Sanford Family Newsletter

March 6, 2026

Good People,

This week was our Winter Spirit Week and it was an absolute blast, bringing a vibrant surge of energy and school pride to the Sanford halls! It was wonderful to see students and staff alike dive into the daily themes, showcasing their creativity and personality through each day's unique dress-up challenge. Beyond the outfits, the Kindness Clips added a heartwarming layer of connection to the week; watching students "clip" one another with positive messages and small tokens of appreciation truly highlighted the supportive, inclusive community we strive for at Sanford. It was the perfect way to build momentum and celebrate our collective spirit as we head toward the upcoming Spring Break!

In this newsletter you will find the permission google forms for two field trips on March 26, 2026 - our upcoming activity day. Teachers have chosen to plan a bus field trip to Skateville and a walking field trip to Riverview Theater. There will be options if your student chooses to stay here in the building as well. For some students an alternate schedule for the whole day is not the best fit for what they need, if this is true for your student, please report an excused absence in parent portal of Infinite Campus. See more information below.

Finally, if you have a 6th grader in World Language class, their class will rotate to their final World Language Exploration Course on Monday. Teachers will help your student with this transition.

In Partnership,

Naida Grussing-Neitzel, Ed.S.

Principal

Maria Sanford Middle School

This year the coaches for Boys and Girls Track will be Mr. Kobe and Coach Ameilia. Registration is officially open to the first 60 kids to sign up. The meet schedule that is currently on the website is still the correct link. If more than 60 kids register, they will be added to the wait list.

For Girls Flag Football, Coach Lydia is coaching. The link on the website is also still the correct link. Registration is officially open to the first 25 girls to register.

Here is the link to register for Sanford Spring Sports Registration

The day before Spring Break, March 26, we will host an Activity Day. The purpose of Activity Day is to reward positive behavior and achievement. Student eligibility will begin on Monday March 2 and continue up to March 26, 2026. During the month of March, students need to have:

good behavior, defined as no suspensions or lunch detentions,
good attendance, defined as no unexcused absences and fewer than 3 tardies
good academics, defined as passing all classes

Teachers have planned two field trips - both of these trips have lots of availablility but permission needs to be completed as soon as possible and no later than March 12, 2026. Please only complete one field trip permission form. Field trip money is to be turned into Advisory Teacher by March 23, 2026 - scholarships available (please send extra to cover scholarships if you are able):

Skateville Bus Field Trip Permission Form for any eligible student

Riverview Theater Walking Field Trip Permission Form for any eligible student

Is your Sanford student looking for a fun, dynamic, and inclusive spring sport? Sanford Ultimate Frisbee invites players to jump into a fast-paced, exciting sport that blends fun with healthy competition. Sanford Ultimate is a mixed-gender team open to all experience levels. We’re particularly encouraging 6th graders to come out and get started in the sport! This team operates independently from Minneapolis Public Schools. More info at SanfordUltimate.org

Parent Education Night: March 24, 2026. 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Parent Education Night has been rescheduled to March 24th. We will meet in the Sanford cafeteria. Our featured speaker, Sarah Cowan, will present on the topic we think continues to be extremely relevant in the midst of this wild school year: Her presentation is titled "From Chaos to Connection with your Middle Schooler; How to be an empathetic and steady presence."

The presentation will focus on our children's needs as they move into adolescence, how we can support them during this transition, and how we take care of ourselves to make this support sustainable.

Please join us for a night of conversation and connection. Light refreshments will be provided by the PTA. We're excited to have this presentation back on the calendar!

Gertens Fundraiser

It feels like spring and that means it’s time to start planning spring gardens! Save yourself a trip out to Gerten’s and pick your plants up right in the neighborhood while supporting the Sanford PTA. Order plants and veggies using our code [930] and a portion of all sales will help support the Sanford PTA as we plan for 8th grade graduation, purchase recess equipment, fund field trips, and plan future events and activities!

Ordering is easy. Just visit www.gertens fundraising.com, enter our store code 930 and choose your beautiful Gerten’s plants or gift cards. The website closes on April 2nd and quantities are limited, so get your order in today!!

Plants will be available for pickup at Sanford on Wednesday, May 6th. Keep in mind, this is a few days before Mothers Day and plants make perfect gifts! :)

Parkway Pizza

Dine in at Parkway on Monday, March 9th and 20% of your order will be donated to the Sanford PTA!

Come to our next Meeting

Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 17th from 6:00p-7:30p in the media center at Sanford. Enter through the main entrance - Door 12. All are welcome!

To sign up for our email communications contact: sanfordmspta@gmail.com.

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