IMMS Family Flier
February 23, 2025
A Note from Ms. Thomas and Mr. Jondle
Dear Indian Mound Middle School Students and Families,
Our Family Fun Night is THIS WEEK Thursday, February 27th from 5:30-7:30 pm. We need several volunteers to help at the Family Fun Night to ensure it goes off without a hitch. Please click on this Family Fun Night Volunteer Sign-UP and see below for details.
See below for details regarding upcoming family conferences.
We are noticing an uptick in students having their phone and airpods out in the hall between 8:15-8:20. We working with the students on reminding them that all devices must be "off and away" when the 8:15 bell rings. The cell phone/devise policy can be found below in the newsletter.
Thank you for your continued partnership in making IMMS a place where all students feel supported and empowered. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or thoughts to share. We are grateful for your involvement and look forward to a great month ahead!
Warm regards,
Jamie Thomas, Principal
Brett Jondle, Associate Principal
Important Dates
Feb. 26: Shelter Drill (a.k.a. Tornado Drill)
Feb. 27: Family Fun Night 5:30pm-7:00pmMarch 6: Family Teacher Conferences
March 6: Monthly Celebration Assembly
March 6: 4:00-7:00 pm, Family Conferences
March 7: No School, Family Teacher Conferences
March 11: Choir Concert Grades 6-8 7:00-8:00 pm at the PAC
March 24-28: No School, Spring Break
Family Fun Night - This Thursday!
Family Fun Night
Thursday, February 27, 5:30-7:30
Indian Mound Middle School
This event is for everyone! Not just IMMS families!
Family Fun Night is an opportunity to meet Indian Mound Middle School’s teachers, students, and clubs and have a great time with your family. There will be a variety of events and activities staged throughout the school. Many are sponsored by clubs, students and community organizations. These include many fun experiences for folks of all ages. Come out to Family Fun Night and see what IMMS has to offer our community. There is something for everyone!
💥💥💥 Volunteers Needed - Family Fun Night 💥💥💥
No experience needed! We are looking for adults or families to help with activities. A great way to meet others and support your community. Here is the sign up LINK
Monthly Safety Drill: Shelter Drill
School safety is a priority in the McFarland School District. At Indian Mound Middle School (IMMS), we take several steps to ensure your child is safe and our school is secure. This past week, specifically on Wednesday, February 26 at approximately 10:15am, we held our sixth "School Safety Drill" of the school year, in which we conducted a Shelter Drill (a.k.a. Tornado Drill). We prepared your child for the drill during the past two weeks during our school announcements.
During Wednesday's drill, we made an announcement that clearly explained to students that we were about to conduct a drill prior to the drill beginning, explaining the difference between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning. The entire procedure lasted approximately ten minutes. Before the drill, and following drill, students were reminded (as we have done during each of our previous drills and safety discussions) that schools are often some of the safest places to be and that these skills students and staff learn about safety can be applied anywhere, both in school and out of school. Our goal is always to make this experience a useful practice of the procedures, without alarming students.
If you have any questions about the drill, please feel free to contact Ms. Thomas or me at any time at 838-8980.
Thank you,
Brett Jondle, Associate Principal Jamie Thomas, Principal
Family Conferences
Dear IMMS Families,
We are excited to inform you that Spring conferences will be held on Thursday, March 6 (4:00-7:00 pm in person) and Friday, March 7 (12:00-4:00 pm in person). Look for an email to sign up for conferences by February 21. If you would prefer a virtual conference, please let the teacher know and we can make arrangements for a Google Meet.
Also, please join us at our IMMS Family Fun Night on February 27 from 5:30-7:00 pm.
6th Grade Families: For conferences, you will meet with your scholar’s “cored pair” (the two teachers that teach science/math and social studies/English language arts).
7th and 8th Grade Families: To streamline and simplify the middle school conference experience, each family who signs up for conferences will meet with their scholar’s core 2 teacher. The core 2 teacher will share information about academic progress in all core classes. If you feel it is important to meet with a teacher other than your scholar’s core 2 teacher, please email the teacher directly that you wish to meet with.
Conferences are optional: If you are feeling comfortable with the success of your scholar at school (and teachers do not reach out to you specifically to schedule a conference), you are not required to schedule a conference. Feel free to continue to check in with teachers via email and follow the progress of your scholar on Infinite Campus.
How to sign-up: You will receive an email from either your child’s cored pair (6th grade) or your child’s Core 2 teacher on February 21. There will be various times for you to choose from. The sign-up platform will be Google Appointments. In order to give our staff time to prepare for conferences, the sign-up will close on February 26, 2025.
