February 08, 2025 - Issue 12

February

*** No After School Classes on Feb 13 due to Student Parent Teacher Conferences

*** No School Feb 14 due to Student Parent Teacher Conferences

*** No School Feb 17 - President's Day

11 - Dining for Dollars - Chipotle 4-8pm @the 7644 Lyndale location in Richfield

12 - PTA Open House - media center room 204 5:30-6:30pm

13 - 7th History Day @Anthony (7th and 8th grade swap lunch due to History Day)

• We need volunteers! Parents from other grade levels welcome to help out.

13 - Student Parent Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:30

14 - Student Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00-12:00

17 - NO SCHOOL - President’s Day Holiday

18 - 6th & 7th Grade (next year’s 7th & 8th Grade) Course Registration Day

20 - 4th Annual Black Excellence 5:30pm

21 - Panther Pride Winter Awards 8:40am

21 - 7th Grade Project Success Field Trip (7th grade eats lunch early at 10:15 2nd hour)

27 - 6th Grade Target Field Trip (6th and 7th grade swap lunch)

🚩 Click to view full calendar of events

Note: This is not a complete list of events at Anthony. Subject to change.

🚩 Let's help each other out!

If you need to pick up your student during the school day, we ask that you PLEASE COMPLETE THE ATTENDANCE FORM or have your student BRING IN A WRITTEN NOTE so they can get a leave early "green" pass to come down. This would really help us not disrupt class and ensure your student is ready for pick up in a timely manner.

Illness Policy from MPS

Anthony Families,

This is the time in the school year where illnesses may be adding up. The health office will be involved in reported illnesses as they reach a certain number of days. Here is the policy from the district documentation.

Illness. An absence due to illness may be excused by the following means:

• written verification from a health care professional; or

• verification from the school nurse; or

• a note from the student’s parent, or the student (if eighteen or more years of age),

• however if the length of the illness is greater than six days, or if the student has accumulated more than ten days of absence during the school year, the parent should contact the school nurse, or provide a health care professional’s written verification.

Please report an absence in one of the following ways:

• Attendance phone line 612-668-3271

• Nurse phone line 612-668-3265

• Google form Anthony Attendance Form

• Written note given to the Main Office

Please provide documentation in one of the following ways:

• Google form Anthony Attendance Form

• Written note given to the Main Office

• Note from the healthcare provider

Attendance Calls and Emails

We are aware that occasionally absence calls and emails are going out related to Period 25. This period is designated for after school and special project classes and does not affect your student's school record. If you report an absence to the school and you still receive a call or email for Period 25, please disregard. We apologize if this has caused concern.

Our 7th-grade Language & Literature students are embarking on an exciting and thought-provoking journey that combines literature, history, and speech writing. They will soon be reading John Lewis's graphic novel "March," a compelling account of the civil rights movement. This engaging format brings history to life, allowing students to visualize and connect with the struggles and triumphs of the era. As they explore the themes of "March," students are also honing their persuasive writing skills, learning to craft compelling arguments, consider different perspectives, and tailor their message to specific audiences.

The culmination of this unit will be a social justice speech project. Students will choose a topic they're passionate about, research their chosen issue, develop persuasive arguments, and craft a compelling speech. Topics may range from climate justice and education equity to mental health awareness and food insecurity. This project not only enhances students' public speaking skills but also encourages them to engage with important societal issues, fostering a sense of civic responsibility and empowerment.

By combining historical context, literary analysis, and practical communication skills, this unit prepares our 7th graders to be informed, articulate, and engaged citizens of the future. It's an inspiring example of how education can empower young people to find their voice and make a difference in their communities.

The 7th grade Exploratory Art students here at Anthony create a set of nine Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). They learned how to identify the theme of different works of art, then created their ATCs with a unified theme of their choice. The focus of this assignment is on planning and development of ideas, being mindful of their own creative processes, and creative problem solving. Students even had the option to collect and trade cards with each other at the end of the unit!

Exploratory Art students will also create kinetic art by designing agamographs (a form of art composed of two or more separate images, that change as the viewer moves around them). The theme of their agamographs is “opposite pairs”, where students used a mind-mapping technique to brainstorm what opposite pairs they wanted to incorporate into their agamographs. This included aesthetic opposites such as complimentary colors or black & white, as well as conceptual opposites like emotions, nature, or social influences.

Another project in Exploratory Art is a Post-Impressionism yarn painting of landscapes. Students learn the difference between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and create a fiber art landscape using different yarn textures learned in class. They then compare similarities and differences between the reference photo and their final art piece.

Attn 6th and 7th grade families -

On Tuesday, February 18th, students will have the opportunity to select their elective classes for the upcoming school year during their Minnesota Studies and U.S. Studies classes.

To help them understand their options, a short video will be shown. After viewing the video, students will complete a Google form to indicate their selections.

We encourage you to discuss the available elective options with your child prior to the 18th, ensuring they are well-informed about their choices. For detailed information on the courses available, please refer to the Registration Course Guide linked below.

• For current 6th grade families: bit.ly/AnthonyGrade7CourseGuide

• For current 7th grade families: bit.ly/AnthonyGrade8CourseGuide

***8th grade students attending Southwest HS next year will be hearing from them this Spring regarding 9th grade registration.

You can contact megan.gustafson@mpls.k12.mn.us with questions.

Hello Anthony Families, here is a link to Know Your Rights through the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. It provides helpful and clear information on several topics that focus on guaranteed rights under the Constitution, whether those are LGBTQ+, student rights, or Immigration. The information is available in several languages.

