Rush Creek News

January 23, 2025

Winter Conferences will be held on the following days:

• Tuesday, Feb. 4th from 8-9 AM and 4:30-7:30 PM

• Thursday, Feb. 6th from 8-9 AM and 4:30-7:30 PM

• Tuesday, Feb. 11th from 8-9 AM and 4:30-7:30 PM

The parent scheduling window is now open in ParentVue until Sunday, Feb. 2nd. If you do not have a ParentVue account, please email Jen Marsh at marshj@district279.org or use the following ParentVue login link to request an access code.

For more information on conferences, see the attached letter.

Please send a request to the health services staff if your child needs to be excused from physical education. Written instructions are required from the student's medical provider if the student is to be excused for more than two days and must include a re-entry date and any restrictions or accommodations.

Save these dates and view our school's Book Fair site:

Fair Dates: Tues. Feb 4th-Thurs. Feb 6th

Rush Creek Book Fair Homepage:

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/rushcreekelementaryschool

There are 3 ways to shop at the fair:

1. In-person

• Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:00-9:30 am
• Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 4:00-8:00 pm

2. During lunch or class

• Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30-2:30 pm

3. E-Wallet: Digital payment account so your kids can shop the fair cash free. See link below for instructions: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/ewallet.html

Kindergarten enrollment for the 25-26 school year is now open online. If you have a student that will be attending kindergarten in the fall, please click on the link below for instructions on how to enroll.

The purpose of this charitable outreach program is to provide free care to low-income children in need. Thousands of dental professionals volunteer their time to this program because they understand the pain and embarrassment many children experience due to untreated dental problems. Since the program’s inception in Minnesota in 2003, 86,000 children have received free care through Give Kids a Smile.,

Some clinics may be having their event on an alternative date.

Visit https://www.mndental.org/events/give-kids-a-smile/find-a-participating-clinic/ to find a participating clinic near you.

If You Need Assistance or Translation Services

Please call United Way 2-1-1 (or 800-543-7709), where Information and Referral Specialists can assist you in Hmong, Somali and Spanish Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The specialists there can place a three-way call to the dental clinic and assist you in making an appointment.

Hurry, early bird tickets are on sale now through Jan. 15th!

Elementary and middle school attendance boundaries are being changed in order to balance student enrollment across the district. These future adjustments, set to take effect in 2026, will reassign the Osseo Area Schools elementary and/or middle school that some households are zoned to attend.

Proposed scenarios available to view online: There are four proposed attendance boundary change scenarios being presented at this time. On each of the following information pages, you’ll find an overview of the proposed scenario, a map and a search tool. Community members can use the search tool to see how the proposed scenario would impact their household.

• Info on proposed scenario 1

• Info on proposed scenario 2

• Info on proposed scenario 3

• Info on proposed scenario 4

Community input is important: Please share your thoughts on the four proposed scenarios by filling out the online feedback form or participating in an upcoming community informational meeting.

• Online feedback form

• The first Community Informational Meeting is being held on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 5:45 p.m. in the Brooklyn Middle STEAM School cafe

• Please fill out this form if you’re planning to attend; or

• Watch the presentation-portion of the event via the livestream

• The second Community informational Meeting is being held Thursday, Jan. 23 at 5:45 p.m. in the Maple Grove Middle School cafe

• Please fill out this form if you’re planning to attend; or

• Watch the presentation-portion of the event via the livestream

Timeline: Please share your thoughts on the four proposed scenarios by Friday, Feb. 7. After that, all community feedback will be reviewed and adjustments to the proposed scenarios considered. Likely, our community will have another opportunity to provide input on some edited scenarios in March. The school board is expected to approve final attendance boundary changes by this May.

The new attendance boundaries will go into effect fall 2026 alongside the tentative opening of the new elementary school in the northwest region of our district.

Background: It’s common for communities to experience changing student enrollment. Our district’s Enrollment and Capacity Management Advisory Committee (ECMAC) has been monitoring these enrollment shifts in conjunction with our school building capacities for the last several years. Their most recent reports have detailed that a significant enrollment imbalance exists and that it should be addressed.

ECMAC’s work helped to form 2023’s Building a Better Future referendum. A new elementary school and additions to Maple Grove Senior High School were requested to address space constraints from continued growth. It was additionally noted that attendance boundary changes were needed no matter the outcome of the election. Thankfully, our community supported the 2023 referendum request so additional facility space will help to address growth needs, which limits attendance boundary changes to elementary and middle schools and impacts fewer families.

Stay tuned: Please continue to stay tuned for updates over the coming weeks and months. Detailed information will continue to be shared on the district website, district279.org/boundaries. Feel free to reach out if something additional needs to be addressed via BetterFuture@district279.org or 763-391-8990.

English: 763-391-8900, Español: 1-855-891-8364, Lus Hmoob: 1-844-577-9549, Soomaali: 1-855-891-5322 or Tiếng Việt: 1-855-891-8365