Dear Indian Mound Middle School Students and Families,
We hope you had a restful and enjoyable Spring Break! As we return to school, we are excited to continue our journey of growth and learning. April 4th is the end of 3rd quarter! Time is going to FLY from now until the end of the year. For 8th grade families, we will be putting the end of year events in upcoming newsletters. There are details about field trips, 8th grade recognition, and more. As a reminder, the Forward Exam dates are listed below.
FORWARD EXAM DATES:
- April 2 and 3: Social Studies (8th only)
- April 9 and 10: ALL School ELA
- April 16-17: ALL School Math
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
Parenting Book Study
Teachers AND Parents will be doing a combined book study of the book "Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine, by Michele Borba." In her book, Dr. Borba explains that the difference between kids who thrive vs. strive comes down not to grades or test scores, but to seven character traits that set Thrivers apart—confidence, empathy, self-control, integrity, curiosity, perseverance, and optimism. We will explore how we can work with our students/kids to help build these traits and become BOTH healthy and successful!
You can find more information HERE. The book study will start the week of April 7th and run for 8 weeks. Please use THIS FORM to indicate an interest. When you fill out the form, Fred Bartman (school counselor) will reach out with details. Filling out the form simply says you are interested in getting more information.
BBS Dental Clinic
Bridging Brighter Smiles Dental Clinic will be back at IMMS on Tuesday, April 1st for their spring visits! It's not too late to enroll! See flier information for more details and how to enroll; as well as the MSD Health Service website for additional Dental Resources.
Seasonal Allergies
SPRING break and SPRING allergies have arrived! If your student suffers from seasonal allergies, Health Services can help. We are happy to keep over-the-counter allergy medicines such as Zyrtec, Claritin or Allegra for your student to take during the school day. If this is something you're interested in, please fill out our over-the-counter medication consent form and send it to your student's health office along with the medication. Medications must be sent in the original container-please no pills in baggies, tupperware or other unlabeled containers. Each health office does keep oral Benadryl in stock, for those with moderate/severe allergic reactions. It is not intended for our students with seasonal allergies and careful consideration should be taken when administering Benadryl at school, due to drowsiness side effects.
Pink Eye vs. Allergies
It can be difficult to determine whether red, itchy and watery eyes are a result of seasonal allergies or a bacterial/viral infection that may need further evaluation. See below for a quick review of symptoms, treatment and the District's guidelines on exclusion from school for pink eye.
Allergies: An immune system response to allergens. Symptoms include redness, inflammation, itching, watery eyes, often affecting both eyes at the same time. May be accompanied by other allergy symptoms (sneezing, runny nose, itchy skin). Treatment may include cool compress, oral antihistamines, or allergy eye drops.
Bacterial pink eye: Infection of the eye. Symptoms include yellow or green colored, sticky discharge from the affected eye. Eyes are often very itchy and the eyelids may become swollen. You may notice your child's eyelids are crusted shut, especially in the morning. Often starts in one eye & can spread to the other. Must be treated with antibiotic ointment or drops and will then typically clear within 5-7 days.
Viral pink eye: Infection of the eye. Discharge is normally watery but may be sticky and yellow in the morning. Eyelids can become very swollen. Symptoms typically follow a recent cold or illness. Antibiotic ointments or eye drops will not help with viral pink eye. Eye wash solutions such as Artificial Tears can help relieve symptoms. Contact your Provider if symptoms do not improve within 7-14 days.
MSD's Health Services Department follows the DHS Wisconsin Childhood Communicable Disease guidelines for exclusion practices from school. For the majority of Pink Eye cases, students do not have to be excluded from school. Circumstances that would result in your student being excluded from school include fever >100.4F or if the student is unable to refrain from touching their affected eye. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your school health office.
