"A" week schedule this week!

Birthday Thursday this week

Please read the following below that is in the family newsletter regarding Birthday Thursday.  Please send a Dojo message including the highlighted messages within the parent message, as we are going to be strict on the no trays of cupcakes this year.  

We enjoy celebrating all scholar's birthdays each month!  At STEM, we have Birthday Thursday's once a month (the last Thursday of each month).  Our first Birthday Thursday will be this Thursday, August 31.  Any scholar who celebrates their birthday in the months of June, July or August 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.  

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Vinten.  In the calendar section at the end of the newsletter will be the upcoming dates for other Birthday Thursday's.

**Any treats delivered on days other than the designated Birthday Thursday 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!

Lesson Plans and Weekly Newsletters

Where to put them:  2023-2024 Teacher Resources drive within the STEM folder.  

Great job to each of you for submitting your newsletters on time!  Please make sure to upload your lesson plans to the correct folder no later than each Sunday afternoon.  If you need help, please let me know!

Curriculum Night for Families - Sept. 13 & 14

On Sept 13 &14 from 4:15-5:30pm, we will host a curriculum night for our families.  Grades Pre-K through 3, plan on attending on Sept. 13 from 4:15-5:30pm, and Grades 4-8 plan on attending Sept. 14 from 4:15-5:30pm, as you will be presenting to families brief information about your grade level, content, and curriculum used on a daily basis.  We will talk more about this prior, but start planning a grade level brochure to pass out to families (we will go over this as a staff).  The book fair will be going on in the gym during this time as well, so families will have the opportunity to purchase books at that time.  

Class Procedures

Please make sure to be mindful of Specials times and Lunch times.  It is the expectation that you take your class to the restroom BEFORE going to Specials classes, as scholars should only need to use the restroom during specials times only in an emergency.  The lunch times are listed below.  Please arrive ON TIME and pick up your scholars ON TIME.  Even being a few minutes early or late disrupts the flow of the lunch distribution and clean-up.  The specials team teaches at 1:15pm each day, and if grade levels are early to lunch or late picking up, it pushes back all the other lunches, causing the afternoon specials time to be affected.  Thank you for your help!

Monday - Thursday Grade Level Lunch Times: Lunch in the cafeteria

Pre-K: 10:30-11:00

Kinder:  10:45-11:15

1: 11:15-11:45

2-3: 11:45-12:15

4-5: 12:15-12:45

6-8: 12:45-1:15

Friday Grade Level Lunch Times: *Pre-K will eat in the cafeteria. All other grade levels to eat in classrooms.

*Pre-K: 10:30-11:00

K: 11:10-11:40

1st: 11:20-11:50

2nd: 11:30-12:00

3rd: 11:40-12:10

4th: 12:00-12:30

5th: 12:15-12:45

6-8: 12:20-12:50

**All scholars should be wearing their green lanyard with their lunch code at ALL TIMES!  If you have a scholar who needs a lanyard, please email me so I can get one for them.

Birthday Thursday

Our first Birthday Thursday will be on Thursday, August 31.  As a staff, we will celebrate our staff June, July & August birthdays with some fun treats!

For those new to the team, Birthday Thursdays occur once a month, the last Thursday of each month.  This is the only time of the month where scholars can bring in birthday treats to share if it is their birthday month.  If a scholar brings in treats that day, or treats are sent in for them to pass out, the treats are not allowed to be consumed until the LAST 30 MINUTES of the school day.  For the classroom, treats also have to be individually packaged (for example, if they bring in one big bag of chips, they will not be allowed to pass that out).  Trays of cupcakes or cake will not be allowed, as they are not individually packaged. Examples of treats were provided in the parent STEM Connect newsletter.  Please reiterate these points in your class newsletters as well.  

If the treats are consumed at another time other than 30 minutes before the end of the school day, your class will not be allowed to participate in the next month's Birthday Thursday.  If you have any questions, let me know!  

Badges

Your badge will allow you access into our building from 6:00am until 6:00pm each weekday.  If you need to come to campus on a weekend, please let me know the times and day you are wanting access so that I can request it for you.  If you are on campus, please make sure to only use the front entrance (door 5) as we do during the weekday and make sure the door closes properly behind you.  

