News and events

September 30, 2026

As we settle into October, our students are hitting their stride in academics and their daily routines. As we work with our students to increase their independence, research consistently shows that ongoing family involvement remains one of the strongest predictors of student achievement and success at school. Here are two impactful ways you can stay connected with us this fall:

1. Join Us for In-Person Conferences

Mark your calendars! We will be hosting In-Person Fall Conferences on Thursday, October 8th, from 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

Conferences are a valuable opportunity to connect directly with your student's teachers, discuss their academic progress and review classroom expectations and goals. I strongly encourage you to bring your student along so they can take ownership of their learning and participate in these meaningful conversations.

2. Monitor Progress & Communicate via ParentVUE

Checking in on your student's assignments, attendance, and grades has never been easier thanks to ParentVUE. By reviewing ParentVUE regularly with your student, you can check on their progress and catch missing assignments before they turn into larger hurdles. It is also the quickest way to email teachers directly when questions arise.

If you do not currently have the ParentVUE app set up on your mobile device, please follow these simple steps to get started:

1. Download the App: Go to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) and search for the ParentVUE app.

2. Find Our District: Open the app, enter your zip code when prompted, and select “Anoka-Hennepin School District” from the menu options.

3. Confirm Account: Select ‘Yes’ and choose ‘Already Activated’ if prompted.

4. Log In: Enter your username and password to log in. (If you need assistance logging in or forgot your password, call 763-506-HELP (4357) or email 506help@ahschools.us).

Education is a partnership between school and home. Thank you for your continued dedication and support of our students. I look forward to seeing you at conferences on October 8th!

Jeff Leach

7th-13th- Book Fair

8th- Fall Conferences, 3:30pm-7:30pm

15th-16th- No School, MEA

21st- Fall Picture Retakes

26th- No School, Elementary Only (Secondary Reports to School)

3rd- No School, Staff Development

5th-7th- Fall Play, 7pm

25th- No School, Conf Conversion Day

26th-27th- No School, Holiday

Conferences are Thursday, October 8th.

Conferences will be held in the gym at Northdale; signing up is not necessary. Please contact your student's teachers if you are unable to make the conference but would like to set up a meeting.

Parents/guardians are welcome anytime from 3:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Minnesota state law places a 15-year-old minimum age restriction for legal operation of any electric-assisted bicycle, commonly called E-Bikes. In addition, Anoka-Hennepin places restrictions regarding the operation of these vehicles and motorized scooters and e-motos on school property.

District guidelines: In order to ensure safety around school, Anoka-Hennepin Schools prohibits the use of E-bikes, e-motos and motorized scooters on elementary and middle school property during the school day and immediately before and after school. School property includes sidewalks, trails, fields, parking lots and roadways.

E-Bike basics: E-Bikes come in three categories and can reach speeds of between 20 and 28 mph. While wearing a helmet is recommended, it is not required by state law. Riders must be age 15 or older and must also obey any local guidelines put in place by other jurisdictions.

With the age restriction, students in middle school or younger are not legally authorized to operate these forms of transportation. The School District does not have restrictions regarding the use of standard bicycles on school property.

Go deeper: Review important information from area law enforcement partners regarding the operation of these forms of transportation on city streets and trails. Anoka County, Anoka, Blaine, Ramsey, Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Dayton.

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held on October 7th-13th. These dates coincide with fall conferences. Come to the cafeteria during conferences to get some books!

Join Northdale Theater for this fall’s production of Knock Knock by Kathryn Funkhouser, November 5–7 at 7:00 PM!

Follow two delivery drivers as they face a killer dog, sneaky burglars, and their old elementary school teacher—all under intense corporate pressure to get packages delivered.

Don't miss this evening of high-stakes, hilarious misadventures!

Get ready to build your Duck collection! The Student Council is selling Halloween Ducks for just $1.00 each!

Whether you're looking to grab a spooky new addition or start your very own duck collection, these mini festive ducks are the perfect way to join in on the fun and support our school.

Details:

• Price: Only $1.00 each!

• Where & When: Stay tuned for the sale dates that will happen before school.

Don't miss out—collect them before they're gone!

Step up and make a difference this October! The Student Council is hosting our annual Socktober Sock Drive to support our community members in need. Socks are the #1 most requested item at shelters, yet the least donated! We are collecting brand-new socks of ALL sizes—from tiny toddler pairs to adult sizes—which will be donated directly to a local homeless shelter to help keep everyone warm this season. We will also be having a crazy sock contest here at school. So, be on the lookout for your craziest socks!

Community Education still has spots available for the following activities and classes that start in the month of October and Early November. Flyers are available outside the Community Ed office.

Service Club starts 10/6

Babysitter Training is a one day class on 10/11

Gaming Club starts 10/12

Chess Club starts 10/14

Outdoor Skills 101 is also a one day class on 10/19

6th Grade Girls Volleyball starts 10/19

Drum Lessons start 10/22

Strength and Conditioning starts 10/27

Marvels of Matisse starts 11/2

Hi Northdale Families!

We are partnering with Every Meal again this school year. This program allows any family to receive a bag of food each week, free of charge. Bags are placed discreetly in lockers on Fridays.

Please use this form to sign up for Every Meal food bags if you are interested. If you have already signed up, you do not need to fill out the form again.

If you have questions, please contact Breanna Smith, school social worker, at Breanna.Smith@ahschools.us.

