Happy October! As we settle into the school year, we're excited to share some important updates and upcoming events. Fall is in full swing, and with it comes a variety of activities and opportunities for students and families to get involved and show their school spirit.

We have several exciting events planned for this month, including Trunk or Treat, pumpkin decorating contests, Red Ribbon Week, and parent-teacher conferences. Be sure to check the calendar for details and join us in celebrating this beautiful season!

It’s time to gear up with Mill Creek spirit wear! Our school spirit wear shop is now open for orders. Don't miss out on the chance to grab some new gear for your child and the whole family. See the ordering information below.

We also have some important school announcements to share, including information on school policies, reminders about upcoming events, and information about student safety protocols.

Thank you for your continued support of Mill Creek Intermediate School. We look forward to seeing you at our fall events and encourage you to stay connected with us for all the latest news.

Sincerely -

Beth McCoy, Principal

emccoy@k12.wv.us

Erin Butler, Assistant Principal

ebutler@k12.wv.us

We have had several incidents at Mill Creek where students have seen general threats online and have not reported it to adults. It is very concerning that our students are seeing these posts on social media and not telling adults. Students reported that they didn't tell for a couple of common reasons. These reasons included: 'I didn't think it was real, so I didn't tell anyone.' 'I didn't want to get someone in trouble.' 'I thought someone else would tell.' 'I told my parents, but my parents didn't think we needed to tell the school.' While none of these threats directly involved Mill Creek, and at no point were any of our students in a dangerous situation, it is still concerning that some families are still not reporting these posts to the school or authorities.

West Virginia has a free and anonymous reporting system. You can download the See Something Send Something app in both Apple and Google app store. All of our student ipads have this app already installed on it. If you do not want to call the school or authorities, this is a good way to anonymously report.

Please speak to your children and monitor what they are doing and seeing on social media. If your family has chosen to allow your child to be on social media, it is recommended by many professionals that their devices stay in a common area of the home. This structure will help you monitor what your child is doing and seeing. Safety of our children is always our number 1 priority.

If you are in need of parenting support during these difficult times, please check out the resources from the Cook Center posted below.

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.

MCI Fair Date: Thursday, December 5, 2024

A social studies fair project must include a physical display, oral presentation, and written abstract. The following categories are included: anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, state and local studies, US History, World History, and America 250.

*Registration Forms due to Ms. Jones by October 10th.

Mill Creek Intermediate School is hosting a Career Day on November 4th. We are currently looking for volunteers who would be willing to come and talk to students about their job. This will be a rotation-style presentation, presenting to four different groups of students for 30 minutes at a time. Career Day will be held from 8:30 am until 11:00 am. Please fill out the information below! To volunteer for Career Day, you must be a Level 1 volunteer. If you have questions about the volunteer process, please reach out to the school for assistance. Thank you so much for supporting our SOARing Scholars!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week Oct. 21-25. We will have trivia and guest speakers at school as well as educational lessons. We invite you to dress up and have some fun!

• Monday - Proud to be Drug Free - Wear Red

• Tuesday - Say BOO to Drugs - Wear a school-appropriate costume (NO masks, face make-up, weapons, scary or gruesome costumes, or any costume that students cannot get around in easily)

• Wednesday - Put a cap on drugs! Wear a hat.

• Thursday - Team up against Drugs - Wear favorite sports team

• Friday - Don't sleep on healthy choices - Wear Pajamas

Be looking for this post on Class Dojo regarding donations for the Humane Society!

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

All students have access to eat breakfast and lunch. Caregivers will receive a bill in the mail for these meals. This year, all students who would like to purchase an extra milk must have a quarter with them. Milk cannot be charged.

Free and reduced lunch forms were sent home. You can access a digital form here: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/page/meal-benefits-application

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. 5, 2024

• Jan. 30, 2025

• Mar. 27, 2025

Oct. 10 - Parent/Teacher Conferences for Intermediate Schools (5-7pm)

Oct. 14 - No School for students

Oct. 15- 2 hr delay for students

Oct. 15 - SOAR Reward for students

Oct. 17 - Nine Weeks Ends

Oct. 18 - Pumpkins for decorating contest due

Oct. 21-25 - Red Ribbon Week

Oct. 22 - Trunk or Treat

Oct. 23 - 2 hr. Delay for students

Oct. 24 - Report cards issued

Oct. 30 - Picture Make-up Day (For students who were absent on Sept. 20)

Nov. 4 - Career Day

Nov. 5 - No School - Election Day

Nov. 6 - 5th grade Field Trip

Nov. 8 - Veteran's Day Breakfast - More info to come