IMMS Family Flier

Dear Indian Mound Middle School Students and Families,

Welcome to December! We are excited to share IMMS updates with you as we work hard for the few weeks before winter break. Next week we will be doing our Winter FastBridge Assessment for math and literacy. Clubs and sports are in full effect including rehearsal for the musical, boys basketball, ASL club, art club, classroom librarians, Club Unified, GSA, crochet club, game club and more.

Thank you again for your continued support and involvement in our school community. We look forward to continuing our journey together!

Warm regards,

Jamie Thomas, Principal

Brett Jondle, Associate Principal

Daily Schedule

Daily Announcements

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

IMMS Athletics Calendar

Family information on IMMS Expectations

IMMS Sports and Clubs Eligibility Criteria

• December 11: Choir Concert 7-8 at the PAC
• December 18: Monthly School Safety Drill (Hold)
• December 23: No School. PD Day
• December 24: January 1: No School. Winter Break

School safety is a priority in the McFarland School District. At Indian Mound Middle School (IMMS), we take several steps to ensure your child is safe and our school is secure. During the week of December 16-20, IMMS will conduct a Hold Drill. We will prepare your child for the drill during our school announcements, also allowing for students to follow up with their teachers about any questions that they may have before the drill.

As with each of our safety drills, prior to the drill, we will make an announcement that clearly explains to students that a drill will be occurring. The entire procedure should last around 10-15 minutes. Students are reminded (as we will do during each of our drills and safety discussions) that schools are often some of the safest places to be and that these skills students and staff learn about safety can be applied anywhere, both in school and out of school. Our goal is always to make this experience a useful practice of the procedures, without alarming students.

If you have any questions about the drill, please feel free to contact Ms. Thomas or Mr. Jondle at any time at 838-8980.

8th grader Ciera is both the IMMS & district winner for the Lions Club International Peace Poster contest! Congratulations and good luck in the state competition, Ciera!

Every year we join forces with the American Legion to provide an opportunity for our 8th grade students to participate in an essay writing contest. Eventually, two 8th graders receive the American Legion Award. All 8th graders are eligible to participate. All students who complete an essay will receive an honorable mention certificate and the 2 winning students will be invited to participate in the Memorial Day parade.

To apply for this award, students need to write an essay based on the tenets of the American Legion: Courage, Honor, Leadership, Patriotism, Scholarship, and Service. THIS google slide presentation will shown to 8th graders during Social Studies class and THIS google document gives details about the essay contest.

You can reach out to the 8th grade counselor, Mr. Bartman, with any questions about the essay contest.

If you are looking for a way to support the staff here at IMMS during our Wisconsin winter months, we are always looking for donations of coffee. We are especially in need of cans/bags of ground coffee of any kind, as long as it has caffeine:) We are not in critical need of K-cups at the moment, but will gladly accept them as well.

Thank you in advance.

As the weather continues to cool down and the seasons change, we wanted to provide a few reminders that we will/have been sharing with your scholar:

• Students should take their coats/sweatshirts/hats with them to lunch to avoid having to have to go to their locker/backpacks after being dismissed from lunch to recess
• To allow students the chance to eat at their own pace, there are two waves of dismissal from lunches. The first wave of dismissal happens 15 minutes into lunch (for those who are finished and want to get outside right away). The second wave of dismissal occurs twenty minutes into lunch (lunch/recess is thirty minutes total).
• The expectation is that at this point, all students must go outside for recess. Please continue to encourage this with your scholar

We will gladly accept donations of snacks that we can give to students who may not be able to provide their own. We are specifically looking for nut-free, nonperishable, healthy snacks. You can drop off donations at the IMMS Student Services office. We will also accept donations for menstrual hygiene products.

Below you will find "Hubs" (aka Task-List) for each grade level and Related Arts. You can click on the "Hub" to get information on what your scholar is doing in class, assignments, and assessments.

• Stoughton Health Safe@Home Program for Grades 4-6 - December 13

• McF Girls Basketball Boosters Little Spartan Dribblers - Register by December 20

• E.D. Locke Library Santa Storytime - December 21

• McFarland United Church of Christ Community Christmas Meal - December 25

• E.D. Locke Library Noon Year’s Eve Party - December 31

• ACT Prep Plus - Registration Open

• Badger Bots School Day Off Camps - October 24-December 31

• E.D. Locke Library Grades 3-5 LEGO Club - September-May

• E.D. Locke Library Grades 3-5 Graphic Novel Book Club - September-May

• E.D. Locke Library Grades K-2 Magic Tree House Book Club - September-May

• Free Triple P Positive Parenting Online Program for WI Families

McFarland Recreation Aquatics & Play (MRAP) and the McFarland Performing Arts Center (MPAC) offer a wide variety of recreation and aquatics programs for community members of all ages. To learn more, visit MRAPNews.com

Questions about specific MRAP or MPAC programs?

Reach out to the staff contacts listed below:

Stu Schaefer, Director of Community Services

schaefs@mcfsd.org | 608-838-3168

Kayla Eliasson, Aquatics Supervisor

eliassk@mcfsd.org | 608-838-3168

Alisha Fix, Recreation Supervisor

fixa@mcfsd.org | 608-838-4666

Zachary Franczak, Performing Arts Supervisor

franczz@mcfsd.org | 608-838-4461

Our Spartans have been hard at work creating an amazing event for our community this weekend! This event is completely created, organized, and managed by our high school students in Spartan Headquarters! Please check it out if you have a chance there is truly something for everyone--here's the details!

Join Us This Saturday for the McFarland Made Craft & Vendor Fair!

Date: Saturday, December 7th
Time: 9 AM - 2 PM
Location: McFarland High School

Get ready for an incredible day of shopping, fun, and community! Here's what you can look forward to:

100+ Vendors featuring unique, handcrafted items and more!
15 Young Entrepreneurs showcasing their innovative products!
An AMAZING Book Fair—find your next great read!
Children's Crafts & Activities to keep the little ones entertained!
Spartan Headquarters will be open for all your McFarland gear!

Start your holiday shopping early, support local businesses, and have a blast with the whole family!

Don't miss out—see you there! #McFarlandMade #SupportLocal #McFarlandDECA

Does your child have a food allergy? Reminder, if they take hot lunch please visit NutriSlice for menu/ingredient information. Menus are subject to change based on product availability but families will be notified in advance. Please reach out to School Nutrition with any questions.

If your child has a Life Threatening Food Allergy and EpiPen Prescription please send their Epipen to school. This can be kept in the health office or if your student is in grades 6-12, they can self carry it. All prescription medications, including emergency medicine, must have an MD order and Parent Signature, even if self-carrying. Consent forms are required every year and are available here, in the health office and on the District website. An Emergency Health Plan is then created and shared with all staff, including the Kitchen staff. Please reach out to Health Services with questions.

Is your student missing school due to illness, injury or health-related appointments? Providing a medical note or appointment card will prevent these types of absences as counting towards your students' allotted 10 days of excused absences for the school year. Please reach out to School Nurse, Lauren Neesam at NeesamL@mcfsd.org or immsattendance@mcfsd.org if you have additional questions about this process. You can also find more information about absences and attendance in the IMMS parent handbook located on the school website.

November is...

• Spartan Diversity & Difference

December 10 - Human Rights Day