North Branch Area Public Schools

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!

📚✨ What an Amazing Night at Book BINGO! ✨📚 Wow—our Book BINGO event for students in grades K-5 was a huge success! 🎉 The room was filled with excitement, laughter, and lots of happy faces as students played BINGO and won some incredible books, generously donated by Books For Better MN. 🍿🎶 Snacks were enjoyed, books were chosen, and memories were made as students shared the evening with their parents, grandparents, and special adult friends. The energy in the room was contagious, and it was heartwarming to see so many young readers eager to dive into their new books! Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this event such a hit. Your support of community education and the love of reading is what makes our events so special. 💖 📖 Let’s keep the momentum going—stay tuned for more fun and engaging community events coming soon!

Exciting science experiments at Youth Connections recently. We had a blast creating rainbow rain clouds and making our own lava lamps!

Coming up in Community Ed! Medicare 101 Jan 28 / 6:30-8:30 PM Abdominal Strengtheners That Won't Stress Your Back/Neck Virtual Workshop Jan 28 / 6-7:30 PM Breakfast Meal Prep Jan 28 / 6:30-8 PM T. Swift Era with Kidcreate Studio (Ages 5-12) Jan 29 / 3-4 PM Floral Design of the Month Jan 29 / 6-7:30 PM Chiropractic Care & Wellness For Infants and Toddlers Jan 30 / 7-8 PM Nautical Painting Jan 30 / 6:30-8:30 PM Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

SKOL! and congratulations to NBAMS Math League! It completed its season earlier this month by taking first, second, and third in its final meet! The first photo is first, second, and third place (l to r: June Peterson, Lucas Meyer, Fisher Nigbor). The second photo is the first place team (June Peterson, Madisyn Gruetzman, Lucas Meyer, Fisher Nigbor, John Steffen and not pictured: Oliver Krosschell, Christian Sanders). The third photo is of the third place team (Ashtyn Haseltine, Keila Garcia-Velazquez, Logan Marthaler, Sophie Podoll, Joey Graupman and not pictured: Emmett Fritsch). The fourth photo is a Math League team photo.

🌟 Sibling Smarts: Raising Lifelong Friends and Occasional Rivals 🌟 📅 Date: Tuesday, Jan. 28 ⏰ Time: 5–6:30 PM 📍 Location: North Branch Area Education Center (38705 Grand Ave.) 💲 Cost: $10 per family (includes dinner!) Join us for an engaging class designed to help parents build positive sibling relationships and reduce conflict at home. Learn practical strategies to: ✅ Manage disputes ✅ Encourage cooperation ✅ Address jealousy ✅ Balance attention among siblings Parents will attend the session while children enjoy story time, activities, songs, and exploration in the Move & Learn room! Dinner will be served from 5–5:30 PM. 🎉 Register today at: www.nbaceonline.org or call 651.674.1220. Don't miss this chance to strengthen your family bonds! ❤️

Tired of winter? Let Chisago Age Well and our panel of local presenters brighten your day. Join us for food, fellowship, and loads of information on events, resources and activities that can help bring joy to your life not only in winter but year-round! Chisago County Public Health will provide a resource table at each event, and you’ll leave with a helpful list of community programs, activities and resources. The event is Feb. 13; see flier for additional details.

Save the date! SRC Robotics Team 3038 is hosting an open house and demo on Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 - 7:30 p.m. at Chisago Lakes High School. For further details, see the flier.

JOB OPENING: School Nurse (long-term substitute) Assignment is for 46 days, approximately April 3 through the end of the school year, June 9. Shadow days will be available before assignment begins and potentially extended days after the school year ends, if needed. This position will primarily serve students in grades 6-12, and also the Life Work Center (young adults with disabilities ages 18-21). Current School Nurse license issued through PELSB preferred; Registered Nurse (RN) license considered. Teacher Salary Schedule if licensed through PELSB, or $30.00 to $40.00 per hour. Apply here: https://www.applitrack.com/northbranch/onlineapp/jobpostings/view.asp?internaltransferform.Url=&category=Miscellaneous&AppliTrackJobId=1605&AppliTrackLayoutMode=detail&AppliTrackViewPosting=1

Joe Beckman brought his message of self-worth, resilience, confidence, joy, and strong connections to students and staff earlier this fall. Now it's your turn! Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 - 7:15 p.m., NBAHS auditorium. See flier for frequently asked questions.

