October Family Newsletter

Principal Corner: A Strong Start to the School Year

The school year is off to a great start! Students are already learning and growing academically and making new friends.

I want to extend a warm welcome to all new Garden City families—we hope you are feeling connected and supported in our community. At Garden City, every student experiences belonging, learns in ways that affirm who they are and amplify their voice, and develops the ownership and agency to thrive in school.

September was busy with

• Tree Planting Celebration. What a joyful day! Students, staff, and families came together to plant new trees with our partner, Tree Trust. Special thanks to Ms. Lee for sparking the idea. The smiles, teamwork, and excitement made it a day our students will remember for years!

• Practice Drills - Lockdown and Evacuation

• Opening a new playground which is 95% complete

Thank you for your continued partnership in making Garden City a place where Every Voice. Every Day. is celebrated.

With appreciation,

Principal Branch

💥💥 OCTOBER!!! 💥💥

10/10: Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration: 2:15-3:15pm

10/10-10/20: ParentVue Conference Portal "OPEN" to schedule your own Conference time on ParentVue

10/16-10/17: MEA Weekend (NO SCHOOL)

10/23: Picture Day!

10/30: Trunk N Treat: 5:00 - 6:00 pm

Upcoming Family Engagement Events

Hello Garden City Families!
We’ve got some amazing events coming up — and we would love for you and your family to be part of the fun. Mark your calendars and get ready to celebrate, connect, and create lasting memories together!

Hispanic Heritage Celebration

Friday, October 10 @ 2:15pm

Join us at Garden City as we celebrate the vibrant cultures, history, and contributions of Hispanic communities. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and families to learn, share, and honor this rich heritage together.

Districtwide FACE Team Hispanic Heritage Celebration

Friday, October 10 at 5:00 PM

📍 Park Center Senior High School
Get ready for a bigger celebration the whole family can enjoy! There will be delicious food, live music, cultural displays, family-friendly activities, and more. This festive evening is perfect for all ages — don’t miss the chance to come together with families from across the district for a night of fun and culture!

Trunk-N-Treat

Thursday, October 30

Let the fall fun begin! Our Trunk-N-Treat event gives students a safe and exciting way to collect treats. Right from decorated car trunks and their favorite teachers in costume! It's not every day you see your teachers handing out candy in spooky flamboyant outfits — you know our scholars are going to love it!

We can't wait to see you at these events. Let’s come together to celebrate culture, community, and fun at Garden City!

With excitement,
Felicia Cornell
Family Liaison

Parent Vue

Parent Vue is a web application used by Osseo Area Schools for parents to access their child's report card, sign up for conferences, view health information, etc. It is critical that all parents/guardians have access to Parent Vue. To use, simply install the app on any smart phone and create your account. To ensure confidentiality, each student has their own access code.

Please go to the main office/or call 763-561-9768 for your child's special access code (if you do not have your Parent Vue set up yet).

All back to school forms MUST be completed and/or verified to enter ParentVue for the first time each school year. ParentVue will prompt you to do this when you login. Be sure to select the begin registration button. You will have to verify ALL CHILDREN in your home, even young siblings!

Late Arrival

A late arrival will be marked for students that arrive at school after 9:40am. Late arrivals can be marked as excused, or unexcused, based on reasoning. Arriving at school on time is incredibly important for your child so they are a part of all classroom community building and learning opportunities.

Birthdays/Celebrations

Out of respect for instructional time, family and religious choices, and many food allergies, birthday treats are NOT permitted in the classrooms. This is a district wide policy.

Arrival and Dismissal for Students Who Are Parent Pick-Up

Students should arrive at school NO EARLIER than 9:10 am as there will not be adult supervision.

Students should be picked up from school NO LATER than 4:00 pm

• We begin to call family numbers at 3:50pm
• There is NO left turn into the parking lot. Cars need to line up on 65th Avenue facing East so you make a RIGHT turn into the Family Pickup Zone.
• Do NOT block the bus lane.
• Do NOT park on the street or stop in the line to send someone to get your student(s). You need to line up in the line like all other families. When in line, you need to stay in line, waiting your turn like other families.

