News and events

September 11, 2026

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! We hope you made the most of the summer, enjoyed your favorite activities, and created wonderful memories with family and friends. Our team spent the summer preparing spaces, planning lessons, and getting ready to welcome our students back with open arms—and we couldn't be more excited for the journey ahead!

Thank you so much for teaming up with us as we all transition back into the rhythm of the school year. We know adjusting to new morning routines and busy schedules takes a little time and patience, but we are all in this together! We are right by your side to support your family, and we can’t wait to partner with you to make the 2026-2027 school year our best and brightest one yet!

Mrs. Monson - Oxbow Creek Principal

• 5th Grade Parent Night: Tuesday, Sept. 22nd, 5:30-6:30pm
• Picture Day: Wednesday, September 30th
• Fun Run Kickoff: Thursday, October 1st
• Fun Run: Friday, October 9th
• MEA Break: Thursday, Oct. 15th - Friday, October 16th - NO SCHOOL
• Parent/Teacher Conferences: Monday, October 26th, 1:40-7:40pm & Thursday, October 29th, 7:30-8:30am & 4:10-7:40pm.
• Picture Retake Day: Wednesday, November 4th
• Fall Bingo Night: Thursday, November 5th
• Veteran's Day Flag Raising: Wednesday, November 11th
• Food Drive: Monday, November 16th - Tuesday, November 24th
• ScooterWorld: Monday, November 16th - Tuesday, November 24th

Our Fall Individual Picture Day is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30th, 2026.

Feel free to order before picture day on mylifetouch.com with our Picture Day ID: EVT2SDQ2G or have your student bring their picture day order form to school on Wednesday, September 30th. Picture day order forms will be sent home with students on Friday, September 25th. Please reach out to the Oxbow Creek Main Office at 763-506-3800 with any questions!

Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2026.

Please welcome new staff members to Oxbow Creek:

• Carina Birkholz - 1st grade
• Nani Maranz-Scheer - 1st grade
• Dani Hovanetz - 2nd grade
• Lexy Foss - 4th grade humanities
• Beth Engman - 5th grade humanities
• Jake Siira - 5th grade self-contained
• Danae Trauth - Art teacher
• Kelsey Valdovinos - ML teacher
• Jeff Dahlman - Special education teacher
• Bethany Krueger - Special education teacher
• Shana Keding - Special education paraeducator
• Kate Holewinski - Special education paraeducator
• Breanna Washington - Special education paraeducator
• Bianca Cooper - Special education paraeducator
• Darla Keeler - Elementary paraeducator - lunchroom
• Misty Bauermeister - Elementary paraeducator - recess
• Kubayb Ali - Elementary paraeducatory - technology
• Stephanie Schlichting - Secretary
• Madison Wagner - Reading Corps Tutor, Grades 4 & 5
  
  

Photo L to R: Ann Parisian, Gina Newlander

As in the past, every student may receive one breakfast and one lunch daily at no cost during the school year. The state’s Free School Meals program will cover the cost of one breakfast meal and one lunch meal for every student daily, however the cost of a la carte items, such as milk, other drinks, or extra meal items will not be covered. Students will need to have funds in their meal accounts to purchase any additional food items.

In alignment with our district's wellness policy, students may not bring gum, candy, or pop for daily snacks or for lunch. Due to the increasing number of students with food allergies, some snacks may also be restricted. District policy encourages healthy treats such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, and crackers. Any classroom treats should be commercially prepared. We encourage you to think about healthy alternatives to cupcakes, cookies, and other unhealthy treats for occasions like birthdays or class celebrations.

We are excited to welcome parents to join their students for lunch! To ensure a smooth experience for everyone, visitors and their children will eat together in a special designated seating area in the cafeteria. Please note that due to space and supervision guidelines, other classmates will remain at their usual class tables. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to seeing you at lunchtime!

If your family needs access to any other educational benefits available to your student, please visit ahschools.us/freereduced to complete an application. The enrollment window for the 2026 Applications for Educational Benefits began August 1.

Anoka-Hennepin asks that all families complete an online application to provide additional school funding to support all students in the district. By filling out this application, your school can earn funding and you can save money.

Educational benefits include:

• Athletics fees: Eligible students may qualify for fees to be waived or reduced.
• SAT, ACT, AP Fees: Students may be eligible for discounted fees for academic tests and some lab fees.
• Other high school activities: Students may qualify for discounts on speech, debate, theater, band and others.
• Additional benefits and cost savings: Chromebook device protection, Comcast Internet Essentials discount, Amazon Prime membership discounts, discounted bus fares with Metro Transit, Xcel Energy account assistance, discounts at museums and theaters.

You can find the school menus at https://www.schoolcafe.com/anokahennepin. You can view menus as a guest or create an account.

If you have further questions or concerns about school lunch here at Oxbow Creek, please contact the Child Nutrition department at 763-506-1240.

