Parent Newsletter

From the Principal's Desk ....

They say February is the shortest month, but it certainly packed a punch this year! Mother Nature has kept us on our toes with a whirlwind of "highs and lows"—from those gorgeous, bright, and shiny days that felt like a teaser for spring to the classic Wisconsin snow days.

But no matter what the thermometer says outside, it’s been nothing but sunshine inside the halls of McDill. Here is a look at some February highlights:

Global Day of Play: We took some time to celebrate the "kid" in all of us! This day is about more than just fun; it encourages our students to develop vital skills in creativity, social collaboration, and grit. Seeing their imaginations at work was a true highlight.

March Madness (Behavior Edition): We’ve officially tipped off our March Madness competition! This aims at celebrating our students' awesome behavior and positive attitudes. We are looking for those "slam dunk" moments of kindness and school spirit.

The Snack Drive Success: A massive thank you to our generous community. Together, we raised nearly 10,000 snack servings! These donations ensure that every student has the fuel they need to focus and learn throughout the day.

We have a lot to look forward to as we head toward spring! On our schedules we have PTO Skating Night, PTO Movie Night and Spring Break!

Lastly - We have our Forward Testing Window quickly approaching.

A Quick Tip for Testing: As we look toward the Forward Exam, the best way to support your student is by ensuring they get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. We want them to feel confident and ready to do their best!

Thank you for being such an integral part of the McDill family. Your support is what makes this school such a bright place to learn, regardless of the weather outside.

Best regards,

Cole Irish, Principal

Clip art with the words Mark your calendar

Tues, Feb. 24th - Day 3 in the Rotation
Thurs, Feb. 26th - PTO Movie Night from 6-8 pm
Fri, Feb. 27th - E-Learning Day (No in-person learning)
Mon, Mar. 2nd - No School (K-6th Grade) / Only 4K Attends
Thur, Mar. 5th - Student Council Meeting (4-5 pm)
Fri, Mar. 6th - School Store (Before School)
Tues-Thur, Mar. 10-12th - Seal-a-Smile Dental Clinic at McDill
Fri, Mar. 13th - PTO Family Skate Night at Willett Arena

Monday-Friday, March 16-20th - NO SCHOOL for SPRING BREAK

Fri, April 3rd - NO SCHOOL
Fri, April 17th - KN Visitation Day (NO SCHOOL for CURRENT KN Students)
Thurs, April 23rd - No School (KN-6th Grade) / Only 4K Attends
Fri, April 24th - E-Learning Day (No in-person learning)
Wed, May 6th - SPRING CONCERT (KN-2nd Grade) - 2:30 pm
Thurs, May 14th - No School (KN-6th Grade) / Only 4K Attends
Fri, May 15th - E-Learning Day (No in-person learning)
Wed, May 20th - District 5/6 Track Meet
Thurs, May 21st - District 5/6 Track Meet

Below are the dates each grade level will be completing the Wisconsin Forward Exam assessments. Please make every effort to ensure that your child is in school and on time to take each of these tests. If absent on any given date, the student will be required to take the test(s) at an alternative time before the end of the testing window.

3rd Grade Forward Testing Dates:
Thursday, April 9th - 9:00 am
Tuesday, April 14th - 9:00 am

Wednesday, April 15th - 9:00 am

Thursday, April 16th - 9:00 am

Friday, April 17th - 9:00 am

4th Grade NAEP Testing Date - March 12th

4th Grade Forward Testing Dates:
Thursday, March 26th - 9:45 am & 12:15 pm

Tuesday, March 31st - 9:45 am & 12:15 pm

Thursday, April 9th - 9:45 am & 12:15 pm

Monday, April 13th - 9:45 am

Tuesday, April 14th - 9:45 am & 12:15 pm

Wednesday, April 15th - 9:45 am

5th Grade Forward Testing Dates:
Wednesday, April 1st - 9:00 am & 10:30 am

Thursday, April 2nd - 10:30 am

Wednesday, April 8th - 10:30 am & 1:15 pm

6th Grade Forward Testing Dates:

Thursday, April 2nd - 10:30 am & 1:15 pm

Tuesday, April 7th - 10:30 am & 1:15 pm

Wednesday, April 8th - 10:30 am

Thursday, April 16th - 10:30 am

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Forward Exam 2025-26 Information for Families
Spanish Translation
Hmong Translation

MARCH 2026

BREAKFAST MENU / LUNCH MENU

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

LUNCH & RECESS TIMES for 2025-26

2025-26 FREE / REDUCED MEAL APPLICATIONS

Application - English

Aplicación - Español

Daim ntawv thov pob ntawv - Hmoob

Family Ice Skate Night Flyer for Friday, March 13th from 6-8 pm at K.B. WIllett Ice Arena. Pictured is a drawing of 3 people skating.

