North Metro Flex Academy
Where You're Challenged...and Belong
NMFA connecting with families off Campus
A few words from our Principal Mrs. Kranz
Dear NMFA Families,
Last week a family invited some of our teachers to their home to share a meal and 9 parents joined me for a Parent Meeting. (1 parent came on site and 8 parents joined via Zoom). We are grateful for the opportunities to partner with all of you to celebrate what is going well and discuss ways to improve our school community. We will have another Parent meeting On Thursday, April 27 at 5:00 PM (on site and Zoom.)
I will be dating myself but...
I remember having 1 phone in my house that had a long curly cord, attached to the wall...
I never had a computer in our house...When I went bike riding or spent time with friends, my parents had to trust where I was and who I was with...I remember using a typewriter for high school and college assignments. When I needed to do research, I had to go to the library or look things up in an encyclopedia...I remember the first 10 years I was a teacher, I would drive 45 minutes without a cell phone and teach in a classroom without a phone or technology. If I needed to contact families, there was a phone in a staff lounge to share with other teachers...
I remember If I wanted to talk to my friends, I didn't have as many options as there are today.
I can remember driving with my 4 young sons to our cabin 2 hours away, without a cell phone...
While I am grateful for the technology we have today to make our lives easier and safer, it has presented problems.
I am deeply concerned that all of the technology has overwhelmed everyone in so many ways.
Believe me, I never leave my home without my phone. My 4 sons always have their phones. We can text, call and research anyone or anything, anytime. (I can track my sons with Find my Friends.)
But with all the good technology provided, it has come with a high cost...I do believe that having all of this technology has also caused harm.
I am not sure of the magic answer. I don't want to go back to the days without all of the technology. Hopefully sooner, rather than later, all of the technology we have will only be helpful, safe and make our lives easier.
We are using Bark with all of our devices here at school.
Please read the Annual Report (below) "Bark" produced and consider placing "Bark" on your home devices for your students. You can try it for free.
Be safe, kind and responsible...and show courage!
Peace,
Mrs. Kranz, Principal
Read this Annual Report from BARK
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
Upcoming Dates
APRIL DATES
APRIL MCA Testing
Thursday, April 6 Science Fair
Friday, April 7 - Contract Holiday, No School
Monday, April 17 3rd - 5th Grade Field Trip to Science Museum and Omni Theater
Tuesday, April 18 Chipotle Restaurant Family Night
MAY DATES
MAY Spring NWEA Testing
Friday, May 12 School Carnival
Friday, May 26 6th-8th Grade Valleyfair Field Trip
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 DATES
Summer Enrichment Activities TBD
Check out the Classroom Newsletters!
Mindfulness Corner
What CAN I do?
The more TOOLS we have the BETTER we can be EVERYDAY!
Family Focus
Conversation Starters:
- Can you describe how flexible-thinking helps you make Kind choices?
- How have you have practiced Courage this week?
Book Recommendation
The Girl With A Mind For Math by Julia Finely Mosca
Young Raye has her sights set on becoming an engineer. When obstacles get in the way, will she have the Courage to persevere?
Cyberbullying Resources
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
Summer Enrichment for ALL ages
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/