PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE PAGE 2
New tastes put to the test : Students serve up opinions on future school meals
Getting ready for school : Easy as 1-2-3 !
Families should prepare children for preschool and kindergarten now , if they are considering a start in the fall .
Anoka-Hennepin Schools is excited to welcome your child to school . While school doesn ’ t start until September , preschool and elementary school teams are working now to ensure that your child ’ s school experience is positive .
If your family is thinking about starting preschool or kindergarten in the fall , follow these three steps to get started :
1 . Verify that your child meets the requirements for school .
Preschool : Your child will be three or four years old by Sept . 1 .
Kindergarten : If your child will be five years old on or before Sept . 1 .
If you haven ’ t already , complete an early childhood screening . Call 763-433-4910 .
2 . Enroll online so we can save you a seat !
When it comes to determining which new foods make the cut for school menus , Anoka- Hennepin asks the people with the most important palate : Students .
The Director of Child Nutrition , Noah Atlas , collaborated with Coon Rapids High School Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Aimee Halvorson and approximately 30 students in her Culinary and Nutrition class to sample and provide helpful feedback on food items under consideration for school menus this spring , and next school year .
Paris Hampton and Jack Borchart sample and judge menu items during a recent taste test .
The taste testing process is an important step in ensuring efficiency . The district currently serves an average of 27,500 lunches per day , and 11,500 breakfasts ; so when the district commits to purchasing a meal option - it must purchase thousands of each item for over 40 school sites across the district , and be confident that students will prove it ’ s an appetizing option .
• Foods sampled included Maple Chicken Sausage and Waffle Egg and Cheese sandwiches as possible new breakfast items .
• For lunch , students dished their opinions on a new Chicken Caesar Salad , Red Beans and Rice , Chicken Wings , Chicken Tikka Masala , Birria Dip and Barbeque Beef Sandwiches , Turkey Kielbasa , Chicken Gyros and a Caribbean Chicken Bowl .
Student input allows for the most favored items to be piloted at some district schools to see how the options perform on serving lines , and from there , some items are added to the menu at all schools for the 2025-26 school year .
Currently , Orange Chicken is the most popular meal option among Anoka- Hennepin students at all grade levels . n
Most popular taste test items were :
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• Maple Chicken Sausage Breakfast Sandwich
• Chicken Wings
These new items will be offered to students in school cafeterias beginning in the spring of 2025 .
Menu items piloted this spring :
• Turkey Kielbasa
• Chicken Gyro
Preschool : Visit ahschools . us / preschool for enrollment details and to register to attend the preschool information night .
Kindergarten : Visit ahschools . us / enroll for kindergarten information .
3 . Make a plan to attend information and welcome events .
Once you enroll online , you will receive details via email from your child ’ s preschool or elementary school about registration and welcome events .
Preschool : Information event March 20 from 4:30 – 6 p . m . or 6:30 – 8 p . m . at the school district Educational Service Center ( 2727 N . Ferry St ., Anoka ).
Kindergarten : Registration events will take place March 27- April 24 . Schedules vary by school . n
School Board members and Superintendent McIntyre joined district and community leaders for a ribbon cutting of the new Alley & Ave located at the Sandburg Education Center in downtown Anoka .
Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting celebrates Alley & Ave in Downtown Anoka
Anoka-Hennepin ’ s student-focused Alley & Ave retail boutique is now open in Historic Downtown Anoka , building employment skills for students and value for shoppers . The Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting to welcome this new retail outlet to the community .
Alley & Ave is open to the public to shop home decor , gifts and furniture refurbished by students . The store provides hands-on experience for special education students who are part of the district ’ s work-based learning program , TEAM ( Teaching Employability through Assessment and Manufacturing ), a program designed for high school and transition-aged students to grow additional skills before seeking paid employment .
The new location in Anoka is part of
a relocation of district programming from leased space in Andover to facilities already owned by the district . The store was formerly known as Say It Again when operating from the Andover location . Along with the retail store , Alley & Ave includes a design lab , classroom and manufacturing shop where students paint , build and repair used housewares donated by the public .
Alley & Ave is located at the Sandburg Education Center , 1902 2nd Ave . in Anoka ( Enter from the Second Avenue side of the building from the alley side of the building ). Hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a . m . to 2 p . m . except on school release days along with periodic evening hours . Furniture donations are welcome during operating hours . Steve Christnagel is program coordinator . n
Students have access to a shop area to restore materials for Alley & Ave . The new location includes a design lab , classroom and manufacturing shop where students paint , build and repair used housewares donated by the public .