News for May 14, 2021

Vaccine and Testing Information
Vaccines are Now Available to Students Ages 12 and Up
Starting today, May 14, Minnesotans age 12- through 17-years-old can get vaccinated at state sites that have the Pfizer vaccine available: Bloomington (Mall of America), St. Paul (Roy Wilkins Auditorium), Lino Lakes, and Oakdale. 
We strongly encourage all students ages 12 and up to get the Pfizer vaccine as soon as possible. Getting our students vaccinated will help keep us on track for a school experience that resembles what we are used to and will help protect those who are not yet able to be vaccinated, like younger siblings.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective in adolescents. Adolescents, like adults, may have some side effects after vaccination, which are normal signs that their body is building protection. If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine or any other vaccines your child may need, talk to your child’s health care provider.
How Minnesotans Can Get Their Shot at No Cost:
  • Vaccine Connector: Sign up directly for an appointment at one of the state Community Vaccination Program locations at VaccineConnector.mn.gov. 
    • Walk-ins for Minnesotans ages 12+ will be accepted at state community vaccination sites administering Pfizer vaccines in Bloomington (Mall of America), Saint Paul (Roy Wilkins Auditorium), Lino Lakes and Oakdale. 
    • Walk-ins and appointments for Minnesotans 18+ are accepted at all sites.
  • Vaccine Locator Map: Use the Vaccine Locator Map to search for providers who are offering COVID-19 vaccine to Minnesotans ages 12 and older.
  • Vaccine Finder: You can also find COVID-19 vaccine appointments at Vaccines.gov, which allows you to filter by vaccine manufacturer and search for only Pfizer vaccine appointments.
  • Health Care Provider: You can also contact your child’s primary health care provider, local public health department, or a local pharmacy. 
Masks Still Required in Schools and on Buses
Even with changes to masking requirements announced yesterday, masks must continue to be worn by everyone inside school buildings or on a school bus. We will communicate any changes to this policy in the future, but at this time, we anticipate that masks will continue to be required through the remainder of the school year.
Regular Testing is Important for All Students
We are at a critical point as COVID-19 cases continue to rise—especially among younger Minnesotans. We must take action to keep our students learning in-person and participating in activities.
We strongly recommend that all students get tested for COVID-19 every two weeks to help reduce the spread of COVID at school. Students who participate in sports or other in-person activities should take a COVID test every week. Frequent testing helps us to continue to offer in-person learning and extracurricular opportunities, especially with the increasing spread of virus variants in our state.
COVID-19 saliva testing is free and available to the whole family. If your student or other family members take a home saliva test, they can bring the completed test to the school health office the next day and we will deliver it to UPS for you. We hope this will make it easier to get your students tested.
Finance Update
Where Do Schools Get Their Money?
One of the ways local communities support their schools is by approving referendum requests for “operating levy” funds. Operating levies provide extra funding for critical school costs, such as teachers, classroom supplies, custodians, food service staff, instructional materials, teaching assistants and more.
Some facts about Roseville Area Schools' operating levy:
  • We have not asked our community to increase the operating levy since 2006.
  • We have one of the lowest voter-approved operating levies of neighboring and comparable districts. This results in less funding to support school operations, classroom materials, teachers and support staff.
  • Our operating levy will expire if voters do not renew it in November 2021, which would mean an $8 million loss in revenue each year for our district. 
  • Mounds View Schools receives nearly twice as much in per-student funds through its voter-approved operating levy as we do.
  • We receive nearly $200 less per student in voter-approved operating levy funds than the average of the 42 metro area school districts. This results in more than $1.5 million less in local revenue each year.
  • Although voters approved bond funds for building construction four years ago, those funds cannot be used to help operate schools. Bonds are for buildings, levies are for learning.
Roseville Area Schools has one of the lowest voter-approved operating levies of neighboring and comparable school districts, giving us less funding to support our schools, staff and students.
School Nutrition
Get Your Applications for Education Benefits In ASAP! 
Meals will continue to be free for all students regardless of income through September 2021.
Even though meals are automatically free during the pandemic, all families should submit an application for free or reduced-price meals. Completing an application can help your school get crucial funding.
Complete the application before the end of the school year at https://frapp.isd623.org/.
News From Around the District
The staff at Emmet D. Williams Elementary were featured in the Star Tribune and took the top prize in the district's recent School Spirit Week contest.
Students even joined in the superhero fun!
Superhero custodial staff, keeping the buildings safe and clean!
Friendship Connection staff represent!
RAMS students with donated food items.
RAMS Social Justice Group Holds Food Drive
Roseville Area Middle School (RAMS) students Lorin Koch (8th grade), Samara Schwabenlander (7th grade), Bella Lawson (8th grade), and Ms. Pankonin organized a food drive this week. The students are part of the RAMS Gifted and Talented Education Social Justice Group. The group is raising student awareness about social justice issues and providing a platform for RAMS students to share social justice concerns through public service announcements (PSAs).
This first PSA focused on raising awareness about the RAMS food pantry and encouraging community members to donate.

The group collected more than 700 food items, enough to stock the RAMS food pantry and send surplus over to Roseville Area High School (RAHS) for their food pantry. Great work everyone!
Central Park students wore blue during Staff Appreciation Week to show school spirit and support to their school staff.
Parent Pride Nights at Central Park
Through Fall 2020 and Winter 2021, Central Park Elementary parents and care providers were invited to attend Parent Pride Nights. Parent Pride was hosted by Central Park's fabulous student support team: Michele Wackman, psychologist; Maria Hughes, social worker; and Will Britt, student success coordinator. Discussion topics related to both distance and hybrid learning models such as creating schedules, mental health, sleep, and study habits. Time for questions followed.
Not only were these well-attended events an excellent chance to connect families that otherwise might feel disconnected during the pandemic, but the evenings also included language interpretation channels with Nepali, Somali, Spanish and Karen interpreters. This addition to the traditional Zoom meeting opened up greater communication and has become a learning model for other schools. 
Our schools are always innovating to make information and engagement available to all families!
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