2025-2026 Back to School Welcome Letters

As we prepare for the 2025-2026 School Year, Warroad ISD #690 is requesting your support of a Capital Projects Levy this November.  As Superintendent I would like to explain What it means, When it takes place, Where to find information, Who it affects, and most importantly Why it matters.

What: A Capital Projects Levy enables school districts to seek voter authorization to provide funds for approved projects.

When: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Where: Information can be found on the Warroad Schools website at www.warroadschools.org as well as through an upcoming mail notice, during community meetings, Superintendent coffee times, and School News on KQ92. 

Who: The passage of this Capital Projects Levy will affect every student and staff member at Warroad Schools. 

Why: The biggest question of all.  In our current society we are dependent on functional technology to power much of what we do.  This levy is going to allow us to maintain proper devices needed to educate our students.  We are currently in the process of reevaluating our 1 to 1 device plan and beginning to roll back how many devices we utilize in the school.  Simply put, we are shifting to shared devices in early elementary grades, intentionally reducing screen time for our youngest students.  Despite needing fewer devices, we must remain current and use safe, supported devices which incur an annual expense upwards of 75 to 100 thousand dollars. 

Similarly, in order for our staff to properly deliver the content to our students, they require devices that are safe and functional.  This also requires a capital investment of 75 to 100 thousand dollars annually.  The infrastructure that allows the devices to function and provide safety and security of our network and student information consistently requires proper safeguards and updates.  We also utilize technology to keep our physical building secure through locking mechanisms and cameras which will utilize the remaining funds.

Simply put, we do not undertake this request lightly.  We are bound by specific funding streams and if this levy is successful, it will allow us to utilize these funds very specifically, granting us flexibility within the General Fund to continue to invest in our Staff, maintain our bus fleet, and make our school building a safe and secure environment for each of our children. 

I appreciate your support of our request that will allow Warroad ISD #690 to be a safe and secure place where every child can learn and grow.  

Welcome back! We’re so glad to have your children with us for the 2025–2026 school year!

To keep you informed and involved, we’re continuing to use Rooms, our two-way communication tool that helps you stay connected with your child’s teachers and school staff.

And this year, the experience will be even better. 

To get the most out of the new updates, be sure to download the Warroad Public Schools App, available in the App Store and Google Play. It’s the easiest way to get messages, announcements, and updates—all in one place, and always in our school’s brand.

What’s new this year?

• SMS Notifications
  You’ll now receive text message notifications whenever a new message or announcement is sent. Each text includes a direct link to view the content in your mobile browser or in the app.
  
  → Click here to learn how to set your notification preferences. 

• One Messaging Inbox
  Our school app has been updated to give you one, single place to see all of your messages across all children. From this inbox, you can read, reply, or start new messages.
  

• Upgraded Messaging Features
  And, our messaging experience now lets you react to messages with emojis, respond in threads, send photos and videos, mute group messages, and more! 

Check out this overview of the new experience, or watch this short video to learn more about what’s new for this year.

We’re here to help make communication simpler, more consistent, and easier to manage, so you never miss a moment in your child’s school experience.

Here’s to a great year ahead!

Time to Shine 
Early learners, elementary, and high school students and families are invited to join Warroad Public Schools in celebrating the upcoming school year during our Open House on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.  Meeting teachers, touring school spaces, and in-person support with ISD #690’s digital tools are opportunities for all. 

• Early Childhood Family Education hosts Kickoff to Kindergarten August 21, 2025. The Kickoff to Kindergarten experience will include an opportunity prior to Open House for students to walk into the building through the main entrance/bus entrance, open lockers, tour the cafeteria, gym, music, media center, and health office spaces and participate in an ECFE classroom activity.  During the separating portion of the ECFE event, I will share a Kindergarten A-Z presentation and offer a Q & A time with parents.

• Early Learners’ Center Extended School Year (ESY) programs were successful in the August session.  ESY supports continued practice of school routines and individual learning goals .

• Sending a shoutout to our Parent Teacher Organization and the Building Leadership Team for creating and sending Meet the Teacher scratch off postcards to students.  

• Math Expressions training involved Kindergarten - Grade 5 teachers.  The focus of Professional Learning Communities in the Elementary will be mathematics and the updated resources we have available through the curriculum.

• The Discipline Incident Reporting (DIRS) identifying specific behavioral challenges and responses in the 2024-2025 school year was submitted.

• Angle Inlet Elementary families received a Back to School email with details regarding the upcoming school year.

• Trimester schedules and classroom spaces for the 25-26 school year have been provided to teachers.  Student schedules will be available via Infinite Campus. 

• Middle level educators and support staff attended Responsive Classroom Core Course training August 4-6, 2025.  Learning centered on a review of developmental milestones and engagement in building an academic community where common expectations, routines, and citizenship practices extend the success of all learners.

Time to Shine 
The countdown to the 2025-2026 school year is on!  Preparations and planning to welcome students to school on September 2, 2025, are underway!

Fall sports have started at Warroad High School! Volleyball, Football, Cross Country, and Swimming have all started their seasons and will look to have a great year! We have a few new faces on the coaching staff this year. Jasmine Draper has taken over the helm for the volleyball program after long-time head coach Jeremy Culleton retired from coaching. Also, Jenna Olson takes over for Rebecca Willems at the pool. Jenna is a Warroad grad and long time swimming advocate. Cross Country coaches Rick McBride and Mary Mohrbacher will coach in their 37th and 20th season respectively. Football coach Brandon Barker will be in his 3rd season as the head coach, but 20th year in the football program. The V-ball team will begin their season on the road versus the Chargers of Grygla-Goodridge on August 25th, the swim team (called the North because of the coop with Roseau) will host Fosston/Bagley on the first day of school, the Cross Country team (boys and girls) will travel to Baudette for the annual AAA Booster meet on August 27th, and the football team will host Pillager on August 28th. School may not start until after Labor Day, but the Warroad High School campus is buzzing with students!

