It is hard to believe that we are already almost halfway through the school year. It feels like the fall flew by. Here are some of the things that have been happening at BMSA over the last few months. The students went on a field trip to the Minnesota Zoo. All grades were able to go spend a beautiful day seeing the animals and enjoying the outdoors. Our 9th grade class went on a field trip to Minneapolis City Hall. They were able to spend some time with the Mayor and toured the facility. The response from the students was overwhelmingly positive. It sounds like they had a great time. As we are starting school back up after winter break it is great to see the smiles and feel the positivity throughout the program. We are looking to wrap up NWEA testing in the next week and looking forward to ACCESS testing in February. As the majority of our students take the ACCESS test, this season tends to be very busy. However, our students do a great job rising to the occasion and applying themselves. As we look forward to Spring we are continuing to work hard and get the most out of every day.
Community Liaison Banaadir Academy Update
Community Liaisons at MTCS serve an important role making sure our programs are running smoothly and effectively for particular cultural communities. Banaadir Schools serve a large number of students from East Africa and the community liaison position is critical in supporting the unique needs of families.
Some recent positive developments in the Banaadir Academy program are:
- Students are showing a lot of academic growth, particularly in the Elementary programs. It is exciting, and rewarding for students to set and reach big goals.
- There is a progress track in the Secondary grades, where students meet regularly with leadership and teachers to go through their individual testing scores and accomplishments, and set goals for progress. Every student has their own unique plan.
- The Secondary program has created an Honor Roll program. Every quarter, students who are excelling will be honored, and enjoy a celebration lunch with the Superintendent and other school leaders.
- This year, Banaadir Academy has added new after school activities, complete with transportation home afterward. Along with other activities is after school homework support to give students a chance to get individualized support, which keeps academics strong.
- Families feel very supported and listened to, with leadership responding to their needs and making the changes that make school work for their families.