Anoka-Hennepin families can check where their bus is — live — through a transportation app, called Versatrans My Stop. The app monitors regular school bus routes in real-time. Best of all, it’s free for parents/guardians and students to use.

What is Versatrans My Stop?
Versatrans My Stop is a web-based application available to parents, guardians, and students that allows access to live GPS tracking of school buses. Using a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer, parents/guardians and students can view the current location of their bus and its estimated time of arrival at their assigned bus stop.

This simple and informative tool provides the ability to know where a school bus is during its scheduled route times. My Stop displays the vehicle’s location on a map, as well as providing the estimated time of arrival (ETA) to a student’s specific bus stop. The location of a school bus is automatically updated every few minutes, and the ETA is recalculated to accommodate any delays due to traffic, weather, etc. while the bus is en route.

*Please note, the app is delayed 1-2 minutes in displaying the bus’s actual location. This is simply due to the lag in GPS tracking signals and the delay of technological communications. In other words, make sure your student is present at their bus stop 5 minutes prior to its scheduled arrival.

Why the My Stop Bus Tracking App?

Real-Time Access
The Versatrans My Stop mobile app is available for both Apple and Android devices and can help ensure that your students never miss the bus again. This app uses the GPS tracking system installed on each vehicle and marries it with our planned bus route schedules to let users know when to expect their bus each day.

Safety, Security, Visibility
Anoka-Hennepin Schools is focused on providing safe and reliable transportation for its students. The My Stop system will not only enable us to maintain our ongoing commitment to safety, but will also provide parents and guardians with information needed to feel secure and informed.

Versatrans My Stop can be downloaded from mobile app stores (Apple Store; Android Google Play store). On-screen directions walk first-time users through the easy setup process.

Logging in to My Stop

Student Login:

• Username: Student’s ID
• Password: Student’s Birthdate (MMDDYYYY)
  
  

Important My Stop Notes

• Only students assigned to a bus route are linked and active in the system. If your student lives in a non-transported boundary near their school, or outside the school’s attendance area, they will not be eligible for bus transportation and not active in the app.
• Do not login to My Stop too early prior to the student's scheduled pick-up or drop-off time. The data provided through My Stop is constantly changing. Estimated times of arrival are based on standard GPS route calculations, and not the actual length of time remaining to get to your child’s bus stop. You will access the most accurate data if you check the system within 10 minutes of your child’s scheduled pick-up or drop-off time. As a rule, the time indicated in the app will be a few minutes behind the actual bus’ location and true arrival time.
• My Stop is not currently workable with after-school activity routes, only regularly scheduled to/from school routes.
• Don’t forget to add a quick link app icon to the home screen of your phone or tablet to have fast and easy access to the system.

Who do I contact with questions?
Transportation Department staff are available to assist you with the My Stop app and any other transportation-related questions/concerns by email at transportation@ahschools.us or by phone at 763-506-1125. However, please know our contact volumes are highest during the start of school and morning and afternoon route hours. The best way to contact us for non-urgent matters is by email, or if desired, phone calls between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

• Character Strong: Click here to read about our Kindness KickOff for the first week of September! Starting September 14th, students will learn about our Character Strong word of the month: Respect!

• Our school is once again partnering with Every Meal - a free weekend food program. An informational letter and enrollment form were distributed to all students in open house folders. If you wish to participate in this program, please turn in the completed enrollment form as soon as possible or sign up here.

• Electronic Devices: All personal electronic devices are prohibited at school. Cell phones and smart watches may be brought to school with permission from a parent. Phones must remain off and in a backpack/locker during the school day. Watches cannot be used for communication during the school day. If these devices are used during the school day, they may be confiscated and returned to a parent/guardian. We assume no responsibility for lost or stolen items such as these.
  

• Be sure to sign up online for parent/teacher conferences with your child's homeroom teacher. Schedules are filling up quickly.
  
  
• If your child bikes to school, please remember to equip them with a safety helmet and be sure to have them walk their bike when on school property.
  
  
• Notify the office at 763-506-3800 before 3pm if you need to change the dismissal plan for your student for the day. Also, if picking them up is a change in their normal dismissal, you will need to sign them out at the office.
  

• Picking up your student early? Please remember to call and notify the office of what time you will be here to pick your student up and also email your students teacher with that information. Our sign out procedures are the same as last year. You will come into the vestibule, where we will scan your driver's license and then send your student out to you.
  
  
• Dropping off items students forgot to bring? We will email the teacher, but will not call into the room during instruction time. If an item is for lunch or for winter recess, we will attempt to get those to the class if they are not picked up in a timely manner.

• Medications Administered at School: Any medication to be administered at school must be accompanied with a completed health service request form. This form is also located on the district website. Please have your physician complete the form and include a parent /guardian signature. All medications must be delivered to the health office personally by a parent/guardian. This can be done at anytime during the school year. Children should never be in possession of medications while at school.

