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IMMS Family Flier

February 23, 2025

IMMS FamilyFlierFebruary 23, 2025

A Note from Ms. Thomas and Mr. Jondle A Note from Ms. Thomas and Mr. Jondle

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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

Click here to share any Feedback with Staff or Acknowledge a Staff Member
We welcome your feedback as a part of continuous improvement. Here is a place for you to share any feedback/questions/comments.

Helpful Links

2-hour delay schedule

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

McFarland RADAR (Relevant Alcohol & Drug Awareness Resources) Coalition Newsletter

IMMS Athletics Calendar

Family information on IMMS Expectations

IMMS Sports and Clubs Eligibility Criteria

Important Dates Important Dates

Feb. 26: Shelter Drill (a.k.a. Tornado Drill)

Feb. 27: Family Fun Night 5:30pm-7:00pm

March 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 - This Thursday!

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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 💥💥💥 💥💥💥 Volunteers Needed - Family Fun Night 💥💥💥

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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 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 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 look up your scholar’s report card in IC

  • 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 March is Youth Art Month

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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 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.


6th - 7th Grade Registration Form

7th - 8th Grade Registration Form

Club Unified & Special Olympics Fundraiser 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 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!)

Robotics 2025 fundraiser

Outdoor Recess and Weather 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 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.

Related Arts Hub/Task List
6th Grade Hub/Task List
7th Grade Hub/Task List
8th Grade Hub/Task List

Community Events and Programs Community Events and Programs

  • 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

CLICK HERE for Community Event and Program Flyers

Looking For More Things To Do? 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 Health Services

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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.
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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.

MSD Health Services Website
Please view the McFarland School District Health Services website for information, forms, resources and contact info.

District News 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.

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District Recognition Days

February is...

Black History Month

Kindness Month

Career & Technical Education Month

  • February 28 to March 30 - Ramadan
Click here for the yearly calendar
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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:

  • Information about Ramadan

  • History of Ramadan

  • How Teachers Can Support Students

  • Ramadan facts for younger students

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.

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