April 2026

Dear MSE Families,

Welcome back from Spring Break! Whether you had some quiet time at home or traveled and enjoyed some sunshine, I hope the break gave families an opportunity to slow down and enjoy one another's company. I was incredibly proud just before break to stand alongside Ms. Dolan, Technology Engineering Education Teacher as she received the International STEM School of Excellence Award at the Annual ITEEA Conference! Only 32 schools world wide received this award including schools in both China and Germany. Thank you Ms. Dolan for providing students with such engaging and motivating projects!

As we enter the final nine weeks of the trimester, we will take the opportunity to review a few expectations with learners. Thank you for taking time to revisit these expectations with your children to ensure their successful end of the school year. At the top of the list includes a reminder to always have a book to read with them to enjoy, each Monday students review their StudentVue accounts to monitor their academic performance and plan accordingly for Armor Up time, phones need to remain in lockers throughout the school day, appropriate school attire is expected to be worn, and finally, one that our City Administrator, Steve Bot, asked us to share is the law regarding EBikes. Please click here for more information.

Additionally, I wanted to share information that will be made public at this evening's School Board Meeting. I have been asked by the district to serve our students and staff as the Director of Teaching and Learning beginning July 1, 2026. Given my love for the teaching and learning process, the opportunity to impact students at every level of our organization, and the ability to continue meaningful collaboration with students and staff in a new way, I have accepted the assignment.

Words can not begin to express the love I have for our school community! When I say that MSE is family to me, I mean it wholeheartedly! I have thoroughly loved learning and growing with the students, staff, and families at MSE! We are fortunate to have the most talented, caring, and committed group of students and professionals that I have had the honor of leading! None of our success would be possible without the strong support of our amazing families and community.

While this new adventure is as surprising to me as it is to you, I am very excited to see our organization through a different lens and to offer my leadership skills in a new way after 20 years of serving as MSE's Principal. Growth is good!

Warmly,
Jennie Kelly
STMA Middle School East Principal

Big Woods School Forrest

Throughout the school year, students may be taken across the street to the Big Woods School Forest for learning activities that support our curriculum. These experiences provide valuable hands-on opportunities in a natural setting. If you have any concerns or do not wish for your child to participate, please contact the school office so we can make appropriate arrangements.

Save the Date!

Upcoming Dates at MSE 📅

March 30, 2026 – April 3, 2026: Spring Break, No School 🌴😎
April 6, 2026 -- Parent Advisory Committee 👥
April 6, 2026 -- American Indian Parent Advisory Committee, 5:00 - 6:00 PM 👥
April 10, 2026 -- 5th & 6th Grade Activity Night, 6:00 - 8:00 PM 🎉🎶
May 8, 2026 - Exploratory Day! 🔍🎨🎯🏃‍♂️

2026-27 Middle School East Calendar of Events

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA)

The annual MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) standardized tests are taking place within each grade level, on the dates listed below. We greatly value and appreciate the support of our families in administering the MCA test, which is used to measure students’ proficiency in Math, Reading, and Science, according to state standards. This assessment provides valuable insights into our students’ academic progress, helps us identify areas where additional support may be needed, and also informs our curriculum planning and instructional strategies for the future. Testing will occur at Middle School East from 8:47-10:17 am on the following dates:

April 13th & 14th - 5th & 8th - MCA Reading
April 15th & 16th - 6th & 7th - MCA Reading
April 20th & 21st - 5th & 8th - MCA Math
April 22nd & 23rd - 6th & 7th - MCA Math
April 29th & 30th - 5th & 8th - MCA Science

*MCA Make-Up Testing takes place during Enrichment Hour.

Baby Chicks 🐤🐣🐥

Thank you to our School Board Member, Hollee Saville, for bringing in baby chicks for our students to hold and enjoy! This hands-on experience brought so much joy and excitement to our school and created a memorable opportunity for students to connect with animals up close.

Bravera Bank Reality Fair 💲🏦💵

Thank you to Bravera Bank for visiting our 8th graders and providing an engaging, real-world lesson on financial literacy! Students learned about important topics such as budgeting, bills, expenses, credit scores, and the costs associated with raising a family. The experience was brought to life through a fun and interactive game of The Game of Life, helping students better understand real-world financial decision-making.

Middle School East is a PBIS Sustaining Exemplar School

What is PBIS?

