Book Fair Week!

This week, January 29 - February 2, 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!  Appropriate book character costumes only, please (no face coverings, no onesies, no toy weapons).)On Friday, the PTO will be passing out Smores for $1.00 as scholars spend Friday "reading campfire stories"!  Scholars can bring in their $1.00 throughout the week for their Friday smores (your child's teacher will keep track of the payment).  See the flyer below with the week full of fun events!

Use the link below to create an eWallet for your child(ren). Filling out the link below and adding money to the eWallet allows your child to buy books without having to bring cash into school. 

**You can also add money into your teacher's eWallet using this link!  This is a great way to help build your child's classroom library with providing funds so the teacher can shop for classroom books donated by YOU!  

If you have any questions or need help, reach out!

eWallet 

Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry on Campus - January 30

Tuesday, January 30, is our Family Fun Event with a literacy focus on our campus from 4:00pm-5:30pm! The Scholastic Book Fair will take place that afternoon, as well as several fun literacy game stations all throughout the school to take part in. I'm excited to also have our community partners, Arlington Charities, with their Mobile Food Pantry here on campus from 4:15pm until 5:15pm, in which our families will again have an opportunity to receive FREE groceries! Just fill out the linked online form below to qualify (if you filled out the link before, you do not have to fill it out again), and when the truck comes that afternoon, you can pick up your free groceries. https://arl.charitytracker.net/kiosk/994a09836e56d541460967104377279c52e70d3aabb534b25a10e1cdbae78d87/ 

Make sure to fill out the link to qualify to receive your free groceries from Arlington Charities! Let me know if you need help or have any questions or need assistance filling out the link for Arlington Charities! We are excited to be partnering with them and have them come to our school during the Family Fun Event!

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 2 and 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 2 or 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!

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!  

Jan 29 102nd Day of School!!  

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

Jan 30 Literacy Family Fun Event 

Jan 30 Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry on campus 4:15pm - 5:15pm

Feb 2 Campfire Stories Day - bring in $1.00 for a smore (halal)!

Feb 16 End of the 4th Six Week Period

Feb 20 Start of the 5th Six Week Period