Mill Creek SOAR'n Updates

Good evening -

We are gearing up for an amazing first week of school. We are looking forward to greeting our students on Tuesday.

We had an overwhelming response of parents attending orientation. We are so thankful that you are each willing participants in your child's education. You play a vital role in your student's success.

This email contains reminders of back to school information. In order for the first day of school to run smoothly, please make sure you read each section carefully. Please email with any questions.

Mrs. Beth McCoy, Principal

emccoy@k12.wv.us

Mrs. Erin Butler, Assistant Principal

ebutler@k12.wv.us

We would like to invite you to take an active role in your child’s education. At Mill Creek Intermediate, we believe that education is a shared responsibility, and achievement requires the commitment and participation of students, staff, family and the community. Below are a list of items that we feel are important for all families so that we can ensure the first day is successful.

• REQUIRED - Update your student's Annual Emergency Information - This is very important to do before Monday. If we have an emergency with your student, we must know how to get in touch with you. Link: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/article/1709449
• Schoology - Schoology is the platform that we will use for communication, lesson platforms, and grades. Please make sure you and your child know how to use this platform. We will send home parent access codes this week.
• Bus Information - Please provide a written note on how your child will get home on the first day. Unless told otherwise, we will assume they are going home the way they came in! If students are going home with another student, we must have a note from each student.
• Lunch Menu - Please review the lunch menu with your student prior to Tuesday so that they know which meal to choose.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you update your emergency information annually with the school, even if you have not had any changes. Please complete this before your child starts school on August 19. 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.

PLEASE NOTE: WE MUST HAVE THIS INFORMATION UPDATED. IF YOUR CHILD'S INFORMATION IS NOT UPDATED, THEY WILL NOT GET TO PARTICIPATE IN SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS, INCLUDING THE WALKING TRIP TO MMS ON AUG. 22 FOR OUR FIRST PEP RALLY. WE MUST KNOW HOW TO CONTACT YOU IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

We mailed cards to each student with their teacher's name. If you did not receive your postcard, please be sure to update your annual emergency information to make sure we have the correct address on file. If you do not know your child's teacher, do not worry! We will have plenty of staff in the hallways on the first day of school. Please make sure your students know to stop and ask for help.

Enter your home address here to find you child's bus schedule: http://webquery.bcswv.org/livewq/webquery/

You can find all school supply lists here: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/page/school-supply-lists

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.

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!

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

We are thankful to welcome Nurse Melissa Shirley to our staffulty as the school nurse. She will be available at orientation to accept all medication forms, dietary forms, medication and immunization updates, if needed.

Students MUST be up to date with immunization requirements PRIOR to coming to school Tuesday, August 19th. This means that any new enrolling or current students must have proof of all required vaccines for school including DTAP, Polio, Hep B, MMR, Varicella. Your student may NOT attend school without proof of any required vaccines.

Also, please keep in mind that any medications at school, including over-the-counter medications and cough drops, require a current medication administration order form to be completed by a medical provider before they can be given at school. A new form is required for each school year. You may NOT send these medications in your student's backpack, and they must be in the original prescription bottle/box (inhaler/Epi pen). The school nurse will be available during orientation to drop off medications, pending you have the completed order form.

Please note: If your child needs life saving medication such as an inhaler, epipen, insulin, or seizure medication, they must have that medication and medication form in the school nurse's office before they can attend school.

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 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.

We will participate in our first SOAR Pep Rally on Friday, Aug. 22. Students and staffulty will walk to Musselman Middle School on Thursday morning at 9:15. We will kick off the year by discussing our core values and recognizing students and staffulty. MMS is also our evacuation site, so we will also discuss our emergency procedures while we are there. (This event will be for MCI staffulty and students only.)

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

• 18 - Family Chalk the Walk Event
• 19 - Students Return
• 22 - Students' SOAR'n Pep Rally - Wear sneakers & your red, green or white
• 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