St. Francis Area Schools

08/31/2026

🎉 It's Open House week! We are excited to welcome our students and families back to the buildings! Here is the Open House schedule for families to get the 2026-27 school year started right!

08/28/2026

👋 Meet the newest principal in the district: Jamie Studnicka of Cedar Creek Elementary School! Principal Studnicka was welcomed (back) to the district in June and is ready to lead CCES in 2026-27! See what he is looking forward to in 2026-27 and learn about a few of his favorite things!

Meet the Principal: Jamie Studnicka! Hear from new Cedar Creek Elem...

08/28/2026

📩 You've got mail! The Fall Community Education Catalog is hitting mailboxes and features offerings and opportunities for all ages!

💻 Check out the digital version and view all classes at www.isd15.org/sfce.

08/27/2026

🎉 Congratulations to St. Francis Middle School 6th grade social studies teacher Ted Gehring on being named the 2026 Minnesota History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History!

🇺🇸 This distinguished award recognizes exceptional K-12 educators for their remarkable work in teaching American history.

🗣️ Mr. Gehring, who is entering his 20th year in the district, said, "My goal is that my students leave our classroom better understanding the craft of a historian and have the opportunity to help create public facing history that helps tell a better, more complete story of our past."

🗞️ Read more about Mr. Gehring and the award - https://bit.ly/4xo85BZ

08/26/2026

👀 View the latest Community Happenings newsletter, which highlights community and community education opportunities!

Community Happenings - August

08/26/2026

🥕 Apply for Educational Benefits today! The Nutrition Services Department provides healthy meals each day to students. Although student meals are free for the 2026-27 school year, families are encouraged to fill out the Application for Educational Benefits to potentially qualify for other programs such as Summer EBT and receive discounted fees.

The application also helps the school qualify for additional education funds and discounts. A new application must be submitted each school year and can be found on the Nutrition Services website at www.isd15.org/nutrition.

08/25/2026

🌟 St. Francis High School was awarded a 2026 Star of Innovation Silver Award from Horance Mann and the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) for schoolwide interventions in literacy and math!

Staff implemented strategies across the content areas which ensured students had multiple opportunities to practice and master those strategies. These efforts resulted in a 12% gain in the school’s Math MCA scores for the 2024-25 school year.

SFHS Assistant Principal Jennifer Bobbe proudly presented at the MASSP Summer Conference in June to share the school’s intervention success story with other administrators from across Minnesota.

🗞️ Read more - https://bit.ly/4caseD9

08/24/2026

🚨 Parents and community members are encouraged to apply for the St. Francis Area Schools District Advisory Committee! Help us equip and empower all students to achieve their dreams! Visit www.isd15.org/news to learn more and apply!

Committee members needed in the following categories:
• Up to three K-5 parent representatives
• Up to three 6-12 parent representatives
• Up to three residents without school age children, non-representative of local business or industry
• Up to three resident representatives of local business or industry

08/21/2026

💪 Fall sports began this week! Be sure you are ready for the season by downloading the Bound app, which is your new one-stop app for schedules, tickets and more!

📱 Learn more about Bound - https://bit.ly/BoundChange

08/21/2026

🧑‍🍳✏️🧘 The St. Francis Area Schools Community Education Adult Enrichment & Fitness program offers recreational and learning opportunities for adults of all ages! Courses, both in-person and online, offer affordable, fun and convenient lifelong learning opportunities. Plus, check out the Lunch Bunch series, a monthly gathering with top entertainment by popular local artists.

Recreational and learning opportunities are available for adults. Courses, both in person and online, offer affordable, fun and convenient lifelong learning opportunities.