IMMS Family Flier

Hi Families-

What a Great First Week! 🎉

We’ve wrapped up our first week of school, and it’s been a great one! Our hallways and classrooms have been full of energy as students settle into routines, connect with teachers and friends, and jump into learning. We’re off to a fantastic start and are excited for all that’s ahead!

We have our Fall FastBridge Assessments this week. Be sure that students bring wired headphones and a charged Chromebook.

In Service,

Jamie Thomas, Principal

Brett Jondle, Associate Principal

😀 FastBridge Assessment this week: Charge Chromebooks and bring wired headphones

😀 Students cannot have caffeinated beverages at IMMS

😃 Walk scooters and bikes on school grounds

😃 See course change info below

😃 Support IMMS with Coffee (see below)

Daily Schedule

Daily Announcements (coming soon)

Day A/Day B Schedule

Student Services Support Contacts

McFarland School District Website

McFarland School District App

McFarland Youth Center Website

McFarland RADAR (Relevant Alcohol & Drug Awareness Resources) Coalition Newsletter

Oct. 12: Boys Basketball Registration 6:30

Oct.12-13: Timber-lee - 6th Grade

Oct. 14: 6th Grade No School

Oct. 26: Boys Basketball - First Day of Practice

Oct. 28: Family Teacher Conferences 3:30-7

Oct. 29: No School - PD Day

Oct. 29: Conferences 2:30-6:30

Oct. 30: No School

Looking ahead:

Nov. 4: 7th/8th Band Solo Festival 4:15-8:00 @ IMMS

Nov. 5: 6th Grade Band/Choir/Orchestra Concert 7:00

Nov. 18: Choir/Orchestra Solo/Ensemble 4:15-8:00 @ IMMS

Nov. 25-27: No school - Fall Break

Dec. 3: 7th-8th Orchestra Concert 7:00 @ PAC

Dec. 16: Choir Concert IMMS/MHS 7:00

Jan. 13: 7th/8th Band Concert 7:00

It was discovered that information about steps to take to drop band, choir, or orchestra was inadvertently omitted from our 2026-27 IMMS Family Handbook. Please review the information shown below and reach out to your school counselors or band/orchestra/choir teachers with questions!

Students and parents/guardians are asked to make their course selections carefully. Course Correction Request forms for Performing Music Ensembles (Orchestra, Band, Choir) can be obtained from the music teacher of the class(es) in which the change is being requested. Course Correction Request forms for other Elective/SET classes can be obtained from the Student Services Office.

• Course changes are made at the request of the student and parent/guardian.

• Requests related to a change in placement in one of our Performing Music Ensembles can only be made during the first 2 weeks of each semester and will include a consultation with the Ensemble Teacher(s) (Band, Orchestra, Choir).

• Requests related to a change in placement for other Elective/SET classes can only be made in the two weeks before and the two weeks following the start date of a new academic quarter. Any course correction requests made in the last two weeks of the first, second, or third quarters would become effective at the start of the next quarter.

Requests for course changes made outside these time frames require the recommendation of the Pupil Services Team (School Counselor, Special Education Department, Student Intervention Teacher) and the Principal or Associate Principal.

A quick reminder that all visitors to our buildings must have a state issued photo ID card or a valid driver's license with them the first time they register on the campus' Visitor Aware system. If a visitor does not have either form of identification, they will not be allowed into the building. Please keep this in mind as you visit any campus of the McFarland School District.

⛺Camp Timberlee

Our 6th grade students will have an outdoor education experience at Camp Timber-lee on October 12 and 13 . We will be spending one night at Camp Timber-lee! We will leave school on the morning of Monday, October 12th, and return to school in the evening on Tuesday, October 13th.

As we begin the school year, we are committed to creating a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment for all students. To support this, our staff will focus on five key behavior expectations schoolwide throughout the year! We encourage families to review these with their student and help reinforce them at home:

• Be on Time – Arrive to school and class promptly and be ready to learn when class begins.

• Off and Away – Keep cell phones and headphones off and put away from 8:15 AM to 3:30 PM.

• Pass and a Purpose – Students must have a hallway pass and clear permission from a staff member when leaving class. Students should also remember to be in the assigned, approved area of school with the matching pass issued to them.

• Respect the Bubble – Students, whether playful in the moment or not, should keep their hands, feet, and objects to themselves throughout the day at school.

• One Voice– Students will continue to be taught the skill of listening while others are speaking, wait for their time to share their thoughts, rather than speaking over others.

