We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break filled with quality time with loved ones. As we gear up for the next three weeks leading up to Winter Break, our school will be busy with exciting events and activities, and we need your help to make them successful!

We are currently seeking Level 1 Volunteers to assist with several upcoming events, including the Holiday Shop. Your support is essential, and we’d love for you to get involved! Additionally, sign-ups for our Crafts and Cookies with Santa event will go home tomorrow. For event, we will also need volunteers as well as cookie donations to ensure a memorable experience for our students and families. You can help us plan these events on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at our LSIC meeting at 4pm in the library.

While the holiday cheer fills the air, our students will also stay focused in the classroom, working hard to wrap up the second nine weeks. This includes completing their iReady diagnostic assessments and earning their SOAR Reward. Please take a moment to check Schoology for any missing assignments your child may have. Missing assignments could result in a zero, which can significantly impact grades, so let’s work together to stay on track.

Thank you for being such an integral part of our first semester’s success. We are excited to finish the semester strong and look forward to celebrating the holiday season with all of you!

Sincerely -

Beth McCoy, Principal

emccoy@k12.wv.us

Erin Butler, Assistant Principal

ebutler@k12.wv.us

We have been planning a Holiday Shopping event for students. We are excited that so many of our students have purchased items for this event. However, we need your help! Since this event takes place during the school day, we rely on volunteers to keep this event running. Below is a link to sign up to help students shop and help wrap presents. The event is December 9-12. You must be a Level 1 volunteer.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4BAAAC2FA5F85-52599073-holiday

We are in need of help with wrapping gifts for the Holiday Shop. More items are scheduled to be delivered at the end of this week. If you are able to come to the school and wrap gifts, please email Mrs. Sloan at ksloan@k12.wv.us

On Dec. 13, we will be hosting a cookies and craft with Santa. Families will get to take a picture with Santa, do a small craft and enjoy some cookies. We want this to be a free event for families, so we are seeking donations of cookies and small water bottles for this event. Please send in donations to the school the week of the event. Thank you!

Would you like to have a Mill Creek shirt in your pep rally team color? You can order Mill Creek Apparel and cups from YE Creations by Lori. Click here to view her website. If you would like to have your shirt delivered to Mill Creek, choose pick up when checking out. You will not have to pay for shipping.

At Mill Creek Intermediate, we believe that students' success begins with taking ownership of their learning. When students develop responsibility by staying on top of their assignments, they not only build valuable life skills but also set themselves up for academic success.

To help foster this accountability, students will have two opportunities to complete any missed assignments. After these two chances, any remaining incomplete work will receive a zero. This policy is in place to encourage students to stay engaged with their work and take responsibility for their education.

Please know that our teachers are here to support every student. We are committed to working together to ensure all students succeed, but we also want to encourage the growth of independence and responsibility that will serve them well throughout their lives.

We appreciate your support as we guide our students in becoming accountable learners! You can help us support your student by monitoring grades and assignments in Schoology. If you need help with Schoology, please call the school and we will help support you.

Berkeley County Schools is excited to partner with the Cook Center for Human Connection and their Mental Health and Wellness Resource Center: ParentGuidance.org. This is a family support library for all families that provides any adult and caretaker in the district with a trusted place to go for qualified answers to the toughest parenting and childcare challenges from the premier therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists in their respective specialties, who offer compassionate, anonymous, and supportive guidance for you and your children.

This FREE resource offers over 50 courses in English and Spanish created and given by licensed clinicians addressing topics like: Anxiety, Depression, Self-Harm, Bullying, Social Media, Substance Abuse, Grief and Loss etc.

Please click the link below for more information.

https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/page/cook-center-for-human-connection

Tutor WV offers free tutoring services to students in the state of WV. Please click here for more information. https://www.tutor.com/tutorwv

We still have families that have not updated their Annual Emergency Information. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you update your emergency information annually with the school, even if you have not had any changes. If you do not have our annual information updated, we cannot allow your student to go on field trips. If we would have an emergency, we need to know how to get in touch with you. Please click the link below to get started if you have not already completed this information.

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. All adults will remain in the vehicle. 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 or when door 14 is open. 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. You will need an electronic device to scan a QR code for sign-out.

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 and check their progress on the calendar on their folder.

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 Class Dojo for updates. All meetings will be held in the Mill Creek Library.

Meeting Dates:

• Oct. 24, 2024 - Organizational Meeting to review WV Balanced Scorecard Data

• Dec. 3, 2024 - DATE CHANGE

• Jan. 30, 2025

• Mar. 27, 2025

Dec. 2- 2hr. Delay

Dec. 3 - LSIC - 4pm

Dec. 5 - MCI Social Studies Fair

Dec. 5 - Singing Cardinals and Strings Concert - MMS - 6:30

Dec. 13 - Cookies and Crafts with Santa - 6-7:30pm

Dec. 19 - Dress Like an Elf Day - Pay $1 and donations go to the Relay for Life

Dec. 20 - SOAR Reward (30 points needed)

Dec. 20 - Holiday Classroom Parties

Dec. 23- Jan. 3 - Students off for Winter Break

Jan. 6 - Students return to school