IMMS Family Flier

Dear IMMS Families,

I want to start by recognizing our students for their strong effort on the Forward Exam, well done! Your focus and perseverance are something to be proud of.

We’re also looking ahead to some exciting upcoming events. Our Real World Day is set for April 24, offering students a valuable opportunity to connect their learning to life beyond the classroom. Additionally, our 7th grade Community Day food drive, sponsored by Student Council, is underway, please consider supporting this great cause using the link below.

Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Senator Ratcliff to IMMS, giving students a chance to engage in meaningful conversation and learn more about government in action.

Thank you for your continued partnership—we’re looking forward to a strong finish to the school year!

With appreciation,
IMMS Administration

Jamie Thomas
Principal, Indian Mound Middle School

Brett Jondle, Associate Principal

• Give a Spartan Shout Out to IMMS Staff for Staff Appreciation Week
• Donations Needed: 7th Grade Spring Community Day and Student Council Food Drive (Amazon Wish List- see details below)
• End of Quarter 3 Grades and progress grades (see below)

• April 20: Web Leaders - Future Fair Field Trip
• April 21: 8th Grade Vision Screening
• April 23: Take Your Child To Work Day
• April 23: 7th Grade Alternative Energy Fair
• April 24: Real World Day
• April 25: State Solo & Ensemble

• April 28: Regional Math Meet 8:15 - 1:15

  April 30: Regional Math Meet 8:15 - 1:00
• May 5: 7th/8th Band Concert 7:00 @ PAC
• May 7: Monthly Celebration Assembly
• May 8: No School/Staff Development Day
• May 11-14: Fastbridge Testing
• May 12: Choir Concert
• May 13: Student Council Field Trip
• May 18: 8th - 12th Orchestra Concert 7:30 @ PAC
• May 21: 5th-7th Grade Orchestra Concert 7 @ PAC

• May 21: 7th Grade Community Day

• May 21: Club Unified Field Trip 3:45-5:00

• May 25: No School - Memorial Day

• May 26: 6th Grade Phy Ed Track Meet - volunteer sign up coming soon

• May 27: 7th Grade Phy Ed Track Meet - volunteer sign up coming soon

• May 28: 8th Grade Phy Ed Track Meet - volunteer sign up coming soon

• May 28: 6th Grade Band Concert 7:00 @ PAC

• June 8: Monthly Celebration Assembly

• June 8: 8th Grade Recognition/Dance

• June 9: Last day of School. 6th Grade Market Finale. 7th Grade Carnival.
• June 9: 8th Grade Field Trip & 1:00 pm dismissal

• 25-26 IMMS Sports: LINK

Forward Exam Dates

• 4/15 and 4/16 Math (all students)

8th Grade: June Bresette, Stella Penington, Gabby Triggs, Beckett Wagner, Wyatt Julson and

Vivienne Wolter.

7th Grade: Zoey Randall, Anthony Nguyen, Natalie Noyes, Owen Breidel, Mara Coffey and

Ella Goldsmith.

6th Grade: Molly Bartman, Avery Siler, Brooklyn Vogelsang, Lainey Brewer, McKenzie Murphy and Demetrius Myers.

McFarland Youth Center award went to: Madison Lybek

The 7th grade team is excited to kick off our Spring Community Day with a food drive supporting the McFarland Food Pantry, running April 20–May 15! Sponsored by IMMS Student Council, this drive will collect items for three themed meal kits. While all donations are appreciated, we’re focusing on items for the meal kits—suggested items are available on our Amazon Wish List or at local grocery stores.

It’s also a friendly competition between ARRE groups: 6th grade will collect items for movie night kits, 7th grade for pasta kits, and taco kits for 8th grade.

Stay tuned for more ways our 7th grade scholars will be giving back to the community in upcoming newsletters!

We’re excited to share that it’s time for our 9-week grade checkpoint for Quarter 3. This is a great opportunity to reflect on progress and set goals for continued growth.

At IMMS, we believe learning is a journey, and grades are just one piece of that bigger picture. No matter where your child’s current grades fall, we are here to support them in moving forward and reaching their next level. Growth takes time, effort, and encouragement—and we’re committed to walking alongside our students every step of the way.

Please take a moment to read the important information below before reviewing your child’s grades. Thank you, as always, for your partnership in your child’s education!

