July 31, 2023
A message from Principal Vinten
Good afternoon Manara STEM Families,
Welcome to our first edition of the STEM Connect Family newsletter for the 2023-2024 school year! I am thrilled to start my 2nd year as principal within Manara at the BEST campus on the planet! This is my 24th year in education, with my 5th year in administration. Our STEM campus has been working hard and growing a lot during the summer to get everything ready for this exciting new school year.
Each week I will update this newsletter and send it out to you with information to help keep the lines of communication open. Please make sure and read all the contents each week, as it will be full of great information for you to know about all the "happenings" on campus. Click on the "home" tab at the top of this newsletter for useful links you may need throughout the school year. If you would like a quick glance at upcoming events, scroll to the very bottom of the newsletter for the "Upcoming Events" section.
My door is always open if there are concerns, questions, or you just want to chat! I cannot wait to see all of you at our Back-to-School/Meet the Teacher event on August 4th, and on our first day of school, August 8, 2023!
#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.
Back-to-School/Meet the Teacher Event!
On Friday, August 4th, we will have our annual Back-to-School & Meet the Teacher event! This is a "come-and-go" informal time where you can meet your scholar's teacher, get information about the upcoming school year, sign up for volunteer events, engage with PTO members to see how you can be a part of our campus, and drop off school supplies. We look forward to seeing each of you next week!
Uniforms
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. A
Planners for Scholars in grades 3rd-8th
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 pre-purchase the planner for your scholar at the Back-t0-School event or purchase one for your scholar the week of August 14th. Please reach out to Mrs. Vinten with any questions at avinten@manaraacademy.org.
Forget-Me-Not Table
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!
Lunches
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!
"Visit with Vinten" Opportunity!
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!
Family Fun Events
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 Photos!
Fall photographs of our staff & scholars will be taken on Monday, September 11. More information to come!
Upcoming Events
(Mark your calendars!)
Aug 4 Back-to-School/Meet the Teacher Event 2:00-4:30pm (come and go event)
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)