North Metro Flex Academy

BRRRRRRRRRRR

What a difference a day makes! It was just in the 40's and now it felt like -13 today! I saw many warm coats, boots, hats and mittens today! Please call us #651-300-6300 if any of your children need some warm weather gear. We will be going outside for recess as much as we can safely.

Report cards have been EMAILED out to families. Please contact the office or your teacher if you did not receive the emailed report cards.

Just a reminder, the field trip slips for the Hill Murray musical are due now!

Thank you so much for your continued support and flexibility as we navigate COVID. See below for the COVID dashboard. As we start this new trimester, we are really trying to prioritize IN-Person learning, while also supporting students and staff who need to stay at home due to COVID. Please screen your children at home for symptoms, make sure they have masks for on the bus, we encourage COVID testing (we have a supply at school - just call!) and we encourage vaccinations for everyone who can be vaccinated.

Thank you for all of your helpful feedback from the parent survey. Some parents indicated they would like more information about grade levels and classrooms. Enjoy all the pictures and information! We love your students and are so proud of their hard work and accomplishments!

Stay well, be safe, kind and responsible!

Stay warm!

Mrs. Kranz

Reminder...

This is what we refer to at school to make decisions on students staying home and or testing positive for Covid19. We ask that you use this at home as well. Just a reminder to all families if your student is testing positive or is in need of isolating at home due to close contact that you contact the school for next steps and your students return date.

We are asking this of you as a parent and guardian...

• Please screen students at home in the morning – please do not sent them to school if they are having these symptoms.

At school this is what we are doing

• We are screening kids at school. If students have COVID related symptoms (please view the Decision Tree ) they will be sent to the office and parents will be called to pick up students.
• Students should be wearing masks on buses
• Students are expected to wear masks throughout the day, with mask breaks outside…
• Assigned seats in classrooms and at lunch, to help with contact tracing
• PPE supplies for cleaning in classrooms daily
• Air filtration UVAC systems and classroom air purifiers

In Kindergarten we just started our Gingerbread Unit! We will hear 12 different versions of the familiar story, The Gingerbread Man. We will learn all about characters and setting!

First Grade Super Stars had our first STEM afternoon! We did many experiments with building and engineering! It was a lot of fun! We started daily writing in our writing journals which has been a success so far! We are learning to decode words, recognize our star words and enjoying our read aloud. We are subtraction "math busters' in the current math unit and are learning about how subtraction and addition are related. We just started a unit about Landforms around the world and are learning about holidays all around the world as well!

We have been visiting the library every week for the last few weeks. We have so much fun walking to the NSP Library and picking out books of our choice and bringing them back to school to spend time reading.

3rd Grade students are in the middle of learning multiplication tables. They have been working very hard on memorizing facts. In reading, students are learning all about technology and how it has helped to improve athletes performance over the years. Students have been learning all about irregular plural and singular nouns.

Fourth and Fifth Grade students have currently been reading the novel "Last Kids on Earth", along with phonic skills and writing essays. Students will be picking a person they admire and writing a narrative essay about that person.

This group of wonderful fourth graders have been working on their map unit. Our fifth graders have been working on Mayas, Azteca's, and Incas.

4th Grade Math -

Students are just finishing up the unit on 2- Digit Multiplication. Student will be reviewing this week for their end of unit test. Looking ahead, students will be learning how to multiply multi-digit numbers.

5th Grade Math -

Students have been learning all about Long Division. Students will be reviewing this week and taking the end of unit test. Looking ahead, students will be learning how to add and subtract decimals.

Pictured below: 4th grade students working hard on end of unit test!

READING -

6th grade ELA – We are reading a realistic fiction story called “The boy Who Saved Baseball” and studying how the media can influence people as well as a theme of a story.

7th grade ELA – We are reading a play called “ A Christmas Carol” and studying how experiences can change a person as well as character development through dialogue.

8th grade ELA – We are reading a play about Anne Frank and studying how we can remember history

MATH -

6th grade -Students are learning imperial and metric measurement.

7th grade -Students are learning imperial and metric measurement.

8th grade -Students are learning functions.

SOCIAL STUDIES -

6th Grade - Students are learning about early immigration to Minnesota after it became a territory and state. Students will be working on a project next week where they must create a brochure or poster encouraging immigration to Minnesota.

7th Grade - Students are learning about the Presidency of Andrew Jackson and America's westward growth.

8th Grade - Learning about Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.

SCIENCE -

6TH Grade Science – We are studying the physical and chemical properties of matter.

7TH Grade Science - We are finishing up our unit on the cell.

8TH Grade Science- Students are doing research projects about objects in the Solar System. Students must create a sales ad convincing an alien (Mr. Johnson) to purchase their object by providing facts and details about their objects.

Happy Winter Everyone!

I wanted to share a little of what the music and art room will be up to in the next couple weeks. We have been very busy this year so far and are excited to continue to create!
In art we will be working on winter projects that involve chalk pastels, watercolor, and much more! We will be exploring the use of different mediums and focus on cool colors and landscapes. The music room will be very busy the next couple weeks getting ready for our virtual concert. The younger grades have been working hard on preparing songs to sing for you while the middle schoolers have been hard at work learning percussion on our bucket drums. We are very excited to record some music for you to enjoy at home! Please look on the Facebook page for announcements on when we will be sending our recordings out.

Take care and stay warm!
Ms. Anderson

All Students at NMFA have started the Jump Rope unit. Students have been working on and learning the following...

• Basic, Intermediate & Advanced Tricks
• Learning and Practicing basic skills
• Middle school students will be working on Partner tricks and Double Dutch in the upcoming weeks.

Teams will be starting challenges this week!!!

Tricky Tales - Fine Arts: Team 5

Research trickster characters and how they have been portrayed in literature, theater, film, and/or mythology.

Create and present a story about a trickster who attempts to overcome a tricky situation.

Design and create a costume that goes through a costume transformation.

Design and create an illusion that enhances the story.

Up Close - Scientific

Research the science of microscopy.

Create and present a story about a character who encounters a mysterious object while in a microworld.

Design and build scenery that brings the microworld to life.

Design and create a visual effect that enhances the mysterious object.

Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

Roll With It - Engineering: Team 3 and Team 4

Design and build a structure that can roll down a ramp and collide with the structure tester.

Test the structure by placing weights on it.

Create and present a story about how a character becomes a legend.

Design and build a rotating object.

Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

Up Close - Scientific

Research the science of microscopy.

Create and present a story about a character who encounters a mysterious object while in a microworld.

Design and build scenery that brings the microworld to life.

Design and create a visual effect that enhances the mysterious object.

Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

Monster Manners : Team 1

Create and present a play about a family of monsters who are moving into a new home.

Show how the monsters use manners to fix an important item that gets broken during the move.

Include a model of the monster family’s new home.

Create costumes, props, and scenery to help tell the story.

December 10- Field Trip to Hill Murray (WATCH FOR PERMISSION SLIP THIS WEEK!)

December 13th - 17th - Winter wonderland week

December 20th - 22nd - Winter wonderland week continued

December TBD Virtual Winter Music Concert

December 23-31 Winter Break (NO School)

Please watch for this coming home with students in grades 3rd - 8th! Students will be required to wear a mask during the performance.

Permission slips due by Thursday!!!

Email: info@NMFAMN.org
Website: www.NMFAMN.org
Location: 2350 Helen Street North, North Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: (651)300-6300