Greetings Maxfield Families,

Looking at our 3rd - 5th grade scholars' growth last year on the MCA tests, we have much to celebrate. Our school was #5 in the state for growth in Mathematics and #22 for growth in Reading! That is incredible growth only with the partnership between families and our school. Let’s keep up the great work!

We still have work to do. Looking at the Minnesota Department of Education’s report card for Maxfield, 6% of our scholars meet standards in Mathematics, 13% meet standards in Reading, and 6.1% meet standards in Science.

51% of our scholars have consistent attendance at school. This means they miss 10 or fewer days of school during the school year. There is a correlation between attendance and test scores. Please make sure your child is coming to school every day that they are healthy and able. That will go a long way toward helping our scholars achieve their learning goals.

For a full report, please take a look at our Maxfield MDE report card.

Maxfield uses our School-Wide Continuous Improvement Plan (SCIP) as a guide to meeting our schoolwide goals. Here is the link to our SCIP plan.

Our Attendance Goals:

• At least 85% of all students will consistently attend school, and

• All student groups will reach at least 80% consistent attendance as measured by Consistent Attendance Report in BOLT by June 2025.

Our goal for Mathematics is “The percentage of students 'On Level' or 'Above Level' in grades K-5 will increase by at least 15% pts. as measured by fall, winter, spring HMH Math Growth Measure in SY24-25.”

Our goals for Literacy are:

• “The percentage of all K/1 students on track/at benchmark (low risk) will increase by at least 5% pts from Spring 24 to Spring 25 & flat growth will decrease by at least 10% pts. as measured by FAST Fall to Winter and Fall to Spring Growth Reports.”

• “The percentage of grade 2 students on track/at benchmark will increase by at least 5% pts. from Fall 24 to Spring 25 and aggressive growth will increase by at least 10% pts. as measured by FAST Fall to Winter and Fall to Spring Growth reports.”

• “The percentage of all grades 3-5 students on track/at benchmark (low risk and above) will increase by at least 5% pts. from Fall 24 to Spring 25 as measured by FAST aReading assessments in SY24-25”

Please take a moment to fill out the 2 question survey after you’ve reviewed Maxfield’s Schoolwide Continuous Improvement Plan. https://forms.gle/byn2aBoWVpyf6HNE9

Yours in partnership,

Dr. Leslie Hitchens

Principal

After winter break, the district will host Winter Open Houses at their sites from perspective families. I encourage all 5th grade families to explore options for your upcoming middle school scholar. As a parent of an upcoming middle school scholar, we will explore our options in SPPS as well. This is an exciting time for you and your scholar. You can learn more about their interests and see the possibilities we offer. Our school counselor is available to answer questions and provide some support for transition.

Families will have the opportunity to interact with the three finalists as we determine which of these phenomenal women will be our next Superintendent. We at Maxfield will get to host one of the candidates for a visit. Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri- Reed will visit us and learn about our community.

• Tommie Tuesdays: We are encouraging our scholars to wear their purple collaborative shirt on Tuesdays!
• 12/23/24 - 1/5/24 Winter Break | No School
• 1/6/25 School Resumes
• 1/20/25 - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
• 1/22/25 Maxfield Family Night at the UST Basketball Game - 7pm Transportation Provided to and from Maxfield. Link for tickets coming after break.

Cold Weather Guidelines ⛈️

• Families are encouraged to monitor their children’s clothing selections to make sure they are appropriately dressed for cold weather. Our students have daily recess except in extreme weather conditions such as rain or severe cold/wind chill. Students will have indoor recess on any day with a wind chill or actual temperature that is below zero. As weather changes, sweaters and layers are needed! Please consider these factors related to weather as you and your child make decisions for winter clothing. Students must have a WARM coat, hat, and mittens/gloves for outdoor recess. Visit Saint Paul Public School Weather page for more information. To prevent lost Clothing please Label students' names on clothing.
• Thank you to Beacons YMCA for the generous donation of mittens and hats. Each Maxfield Scholar received a pair of all weather gloves and a hat.

Parent Pick Up Updates

• Please call the office 651-293-8680 and speak to front desk staff. All changes need to be made prior to 1:00 PM. Do not leave a message on attendance line for changes to afternoon student pick up. All scholars will be in the parent pick up area if you do not pick up your child before 1:40pm.
• Parents in the Paren Pick up Line: Please remain in your vehicle. When you choose not to follow the process it makes it difficult on those who do and impossible for staff. Everyone has some place to be. We have procedures in place for safety as well as flow. Do not walk up to the get your child. You will be sent back to your vehicle. Thank you to the families that consistently follow the procedures. We appreciate you. The Maxfield Parent Pick Up Crew

Attendance

Our school hours are 6:00 am - 3:30 pm. If your child is going to be absent it is your responsibility to inform us. We also know that the phone lines in office can be very busy at times, so, we do encourage you to leave a message on the attendance line.

Please check our school website regularly maxfield.spps.org for information and updates. You can also check out our 2024-25 School Year Calendar . If you have questions the website doesn’t answer, please call the front office at 651-293-8680.

Hey Hey Listen Up! We continue to demonstrate our use of PBIS C.A.R.E.S. all year. C.A.R.E.S. stands for Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Respect. We are moving into Assertion for the months of November and December.

Attendance is an important part of scholar success. Missing less than nine days of school each year helps students to stay engaged, experience success in their schoolwork and keep on track to graduate on time.​ We recognize there are many reasons a student may be absent from school. If your student is ill, check SPPS’s illness guidelines at spps.org/studentwellness. Please call the main office 651.293-8680 at your earliest convenience if your child will be absent. Communication between home and school is vital to a positive school experience. More information about consistent attendance can be found at spps.org/attendance.

If you have questions or concerns with getting your scholar(s) to school please contact school counselor Kary Kuenzli, 651-744-7644 or text 612-405-9477 or principal Dr. Hitchens 651-744-4534. We are here to support you and your family!

Please check in with your healthcare provider to ensure your child’s immunizations are current before school starts in the fall. Visit spps.org/studentwellness or call our school nurse for more information.

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  • If your family moved over the summer, update your address at spps.org/onestop.
  • If you believe your student is taking the bus but did not receive a postcard at the end of August, please call your child's school.
  • Please arrive at the bus stop five minutes before the bus is scheduled to pick up your child.
  • Track the status of your child’s bus on your school’s website or the Bus Status app linked below.
  • For your up-to-date bus pick-up and drop-off times, log on to your Campus Parent account and click on the Transportation tab.

  
  

TRACK YOUR BUS WITH THE BUS STATUS APP

• The Bus Status app reports buses greater than 10 minutes late and displays up-to-date bus information for SPPS families and students.

  Notice: Bus Status has a new and improved app just in time for the new school year! The Bus Status app currently installed on your phone will not update automatically to the new app, and will end notifications after September 29. Download the new Bus Status app for free at the Apple App Store and via Google Play.

All students are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch under the Minnesota Free School Meal program. As students arrive at school, they can grab their breakfast and eat in class. Hot and cold breakfast options are available.

Application for Educational Benefits

While all in-person students will receive free breakfast and lunch under Minnesota’s Free School Meals program, it remains critical that all families complete an Application for Educational Benefits each school year. These applications determine how much funding your child’s school receives for educational programs and supports. Additionally, eligible families can qualify for other benefits. The application can be completed online at schoolcafe.com/spps. Paper applications are available at school.