These skills (among others) will be taught, reinforced, and re-taught throughout the school year as universal expectations for students to follow. The goal is to create a safe, fun, and productive learning environment each and everyday! We appreciate your partnership in helping students build strong habits that support success at school!

Parents will often ask for ways to support the staff here at IMMS. If you are someone wishing to do just that, we have a great idea for you. Please consider providing caffeinated ground coffee or K-cups for our staff. You can either pick some up and drop it off at the main office at school or purchase it off of our registry on Amazon. Here is a link to our Staff Coffee Donations List on Amazon.

Thank you in advance.

Happy Caffeinated IMMS Staff = Happy Students

🛴🔒Lockers: If you have questions about locks/lockers please ask a teacher or stop by the office to see Mrs. Mackey for assistance.

🥤School Approved Drinks during the school day: To help maintain a clean and focused learning environment, please review our beverage guidelines below. These expectations apply to all students from the moment they enter the building through dismissal at 3:30pm.

• Enjoy Approved Drinks: Students are welcome to enjoy allowed beverages in secure, sealable containers throughout the school day. Water, Gatorade, and other juices/flavored water. Must be brought in a closed, sealable container (e.g., Owala-style water bottles, squeeze bottles, or bottles with a fully closable top)

• Prohibited Drinks Before School: Any prohibited beverages must be finished before entering the building. This rule applies to all students inside the school building during the school day up through 3:30pm dismissal.
• All caffeinated beverages
• No Bubblr drinks (69mg of caffeine)
• All soda (caffeinated or caffeine-free)
• Store-bought or coffee shop drinks in open/disposable cups (e.g., Starbucks, Kwik Trip, etc.)

• Safe Storage & Disposal: If a prohibited drink is brought inside, students will be asked to store it safely in the main office until 3:30pm dismissal or dispose of it.

🚌Buses: Please reach out to Nelson's Bus with questions/concerns regarding bus routes at: 608-205-9040 or email: McFarland@NelsonsBusService.com.

🛴Scooters and Bikes: Students must walk all scooters and bikes on school grounds. Scooter Safety Reminders for Community: Please watch this short video!

📱Phone and Air Pod/ Headphone, and Smart Watch procedures:

The IMMS school culture prioritizes face to face communication. Our school culture does not include student cell phone nor AirPods/headphone (or other personal devices) use. Please help foreshadow this to your scholar before the start of the school year. Here are some quick reminders:

• Cell phones/AirPods/Headphones: "Off and Away" at 8:15 am (first bell).
• Students are not allowed to wear headphones over their ears, around their neck, over their head, etc. between 8:15am-3:30pm.
• If you need to reach your child, please call the main office rather than texting your child.
• If a student's cell phone or AirPods/Headphones are visible in hallways/bathrooms, in class, at recess, or at lunch, students will be asked to bring their device to the main office, where the device will be locked safely in the main office for the student to pick up at the end of the day.

• If cell phones or AirPods/Headphones are visible or are being used in class, the staff member will ask the student to hand the device over, and office staff/administration will collect the device from classroom. The device will be locked safely in the main office for your child to pick up at the end of the day.
• If students are observed using their smartwatch to text or communicate (e.g using the watch for anything other than telling time), the smartwatch will be confiscated and kept in the main office until the end of the school day
• Eighth Grade Students: Students in eighth grade will be utilizing the classroom cell phone wall pocket system (similar to the high school procedures). Students will be assigned a classroom pocket hanging in their classroom, and the student will drop off their cell phone (if they have one with them) in the classroom pocket at the start of the class until the end of the class period.

• Village of McFarland Comprehensive Plan

• McFarland Girls Youth Basketball - Registration Closes September 10

• McFarland Sparks 4-H Club New Member Meeting - September 10

• E.D. Locke Library Back to School Storytime - September 17

• Futura Spanish Classes at WIS - Register by September 28

• Futura Spanish Classes at MPS - Register by September 30

• E.D. Locke Library 6-12 Crochet Club - 1st and 3rd Wednesdays

• E.D. Locke Library 6-12 Un-Book Club - 1st Thursdays

• E.D. Locke Library 6-12 Teen S.T.E.A.M. - 3rd Thursdays

• E.D. Locke Library 6-12 Teen Hangout - 2nd and 4th Thursdays

• E.D. Locke Library 6-12 Snack & Chat - Mondays

• E.D. Locke Library 6-12 - Volun-Teen Program

• E.D. Locke Library 3-5 Graphic Novel Book Club - 3rd Tuesdays

• E.D. Locke Library 3-5 Dungeons & Dragons Club - 4th Tuesdays

• E.D. Locke Library K-5 LEGO Club - 2nd and 4th Wednesdays

• E.D. Locke Library 3K and 4K Little Bodies Big Feelings - September-April

• E.D. Locke Library Magic Tree House Book Club - September-May

• Free Triple P Positive Parenting Online Program for WI Families

Thank You, McFarland!