Hola familias de Anthony, aquí hay un enlace para Conozca sus derechos a través de la Unión Estadounidense de Libertades Civiles de Minnesota. Proporciona información útil y clara sobre varios temas que se centran en los derechos garantizados por la Constitución, ya sean LGBTQ+, derechos de los estudiantes o inmigración. La información está disponible en varios idiomas.

Please plan to attend our 4th annual Black Excellence event on Thursday, February 20 at 5:30pm. The event is open to all students and families. Entertainment and presentations by Anthony students. Dinner will be provided with dessert made by our very own Anthony after school cooking class.

Anthony Middle School was well represented at the Minneapolis Nordic Ski Conference Championships at Theodore Wirth Park on Jan. 28. Eighth graders Keira Bell, Nora Prekker, and Nora Deisz were pivotal in helping the Southwest High School Girls Nordic Ski Team win the team competition. All three placed in the top 10 overall (Keira Bell, 4th, Nora Prekker, 5th, and Nora Deisz, 8th). All three of these skiers have been selected to compete on the SWHS Nordic Ski Team.s Section 2 Championship Team on Feb. 6 as the team strives to qualify for the MSHSL State Nordic Skiing Championships. In addition to these girls, two eighth grade boys, Cadel Graham and Sam Dahlquist, will also be racing for the SWHS Nordic Ski team at the section meet.

Tickets on sale now for Hot Notes 2025, Southwest High School's performing arts biggest event of the year. Enjoy a night of performances, dancing, food and drink. Join us in celebrating and supporting the future of performing arts.

Remember when I told you about Anthony History Day?? It’s nearly here!! On Thursday February 13th, Anthony History Day will take place in the media center. We need MANY volunteer judges (only 75 of 140 slots are filled!) to talk with the students about their projects so please sign-up for a shift or two. This is a great opportunity not only for parents but for interested grandparents, aunts, uncles & others in your child's life who enjoys history & a peek into middle school projects.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B49A8A62CA0F49-54311717-history

Black Excellence Event - 2/20

Plan to attend this fantastic event! The presentations, performers, and a meal with the Anthony community makes this an event not to miss. If you are interested in helping out with the event, we could use a few volunteers with decorations and set-up between 3-5pm on February 20.

Plan ahead - get these other dates on your calendar for volunteering and supporting important Anthony events!

Pi Day - March 14th

Spring Musical: High School Musical - March 19th thru March 22nd

8th Grade Model UN - March 21st

Anthony Family Day - May 22nd

Any questions about volunteering can be directed to Kelsey Tritabaugh at ktritabaugh@gmail.com

DINE FOR DOLLARS

Chipotle - Tuesday, February 11 from 4-8pm (use promo code RBGRZD7)

READ FULL DOCUMENT LINKED HERE

In the event of inclement weather or other reasons, Anthony Middle School will not transition to Distance Learning unless there have been two (2) prior school closures due to weather conditions. Starting on the third severe weather closure, Anthony Middle School will implement a Distance Learning Day, and families will be notified accordingly. This is determined by district leaders at Minneapolis Public Schools, not at the individual schools.

For more information:

• Severe weather information
• District eLearning information

WHAT IS NEEDED

• Any device (phone, tablet, ipad, computer, laptop)
• If your child does not have access to any of the above devices, please complete a Chromebook Permission Form and turn it into Ms. Nevers in the media center who will then issue your child a Chromebook.

WHAT IS EXPECTED

On Distance Learning day, all Anthony students would log onto Google Classroom for Advisory + each of their classes. In each Google Classroom, do two things:

1. Answer the attendance question for each class by 3:00pm.
2. Complete the assigned learning activity posted (teachers would have reviewed this in class).

WHAT TO KNOW

• Teachers will post lessons/activities for students to complete prior to the start of the school day by 8:40am.

TEACHER/STAFF OFFICE HOURS

• Teachers/Staff will have open office hours available via Google Meets and will also respond to emails and messages from students.
• Office hours are from 8:40-9:30am and 1:00-1:45pm
• Go to meet.google.com and enter the meet nickname: AnthonyTeacherLastName (example: AnthonyDeering)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Throughout the school day, if you have questions you may contact your teacher through email or you can arrange to set up a separate Google Meet time if needed. Be sure to reach out so you get the help you need!

Anthony Staff Directory: https://anthony.mpschools.org/about/staff-directory

Please make sure the following forms are filled out and turned into the main office. Forms can be downloaded or picked up in the main office.

• Emergency Contact Form -- (required)

• Media Release Form -- (required)

• Student Behavior Acknowledgement Form -- (required)

• Technology/Bus/Cell Phone Form -- (required)

• Technology Use Pledge -- (required)

• Health Form -- (required)

• Medication Authorization Form -- (only applicable if student takes medication at school)

• Family Activity Form -- (only if student will be absent more than 3 days in a row during school year)

Life gets busy. In case you missed an issue of the Panther Post Newsletter, click here to read them.

Attendance Line: (612) 668-3271

Anthony Attendance Form

District Transportation: (612) 668-2300

Secretary: Annie Smith

Office Assistant: Julie Robertson

Principal: Mai Chang Vue

Associate Principal/Athletic Director: Dempsey Miller

Website: anthony.mpschools.org/

Address: 5757 Irving Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55419

Phone: (612) 668-3240
Facebook: facebook.com/AnthonyMiddleSchool/
Instagram: @mps.anthonymiddle