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Elementary Announcements

Please visit our "Homepage" MNCS Website for updates, current events and MNCS News.

Announcements

Upcoming Dates to Remember...

Stay up-to-date and check out our MNCS 2025-2026 Calendar at any time to see what exciting things we have planned for this school year!

2/6: Stages Theatre - Giraffes Can't Dance Musical

2/9-2/13: No School (Block Break)

2/25: Early Release (1:00pm ELEM)

Early Release - Bus Schedule:

Palmer Bus Early Release Schedule

Trailblazer Transit (Gaylord, Arlington, Green Isle, Belle Plaine, Winthrop: parents need to call Trailblazer to set up transportation. Trailblazer phone number: 1-888-743-3828)

3/11: Kindergarten Round Up (starting at 5:30pm)

3/13: No School (MNCS Staff Professional Development)

3/16 & 3/17: No School

3/18, 3/19, 3/23, & 3/24: Elementary PM Conferences (more details to come soon...)

3/20: Dinosaur World Live at Children's Theatre Company

3/25: Early Release (1:00pm ELEM)

4/2-4/6: No School

4/16: Disney In Concert with the MN Orchestra

pIC dAY

2025-2026 School Pictures

Strawbridge Photography Online Ordering:

https://www.strawbridge.net/picture-day-lookup/ and enter the school name: Minnesota New Country Elementary School. Then click on the school name and enter the school code. It will prompt you to enter your information and then you are able to access the site for easy and convenient ordering!

**Please note: orders placed more than five (5) days after picture day may incur a fee (this is due to the package being shipped separately and not with the group of orders coming to the school)

Questions? Strawbridge Customer Service is happy to help assist with order inquiries or any other problems or questions regarding your child's school pictures. Please contact them by phone: 866-624-6229 or email: cservice@strawbridge.net

KRU

Community Resources Information:

FOCP

Announcing the Launch of Nuts N Bolts 2.0!

We’re excited to introduce Nuts N Bolts 2.0 — a refreshed and re-energized version of our organization, dedicated to supporting the mission and day-to-day operations of Minnesota New Country School (MNCS).

Nuts and Bolts began in 2013 as a staff-led team that recognized the importance and value of parent and guardian involvement in supporting MNCS. Over the years, it has been a vital behind-the-scenes force, helping our school thrive through volunteer efforts and fundraising support.

To align with financial best practices and regulatory requirements, Nuts and Bolts will no longer engage in fundraising activities. While this marks a shift, it also opens the door to formalize Nuts N Bolts 2.0 as an independent, school-affiliated organization.

With this next chapter, we’re building on a strong foundation to serve MNCS students, staff, and families in fresh and meaningful ways. You can expect more streamlined support, increased communication, and creative new ways to make a lasting impact.

This is your chance to get involved! (And if you’re thinking someone else will step up — they probably won’t )

1. Visit our website to learn more.  (https://tinyurl.com/ymdmxsdc)

2. Join our contact list to be updated on future meetings and activities.   (https://forms.gle/PE3QhUaxo76Rgcds6)

3. Submit your ideas online using our Idea & Feedback Form (https://forms.gle/nFUEXZg43MnJ9pfW8) 

4. Have questions? Reach out to us at admin@nutsnbolts.org

Thank you for being part of the MNCS family — we can’t wait to grow together!

Yearbook

2024-2025 MNCS Elementary Yearbooks

It's not too late...you can still order an MNCS Elementary 24-25 School Yearbook! If interested, please contact Brianne Fuhrmann (MNCS Elementary Administrative Assistant) for more details:

bfuhrmann@newcountryschool.com

Yearbooks preserve precious memories, encompassing milestones, events, and the students and friends who made this past school year amazing! It is sure to be a treasured keepsake for years to come! This year's yearbook is published through Student Treasures. You can choose to order from either a softcover book for $25.95 or a standard hardcover book for $30.95.

We look forward to another great school year ahead and more wonderful memories and experiences to be made!  

ALL MNCS Families, New, & Existing Students Need To Be Registered through JMC!

If you have not done so already, you will need to log into our JMC portal and make sure ALL of your forms have been submitted (double-check even if you have already filled them out). 

If you have any questions about the process that the video is unable to answer or are unable to log in, please contact us via email.

When logging in to JMC, please make sure the school year drop-down menu has a blue '2025-2026' selected.

(Elem) Brianne Fuhrmann - bfuhrmann@newcountryschool.com or (HS) Ashley Poppler - apoppler@newcountryschool.com

Please make sure to UPDATE Your Contact Information  

Please update your contact information in the JMC Portal. Starting January 2022, you will be receiving emails through MNCS Website/JMC (School Announcements, Alerts, along with School Closings, etc). 

