Happy Friday Manara STEM Families,
This week TELPAS testing will continue for our ESL/EB students in grades 2-8 in the areas of Listening & Speaking. All ESL/EB students have access to Summit K-12 to practice, which mimics the TELPAS testing platform, which can also be practiced at home. Reach out to your child's teacher as to how you can help with the practice from home!
Parents of scholars in grades 3-8, would you like a platform where your child can practice more activities in reading, writing, or math? Read within the newsletter a contest through the month of March that our Paper app is hosting (scholars have access through Clever). With completing "Paper Three-Pointers" scholars can be entered to win amazing prizes as well! What a great opportunity for fun AND learning!
We look forward to seeing everyone at our Family Fun Event on Tuesday afternoon. Please make sure to fill out the link within the newsletter regarding getting FREE groceries from Arlington Charities, as they will be here with their Mobile Food Pantry full of fresh produce and other food items. Please reach out if you need any assistance in filling out the link!
Have a wonderful weekend!
#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.
March 4 - 8 is Read Across America week. Read Across America is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child, everywhere to celebrate reading, also in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2. There will be fun dress up days throughout the week, as well as a Family Fun Event celebrating Dr. Seuss on March 5. See details about Read Across America week and our Family Fun Event below! We are looking forward to celebrating reading through this week! (If students participate in the Dr. Seuss themed days, they CAN be out of uniform).
Dr. Seuss Week - March 4th - 8th!
Our next Family Fun Event will be this Tuesday, March 5 from 4:00 - 5:30. There will be Dr. Seuss station themed games and crafts, as well as the PTO will be selling nachos and snack items. Come hungry and ready for a lot of fun reading-themed activities!
Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry will also be here, so fill out the information on the link below if you have not already to sign up to receive FREE GROCERIES (only those families who fill out the information on the link can participate)! Over 25 families took advantage of the free groceries last month, and we would love to see more families be able to take home free food! The volunteers from Arlington Charities can help you fill out the link if needed that afternoon, or Mrs. Vinten can also help guide you through the sign-up process.
Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry Sign-Up Link
Also at our Family Fun Event there will be district staff available to assist with registration for next school year. If you have any friends who would like to enroll their children for next school year or have questions, bring them to the Family Fun Event as well and we are happy to help them!
Interested in your child attending Summer Camp or have questions about Summer Camp? Members will also be availabe to talk to you about all the fun events surrounding Summer Camp within the month of June.
March 5th will be filled with a lot of fun events and information! Reach out to Mrs. Vinten or Mrs. Wilson if you have any questions! We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Family Fun Event Details Recap:
Dr. Seuss themed games & crafts
Nachos and snacks sold by the PTO
Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry
Registration Event
Summer Camp booth with details
Paper is thrilled to announce the 2024 Paper March Madness Challenge, dedicated to supporting teachers and students throughout the test-prep season! Students will have two chances to win amazing prizes like Apple AirPods and more by scoring Paper Three-Pointers.
To score a Paper Three-Pointer, students will need to complete a Paper activity on three separate days before each draw. The first round of prizes will be drawn on March 15th and the second on April 1st.
Students can dive into the Paper Missions section of their student dashboard, choosing from Math, ELA, Vocabulary, or Test Prep, and begin on their journey today.
Raffle prizes will include Apple Airpods, NBA/WNBA jerseys and Stanley Cup Tumblers!
Flyers will go home on Monday as well, but students in grades 3-8 can log onto the Paper App this weekend (through Clever) and start this weekend! Utilizing these resourses will be great practice and support for the STAAR testing the end of April!
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!!
The image below, even though it states middle school, can be applied for all grade levels. Attendance for the entire school day matters in ALL grade levels! Being late each morning or a few mornings each week, and/or being picked up early, even one day of the week, adds up! We want to create good habits in our children so those habits can follow them throughout their school career. If you have any questions about this, please reach out to Mrs. Vinten or Mrs. Wilson! Click on the video link below for more information!
Birthday Thursday for the month of March will be this Thursday, March 28 . Any scholar who celebrates their birthday in the month of March can bring in treats to share (can be sent in with your scholar or placed on the Forget-Me-Not table for delivery). Treats must be individually packaged with the nutrition label visible either on each package or on the main package. Trays of cupcakes or cake will not be allowed, as they are not individually packaged - if sent in, they will be sent home. Treats will be allowed to be consumed only at the end of the day (around 3:00pm), and those treats not consumed and individually packaged will be sent home with each scholar. Good birthday treat ideas: indivdually packaged goldfish crackers, indivdually packaged Cheese-its, individually packaged chips, individually packaged cupcakes (such as Hostess products), indivdually packaged gummies. You also do not have to bring food as birthday treats for your scholar to pass out! Great birthday treat ideas to share with the class could also be birthday pencils, erasers, small goodie bag items that would be given at a birthday party.
**Any treats delivered on days other than the designated Birthday Thursday or are not individually packaged will NOT be passed out and will be sent back home. Parents are also not allowed to attend during this time, as it is not a designated "party" time and teachers will still be teaching during this time. Thank you!
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!
Excused absences in the State of Texas include:
Observing a religious holiday
Attending a required court appearance
Appearing at a governmental office to complete paperwork required in the child's citizenship application
Taking part in a naturalization oath ceremony
Serving as an election clerk
A child in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) participating in a documented activity that is court ordered
Being temporarily absent for a health care appointment for the student/child (not the parent appointment)
Absent due to serious or life-threatening illness or absent due to illness or treatment (doctor/clinic documentation required)
Visiting with parent/legal guardian who is active duty military and parent has returned from continuous deployment of at least four months
Conducting activities related to enlistment (student must be 17 years of age or older.
Visiting an institution of higher education during a student's junior or senior year
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
(Mark your calendars!)
Mar 1-31 Paper Contest for scholars in grades 3-8
Mar 4-8 Read Across America Week (Dr. Seuss Themed Dress-Up Days)
Mar 5 Family Fun Event 4:00-5:30pm
Mar 5 Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry on campus 4:15-5:15pm
Mar 18-22 Spring Break - No School!
Mar 25 - School will be IN SESSION! Bad weather make-up day from the January cancellation day
Mar 28 Birthday Thursday for March Birthdays
Apr 4 UTA Planetarium Field Study for grades 3rd - 5th (field study permission slips will be sent home this week)
Apr 8 Bad weather make-up day (no school!)
Apr 9-10 No School - Eid holiday
Apr 11 Field Study PK4 - 3rd grade to the Ft. Worth Zoo (field study permission slips will be sent home this week)
May 10 Six Flags Over Texas Field Study for grades 4th - 8th (field trip permission slips will be sent home at a later date)