Dakota Minute

I hope this message finds you well! As we move through this school year, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for your continued support and partnership. Your involvement makes a significant difference in our students' lives, and I appreciate all that you do!

Important Announcements:

• Upcoming Field Trips for 7th Grade Trails:

  • Thursday, February 27th: Mahkato Trail
  • Thursday, March 6th: Kastota Trail
  • A permission slip will be sent home soon. Please keep an eye out for it!

• Conferences Coming Up:

  • Thursday, February 27th and Monday, March 3rd
  • If you haven’t signed up for a conference yet, please do so at your earliest convenience. We look forward to discussing your child's progress!

Celebrations from the Week

We are excited to share that our attendance raffle is going well! Students have the opportunity to win fantastic prizes, including Air Pods and Beat headphones, simply by attending school every day and improving their attendance. Let's keep the momentum going!

Gratefully,

Principal Hyer

Parking and traffic flow at Crossview Church, adjacent to our school, require careful attention during our DMMS drop-off and pick-up times. Crossview Church has graciously permitted us to use their parking lot, but it is essential that we prioritize safety; as there are numerous events, staff, guests and even daycare/preschool at Crossview. If you are picking up a student, you must park in a parking spot and wait for your student to come to the vehicle in the parked parking space. You are not able to park in the round a bout or any other space besides a parking spot. Continued issues with speeding and unsafe traffic may jeopardize our ability to utilize the church's parking lot in the future.

Next Monday (2/24) there will be an altered schedule ONLY for 8th grade.

We have Collide coming with Project Success.

Wonderland uses an accessible format (dance theater) to provide education and a positive message about the importance of mental health and empathy. Following each performance will be a short discussion session with the cast, during which students will be able to ask questions about the show.

The main performance will be 45 minutes with a 15-minute Q & A to follow. The assembly will take place in the gymnasium.

After the assembly, Collide will be providing workshops for 8th-grade students during health classes to discuss the mental health components of the performance at a more in-depth level on Monday (2/24) and Tuesday (2/25).

Please see the attached the schedule for the day. Alternate Schedule

There will be a follow-up workshop in the 8th-grade health rooms based on the Collide performance.

Please reach out to Mrs. Buttell directly if you have any questions.

The yearbook is in need of your school activity photos. Any photos of sports, shining scarlet breakfasts, spelling bee, Vex robotics, or general fun photos that have been taken at a school function would be appreciated. Please send them to amykin1@isd77.org.

The temps may be cold, but spring is almost here which means it's time for parent/teacher conferences! Our teachers and staff put in long days to make these conferences possible and PTA is happy to make their lives a little easier by providing them meals. The food is already lined up but we need help in setting up, tearing down, and checking in to make sure the food station is well kept and filled. Interested parties should sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FA5AA2FA3FC1-55259684-conference

Looking for ways to get involved? DMMS PTA invites you to join us at our upcoming meeting, February 24th, 5:45pm, at Dakota Meadows in the media center. We look forward to having you join us!

Questions regarding the PTA and how to get involved can be forwarded to ptadmms@gmail.com

With Much Appreciation,

Natalie Casper and the DMMS PTA Board

Please see THIS Student Social Emotional Screener Opt Out Letter. Students will be taking this in advisory class on Thursday, March 13th.

If you have already submitted your Opt Out Letter, no further action is needed.

To view the questions ahead of time, this must be done in the DMMS Office. Digital copies cannot be shared and photos are not able to be taken.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (507)387-5077 or at dmms@isd77.org.

Dear MAPS Families,

As we approach Ramadan, Mankato Area Public Schools is offering the option for students in grades 6-12 to receive meals to take home if they fast during the day. If your family would like to order meals, please use the link below:

send out the link to this weekly order form

If you need assistance with the ordering process, please reach out to a liaison or your child’s school for support.

Thank you!

ADMIN NAME HERE

Please see THIS letter in regards to Infinite Campus and how to view testing and grading results.

