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Wolf Pack Press - September 2, 2026

  • 5 days ago
  • 3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Hope your summer holiday was relaxing! It seemed like only yesterday we were celebrating the Spring Carnival and last day of school—but now we must pack idleness away in the closet, next to the beach pail and flip-flops, because there is a whole new grade to learn! Thus we welcome you to a special Back to School issue of the Wolf Pack Press, St. Anthony Park Elementary's bi-weekly newsletter.

- Joel Van Valin




Upcoming Events



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  • ​Thursday, September 3 - SAP Elementary Open House, 4:30 - 6pm


  • Monday, September 7 (Labor Day) - Chalk the Walks & Welcome signs (1-5)


  • Tuesday, September 8 - First day of school! (Grades 1-5)

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  • Wednesday, September  9 - Chalk the Walks & Welcome signs (Kindergarten)


  • Thursday, September 10 - Kindergarten first day, coffee & donuts (Pre-K and K)


  • Friday, September 11 - Family Friday (enjoy coffee and bring a pastry to share in lunchroom after dropoff)


Meet Your Teachers at the Open House!

 

This year's SAP Elementary Open House will be this Thursday 4:30 - 6pm. Stop by and meet your teachers, drop off materials, and renew acquaintance with fellow students and parents. You can also bring items to restock the Teacher's Lounge!





Helpful Links

 

Here are some links to help you get the school year started!


  • Principal Hutcheson's welcome letter.

  • SAP Elementary school calendar. This has important school and no school dates such as MEA, conferences and winter/spring break.

  • SAPSA calendar. This has some overlap with the school calendar, but also includes SAPSA meetings and fundraisers. Like, wow, the Fall Festival is already coming up on October 9!

  • SAPSA volunteer page. This page lists SAPSA's open volunteer positions for the many fundraising activities we run throughout the year, and open positions on the SAPSA board. Please do consider volunteering for your school!



School Directory


The St. Anthony Park Elementary School Directory is the main resource for student and teacher contact information. It includes class and staff lists, as well as SAPSA, Advisory Council and district contact information. Thanks to Lea Chittenden for organizing the directory again this year!


We are getting an early start in compiling the School Directory for the 2026-27 school year. It will look somewhat like last year's directory, shown to the left.


Every family will receive a copy. You are not required to submit your contact information for the directory, but we encourage you to do so!


You can submit contact information online HERE.



 



Fall Bulb Sale


A SAPSA fundraiser is already underway! It is the Fall Bulb Sale, where you can buy alliums, daffodils, and tulips, tulips, tulips to plant in your flower garden this fall. The sale runs through 10/15 and the bulbs are shipped to your home in October. Remember, fall bulbs turn into spring flowers! Order bulbs here to support SAP Elementary: https://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/index.php/marketplace/seller/profile/shop/sapsa.





New Spirit Wear!


We have a new t-shirt design this year for Spirit Wear (thank you Allie Rykken!). Buy a t-shirt for you, your kids, or other loved ones at the upcoming Open House and at SAPSA fundraisers. Sales of the shirts support SAPSA, and are just plain hip to wear!



Why Is That Guy Still Here?


I said last June that my two-year stint publishing the Wolf Pack Press was regretfully at its end, and I was turning over the reins to the wonderful Lauren Cox. However, over the summer Lauren and her family found a wonderful new house in Stillwater and decided to move. So I will continue publishing the WPP for now. Thanks to Lauren for being our Volunteer Coordinator last year, and all the other work she did for the school!


If you are interested in taking over the Communications position on the SAPSA board for a couple of years, please contact me (Joel Van Valin) at communications@sapsamn.org. This mostly involves publishing the Wolf Pack Press, and is a great way for parents new to the school to get to know SAP Elementary. The position only takes a few hours per week (I swear!).




See you next week, Wolf Pack!

If you have suggestions for content or questions about anything in the Wolf Pack Press, please reach out to Joel Van Valin at communications@sapsamn.org


 
 
 

Wolf Pack Press - June 10, 2026

  • Jun 10
  • 2 min read

Welcome to the final issue of the Wolf Pack Press for the 25-26 school year! We will be back in late August with a new managing editor (Lauren Cox). In the meantime, enjoy your summer holidays!




Upcoming Events



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  • ​Thursday, June 11 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Wear school colors!

