Mill Valley Weekly

A huge congratulations to our wonderful fourth graders on a spectacular performance last night at the Muskego High School Performing Arts Center! Seeing their hard work and dedication come to life on stage was a joy. Thank you to our families for your support, and to Mrs. Awadallah for her incredible guidance and leadership.

Wishing you all a safe and happy long holiday weekend! Just a quick reminder that there is NO SCHOOL for students Friday, May 22nd, and Monday, May 25th. See you on Tuesday, May 26th!

In Partnership,

Allyce Harris

MV Principal

Mrs. Patchel’s first grade students care about shelter animals. We are researching shelter animals and look forward to teaching the other kids at Mill Valley about these animals. We learned that some animals stay in shelters for a long time and need something to play with while they wait for their forever home.

We are looking for donations of cat and dog toys for shelter animals. Please bring cat and dog toys and place them in the bins by Mrs. Patchel’s classroom for the Wisconsin Humane Society. We are collecting items from May 25-June 5.

Thank you for supporting our cause and Mrs. Patchel’s first grade class!

If your student has a different dismissal plan on the last day of school due to early release,

PLEASE send a yellow note to school.

If you are planning on doing Parent Pick-Up and need a reminder of our pick-up process,

below is a map to help you out.

PLEASE stay parked in the lot until the bell rings at 12:40pm.

In the last newsletter, I talked about how giving kids responsibility at home makes them feel important and capable. It’s great to get children involved in house tasks to build this sense of belonging, but we have to be careful to tell the difference between easy ways to help and asking too much, which can be emotionally overwhelming for kids.

Simple chores like setting the table or sorting socks are good because they don't have big emotional pressure. Even with a younger sibling, an older child can help in low-stress ways like handing a diaper or toy to a parent, playing next to a sibling, not watching them, reading a book or helping choose an outfit for the younger child.

When an older child is regularly responsible for a younger brother or sister resentment might build as it can interfere with their own needs. This is because children don't have the fully developed part of their brain (the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for executive function), needed to manage another person's unpredictable safety or emotional needs. In these situations I have had parents note that the older sibling might become too physically corrective with their sibling, yell at them inappropriately or lash out because they don’t know how to regulate themselves let alone regulate the nervous system of a younger sibling.

Why Childcare Chores Can Be Stressful:

• It Pushes an Undeveloped Brain: Being constantly in charge of another person’s safety puts a heavy, adult-sized burden on the child.

• Emotional Overload: The pressure shifts their focus from play and exploration to being on high alert (hyper-vigilance).

• Missing Out on Being a Kid: When a child is regularly responsible for a sibling’s emotional state, they miss out on key social and emotional development that is normal for their age. This can lead to increased stress and a feeling of a "rushed" childhood.

To help our children be supportive family members while still letting them be kids, we should stick to age-appropriate chores that focus on their personal space and shared home environment, rather than putting them in a primary childcare role.

June 2nd

4:30pm - 6:00pm

While we typically see an increase in head lice in the winter months, cases of lice can occur at any time.

Here are a few reminders:

• Head lice are a nuisance, head lice are not dangerous, do not present a health hazard, and do not transmit disease.

• Head lice are NOT a sign of poor hygiene.

• The most common way to get head lice is by head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice. Although not as common, head lice may spread by:

• Wearing clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons worn by a person who already has head lice

• Using infested combs, brushes, or towels

• Lying on a bed, couch, pillow, carpet, or stuffed animal that has recently been in contact with a person who already has head lice

• Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly.

• Adult lice can live on a person's head for about 30 days. However, they will die within two days if they fall off a person and cannot feed.

A few things parents can do:

• Regularly check your student's hair for lice to detect and treat any occurrence early and prevent spread.
• Notify your student's school should you detect lice in your students hair so that we ensure our response is proportionate and aligns to the scope of the occurrences.
• Provide appropriate outerwear each day to prevent sharing (hats, scarves, gloves); and extra items that can stay in your student's locker may also be prudent.

Here are the statistics for reported cases of lice District-wide for the year:

• September - 8
• October - 11
• November - 13
• December - 0
• January - 0
• February - 0
• March - 6
• April - 0
• May (so far) - 6

What we will do:

• Board Policy and AG 8451 attend to head lice, and states, in part:
• MNSD reserves the right to inspect other known household contacts such as siblings attending the same school in an effort to stem outbreaks in other classes.
• Seldom is inspecting an entire classroom or student body necessary or effective. Classroom lice checks will only be considered by the District Nurse, in coordination with the building Principal and Health Office Staff, if there are five (5) or more cases of live lice in an individual classroom.
• An informational letter about head lice prevention, diagnosis, and treatment will go home to the parents/guardians of all students in a classroom if there are five (5) or more cases of live lice in that individual classroom.

Please see the following Resources for more information:

• MNSD HEAD LICE POLICY - AG 8451

• MNS HEAD LICE POLICY - PO 8451

• MNS Lice Information - All You Need To Know

• HEAD LICE - DHS

• HEAD LICE - CDC

• STAT PEARL - Head Lice

Registration for the 2026–2027 school year is now open!
Register by 6/7 and receive $15 off tuition
Celebrate Spanish in every season — join us for a brand-new theme!
Don’t miss this valuable opportunity for your student to build Spanish skills in a fun, interactive bilingual classroom.

Enroll today: https://futuraadventures.com/wisconsin-region/

Click here for the Parents United website and click here for the 2025-26 brochure of all events. Below are flyers for the next five exciting upcoming events:

• May 20 (ROUTINES RULE!)

To view current support staff job vacancies, click HERE

Email: allyce.harris@muskegonorway.org
Website: muskegonorway.org
Location: W191 S6445 Hillendale Dr, Muskego Wi, 53150
Phone: 262-971-1830
Facebook: facebook.com/millvalleyelementary