Have a great year and GO Warriors!

Hello everyone, my name is Meghan Carlson and I am the District School Nurse.  I cover PreK-12th grade.  I have a Health Assistant, Patty Heppner, that has been with me for 2 years.  We both love our jobs and the kids!  

If your child will be taking prescription medication while in the building, the following paperwork needs to be completed and the provider has to sign off on it.  

Medication Administration Form

Please bring in the medication during the open house at the school, in a prescription bottle with the appropriate information on it.  Any questions, you can email me and I will help you out.

Now is also a good time to get those well child visits done and vaccinations up to date.  The following link will take you to MDH's information on vaccinations for schools.  If you choose to opt out of vaccines, please follow this link for paperwork to fill out and hand into the health office. 

I look forward to another school year with ISD 690 and seeing all of the kids again!  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I am best reached through email meghan_carlson@warroadschools.org.

The Warroad Public Schools’ Special Education Department welcomes you to the 2025-2026 school year! The summer is a busy time around the school in preparation for the upcoming year. Our special education teachers have been busy with Extended School Year (ESY) services in both the elementary and high school. ESY services are for those special education students who meet very specific criteria, impacting about 10% of our students on an IEP.  A couple other teachers have been working with credit recovery in the high school. Credit recovery was available over the summer to any student in grades 6-12 who had some difficulty with classes during the school year. 

Getting back into the swing of school can be a challenge for students from kindergarten all the way through high school, and it's completely normal for them to feel "back-to-school jitters." These feelings can pop up for all sorts of reasons including nerves about a new teacher or having multiple teachers for the first time, worry about making friends, or stress over a tougher workload. While little ones might be anxious about being away from home, older kids could be feeling the pressure of balancing academics with extracurriculars, like the many opportunities offered at Warroad Public Schools. To help ease this transition, it's a great idea to establish routines before school even starts. By gradually adjusting bedtimes and wake-up times a week or two beforehand, you help their bodies get used to the new schedule. A predictable routine also lowers stress and nervousness because kids know what to expect each day, which ultimately sets them up for a more successful academic year

The Special Education Department at Warroad Schools is committed to providing opportunities for students with disabilities to achieve their fullest potential by ensuring access to individualized instruction, support services, and inclusive educational environments. Our goal is to empower students to develop academic, social, and life skills that will enable them to succeed in school and beyond. We work closely with families, educators, and community partners to create a collaborative and supportive learning environment that respects and values the unique abilities and contributions of each student. 

In keeping with our commitment to our students, we are seeking a few additional dedicated and compassionate paraprofessionals to round out our team and support students with special needs, learning disabilities, or those who need additional guidance. Paraprofessionals collaborate with teachers to provide individualized support, helping to foster students' academic, social, and emotional growth while promoting an inclusive classroom environment. We are looking for patient, adaptable people who are passionate about working with children. This position offers a family-friendly schedule that aligns with school hours and provides an excellent pathway for those exploring a future career in education.

• Things are starting to ramp up in the bus garage.

• We had our annual bus driver in service on August 7th.  We hosted Roseau and Lake of the Woods for this event.  Tracy Bergstrom and Kelly Johnson from the State Patrol presented for us.

• Routes are beginning to get put into place for the school year.  The last week of August drivers will time their route and call parents with pick up times.

• Our Annual DOT inspection is on September 9th this year.  

• Reach out if you have any questions.

We had a Joint Rec meeting and talked about the following items.  Looking to get prices and hopefully get a few projects done this fall.

• Looking to move outfield fences in on South Softball Fields

• Agrelime for every field

• Sand in outfield

• Signage for Tony Stukel Field

Upcoming Programs

• Drivers Ed

  • Begins 10/6

• Youth Volleyball

  • Begins 9/8

• Fall Firearm Safety

  • Begins 8/12

• Fall Trap League

  • Begins 9/14

• Warroad Youth Football League

  • Begins 8/14

Where Families and Education Come Together

Please visit our website at ( https://www.warroad.k12.mn.us/o/elc ) or scan the QR code below for current monthly calendars and scheduling updates.

Front Row: Brenda Solar and Cindy Drost
Back Row: Gus Booth, Blayke Nelson, Damian McMillin, and Marques Stricker

ISD 690 School Board

Warroad Public Schools’ Transportation Department offers before and after school busing for students.  If your family chooses to transport students, you are reminded of drop off and pick up lane procedures.  Drop off and pick up points are the Early Learners’ Center entrance and Warroad High School entrance.  The Elementary School Office entrance is not a beginning of school day drop off or end of day pick up point.  Please wait in your vehicles for students to be released by the school at the pick up points.  

Parents are important partners in education.  Please contact teachers directly via Schoology, email, or phone to share information and/or request meeting times.   

All visitors including student family members must check in at school offices when coming into the building during school hours.  Thank you!

Warroad Public Schools participates in the Minnesota Free School Meals Program. All students are offered one breakfast and one lunch at no cost each day of school.

Although no application is needed to receive this meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important. Families who qualify are eligible for other benefits, such as reduced (or free) fees on sports and activities, Chromebook insurance waiver, and Early Learners tuition.

Complete the Application Here

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www.warroad.k12.mn.us