Mill Valley Weekly

What a wonderful day we had yesterday at Student Summit! We absolutely loved seeing your smiling faces and are excited to kick off the 2025-2026 school year!

At Mill Valley, we often talk about being more than a school—we are a family. Each staff member plays a unique role in creating a safe, caring, and joyful place for your children to learn and grow. To celebrate the start of our year together, we had a little fun with the idea of the sitcom Full House. That warm, welcoming spirit is exactly what we want every student and family to feel when they walk through our doors.

We are so excited for the first day when our “full house” is complete with the laughter, curiosity, and energy of our students. Thank you for being such an important part of our Mill Valley family—we are ready for a wonderful year together!

In Partnership,

Allyce Harris

Mill Valley Principal

We appreciate all of you taking the time to re-familiarizing yourselves with our morning and afternoon processes. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as everyone is learning our routines.

Please remember, the first few days of school, dismissal may take a little longer than normal through the parent pick up line and buses might run a little late, as they learn their drop off routes.

Together, we will make it a GREAT year!

Students can be dropped off at 8:55 am. Students are allowed to enter the building at 9:00 am.

Students in Grade 1 and Grade 4 will enter Door 12 near the playground blacktop.

Students in Kindergarten, Grade 2, and Grade 3 will enter Door 13 near the front lot.

There are two options for Parent Drop-Off in the morning.:

Option 1: Follow the flow of traffic into the parking lot to the playground blacktop. Cars will pull forward to the sidewalk and students exit the vehicle independently. Students then proceed to their assigned grade level door. Traffic pattern shown on the map with green arrow.

Option 2: Park in the main lot and walk with your student to their assigned grade level door. Parking lot shown on the map in blue.

Click the picture below for an enlarged map.

The LOT OPENS at 3:45pm.

All parents must enter the parking lot southbound on Hillendale Drive by turning RIGHT into the parking lot. ONLY buses will be allowed to turn LEFT into the parking lot (northbound on Hillendale Drive). Students are dismissed at 3:45 pm. If you are utilizing Parent Pick-Up, please follow the traffic pattern below. Be sure to have your Pink Family Name Sign visible to the staff member on duty wearing a pink safety vest.

Click the picture below for an enlarged map.

PLEASE NOTE: Parking and waiting along the side of Hillendale is not allowed. We highly recommend arriving AFTER 3:45pm, once the lot is open. Parking in a designated spot in the front lot is also an option. However, cars cannot leave their spot prior to 3:45 when the bell rings.

1. Call the attendance line at 262-971-1830, press 2
2. Submit an Absence Request through your Campus Parent App or on your computer through Infinite Campus

Please note: If you have a last minute change or early pick up, PLEASE do not use the Parent Portal Absence Request, rather call Kim or Kimberly in the office. We will inform the teacher of the change.

If you need to make a change in your student's regular dismissal plan, please fill out the yellow Note from Home and send it to school with your child. If the change is last minute or same day, please call the office, 262-971-1830, so we can get the message to your child's teacher.

If your child goes to Champions after school and you are switching to bus or parent pick-up, you must also contact Champions directly to make them aware of the change.

Once a month, you will receive an email from Infinite Campus detailing your student’s attendance history. All families will be receiving this email even if their child has not been absent from school. This email is meant to be a communication between school and home. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Jaime Goelz, School Social Worker at jaime.goelz@muskegonorway.org.

Good attendance habits in the early grades are strong predictors for future success in high school and beyond.

Hello!

I have educational experience that has primarily focused on working with at risk students. I began my career as a high school teacher in Colorado and created an interdisciplinary school within a school for at-risk students.

After finishing my Master’s at CU-Boulder, I went on to get my PHD with a specialization in Urban Education. My primary interests were working with students living in poverty and the effects of trauma in educational settings. I have also worked as an assistant professor for ten years and then worked in the nonprofit world where I began my trauma-informed, social-emotional learning program Reset-MindBody. I also worked in MPS as a teacher, program director, coach and mentor.

I left MPS to join Muskego last winter as a learning strategist at BLE and will be joining this year as a Behavior Coach. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to bring my experience in SEL, PBIS, and work with students who need extra support to the staff and students. I cannot wait to meet all of you!

Pay your student's school fees online through your Parent Portal with credit card at anytime.

Birthdays can be very special and exciting days. It is a time to celebrate “us” with friends and family. As a school, we want to continue recognizing our students’ special day while also being sensitive to medical needs and financial hardships. As a friendly reminder, MNSD does not allow edible treats for birthdays. Students, teachers, and parents will collaborate to choose an appropriate non-food celebration option for each child. Student's birthdays will be recognized during the morning announcements.

• All snacks in instructional settings must be free of peanuts and tree nuts.

• Specific areas in instructional settings may be designated for use by any student with an identified food allergy and will be kept free from any such identified food allergen.

• Snacks may never be shared

• More information can be found on the MNS Health website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/about/districtnurse.cfm

Fidgets, trading cards (i.e. Pokemon, etc.), stuffed animals and personal toys etc, should stay at home. Thank you for supporting this expectation! Labeled playground balls for use at recess are allowed, however, bats and baseballs/softballs are not allowed

At morning drop off, we kindly ask that students do not play on the playground equipment before school. You are welcome to park and stand with your student at their designated door until the bell rings.

In addition, to help expedite morning drop off, please ensure your child is ready to exit the vehicle once it has stopped. It is important for us to keep our parent drop off lines moving.

Student drop-off begins at 8:55am at door 12 . The doors will open at 9:00am when the bell rings.

As much as we would love to meet your cute furry family members, we respectfully request that you refrain from bringing pets onto school property.

Please join us for the first PTO meeting on Tuesday, September 9th at 5:30 pm in the Mill Valley Library.

SPECIAL GUESTS...1st Grade teachers!

We will discuss this year’s fundraiser - Color Run!!

To view current support staff job vacancies, click HERE

Email: allyce.harris@muskegonorway.org
Website: muskegonorway.org
Location: W191 S6445 Hillendale Dr, Muskego Wi, 53150
Phone: 262-971-1830
Facebook: facebook.com/millvalleyelementary