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.

September

26- Homecoming Dance 7:00-10:00

27- Homecoming Activities (all day)

October

2- No School (Staff Professional Development)

4- MCJROTC GNATS Sports Competition

6- Parent Engagement Meeting 6:00

9- CIS Field Day @ U of MN

9- Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:00

10-11- MCJROTC Raider Challenge

14- Career and Connect Day @ RiverCentre 8:40-10:30

16/17- No School (MEA)

24- MCJROTC Drill Competition @ North Branch HS

28- Picture Retakes

31- MCJROTC Drill Competition @ Desmoines, IA

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

Please make sure to always report your student's absence by 9:30 AM. You can do this online by filling out an Absence Request in Campus Parent or by calling the Attendance Line at 651-744-5343. If no contact has been made by a parent/guardian regarding your student's absence, please send a note with the reason for the absence with your student when they return to school. Please contact the main office 651-293-8800 for the process to follow when taking an extended trip. Please check Campus Parent to stay up to date on daily attendance for your student.

Any student that comes to class after the bell is "tardy."

Any student that comes to class after 30 minutes is "absent."

For more detailed information, click here Cell phone policy for students

ONE NIGHT FOR FALL PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

Thursday October 9th from 4:00-7:00pm

FAFSA NIGHT (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) 4:00-7:00

Need transportation? Contact Jamie Hoffman at jamie.hoffman@spps.org or 651-744-5529 for more information.

If you don’t have a parking permit, please see Ms. Lor in the main office to get one. Be sure your vehicle is displaying your permit sticker. Student parking is the area closest to Como Lake across from the football field. All students should stay out of reserved and visitor parking spaces. The parking area will be monitored, so please follow the rules or violators may be towed. Thank you for your cooperation.

SAVE THE DATE!

Order all day online and pickup or dine in from 4:00-8:00

Title I is the United States Federal Government’s largest education program to support public schools. The purpose is to help every child receive a high quality education and to achieve the high academic standards set by the State of Minnesota.

The U.S. Department of Education (USED) gives a share of Title I funds to each state based on the percentage of poverty in the state. The Minnesota Department of Educaiton (MDE) then gives the money to school districts based on district poverty.

Schools with 40% or more of the students eligible to receive Educational Benefits may receive Title I funds. This percentage can change from year to year.

Please check out some important school documents:

Family-School Compact

Family Engagement Plan

SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan) Summary

PARENT’S RIGHT TO KNOW TEACHER AND PARAPROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, parents have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of their student’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals. Parents who would like to receive this information should write to the Human Resource Department, Attn: ESSA Teacher Qualifications, Saint Paul Public Schools, 360 Colborne Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102-3299. You have the right to ask for the following information about each of your child’s classroom teacher(s).

• Information about whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
• Information about whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived;
• Information about whether the teacher is teaching (subjects or content) in which proper certification is held by the teacher.
• Information about whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

Click here for other languages: Hmong, Somali, Spanish, Karen

Learn more about Como Park Senior High School's Academic Performance: MDE Report Card

Did you know that required school documents can be translated upon request or interpreters made available? For more information please contact Jamie Hoffman at jamie.hoffman@spps.org or 651-744-5529.

Greetings Como families,

Each year our school strives to provide the best in educational and extra-curricular resources to our students. To achieve our goals, we rely on fundraisers and the support of generous donations throughout the school year. We are reaching out to our Como families for your help and generosity. We need donations that will help support things such as:

• Supplies for teachers
• Transportation costs for field trips
• Community Engagement events such as: Family Fun Night, various cultural nights, NAAPID, Homecoming activities, senior celebrations and dedication night, etc.
• Funding costs for clubs and extracurricular activities

We are asking families for a one-time yearly donation per student for the 25-26 school year. Your donation will help provide more resources and a more conducive learning environment where students can thrive and have the best high school experience.

https://spps.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getclass/category_id/628/program_id/16

Thank you for your consideration in helping our school raise money to support our students.
Go Cougars!

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.

Dear parents,
If your student got their picture taken on September 17th, School pictures are ready!

