Good Afternoon, Manara STEM Families,
STAAR testing is now completed! Thank you for all your support with helping our testing season to be great!
This week is Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week! A big thank you to our PTO for helping to organize some "sweet" days to come this week for our teachers & staff. Please read inside the newsletter as to how you can help to celebrate your scholar's teachers, as they deserve great recognition! The PTO is getting items together to provide lunch for the teachers and staff on Wednesday, May 8, so if you would like to donate any food items, please see within the newsletter the sign-up link on ways to participate. We love our STEM teachers and staff!
Also this week is our Arabic Storytelling Competition! Please see within the newsletter the dates, times and grade levels participating on Monday and Tuesday of this week. The scholars participating in this event have been working hard, and I'm excited to watch this wonderful event! Parents are welcome to attend!
Enjoy the wonderful weekend! Please come out to the 5K event in Irving on Sunday if you are able! It is sure to be a great time full of fun, games, and food!
#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.
Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week is a time to celebrate our teachers & staff and thank them for all the amazing work they do teaching their scholars. This year the PTO has created a fun-filled week of "sweet" themed activities to acknowledge each teacher & staff member. See the flyer below for the themed days and ways you and your child can help celebrate their teachers! Here is also a link to sign up to provide food for teachers on Wednesday, May 8. If you are able to help provide food for the potluck day on Wednesday, May 8, please provide information on the Sign-Up Genius link above. Reach out to the PTO (manarastempto@manaraacademy.org) if you have any questions!
Thank you, teachers, for all you do on a daily basis for our children!
Tuesday, May 14, will be our last Family Fun Event for the 2023-2024 school year! This family fun event is sure to be the most exciting one yet! Each grade level has chosen a culture/country to focus on and all scholars have been working diligently on presentations, art displays, and artifacts about their designated country/culture in which they would like to present to you from 4pm-6pm on May 14. Come have fun participating in cultural crafts, listen to Arabic Storytelling, participate in cultural games, and watch a cultural fashion show. Also bring a cultural dish to share - come hungry and ready to celebrate our cultures together!
Are you good at henna? If so, we need your help! We would love to have a henna station for all to participate in, so if you are willing to assist for some of the time during the event, please email Mrs. Vinten at avinten@manaraacademy.org for further details!
The Arlington Charities Mobile Food Pantry will also be here again, 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 40 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
Can't wait to celebrate all the different cultures and countries at this fantastic event!
This Monday and Tuesday, May 6th & 7th, is our STEM campus Arabic Storytelling Competition! I have had the pleasure to watch the scholars practicing for this event, and I am so impressed at their storytelling skills!
Please see the schedule below (and on Class Dojo) and if your child is in the competition, please attend if you can! Certificates and prizes will be awarded for the winners! Thank you, Ms. Gigi, for organizing such a beautiful competition! Good luck to our scholars participating!
The Manara 5K event is this Sunday, May 5. Sign up here to participate either as a volunteer, runner, walker, or just to cheer everyone on! It is sure to be a fun event full of lots of fun activities! We're looking forward to seeing everyone and having a fun time!
Yearbooks have arrived! Please come in to purchase a yearbook for your child! They are $20.00 each. We only have a limited amount, so get yours now! Reach out to Ms. Corey or Ms. Tabatha if you have questions about purchasing one! A big THANK YOU to Ms. Corey for creating another beautiful yearbook this year! Thank you, Ms. Corey!!!!
Manara Academy
Denise Sudan, Superintendent
8113 Ridgepoint Dr. Suite 202
Irving, TX 7506
April 12, 2024
Dear Manara Academy Parents and Community,
I hope this message finds you well and full of enthusiasm for the remainder of this school year! I have some exciting updates to share with you.
We are thrilled to announce that we have successfully submitted our charter renewal application and are confident in our submission status. Every ten years charter schools have to be reviewed by TEA to determine if they can continue to operate as a charter school, similar to achieving and maintaining an accreditation status. As a result of everyone’s collective efforts around student academic achievement, financial work, attendance and enrollment, our charter renewal application was solid. When we receive our official word of approval from TEA, Manara Academy will celebrate our 15th year operating as a charter! Manara Academy continues to celebrate the accomplishments of the past as we move forward to our bright future!
Manara Academy is pleased to inform you that we have successfully renewed our lease agreement for the Arlington STEM Academy location for the next two years. This achievement secures our physical presence and allows us to continue providing high-quality education at our Arlington Campus in its current location. We have hired a new maintenance team member that has been working closely with our Director of Operations to ensure that anything in need of repairs or maintenance gets that attention between now and prior to the start of our new school year.
I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and admiration for the incredible work that each of you does every day to make Manara Academy the outstanding institution that it is. Your support as parents and commitment to Manara’s excellence are truly appreciated. We appreciate your feedback by providing suggestions for improvement and we take your input into consideration as new developments and decisions are made. One example is parents suggested remote access to monitor their child’s grades and attendance and as a result of this helpful suggestion we worked to ensure this was put into place. Parents completed surveys indicating that field study opportunities were of high importance, so Manara has increased their field study opportunities.
As we look ahead to the 2024-2025 school year, we are optimistic about our new enrollment season. We are aware that there are other schools nearby that provide parents with options, but we firmly believe that no other school in the area offers what Manara Academy does for our families. One of the aspects that sets us apart is our unwavering commitment to equity in education. We are proud of the work we do to offer educational opportunities for emergent bilingual students and create a culturally responsive environment that celebrates diversity and inclusivity. Additionally, we are one of the only schools in the area offering our strong foreign language programming with current offerings in Arabic and French.
Together, we will continue to innovate, inspire, and empower our students to reach their full potential. Thank you for all that you do, and let us continue to work together towards a successful future.
Warm regards,
Denise Sudan
Superintendent
This year's field day is sure to be EPIC! Coach Smith & the PTO have been working hard planning a fun-filled day, including competitive and non-competitive races, games, events & special treats. We are asking for $10 from each scholar for this day, in which the $10 will cover their field day t-shirt, hot dog lunch (halal), sweet treat, and loads of fun! Please have your child bring in $10 to give to your child's teacher no later than Monday, May 13. Reach out to your child's teacher with any questions! Parents are welcome to attend and be with your child's class on this day!
(Mark your calendars!)
May 6 Arabic Storytelling Competition (grades 4th-8th)
May 7 Arabic Storytelling Competition (grades 1st-3rd)
May 10 Six Flags Over Texas Field Study for grades 6th - 8th
May 14 Last Family Fun Event - Cultures Around the World Event 4:00pm - 6:00pm
May 23 Field Day
May 24 8th grade end of year celebration 9:00am - 12:00pm (more information will be sent home with 8th grade families)
May 24 Manara High School Graduation (Irving location)
May 27 No school - Memorial Day holiday
May 28 4th & 5th grade end of year ceremony 8:30-9:30am
May 28 6th & 7th grade end of year ceremony 10:00-11:00am
May 29 1st & 2nd grade end of year ceremony 8:30-9:30am
May 29 3rd grade end of year ceremony 10:00-11:00am
May 30 Pre-K 3, Pre-K 4 & Kindergarten end of year ceremony 8:30-10:00am
May 31 Last day of school for students - Happy Summer!☀️