We are so excited to see so many Spartan shirts making their way into our community! We’ve already received SO MANY shirt orders, plus we had even more shirts sold during Picture Day. Seeing our students and families showing their Spartan pride means so much to us!

A very special THANK YOU to the amazing PTO volunteers who helped organize orders, coordinate Picture Day shirt sales, sort shirts, and make this fundraiser happen. We truly couldn’t do it without the time and energy our volunteers give to our school community. Order form stays on our website and socials and will continue.

As a reminder, we have a new website and email address, so be sure to check your spam for anything from mcfpto@gmail.com.

SAVE THE DATES — PTO MEETINGS
All meetings will be held at 7:00 PM in the McFarland Municipal Center Training Room.

• September 8 (Tue): Trunk or Treat, WIS Family Fun, Fall Fundraiser — Coffee
• October 7 (Wed): Conference Meals
• November 12 (Thu): Open House Nights
• January 5 (Tue): Conference Meals
• February 3 (Wed): Open House Nights, Spring Fundraiser — Read-a-thon
• April 8 (Thu): Staff Appreciation, No Hassle
• May 18 (Tue): All Parent/Principal

Trunk or Treat is coming!

We’ll soon be looking for volunteers to help make this year’s event a fun and memorable night for our students and families. Keep an eye out for more details and volunteer opportunities coming soon!

Thank you for continuing to support the McFarland PTO and our schools. We’re so grateful for this community!

Go Spartans!

What: The McFarland School District wants you to follow our Facebook and Instagram channels. Click on the icons below to follow along!

Why:

1. Celebrate our #McFarlandStrong students and our staff!

2. Keep parents, students, alumni, and the community informed about what is happening in our district.

3. Promote the great things happening with student learning, athletics, activities, and other events.

4. Build an ongoing conversation about the positive impact our district is making in the lives of our students!

What do I need to do?

• If you are on these social media platforms – follow us!

• Help promote the accounts to your family and friends - share and like posts!

McFarland School District complies with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. One of the components of the Act is limited disclosure of student information. Student names will not be included in social media posts as a general rule. In the course of school operations, names and/or images of students may be released to the McFarland School District social media pages for special academic and/or achievement awards, and athletic activities, etc.

Join us at the next MSEC Meeting on September 9

6 p.m. - McFarland High School - District Office Board Room

The next School District of McFarland School Board meeting is scheduled for September 14, 2026

Attendance Awareness Month

September is Attendance Awareness Month. Coming to school each day counts for a lot. Let's make sure we're here to learn, grow, and have fun.

Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month. This is a time to spread hope, share resources, and raise awareness. If you or someone you know is struggling or needs support, help is always available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• September 7: No school- Labor Day

Happy Labor Day! On this special day, we celebrate all the hardworking people in our communities and the achievements of the labor movement.

• September 7-11: National Payroll Week

Thank you to our fantastic payroll and financial services staff!

• September 11: 9/11 Remembrance Day

9/11 Remembrance Day is a time to reflect and honor those who were lost and the heroes who emerged during this tragic event. Let's always remember the strength that comes from unity and compassion.

• September 15-October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month

It's time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Learning about the histories, amazing cultures, and awesome contributions of Hispanic people from places like Spain, Mexico, and more is a fantastic way to discover how wonderfully diverse our world is!

• September 15: National IT Professionals Day

Thank you to our Technology Services staff for doing the critical and often unseen work keeping our networks, applications, and services running.

• September 16: Mildred Fish-Harnack Day

During WWII, Mildred Fish-Harnack became a spy and provided important secrets and information to the United States and Allied forces. Today we recognize her integrity and bravery.

• September 17: U.S. Constitution Day

Today we recognize the document that created the foundation for our country's laws and government.

• September 18: POW-MIA Recognition Day

POW-MIA Day recognizes those who were captured or went missing while in active military service. We always hope for knowledge or a safe return home.

• September 23: Wisconsin Bullying Awareness Day

Bullying negatively impacts student connection, engagement, and sense of self. Let's work together to create a school where everyone feels safe and respected.

• September 28: Frances Willard Day

Frances Willard was an educator and women's rights activist from Janesville, Wisconsin

The McFarland School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, sex, (including gender status, change of sex or gender identity), or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability (Protected Classes) in any of its student program and activities.