Dear NMFA Families,

This Wednesday, February 22 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Day! Our school bus and van drivers ensure the safety of our students while transporting them to school and back home! (We especially appreciate how our drivers are continually challenged with Minnesota weather conditions.)

Our drivers are employed through ISD 622 for our NSP/Maplewood/Oakdale routes. Our drivers for the St. Paul routes are employed through CSTMN.

We are grateful for these essential members of our NMFA community. They support the sense of belonging and safety of our children at the beginning and end of each school day.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has declared February 22, 2023 as School Bus Driver Appreciation Day across the state to celebrate all the drivers that transport more than 682,000 MN students daily.

Be safe, kind and responsible...and HONEST!

Love,

Mrs. Kranz, Principal

February Black History Month

February We LOVE to READ Month

February Access Testing for (English Language Learners) ELL Students

Monday, February 20 No School - President's Day

Tuesday, February 21 Pre K/Kindergarten Open House (3:00 PM - 5:00 PM)

Thursday February 23 Tutoring after school 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM (Last day of tutoring for the trimester.)

Friday, February 24 I LOVE TO READ MONTH "Buddy Reading" and all-school DEAR

Thursday, March 2 Black History Month Projects presented school-wide

Friday, March 3 No School (Report card and Conference Prep day)

Saturday, March 4 Destination Imagination (DI) Competition (Coon Rapids Middle School)

Week of March 6-10 Conferences after school/evenings

Week of March 6 - 10 ***Scholastic Book Fair ***

Friday, March 10 No School - Conferences

March 13 - 17 No School - Spring Break

March 20 - 3rd Trimester Starts

Spring Clubs Begin after Spring Break

Thursday, April 6 Science Fair

Friday, April 7 - Contract Holiday, No School

Tuesday, April 18 Chipotle Restaurant Family Night

Friday, May 12 School Carnival

Monday, May 29 Memorial Day - No school

Friday, June 2 Last day of school for students

Week of June 12 Summer Enrichment Activities TBD

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

The Empty Pot by Demi

In this classic, the King, who loved flowers, wants to find the successor to his throne, so he gives the children in his kingdom a seed to see who can grow the best flower. Ping, a young master gardener himself, thinks he’s got this, but try as he might, he can’t get his seed to grow. Will Ping end up winning?

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.

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 )

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/