Students are expected to be in school each day. Attendance is taken in the classroom at the 9:30AM bell. If for some reason your child will be absent or tardy, you must notify us. Our 24-hour attendance line number is 763-506-3806. Please also note that calls should not be made to the main office or the teacher for student absences. If you know your child is going to be absent for an extended period of time, please call the absence line in advance. It is extremely important to call the ATTENDANCE LINE before 9:20 AM each day your child is absent. Please do not leave early dismissal information on the attendance line.

Student absences can also be submitted electronically through ParentVUE. Here is a video to show you how to report an absence via the ParentVUE app. If we do not receive an absence notification from you, an automated phone call, email or text will be sent to verify the absence. If we are unable to contact anyone, the absence will be considered “unverified” until the reason is verified. Three or more unexcused absences in a school year requires us to start a process for reporting student truancy to the state. Letters will also be sent throughout the year for excessive number of excused absences, tardy or early outs. Please refer to the school district policy handbook for further information regarding school attendance.

Click here for detailed information regarding arrival and dismissal at Oxbow Creek along with some other great back to school reminders.

Oxbow Creek students will be allowed in the building at 9:15 each day (9:10 for those who eat breakfast here). Whether your child walks, bikes, or is driven to school, please do not have them arrive earlier, as there is no outside adult supervision prior to 9:15! Classes start promptly at 9:30.

All school staff will be greeting and directing students to their classrooms at all entrances the first couple days of school. Staff will meet the buses as they arrive to direct those students. Walkers and students who are dropped off at school will assemble outside the main entrance, where staff will also provide direction.

Dismissal here at Oxbow Creek begins at 3:58, with our youngest students being released first. If you plan on picking up your child, please use extreme caution in the front parking lot. Only let children enter your car curbside. Also, only allow them to cross the drop-off lane at the marked crosswalk. Staff will be outside to assist with traffic flow and pedestrian safety during dismissal (3:58-4:10).

Like last year, we will have parents utilize the inner loop for pick up (Grades 3-5) as well as the external loop (Grades K-2). ALL parents will need to utilize the pick up loops for regularly scheduled parent pick ups. No parents will be allowed to exit their vehicles and wait on the sidewalks or parking lot areas for their students. Please display your rear view mirror tag as you enter the parking lot on the far west side. If you pick your child up, please do so before 4:10, as that is when our outside supervision ends.

If you need to change your child’s dismissal plan on any given day, you must contact the office no later than 3:00 PM. Any child leaving early must be signed out electronically by the adult picking up. If another family member will be picking up your child, please call the office staff to let us know. Any individual picking up a student must have a driver's license to scan in our security system. Parents picking up their students at the end of the day from school instead of their students riding the bus home or attending A+ will need to park their car and come to the main office to sign out their student(s).

It’s time to get ready for the upcoming school year! Families may complete back-to-school forms online:

• Visit ahschools.us

• Select “login” from the menu.

• Select “family login.”

• Proceed to complete back-to-school forms for the 2026-27 school year.

Why it matters: It’s important that each family completes the verification process and the online back-to-school forms before the first day of school. Verification ensures that each student’s school has confirmed emergency contact information and releases for the safety of each student.

What’s in it for you: Even if families’ contact information has not changed, it’s important to log in to access a variety of other student information in the coming weeks, including:

• Class schedules and teacher assignments.

• Transportation information, if relevant.

• Receive additional educational benefits, discounts and reduced fees.

• High school students will not be able to enroll in fall activities until the back to school verification process is complete.

Anywhere, on-the-go: Families may complete the verification on their own time, whenever it’s convenient. If you prefer to utilize the ParentVUE mobile app to access your student’s information, please note that the app has been updated. Read more about downloading the updated version of ParentVUE.

Questions? Contact your child’s school for assistance.

Families must take action to access their student’s information in preparation for the upcoming school year. Downloading the new versions of the mobile app will enable parents and guardians to:

• Get teacher assignments and class schedules.

• Monitor academic progress, assignments and tests.

• Submit student absences.

• Pay fees for meals and/or activities.

• View your student’s grades and report card.

• Find transportation information, if applicable.

The updated versions of the apps are available to use and access now. Some families may no longer be able to login using the current or discontinued legacy version of the apps.

• ParentVUE app for families: Apple App Store | Google Play store.

• StudentVUE app for students: Apple App Store | Google Play store.

Read the full story.

Main Office: 763-506-3800

Fax: 763-506-3803

Health Office: 763-506-3804

Absence Line: 763-506-3806

Community Ed: 763-506-3812

Adventures Plus: 763-506-3813

Website: https://oxbowcreek.ahschools.us

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OxbowCreekElementary

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ahschools