Sanford Family Newsletter

October 24, 2025

Good People,

Now is the time to be checking in and supporting your student with making sure they have turned in all assignments. The end of the quarter is Monday November 3, 2025 and all work is due. Here are three tips for checking in with your student:

1) All students have a planner(it is yellow) and each week during advisory they have been checking their grades, setting goals and reflecting on their work for the week. Ask them about their goals and how it has been going.

2) Log into Parent Portal to check grades on Parent Portal (Infinite Campus) - Call the main office for the activation code if you need it!

3) Most assignments are located on Google Classroom. Ask your student to show you each class and look for missing assignments. Often middle schoolers simply don't turn in work that they forget about and they need reminders to turn it in from multiple people. If you want a notice from google classroom regarding work, please reach out to your students' advisory teacher.

At the quarter change, students will no longer be able to turn in missing work from quarter 1.

In Partnership,

Naida Grussing-Neitzel, Ed.S.

Principal

Maria Sanford Middle School

We’re excited to announce that winter sports are right around the corner here at Sanford Middle School! Basketball season is gearing up, and we want to make sure all interested students are ready for tryouts.

Girls Basketball Tryouts will be held on November 3rd and 5th from 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM.
Boys Basketball Tryouts will take place on November 6th and 7th from 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM.

Important Reminder:
Registration opens October 31st and must be completed before tryouts in order to participate. No payment is required at the time of registration and you’ll only need to pay AFTER tryouts if your student is placed on a team.

You can register through the Sanford Middle School website under the Winter Athletics section.

We are thrilled to share that Heritage & Hope, the book featuring powerful stories and reflections from Latine students across our district, has been named a finalist in the 2025 Minnesota Author Project Contest!

Sanford had a student submission, and this recognition would not have been possible without your support and encouragement. The voice of your student helped shape a work that honors identity, resilience, and community and now their art is being celebrated statewide.

You can view the book here and the translations here. Sanford student’s work is featured on page 100. The original Heritage & Hope book is also available throughout Minnesota as part of the Indie Minnesota ebook collection: http://library.biblioboard.com/content/0fef4c6b-68d0-4d5a-a0f3-3600b9ca6e85.

Is your student in need of a bicycle?

While applying does not guarantee a bicycle, the Hiawatha-Howe PTO and Sanford PTA will work with Free Bikes 4 Kidz to match a bicycle to your child. Complete a separate application for each child and submit to the Sanford Office by Friday, October 31st and we will be in touch November/December with pick-up details.

Students apply directly here: student application link
Caregivers can apply here: the application by Friday, October 31st

Calling all downhill skiers! Join the Minneapolis Alpine Ski Team (MAST) - a varsity and junior varsity sport sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) for boys and girls in grades 7–12. Whether you’re brand new to skiing or an experienced racer, our dedicated coaching staff will help you build confidence, improve your skills, and have fun competing with teammates who share your love of the snow. The season officially begins November 10th, and registration is open now. Don’t miss your chance to race with MAST this winter! Visit https://www.mplsalpineski.org/ to learn more.

Nordic Skiing Information Family Night

Monday, October 27th 7pm to 9pm

South Auditorium

The South-Roosevelt High School Nordic team is open to 7th and 8th graders who would like to play up! Please come and get an overview of the 2025-2026 Nordic Season. Meet coaches, captains and other skiers, and booster parents. We will have a short presentation and then time to meet people and get your questions answered.

Please contact head coach Andy Martinson if you have any questions:

andy.martinson@mpls.k12.mn.us

We look forward to meeting you and providing you with a brief student led tour of our school and an opportunity to meet our School Counselor and Principal on the following dates:

November 11, 2pm

November 24, 10am

December 9, 2pm

January 12, 10am

January 27, 2pm

February 9, 10am

February 24, 2pm

March 9, 10am

April 14, 2pm

May 11, 10am

As we approach Halloween, here are some guidelines about costumes at school:

Masks should not cover the entire face/head
Costumes must be prepared at home (no doing makeup/hair/glitter here at school)
Costumes cannot disrupt the learning environment (large, loud, health/safety hazard, etc)
Costumes cannot be violent, scary or include weapons
Culture is not a costume; don't be culturally inappropriate by dressing up in a way that is racially/ethnically harmful or transphobic/homophobic

Thank you to all who attended and supported our annual fundraiser Sanford Night Out! We ended the night a little short of our goal, but there is still time for you to donate and help us reach it. Follow this link and click on make a general donation. Please consider passing this on to friends and family that might be interested in supporting Sanford. Here are a few things your donation will help fund:

Free Yearbook for every student at Sanford
Teacher Appreciation events - meals during conferences, back to school breakfast, snacks in the teacher's lounge, etc.
Fun events for students and staff - Movie Night, Winter meet up, grounds clean ups, Parent Education Night and many more
8th Grade Promotion Reception
School Service Day
8th Grade Dance
Field Trips
Recess Equipment - picnic tables, soccer net, balls, games, etc.
And much more!

Our next meeting is November 18th from 6:00p-7:30p in the media center at Sanford. Enter through the main entrance - Door 12. All are welcome!

To contact us or to sign up for our email communications, please send an email to: sanfordmspta@gmail.com.

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