Winter Has Arrived!
Dec. 9, 2025
Our Franklin students and staff have done it again! Franklin will once again receive NATIONAL recognition for high levels of academic achievement. Franklin is one of only two schools in the state of MN to be recognized as a 2025 National ESEA Distinguished School. Below is an excerpt from the congratulatory letter we received, along with additional information about the award and how Franklin earned it.
Dear Principal Johnson,
Congratulations! We are thrilled to announce that your school has been named a National ESEA Distinguished School!
Your school has been selected by your State Educational Agency (MDE) for national recognition due to the success of your educational programs. This prestigious honor, awarded to only two schools per state each year, celebrates your outstanding efforts and the incredible progress of your students.
The National ESEA Distinguished Schools Program publicly recognizes qualifying federally funded schools for the outstanding academic achievements of their students. It highlights the efforts of schools across the country making significant improvements for their students. The program has been in place since 1996, showcasing the success of hundreds of schools in one of three categories:
- Category 1: Exceptional student performance and academic growth, as determined by each state
- Category 2: Closing the achievement gap between student groups, as determined by each state
- Category 3: Excellence in serving special populations of students
Franklin Elementary School is being recognized as a Category 3 school nationally for their hard work and dedication to school improvement and high levels of academic achievement for all students. Specifically, Franklin Elementary School was selected for its outstanding achievement in serving Multi-Language Learners (MLL students). Compared to MLL students statewide, Franklin’s MLL students performed exceptionally well on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA), earning the highest reading scores among all Title I schools in Minnesota and the second-highest math scores. Franklin's MLL students scored 26.1 percentage points higher than the state average in reading and 22.5 percentage points higher in math!
As we continue to partner with families to ensure students are attending school regularly, it's not uncommon for families to ask why they are getting phone calls and letters from the school. The overarching answer is simple: Research shows that regular school attendance and high levels of academic achievement have a strong correlation. In other words, the better your child's attendance, the better chance they have at academic success, and ultimately success later in life. Principal Johnson presented some information at last night's PTO meeting around Franklin's regular attendance rates (the percentage of students who have missed less than 10% of our school days). Franklin continues to lag behind the district average and the state's expectation of 90% of students attending regularly, as you can see in the data attached below. While we know there are MANY legitimate reasons students miss school, we will continue to keep families informed and work with them to ensure students are here whenever they are healthy enough to attend. As you can also see in the data below, if your child has missed more than 6 days of school so far this year, that puts them below the 90% attendance mark. The "magic number" by year's end is 16. If your child misses more than 16 total days, they will be below the 90% attendance mark and considered to be "not in regular attendance" by the State of MN. Let's all continue working together to keep our Franklin students attending at a high rate.
Franklin students and staff are always looking for ways to sprinkle some extra fun into our school days. One popular way is to have different "dress up" days, and what better time to do that than during the cold days of winter? Below are the days we have chosen for this winter season.
Snow season HAS ARRIVED! Here is an important resource that is available on the ISD77 website for your review: Weather Related Information - includes details on where to find out about weather related closings and late starts. Two important things to note:
1) The MAPS Notification Line (to call if you think school might be late or cancelled): 507-387-6046.
2) When you are viewing the school closing information on TV or online, it's important to know that we will always be listed as Mankato Area Public Schools. Some families get confused when they see Blue Earth Area Schools because of the county we live in, but that is NOT us. That's a smaller district farther south. Only look for Mankato Area Public Schools.
From the Fabulous Franklin PTO
As the weather gets colder every winter, and students want to join their peers playing in the snow at recess, we are always reminded of the challenges many of our families face when trying to provide high quality winter gear for their children. So, the PTO is hoping to help make a big difference for those families and students. See the poster below for information about how you can help.
*JOB OPPORTUNITIES*
- Wednesday, Dec. 10 - EARLY RELEASE DAY, Elementary Students Dismissed at 12:30
- The week of Dec. 15-19 - Winter Dress Up Days (see above)
- Wednesday, Dec. 24 - Thursday, Jan. 1 - NO SCHOOL, Winter Break
- Friday, Jan. 2 - School Begins Again