​


First Year Interview - A Few Questions for Ms. Vang

 

For our final interview of the school year, we caught up with Ms. Vang, who is completing her first year teaching at SAP Elementary.


Wolf Pack Press: Where have you taught before, and have you always taught 4th grade?


Ms. Vang: To kick off my first year of teaching, I won a Fulbright grant and taught in Thailand. I’ve also taught in South Korea. In Minnesota, I’ve taught at: Harding High School, Humboldt High School, and Battle Creek Elementary. I used to teach high school and middle school aged students. I’m dual licensed in MLL and elementary education.



What were your first impressions of SAP Elementary?


I loved how community-focused the school was!



What's your favorite thing about teaching 4th/5th Grade?


My favorite thing about upper elementary is the curiosity students have.



What memories will you take away from your first year here?


I will cherish the memory of watching my students play games for Field Day.



When you were a kid, did you like school?


I’ve always loved school! My favorite subject was English literature/writing as a student. Now, my favorite subject to teach is math.



Summer is coming! What book would you recommend for summer reading? What movie?


You can never go wrong with Lord of the Rings!



Spring Memories

 

Here are some photos from various spring activities at SAP Elementary and Wolf Ridge. Thanks to Anne Schoeder, Katherine Warde and Tari Hella-Yelk for the pictures!






Have a great summer, Wolf Pack!

If you have suggestions for content or questions about anything in the Wolf Pack Press, please reach out to Joel Van Valin at communications@sapsamn.org


 
 
 

Wolf Pack Press - May 28, 2026

  • May 28
  • 2 min read

Updated: May 29

Only 11 days of school left! Our penultimate issue of the Wolf Pack Press for this school year is short and sweet.



Upcoming Events



  • Friday, May 29 - Last day to claim items from Lost & Found

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  • June 1-5 - 5th graders at Wolf Ridge ​

​​

  • Tuesday, June 9, 5-8pm - 5th grade celebration and dinner

​​

  • ​Thursday, June 11 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

​


Games in the Park

 

Here are some photos from Race Day and Field Day in Langford Park. Thanks to Ms. Paulsen for organizing both events!






Spring Fundraisers - Thanks for Showing Up!

 

We had great fun—and also raised big bucks for SAPSA—with our rush of spring activities:


  • The Silent Auction racked up $4300

  • The Plant Sale grew to $15,398 this year ($12,404 last year—so, wow!)

  • The Spring Carnival netted around $7000

  • We were gifted close to $500 from the Sunrise Bank coffee fundraiser


Thank you to the hard-working volunteers who organized these events, and our wonderful treasurer, Breanna Mueller, for keeping track of it all!



History Lesson—SAP Elementary in the 1990s


Many SAP Elementary parents went to the school themselves, so I've been asking alumni to share their memories of our special school. (If you have memories to share, please send them to communications@sapsamn.org)


Here are a few notes from Rody Lageson, who attended SAP Elementary in the 1990s:


SAP Elementary is definitely different than when I attended in the 90s.  The portable classrooms on the Gordon Ave. side are long gone, the bathrooms are now single stalls, and the library has erupted upwards into the second floor.  The steady march of time has changed a lot of details around school.


But in more important ways, the school feels exactly the same.  Kids are excited to be at school.  Teachers and staff truly care about students.  Families contribute time and energy to help in many different ways.  SAP Elementary isn't special because of the building, it is special because our community shares a commitment to making the school great.  Thank you to everyone for the wonderful year, have a relaxing summer break, and we'll see you again in September.


SAP Elementary in 1955 (a brand new school). This photo from the St. Paul Pioneer Press is available through the Minnesota Historical Society.
SAP Elementary in 1955 (a brand new school). This photo from the St. Paul Pioneer Press is available through the Minnesota Historical Society.


Yearbook Pre-orders


SAP Elementary 2025-2026 Yearbook is still available for pre-orders!


Scan the barcode below or follow this link to order your copy:




Picture of hoodies in Lost & Found

Last Call for Lost & Found


Clothing and other items in our overflowing Lost & Found (located by the stairs near the cafeteria) need to be retrieved by their owners by May 29, so please stop by to search for your lost hats, hoodies, mittens, scarves, coats and other accessories.


Unclaimed items will be donated.




Have a great week, Wolf Pack!

If you have suggestions for content or questions about anything in the Wolf Pack Press, please reach out to Joel Van Valin at communications@sapsamn.org


 
 
 
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© 2026 The St Anthony Park School Association

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