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number. All families can also log on and order a 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 meet every 1st Monday of the month. The Parent Advisory Council works together 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 first meeting is October 6th at 6:00 PM. Our Agenda includes:

-Start Up Reflections

-Volunteer Opportunities

-Grading

-HealthStart

-College & Career Info

-3DE

-2025 Referendum

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.

Attention Como community and families! We need volunteers to help make Homecoming successful. Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4EAAA92CA4FEC16-58413853-copy#/

• Student Handbooks

• All students attending a dance sponsored by Como Park Senior High School acknowledge that it is a school sponsored event and all school rules apply.

• Students are required to have a ticket and a student ID number at Como Park Senior High School

• ONLY Como Park Senior High School students can attend the dance

• Attendees must be enrolled in High School and/ or no older than 19 years of age.

• All students must arrive within one hour of the beginning of the dance.

• Students who leave the dance for any reason may not re-enter.

• Appropriate dress and footwear is expected at all times.

• Students are expected to dance in a respectful manner.

1. Upon entering the dance, all students will be issued a dance ticket for the duration of the dance.

2. Removal from a dance may result in being excluded from future dances.

3. Students found to be under the influence of and/or in possession of drugs or alcohol will be removed from the dance and additional school and legal consequences may be assigned per SPPS student handbook.

4. The administration reserves the right to remove any student from a dance for any type of behavior that is deemed inappropriate.

5. Students that have 3 or more periods of unexcused absences and/ or more than 5 times tardy in a week will not be allowed to attend dance.

6. Student who have been removed from school the week of the dance will not be allowed to attend (includes dismissal/ suspension etc)

7. NO refunds- will be given out to students who missed dance for any reason

Come support our Como boys' and girls' soccer teams!

• 4:30p – Gates Open
• 5:30p – Girls' Kickoff
• 7:00p – Boys' Kickoff

Interested in Becoming a Health Professional? Join HOSA Club!

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.

Greetings Como Park Senior HS Families! My name is Phia, and I am the new Career and College Readiness Coordinator in the Career Pathways Center. I support students in their post-secondary planning journey, which includes college applications, jobs/ internships, the trades, and military!

Students will get to engage with the CPC through RepVisits(college/university recruitment visits at Como), field trips to local fairs, 1:1 advising with me, and post-secondary planning school events(college & career fairs, FAFSA night, college knowledge night)!! Students will stay up to date on CPC opportunities through schoology, Como’s CPC website, weekly newsletters, classroom visits, and advising meetings.

After-school events for post-secondary planning will be included in the family newsletter. Families are welcomed and encouraged to attend! Please be on the lookout for future events happening in October in the upcoming family newsletters!

Please email pyang.ach@spps.org with any questions!

Five SPPS Students Named Semifinalist for National Merit Scholarship Program

Congratulations to senior, Aleia Lueck!

Cougar Pride:)

Our beloved head football coach, Kirby Scull, interviewed at 38:38 in the video. Check it out!

https://varsity.startribune.com/strib-varsity-live-with-randy-shaver-september-12-2025/601471481

Go Cougars!

The Corps newest addition to the world's finest. Private First Class Sumalee Reh (2025) and Private First Class Adam Dalaska (2025) graduated USMC basic training in San Diego, California today.

https://youtu.be/Hnb2OWdMMX4?si=o7nrcxNyXKikMceV

Raider, Raider are you ready. A bit of the Como Park MCJROTC Raider team training paid off this weekend in Michigan City, Indiana. The team secured a second or third place win out of six teams by getting two first place wins in two of the five grueling events. The timed 1-miled weighted stretcher run and sandbag relay race. Good luck Raiders as you travel next to Richwoods High School in the Chicago area in three weeks for another grueling matchup of physically tough events. Go Como Park MCJROTC Raiders. Ooh Rah!

SPPS PARENT ADVISORY COUNCILS

What We Do

Saint Paul Public Schools has eight Parent Advisory Councils (PACs). PACs are for families and community members to advise district staff. Most PACs meet monthly throughout the school year, and convene districtwide parent meetings and other special events. Consider joining a Parent Advisory Council this year. Available in Español, Somaliyeed, and ကညီ.