Final Grades for 9-week classes:

• Art

• Family and Consumer Sciences

• Futures (8th)

• General Music (6th and 7th)

• Technology and Engineering

In-Progress Grades (final grades at the end of semester 1):

• Math

• Social Studies

• Science

• ELA

• Physical Education

• Spanish/French

• Health

• C-Gen

• Band

• Choir

• Orchestra

There are three areas assessed for student progress:

• Conduct: Reflecting our empathy and respect goals.

• Effort : Reflecting achievement and responsibility regarding completed/ missing/ late work as well as effort in participating in class activities and learning.

• ELO Standards: These reflect the academic standards (“Essential Learning Outcomes”) for the course.

Student progress is reported using the following scale:

Extending the standard (ES) My performance extends the standard at this time. I consistently apply and/or extend a thorough understanding of the concept or skill being assessed.

Meeting the standard (ME) My performance meets the standard at this time. I consistently demonstrate an understanding of the concept or skill being assessed.

Approaching the standard (AP) My performance is approaching standard at this time. I demonstrate a basic understanding of the concept or skill being assessed. I may need more time to practice before becoming independent.

Significantly below the standard (SB)My performance is significantly below standard at this time. I demonstrate a limited understanding and/or misunderstanding of the concept or skill being assessed. My performance indicates significant gaps in understanding that are needed to meet the grade level standard at this time. I need more time and support before becoming independent.

Not enough evidence (NE) I have not yet provided enough evidence of understanding at this time.

Not Assessed or Blank (NA)The standard is not assessed at this time.

If you have questions about your child’s grades, please contact their teacher directly.

Below, you will find the "Hubs" (aka Task-List) for each grade level and Related Arts. You can click on the "Hub" to get information on what your scholar is doing in class, assignments, and assessments. As always, please use Infinite Campus to look up progress grades and turned in assignments.

• Related Arts Hub

• 6th Grade Hub

• 7th Grade Hub

• 8th Grade Hub

Here are some helpful tips and videos that may be useful:

• How to log-in to Infinite Campus (38 second video) or HelpDoc

• How to check your scholar’s missing assignments (2 min. video) or HelpDoc

• What are Conduct and Effort Scores? (2.5 min. video)

• How to check your scholar’s Conduct and Effort Scores (3 min. video) or HelpDoc

• IMMS Standards Based Grading Presentation

• NOTE: If there are comments, click on the ‘grade’ and it will bring you to another screen where the comments are visible.

We were honored to welcome Melissa Ratcliff to Indian Mound Middle School this week! Senator Ratcliff met with our seventh graders to learn about their Community Research Projects, where students explored important needs within their communities. Students shared their findings through thoughtful letters, highlighting both the challenges people face and the ways we can work together to support one another. It was an incredible opportunity for our students to connect their learning to real-world impact and civic engagement.

The sixth-graders are participating in the annual Economic Money Unit simulation. One component of the simulation allows students to apply for a job. These sixth-graders were hired as bankers. Their job duties include managing financial records and processing banking transactions while focusing on customer service. To show these student bankers how these banking processes are handled, they took a tour of the One Community Bank in McFarland. Students who toured are shown in the picture.

😀PTO is looking for support: “Did you know every May the PTO elects new leadership to serve for the upcoming school-year? Did you know no experience is required? The PTO is looking for support with leading meetings, coordinating events, managing financials, and communicating with the community. If any of these roles interest you, or you just want to participate in supporting education, children, and the community, please reach out to mcfarlandptoprez@gmail.com or come to our final meeting on May 13 at 6:30PM at the Municipal Center. We’d love to talk with you!”

😀Bringing back child based play: As was shared previously, a group of community members is exploring the creation of a McFarland community group of parents and community members inspired by The Anxious Generation and related research. This work centers on supporting healthier childhoods by restoring play and independence in the real world, while delaying and adding thoughtful protections around smartphones and social media.

If you are interested in staying connected, participating in conversations or meet-ups, or simply learning more, please share your name and contact information below. Sign up here to stay connected: LINK

Daily Schedule

Daily Announcements

Day A/Day B Schedule

Student Services Support Contacts

McFarland School District Website

McFarland School District App

McFarland Youth Center Website

IMMS Athletics Calendar

IMMS Co-Curricular Clubs and Activities

Below, you will find the "Hubs" (aka Task-List) for each grade level and Related Arts. You can click on the "Hub" to get information on what your scholar is doing in class, assignments, and assessments. As always, please use Infinite Campus to look up progress grades and turned in assignments.

