North Branch Area Public Schools

NBAPS FTC Robotics is sending two teams to the state FTC Robotics Championships at Burnsville High School, February 14-15! Friday night is inspection and judging with competition on Saturday beginning at 8 am. The two teams are as follows: 7288 (green shirts): RoboGlaciers Rylee Zarbok Ava Gardner Rosina Gilkerson Eliana Smit Tori White 8638 (red shirts): FIRE Moxy Schaal Reid Glover (Gracie) Lucas Meyer-MS Jamison Zarbok-MS Joey St. George-MS Karen Yang Lea Rehm-MS For more details, see the schedule in the photos. SKOL! and good luck to all!

✨ Drop In and Play – Free Event! ✨ 📅 Tuesday, February 11 | ⏰ 5:00 - 6:30 PM 📍 North Branch Area Education Center Bring your little ones and enjoy a fun-filled evening of play, learning, and connection at our Move & Learn room and ECFE classroom! This is the perfect opportunity for kids to explore, grow, and engage while caregivers connect with others. ✅ No cost, no registration – just drop in! 📞 Questions? Call 651-674-1220 📍 38705 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN 55056 Tag your friends and spread the word! 🧸🎨✨

Quarter 2 Honor Roll and On a Roll students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 were recognized this past week and a whole bunch of photos of students are posted to Facebook . Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/nbapschools/posts/pfbid0yB8yKRZFkixMqVzjV1UPJEzwjqQhguQ43fUnAAUGWsrG36ipd8Sms835RX8BYSQBl

Second grader Mattias Bigbear will be competing at the 35th Annual World Championship Hoop Dance Contest at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ February 15-16. He will be traveling with his mom and grandparents to attend the event. Last spring, Mattias was selected to be NBAPS' first Jr. Brave Royalty by the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee! Mattias recently showed off his hoop dancing skills at a presentation on January 13 for his 2nd grade peers. He has been practicing daily since he started hoop dancing as a kindergartener to increase how many hoops he can dance with as well as his showmanship. Good luck in Arizona Mattias!

Coming up in Community Ed! Valentine Cookie Decorating Class Feb 13 / 5-7 PM Trees Feb 13 / 6:30-8:30 PM Blueberries in Your Own Garden Feb 13 / 6-7 PM Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

📣 Tonight is the night! 🎉 Parents of incoming kindergartners, join us for our Parent Information Night! 📅 When: Tuesday, Feb. 4 ⏰ Time: 6 – 7:30 PM 📍 Where: North Branch Area Education Center (38705 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN) 💡 What’s in it for you? Learn all about what North Branch Area Public Schools has to offer your future kindergartner! Get your questions answered and feel prepared for this exciting milestone. BONUS: Child care is available! Let's get ready to welcome the Class of 2038 and our newest Vikings! 🛡️🖤❤️ Tag your fellow parents and spread the word. We can't wait to see you there! 📞 Questions? Call us at 651-674-1220.

🌟 Celebrating Our Amazing Kindergarten Students! 🌟 On January 23, our incredible kindergarten students had the special honor of leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the School Board meeting! 🇺🇸✨ They also wowed the audience with a brief instructional presentation on early reading skills, guided by Mrs. Gillquist and Mrs. Daas. A huge congratulations to the students recognized for exemplifying our building-wide expectations of being Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn, and Safe! 🎉 Their hard work, enthusiasm, and leadership were on full display, and we couldn't be prouder. Thank you to our families for your support and to our students for making this a night to remember! 💙👏

Interested in attending NBAPS' Friday, Feb. 14 Patron Tour? Patron Tours start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. Guests enjoy refreshments in the morning, tour every site in the district, and finish the half day with a lunch provided by high school ProStart students. In between guests visit classrooms and talk with staff, students, and leadership. It's a great way to learn more about NBAPS from early childhood all the way through high school! To attend, contact Pat Tepoorten at 651-674-1018 or ptepoorten@isd138.org.

Congratulations to these awesome students, they are headed to the DECA state competition! Below are the names of the students, the category they will be competing in, and how they finished at districts. Best of luck at state!: ASM: Automotive Service Marketing - Jacob Laqua (3rd place) MCS: Marketing Communications Series - Brianna Bjerketvedt (4th place) PBM: Principles of Business management - Ella Kuhlman (2nd place) PSE: Professional Selling Event - Brianna Bjerketvedt (2nd place) SDH: Sales Demo Hard - Jacob Laqua (4th place) ESB: Start-up Business Plan - Elizabeth Nelson (6th place) Principles of Entrepreneurship - Elizabeth Nelson (6th place) SEM: Sports and Entertainment Marketing - Ashley Bistodeau (3rd place) Both Valerie Zarbok, and Addyson Lelm are also going to state for "Principles of Finance".