If you have signed up for a conference and something comes up within 24 hours of the scheduled time/day and cannot attend, please contact the teacher directly.
In preparation for conferences, accessing academic information in Infinite Campus might be helpful.
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
Related Arts & other specialists: Teachers will either be available for drop-in conferences (no appointments required) on March 6th and 7th or they will be present at the IMMS Family Fun Night on February 27th. If you prefer to schedule a conference with a Related Arts teacher rather than dropping in, please email them to schedule a time. Here are the emails for Related Arts Staff.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership with your student’s teachers and our school community. A strong home-school partnership has always been critical to student success.
If you have signed up for a conference and something comes up within 24 hours of the scheduled time/day and you cannot attend, please contact the teacher directly.
Together, we A.R.R.E better!
In Service,
Jamie Thomas - Principal
Brett Jondle - Associate Principal
March is Youth Art Month
Come Celebrate with the McFarland School District. Visual artwork will be on display at the Public Library for the whole month. There will be a reception on Thursday March 6th from 5:30- 7:00 pm. The music department will showcase student performances during the evening. We hope to see you there!
Student Services
Course registration for current 6th and 7th graders
Those students currently in 6th and 7th grade should have submitted their form selecting the classes they would like to take by next year. If you have not already submitted the form below, please do so right away.
Club Unified & Special Olympics Fundraiser
We may not be jumping into a frozen lake, but we are gearing up for an icy good time to support Club Unified & Special Olympics! Instead of the traditional Polar Plunge, we’ll be taking on water balloons, ice buckets, &/or super soakers – because why freeze alone when we can share the chill?
If you’d like to support our brave (and slightly crazy) participants, we’d love donations! Every dollar helps us continue building an inclusive community at IMMS. Click HERE to donate.
Thanks for helping us make a splash for a great cause!
Stay warm (we won’t),
Robotics Club Fundraiser
We are so excited to say that TWO of our teams qualified for the Robotics State Tournament!
We will be competing in Appleton this weekend with the McFarland High School teams. State will be in mid-March. Link to Fundraiser (You don't have to donate, but check out our great video!)
Outdoor Recess and Weather
As the weather continues to cool down and the seasons change, we wanted to provide a few reminders that we will/have been sharing with your scholar:
- Students should take their coats/sweatshirts/hats with them to lunch to avoid having to have to go to their locker/backpacks after being dismissed from lunch to recess
- To allow students the chance to eat at their own pace, there are two waves of dismissal from lunches. The first wave of dismissal happens 15 minutes into lunch (for those who are finished and want to get outside right away). The second wave of dismissal occurs twenty minutes into lunch (lunch/recess is thirty minutes total).
- The expectation is that at this point, all students must go outside for recess. Please continue to encourage this with your scholar
Family Information Regarding Student Learning
Below you will find "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.
PICADA Virtual Dangers of Human Trafficking Program - February 26
Stoughton Health Safe@Home Program for Grades 4-6 - February 28
Stoughton Health Safe Sitter Program for Grades 6-8 - March 1
Youth Apprenticeship Info Nights 2025 - February 12 and March 3
E.D. Locke Library Card Design Contest - March 1-April 4
CESA 2 MHS Driver Education Program
ACT Prep Plus - Registration Open
Futura Grades K-2 Spanish Language Program
E.D. Locke Library Grades 2-5 Critter Scene Investigation - March 7
E.D. Locke and Galin Education Free ACT Diagnostic Test Day - March 11
E.D. Locke Trinity Irish Dancers - March 17
Boys and Girls Club of Dane County Madison Shamrock Shuffle - March 15
McFarland Youth Baseball Organization 2025 Season Registration Open
McFarland Youth Softball 2025 Season Registration Open
Badger Precollege Grades 6-8 Latino Youth Summit - March 24-25
E.D. Locke Library Bad Art Afternoon - March 28
i9 Sports 2025 Spring Season - Register by March 28
McFarland Soccer Referee Course - April 19
E.D. Locke Library Teen Dungeons and Dragons One-Shot Adventures - January-April
E.D. Locke Library VolunTeen Program - January-April
E.D. Locke Library Teen S.T.E.A.M. - January-April
E.D. Locke Library Teen Hangout - January-April
E.D. Locke Library Teen UnBook Club - January-April
E.D. Locke Library Teen Snack & Chat - January-April
E.D. Locke Library Grades 3-5 LEGO Club - September-May
E.D. Locke Library Grades 3-5 Graphic Novel Book Club - September-May
E.D. Locke Library Grades K-2 Magic Tree House Book Club - September-May
Free Triple P Positive Parenting Online Program for WI Families
WI School of Business - Grade 8 & 9 Free Precollege Summer Camp: Business Basics
Badger Bots Kids Summer Camps
Looking For More Things To Do?