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives. Middle School has continued to be recognized as a PBIS Sustaining Exemplar School, including 2024-25.

How does PBIS work at Middle School East?

It starts with communicating clear expectations for students and staff for how we operate each day at school. Expectations are communicated through Fall and Winter class meetings with the school administration and counselors, posters and signage displayed around the school as a visual reminder, and students learn about STMA school policies in the Student Handbook during the first two weeks of school in KORT.

Students are recognized for their positive behavior through daily positive acknowledgements, the Star Student Breakfast, use of the Knights Honor Lounge, and the writing of Knights Honor Cards. Knights Honor Cards are written to acknowledge students demonstrating the 9 monthly positive character traits of Character Strong. Those traits are respect, responsibility, gratitude, empathy, perseverance, honesty, cooperation, courage and creativity.

There are other important components to earning PBIS Exemplar Status as well. Stakeholder feedback is collected through the Parent Advisory Committee, student lunches with the Principal, and from staff through the MSE Site Council. Staff development takes place during teacher workshop days, professional in-service days, and at Staff meetings. These trainings focus on best educational practices, and have a focus on data analysis. Sources of information include student achievement data, such as grades and standardized tests, and student discipline data.

How did Middle School East become a PBIS exemplar school?

All of the components come together to provide an educationally excellent, caring place for students and staff to come to feel seen, heard and valued. Each year, schools have the opportunity to apply and be recognized for the hard work and excellence of their students and staff. We at Middle School East, are proud of the efforts of our stakeholders and the recognition the school has received. Click here to see a list of schools around the state that have also earned this important acknowledgement.

Exciting Spring Opportunities for Our Students!

Middle School East offers the following sports for 7th and 8th grade for the Spring Season:

Golf
Track and Field
Softball
Baseball
Boys Tennis

Middle School Spring Sports will start Monday, April 6th.

Click here to view our Spring Brochure for more opportunities for 7th and 8th grade students.

We’re always looking to connect students with the right activities. If you or your student have any questions about sports, clubs, or other opportunities, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I'm here to help!

Molly Lindquist - Activity Director & Dean of Students

JV One Act Play performed for 5th and 6th grade

Minute to Win It Games for Inside Recess

7th Grade East vs West Basketball Game

Scholastic Book Fair Thank You!

Thank you MSE families for supporting the book fair! The spring fair was a huge success and because of your generous support the Media Center will be able to purchase new books for students to enjoy.

Recently, we have experienced a significant uptick in the number of students using their personal cell phone devices to contact their parents to be picked up from school when they are not feeling well. If students are feeling ill, they need to notify their teacher to get a pass to visit the health office. Our health office staff would then determine whether your child is well enough to return to class and communicate with you as necessary. If a student is not vomiting or running a fever, the goal is to return to class. If a student feels ill later in the day, they can always return.

We ask that you have a conversation with your child to support the student cell phone policy.

Student cell phone use is not permitted between the hours of 8 AM - 3 PM. If a student needs to call a parent, they may do so from the office phone or from the health office, if they are being seen by our health office staff. Students who continue to use their phones throughout the school day will be subject to the implementation of the school cell phone policy.

Our goal is to keep students in class learning whenever possible, and we appreciate your partnership on this issue.

Information Regarding E-Bikes and Motorized Foot Scooters

If your family owns an e-bike or an electric foot scooter, we encourage you to take a few minutes to review Minnesota state laws with your child to help keep everyone safe.

A few important reminders:

The legal age to ride an e-bike in Minnesota is 15 and older.
The legal age to ride a motorized foot scooter is 12 and older.
Riders of motorized foot scooters must wear a properly fitted and fastened helmet.

Thank you for helping us keep safety a top priority for our students and families!

E-Bikes: 169.222 Subd (6a)
Motorized Foot Scooters: 169.225

Counseling Corner

Our family CharacterDare challenges provide a variety of opportunities to engage in actviities designed to increase connection and conversation at home. They also provide students with more opportunities to practice habits and skills discussed in class.

In addition to the title and the challenge itself, you'll notice a couple of symbols in the top corner. The weight represents how challenging we think the Dare is to complete. The single plate weights are lower level Dares. The more weight added, the more the Dare is designed to stretch you.

Some of the Dares are designed to be quick wins that can be accomplished in less than a minute. Others may required a bit of time. A full clock represents a more ongoing Dare that might extend throughout or beyond a week.