Good afternoon Manara STEM Families,
What a great first week of school last week! The highlight of my week last week was seeing all of you and our scholars, from our newest Mini-Mavericks to our oldest Maverick 8th grade class of 2024! The smiles, hugs, and laughter as I entered each classroom made my week!
Individual classroom newsletters will be a part of the STEM Connect starting next week. For this week, look for your teacher to share information on their Class Dojo pages. If you have not connected with your scholar's teacher on Class Dojo yet, please reach out to them via email as to how to connect.
Please help me welcome a few new staff members for this school year! Ms. Ensaf is teaching Pre-K 3, Mr. Cravey is teaching 4th & 5th grade Math & Science, and Coach Smith is teaching PE. Within the newsletter is their contact information, as well as all our staff contact information. We are happy to welcome the new faces to our fantastic team!
Tomorrow morning from 8:15am until 9:15am or so there will be a "Visit with Vinten" time at the school. During this time you can come to learn more about plans for this school year, ask questions you may have, and share in some fellowship time with other parents and get to know our STEM community! It will be an informal meeting to visit with each other. I look forward to seeing all who are able to attend during this time! If you cannot attend, another Visit with Vinten meeting time will be set up in October.
My door is always open, and I appreciate the open lines of communication! I'm looking forward to seeing all our scholars by 8:00am to kick off our second week of school!
#MAWAY!
Principal Vinten
The mission of Manara Academy is to provide students with a creative, adaptive and ethical environment to become knowledgeable inquirers and future leaders in a diverse and evolving global society where we master languages, honor cultural heritages, and respect diversity.
We have a wonderful team here at Manara STEM! Please help me welcome new and returning teachers & staff members for this school year!
Pre-K 3: Ms. Ensaf - iodeh@manaraacademy.org
Pre-K 4: Ms. Lynch & Ms. Noor - llynch@manaraacademy.org , nabdulkareem@manaraacademy.org
Kindergarten: Ms. Dormier - gdormier@manaraacademy.org
1st Grade: Ms. Johnson & Ms. Waseem - ajohnson@manaraacademy.org , swaseemwaheed@manaraacademy.org
2nd grade: Ms. Lina - lidelah@manaraacademy.org
3rd grade: Ms. April & Ms. Cavitt - aray@manaraacademy.org , vcavitt@manaraacademy.org
4th & 5th grade ELAR/SS: Ms. Brockman - fbrockman@manaraacademy.org
4th & 5th grade Math/Science: Mr. Cravey - pcravey@manaraacademy.org
6th - 8th grade Science: Ms. M - bmehrabi@manaraacademy.org
6th - 8th grade ELAR/SS: Mr. de Leon - rdeleon@manaraacademy.org
6th - 8th grade Math: Mr. Rabbani - trabbani@manaraacademy.org
Special Education: Ms. A - malrjeibat@manaraacademy.org
ESL Interventionist: Ms. Stoker - ahayesstoker@manaraacademy.org
Art: Ms. Corey - mcorey@manaraacademy.org
PE: Coach Smith - mjsmith@manaraacademy.org
Languages: Ms. Gigi & Ms. Fadoua - gkahla@manaraacademy.org , fcabouni@manaraacademy.org
Registrar: Ms. Smith - asmith@manaraacademy.org
Cafeteria: Ms. Rima - rqader@manaraacademy.org
Custodian: Ms. Araceli
Principal: Mrs. Vinten - avinten@manaraacademy.org
Dismissal begins promptly at 12:00pm for scholars in Pre-K 3. Please pull around to the front of the building by door #3 where staff members will be there to help bring your scholar to you.
Please DO NOT get out of your car at any time to assist with your scholar, as this could back up carline. Staff members will be there to help load them in. If you need to help buckle your child in your car before leaving campus, please pull around to the side of the building by Sublett Rd. and buckle them in at that time.
For scholars in grades Pre-K 4 through 8th grade, dismissal will begin promptly at 3:30pm. The barcodes for the new scanner system (School Pass) will begin in the next few weeks. More information to come out about them soon! For now, if you still have your yellow tag from last year, please provide that for car line. If not, no worries! When you arrive around the car line, at the front of the building by the front door your will see a staff member. Roll down your window, tell her the scholar(s) you are here to pick up, and she will call for their dismissal. You can also write their names down on a sheet of paper with the grade level(s) they are in and put it on your dashboard to help our staff with calling as well. We will make sure to get your scholar out to you safely!
