Dakota Minute

The 4th quarter has started strong, and we appreciate the continued PRIDE shown by our students and families. MCA testing begins next week; please refer to the provided schedule and avoid picking up or dropping off students during test times, though we understand rescheduling may not be possible. If a student misses a test, there will be opportunities for makeup. Attendance remains crucial, and we encourage students to attend daily and be on time to participate in our attendance raffle. Lastly, please note there will be a 2-hour early release on Wednesday, April 9th.

Gratefully,

Principal Hyer

The MAPS School Board will be adopting a revised 2025-2026 school calendar in order to provide additional time for construction in the summer of 2026.

On March 4th, a proposal was shared with the school community that outlined changes to next year’s calendar. Since that time, another option has been identified that would end the school year even sooner, eliminating the need to start the 2026-27 school year a week after Labor Day.

On Monday, March 17, the School Board met and discussed the attached 2025-26 calendar option that would:

• Start the school year before Labor Day.

• Hold school on November 25, November 26, January 2, March 13, March 23, April 1 and April 2.

• Hold Parent-Teacher conferences during the evenings in November and March and move the ‘no school days’ associated with conference days (teacher comp days) to the end of the school year.

• Set the last day of school as follows:

• Elementary: Monday, May 18, 2026
• Middle: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
• High School: Thursday, May 21, 2026 (graduation)

The School Board is scheduled to determine next school year’s calendar at their meeting on April 7.

As we come to the end of the year, please be on the look out for communcation in regards to your student and field trip opportunities. We have some fun events planned in school and off campus. If you have questions about upcoming events, please reach out to your advisory teacher.

Please contact the Attendance Office if your student will be absent, arriving late or leaving early.

You can do this by:

• Calling the attendance line at (507) 387-5077, option 2---please leave a detailed message.
• Emailing dmmsattendance@isd77.org.

It is helpful for the Attendance Office to be notified in advance, ideally on the morning of or the day before, so they can prepare passes for students. While last-minute notifications are understood, planning ahead is appreciated to minimize disruptions to classroom and office.

Mankato Area Public Schools will host the Substance Use Awareness & Prevention event on April 9th with local organizations to educate 7th graders at Dakota Meadows on the dangers and impact of substance use, including vaping, tobacco, cannabis, and fentanyl.

Community partners will include:

Adolescent Chemical Wellness Advocates, American Lung Association, Blue Earth County (Statewide Health Improvement Partnership) SHIP, Brown Nicollet Le Sueur Waseca County SHIP, Mayo Clinic Health System, WeCovery, and Minnesota State University, Mankato .

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.

As we move into the last quarter of the school year, DMMS PTA invites you to join us for our April meeting where we'll brainstorm ways in which we can continue to build community at Dakota Meadows, as well as discuss ways in which we can support the DMMS community today.

Additionally, we are looking for individuals to join our executive board! More information regarding the details of these leadership positions will be shared at our upcoming meeting. If you have any questions or are interested in getting involved, please reach out via email to ptadmms@gmail.com.

Upcoming Meeting:

Monday, April 21

5:45-6:45pm

Dakota Meadows flex space in the Media Center.

With Much Appreciation,

Natalie Casper and the DMMS PTA Board

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.

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:

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.

• April 7-12- MCA Reading
• April 9th- Inflatable Lung Event & Early Out
• April 15th- RESCHEDULED Mendota Trail Biz Town Trip
• 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 15th- Band, Choir and Orchestra Trip to Elementary Schools
• 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
• June 3rd- Arn Kind 6th Grade & Mahkato State Capitol Trip
• June 4th- Kasota State Capitol Trip
• June 5th- 8th Grade Celebration & Last Day of School