The Lego Robotics team is looking for snack donations to energize the students after school. Please use this form to sign up to donate.

For more information about Lego Robotics click here.

As a part of district budget reductions last school year, individual Volunteer Service Coordinator (VSC) positions at secondary sites were eliminated. This means there will no longer be a dedicated VSC at each secondary school. We have moved to a centralized model to manage all volunteer needs.

Volunteers are still a very important part of our school community and we will continue to work to support volunteer needs in our buildings and process volunteer applications in accordance with district risk management procedures.

Take a minute and complete Northdale MS Volunteer Application for this school year. Email MSVolunteerServices@ahschools.us if you have general questions about volunteering.

We can't do it without you! Please consider volunteering to help at our Book Fair. The story starts with you!

NMS-Book Fair Volunteer SignUp

We are looking for guest speakers to inspire our middle schoolers as they look ahead to high school and college. Our students absolutely LOVE learning about different jobs, hearing personal success stories, and engaging with hands-on or visual presentations.

Sharing your journey is a fast, fun, and incredibly rewarding way to impact local youth. We are scheduling spots for this school year now!

To volunteer or recommend someone, please email Rebecca Aman, AVID Coordinator, at rebecca.aman@ahschools.us.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

There are many kids at Northdale this year with severe food allergies, especially peanuts. These classmates could experience a life-threatening allergic reaction by eating or touching foods containing this allergen. These types of allergies are being seen more frequently in the school district. Through a cooperative effort and with caring about each other, we will do our best to help ensure a safe learning environment.

Suggestions for snack time may include the following:

Goldfish crackers

Pretzels Ritz crackers (NOT Ritz Bitz)

Graham crackers, Teddy Grahams, Saltine crackers

Grapes, cuties, or carrot sticks

Plain popcorn

Animal crackers (not frosted)

I hope you will appreciate the seriousness of food allergies and that you will assist us at the school in our efforts to create as safe an environment as possible. With your cooperation, we can minimize the risk of an allergic reaction. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,

Jessica Patterson RN, NCSN, Licensed School Nurse

763-506-5504

Call the attendance line at 763-506-5406 or enter into the ParentVUE app if your child will be absent from school, coming in late, or needs to leave school early. You may also call the main line at 763-506-5400 and press 0 to speak with someone in the office directly.

Instructions for entering an absence into ParentVue can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/pHCThTCF9ss

Please include:

• Your student’s name

• Reason for absence (along with any symptoms if they are ill)

• If applicable, the time they will return to or be picked up from school.

If we are not notified regarding an absence you will be contacted by our automated phone system, which will prompt you to notify the school with the reason. If you do not notify the school, the absence will be recorded as an unexcused absence. No individual calls are made from our school, other than through the automated system.

Only parents and legal guardians are able to pick students up early. We must be notified in advance if anyone other than a parent or guardian will be picking your student up during the school day.

Anoka-Hennepin Schools is committed to providing students and staff with a safe, secure, and positive learning and working environment. In an effort to improve student focus on learning and reduce distractions during the school year, the school board has communicated that cell phones are not permitted to be used from 8:25am - 3:05pm in the middle schools.

The middle school guidelines state: At all six middle schools in the district, electronic devices must be concealed and shall not be powered on or used in any way during regular operations of the school day, during other school-sponsored and supervised group activities during the school day (e.g., during student assemblies, field trips, events, or other ceremonies, etc.), or when their use is otherwise prohibited by school personnel.

Our goal is to provide a fun, safe, and engaging opportunity for middle school students and their families to support high school athletes as they participate in football, band, dance, and cheer. The following expectations are in place to ensure that all who attend experience a safe, welcoming, and positive environment.

All five Anoka-Hennepin traditional high schools (Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Champlin Park and Coon Rapids) have made the transition to online ticket sales for athletics and activities events. With the exception of some boys and girls hockey events, all ticket sales for events hosted by district schools will be online using Bound, the official mobile ticketing system for athletic events.

• Students will be admitted to football games with a valid Bound ticket, accompanied by a valid ID and a guardian escort, with a 2:1 student-to-adult ratio.

• Unsupervised students will not be permitted entry.

• The student code of conduct for school extends to all Anoka-Hennepin school events. Students running, throwing objects, using profanity, or causing other disruptions will be required to sit with their guardian for the remainder of the game.

• If the student’s guardian is not present, an administrator on duty will call home and escort the students to the front of the gate to wait to be picked up.

• There will be no refunds if a student is removed from the game before its conclusion.

• If a guardian has to be called about a student’s behavior, the student will not be admitted to a football game for the remainder of the year.

• Significant disruptions and policy violations are subject to further disciplinary action.

• Students are not permitted to bring backpacks, footballs, soccer balls, etc., to games. Balls will be confiscated at the gate or by administration if brought to the stadium.

• Students still on campus 15 minutes after the conclusion of a game will not be permitted to return to a game for the remainder of the season.

• Do not drop your student off unattended at the football game. It is expected that guardians supervise their students.

• Please review expectations of behavior with your student(s) before arrival and arrange for a meeting location at the end of the game.

• If your student is brought to you in the bleachers, please make sure your student remains with you for the duration of the game.

• As stated above, please be aware that students still on campus, unsupervised, 15 minutes after the conclusion of an event will not be permitted to attend future events.