For more information and log in, instructions CLICK HERE

Other Information

Experiences/ Field Trips

>Friday, February 6th: Stages Theatre- Giraffes Can't Dance

Gerald the giraffe dreams of dancing but with his skinny legs and knobbly knees he has trouble even walking! When dancers from around the world travel to come to his home on the breathtaking West African Savanna for the “Annual Jungle Dance” his friend cricket comes to the rescue to help him realize his dream. Animal antics, dazzling music, and dances from across the globe make this heartwarming tale of friendship a musical for all ages.

All MNCS Elementary students (K-6) will be able to go on this trip. We will depart from the school shortly after students arrive for the day-by 8:30am to make it for the 10:00am performance. The show runtime is approximately 60 minutes in duration.

Please bring a bagged lunch if your student is not participating in the school lunch program. All students will need to bring a water bottle.

There is no cost for this experience as "this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (PLRAC), thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund"

>Friday, February 20th: Genius Hour (On-Site)

All MNCS Elementary students will be having Genius Hour on Friday, February 20th. Advisors at MNCS Elementary will be offering a skill and students can sign up to choose where they want to go and do that activity! It is sure to be a fun Experience Friday for our students and is going to be from 1:00pm - 2:30pm.

Other upcoming Genius Hours are scheduled for March 6th, April 10th, & May 8th.

>Friday, March 20th: Dinosaur World Live at Children's Theatre Company

Are you brave enough to face a T-rex? Do you know what it feels like to get sneezed on by a triceratops? Find out when dinosaurs take over Children's Theatre Company! Feel the rumble of their rawrs as a young paleontologist takes you on a tour so up-close-and-personal. This extraordinary experience that uses large-scale, life-sized puppets to bring dinosaurs to the stage has wowed kids and adults all over the world. But be on the lookout: you never know who (or what!) you’ll run into after the show…There is a post show opportunity to meet a dinosaur up close! 

All MNCS Elementary students (K-6) will be able to go on this trip. We will depart from the school shortly after students arrive for the day. The show runtime is approximately 50 minutes in duration.

Please bring a bagged lunch if your student is not participating in the school lunch program. All students will need to bring a water bottle.

There is no cost for this experience as "this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (PLRAC), thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund"

>Thursday, April 16th: Disney In Concert: The Sound Of Magic with the MN Orchestra

Your favorite characters and music from across the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalog come to life on the Orchestra Hall stage and screen to create a cinematic concert experience like never before. Beloved songs and scores are combined into exciting new medleys and suites, including music from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Moana, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Frozen, The Lion King, Fantasia, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast and more.

All MNCS Elementary students (K-6) will be able to go on this trip. We will depart from the school shortly after students arrive for the day. The show runtime is approximately 2 hours including intermission.

Please bring a bagged lunch if your student is not participating in the school lunch program. All students will need to bring a water bottle.

There is no cost for this experience as "this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council (PLRAC), thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund"

Quick Links

MNCS School Payment

MNCS Online Store

Wish List

MNCS Wish List

K-12 MNCS School Lunch Program 2025-2026

Upcoming Hot Lunch (Served Every Tuesday):

February 17th: Goulash

February 24th: Grilled hot dogs and fruit

We are providing hot lunch one day per week at both sites. Hot lunch will be served every Tuesday and we will be providing a variety of different meals each week! Everything from chicken nuggets, to hamburgers, General Tso chicken, spaghetti, to french toast sticks and more! Our monthly hot lunch menu will be highlighted in each weekly email announcement communication!

Cold lunches will be available every day! This year, instead of Lunchables for cold lunch, we're going to provide brown-bag lunches made by our High School ServSafe-certified staff and students! Cold lunches will rotate between three options based on supplies we have on hand:

Option 1: Turkey or ham and cheese sandwich on whole grain bread, with chips, fruit, and milk.

Option 2: Homemade lunchables of ham or turkey, crackers, cheese cubes, fruit, and a cookie

Option 3: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, gogurt or chips, cheese stick, fruit, and milk

**Cold lunch menu items will likely change daily based on supplies on hand

All lunches are free and available to any student who needs a lunch!

We will always ensure that our students are given a meal in the chance that they forget to bring a lunch from home.

Free and Reduced Lunch Program: Parents need to fill out this form Application for Educational Benefits . You can turn applications into the Administrative Assistants at either school or send to Carrie Rice, MNCS Nutrition Manager at crice@newcountryschool.com

We will keep you informed regarding any changes with our lunch program 2025-2026 and we thank you for your support and understanding!

YEARLY MILK SUBSCRIPTION

Yearly Milk Subscription- Milk is available for elementary students.  To purchase ONE milk a day for your child, cost is $50 per child per year. To purchase TWO milks a day for your child, cost is $100 per child per year. Checks can be made payable to MNCS or online payment through our MNCS Online Store (Here)

Did you know you could support "Minnesota New Country School"  while you shop on Amazon?

 On your next Amazon purchase shop through AmazonSmile - AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of your purchases to MNCS, at no extra cost to you! Already set up, THANK YOU! If you are using AmazonSmile on your mobile app, it may need to be renewed.

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