Future Chaperones:

Turnaround times have been up to 6 weeks when submitting to the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension). Be sure you get your applications in as soon as possible if you have an upcoming field trip you are volunteering for. You may fill out an application in the office and submit a copy of your valid driver's license. There is a $15 filing fee.

If you are the parent or guardian of a MAPS student, we want to make sure you’re receiving all the necessary communication.

Please check the following:

Do you have an Infinite Campus Parent Portal Account?

• If not, please follow THIS LINK to create one.

Do you have an account, but you're unsure about your contact preferences?

• If so, follow THIS LINK to review and update your settings.

If you have checked your preferences and still haven’t received a message, we recommend contacting your phone carrier, as some carriers may have issues with third-party or mass messaging services.

For further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to Infinite Campus support at icsupport@isd77.org.

Winter weather will be here soon, so it’s a good idea to have a plan for your family in case of school closings, early dismissals, or late starts.

Notices for school closings and early dismissals will be posted on the following websites, radio, and television stations. You can also hear a recorded message on the District Notification Line at 507-387-6046.

Other ways to track school closing delays/dismissals/closures:

● www.isd77.org ● katoinfo.com ● mankatofreepress.com ● southernminnesotanews.com ● keyc.com ● KEYC 12 - TV AND MANY MORE.

Click HERE for a copy of the Winter Weather Information.

Blue Earth Area Schools is a smaller school district south of us. When you hear or see this, IT IS NOT Mankato Area Public Schools. This is something that often confuses parents because of the county in which we live

• PRIDE STORE open every Wednesday the rest of the year. We had 29 students volunteer to help us at the store. We'll have a rotation of 4 students each week. Thanks for continuing to give out PRIDE slips.

Construction will continue throughout the 2024-25 school year as work on the new pool progresses. Construction fences and concrete barriers (see attachment) remain in place around the parent drop-off/pick-up area.

To help reduce congestion on Howard Drive and in the DMMS parking lot, we offer the following suggestions:

Student Pick-Up and Drop-Off Areas:

• School Lot: Please use both lanes and take turns merging near the pick-up/drop-off area.

• Crossview Church: Please enter the parking lot and find a parking space. DO NOT stop or park in the roundabout, as this may result in a ticket.

• Caswell North: Please find a place to park and wait for your student. Students may use the trail from campus to Caswell North.

Two hour early releases will take place on the following dates:

March 12th, 2025. April 9th, 2025. May 14th, 2025.

There are no middle school practices on early release days. ALL DMMS student athletes should be picked up or use bus transportation home on these days.There is also no activity bus to Mankato West on Early release days. Student Athletes that participate at the high school level may have practices as normal but will have to provide their own transportation or contact their coach.

Here is the assessment calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Please make sure to view the student calendar on our district website. This will have our early releases and no school days. In addition, the Google Calendar will have DMMS Specific information.

• February 27th- Mahkato SWAG Field Trip
• February 27th- Conferences
• March 3rd- Conferences
• March 6th- Kasota SWAG Field Trip
• March 10th- DMMS Band/Orchestra Concert
• March 12th- Early Out
• March 14th- No School
• March 19th- 6th Grade Biz Town Field Trip (Mendota Trail)
• March 20th- 6th Grade Biz Town Field Trip (Minnesota Trail)
• March 27th-31st- No School
• April 7-12- MCA Reading
• April 9th- Inflatable Lung Event & Early Out
• April 18th- No School
• April 21-25- MCA Math
• April 30-May 2- MCA Science
• May 13th- Band and Orchestra Concert
• May 14th- Early Out
• May 19th- Big Ideas Trailer & Choir Concert @ West
• May 20th- Jeffer's Petroglyphs Field Trip- 6th Grade Trail TBD
• May 21st- Jeffer's Petroglyphs Field Trip- 6th Grade Trail TBD
• May 26th- No School