Excitement is growing for Joe Beckman's FREE community event on Thursday, Feb. 20. Join us and reclaim human connection! The event is sure to inspire and illuminate. We'll see you there!

Coming up in Community Ed! Galentine's Candle Making Class Ages 15 and older Feb 4 / 6-8 PM Winter Tennis Camp - Grades 2-5 Starts Feb 4 / 2:45-4:15 PM Winter Tennis Camp - Grade 6 Starts Feb 6 / 3-4:30 PM Learn the Sport of BMX Bike Racing Feb 6 / 5:30-7:30 PM Good Night Moon with Kidcreate Studio (18 months-6 years) Feb 5 / 5-6 PM Alcohol Ink Feb 5 / 6:30-8 PM Floral Design of the Month-Valentine Design Feb 12 / 6-7:30 PM Posture and Osteoporosis Workshop: Building Better Bones Virtual Workshop Feb 11 / 6-7:30 PM Social Security Facts and Strategies Feb 11 / 6:30-8 PM Pickleball Lessons Starts Feb 10 / 5-6:30 PM Come and learn how to play Pickleball in a fun event. Peiwu has 8 years of Pickleball experience and will coach you on how to play. At the end of each training period we will have a mini round robin tournament where you will be able to showcase your newly acquired skills against players of equivalent skill levels. Bring your own racket or use one of ours. Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

NBAHS ProStart students William Warner and Ady Schloer are featured in the Star Tribune this week, making their smoked salmon crostini at a January 22 fundraiser at the Four Seasons in Minneapolis. SKOL! and congrats to William and Ady! Read the article here: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-high-school-chef-prostart-culinary-restaurant-program/601214099 (Photo by the Star Tribune's Jeff Wheeler)

Mark your calendars for the Feb. 15 pickleball tournament! Register by Feb. 7, see flier for additional details. Proceeds from the tournament will be donated to the Veterans Memorial. Sponsored by Community Ed and the North Branch Beautification Association.

Thanks to Full draw Outdoors for donating a case of arrows to help the AFJROTC program get its archery program up and running. See the full story at the AFJROTC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/18cgR6TCkD/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Viking Newsletter - January 2025 is now available! Click the link to view: https://secure.smore.com/n/2ufxs

Next week is NBAEF's Restaurant Week! Visit restaurants on the days listed on the flier and a portion of the cost will be donated to the North Branch Area Education Foundation. See the flier for details specific to each restaurant and thanks to the restaurants and the NBAEF!

🚀✨ Out of this world! Our kindergarteners and full day preschool students at the North Branch Area Education Center had an unforgettable experience on Wednesday, Jan. 22 with a visit from a traveling planetarium! They explored constellations, the moon, and the wonders of space, all while marveling at the magic of the stars up close. 🌟 This amazing opportunity was brought to life by the Bell Museum and funded through generous community support during last spring's Viking Fun Run Fundraiser. THANK YOU for helping us create moments of wonder and discovery for our students! 💙

📣 One Week Away! 🎉 Parents of incoming kindergartners, join us for our Parent Information Night! 📅 When: Tuesday, Feb. 4 ⏰ Time: 6 – 7:30 PM 📍 Where: North Branch Area Education Center (38705 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN) 💡 What’s in it for you? Learn all about what North Branch Area Public Schools has to offer your future kindergartner! Get your questions answered and feel prepared for this exciting milestone. BONUS: Child care is available! Let's get ready to welcome the Class of 2038 and our newest Vikings! 🛡️🖤❤️ Tag your fellow parents and spread the word. We can't wait to see you there! 📞 Questions? Call us at 651-674-1220.

Milestone reached! NBAHS Autos 3 students are now doing oil changes.

We are so excited to announce that our One Act Play cast & crew are advancing to sections this weekend! If you would like to catch them in action, come see their free public performance on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 6 pm at North Branch Area High School's Edelstein Auditorium. "Once Upon a Pine: The Adventures of Pinocchio" is a fun, family-friendly show!