Five Things to Know as St. Michael-Albertville Students Head Back to School

Five things every parent (and student) should know before heading out the door for the first day of school today.

1. Start times: Remember, each level of education (there are four in the St Michael-Albertville School District) start and wrap up at a different times.

Morning kindergarten students at Albertville Primary start their day at 7;45 a.m. and are released at 10:15 a.m. Afternoon session starts at 11:30 a.m., with dismissal at 2 p.m. Full-day kindergarteners (Kindergarten Express) are in class from 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Elementary students (St. Michael, Big Woods, Fieldstone) are in session from 7:45 a. m. to 2:15 p.m.

Middle School Students (STMA East and ) run from 8 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. After-school activities for middle-schoolers typically begin at 3:30 p.m.

The opens to students at 7:30 a.m., but classes run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

2. Bus Information: Parents should be able to access all necessary bus route information through the School View Portal, which is located on the STMA School District’s website. If you are a first-time rider, or are a kindergarten student, information was sent out the last week of August.

Parents who don’t have the proper information should contact Rita at 763-497-6500, ext. 5100 for more information.

If you’ve changed personal information (pickup address, drop-off address) for a student, call immediately at 763-497-2585 so adjustments can be made. This includes daycare drops.

3. Weather: Today’s weather is going to make kids wish they were still enjoying vacation. Tuesday’s high is set for a perfect 72 degrees, with a low of 49. A jacket might be required at the bus stop in the morning, but probably won’t be needed at recess or on the way home.

4. Kids Play: The St. Michael-Albertville School District offers a somewhat unique feature with its after school programs, Kids Play, which is run through the office. Kids Play spots are full for this school year, but if you are interested for 2012-2013 you should e-mail LisaB@stma.k12.mn.us. There is already a waiting list for next year.

5. New, but not so new administrators: Dr. Jim Behle will enjoy his first official school day as superintendent of St. Michael Schools today. Behle joined the district last year, working as a superintendent-elect of sorts. With Dr. Marcia Ziegler’s retirement, Behle is now the point man for District 885.

At the high school, Mr. Bob Driver takes over as principal, after servings as assistant principal under Dale Carlson. Jeff Scherber is back as an assistant, and is joined by former dean of students Jolene Herfel. The dean of students position at the school has been eliminated, so no new faces join the high school–just new places for Driver and Herfel.

Bonus item: This year’s kindergarten class could be the largest in the district’s history (according to census information), with nearly 450 students. With four straight classes at or above 400 students, the future looks bright for the high school, which was built to handle 1,800 to 2,000. Last year there were more than 5,100 students in the district.