McDill Elementary Parent Newsletter

I wanted to send this message and welcome everyone to the 25-26 school year! Myself and the staff at McDill are very excited to kick-off a new school year. I hope you all had an enjoyable summer and I can’t wait to see you!

Some big news - our family of three got a bit bigger this summer! We welcomed a little girl into our family. Elenor (Lenni) Irish was born on July 10th and has been such a blessing. Jensen (our two-year-old son) is loving having a new sister at home. I also have moved into a new position in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. My time as a Company Commander has come to an end, and I will now be going to drill in Wausau!

I would also like to welcome our new McDill staff members:

• Linnea Doolittle - ESL Teacher

• Rachel (Ziolkowski) Ciurro - 6th Grade Teacher

• Nadia Jashinsky - Special Education Teacher

• Megan Bruneau-Ries - 2nd Grade Teacher

• Elizabeth Weatherwax- School Social Worker

• Barbara Stilen - Special Education Assistant

• Nancy Leggett - ESL Education Assistant

• Stacey Otto - Regular Education Assistant

• Bobbie Wanserksi - Food Service Cashier
  
  

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Below are a few reminders I have for all our families:

Parent/Guardian Entry into the Building During Arrival and Dismissal

Parents/Guardians, please make sure that you are not entering the building through Door #11 by the cafeteria. If you need to connect with the office staff, please enter through the main Door #1. Also, we love to have our parents/guardians involved in our school day. Please reach out to your child's teacher through email if you want to talk about volunteering or have any other concerns to discuss.

Turn Around

If you pick up and drop off your child, please be alert in the turn around. Please do not use your cell phone while you are in the turn around. For the first few weeks of school, it is helpful to write your child's name on a piece of paper and stick it to the window. This will help to speed up the process!

Lastly, please make sure you are pulling all the way up to the front of the turn around. This will make sure we do not create a “slinky” effect. We want to get you in and out of pick up quickly!

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Students can enter the building at 8:20 am and can choose to go to breakfast first or go straight outside. If eating, students must go to breakfast first before heading outside for recess. Students will then go to class at 8:35. Our doors will close at 8:43 and all students need to be in their classroom by 8:45.

Lastly, the safety of students arriving at school and returning home is a primary focus of ours. Please be sure you are maintaining your focus and local traffic laws when you get into the school zones.

Cell Phones, Smart Devices and Personal Communication Devices

If brought to school, cellphones, smart devices and any other personal communication devices are to be turned off and stored outside the classroom during the school day. If your child needs to contact you during school hours, please have them come to the office or ask their teacher to communicate with you.

Change of Address

If you have moved since the end of the school year, please provide proof of your address change to the Bliss Educational Service Center or email it to our secretary, Kris Huebner.

I look forward to what this new school year will bring. We will see you soon!

Mr. Irish

KN-6th Grade Students & Parents - 4:30 - 6:00 pm

(4K - 4:00-6:00 pm)

This year we invite our students to

"Discover their Wildest Potential"

Please Note: You can find out who your child's teacher is for the 25-26 School Year on Skyward Family Access after 3:00 pm Tuesday, August 26th.

PLEASE SEE THE BACK-to-SCHOOL NIGHT CHECKLIST!

On behalf of McDill's Green & Healthy Schools Committee . . .

The 1st PTO Meeting of the 2025-26 School Year is

Tuesday, September 9th at 6:30 pm

As always, this meeting will take place in the McDill Library or via Google Meet.

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Grandparents and/or special friends are invited each year to join students for a lunch date at McDill Elementary. Information regarding this event will be sent home during the first week of school, but please share now with those who may be interested in attending on Friday, September 19th.
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An ordering packet, including an online ordering option, will be sent home with your child during the first week of school.

McDill Elementary proudly uses Scholastic Reflections Photography

I'm Nurse Megan, and I am so pleased to be able to serve as your school nurse! I have been a nurse working in the hospital and out in the community for the past 19 years, and I went to Stevens Point Schools myself, as do my kids. I care deeply for our school community and am committed to supporting your student's health and classroom success.

I work in 4 different elementary schools, so the students will find me in the school's health office two or three times per week when I rotate through. I train and support our amazing office and teaching staff to help your students with first aid and illness when I am not there.

I love to see students learning about how to take care of their health so they are successful in the classroom. I work closely with families when a student needs to take medication at school, or if their health is affecting their learning. You can ask me any health or medical questions throughout the year. Even when I am in another location, I can respond to calls and emails, so don't hesitate to reach out to me!

Watch for my newsletter updates throughout the year, and please say "Hi" and introduce yourself if you see me in the health office this year!

Warmly,

Nurse Megan

SEPTEMBER 2025

BREAKFAST MENU / LUNCH MENU

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LUNCH & RECESS TIMES for 2025-26

2025-26 FREE / REDUCED MEAL APPLICATIONS

Application - English

Aplicación - Español

Daim ntawv thov pob ntawv - Hmoob

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.

Because medical costs can be expensive, the Steven Point School District provide families

the opportunity to purchase student accident insurance on their student through Student

Assurance Services.

This supplemental policy would assist with your out-of-pocket medical expenses (i.e.

deductible) should your student sustain an accidental injury while coverage is in effect.

Also, if you do not have any insurance on your student, this would be the primary coverage for

accidental injuries. There is a variety of coverage options and premiums are a one-time

payment for the school year.

Please review the short video link below, as well as the attached forms regarding student

accident insurance.

Student Accident Insurance - YouTube

For Questions, Call Student Assurance Services at (800) 328-2739

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 will come to the school to provide many free services to your child.

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

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

We thank families for taking time to read through the procedures LINKED ABOVE regarding the drop off and pick up of students. Below are three key reminders regarding issues we tend to see during the first week of school. We thank you for your cooperation and hope that you will share this information with anyone who will be transporting your child during the school year.

• Parents/Guardians SHOULD NOT park on WILLOW STREET or BEECH STREET and cross School Street to pick up their child. This is an unsafe practice even if the child is accompanied by an adult.
  
  
• We strongly encourage parents/guardians to NOT park in the parking lot and walk across the pick-up lane. The line to pick up students moves quite quickly when everyone follows procedures.
  
  
• While waiting in the pickup line, PLEASE AVOID stopping in front of driveways or the intersection to allow local residents access to and from their homes.
  

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!

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 Barb Sosnowski al correo bsosnows@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

COLE IRISH, PRINCIPAL

cirish@pointschools.net

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