Mill Valley Weekly

As we approach next week’s short schedule, we wanted to pause and express just how full our hearts are here at Mill Valley. It truly takes a village, and we are endlessly grateful for ours. Thank you to our amazing parents and guardians for your constant partnership; our compassionate teachers for their dedication; and our warmhearted support staff who keep our students safe. We also want to recognize our custodial team for keeping our school impeccable, our kitchen staff for their kindness during lunch, and our bus drivers for getting everyone to and from school safely.

We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with love and rest.

In Partnership,

Allyce Harris

MV Principal

Mrs. Kutz's 3rd Grade Class

Our read aloud in Library Class this week is Humble Pie. This is the brand new book written by beloved author, Jory John.

Children’s worry about school is multi-faceted; but often it relates to their school friendships. Friendships are a vital part of elementary school life, but they often come with bumps in the road. It is completely normal for children to experience disagreements, hurt feelings, and shifts in their friendship groups. As parents, our goal isn't to solve every problem, but to equip our children with the emotional skills to navigate these situations constructively. When your child comes to you with a friendship issue, the most important first step is to listen actively and validate their feelings. Use phrases like, "That sounds really upsetting," or "I can see why you feel hurt." Once they feel heard, you can help them brainstorm solutions.

Encourage them to use "I" statements, such as "I felt sad when you left me out," which focuses on their feelings rather than blaming the other person. At school we use something called “A Bug and A Wish”. We ask the students to use the sentence starter “It bugs me when…” and end the sentence with “I wish you would…”. The idea is borrowed from a lovely children’s story A Bug and a Wish, by Karen Scheuer.

Modeling proactive and positive conflict resolution is an important way to teach this skill! If your child is struggling with navigating friendships at school, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Join the Muskego Elementary Ski Club and enjoy discounted winter fun with family and friends! We have seven dates for discounts this winter season and four of those are on no school days.

Sign up today by filling out the ski club form, linked HERE for your elementary student!

Join us for a Virtual Meeting!
When: Monday at 7:00 PM
Topic: Muskego Elementary Ski Club

Learn more about the ski club, its programs, and the discounts available for students.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get all the details!

Link Here

Winter Recess Reminders & School Closing Protocol

This is a friendly reminder to make sure your child is coming to school with all the appropriate gear to stay warm at recess. Students will go outside for fresh air 2 times a day unless the windchill is below zero.

In addition, please familiarize yourself with the district’s protocol for closing school due to inclement weather HERE.

Both coat and snow pants need to be worn to play in the snow
Always wear hat and gloves
Boots should be worn to play in the snow AND on the blacktop
Keep an extra pair of socks in your locker

Get to know your Mill Valley Family a little better.

CLICK HERE to discover their favorite things!

We often see an increase in head lice in the winter months.

Here are a few reminders:

Head lice are a nuisance, head lice are not dangerous, do not present a health hazard, and do not transmit disease.
Head lice are NOT a sign of poor hygiene.
The most common way to get head lice is by head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice. Although not as common, head lice may spread by:

Wearing clothing, such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons worn by a person who already has head lice
Using infested combs, brushes, or towels
Lying on a bed, couch, pillow, carpet, or stuffed animal that has recently been in contact with a person who already has head lice

Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly.
Adult lice can live on a person's head for about 30 days. However, they will die within two days if they fall off a person and cannot feed.

A few things parents can do:

Regularly check your student's hair for lice to detect and treat any occurance early and prevent spread.
Provide appropriate outerwear each day to prevent sharing (hats, scarves, gloves); and extra items that can stay in your student's locker may also be prudent.

What we will do:

Board Policy and AG 8451 attend to head lice, and states, in part:

MNSD reserves the right to inspect other known household contacts such as siblings attending the same school in an effort to stem outbreaks in other classes.
Seldom is inspecting an entire classroom or student body necessary or effective. Classroom lice checks will only be considered by the District Nurse, in coordination with the building Principal and Health Office Staff, if there are five (5) or more cases of live lice in an individual classroom.
An informational letter about head lice prevention, diagnosis, and treatment will go home to the parents/guardians of all students in a classroom if there are five (5) or more cases of live lice in that individual classroom.

Please see MNS Head Lice Information and Board Policy and AG 8451 for more information.

Sing! Dance! Act! This fun-filled after school theater class takes place at Mill Valley on Wednesdays, 3:50-4:50 pm, December 17 - March 11 (10 weeks, no class 12/24, 12/31, 2/25). Students will play theater games, build stage skills, learn music and choreography from a musical and act out a short script…all while developing imagination, social skills and confidence. Each session is filled with different material so new and returning students are welcome. Parents are invited to a special performance on the last day of class!

Visit our website for more info or to register.

MV - Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures

Mill Valley Calendar ~ CLICK HERE

Volunteer Application

Click HERE for the online application

Bus Tracker App

Downloading the StopFinder App on your phone. Please see the promotional flyer for details on the app, as well as a video tutorial for your reference.