High School - 2/26

Dear High School Families,

We are looking forward to welcoming parents and families to campus next week for conferences. This is a valuable opportunity to connect, celebrate growth, and partner together in supporting your student’s academic progress.

Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 5 from 2:00PM to 8:10PM and Friday, March 6 from 9:00AM to 3:10PM. High school parents do not need to sign up in advance. When you arrive, you will receive a copy of your child’s schedule and can meet with teachers in the cafeteria as they are available.

We look forward to seeing you and continuing our strong partnership with your family.

Sarah Rothstein, Ed.D.

High School Principal

This week in chapel, Pastor Dustin Sherry, our Next Gen Youth pastor, brought the word, encouraging the student body to be humble toward one another and to trust in Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:3 states, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." This is a challenging passage and directly influences the way we treat one another. We desire that humility be a key driving force of our school's community. We love it when our students serve and pray over one another. Thank you to Pastor Dustin for a great message and a reminder to all of us to live a life filled with Christ, who grants us the ability to lift one another up in humility.

For His Glory,

Mr. Agrimson

Dear Families,

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Lissa Flaaten has rejoined the counseling team at MCA alongside Mrs. Andrea Shoup. Ms. Flaaten previously served in this capacity for 9 years. Most recently she has served as a children’s pastor over the last 3 years. For this school year, Ms. Flaaten will be primarily supporting students in middle and high school. In her role, she will be available to support students with social-emotional development, academic guidance, and college and career planning. She brings with her a deep familiarity with our students, families, and student culture. We are glad to have her back on our team.

Families are encouraged to reach out to our counseling team directly with questions or to schedule a conversation via email andrea.shoup@mcamustangs.org or lissa.flaaten@mcamustangs.org.

We are confident that Ms. Flaaten's return to our team will be a benefit to our students, and we look forward to the work ahead.

For the most part, our students have been doing a great job following the dress code, and we are thankful for their effort and cooperation. When we conduct dress code checks, our most common concerns continue to be sweatpants, college wear, and non-branded MCA tops.

As a reminder, sweatpants may only be worn on Fridays. We have designated the first Wednesday of each month as College Wear Wednesday, and seniors who have committed to a college may wear apparel from that institution on Fridays. Students participating in the AA program through Bethel may also wear Bethel apparel on Fridays. For non-branded MCA tops, the key factor is color. If the shirt is not in MCA colors, Navy, Red, White, or Gray, it may only be worn on Fridays.

Once a student reaches a third dress code violation, they will be asked to change before returning to class. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Rothstein or Mr. Thomas.

As I mentioned in a parent communication sent on 1/31, Maranatha will be transitioning its PSEO and Associate of Arts (AA) program partnership from Bethel University to the University of Northwestern – St. Paul beginning next school year. This change reflects our ongoing evaluation of programming and our desire to best support students as they prepare for college and beyond. Importantly, all college credits already earned through Bethel University will transfer seamlessly into the AA program through Northwestern, and we are working closely with Northwestern to ensure continuity for students currently taking or planning to take PSEO courses.

To provide additional clarity and answer questions, we invite junior students and parents to attend a Junior Parent Meeting on Thursday, February 26 at 6:30 PM in the Coffee House. This meeting will focus on upcoming coursework requirement changes for the AA program, next steps, and planning for the 2026–27 school year. A representative from Northwestern will be present to help address questions and provide additional insight.

More details will be shared at the meeting, and we look forward to partnering with families as we walk through this transition together.

As a reminder, The PSEO application window is currently open and will close on March 6. Students who are interested should:

• Stop by the College & Career Center to pick up the required PSEO application, and
  
• Complete the online Northwestern PSEO application at:
  https://www.unwsp.edu/admissions/apply/pseo-application/
  

Students interested in pursuing an Associate’s degree will complete an additional application after their general application has been approved.

ACT Prep will begin during WIN Time on Wednesday, February 11. This prep course will be taught by Elizabeth Brandstrom, one of our MCA science teachers and an experienced ACT prep instructor.

Students will meet each Wednesday during WIN Time leading up to the on-campus ACT test date on April 21. These sessions will focus on building test familiarity, strengthening key skills, and increasing confidence going into the exam.

Interested in signing up? Students can register in Flex.

Cost: Completely free! (however, an ACT Prep book may be recommended)

This guide explains how parents can navigate Schoology, Maranatha’s Learning Management System for grades 5–12. It outlines how to view assignments, grades, and teacher feedback, adjust notification settings, and stay informed about your child’s academic progress throughout the semester.

The 2026–2027 course registration process will take place during the second week of March and will be built into WIN Time through what we are calling registration conferences. This approach allows us to be intentional in supporting students as they plan ahead.

During these registration conferences, teachers will walk students through the process to ensure they clearly understand graduation requirements, elective options, and what credits they still need in order to graduate. Our goal is to help students make thoughtful, informed decisions about their course selections.

UPDATED time frame:

• Monday, March 9: Students will review their transcript and receive a grade-level-specific registration sheet for the year they are registering for. They will select their desired courses and take the form home to review with a parent/guardian.
• By Friday, March 13: Please enter student course selections into FACTS at home. A step-by-step process will be sent home in the coming weeks.

We appreciate your partnership as we work together to plan well for the upcoming school year.

Bethel University is offering a variety of engaging summer camps for students to explore academic interests, career pathways, and skill development. Camps running June 16–18 include Business Camp, Scrubs Camp, Forensic Science Camp, Video Production Camp, and the BUILDing Independent Skills Summer Program. In addition, the Summer Piano Academy will take place July 6–13. These camps provide hands-on learning experiences led by Bethel faculty and staff. Families can learn more about each camp and register online.

See the flyer below for more information.

Please see the ACT website below for information on ACT testing dates. All Juniors and Seniors will be invited to take the ACT at Maranatha on April 21st, 2026. We strongly encourage all juniors to take this opportunity to take the ACT this coming April on campus. More information will be coming out in the coming months.

Planning for the 2026 Senior Party is underway and we are excited about the fun night in store

for the students. It will be a memorable way to celebrate and wrap up their senior year.

Senior Party: May 16-17, 2026

Please see the attachment below for more information and to sign-up!

*Please note that this is NOT an MCA-run event. Please see the flyer for contact info.

• Complete college applications with the help of your college counselor
• Work with your college counselor, as needed, to finalize your application essay(s) and supplemental resources
• Check early action application deadlines for your college(s) of choice

The Common App is live for students to begin submitting their college applications. Students can stop by the CCC if they need help navigating the common application website. Feel free to email Mrs. Shoup (andrea.shoup@mcamustangs.org) with any questions or to make an appointment.

• March 4: College Wear Wednesday
• March 5-6: No School, Parent-Teacher Conferences
• March 12: Frozen Musical @ 7PM (LW Northwest)
• March 13: Frozen Musical @ 7PM (LW Northwest)
• March 14: Frozen Musical @ 2PM & 7PM (LW Northwest)
• March 15: Frozen Musical @ 3PM (LW Northwest)