understanding that it feels like a big deal to them.
• Make time to be there – both physically and mentally.
• Take time to talk. Start with the small stuff to build a trusting relationship. This makes it easier to talk about bigger issues when they come up.
• Spontaneous, meaningful affection and encouragement goes a long way.
• Support the idea that self-care is a good thing. It doesn’t mean that teens are lazy, weak or something is wrong with them to check in and take a break when they need to.
• Mental health is important for everyone. Mental health includes day to day stressors and big life events – it means coping with life! Mental health is happening everywhere – in the school, at home and in the community. Chances are, someone you know is stressed or dealing with a mental health issue.
• Address stigma. Remind teens that seeing the school counselor or a therapist is nothing to be embarrassed about! They’re there for the big stuff and the small stuff. Make sure teens know where to find help if they need it.

Student and staff safety is our highest priority. When inclement weather has the potential to impact the safety of students and staff, we take immediate action. We rely upon many professional resources to guide the decision to close, delay, or dismiss school early. We actively monitor weather conditions by collaborating with the National Weather Service, Vision Transportation, St. Michael and Albertville Public Works, neighboring school districts, and our own school staff. We keep families and staff updated through media outlets, automated calls, emails, texts, the district website, and via social media. Knowing winter is fast approaching, it is wise to develop a plan in advance of inclement weather.

Please remember, the first two days that are canceled due to inclement weather will be designated as no school days. After that, STMA Flex Learning (AKA e-learning) days may be used. See Flex Learning on the STMA website for additional information regarding the STMA Flex Learning Plan.

To familiarize yourself with our inclement weather procedures, click here to visit the district website.

• Educational Benefits are available to families who qualify. If you would like to apply please complete an Educational Benefit application. Click here to see more information regarding benefits you may qualify for and to fill out the application.

*Please note that these programs are not affiliated with STMA High School. Contact the association directly for any questions.

Email: hsoffice@mystma.org
Website: https://hs.stma.k12.mn.us/
Location: 5800 Jamison Avenue Northeast, Saint Michael, MN, USA
Phone: 763-497-2192