Sanford Family Newsletter

February 20, 2026

Good People,

On Tuesday our staff participated in professional development centered on Literacy and International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Assessment. This work is directly aligned to our School Improvement Plan(SIP) and how we aim to improve academics this year at Sanford. I am proud to share that we are seeing great growth in Reading from our students. Three areas can be attributed to this growth: school wide Drop Everything and Read, Reading Intervention WIN groups during advisory and Reading Intervention classes.

As an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) school, we assess student work using four specific criteria for each subject, rather than just one general grade. Instead of simply checking for "correct answers," these criteria measure holistic growth in areas like Knowing and Understanding, Investigating, Communicating, and Thinking Critically. Each criterion, respectively labeled A, B, C and D, is scored on a scale of 0–8, providing a clearer picture of your student’s specific strengths and areas for development. This approach shifts the focus from "earning points" to mastering lifelong skills, ensuring our students are not just memorizing facts, but learning how to apply them in the real world. See more information below!

Finally a note of gratitude to the PTA for providing and organizing meals for our staff during this time of temporary online learning. Not only are you all caring for your neighbors but also our staff - we are grateful for the these glimmers of support through food. Thank you!

In Partnership,

Naida Grussing-Neitzel, Ed.S.

Principal

Maria Sanford Middle School

Did you know that Sanford is an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) MYP program? That means we follow a common framework for how we do school similar to many public and private schools around the world. It’s what guides our work in being a rigorous school that helps your child be both well rounded (Example, PE is as important as the Arts and World Languages and also the Learner Profile) and academically prepared for high school and beyond. If you want to learn more, check out our Sanford MYP website and future MYP updates right here in the newsletter. .

We want our gradebooks to provide transparent and clear feedback to you about your student’s academic learning at school and we have some big goals for Quarter 3. Each subject at an MYP School has 4 objectives (criterion/goals, shown below) for the class and we will communicate those for each summative so you know what it is assessing (giving feedback) about. Each objective/criterion needs to be assessed at least 2 times over the course of the whole year in an MYP school.

For example, when a summative is listed in Campus Parent/Student as “C: Afrolatinos presentation” in a Spanish Class you can tell this was a Reading assessment because it was labeled as "C." Which gives you a little more information to ask your students about the task and to have them reflect and monitor progress on each of the objectives. We have more information regarding assessment and grading in our Assessment Policy.

Some clarification on attendance for your awareness. Please know that moving between in person and temporary online learning from day to day is not allowed.

Temporary Online Students:

Students must attend the google meet and participate
If a teacher is absent and there is no google meet that day
- the student must complete the required work to earn grades
- attendance will be updated when the teacher returns

In Person Students:

Students are to be in class on time and participating in the learning work to earn grades
If a student is home sick, they should rest and recuperate. Please do not join the google meet as your teacher is not prepared to teach you online.

Excused Absence procedures are still the same:

If your student, online or in person, is unable to attend their Google Meet or physically come to school, the excused absence request process is the same. Caregivers report the absence via Parent Portal: https://minneapolismn.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/mpls.jsp

Winter After-School Session ends on March 6th.

Spring Session begins on March 9th. Registration for the Spring Session is open.

Here is the link to register:

https://minneapolis.ce.eleyo.com/search?redirected_yet=true&sf[category]=146

If your student is currently in the following ALC Extended Learning Classes, you DO NOT need to register to continue. If you have a student in one of the following clubs and they do not intend to continue to participate, please let me know so I can remove their enrollment:

Cook Up!

Craft Club - Unified (formerly Create with Clay)

Dungeons & Dragons

Flux

History Day

Jazz Band

Lego Club

Mystery Book Club

Open Gym - Unified

Pride S.A.G.E

Scratch & Video Game Design

*ALC Extended Learning session ends for the year on April 30th. Other enrichment classes and clubs are run through Community Education and end on May 14th.

I'm excited to offer some fun new opportunities for students, and our offerings are always based on youth voice!

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Best,

Lissa Gordon | Youth Programs Coordinator | (she/her)

Minneapolis Public Schools | Community Education, Youth & Adult Programs

Sanford Middle School | 3524 42nd Ave S, Minneapolis 55406

612-668-4922|

lissa.gordon@mpls.k12.mn.us | ce.mpschools.org

Last Chance to Pre Order Your Sanford Swag!

The Sanford PTA is excited to offer you a chance to pre order some cozy Sanford Swag! We are offering pajama pants, hoodies, T shirts and hats in new colors and styles! Pre ordering is live now and available until February 22nd. Merchandise will be available a few weeks after that and can be picked up at the school. Don't miss out!

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! :)

Come to our next Meeting

Our next meeting is Tuesday, February 24th 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.

Website

Facebook

Roosevelt High School Boys Tennis Team is open to Sanford Middle School players grades 7 and above!

Spring Sports Information night is coming up on February 25th 6pm to 8pm at the high school (come meet the coach, players and parents).

Interested students can visit the RHS Tennis Team website to learn more, including Captains Practice events at Fred Wells Tennis Center. All levels and abilities are welcome to join! If you have questions please email tennisteddies@gmail.com

Summer Tennis in the Parks is a InnerCity Tennis flagship youth program for boys and girls, offering fun and high-energy tennis lessons in Minneapolis parks throughout the city. Youth stay active, get outside, connect with friends, and learn from our excellent coaches!

Summer 2026 Information
DATES: June 15 -July 31
WHO: Kids ages 5-17
LOCATIONS: Longfellow Park, Lake Hiawatha, Powderhorn, Pearl, and others
COST: $50 per week, or $250 for the whole summer (6 weeks) *
Registration opens February 9!

Next Saturday at the Walker Art Center, we are hosting Middle School Movie Club – a free program designed for middle school aged youth. The event on February 28 will feature the film Howl’s Moving Castle by beloved director Hayao Miyazaki, plus free art-making and gallery admission. We would love to extend this invitation to you and the youth you work with! Below is more information about the program:

When: February 28, 2025, from 12–4 pm

What: The free film screening begins at 1 pm with drop-in art-making offered from noon to 4 pm. Free gallery admission is also included! Registration is available online and limited walk-up tickets will be available on the event day. Family and friends of middle school youth are welcome and also receive free gallery and film tickets.

About the Film: Howl’s Moving Castle by director Hayao Miyazaki
Young Sophie is cursed by the Witch of the Waste and transforms into an old woman. As she pushes to undo the spell, she meets Howl, a moody wizard with a magical moving castle. Can Sophie and Howl work together to find their way back to themselves? Rated PG. 2005, Japan, DCP, in English, 119 min.

For more information about the event and to RSVP, please visit the event page.