#PointerNation News
October 13, 2025
FINLEY IS YOUTH MENTAL WELLNESS CHAMPION
Congratulations to #PointerNation's Kit Finley who has been named the CESA 3 Youth Mental Wellness Champion for the Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health!
Each academic year, 15 high school Juniors and Seniors with varied lived experiences across Wisconsin will be part of a cohort and engage in monthly virtual meetings to expand their knowledge, skills, and network.
Champions will deepen their knowledge and understanding of mental health issues. Monthly meetings will explore topics such as the history of mental health, defining wellness, understanding school mental health, using data for change, storytelling, and advocacy strategies.
Thanks for taking on this important role, Kit!
FIRE SAFETY
Friday, elementary school students received a visit from the Mineral Point Fire Department to learn fire prevention techniques and what to do if faced with a fire. Thank you to our volunteer firefighters for taking their time to teach our children about the importance of fire safety and for all you do to keep our community safe!
BAUMAN IS CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
The time of year has come where the Mineral Point American Legion Post 170 honors its Citizen of the Year, and this year we tip our hat to none other than Al Bauman!
In addition to being a Hall of Fame wrestling and football coach and outstanding educator, Al has also served our community as part of the Mineral Point Rescue Squad and with his musical talents.
Al has made an immeasurable difference in the lives of countless Pointers and we are grateful for his lasting legacy. Congratulations!
FINLEY, SCHROEDER ARE STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Our October Students of the Month for the 2025-26 school year were honored Tuesday at the Mineral Point Kiwanis meeting -- a big congrats to Grady Finley and Hudson Schroeder!
Read more about these star Seniors at this link.
(Finley photo by Ann Gorgen; Schroeder photo by Tanya Schwendinger)
SAND-WITCH
What do you call a witch who lives at the beach? These Kindergarten students will tell you she's a sand-witch!
CONSTRUCTION CAREER DAY
Students enjoyed Construction Career Day at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville! This event gives high school students exposure to the different career opportunities within the construction industry. Students experienced hands-on activities, and the opportunity to network with construction professionals and UW-Platteville faculty, students, and alumni.
READING FLUENCY
3rd Grade has been busy working on their reading fluency with a friend and are doing a great job!
They offered kind and constructive feedback to their friend, reminding them to read in phrases rather than like a robot, read with accuracy, expression, and at an appropriate rate.
Great job, readers!
UWP CHORAL FESTIVAL
Congratulations again to our vocalists who were selected to perform in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Choral Festival this past week! Suttyn Weinbrenner, Emilee Birchall, Miley Coniber, Lily Fox, Milena Straka, and Shayna Sigg did a fantastic job representing #PointerNation!
DON'T YOU LOVE A GOOD DONUT
These 1st Graders sure do! Students had a chance to add "sprinkles" to their paper donut for good behavior. For every sprinkle, they will earn extra recess. So 20 sprinkles earns them an extra recess for 20 minutes.
But if they earned more than 20 sprinkles, then they would also earn donuts for the class on top of extra recess!
We are happy to report they earned 21 sprinkles which equals extra recess AND donuts! Way to go, Firsties!
PASSPORTS EARNED
After four lessons in Explorer Academy, 1st Graders earned their certificates and passports to travel the world! Beginning this week, their adventures will take them out of Mineral Point through books and their imagination!
BE A TEACHER DAY
Last week we celebrate National Be a Teacher Day alongside the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction!
This day encourages young people to say ‘yes’ to a future in education and recognize the impact great teachers make every day. We’re so proud of these #PointerNation students who are exploring careers in education and dreaming of inspiring future generations!
SOCCER POSTSEASON BRACKETS
The WIAA has released the Boys Soccer postseason brackets!
Kudos to Dodge-Point for earning the #15 seed in our WIAA Division 3 bracket and a first round bye! DP will travel to #2 Madison Edgewood Thursday, October 23 in the Regional Semifinal.
The full bracket is available at this link.
THANK YOU
A sincere thank you to everyone who donated items and shopped at the Community Garage Sales in the old high school gym this year! Because of your kindness, $500 was donated to our negative school lunch accounts.
WE ARE HIRING
Mineral Point Middle School is searching for a 7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach. Come join the great place that is #PointerNation!
The season begins after the New Year and runs through February 12.
Interested candidates should contact Athletic Director Mr. Tom Ingwell by November 1 at tom.ingwell@mp.k12.wi.us
PICTURE RETAKES
A reminder photo retake day is set for Tuesday, October 14. Retakes are for all interested, or those who missed the first day.
If your student had photos taken September 18, you should have received an email from Empire Photography with the link to order school pictures. If you did not receive one, please check all emails, as well as your spam folder.
If you have any questions you can direct them to customerservice@empirephotos.com. Bring your smiles!
FREE FARMER LUNCH
Mineral Point FFA and Wyffel Hybrids are teaming up to bring a free lunch during harvest season to farmers in the Mineral Point Unified School District on Wednesday, October 22! Delivery will be within the school district boundaries. Please sign up by Wednesday, October 15 at this link.
FALL CHOIR CONCERT
Make plans to join us Monday, October 20 for the Middle/High School Fall Choir Concert in the gym at 7 pm! Students are excited to perform for you.
EARLY CHILDHOOD SCREENING
The next Mineral Point Early Childhood Development Screening will take place Wednesday, October 22! This screening is open to children who were born between the dates of October 1, 2022 and April 1, 2023.
This is a great opportunity for school staff to meet your child and answer any questions you may have about your child's development. This is the one time prior to your child starting 4K that we will ask you to attend a screening. Your child is guaranteed to have fun and will go home with a bag full of goodies!