Please be patient, as we want all scholars to get into their cars and all exited off the property (onto Sublett Rd.) SAFELY! It might take a few minutes longer this week, but with patience and practice, the line will continue to be more and more smooth!
**The flow of carline is as follows:
Enter onto campus from Collins St. ONLY
Follow the arrows around to the first stop sign on campus (two lines can form here in the afternoon as the carline begins to form).
Merge safely (take turns) into one lane and follow the arrows around the parking spaces to the front of the building (PLEASE DO NOT CUT THROUGH THE PARKING SPACES).
If you are one of the first cars, please pull down to the last cone by the handicapped parking spot where scholars will begin to load.
The carline merges to one lane at the front of the building.
DO NOT PARK in a parking space to come get your scholar. You will be asked to get back in carline in order to pick up your scholar.
Thank you for helping to keep our scholars safe by following our traffic procedures! Kindness and patience is KEY! 😀
Starting on Monday, August 8, all students should be in uniform. Uniforms can be purchased through the French Toast website (link is here and also on the HOME page of this newsletter). Please remember each note listed below:
All uniform tops must have a Manara school logo
All aspects of uniform must be in the blue and grey colors but can be mixed and matched in any way such as navy blue pants or skirt with grey shirt or grey pants or skirt with blue top
Any jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts worn throughout the school day must also be school uniform
Cultural Wear must also be in the navy blue or grey colors, including hijab (school colors-navy blue or grey)
Once all students are in uniform, we will begin our Friday "dress down" days for $1.00 (hopefully can begin by August 25!).
Any scholars not in uniform will initially be given a warning and parents will be notified. After three uniform violations, a scholar will be given an in-school suspension.
If you have ordered uniforms for your scholar, not to worry! Please send them in a solid gray or solid navy polo shirt without the Manara logo (can be purchased at Walmart or Target) and the correct navy or gray uniform bottoms until their logo shirt arrives. Reach out to Ms. Smith if you have any questions! (asmith@manaraacademy.org)
This school year scholars in grades 3rd-8th will be utilizing planners within their classrooms. Each scholar in grades 3-8 will be required to have a planner in order to use for academic organization and nightly communication. Planners will be given to scholars at school starting the week of August 14th, costing $5.00 for each planner. You can purchase one for your scholar the week of August 14th. More information on how to purchase them to come! Please reach out to Mrs. Vinten with any questions at avinten@manaraacademy.org.
Starting on Tuesday, August 8th, there will be a "Forget-Me-Not" table located next to the front entrance of the school. If your child has forgotten an item from home (backpack, lunch, homework, jacket, etc.), please leave it on the "Forget-Me-Not" table labeled with his/her name and grade level. Ms. Smith will check the "Forget-Me-Not" table throughout the day, but if you would also like to call our front office to let us know you dropped something off or will be dropping something off that is great as well. Having this available means families do not have to come inside of the building to drop something off and will hopefully save families some time getting back to work or home!
All scholars have the opportunity to receive a free lunch through our cafeteria. Your scholar is also allowed to bring their lunch from home. Students will not be allowed to utilize the microwave we have on campus, as this is for staff only. If your student forgets their lunch from home, you can leave it on the "Forget-Me-Not" table at the entrance of the building. Thank you for your understanding!
Come "Visit with Vinten" for a donuts and coffee session on Monday, August 14 from 8:15am-9:15am at our campus. During this time you can learn about our campus, ways you can get involved, ask questions you may have, and join in some fellowship time to get to know each other! I look forward to the opportunity to get to know each one of you, your family, and partnering with you this school year!
Each month we will be hosting a "Family Fun Event" on our campus. Our first Family Fun Event will be on Thursday, August 24 after school from 4:00pm until 5:30pm. Come and have some fun playing games, enjoy STEM learning time, create a craft and visit with friends!
Fall photographs of our staff & scholars will be taken on Monday, September 11. These will be IN UNIFORM photographs. More information to come!
(Mark your calendars!)
Aug 8 First day of school! School begins at 8:00am!
Aug 14 "Visit with Vinten" - time with the principal event 8:15am-9:15am
Aug 24 August Family Fun Event from 4:00-5:30pm
Sept 11 Fall Photos (Lifetouch)
Sept 11-15 Scholastic Book Fair (more information to come)