North Metro Flex Academy
Where You're Challenged...and Belong
NMFA had Visitors!
A few words from our Principal Mrs. Kranz
Dear NMFA Families,
Happy Spring!
Throughout this month, our students in grades 3 - 8 will be participating in the MCA. There is a lot of information on the internet. I found this document for parents that nicely summarizes these assessments. Our teachers have been working with our students throughout the year to prepare them. We are encouraging all students to get plenty of sleep, eat breakfast and lunch, stay positive and persevere to do their best.
Questions and Answers about the MCA in Reading, Mathematics, and Science
What is the MCA?
The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) are state tests in reading, mathematics, and science that are used to meet federal and state legislative requirements. The tests are administered every year to measure student performance relative to the Minnesota Academic Standards that specify what students in a particular grade should know and be able to do.
Why do we give these tests?
We use the MCA to find out how well schools have aligned curriculum to and instructed students in the Minnesota Academic Standards in reading, mathematics, and science. The reading and mathematics assessments are also used in federal and state accountability measurements. Schools use the information to improve classroom teaching and learning. Teachers and principals look for areas where students do well so they can reinforce the ways they teach these skills. They also look for areas that need improvement so they can increase instructional time or modify their instruction.
Who must take these tests?
All students in public schools are required to participate in the statewide assessment program. Reading and mathematics tests are administered in grades 3–8 and high school (students in grade 10 take the Reading MCA, and students in grade 11 take the Mathematics MCA). The Science MCA is administered to students in grades 5 and 8 and in the high school grade when students take a life science or biology course. With very few exceptions, all public school students in the above grades take the MCA. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan may be eligible for accommodations. Some students with significant cognitive disabilities may be eligible to take the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) instead of the MCA. The MTAS is an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards in reading, mathematics, and science.
How are tests administered?
All grades of the Reading, Mathematics, and Science MCA are administered online only. Paper accommodations are available for eligible students, including large print and braille. The online Reading and Mathematics MCA are adaptive tests, which means that the test adjusts to each student’s responses.
• For reading, the test adjusts at a passage level, so a student’s responses to a set of items for a passage determine the next group of passages and items a student will receive.
• For mathematics, every time a student answers a question, his or her response helps determine the next question the student will answer.
How can students prepare for the tests?
Item samplers help students become familiar with the format of the test and the types of questions that are on the test. Student tutorials for online tests provide information on using the online tools and describe navigation and item types.
What does it take to pass the tests? Students do not pass or fail the reading, mathematics, or science tests. Since the tests measure student performance relative to the Minnesota Academic Standards, each student receives a score that falls in one of four achievement levels—Does Not Meet the Standards, Partially Meets the Standards, Meets the Standards, and Exceeds the Standards.
What skills are assessed by the MCA?
The MCA measures student performance on the Minnesota Academic Standards
• The Reading MCA is aligned to the MN academic standards.
• The Mathematics MCA is aligned to the MN academic standards.
• The Science MCA is aligned to the MN academic standards.
How can I see the MCA results for my child, school, and district? Your school will receive an individual student report for your child and will provide this information to you. This report shows your child’s overall score in each subject, as well as scores for specific skill areas. It includes information about achievement level, comparisons to various groups, and comparisons to the student’s performance in past years, when applicable.
Be safe, kind and responsible...and be cooperative!
Peace,
Mrs. Kranz, Principal
Technology Safety Update
Dear Parents,
As the IT Director at North Metro Flex Academy, I am responsible for the security of our school's network. I want to assure you that we take the security of your children's online activity very seriously.
We have a number of security measures in place to protect our network, including:
- A firewall to prevent unauthorized access to our network
- Antivirus software to detect and block malware
- Encryption to protect sensitive data
- User authentication to ensure that only authorized users can access our network
We also use a tool called Bark to filter and monitor your children's internet usage. Bark is a cloud-based service that monitors your children's online activity for signs of cyberbullying, threats of violence, and other harmful content.
Bark also provides you with detailed reports on your children's online activity, including the websites they visit, the apps they use, and the people they communicate with. This information can help you to have informed conversations with your children about their online safety.