Here are some helpful tips and videos that may be useful:

• How to log-in to Infinite Campus (38 second video) or HelpDoc

• How to check your scholar’s missing assignments (2 min. video) or HelpDoc

• What are Conduct and Effort Scores? (2.5 min. video)

• How to check your scholar’s Conduct and Effort Scores (3 min. video) or HelpDoc

• IMMS Standards Based Grading Presentation

• Be on Time! School starts at 8:20am. Students who arrive after 8:20am (without a medical note/appointment note, etc.) will be marked as tardy. After five tardies in one quarter, a check in meeting with the student, as well as contact home will occur to partner on ways to get the student to school on time.
• Off and Away! Cell phones and headphones must be off and away starting at 8:15am.
• Caffeinated Drinks: students may not consume caffeinated drinks while at school.
• Respect the Bubble: An area of focus this year is to teach and re-teach the importance of having students keep their hands, feet, and objects to themself. If you see this behavior, please continue to reinforce the "Respect the Bubble" expectation

On Tuesday, April 21st the Health Office staff will be conducting vision screenings on all 8th grade students. This is a quick and simple, non-invasive test using a standard letter chart. Families will be notified if the results show any variance from normal range. Please remind your student to bring their glasses or wear their contacts to school that day, if they have them. If for some reason you wish your child NOT to be screened (i.e your student is already screened by an ophthalmologist or optometrist regularly), please email IMMS Health Assistant, Krisy Oestreich, OestreK@mcfsd.org. If you have any other questions, please contact the IMMS Health Office at (608)838-4672.

Take a look at these awesome SUMMER Opportunities for our students!!

Student Survey Results
In January, students in grades 4–12 participated in our annual Student Life Survey, helping us monitor the student experience over time.

Overall Summary
Results show a strong and stable school climate, with high levels of belonging, relationships, safety, and effort. At the same time, the data highlights opportunities to strengthen engagement, reduce distractions, and support student well-being.

Highlights and Strengths

Strong Overall Results:

• Over 80% of students selected the top two ratings in most areas.

• All index scores remained above 4, with comparisons to similar districts in the 75th–77th percentile.

Belonging and Relationships:

• 88% say they can be themselves at school (↑ 2.4%).

• 91% feel their identity is valued.

• 95% say teachers treat them with respect.

• 97% report having friends at school.

Safety and Support:

• 92% feel safe at school.

• 82% feel comfortable reporting bullying (↑ 1.8%).

Effort:

• 96% say they try their best at school.

Areas for Growth

Engagement in Learning:

• 3% decrease in high school students who feel assignments help them learn.

• 78% feel they can relate to what they are learning.

Classroom Environment:

• 65% (grades 4–8) and 53% (grades 9–12) say distracting student behaviors make learning difficult.

Student Well-Being:

• 57% of high school students report stress impacts learning.

• 54% report test-related anxiety.

School Experience:

• “Most days, I like my school” averaged 6.13 out of 10.

We will use this feedback to build on strengths and focus on key areas for improvement to better support every learner, every day.

📺 Want to Learn More?
Check out the April 6 School Board Meeting video or view the full report here.

• McFarland Community Service Day - April 25

• McFarland Sparks 4H K-9 Bake Sale - April 25

• Madison Ballet Special Projects Ballet Storytime - Events through April 27

• McFarland Girls Scouts - Make New Friends Event - May 3

• Boys’ Spartan Spikers Spring Volleyball Clinic Series - May 4-20

• Madison Mallards K-8 McFarland Schools Appreciation Day - June 11

• Tri 4 Schools 2026 Event Series May-August

• MG Youth Lacrosse - Registration Open

• Oregon Youth Lacrosse - Registration Open

• Greater Madison Writing Project Youth Summer Sessions - Early Bird May 1

• Summer Learning Opportunities

• Madison Ballet - Summer Session

• Free Medical Clinic - Verona Area High School - August 1-2

• E.D. Locke Library 500 Books Before Middle School Program

• E.D. Locke Library K-2 Magic Tree House Book Club - 2nd Tuesdays

• E.D. Locke Library 3-5 Graphic Novel Book Club - Third Tuesdays

• E.D. Locke Library Teen Snack & Chat - Mondays

• E.D. Locke Library Teen UnBook Club - First Thursdays

• E.D. Locke Library VolunTeen Program - Fourth Tuesdays

• Free Triple P Positive Parenting Online Program for WI Families

The McFarland School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, sex, (including gender status, change of sex or gender identity), or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability (Protected Classes) in any of its student program and activities.