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Julia Arnold 6/13/22 Julia Arnold 6/13/22

June 2022 Parent Newsletter

Greetings, MCS families!

It is hard to believe another school year has come to an end, and I hope your children had a wonderful time learning and growing at Magnuson this year. It was a joy to get to know so many of the students when I subbed this year. I wish you all a fantastic summer with your families.

Please enjoy the last blog post of the 2021-22 school year—we have many terrific photos and anecdotes to share in the June edition!

~Julia Arnold (a.k.a “Mrs. A”)

Field Trip Fun

On April 28th, the 5th and 6th grade classes enjoyed a day trip to the Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center in Sandstone, Minnesota.

Mrs. Johnson shared the following about this special day: “Students participated in archery, an Ojibwe hike, and an orienteering class. Learning to use a compass to navigate a course in the woods was great fun! We are thankful for our parent chaperones and a fantastic day of learning in the Lord’s beautiful creation!”

Annual 4th Grade State Float Project

Each year, Ms. Ahrenholz has her fourth-grade class work on a “State Float” project. Students and parents look forward to the creative State Float Parade each spring!

Ms. A shares some details about the project: “The goal of the state float is to have students explore the unique features of their chosen state. They are “promoting” their state to their audience in a creative, colorful, and fun way! The floats are portable and are set on top of a coaster wagon. The students wrote a creatively written description that was read during the parade.”

Bottle Buddies

Each spring, second graders create a “bottle buddy.” Ms. Coleman explained the goal of this creative, cross-curricular project: “Second graders researched a Famous American. Some examples include presidents, inventors, writers, or politicians. This was a cross-curricular learning experience as students were writing, researching, using technology and creating as well. The research and writing were done in class. Students used Google Docs as their final publishing step to create a riddle for their audience to try and solve who their Famous American was. The Bottle Buddies were created at home with some provided guidance and steps.”

Field Day, MPTP, and Magnuson Dads Unite

Magnuson Dads Unite is a group of MCS dads who help out around the school, church, and local community. They recently assisted Mr. Severson with Field Day, during which they participated in an epic Dads vs. 5th/6th Grade Tug o’ War contest!

Mr. Severson, our P.E. teacher, shared this: “God blessed us in many ways on Field Day! Thank you to our hard-working volunteers for making this event happen. The teachers endured through eleven stations and kept their classes moving through the whole event. The students had a blast as they demonstrated good sportsmanship and used their talents in a variety of ways. It was especially fun to watch students work together during relay running and go all out during Tug of War! This was an amazing event!"

In addition, the MDU and Magnuson Parent Teacher Partnership (MPTP) hosted a fun-filled year-end party on June 2nd, serving up grilled delights and root beer floats to MCS families. The weather was beautiful, and everyone had a blast! It was a great way to celebrate a successful school year.

Spring Concert

On the evening of May 24, MCS families enjoyed an incredible Spring Concert organized by Ms. Lee. MCS parent and pianist Kara Leiser accompanied the students on piano.

The choir, band, and music classes—kindergarten through sixth grade—did a fantastic job! The church Sanctuary was filled with families gathering to hear the joyful music that culminated in a school-wide version of “Happy.”

Principals for a Day

This spring, one of the most prized Gifts for Growth Gala auction items was the chance to be “Principal for the Day.” Two students had the opportunity to be principals, with Director Mrs. Norman spending the day with them and giving them plenty of leadership opportunities (and a special Jimmy Johns lunch!). The brother-and-sister duo, Carter and Ava, had a terrific time. The best part? They gave the whole school extra recess and popsicles! As you can imagine, they were very popular directors.

Magnuson Talent Show

Last but not least of the much-anticipated spring events was the MCS Talent Show. On Friday, June 3, students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade had the opportunity to share their talents with the Magnuson community. It was an afternoon filled with music, laughter, sports, and more!

Verse of the month:

This month, I’m sharing my 12-year-old son’s favorite verse. I think it’s a wonderful one to commit to memory at any age, whether you are starting a new chapter, about to begin a journey, or achieving a new milestone.

I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Blessings to you and your families this Summer!
~Julia Arnold

Julia Arnold 3/30/22 Julia Arnold 3/30/22

March/April 2022 Parent Newsletter

Greetings and happy spring, MCS families!

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful spring break with your families. I’m in the school building frequently, either guest teaching or picking up my children, and it is joyful to see students in the classrooms and hallways. There is nothing quite like the beautiful energy of children!

For me, Spring always arrives with a feeling of hope and renewal. With Easter fast approaching, my prayer is that your hearts are filled with expectant hope and joy as well.

Magnuson Q & A

MCS Q & A: In this blog post, I’m sharing a Q & A session with Magnuson dad and MCS Board Chair, Nick Boehland.

Q. Tell us about yourself and your connection to Magnuson.

A. My name is Nicholas Boehland, and I am a parent volunteer serving on the MCS Board, currently as Chair. My wife’s name is Heather and we have two kids. Ava is our oldest child and she is in Mrs. Johnson’s 5th grade class. Our youngest, Carter, is in Ms. Coleman’s 2nd grade class. Both of our kids have been part of MCS since kindergarten.

Q. What led your family to MCS, and why is it a great fit for your family?

A. My wife and I are followers of Christ and wanted our kids to have biblical values woven into their formal educational experience. We believe that building a strong foundation on Christ is important and starting at the pre-school/elementary age is critical to long-term development. MCS provides this, and so much more! In addition to reinforcing biblical values, MCS has an outstanding curriculum taught by some of the finest teachers around; we are truly blessed!

Q. Last, why did you join the MCS Board and what exactly does a "Board Chair" do?

A. Great question! Our family joined MCS to be part of a thriving community and to serve with the team that helps make it all happen. Since joining MCS, we have had the opportunity to volunteer for a number of events and activities. Specifically related to the MCS Board – I joined in 2017 and have served as a member, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair, and now Board Chair. What does the Board Chair do? I have always viewed my position as a supporting role for the school. It’s my job to help provide the necessary resources to our Director, Heather Norman, and to help provide direction on a number of different topics. Additionally, I spend a lot of time leading our team in discussions about how MCS can explore new and exciting ways to bring affordable, Christ-centered, quality education to our families while providing a great work environment and career opportunities for our amazing staff. Currently, our MCS Board is working on a project to build out and expand our Middle School program and we hope to have exciting news to share with you in the months ahead! If you want to learn more about what we do or how to get involved, I’d be more than happy to connect with you; please let me know!

Nick can be reached at board@magnusonschool.org.

Club Volunteers needed!

Do you have a hobby you would enjoy sharing with Magnuson students? Do you enjoy running, acting, or drawing? We would love parents, grandparents, and guardians to lead after-school, extracurricular clubs this spring. If you are interested in committing to leading a club for our students once a week, please email the board or Mrs. Norman!

Inventors Fair

Each spring, fourth grade teacher, Ms. Ahrenholz, has her class host an Inventors Fair. The 4th graders recently wrapped up a unit on Simple Machines by creating a Rube Goldberg device. For those who don’t know, a Rube Goldberg device is a machine that completes a simple task using a complicated series of several simple machines. They are super cool!

Their unique devices were shared with the whole class as well as with judges and guests at this year’s Inventors Fair in March at MCS.

This year's winners are…drumroll please… 1st Place: Aria B; 2nd place: Abby K; 3rd Place Nathan H.

Congratulations and well done on your hard work and creative thinking, students!