Monroe Families,

Happy February! There is lots going on this month so please be sure to watch your emails and flyers! Here are a few highlights:

• Welcome to a New Staff Member: Mirlie Abraham, MA, LMFTI, school based mental health professional, will be joining our team here at Monroe. If you have any questions or interest in receiving mental health therapy for your student at school, please reach out to her at mirlie.abraham@ahschools.us or 763-506-3618.
• Parent/Teacher Conferences: Feb. 12th, 15th and 20th- please be sure you have scheduled a time with your student's teacher! Visit myconferencetime.com/Monroe to sign up.
• Condensed Lunch Schedule: Monroe will continue to run the condensed lunch schedule through the end of the trimester. If you plan to come to lunch, please call the office at 763-506-3600 ahead of time, so we can see if there is space. Here is a reminder of the lunch times!
• 12:00 -12:25 - Kindergarten & Grade 1
• 12:30-12:55 - Grade 2 and Grade 5
• 1:00-1:30 - Grade 3 and Grade 4
• Kindergarten Registration: Kindergarten registration for the 2024-2025 school year has begun. Please be sure if you have an incoming kindergartener that you get them registered ASAP! If you have any questions about registration or have a new neighbor with a kindergartner, please give Diane a call at 763-506-3602.

Keep Being Amazing,

Mrs. Oliver

Monroe was named a National Merit School of Distinction by Magnet Schools of America, the national association for magnet and theme based schools.

Monroe will be recognized and receive a National Merit School of Distinction Award on behalf of the school during an awards ceremony held at the Magnet Schools of America's National Conference in April.

To receive a national merit award, members of Magnet Schools of America must submit a detailed application that is scored by a panel of educators. Schools are judged and scored on their demonstrated ability to raise student academic achievement, promote racial and socioeconomic diversity, provide integrated curricula and instruction, and create strong family and community partnerships that enhance the school's magnet them.

Congratulations on Leading the Way and achieving this status from Magnet Schools of America!

• Feb. 15 & 20 - Conferences

• Feb. 29- Celebrity Reader Day

• March 5- No School

• March 8- End of Trimester 2

• March 11-15- Spring Break No School

• March 18- No School- Teacher Work day

• March 19- Report Cards available electronically

• March 29- No School- Teacher Professional Development Day

• April 4- Class Picture Day

• April 9- Gear Up for Kindergarten

The Monroe GEARS Shelf is in need of restocking. We will be having a Food Drive/Spirit Week starting Monday, March 4 - Friday, March 8th. Each day students can bring in items from the suggested categories as well as participate in spirit days. See the flyer below for more information! Thanks for helping restock our shelves!

Is your family in need of food or toiletries? If so, you can use our school’s food shelf. It’s easy, fast, and confidential.
Here are some options:

• Reach out to a social worker to set up a time
• Scan or click the QR code to sign up to shop

February's Character Trait is Honesty. It is part of the Be Well category of character strong focused in on emotional regulation for students. Be Well includes practicing gratitude, honesty and creativity.

Practicing Honesty helps strengthen our relationships and even reduces stress. Across the grade levels, students will be developing skills like emotional regulation, positive self-talk, and stress-management.

Hey Monroe Families,

Thank you to all who have been volunteering in school and on field trips. There are still several opportunities to support staff and students at Monroe. Here are a few ways:

1. Workroom Volunteer - On-going

We are looking for extra help in our workroom. If you are interested in cutting, copying or laminating, this opportunity is for you! You can come in to help out at your convenience or take a project home to work on!

2. Celebrity Reader Day - Thursday, February 29th

We are looking for Celebrity Readers to join us on Celebrity Reader Day to read a book of your choice to the students of Monroe! Celebrity Readers will read to each classroom for 10-15 minutes and visit as many classes as they would like! We consider everyone to be a Celebrity here at Monroe....so everyone is welcome to join us! Please feel free to contact Wendy Brown/Volunteer Service Coordinator or use the link below to complete the Celebrity Reader Interest Form.

https://tinyurl.com/CelebFeb29

3. Chaperones for Field Trips

To be considered as a chaperone, a background check and volunteer forms are mandatory. These can be completed at any time but for sure need to be done 3+ weeks prior to any field trip. Please watch for information from your student's classroom teacher. Please use the links below to complete!

• Monroe Application

• Monroe background check

4. Attend a PTO Meeting

Attending a PTO meeting is a great way to get to know Monroe staff and other Monroe families! Childcare is provided for free for children ages preschool and older. PTO meetings are held in the Monroe Media Center and run from 6:30-7:30pm. Here are the upcoming meetings:

April 2, 2024 - 6:30pm-7:30pm

May 21, 2024 - 6:30pm-7:30pm

Please reach out if you have any questions.

Wendy Brown

wendy.brown@ahschools.us

763-506-3630

Hello from Health Service,

There have been many illnesses going around the past few weeks. Please be sure to call the absence line (763-506-3606) if your student will be staying home sick. Students must stay home from school if:

• they have a temperature greater than 100 degrees
• or have thrown up within 24 hours

Students may return to school when vomiting has stopped or the temperature has returned to normal for 24 hours without fever reducing medications.

Please consider the following for your student with the change in season:

• send in a water bottle for your student so they can stay hydrated
• have lip balm for chapped lips available in backpacks
• small bottle/container of lotion for dry chapped skin.

The Health Office is out of additional clothing supplies for students to use when there is an accident. Please have an extra set of clothes in your students backpack as a backup for them.

If you have clothing that no longer fits your students and you would like to donate them to the health office, please drop them off in the office. If you would like to donate NEW socks, boys or girls underwear in all sizes, those items can be dropped off in the office as well.

If you have any health related questions, please feel free to contact us @ 763-506-3624!

Attendance Information: Please be sure to call the attendance line if your student is sick, will be out of town or has a doctor's appointment. Absence number is: 763-506-3606.