Cahoots is a summer correspondence program designed to support learning and reflection skills. Memorable characters - Hoots, Boots, Marina, Stevie and Walter - guide children through a self-paced review of the school year. This process of review and reflection helps retain information and be sharp for the following school year.  Participants are paired with a Reflection Buddy who provides encouragement and responses to their reflections throughout the summer.

When you enroll in Cahoots, your child will receive:

• A fun workbook to help review Math and Language Arts
• Weekly reflections and a Reflection Buddy
• 6 weeks of lessons for entering K; 8 weeks of lessons for entering grades 1-6
• A game board to track progress

How Cahoots Works

• Workbooks are mailed to registered families the second week of June
• Youth complete one lesson in their workbook per week.  Lessons are 20-25 questions long.  
• Families or youth check their own answers online
• After completing each lesson, youth complete their weekly reflection
• Reflections give youth a chance to apply their skills through open-ended questions. Youth are paired with a Reflection Buddy who they mail their reflection to. The reflection buddy writes back each week.
• Youth who complete all reflections end the summer with a celebration

Grade Levels & Cost
Available for youth entering Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Families are encouraged to order the grade level their child will be entering in the Fall.

Cost for Entering K (6 lessons) is $32. 
Cost for Entering 1-6 (8 lessons) is $42.

A 50% discount is available for youth who qualify for free/reduced lunch.

Meet our 2022 Summer Cahoots Buddies!

Theo Quinlivan (they/them) has lived in St. Paul (almost) their whole life. They studied Theatre and Creative Writing at U of M Morris, and have continued their passion for writing after college. They currently teach creative writing classes with St. Paul Community Education. When not writing or teaching about writing, they love to read, play video games, and spend time with their friends. Their hair frequently changes color, though some at-home dye experiments are more successful than others. Some of their other favorites include: the color pink, bubble tea, experimenting with makeup, and cuddling with their cat.

Nikol Gordon (she/her) is originally from Montana and loves being outdoors. Not camping, she hates camping. OK, she also hates bugs. She likes the mountains and likes to hike short distances, preferably when it is cooler out. She also loves beaches and summertime. She has worked for St Paul Public Schools for over 17 years, 10 of those at Adams Spanish Immersion. Currently, she is a Flipside Site Coordinator at Highland Middle School. Nikol got her degree in Educational Studies from Augsburg College. She has two adult children and two dogs who she loves more than anything. She is known by her past Adams Spanish Immersion colleagues and students and some of her current students, for her crazy hair days, her crush on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and her goal of reading at least 100 books every year. She also loves all things pop culture: Star Wars, Marvel Comics, etc.  

Chris Ganzlin (she/her) has lived in the St. Paul area for many years. She has worked in Community Education since 2019 and before that spent most of her career at YWCA Minneapolis and the McKnight Foundation, supporting children and youth from across Minnesota. She has degrees from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Go Badgers! She travels back to Madison for Homecoming most years.  Chris has two adult children and loves hanging out with family and friends, all dogs, reading, hiking, playing games, and traveling. 

Norah Harper Godderz (she/her/they) grew up in Saint Paul and went to SPPS Open School. She found her passion for education and working with young people through her travels after graduating. She lived and taught in Senegal and France, so she speaks some Wolof and French (parlez vous Francais?). She is now happy being back in Saint Paul and is earning her teaching license. From the Twin Cities, to Senegal, to France she has always found one thing exactly the same: we all just like to have a little fun! She is excited to learn from her students as much as they will learn from her. In her free time, Norah likes to keep busy and can be found working on a new recipe, learning a new language, snuggling with her cat, exploring a new mountain bike trail, or catching up with a friend.