Please call 608-987-0739 ext. 127 if you are interested in having your child participate. We look forward to welcoming our newest Pointers!
MIDDLE/HIGH FAMILY CONFERENCES
Middle/High School Family/Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday, October 22 from 4-7:30 pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to discuss your child's progress.
ELECTRONICS RECYCLING
Got old electronics gathering dust? Give them a new life! Join us for a community-wide electronics recycling event Saturday, October 25 from 8 am-12:30 pm at MPHS.
Hosted by Mineral Point High School Environmental Wellness Club & COM2 Recycling Solutions
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COM2 Recycling Solutions will be accepting a wide range of electronics, including: TVs (CRT, LCD, projection, wood console), computers (desktops, laptops, Chromebooks, tablets), accessories (keyboards, mice, speakers, hard drives, flash drives), phones (cell phones, landlines, navigation devices), gaming consoles and DVD/Blu-ray/VHS players, printers, scanners, fax machines, routers, modems, small servers, cameras, calculators, typewriters, home electronics (microwaves, vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, dehumidifiers, box fans, sound bars, stereo systems), power cords, radios, CB radios, clock/radio combos
Please note, we cannot accept: refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, or other large appliances, batteries, paint, medical waste, or radioactive materials, smoke detectors, fluorescent bulbs, or blenders.
COSTUME CONTEST
Join us for the annual Mineral Point Kiwanis /MPHS Key Club/ Mineral Point Historical Society annual Halloween Costume Party/Contest at Orchard Lawn Saturday, October 25 at 10 am sharp!
Again this year will be lots of fun games put together by our High School Key Club (suggested donation per child to play the games). All ages are welcome to participate in the free costume contest. Prizes will be awarded to the winners.
Come join the fun!
ELEMENTARY FAMILY CONFERENCES
Elementary School Family/Teacher Conferences will be held Wednesday, October 29 from 2:30-7:30 pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to discuss your child's progress.
FREE BOOK FAIR
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.
NO CLASSES OCTOBER 31
A reminder there will be no classes in #PointerNation Friday, October 31 as it is a Teacher Work Day. Enjoy the long weekend!
CAREER FAIR
We’re excited to invite local businesses, organizations, colleges, and professionals to participate in our annual Mineral Point Career Fair on Wednesday, November 5 from 9 am - 2 pm at Mineral Point Middle/High School.
This event brings together nearly 70 exhibitors each year to help our students explore future career pathways—and we’d love for you to be part of it!
Host a Booth:
Showcase your profession, organization, or industry to our students and inspire the next generation. Lunch will be provided for all participants.
Entrepreneur Panel Opportunity:
If you’ve started your own business and would like to share your journey, we’d love to include you on our Entrepreneur Panel.
Interested in participating?
Please RSVP to Erika Brunson, Middle/High School Counselor
Email: erika.brunson@mp.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-987-0732
Thank you for supporting our students’ futures. We look forward to another great Career Fair!
TRIVIA NIGHT
Prepare for the brain strain! Test your knowledge at the 7th Annual Trivia Night (hosted by Mineral Point Boys & Girls Basketball) Sunday, November 9 in the MPHS Gym from 5:30-7:30 pm!
Cost is $10 per person with tables consisting of 4 to 8 players. Pre-registration is preferred (pay at door) -- email bret.mcgraw@mp.k12.wi.us or merrill.brunson@mp.k12.wi.us to sign up.
There will also be a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, heads or tails, and sit down bingo. Join the fun!
HERB KOHL NOMINATIONS
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.
THROWBACK
This week's Thowback Thursday #TBT takes us back to 10 years ago -- one of our favorite Homecoming Court photos!
THIS WEEK'S #POINTERNATION STAFF SALUTES
Jessie Sigg
Todd Rideout
10/11: Todd Rideout (Middle/High School Food Service)
Brianna Bennett
EVENTS FOR THE WEEK
#PointerNation events coming up this week -- join us! (Please note these schedules are always subject to change)
Monday, October 13
- School Board meeting 6 pm: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/2067
- JV Football vs. Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg 5 pm. Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@mptvpointers
- JV1 Volleyball Quad at MP 5 pm (vs. Cuba City, Darlington, Southwestern)
- MS Volleyball at Lancaster 4 pm
Tuesday, October 14
- Picture Retake Day
- Varsity Volleyball Quad 5 pm (vs. Cuba City, Fennimore, Southwestern). Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@mptvpointers
- Boys Soccer vs. River Valley (Varsity 5 pm, JV to follow). Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/dodgeville/organization/20161/dodgeville-high-school
- JV2 Volleyball at Belmont 5:30 pm
- MS Football vs. Lancaster 5 pm
Wednesday, October 15
- Early Release 2 pm (Every Wednesday)
Thursday, October 16
- SWC Cross Country Conference Meet at Platteville 4:30 pm
- Volleyball at Riverdale (JV2 5 pm, JV1 and Varsity to follow). Possible livestreams: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/muscoda/organization/39573/riverdale-high-school and https://www.youtube.com/@riverdaleschooldistrict1580
- Boys Soccer at Platteville/Lancaster (Varsity 5 pm, JV to follow). Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@plattevilleschooldistrict/streams and https://fan.hudl.com/usa/wi/platteville/organization/6494/platteville-high-school
- MS Volleyball vs. Darlington 4 pm
Friday, October 17
- Varsity Football vs. Fennimore 7 pm. Radio: 106.1 fm. Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@queenbradiosports and https://www.youtube.com/@mptvpointers
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.
Mineral Point Unified School District
"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