Please see the attached communication for full details of the items below.

Spectrum Community,

We hope your summer is going well and you are thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather and time with family and friends.

Please see the file above for updates on the following:

1. Board Election Results;

2. Three Rivers Montessori (Planned) Merger;

3. Calendar Updates (Including Placement Testing);

4. Tech Updates;

5. Enrollment Information;

6. Open Positions;

7. Traffic Concerns, City Intentions, and Immediate Task Force Needed;

8. Graduation;

9. Staff Recognition; and

10. School Supply Lists.

Hello and welcome or "re-welcome" to Spectrum Elementary!

As the school year is just around the corner, I want to welcome you to the 2026-27 school year and the unique programming of Spectrum Elementary School (SES). Many of you already received this communication, but we wanted to send it again as a reminder from this spring and as a way to begin connecting to those families that are newly added. 

I want to apologize and clarify a miscommunication that was a part of some district information that said there will be a 5th Grade Orientation. The feedback we received last year led to our focusing 5th grade on connecting with teachers during Open House (Thursday, August 20) and then with peers the first days/week of the year rather than in an orientation format. I am sorry if this caused any conflict.

Lastly, I invite you to read the attached letter and watch the linked VIDEO so you know that attending SES gains your child a supportive, personalized environment where each student belongs because each child is known and valued for who they are.We are truly excited for the incredible year of growth that is coming.

For now, enjoy the final few weeks of summer, and we will see you soon.

Greg Heinecke 
Elementary/Middle School Principal

Hello from Spectrum Middle School!

In about a week and a half (August 13), we are hosting the 6th Grade Orientation and are excited to invite your child to this event. 

Attached is the copy of our letter with important preparation information.

• it will be held in the Middle School (17823 Industrial Circle) in the sixth grade wing of the Athletic Complex (please use that entrance).
• the timeframe is 9:00 - 11:00 am with doors opening at 8:40.
• students should wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
• they should bring certain supply-list items if possible.

Communication should be sent to Mr. Dylan Steensland with any questions or concerns.

Finally, for those that are in Beginning Band, please also mark your calendar for Instrument Fitting Night later that evening, and look for more specific details coming soon. This event is from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Spectrum Elementary building: 11044 Industrial Circle, NW, Suite A Event Entrance.

Again, welcome to the 2026-27 school year! We are excited to meet our new 6th graders!

Please see the attached communication with important updates about the beginning of the school year.

Please see the attached communication for information and updates on the following:

1. Open House tomorrow (12-6 p.m.)

2. Spectrum Schools Celebrating 20 Years!

3. Release Perks for Juniors and Seniors

4. Transportation/Busing

5. Traffic Concerns Update

6. Dress Code and Handbook Reminders

Please see the attached communication for updates on the following items:

1. Northstar routes updated for Tuesday, Sept. 8

2. Veterans Day Speaker Request;

3. Volunteering at Spectrum;

4. Mens' Morning Basketball;

5. Job Opportunities;

6. Last Day for Pictures;

7. Conferences - (including information on meals for teachers, counseling services, and lost and found);

8. Adult Strength and Condition Classes; and

9. Friends of Spectrum Happenings (including BINGO)

Please see the attached communication for important updates.

Spectrum Families,

Open House will take place on Thursday, August 21 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Please see the attached Open House Checklist for information on what to bring with you and what to expect at Open House. We're excited to see you in two weeks! Be sure to check out our new facilities and grab a hotdog and chips while you're there!

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES (2025-2026 SCHOOL CALENDAR)

● Thursday, August 14 - Student Orientation

-5th Grade (12:30-2:30 p.m. in the elementary building)

-6th Grade (8:30-11:00 a.m. in the middle school building)

-9th Grade (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. in the high school building)

● Thursday, August 14 - Pre-Open House Pictures (3-7 p.m.) in the high school gym

● Thursday, August 21 - Open House (12-6 p.m.) Get a jump start and skip the line at Open House.

● Monday, August 25 - First Day of School (7:25 a.m. start for all students)

The 2025-2026 Spectrum School Year Calendar can be found on the Spectrum website here.

Spectrum Families,

It was great to see many of you at Open House! We are excited to welcome the students on Monday morning at 7:25 a.m.!

Attach to this communication, you will find NEW directions for drop-off and pick-up of all students in grades 5-8. Please review carefully. Thank you for working with us to ensure safe and orderly drop-off and pick-up.

In addition, please review dress code expectations for all students found on pages 32-33 in the 2025-2026 Student/Family Handbook located on the Spectrum website here.

We are looking forward to another amazing school year!

Please see the attached communication with some important updates and reminders after the first day of school. 

Dear Spectrum Community,

Please see the attached communication with important updates about (1) the attendance policy, (2) picture retakes this Friday, and (3) our Veterans Day speaker search.

Spectrum Families,

Please see the attached communication for important updates on the following:

1. Parent/Teacher Conferences

2. New Volunteer Program Roll Out

3. Middle School Winter Sports Mtg. (date change)

4. Mens' Pick-up Basketball

5. Job Opportunities

6. 2025 Annual Mtg.

Spectrum Families,

Spectrum believes that parents/guardians are students' primary educators! Parent involvement in children's education contributes greatly to their school success! As a result, Spectrum encourages and needs all parents to be involved/volunteer in some capacity and we want to make it as convenient as possible for you to do so.

After much anticipation, the time has come to launch VolunteerHub , the new volunteer management software at Spectrum Schools! VolunteerHub will streamline our volunteer process and help make volunteer opportunities more visible with easier sign-up and sign-in processes. It also has capabilities to send confirmation emails and reminder texts - plus an app is in the works.

Note: HelpCounter (the old software) has been discontinued.

In our ongoing efforts to prioritize student safety, Volunteer Hub requires background checks on file for everyone in Spectrum's volunteer database. As a result, each volunteer will need to follow the promptings on VolunteerHub for those submission details.

If you have not already created an account, please use this link to create your account.

Note: If you received a previous email (because you are a current lunch volunteer, a staff member who is also a parent of a Spectrum student, you have a current approved background check on file, or you are a parent of a fall 2025 student athlete) and you have not yet registered, please use the original email for reference to sign up and not the link below. This will avoid duplicates.

Sign up here to volunteer @ Spectrum Schools!

After you submit your background check information, you should be able to see all of the upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Note: If you have some hours accumulated for the current school year, the school will be adding those to VolunteerHub and you will receive a communication once that has been completed.

We may run into some bumps along the way as we are rolling this out and appreciate and thank you for your patience. We are still working on the site, so please know aesthetics and some formatting are likely to improve over time.

Please reach out with questions and I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion. 

Kind Regards,

Brianna Notsch
Events & Volunteer Coordinator

Spectrum Families,

Given the forecast for this evening and tomorrow morning, this is a good time to remind our families about the procedures in case school needs to be delayed, cancelled, or run virtually.

Page 9 of the 2025-2026 Student/Family Handbook lays out the School Closing Procedures.

School may be cancelled when the Executive Director believes severe weather or other circumstances threaten the safety of students and employees. Spectrum will make efforts to post school closing information by 6:00 a.m. in the following locations:

● Television: Channel 4 - WCCO; Channel 5 - KSTP; Channel 9 - KMSP; and Channel 11 - KARE;

● Spectrum's website: www.spectrumhighschool.org; and

● A text and email sent through the school's Infinite Campus Messenger System. Note: It is important that parents update their information and mark in Infinite Campus that they wish to receive text messages.

Students should take home the necessary materials (including their Chromebook) in case the school day is switched to an e-learning day.

Thank you for working with us to promote safety.