Kelsi McKnight

On Wednesday, February 11th, sixth grader, Kelsi McKnight, was recognized as the Noon Optimist Award recipient for this school year. She was joined by her teacher, Miss Worzella, Principal Irish and her family at a luncheon at the Legacy Family Restaurant. Kelsi was recognized by her teacher as a student who embodies the spirit of positivity, resilience, and impact, and as someone who not only excels in what she does, but who also lifts up others simply by being who she is.

Kelsi is deeply involved both in and outside of school, always willing to step forward, contribute,

and make a difference. At school Kelsi is a part of safety cadets, where she has had the role

and responsibility of cadet captain. She also plays the flute in our school band. Outside of

school Kelsi is involved in swimming and hockey. She understands that being part of a team or

community means showing up, and she does so with enthusiasm and dedication. Whether she

is working alongside her teammates, peers or supporting our staff, she is consistently helpful, dependable, and kind.

What sets her apart is not just what she does, but how she does it. She treats everyone she

encounters with respect and compassion. She leads with kindness, works hard even when

challenges arise, and approaches every situation with a positive outlook. No matter what is

thrown her way, she meets it with optimism, determination, and grace. Her passion and work ethic are evident in everything she takes on She inspires those around her to do better, be better, and believe that challenges can be opportunities. She reminds us all that a positive attitude can be just as powerful as talent or achievement.

This award is a reflection of the impact she has made and the example she sets for our school

community. She is more than deserving of this recognition, and I am grateful I get to witness the

positivity, kindness, and dedication she brings to all that she does. Kelsi has done an amazing job representing what it means to be a leader in her time at McDill.

Way to go, Kelsi!

Image with a black background, white print and basketballs on the bottom explaining how the McDill March Madness behavior incentive program works.

Ask your child how their "TEAM" is doing and encourage those POSITIVE BEHAVIORS!

🏀GOOD LUCK TO ALL🏀

Picture in the McDill Library of two large tables completely filled on top and below with boxes and bags of snacks. Almost 10,000 servings of snacks were donated by McDill families.

Thank you to all our families for supporting this STUCO snack drive. These snacks were distributed to all classrooms so that McDill students in any grade level in need of a snack will have what they need to help them through the day.

On Wednesday, February 4th, the students at McDill participated in the Global School Play Day. On this day, students were allowed ample time for free play without the use of screens, structured games, or adult direction. The idea behind this day is to let children explore their creativity, problem-solving skills, and social interactions in an unstructured and spontaneous environment.
Students pictured below were partaking in games during music with Mrs. Gierhart.

Picture of 5 sixth grade students playing a game on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day

6th - Ms. Ciurro

.

Picture of 2 sixth grade students playing on electric keyboards in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

6th - Ms. Ciurro

Picture of 2 sixth grade students playing a game on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day

6th - Ms. Ciurro

Picture of a few 4th grade students playing on electric keyboards in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

4th - Mr. Chandonais

Picture of some fourth grade students playing a game on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day

4th - Mr. Chandonais

Picture of a couple 3rd grade students playing a game on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

3rd - Mrs. Silva

Picture of two 3rd grade students playing on an electric keyboard in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

3rd - Mrs. Silva

Picture of a couple 1st grade students playing a game on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

1st - Mrs. Schanck

Picture of a 1st grade boy building a tower on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

1st - Mrs. Schanck

Picture of three Kindergarten students playing together on the floor in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

KN - Mrs. Fischer

Picture of a few Kindergarten students playing together on the floor covered with cones, hoops and colored dots in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

KN - Mrs. Fischer

Picture of a Kindergarten student playing with colored hoops in the Music Room on Global School Play Day.

KN - Mrs. Fischer

Noble Community Clinics is offering a preventive dental sealant/fluoride varnish program at McDill for all children at NO CHARGE to you or the school. A dental professional comes directly to the school to provide many free services for your child.

The next Dental Clinic at McDill will take place on Tuesday - Thursday, March 10-12th.

