Mill Valley Weekly

Fall has officially arrived! The cooler weather, colorful leaves, and excitement in the air make this such a fun time of year at school. We’re especially enjoying the PTO Book Fair and looking forward to Mill Valley's traditional Halloween Costume Parade on Friday, October 31st. Traditions such as these bring so much joy to our school community!

Thank you for taking the time to meet with teachers during Parent-Teacher Conferences. These conversations are an important part of our shared commitment to your child’s growth. The feedback exchanged during conferences helps us celebrate successes, identify next steps, and strengthen the partnership between home and school. Together, we can ensure each student continues to learn, grow, and feel supported to succeed!

In Partnership,

Allyce Harris

Mill Valley Principal

Please review the information linked here to learn more about the early literacy assessments proctored with students in 4K through 3rd grades.

This week in PE, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders have been sharpening their soccer skills! We’ve focused on dribbling and passing, working on control, teamwork, and having fun while staying active. Kindergarten and 1st grade students have been continuing to build spatial awareness through fun tagging games like Spotlight Tag. They’ve also been practicing moving at different levels to improve body control. It's been a great week of movement and learning for all!

In my last note, I spoke about the concept of connect before correct. The idea is that often with challenging behavior or emotional dysregulation, we feel we must correct the behavior immediately by confronting it or giving an immediate consequence. Our intention is to redirect, but instead we might find the behavior escalating - the exact opposite effect we wish to see. So, what does connecting look like in the heat of the moment? How do we regulate ourselves when we are exhausted, depleted, and frustrated? And how do we find time to connect everyday when our schedules are filled with homework, after-school activities and the normal busy routines of daily living?

Hug it out. It feels counterintuitive to start hugging when we may feel like screaming, but it works! Hugging releases oxytocin which is a bonding hormone that produces calm, lessens stress, builds empathy, and reduces anxiety.
Get down to the child’s level and model calm. For me, that often meant sitting on their bed, sitting on the ground or a bean bag and then closing my eyes and doing some deep breathing. My favorite breath is “Calm Breathing”. In short, exhale longer than you inhale. 3 of those breaths would always do it for me.
Make connection time every day on purpose so that time is built into a daily routine. Then, when correction needs to take place, connection time already has a foundation. This might look like 7-7-7. 7 minutes in the morning, 7 minutes after school, and 7 minutes before bedtime of total uninterrupted time. I had a boxed set of “kid-questions” that I would use rather than asking “how was school today?” for the umpteenth time. I found a great list of questions that are unique for you to check out. Connection time can also be something you already do, like bathtime, reading/story time, making dinner together or other activities where you are paying attention on purpose to your child while performing a task - that makes it fun (even if you’re sneaking in a chore here and there).

Remember that you can always reach out via email or phone.

Enjoy these beautiful sunny fall days. Dr. S

Mill Valley YEARBOOK Sale ~ 10% off through 10/31

CLICK HERE to start your order OR scan the QR code

Passcode:

1016080687433580

It is that time of year again! Join the Muskego Elementary Ski Club and enjoy discounted winter fun with family and friends! We have seven dates for discounts this winter season and four of those are on no school days. Sign up today by filling out the ski club form, linked HERE for your elementary student! Club Cards can be picked up in your school's office.

The Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County promotes and coordinates giving to families in need during the Christmas season. If you are a family in need and interested in applying for assistance, please visit https://www.christmasclearingcouncil.org/

Applications are due November 15.

Volunteer Application

Click HERE for the online application

Bus Tracker App

Downloading the StopFinder App on your phone. Please see the promotional flyer for details on the app, as well as a video tutorial for your reference.