We are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for your children to learn and grow. If you have any questions about our security measures, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Jesse Schonfeld
IT Director
North Metro Flex Academy
612-756-2992
651-300-5671
JSchonfeld@NMFAMN.org
www.NMFAMN.org
Congratulations to the Destination Imagination Teams
Two of our team were invited to attend the Destination Imagination Global Finals.
Our Gr. 2-3 Seven Bears Team worked on the High Stakes – Service-Learning challenge. They had to design a service project. The team collected toys for the North St. Paul Toy Shelf in January. They wrote and performed a story that had suspense and a high stakes situation. They included a slow-motion scene.
Smarties 2 team, gr. 4-5, worked on the Flip the Scrip – Fine Arts. challenge They created and presented a flipped tale that is inspired by a well-known story but focuses on a new main character. They also need to design and build scenery and one must go through a scenery flip.
Upcoming Dates
MARCH DATES
Monday, March 27 Spring Clubs START
Wednesday, March 29 School Board Meeting 4:00PM **Public welcome!
Thursday, March 30 Spring Tutoring START
Thursday, March 30 5:00 - 6:00 NMFA Parent Meeting
**Parents, guardians and caretakers welcome!
APRIL DATES
APRIL MCA Testing
Thursday, April 6 Science Fair
Friday, April 7 - Contract Holiday, No School
Tuesday, April 18 Chipotle Restaurant Family Night
MAY DATES
MAY Spring NWEA Tests
Friday, May 12 School Carnival
Monday, May 29 Memorial Day - No school
Wednesday, May 30 All School Concert 9:00 AM
Thursday, June 1 Kindergarten and 8th Grade Graduation Times TBD
Friday, June 2 Last day of school for students/Track and Field Day
June
Summer Enrichment Activities TBD
Summer Enrichment for ALL ages
Check out the Classroom Newsletters!
Mindfulness Corner
How am I feeling Chart
COOPERATION
Family Focus
Review Cooperation as a family! Search through your cupboards for some board games your family has not played in a while, or grab a deck of cards for a simple game of Go Fish. Pop some popcorn and have fun playing together! Look for moments of Cooperation that you can point out. For example: • Choosing which game to play • Choosing who gets to go first • Handling wins and losses • Working together to solve a problem
Conversation Starters:
- How do you know if you are Cooperating with others?
- Can you share a time this week when you practiced Kindness?
Book Recommendation
Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein
Is it really possible that Amelia’s one simple smile can set off a chain of events, create a Kindness ripple, and eventually boomerang back her way?
Science Fair Information
Dear Students and Parents:
We cordially invite you to participate in the North Metro Flex Academy all-school science fair. Any students in grades 1st-8th are eligible to participate. The primary objective of the Science Fair is to promote critical thinking and scientific problem-solving through hands-on experimentation and observation. The students will be expected to:
· Ask a question and form a hypothesis.
· Design and complete an experiment to test the hypothesis.
· Make observations, organize data, analyze results, and draw conclusions.
· Create a scientific display board.
Participation in the science fair is voluntary, and all work on the project should be completed at home. Students may work alone or with a partner in the same grade. Hill Murray students who mentor/tutor at our school will judge projects. All students who participate will receive a participation award, and cash prizes will be awarded to the first ($100), second ($50), and third ($25) places. Parents and family will be invited to attend the fair held after school on Thursday, April 6th.
To participate in the Science Fair, all students must submit a permission form signed by their parent or guardian with their project proposal. Once the project proposal has been approved, a "Science Fair Information Packet" will be sent home with the information needed to participate. Please only begin experimenting once the student has received approval for the project proposal.
Permission slips and project proposals are due by March 2nd. Any proposals received after March 2nd will not be allowed to participate in the science fair.
