Spring Lake Parks Schools students headed into fall break after four weeks of a new, unusual school year. This year, four weeks of continuity in learning feels like a milestone to celebrate.

There are several ways – including many that are free – to get tested for COVID-19. A community testing event in Anoka County, Oct. 13-15, 2020 is one, along with other options happening throughout the state.

Natalie Horwath, a senior at Lighthouse School for Gifted and Insatiable Learners, has been named a National Merit semifinalist. More than 1.5 million juniors entered the competition last spring by taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). Natalie was 1 of only 288 Minnesota students to qualify as a semifinalist.

The first week of the 2020-2021 school year sure didn’t look like any other school year. Spring Lake Park Schools started the year with students in two different learning models and learning at school and at home. What wasn’t different from other years? That first week energy.

Breakfast and lunch are being provided at no cost to all enrolled students through an extension of the USDA Summer Food Service Program. Spring Lake Park Schools' Nutrition Services Department participates in the federal program which has been extended through December 31, 2020 ​and for as long as federal funds are available.

Minnesotans over the age of five are to wear a face covering in all public indoor spaces and indoor businesses beginning July 25, 2020. This includes school buildings, the district office or while riding school transportation.