(12/22/2023) Over the years, fourth grade students at Rum River Elementary School have helped provide warm blankets through many different organizations including the Alexandra House, children’s hospitals, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Department and nursing homes. 

This year, fleece blankets will be donated to Anoka-Hennepin’s Family Welcome Center, the district intake office. The Family Welcome Center meets with multilingual families who are new or returning to the district and new to the U.S. and supports families with school enrollment and offers English Language assessments. 

Fourth grade students and their families at Rum River donated fleece and on Dec. 22, 6 fourth-grade classrooms assembled 116 blankets to provide for new students. View photos from the assembly day. 

“The fleece blankets made by our elementary students to welcome their new classmates are an incredible gesture of Minnesota love and kindness,” said Kari Xion-Carlson, multilingual learner and district cultural liaison. 

The blankets help new students feel truly welcome as there may be anxious or uneasy feelings when going to a new school.