#PointerNation News

#PointerNation Homecoming is set for the week of September 22-27 and this year's theme is "Adventure is Here!" A big congrats to our court members!

- Senior Queen Candidates: Kalea Biddick, Maddy Kabat, Macy Kinch

- Senior King Candidates: Drew Aschliman, Brett Bossert, Grady Finley

- Freshman Representatives: Chloe Kroll, Stella Terrill

- Sophomore Representatives: Austyn Kinch, Cyntanah Nafzger

- Junior Representatives: Payton Christopher, Kate James

- Senior Representatives: Annabelle Busch, Aly Jones

- Senior Boys: Garren Dochnahl, Brady Haas, Cole Ripp, Ryan Schael, Carson Schroeder, Hudson Schroeder, Thorin Vamstad, Keegan Wenger

- Blue Crew Emcees: Dane Hirsch, Mady Knutson, Jadyn Schultz

Congrats to our #PointerNation High School Class Officers! Kudos to these students for taking on a leadership role!

-- Senior Class President & Student Body President: Kalea Biddick

Senior Class Officer Team: Adam Cody, Grady Finley, Macy Kinch, Mady Knutson

-- Junior Class President: Ronica Thousand

Junior Class Officer Team: Emily Heisner, Sophie Miller, Johnny Robinson, Faye Schuette

-- Sophomore Class President: Boden Chambers

Sophomore Class Officer Team: Tenleigh Bockhop, Cambrey Carey, Austyn Kinch, Brynn Swenson

-- Freshman Class President: Eleanor Busch

Freshman Class Officer Team: Jayden Carey, Kallie Carey, Sydney Godfrey, Chloe Kroll

The cast and crew list for our high school's upcoming production of "Seussical" at the Mineral Point Opera House has been announced! Congrats to all!

Mark your calendars for November 21-23 and read more about the production and its stars at this link.

Save Fred! 5th graders were tasked with working together to save Fred the worm. Students had paperclips to move Fred from the top of the cup to inside the cup. They did awesome with teamwork and communication!

Indoors or out, Early Childhood recess is a hit!

In 1st Grade Social Studies, students received some exciting mail! They were "invited" to attend Explorer Academy where there are four levels to pass to earn their passports.

This week they started Level 1 where they found out that explorers are always curious and they observe when on an adventure.

They went to the school garden to practice those skills and took notes about their observations.

Stay tuned each week to see if they will pass each level!

Have a deck of cards at home? Then you can play place value war! Just remove the 10s, Jacks, Kings, Queens, and Jokers (or keep the joker in as a wild card) before you play. Lay your cards out in the order you draw them, going from the ones place to the thousands place. The highest number wins! No need to play to the thousands, any multi-digit number will do. Good luck… these 3rd Grade mathematicians are ready to win!

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round..all through the town!

Mrs. Jodi Renwick, Special Education Teacher, taught 3rd Graders about neurodiversity and read a book to help understand that all of our brains are different!

Students learned about brains that have a ton of thoughts, brains that hold a lot of worries, brains that make change challenging, and brains that make learning feel a little more difficult. Some students even shared how their brains work! Thank you, Mrs. Renwick, for teaching this important lesson.

On the fourth day of 4th Grade, students continued to get to know one another, share their special interests, and pair and share with classmates!

The fifth day of 5th Grade...five days down, many memories to go!

"Before you speak, think and be smart. It's hard to fix a wrinkled heart."

Kindergarten read the book "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes. Students discussed the importance of using kind words and how hurtful words can cause hearts to wrinkle.

Each student colored a heart -- while they read the story, each child wrinkled their paper heart just a little each time they heard something hurtful in the story.

When they were done, they tried to flatten out their wrinkled hearts, and the kids realized the wrinkles would not disappear because even though we say sorry, small wrinkles still stay with our hearts. Finally, they added a Band-Aid to their class heart to help make the heart feel better!

Pre-season individual state wrestling rankings came out this week and we have many Pointers ready to make their mark in 2025-26!

1st D3 - 113: Memphis Burkhalter

2nd Girls - 132: Dealya Collins

2nd D3 - 138: Liam Carey

3rd D3 - 165: Jacob Dannenberg

4th D3 - 190: Sawyer Dannenberg

8th D3 - 144: Sammy Springer

11th Girls - 185: Emily Heisner

12th D3 - 175: Emmett Collins

16th Girls - 126: Abbey Finley

Check out the full lists all season at this link.

Article and video from Monday's School Board meeting is now available at this link.

Wake Up Mineral Point is back! Last week, our Pointer Media students began their morning video announcements for the school year. Make sure to check them out at mppointers.com or https://www.youtube.com/@wakeupmineralpoint for school event info, sports scores, and more.

A sincere thank you to Renewed Brain Health for supplying snacks to all our staff -- what a great way to kick off the school year!

Let's hear it for the band! They put in hours of hard work to prepare halftime entertainment. If you missed their performance Friday night of "Chicago" classics, make sure to check them out at Homecoming September 26! Check out more photos at this link.

Our Dodge-Point Boys Soccer Team won a thriller here in MP on Ron Murphy Field last week, scoring the winning goal in the final minutes! Check out photos at this link.

"There are shortcuts to happiness and dance is one of them." Our Halftime Entertainment dance team put on a great performance Friday night at the football game to this year's theme, "Born to be Wild!" Check out photos at this link.