McFarland Recreation Aquatics & Play (MRAP) and the McFarland Performing Arts Center (MPAC) offer a wide variety of recreation and aquatics programs for community members of all ages. To learn more, visit MRAPNews.com
Questions about specific MRAP or MPAC programs?
Reach out to the staff contacts listed below:
Stu Schaefer, Director of Community Services
schaefs@mcfsd.org | 608-838-3168
Kayla Eliasson, Aquatics Supervisor
eliassk@mcfsd.org | 608-838-3168
Alisha Fix, Recreation Supervisor
fixa@mcfsd.org | 608-838-4666
Zachary Franczak, Performing Arts Supervisor
franczz@mcfsd.org | 608-838-4461
Health Services
Communicable Illness Notification
We are continuing to see cases of Pneumonia, Strep Throat, Influenza, Covid 19 and GI Viruses (Vomiting/Diarrhea) circulating the schools. We ask that you please reach out to your student's Medical Provider if symptoms do not improve within a few days or if you have concerns that your student may have a communicable disease (DHS Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Disease guidelines). Remember, if your child is sick please keep them home and seek medical evaluation as needed. Students will be sent home with the following symptoms:
- Temperature above 100.4°F
- Vomiting or Diarrhea
- Frequent uncontrollable cough
Your child should remain at home until fever, vomiting/diarrhea has stopped for 24 hours without the use of medication (Parent Handbook - McFarland School District Health Services & Guidelines for sending your child to school). Please notify the health office as well if your student is diagnosed with a communicable disease. This information is very helpful to us in the health office to help track illness and notify families when appropriate. We are happy to answer questions about exclusion policies and attendance, provide medications in the health office or be a resource for your student if needed for ongoing illness. Please reach out with questions and stay well!
- If interested in getting your student vaccinated please visit Public Health Immunization Clinics or reach out to your clinic.
- If you are in need of Health Insurance please review our Health Insurance Resources located on the MSD Health Service Website.
Medication at School
Parents and Families: as a reminder, please do NOT send any medication to school with your child-this is a safety risk and is not allowed. The only medication that students can carry with them at school are emergency medicines such as an EpiPen or Inhaler. Even then, the health office must be notified of this and have signed documentation by the student's physician and parent/guardian (Medication Consent Form: Prescription, Over the Counter). OTC medication such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen are stocked in the health offices for student use if needed. Please call or email with questions about this or if you would like your student to take medication at school.
District News
🎓McFarland School Board
Summary from the 2/17/25 School Board Meeting:
In addition to their regular duties of approving minutes, staffing, and expenses, here are some highlights from the meeting:
Aaron Tarnutzer read aloud the DPI Adult School Crossing Guard Recognition Week Proclamation
Jeff Mahoney presented a budget update.
Jade Galindo Salgado shared a report from the MHS student body.
Action items that were acted upon included:
Approval of an offer to purchase property by the Village of McFarland
MHS early graduation requests
First reading of policies
COMING UP:
The next School District of McFarland School Board meeting is scheduled for March 3, 2025.
Click HERE for a link to the McFarland School Board agendas and minutes.
Click HERE for a link to the McFarland School Board meeting recordings and upcoming YouTube live streams.
District Recognition Days
February is...
Black History Month
Kindness Month
Career & Technical Education Month
- February 28 to March 30 - Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and begins on the evening of February 28 and continues until March 29. During this time, many Muslim followers will participate in fasting by not consuming anything (water, food, medicine, etc.) from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is more than abstaining from food and drink. It is observed as a time for reflection, community, charity, and renewal of faith.
To encourage an atmosphere of inclusivity and understanding the district is committed to providing provisions and accommodations to students who observe.
All buildings will provide a dedicated space for students to access throughout the day, including during lunchtime.
CEPS - Main office and space will be provided
WIS - Main office and space will be provided
IMMS - Library
MHS - SLC (Library)
All staff have been asked to remain aware of the physical and mental needs connected to fasting.
If you have any other specific needs or requests outside what we are currently providing, please contact your building principal or a member of student services. We value and support our diverse community and as a District, we want to ensure our environment is inclusive, respectful, and committed to student belonging, achievement, and growth.
If you are interested in learning more about Ramadan:
A common greeting during Ramadan is "Ramadan Mubarak" which loosely translates to "Have a blessed Ramadan." Here is how to pronounce Ramadan Mubarak.
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.