As a reminder, during the school day, scholars should only be going in and out of door 2 for recess with you, or for arrival and dismissal (where an adult will be located).  Classes are NOT to come in through door 5 (the front door).  Please also look at the map to see where the nearest door is for your fire drill exiting location (updated map in your red safety binder). 

Staff Shout-Outs!

See a staff member doing something amazing?  Why yes, everyday!  Let's start celebrating each other with "shouting" each other out with the great things we are doing!  In the staff lounge is a bulletin board titled "Staff Shout-Outs".  

How it works:

• Spread some positivity by giving a shout-out to a member of our school.

• Grab a shout-out slip (located by the bulletin board) and jot down what you appreciate about someone.  You can sign your name or leave it anonymous.

• Then, tape it up and voila!  You've just made someone's day! ❣️

Uniforms

Continue to reinforce the uniform policy with students.  There will not be "dress down Friday's for $1.00" until all students are wearing uniforms (plan is to have the first dress down day the first week in September).  Send out communication to parents via Dojo and put it in your newsletter.  The rooms that are cold, jackets/coats are fine to wear in the building as long as they are in our school uniform colors (solid navy or gray--No tie dye/colorful sweatshirts).  If parents have questions you are unsure of, please have them reach out to me for clarification.  If a scholar is not in a solid navy or solid gray shirt since their ordered uniform has not arrived, please contact the parents to let them know they MUST come in a solid navy or solid gray shirt the following day.  Jeans are also not permitted, so please contact families regarding this as well.  There is zero reason why a scholar should not be in uniform this week, as all have had time to order uniforms and if still waiting on them, have had the opportunity to purchase solid color polo shirts from the store. 

Rooms in the Afternoon

Please ask scholars to stack their chairs at the end of each school day and clear off desk tops so that the evening cleaning crew can clean the floors and wipe off each desk top.  Chairs can be stacked in groups of 4 or 5 around the perimeter of the classroom.  Make this a part of your classroom afternoon routine and have scholars gathering their chair for their morning routine!   

Manara Academy Website

Don't forget we have a great new website that can help answer a lot of district questions you may have!  The Manara Academy Website is where you can find your compliance courses, information about Red Rover, where to put in a ticket for IT help, PowerSchool information, and much more!  New things will be added to this site throughout the year, so it is one of your first "go-to" places if you have questions about anything here at Manara!

Weather and Heat Index

As a reminder, if the heat index ("feels like") temperature is above 100 degrees, you are not permitted to take scholars outside.  What this means is that for the next few weeks at least, no classes should be outside after 11am.  Please practice outside drills before this time as well.  Also, make sure your scholars are bringing water bottles to school and drinking water throughout the day.  Dehydration can come on quickly, so add water breaks throughout your day with your scholars!  This is good for you, too!  😀

To-Do Items

Things to do this week:

• Compliance courses are due August 31 (certificates placed in our STEM Compliance Course folder)

• Place your lesson plans & newsletters in the correct google drive folder 

• Check your email for calendar invites to meet with Mrs. Vinten 

• Find a staff member to write a "shout-out" to

• Practice all safety drills with your classes

• Pass out Maverick Bucks to scholars who are modeling "BLUE" behaviors

• Find at least two scholars this week in your class who deserve Positive Office Referrals!  Before sending them down for their positive phone call home, please call Ms. Smith (Ext 300) to make sure I'm available to make the call. 

• Continue to build relationships with your scholars.  The more you get to know them, the more they will get to know you!  Truly knowing them will help to create a positive learning and social-emotional environment for all!

Aug 27 Lesson Plans due for week of Aug 28 (shared folder) 

Aug 31 Region 10 Compliance Courses Due

Aug 31 Birthday Thursday for June, July & August birthdays

Sept 4 No school for staff & scholars (Labor Day)

Sept 5 PD - location tbd (no school for scholars)

Sept 6 - Oct 6 Pre-k through 6th grade BOY Circle/mCLASS assessment window open

Sept 1 Newsletters due for week of Sept 4

Sept 3 Lesson Plans due for week of Sept 4 (shared folder) 

Sept 11 Fall Photos (Lifetouch) - grade level times tbd

Sept 11-15 Scholastic Book Fair in the gym

Sept 13 Curriculum Night (Grades Pre-K through 3) 4:15-5:30pm

Sept 14 Curriculum Night (Grades 4 through 8) 4:15-5:30pm