Get your parade entries ready to show off your Pointer Pride! This year’s Homecoming Parade will be Thursday, September 25 at 6:15 pm. Anyone may enter a unit in the parade by signing up at this link.

Entries should be in no later than Thursday, September 18 to allow enough time to distribute the parade line-up to all involved. The parade order will be made public on the parade day, as last-minute changes occur.

Floats may be pulled by car or truck, and the driver must have a valid WI driver’s license. No three or four-wheelers will be allowed in the parade, and we ask that you refrain from throwing candy as it creates a hazardous situation for youngsters. Class floats can have 6-8 students riding, and drivers of floats must have a valid regular driver's license (19 years old and older). Written permission from the vehicle owner must be registered with the High School Office a week before the parade. Driver's proof of insurance must be turned into the high school office a week before the parade, or your entry will not be allowed to participate.

Line-up will begin between 5:30 and 6:00 pm in front of the Mineral Point Care Center. Please look for the person in the bright fluorescent vest to help you. At 6:15 pm the parade will proceed down High Street.

The theme this year is “Adventure is Here!” and the Beloit Turner Trojans will be the opposing team. The Spirit Rally, and crowning of the King & Queen, will begin immediately following the parade at the football field. The Homecoming Football Game will be Friday, September 26 at 7:00 pm with the Dance Saturday, September 27.

If you have questions about the parade, please email Mr. Matt Nevers at matt.nevers@mp.k12.wi.us.

Say cheese, #PointerNation! A reminder it's Picture Day Thursday, September 18 during the school day! Families will be receiving an email from Empire Photography with more information. Please contact customerservice@empirephotos.com with any questions. Purchasing pictures is not required, but all students will have photos taken for ID purposes. Retakes are set for Tuesday, October 14.

Plan on supporting the Odd Fellows' pork sandwich fundraiser for the Mineral Point Excellence in Education Foundation and Pointer Pantry this Friday and Saturday September 26 & 27 from 10 am - 2 pm at Aspen Ridge Home & Garden! These groups directly support our staff and students.

It's soon Homecoming and Cornish Fest weekend! Come support our band students and enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast sponsored by the Odd Fellows Saturday, September 27 from 7:30-10 am at their lodge on Front Street.

It’s that time of year again–please consider nominating Mineral Point educators for the following Herb Kohl Awards. They are some of the most prestigious honors that can be earned in the state. #PointerNation has had at least one winner seven of the last nine years, which is incredible — it all starts with a nomination!

The deadline for nomination is Friday, October 3 for principal awards and Tuesday, November 11 for teacher awards. Read more at this link.

Plan ahead for the District Free Book Fair! Do you have gently used children's books that need a new reader? Are you looking for new books for your home? We are hosting a book exchange/free book fair October 29! Start digging through your libraries now and be prepared to donate beginning October 20.

Today's Throwback Thursday #TBT goes out to former #PointerNation Agriculture Teacher and Mineral Point FFA Chapter Advisor, Mary Larsen Hoffmann, who has recently been named the new Executive Director of the Minnesota FFA Association! Pictured is the 1995-96 MP FFA.

In a recent article about her promotion, she had high praise for her time as a Pointer: That first job at Mineral Point taught Hoffmann about the impact a school’s administrative support can have on the teaching staff. “I had a great experience there. I had really good backing and support from admin,” she says. “I was just 21 years old, so I was very young. The principal just gave me huge support that really helped me be successful there.”

Read more at this link.

#PointerNation events coming up this week -- join us! (Please note these schedules are always subject to change)

Monday, September 15
-- JV Football at Cuba City 5 pm. Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/cuba-city/organization/17560/cuba-city-high-school

Tuesday, September 16
-- Volleyball vs. Southwestern (JV & Freshmen 5:15 pm, Varsity to follow). Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@mptvpointers
-- Boys Soccer at Prairie du Chien/River Ridge/Seneca (Varsity 5 pm, JV to follow). Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/prairie-du-chien/organization/7502/prairie-du-chien-high-school
-- MS Volleyball at Dodgeville 4 pm

Wednesday, September 17
-- Early Release 2 pm (Every Wednesday)

Thursday, September 18
-- School Picture Day (retakes October 14)
-- FFA Judging Contest at River Ridge
-- Volleyball vs. Darlington (JV 5:45 pm, Varsity to follow). Radio: 93.7 fm. Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@mptvpointers
-- Boys Soccer at River Valley (Varsity 5 pm, JV to follow). Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/spring-green/organization/618/river-valley-high-school
-- Cross Country at Boscobel 8 pm
-- MS Volleyball vs. Lancaster 4 pm
-- MS Football at Iowa-Grant 5 pm
-- MS Cross Country at Boscobel 7:30 pm

Friday, September 19
-- Varsity Football at Belleville 7 pm. Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/belleville/organization/27925/belleville-high-school

Saturday, September 20
-- Boys Soccer vs. Mount Horeb (JV 10 am, Varsity to follow). Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/dodgeville/organization/20161/dodgeville-high-school

Please be aware of other companies claiming to livestream our games, especially if there are links different than posted above and ask for credit card and personal information -- these are scams. We will update this pinned post as available livestream information is relayed to us.

"Grounded by our history as one of the oldest publicly supported schools in Wisconsin, Mineral Point Unified School District is the heart of a small community that educates and inspires our students for a bright future in a big world."

Email: joelle.doye@mp.k12.wi.us
Website: mineralpointschools.org
Location: 705 Ross Street, Mineral Point, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 987-0740
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MineralPointSchoolDistrict