Mill Creek SOAR'n Updates

Good evening -

What a wonderful first week of school it has been at Mill Creek Intermediate! Our students have jumped right into learning, making new connections, and settling into routines that will set the tone for a successful year. We are so grateful for the strong partnership we share with our families—it truly makes a difference in helping our students thrive.

A special thank you goes out to all of our caregivers for completing the annual emergency information updates. We are thrilled to share that 98% of our students now have this information updated—an incredible accomplishment! This helps us ensure that we can keep every child safe and cared for in any situation. We deeply appreciate you taking the time to do your part in supporting our school community.

To recap Week 1, our students ended with their first pep rally—and their enthusiasm for school spirit was absolutely contagious! We want you to feel that same excitement at our first Parent Pep Rally on Monday evening at 6:00 PM in the MMS Auditorium. During this special event, we will celebrate our caregivers, share ways you can partner with us in your child’s education, and provide you with key dates for year-long events. Plus, you’ll have the chance to earn spirit points for your child’s team!

So grab your best red, green, and white attire and join us as we kick off the year together with energy, excitement, and Mill Creek pride!

Mrs. Beth McCoy, Principal

emccoy@k12.wv.us

Mrs. Erin Butler, Assistant Principal

ebutler@k12.wv.us

You are invited to the 1st Annual Parent Pep Rally. Come and experience the excitement that your child will experience on Friday. You are invited to Musselman Middle School on Aug. 25 from 6-7:30. You will get to earn points for your child's team to go toward our School Spirit Stick. We will share with you opportunities on how you can be more involved with your child's education and school events. You will be the first to see dates of events for the entire year and have an opportunity to sign up to help. Be ready for some loud and good fun, just like your high school pep rallies!! Don't forget to bring your school spirit!

All school meals are free again this year thanks to our Board of Education. Breakfast and Lunch Menus can be viewed on Nutrislice. It is recommended that you download this app on your phones so that you have easy access. Each day, your student has the option to choose which meal they would like. They must make this choice in the mornings when they arrive so that the lunch ladies can have an accurate count of meals. https://berkeleycountyschools.nutrislice.com/menu

We have several students in the school who have severe peanut allergies. We will have a designated peanut-free table in the cafeteria, but we are asking to please limit the peanut containing foods that you send in with your students. If your student does eat something containing peanuts, he or she must go immediately to wash their hands to keep all of our students safe. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Schoology will be our main platform for daily communication. We will not be using Class Dojo this school year. Please note that you should not send time sensitive information through online platforms or email. Teachers may not get these notes while they are teaching. If you have information that is an emergency, please call the front office or send in a written note to your child's teacher.

It is vital that you set up your parent account. All parents will receive an individualized code to set up your student's account if you aren't already connected.

Schoology is also where you can stay involved with your child's academics. You will be able to see your child's grades, missing assignments and assignments that are due.

If you are new to Schoology, this google handbook can help you with everything you need to know. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1w9BxtwoxTJRVXrEj1Tme5SWEkEN5Uq2SyrfW0ya7xZQ/preview?slide=id.g8e952e3ece_0_3

For the safety of our students, we ask that you follow these procedures:

• Buses Arrive: 8:20
• Parent Drop Off: South End Lot 8:20 -8:35. Please do not drop students off until a staff member is on duty. You will drive the loop and drop students off at the sidewalk. Please be cautious and look for staff directing you. There will also be buses in this loop.
• Students Tardy: 8:46 (***Students arriving after 8:35 must be signed in by an adult in the office)
• Dismissal Begins: 3:25 -- If you need to change the way your student normally goes home, please send in a note to your child ’s teacher. We discourage you from calling the office to change information at the last minute. If your child is riding home on a bus with another student, BOTH students must have notes.
• Parent Pick Up: PLEASE REMAIN IN YOUR CAR UNTIL 3:25. For the safety of our students, we need to have the sidewalk clear. Please park in a parking spot and not in the fire lane. We ask that families who pick up on a regular basis to please fill out the pick -up form below. Parents will park in the south end lot and come to the music room door to sign student out. Please be prepared to show ID every day.
• Students Leaving Early: To prevent congestion in the office at dismissal time, students will not be allowed to be signed out between 3-3:25. If you have an appointment, please sign your student out before 3pm. When arriving to pick up your student, please report to the front office and be prepared to show your ID.

The Jostens Renaissance Program is a framework of culture where teachers love their job and students thrive in school. It is built on common core values and expectations. At Mill Creek, our Renaissance program is built around the core values of Safety, Ownership, Achievement and Respect. Students and staffulty will receive recognition and rewards when following these core values. Each day, our students will have the opportunity to earn a SOAR point based on these values. You can find the guidelines on the back of their daily folders.

We have partnered with YE Creations again for our school spirit wear. You order online and she will deliver to the school free of charge. Just mark 'pick up' when you check out. Click here to see the newest creations: Mill Creek Intermediate Spirit Wear 2025

The LSIC is a committee that is meant to assist the school and school system in ensuring that parent, family, business, and community involvement is embedded in all aspects of the school and county strategic improvement plans. It will help to develop and promote the school and school system vision for excellence by being catalysts for innovation and it will represent the voice of the community’s education stakeholders.

At Mill Creek, the LSIC will be working collaboratively with the SOAR'n Supporters (PTO) to plan and implement family involvement activities. We invite all caregivers who would like to help with these activities to attend our quarterly LSIC meetings.

All LSIC meetings are open to the public and will start at 4pm, unless otherwise noted. Dates are subject to change. Please follow Mill Creek's NTouch Messaging and Schoology for updates. All meetings will be held in the Mill Creek Library.

Meeting Dates:

• Sept. 10, 2025 - Election of officers meeting

• Sept. 24, 2025 - Organizational Meeting

• Oct. 22, 2025 - Organizational Meeting to review WV Balanced Scorecard Data

• Nov. 19, 2025

• Jan. 28, 2025

• Apr. 15, 2025

August

• 25 - Parent Pep Rally - 6-7:30pm @ Musselman Middle Auditorium
• 25-29 - Students will take iReady Diagnostic Assessments

September

• 1 - No School - Labor day
• 10 - Fundraiser Kick Off during Lunches
• 10 - LSIC @ 4pm
• 17 - 2 hr delay for students
• 18 - Interims - check Schoology for Grades and Missing Assignments
• 19 - Fall Pictures
• 22-26 - 3rd Grade - WV Farm Bureau Ag Experiment Truck
• 22-26 - Book Fair
• 24 - LSIC @ 4pm
• 25 - Parent Night for Book Fair - 4-6pm