No School on Monday - MLK, Jr. Holiday

There is no school on Monday, January 15, due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  

We look forward to seeing all scholars back at school on Tuesday, January 16! 

Welcome to Ms. Wilson!

Please help me extend a warm STEM welcome to Ms. Wilson, our new Assistant Principal!  Ms. Wilson will be on our campus full-time to help lead our team!  We are very excited to have her on our team! 🎉

Arabic Spelling Bee Competition

On Friday, January 19, scholars in grades 5 - 8 (and two 4th graders!) will be participating in our 2nd Annual Arabic Bee!  Parents are welcome to attend!  The scholars have been studying hard and are looking forward to a fun competition!  Good luck to all scholars who are participating!

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!

Book Fair Week!

The last week of January (January 30 - February 3) will be the week of our Spring Scholastic Book Fair.  We will be celebrating that week with fun reading activities!  Tuesday, January 30 will be our Book Character dress up day, and during our Family Fun Event that afternoon (4:00-5:30pm) we will have a Book Character fashion show!  On Friday, the PTO will be passing out Smores for $1.00 as scholars spend Friday "reading campfire stories"!  See the flyer below with the week full of fun events!

Field Trip Opportunities!

Exciting news!  There are two field trips on the books already for the new semester!

• Wednesday, January 17, grades 6th-8th will be going to KidZania. 

• Friday, May 10, grades 4th-8th grade will be going to Six Flags Over Texas for the "Education Days".  

More field trip opportunities for all grade levels to come for the spring semester, so be on the lookout!

**Money collection for KidZania ($22.00) is on the online website (manaraacademy.org, scroll down and click on "School Fees", click on "Arlington STEM", and then click on "KidZania Field Study").  Cash will NOT be accepted as a form of payment for field trips. Please reach out to your scholar's teacher if you have any questions!

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!

STEM Expo Event in Dallas - Feb 3

Want to attend a fun FREE event?  On Saturday, February 3, DISD is sponsoring a free STEM event at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center that is open to the public.  Click on the STEM Expo link to register for the free tickets and to find out more about the event!  Thank you, Mr. Cravey, for sharing this information!

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!  

Intent to Return

It is time to complete the Intent to Return form for your child(ren). The deadline to complete this before forfeiting your child's seat is January, 15, 2024.  Even if you do NOT plan on your child(ren) returning to Manara for the 2024-2025 school year, you must complete this process so we know the seat is available.  On January 16, the Open Application process for new families begins, so make sure to reserve your child's spot by January 15.  Please check your email for your child's letter that has a snapcode to complete the intent to return form.  Please reach out to the Ms. Hamam or Ms. Vasquez if help is needed (972-304-1155 Ext 900).

Recycling for Hope - Clothing Donation Bin

We have a great way to earn money for our school!  The clothing bin pictured below is now located at the south location on our campus (by Sublett Rd).  Placing donations of gently used clothing into this bin helps not only those in need, but also helps us to earn money for our campus!  Thank you for your gently used clothing donations!

Uniforms - IMPORTANT!

All students should be in uniform.  Any scholar who is out of uniform will sit in the front office area until a parent brings the correct uniform piece(s) or if a parent is unable to bring the uniform, the student will be given an in-school suspension that day.   It is important all scholars are following the dress code that is within the Manara handbook.

Uniform expectations:

• Manara logo navy blue or gray shirt

• Navy blue or gray pants

• Sweatpants and jeans are NOT acceptable uniform pants

If you have any questions regarding the uniform, please reach out to Mrs. Vinten.

As the weather gets cooler, scholars will still be going outside for PE and recess.  Any type of jacket is fine for outside, but if they are wanting to wear it in the building, it must be SOLID NAVY OR SOLID GRAY in color.  You can order uniform jackets, but solid navy or solid gray jackets do not have to have the Manara logo on them.

Jan 1 - 15 Intent to Return window open

Jan 15 MLK Jr. Holiday - No school for staff & scholars

Jan 16 Open Application Enrollment Begins (for new enrolling families)

Jan 8-Feb 9 MOY mCLASS Benchmark Window

Jan 17 Field Trip to KidZania (grades 6th -8th) 

Jan 19 Arabic Spelling Bee - 9:00am in the Gym

Jan 25 Birthday Thursday for the month of January

Jan 29 - Feb 2 Scholastic Book Fair Week (themed week detailed above)

Jan 30 Literacy Family Fun Event 

Feb 16 End of the 4th Six Week Period

Feb 20 Start of the 5th Six Week Period