SKOL! and thanks to the wonderful ladies at the NB American Legion Auxiliary who brought donated school supplies to the Middle School earlier this week!

Staff from NBAPS and Anderson Koch Ford came together Wednesday afternoon to celebrate student Vince Crudo (center in blue/green hoodie), who recently completed the Ford Ace Program. The Ace Program consists of 16 online training modules that prepare students to become an automotive technician. Vince is the first student in NBAHS history to complete the program, and he did it in a record time of only one semester! As well as numerous staff and Autos students in attendance, Vince's folks were on hand for the celebration, as were Jim Johnson and Patrick Fossum from Anderson Koch Ford. Way to go Vince! SKOL!

Last week, the AFJROTC program was at NBAMS to introduce 8th grade students to the exciting world of JROTC! Cadets led immersive activities, giving students a hands-on experience with leadership, teamwork, and life skills that help them succeed in high school and prepare for college and careers after graduation. See more photos at the AFJROTC Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KPE5JRzfr/

The NBAHS gymnastics team was invited to the MN Gymnastics Coaches Association True Team Meet on Saturday, Jan. 25! Only the top 10 highest scoring teams in the state for Class A were invited to compete. North Branch along with 2 other Mississippi 8 teams of Monticello and Becker are part of this elite meet. The meet is being held at Big Lake High School, competitions starts at 12 pm. SKOL! and way to go!

NBAMS 6th grade Spanish students spent a week creating games to teach Kindergarten Spanish students basic conversation words. The 6th graders then visited the Ed Center and spent the class period teaching and playing their games with the younger students. Sounds like fun!

SKOL! and congratulations to senior Ella Kuhlman - she scored her 2000th career point in a 56-55 win over Zimmerman on Thursday night. She scored a career high 39 points in the game and for the 2nd time in a week broke North Branch's single game scoring record (34 pts at Grand Rapids on 1/4, 39 pts at Zimmerman on 1/9). Ella also scored 30 pts in another close 58-56 victory over Cambridge-Isanti on Tuesday. The team is 9-4 this season, highlighted by their first win against section opponent Grand Rapids in over 2 decades. The Vikings host Princeton in a boys/girls doubleheader on Tuesday at North Branch Area High School. Varsity boys play at 5:15 pm, followed by the Varsity girls at 7 pm.

All are invited to join NBAPS for a FREE fun and inspiring talk about building self-worth, resilience, confidence, joy, and strong connections. Joe Beckman brought his message to students, now it's your turn! Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 - 7:15 p.m. See flier for more details.

The North Branch Educational Center received two new murals over winter break. The helmet logo is located in the cafeteria. The horn tips are over 11’ off the floor! The Viking “V” is located just inside the front door. Middle school art teacher, Lee Ann Falen, completed the murals and is pictured for scale along with her granddaughters, Reyna and Veyda.

Mrs. Falen's 8th grade art students just finished their weaving unit while working on inkle looms. The word "inkle" means strap or band, so these looms are designed to create long, narrow weavings. We have 18 inkle looms and a plethora of colorful spools of cotton warp, thanks to a grant through the North Branch Area Education Foundation. Students worked with a team of 3-5 students per loom and learned weaving vocabulary, including: warp, weft, heddles, shuttle, tension bar, shed and fringe. Everyone took their turn "stringing up" their chosen color of warp on the loom, applying heddles to hold each of the top warp strands in place and weaving at least 3" of the team weaving. After the team weaving is complete, students can sign up to work on the loom on their own and choose their own length, width, colors and pattern if they'd like. Students were very excited and surprised when they cut their completed weavings off the loom!

📣 Attention Parents of Future Kindergartners! Join us for Incoming Kindergarten Parent Information Night at North Branch Area Education Center! 🗓 Date: Tuesday, February 4 🕕 Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM 📍 Location: 38705 Grand Ave, North Branch, MN Come learn about our kindergarten program and all it has to offer your child. Plus, child care will be available! 🎉 Let’s give a warm welcome to the Class of 2038 – Future Vikings! For more information, call us at 📞 651-674-1220. We can't wait to meet you and your future kindergartner!