*IMPORTANT END OF DAY NOTICE*

To ensure the safety of all our students…

If there are ANY changes to pick up at the end of the day (example- your student(s) being a parent pick up instead of taking the bus home, or a different family/friend picking up etc) please notify the

OFFICE NO LATER than 2:30pm.

Call 763-561-9768

Bus Transportation Information

As a reminder, transportation is only available to students who live within the Garden City attendance boundaries.

If you have further transportation questions, need to make changes to your student's bus information, etc. please email transportation at BusQuestions@district279.org. or call at

763-391-7244.

Please make sure you download the new FirstView 1.0 Bus Tracking App for all the latest bus real time bus route timing and info. More info below.

FirstView 1.0 Bus Tracking App

Download updated bus tracking app to receive real-time info

Stay connected with your student's bus via our updated bus tracking app – FirstView 1.0.

This new app replaces the previous system with improved features such as easier navigation, notifications and family/caregiver email alerts. Current users should delete the previous app and download FirstView 1.0 to continue receiving real-time bus information. Refer to the Getting Started guide for first steps once the new app has downloaded onto your device.

Questions? Visit district279.org/FirstView or email support@myfirstview.com.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

Download updated bus tracking app to receive real-time info

Stay connected with your student's bus via our updated bus tracking app – FirstView 1.0.

This new app replaces the previous system with improved features such as easier navigation, notifications and family/caregiver email alerts. Current users should delete the previous app and download FirstView 1.0 to continue receiving real-time bus information. Refer to the Getting Started guide for first steps once the new app has downloaded onto your device.

Questions? Visit district279.org/FirstView or email support@myfirstview.com.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership.

The application for educational benefits takes just a few minutes to complete, and it unlocks valuable support for families who qualify. Benefits include:

• Summer grocery support (Sun Bucks)

• Discounted home internet and utilities

• Lower college exam and AP fees

• After-school and summer programs

• Tutoring and academic help

• Low-cost community transit

• Free or discounted admission to museums, theaters and local events

How to apply:

• Online through EduTrakConnect at www.district279.org/FMA. This option will create a family account allowing online access to view meal accounts.

• Online at: bit.ly/3hWdk7Q This option will bypass making a family account while still allowing completion of the application.

Information regarding applications for educational benefits

• We still want to encourage families who have not been directly certified through programs such as SNAP to fill out applications for educational benefits.

• Letters were mailed earlier this month to families who qualify for educational benefits via direct certification through these programs. The letters state that they qualify. Families that qualify based on these programs do not need to fill out an application.

• It is beneficial for families who did not receive this notification to fill out an application as it may impact federal Title funding and may help the families and student qualify for other benefits.

• We cannot require a family to fill out an application or offer incentives for a family to fill out the application.

• This year, as with years past, we have mailed post cards with a link to complete applications for educational benefits to all households. We also send paper applications to each site to have on hand in the office. The paper applications, the post card, as well as the Nutrition Services website has a QR code, and links to a fillable online form that’s available in 5 languages.

• Below is an example script you may use to send communications to families if you’re interested.

WHY FILL OUT AN APPLICATION FOR EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS WHEN MEALS ARE ALREADY AT NO COST?

Our school offers healthy meals each day. Breakfast and lunch will be available to students attending school in person at no cost for school year 2025/2026. Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important! Your child(ren) may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees at school. Your application may also help the school qualify for important education funding. (If you received a letter this summer stating you qualified for educational benefits, you do not need to fill out a form again this year)

We encourage families to fill out an application for educational benefits at the beginning of each school year. The benefits of filling out an application and being approved (or qualifying) may include but are not limited to the following:

• Applications completed and approved prior to October 1st will help provide funding for the school your child attends which can be used to provide additional resources that benefit students.

• Testing fees for the ACT, SAT and AP Fees may be discounted as well as field trips and band instruments.

• Reduced Internet rates with certain providers.

• Athletics fees waived or reduced.

There are three easy ways to apply for free or reduced priced meals:

1. Online through EduTrakConnect at www.district279.org/FMA. This option will create a family account allowing online access to view meal accounts.

2. Online at: bit.ly/3hWdk7Q This option will bypass making a family account while still allowing completion of the application

3. Scan the QR code (attached)