Believing

As we return from the Holiday Break, I want to share a few thoughts with you all about the opportunity that lies before us all as we enter the building beginning tomorrow, January 6. We have the opportunity to help every one of our students, each of the 872 Manatees that enter our doors each day, to reach their goals and continue to move forward on the path to accomplishing the dreams and outcomes they and their families have set for them. That opportunity, however, has to start with believing. We have to believe in our students and, more importantly, show them that we believe in them. We have to accept the fact that EVERYTHING that we do each day has an impact on our students—and that impact can be and will be either positive or negative. What can we do—each of us, all of us—each day to show our students we believe in them? How can we help them to believe in themselves? While these aren’t questions with easy answers, they are questions that we must seek the answers to as a team. Just like we have to encourage our students to believe in themselves, we also have to believe in ourselves, in our shared opportunity, to do that work together. We have the people necessary to do this work and accomplish this goal, but only if we work together and trust each other, believe in each other. So, tomorrow, let’s make sure that we believe. Believe in what’s possible, believe in our students, believe in each other, and believe in ourselves. I believe in believe—do you?

The Week Ahead

New Schedule

As a reminder, our new schedule goes into effect tomorrow. Please review the information below on support from MCLs and Admin, as well as a link to the new schedule and an overview of the new lunch schedule. Please let me know ASAP if you have any questions or see any issues.

Required Surveys to Complete

MOY Testing Updates

In January, we have four middle of year assessments occurring at the same time. Jennifer has created a testing calendar for the school that covers all the testing. When she emails in the future about MOY testing, she will keep the subject line the same: MOY Testing (NAME OF TEST.DATE) to help with searching for information. Please be patient with errors that may be in this schedule, as there are a lot of testing sessions to juggle and navigate. She put all staff members that will be involved with the testing on the calendar, so you will be aware if typical supports or groups are unable to occur-we know the massive impact testing has schoolwide and we are so sorry for this interruption.

With ACCESS testing, all groups are mapped out as best as can be done at this point. We have 246 1st-5th MLL students that require 4 subtests each and 41 Kindergarten MLL students that have 4 subtests given in a 1-on-1 session. (If you do the Math: that's at least 1,025 subtests!!) Once the students reach Speaking and Writing, they are divided by tiers based on their performance on Listening and Reading, so the groups change, but Jennifer will keep you updated as best as she can. Kindergarten teachers: Your students will be pulled 1-on-1 throughout the day based on your schedule, but there is no formal scheduling because of the individualized nature of the testing and pacing of the student.

An updated testing schedule will be shared later with specific times on the days of the test administration.

The testing calendar is presented in two ways. The first 6 tabs represent all the tests being administered school-wide by week. The second 6 tabs are grade specific tabs that lay out more like a monthly calendar.

Manatees Give Back!

We have exciting news to share! In collaboration with other donors, our 3rd grade students from last year (this year’s 4th grade students) were able to fund a new rainwater collection system for Bukwali Primary School in Kisumbi, Uganda! Thank you to everyone who donated and supported this awesome project—especially the families of our current 4th-grade students and our 3rd grade teachers from 2023-2024! Because of this new rainwater system, 16 staff members and 623 students will save approximately 7.33 hours of collection time per day and 2.47 miles of walking each day! Way to go, Manatees!

Breakfast Updates & Information

We’ve received many questions about breakfast procedures. Here are the expectations for all staff and students:

• Students should eat within 8 minutes of sitting down

• Students may eat in the cafeteria between 7:15-7:40

• Starting at 7:40 we will send students to their class to eat breakfast

• Any late bus students will remain in the cafeteria and eat their breakfast

• Cafeteria should be cleared by 7:55, unless there is a late bus

MTSS Updates

This is friendly reminder to make sure you have put your students who are receiving supplemental or intensive interventions into branching minds, as well as in the MTSS Google Sheet. Without this information in branching minds, there is no documentation or record that these students are receiving interventions. Please let Karina know if you need any support or guidance in completing this task.

MHES 24-25 Yearbook

Drop your pictures from this year in this folder so that they can be shared in our MHES yearbook!

Social Committee Updates

i-Ready Resources

Looking for resources for using iReady in your classroom and with your students? Use the link below for a variety of resources to ensure that iReady is a key focus of your classroom practice.

FAC Notes & Updates

The FAC notes from the December 2024 meeting can be reviewed by using this link:

Previous Meeting Notes:

• September/October 2024 FAC

Here are the notes from the first Performance Area Advisory Council (PAAC): Nov. 6 PAAC Meeting Notes

Updates & Information