March Parent Newsletter

Happy March!

Thanks to so many of our families and community members who made donations of candy and money to the Middle School for the Valentine bags that were delivered to the Cancer Centers in Grand Forks.

Just a Friendly reminder that there is NO school on Friday, March 15th.

There Might not be school on Thursday, March 28th(weather depending) and NO School March 29th & April 1st, for students and staff.

It is hard to believe, but the end of our third quarter is on Friday, March 14th. After that, it leaves only nine weeks left of this school year!

The Manvel School Board has approved the calendar for the 2024-2025 School Year. I have attached it below in this newsletter. In this month's parent newsletter, you will find information about the PTO Carnival, Preschool Screening, and the 5h Annual MPS Spelling Bee. The North Dakota State Assessment will be administered in a few weeks in grades 3rd - 8th, deemed mandatory by the State of North Dakota.

Please don't hesitate to reach out about any concerns, questions, or ideas you may have to help us make MPS a place where we continue to empower every student every day!

March SEL Skill ~ Responsible(Responsible Decision Making)

National Reading Month

*Star Benchmark- March 7th- March 18th

*ND State Assessment Window for 3rd-8th - March 11th- May 3rd

Monday, March 4th ~ 2nd & 3rd Hats Musical Concert; 2:00 & 6:30 pm

Tuesday, March 5th~Make-up-2nd Grade Girls Scrimmage 3:30-4:30-No Practice for 3rd-4th grade girls

Wednesday, March 6th ~ Student Council Meeting @ 7:30 in PreK

Thursday, March 7th ~PTO School Carnival; 5-7:30 pm (see flyer for details)

Friday, March 8th ~ Monthly Assembly

Monday, March 11th ~ March School Board Meeting 5pm

Tuesday, March 12th ~ Preschool Screening(see flyer for details)

Thursday, March 14th ~ MPS Spelling Bee @ 2:00(see flyer for details)

Thursday, March 14th ~ End of 3rd Quarter

Thursday, March 14th ~ "Bake it Better"-2nd-4th grade 3:30-5:00

Friday, March 15th ~ NO SCHOOL-Spring Break

Monday 18th-Friday 22nd March ~ BOOK FAIR- Special Reading Event

Thursday, March 21st ~ 8th grade career day @ Schroder & tour Central

Thursday, March 14th ~ "Bake it Better"-5th-8th grade 3:30-5:00

Friday, March 22nd ~ Connection Time @ 10:00 am

Thursday, March 28th ~ School might not be in session (Storm make-up day)

Friday, March 29th ~ NO SCHOOL-Good Friday

Monday, April 1st ~ NO SCHOOL- PT Comp Day

Save the date:

Honors Breakfast: Thursday, May 9th @ 8:00 am

Color Fun Run ~ Wednesday, May 17th @ 2:00 (back up day: Thursday, May 18th)

8th Grade Graduation ~ Thursday, May 23rd

Last Day of School ~ Friday, May 24th (dismiss at 1:00)

March's social/emotional (SEL) focus is responsibility. Financial literacy ties nicely with responsibility and it will be our focus for this month.

A study at the University of Michigan, authored by Scott Rick, found that children as young as 5 already have distinct emotional reactions to spending and saving money.

Another study from Annuity.org indicates that 75% of American youth lack confidence in their knowledge of personal finance.

While finances and money can be an emotionally charged topic, it is critical to start talking to your child about money and how to be a steward of it at a young age.

We will be learning about three important concepts: Save, Spend, Share. These 3 concepts will help us explore broader SEL skills, such as self-control and decision making.

Students will be using various resources depending on their age.

Grades PK-2: We will be reading books from the "Money Bunny" Series. In this series, carrots serve as money, and we learn about delayed gratification and thinking before we act.

Grades 3-5: We will be reading "The Four Money Bears" and engaging in hypothetical, real-life scenarios that allow students to make decisions about choosing jobs, purchasing items, and creating a budget.

Grades 6-8: We will be playing "The Real Game." This is a hypothetical role play game that allows students to build a "family" and then make decisions on how to support the family through purchasing: homes, cars, insurance, education, electronics, food, leisure, etc.

March Madness: Coping Skills Bracket

During the month of March students will be learning and practicing a variety of coping tools. Each day, they will get to "vote" for their favorite coping tool. At the end of the month there will be a "champion" coping skill.

Please check in with your students at home! Ask them to teach you the coping skills of the day!

COW (Career on Wheels)

Please mark your calendars for FRIDAY, MAY 3rd.

On May 3rd we will be hosting a Career on Wheels Career Fair in the Manvel School Parking lot from 1:30-3:00 pm. Students in grades 3-6 are invited to attend.

Parents can come with their children from 3:-00-4:00 that day if they would like.

CALLING ALL CAREERS! If you know someone who has a career that uses wheels/transportation to complete the job, please invite them to set up a station at our career fair.

Please call Amanda at 701-412-1253 for more information!

Bake it Better will be baking cakes in the month of March.

March 14: Grades 2-4

March 21: Grades 5-8

Permission slips will be sent home the week before each event. Please call Jessica Schuster at the main office if you have any questions!