To learn more about the program and/or to sign up your child, visit

https://sealasmile.wisconsin.gov/Consent/Home/About

DON'T MISS OUT ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR CHILD OR ENTIRE FAMILY

If you are not receiving Peachjar flyers via email, sign up at https://accounts.peachjar.com/signup to do so. These flyers have registration information and so much more regarding events happening in our community!

We understand that there are times when absences are unavoidable due to illness or family emergencies. However, we encourage you to prioritize your child's attendance and work with us to minimize any disruptions to their education. In an effort to ensure consistency across all elementary sites in the Stevens Point Area Public School District, please be aware of the following expectations regarding how attendance is documented for all K-6 students:

Any absence that extends beyond thirty minutes at the beginning or at the end of the day will be counted as a half day absence. Any time less than thirty minutes will be documented as a tardy. If your child is absent for 3.25 hours or more, it will be counted as a full day absence.
If your child is absent for more than five days, you will be notified with an auto-generated letter from their school.
A similar letter will follow if absences exceed ten days. At this point, you will be asked to provide documentation of medical and/or mental health appointments, and a school attendance problem-solving meeting will be scheduled.

If your child is experiencing challenges that affect their attendance, please reach out to our school staff. We are here to support you and provide resources to help ensure your child can attend school regularly. The school will continue to work closely with our families to ensure good communication regarding necessary absences and the best outcome for student success.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION - See How You Can Help McDill!

Remember that our PTO, and thus our school and students, still benefit from the Box Top Program. We hope that you continue to use the Box Top App, if you are already, or that you take a moment to learn how easy it is to support McDill in this manner.

Yog xav tau kev pab txhais cov lus nyob hauv peb qhov webpage no, thov tham nrog Shong Her. Sau tau email rau: shher@pointschools.net los sis hu rau 715-340-0656.

Si necesita ayuda traduciendo información de esta página por favor contacte a Nancy Leggett al correo nlettett@pointschools.net o llame al 715-498-1976

如果您有任何问题，需要中文翻译的服务，请通过以下方式与Yvonne Chen联系：ychen@pointschools.net

Contact Us

COLE IRISH, PRINCIPAL

cirish@pointschools.net

Kris Huebner, Secretary

khuebner@pointschools.net
Website: https://mcdill.pointschools.net/
Location: 2516 School Street, Stevens Point, WI, USA
Phone: 715-345-5420
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcdilltimberwolves/
Twitter: @pointschools

From the Principal's Desk ....

IMPORTANT DATES TO NOTE IMPORTANT DATES TO NOTE

WISCONSIN STATE FORWARD EXAM SCHEDULE for McDILL WISCONSIN STATE FORWARD EXAM SCHEDULE for McDILL

MARCH MENUS / McDILL LUNCH & RECESS TIMES MARCH MENUS / McDILL LUNCH & RECESS TIMES

NOON OPTIMIST AWARD RECIPIENT NOON OPTIMIST AWARD RECIPIENT

Kelsi McKnight

McDILL MARCH MADNESS Positive Behavior Incentive McDILL MARCH MADNESS Positive Behavior Incentive

STUDENT COUNCIL SNACK DRIVE was a HUGE SUCCESS! STUDENT COUNCIL SNACK DRIVE was a HUGE SUCCESS!

GLOBAL SCHOOL PLAY DAY (GSPD) GLOBAL SCHOOL PLAY DAY (GSPD)

6th - Ms. Ciurro

6th - Ms. Ciurro

6th - Ms. Ciurro

4th - Mr. Chandonais

4th - Mr. Chandonais

4th - Mr. Chandonais

3rd - Mrs. Silva

3rd - Mrs. Silva

3rd - Mrs. Silva

1st - Mrs. Schanck

1st - Mrs. Schanck

1st - Mrs. Schanck

KN - Mrs. Fischer

KN - Mrs. Fischer

KN - Mrs. Fischer

SCHOOL-BASED DENTAL INFORMATION SCHOOL-BASED DENTAL INFORMATION

PEACHJAR FLYERS PEACHJAR FLYERS

DON'T MISS OUT ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR CHILD OR ENTIRE FAMILY

GOOD ATTENDANCE HELPS KIDS SUCCEED IN SCHOOL GOOD ATTENDANCE HELPS KIDS SUCCEED IN SCHOOL

APPLY NOW FOR A POSITION WITH THE STEVENS POINT AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT APPLY NOW FOR A POSITION WITH THE STEVENS POINT AREA PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Contact Us