Eagles Newsletter
10/6/2025
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences start tomorrow. We look forward to seeing everybody!
Conference dates are Oct. 7, 9 & 13. 7:50 - 8:30 AM & 3:40 - 7:00 PM
Please access your ParentVUE account to view your scheduled conference time.
Calendar
October 7,9,13 - Parent/Teacher Conferences & PTO Scholastic Book Fair
October 10 - Elm Creek Spirit Day
October 14 - PTO General Meeting - 6:30 - 7:30pm
October 16&17 - No School for Conference Release
November 4 - No School for Staff Workshop Day
November 7 - PTO Harvest BINGO
November 11 - Picture Re-Take Day
November 11 - PTO General Meeting - 6:30 - 7:30pm
November 26 - No School for Mark Reporting
November 27&28 - No School for Thanksgiving Holiday
All School SOAR Celebration
Our students have earned our first SOAR ticket All school celebration!!! Way to go. On Friday October, 10th we will have school color day. Wear your Elm Creek Gear! If you don’t have any you can always show your spirit in our school colors, Orange and Black!! Can’t wait to see the spirit.
All School Art Project
Hello Elm Creek Families! We are working on our all school art project and need reusable water bottles. If you have some please rinse them out and send them in with your students. Please try to keep them in the original shape without crushing it. Thank You!! Can’t wait for you all to see what we create.
Attendance Policy
Consistent attendance is essential for children to learn and make progress. Students miss critical instruction when they are late, picked up early, or are absent. Students are required to attend each day. Students will be marked present upon arrival to school.
Parents/guardians are responsible for seeing that their children receive instruction in compliance with MN Statute 120A.22. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that their student is attending school, to inform the school in the event of a student absence, and to work cooperatively with the school and the student to solve any attendance problems that may arise.
ABSENCE REPORTING Please call your school’s absence line before 10 a.m. on the day your child is absent. Elm Creek Attendance Line Reporting - 763/315-7692
Excused Absences: The following reasons may be sufficient to constitute an excused absence: student illness; serious illness in the student’s immediate family; funerals; dentist, doctor, mental health professional, orthodontist, or legal appointments; out-of-school suspension or administration dismissal; religious reasons; late bus; and/or severe weather will be excused. Situations such as sibling adoption or birth; family, student, or personal concern; family illness; or prearranged vacation may be excused at the principal’s discretion.
Note: In keeping with Minnesota Statute 120A.35, reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate any student who wishes to be excused from a curricular activity for a religious observance.
Unexcused Absences: All absences which do not specifically qualify as an “excused absence” will be marked as unexcused and may result in notification/reports of truancy (see below). Examples of unexcused absences might include the following: sibling childcare, no stated reason, missed the bus, and non-school extracurricular activities (dance, music, gymnastic lessons, etc.).
Continuing Truant MN Statute 260A.02 Subd. 3 states that when a child under 12 years of age has three days of unexcused absences, he or she is considered a continuing truant. Families will receive a three-day letter notification. Habitual Truant MN Statute 260C.007 Subd.19 states that when an elementary child is absent from school without lawful excuse for seven days, he or she is considered a habitual truant. Families will receive a seven-day letter notification. Attendance Procedures Staff members monitor student attendance and work with families to ensure regular school attendance. If a student starts to show a pattern of missing all or a portion of the school day, staff will contact their parents. If a student has excessive absences (excused or unexcused), an administrator may become involved. District Policy and Procedure 503 should be consulted for further questions regarding reporting procedures.
Cell phone policy
Recent legislation required school districts to have a cell phone policy. After feedback from staff and families last fall, our district updated 505 Policy: Student Cell Phone and Technology and adopted 505 Procedure: Student Cell Phone and Technology.
I. ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS: No cell phones allowed during the academic school day.
A. GENERAL STATEMENT
Students are discouraged from bringing cell phones or other electronic devices including smart watches, headphones and earbuds/air pods to school. If students choose to bring a cell phone/device to school the expectations are the cell phones, electronic devices including smart watches and earbuds/air pods will remain in the student backpacks/lockers during the academic school day, including lunch, passing times and other non-instructional time. Staff will be mindful of their use of personal devices and model appropriate use.
B. EXPECTATIONS
The following expectations are consistent with and in addition to what is listed in Policy 505 Student Cell Phone and Technology.
1. Students who need to be in contact with their family during the academic day are to ask permission to use one of the school phones. Parents are welcome and encouraged to contact the building’s main office if there is a message that needs to be relayed.
2. Students assume the risk of damage, theft or loss when choosing to bring a phone or device to school. Students who choose to bring a phone or device to school must keep the phone or device in their locker or bookbag and the phone or device must be turned off so that it does not make noise, including vibration.
3. Students may use their cell phone, smart watches and earbuds/air pods before and after the academic school day, for the following reasons:
i. Checking in or responding to family members.
ii. Sending and receiving appropriate communication with friends.
iii. Sharing school-appropriate material with friends.
Coffee with the Principal
An opportunity to connect, gather feedback, and be available to answer questions.
Have questions? Contact: Mrs. Ness at nesse@district279.org
Friday, October 10th
10:00 a.m.
Elm Creek Media Center
What is the St. David’s partnership at Elm Creek?
Future Dates:
Friday, November 14th, 9:30 a.m., Elm Creek Media Center - What do Gifted and Talented Services look like at Elm Creek?
Monday, December 8th, 10:30 a.m., Annabelle House in Osseo - What is SOAR and SOAR support all about at Elm Creek?
Friday, January 9th, 10 a.m., Elm Creek Media Center - What do math and reading interventions look like at Elm Creek?
Friday, February 13th, 9:30 a.m., Elm Creek Media Center - Budget time for 2026-27 school year. Come give your feedback.
Friday, March 13th, 10:30 a.m., Elm Creek Media Center - What do kids do in the Media Center at Elm Creek?
Monday, April 6th, 10:30 a.m., Annabelle House in Osseo - It’s testing time, and my child has testing anxiety. What can I do to help?
Friday, May 8th, 10 a.m., Elm Creek Media Center - St. David’s will share Summer Tips for your child.
Educational Benefits - why should I apply?
it is still important for families to fill out the Educational Benefits application on EduTrakConnect to take advantage of several benefits available to families who meet income requirements, including free or discounted costs for the following:
- Field trips
- Band instruments
- Comcast internet for home
- Xcel Energy account assistance for electricity bills
Additionally, the state of Minnesota uses a school district's percentage of qualifying students from applications completed and approved prior to Oct. 1 each year to calculate each district's funding level. School district funding impacts class sizes, number of support staff the district can hire to help scholars and extra programming opportunities.
Please fill out the Educational Benefits application today to make sure your family can take advantage of these and other benefits!
Apply using EduTrack Connect:
- Link to EduTrakConnect is on the website in Family Access menu
- Sign up for account or log in
- Click on fork and knife icon
- Click on blue icon that says “apply for free/reduced benefits.”
To bypass creating an EduTrakConnect account, access the application directly.
Volunteer
To get involved in the school community, check out district279.org/community. You'll find information on volunteering, advisory committees and more.
Social Media
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