Bad Weather Make-Up Day

March 25, the Monday after Spring Break, will be our bad weather make-up day.  School WILL be in session that day!  We are looking forward to seeing all scholars on Monday, March 25!!

Book Fair Week!

The book fair was very successful this past week!  We raised almost $2,300 which will help provide more books and STEM items for our classrooms.  Thank you for your support! And  thank you to the PTO for all the help and support (and the campfire s'mores for all the staff & scholars)!

Autism Awareness Month in April - t-shirt link order form

We are in the midst of planning a fun event in April for Autism Awareness Month.  The link below will take you to the custom ink website to order Autism Awareness t-shirts.  We would love as many people as possible (adults and students) to participate in purchasing a t-shirt to be able to wear at the event in April (more information to come).   Thank you for your support!

Autism Awareness T-Shirt Order Form 

Information for 8th grade families!

Dr. Wilshire, the principal of the Manara Leadership Campus, and Ms. Floyd, the District counselor, will be coming to our campus on Friday, February 9th at 2:30pm to talk with parents and their rising 9th grade student about activities and classes their scholar will be able to take part in next year at the Leadership Campus. We're gauging interest from our families for a bus for our 9th through 12th grade students that would be able to take your child daily to the Irving location from our STEM campus and back to our STEM campus. This will be a great time to ask questions and get information of interested families regarding attending high school at Manara.  Please let Mrs. Vinten know if you are planning to attend this event or not planning to attend this event by sending her an email at avinten@manaraacademy.org prior to February 8th so we know how to plan for the event. Thank you!

New Family Enrollment Time!

Know of a family who would like to enroll their child or children for the 2024-2025 school year at Manara?  Let them know we are here to help!  On Friday, February 9, our campus will be open to new enrolling families from 2pm - 4pm and our registrars will be ready to help them register.  Tell them to call our campus (972-304-1155 ext 300) if they need further information.  

Any current family who recommends a family for enrollment and they come on February 9 to register their child(ren), your child (or all children who attend our campus currently) will receive the last 6 weeks Friday dress down days for FREE (you won't have to pay for the last 6 dress down days!).  Just tell the family coming to enroll that you recommended them to enroll! 

Please share the information below with them!

It's Cold & Flu Season!

It is that time of the year where illnesses are at a peak.  If your child has a fever or has vomited while at school, you will be called to pick them up, and in order for them to return to school, they must be fever-free or vomit-free for 24 hours.  Thank you for contacting us when your child is out due to illness.  Please send in any doctor notes so that your child's absence can be counted as excused.  

Our campus is being cleaned with special cleaning products over the three-day weekend to help eliminate further spread of germs throughout campus.  If you are able to donate any boxes of kleenex or bottles of Clorox wipes that we can give to classrooms, you can drop them off at the front office and we will make sure they are given to classrooms that need them.  Thank you, in advance, for any donations so we can help continue to stop the spread of cold & flu germs!

Excused vs. Unexcused Absences

Excused absences in the State of Texas include: 

1. Observing a religious holiday

2. Attending a required court appearance

3. Appearing at a governmental office to complete paperwork required in the child's citizenship application

4. Taking part in a naturalization oath ceremony

5. Serving as an election clerk

6. A child in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) participating in a documented activity that is court ordered

7. Being temporarily absent for a health care appointment for the student/child (not the parent appointment)

8. Absent due to serious or life-threatening illness or absent due to illness or treatment (doctor/clinic documentation required)

9. Visiting with parent/legal guardian who is active duty military and parent has returned from continuous deployment of at least four months

10. Conducting activities related to enlistment (student must be 17 years of age or older.

11. Visiting an institution of higher education during a student's junior or senior year

12. A student in grades 6-12 sounding "Taps" at a military honors funeral held in Texas for a deceased veteran.

All of the above Excused absences require documentation. Absences are not excused without documentation even if they are on the allowable list. 

All EXCUSED ABSENCES Require DOCUMENTATION. Please contact your school with the required documentation. 

State law requires children who are six years old as of September 1 to attend school through their 19th birthday or until they graduate with a high school diploma (whichever occurs first). Compulsory attendance also applies to students who are younger than six who have previously been enrolled in first grade and to students below the age of six who are voluntarily enrolled in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.

90% Rule:

Texas Education Code section 25.092 requires that a student in grades kindergarten through grade 12 be in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days a class is offered in order to receive credit for the class or a final grade. Most absences that are excused are still counted when determining whether a student is in compliance with the 90 percent rule.

Truancy:

Truancy is DIFFERENT than the 90% Rule. Truancy counts unexcused absences. Did you know that 3 or MORE unexcused absences Full Day or PARTIAL day in a four week period is considered Truant and 10 or MORE unexcused absences Full Day or PARTIAL day in 6 months is considered Truant. Parents can be held accountable and responsible in Texas Truancy Court with fines of up to $500.00 for contributing to their child's absences. Please be aware of truancy and cooperate with the school in getting in your documentation from the excused list. 

Absences & Illnesses

Manara wishes to remind parents about the importance of following the school absence policies in the event your child does become ill. Illness is an excused absence from school when documented in some manner by the parent. Excessive illness will require documentation from a clinic or a doctor's note. Unexcused absences - undocumented absences can add up toward truancy. Even partial day absences count as truancy absences so we want our families to be informed about the state definition of truancy. This informational video can explain more about truancy as we balance that information with prioritizing your child's wellness.

We understand that each child's health needs are unique, and we are here to work collaboratively with you to ensure the well-being of all our students. Our primary goal is to create a safe and supportive learning environment that fosters both health and academic success.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to the health and education of your child along with the commitment to attendance. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.  We love the communication!

New Dress Down Day Payment Method - No More Cash!

All dress down money is now being collected and paid for ONLINE! Our online payment store now is open for you to be able to pay for multiple dress down days at a time. If your child (or children) enjoys participating in the Friday dress down days, please go to manaraacademy.org, scroll down to "school fees", click on "Arlington STEM", and finally click on "Dress Down Money". The payment is $7.00 for the next 7 dress down weeks (1/3/24 - 2/16/24). CASH IS NO LONGER ACCEPTED, so please make sure to fill out the form and payment so your child can wear their dress down attire on Fridays. As soon as you make a payment, I receive a notification that a payment was made, so we will keep track of the dress down days your child has available. If you have any questions, please reach out! We're excited to have this payment method available for Manara!  

Feb 12 - 16  STAAR Interim Testing Week (grades 3 - 8) - details on specific testing days to come

Feb 14 Friendship Day (if classes are doing something special for Friendship Day, they will reach out via Dojo)

Feb 16 End of the 4th Six Week Period

Feb 19 No School - Presidents Day

Feb 20 No School for Scholars - Professional Development Day for Staff

Feb 20 Start of the 5th Six Week Period

Feb 29 Birthday Thursday!

Apr 4 UTA Planetarium Field Trip for grades 3rd - 5th (field trip permission slips will be sent home at a later date)

May 10 Six Flags Over Texas Field Trip for grades 4th - 8th (field trip permission slips will be sent home at a later date)