If you have any questions, please contact Lacey Hastings at lhastings@nmfamn.org
Estimados estudiantes y padres,
Lo invitamos cordialmente a participar en la feria de ciencias North Metro Metro Flex Academy. Todos los estudiantes en los grados 1-8 son elegibles para participar. El objetivo principal de la Feria de Ciencias es promover el pensamiento crítico y la resolución de problemas científicos a través de la experimentación práctica y la observación. Se espera que los estudiantes:
• Haz una pregunta y forma una hipótesis
• Diseñar y completar un experimento para probar la hipótesis
• Hacer observaciones, organizar datos, analizar resultados y sacar conclusiones
• Crear un tablero de exhibición científica
La participación en la feria de ciencias es voluntaria, y todo el trabajo en el proyecto debe completarse en casa. Los estudiantes pueden trabajar solos o con un compañero en el mismo grado. Los estudiantes de Hill Murray que visiten nuestra escuela juzgarán los proyectos. Todos los estudiantes que participen recibirán un premio de participación, y se otorgarán premios en efectivo al primer lugar ($ 100), segundo ($ 50) y tercero ($ 25).Los padres y la familia estarán invitados a asistir a la feria que se celebra después de la escuela el jueves 6 de abril.
Para participar en la feria de ciencias, todos los estudiantes deben presentar un formulario de permiso firmado por su padre o tutor con su propuesta de proyecto. Una vez que la propuesta de proyecto haya sido aprobada, se enviará a casa un paquete informativo de la Feria de Ciencias con la información necesaria para participar. Por favor, solo comience a experimentar una vez que el estudiante haya recibido la aprobación para la propuesta de proyecto. Los permisos y las propuestas de proyectos deben presentarse antes del 2 de marzo. Cualquier propuesta después del 2 de marzo no podrá participar en la feria de ciencias.
Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con Lacey Hastings en lhastings@nmfamn.org
Reminder: Vaccine available for children 5 to 11 years old
Governor Tim Walz announced that Minnesotans can schedule appointments for children ages 5-11 to receive an updated bivalent booster at state-run vaccination sites. The announcement follows updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that expanded the use of updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 5 through 11 years to protect them against newer Omicron variants.
Minnesota health care providers are ready to administer new COVID-19 booster shots for ages 5 and older that have been formulated to be more effective against the Omicron variants. Attached you will find high-level talking points on the Bivalent vaccine.
The Pfizer bivalent booster is now available for people 5 and older and the Moderna bivalent vaccine is now available for people 6 and older.Both products can be given as soon as two months after a primary vaccine series or booster vaccination. Children 5-11 receive a smaller dose than people age 12 and older. The bivalent vaccines are only recommended for use as a booster.
The updated COVID-19 boosters can both help restore protection that has decreased since previous vaccination and provide broader protection against newer variants. The COVID-19 vaccines and the updated booster are safe and help protect people from getting very sick with COVID-19. Even if you’ve already had COVID-19, you should get vaccinated.
State-Run Vaccination Sites
Vaccination will start this week at the state-run vaccination sites at Mall of America, Duluth, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Paul. Parents can start making appointments now.
- Mall of America appointment link
- Duluth (DECC) appointment link
- Moorhead appointment link
- Rochester appointment link
- Paul Midway appointment link
All state-run vaccination sites will offer the Pfizer bivalent boosters. Appointments are recommended but walk ins will be accepted.
Where to Get a Bivalent Booster
There are several options for where to get a bivalent booster.
- Check with your regular health care provider or local pharmacy to see if appointments are available.
- Minnesotans can make appointments at the state-run vaccination sites now: State Run Sites
- Use the state’s Find Vaccine Locations map to find vaccine providers near you—providers will update their information as appointments are available.
- Check for vaccine appointments at Vaccines.gov, where you can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
- Watch for vaccination clinics being offered at other community locations around Minnesota.
Friendly Reminder to all families and students
Check It Out!
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MENUS:
Need to Know Information for the school year!
Important Contacts at NMFA
o Debbie Kranz – Principal dkranz@nmfamn.org
o Dave Isaacson – Special Education Director disaacson@nmfamn.org
o Chelsea Smieja – Operations Manger csmieja@nmfamn.org
o Jessaca Karg – Office Manager jkarg@nmfamn.org
Please take a look at some of our important times we have at NMFA:
School Hours 7:30a– 2:00p
Building hours: 7:00a – 2:30p
Lunches: Start at 10:50a – 12:10p
Wolf Pack: 2:00p-4:30p grade KG-6th for more information email info@nmfamn.org
( See Below )
North Metro Flex Academy
Email: info@nmfamn.org
Website: www.nmfamn.org
Location: 2350 Helen Street North, North Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: (651)300-6300
Facebook: https://facebook.com/NorthMetroFlexAcademy/