Robbinsdale Area Schools

Student Handbook

Dave Engstrom

Welcome

Dear Robbinsdale Area Schools Family,

This is an important publication that sets out the rights and responsibilities we share as participants in the education of our students. While the details matter, the key messages of this Handbook come down to the following:

Students:

  • Try your best to come to school every day.
  • Treat everyone with respect, kindness, and patience.
  • Enjoy learning!

Families:

  • Know that our school and district staff are here for you, too.
  • Help your student understand their responsibilities to others.
  • Contact us with your questions or concerns.

For our part, the staff members of our district promise to:

  • See, hear, and know every student.
  • Strive to understand what makes each student unique.
  • Keep our schools vibrant places to learn.

When each member of our district community does these things, we know our schools, programs and activities will be vibrant, nurturing places to learn.

Thank you for your attention to this document, and have a great year.

David Engstrom
Superintendent

2022-23 Student Handbook
Rights and Responsibilities

One student is reading while another student works on their laptop in the classroom
A student concentrates in class.
A student practices the cello

Safe and Civil Schools Statement

Robbinsdale Area Schools recognizes the importance of supporting a positive school climate and culture, and providing supports to students and staff across the district. We have adopted Safe and Civil Schools as the framework for enhancing learning and engagement across all school settings. The goal of Safe and Civil Schools is to support teachers and school staff to create workable, effective solutions to problem behaviors at school. In addition to the district-wide Handbook, each school has developed school-wide expectations/behavior plans, and licensed teachers have their own classroom management and discipline plan(s) aligned with the philosophy of Safe and Civil Schools. This plan includes strategies for teaching and encouraging expected behaviors. Each teacher communicates their plan to parents/guardians and students - including strategies for teaching and reinforcing behavior and strategies for providing consequences for both positive and negative behavior.

Shared Responsibilities

Increasing Safety, Engagement and Responsibility

The safety and security of all students are our highest priorities, and we are committed to providing an enriching learning environment. Our intention is to provide positive, corrective instruction to students who fail to meet behavioral expectations. To ensure a positive learning environment, students, parents and guardians, and Robbinsdale Area Schools have important roles to play.

High school students work on a project together.
Middle school students work on a group project.
Elementary students in their classroom

Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a framework for helping all learners succeed by matching interventions, instruction and assessment to their personalized needs. MTSS includes social and emotional learning (SEL) and academic instruction and supports.

Goals for the Student Handbook

At Robbinsdale Area Schools, our goal is to create a safe and supportive climate and culture for all of our students. Each year, the School Board of Robbinsdale Area Schools adopts a Student Handbook to provide guidelines for the teaching and implementation of expected behaviors.

Students must follow the Handbook before, during and after school while inside school buildings, on school grounds, and at school-related activities and events. Students also must follow these rules while traveling in Robbinsdale Area Schools vehicles. When misbehavior involves communication, gestures or expressive behavior, the infraction applies to oral, written or electronic communications, including but not limited to texting, emailing and social networking.

FAIR Crystal Student Council
Students make silly faces during lunch
An elementary teacher works with a student one-on-one

Additional Expectations and Guidelines

Levels of Corrective Strategies

Support Options

Parent/Guardian Guide and Refusal to Student Participation in State-Wide Testing Form

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and alternate assessment, Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS), are the state-wide tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards and meet the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Students take one test in each subject. Most students take the MCA, but students who receive special education services and meet eligibility criteria may take the MTAS.

The ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs are English language proficiency assessments used to meet federal and state legislative requirements. These assessments are used to monitor English learners’ progress as they develop academic language skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

PLEASE NOTE: Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment scores are used in determining course placement at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. A student’s MCA score could potentially save families significant money by demonstrating that students do not need to take noncredit-bearing developmental courses. For more information, please visit MDE’s website.

Additional Resources