OMS The Middle Matters

July 30, 2026

Hello OMS Students and Families,

We are so excited to welcome you to the 2026-2027 school year! Below you will find all the important information you need to prepare for the start of school. Parents and guardians, please take a moment to read through the information below, especially if you are new to OMS.

For our returning students and families, there are a few things that will be different at OMS this school year. We have had some changes to our OMS Leadership structure due to the budget reductions that were made last year. We will now have a Principal (Mrs. Mattson), an Assistant Principal (Mrs. Halverson), and we are welcoming Mr. Gallatin (former 6th grade Mustangs teacher) as our new Dean of Students. This school year, we will not be running a weekly SOAR schedule. This will make our week to week schedule consistent, the only rotation will be our A and B Day routine. We do not yet have Activity Nights scheduled for this school year. We are still looking for staff to lead our OMS Student Council, and hoping to add Activity Nights to our school calendar soon.

We have updated our grading policy at OMS. Major changes to this policy include that students will earn 10% of their grade for Daily Work (either assigned to do in class or as homework), 20% of their grade for Skills Checks (quizzes, labs, etc.), and 70% of their grade for Summative Assessments (tests, papers, etc.). All students will earn one combined numerical PAW grade for each class. All changes to grading are available in our Student Handbook and will be reviewed with students at the start of the school year.

Please make a note of our Thursday, August 27 Open House Date. OMS will be open for students to pick up their schedules, try their lockers, pick up PE uniforms, take their school picture and stop by to visit teachers' classrooms from 7:30am-5:00pm.

We are looking forward to welcoming you all back soon. Have a wonderful last few weeks of summer!

Mrs. Mattson

August 18 - OMS Fall Parent/Athlete Meeting - OMS Cafeteria - 6:00 pm

August 27 - Parent/Student Information Day (Picture Day) - Open House - 7:30 - 5:00 pm

August 31 - 6th Grade Orientation (First Day of School for 6th Grade)

September 1 - First Day of School for ALL OMS Students

All 6-8th grade students will be required to wear a uniform for their Physical Education Class. (see example) This is to ensure that students are following proper hygiene and are able to safely move in class. The apparel will be available for purchase at Court Sports or at the OMS Parent Student Information Day on August 27. Everyone will have the same blue quick dry shirt and black shorts, both with a name plate on them so we can have the student's first and last name on their uniform. We will have 7" & 4" short options for students. Students will also be required to wear gym shoes.

In the event that you prefer to supply your own PE uniform, it must meet the above requirements including a blue shirt and black shorts that will allow your student to move freely and participate in their class. We will ask that your student's name [first name, last initial] be printed clearly on the back. Students with sensory aversion to the quick-dry fabric may order a cotton option from Court Sports.

Current PE Apparel Pricing

T-shirt - $10 (2XL/3XL - $12 /$14)

Boy's Shorts - $10 (2XL/3XL - $12 /$14)

Girl's Shorts - $15 (2XL - $17)

Students are required to receive certain vaccines for school or submit an exemption. This requirement applies for all public, private, online, and home schools in Minnesota. Look for your child’s grade in the chart below and see how many total doses of each vaccine are needed for their grade.

• The site is new this year. Directions can be found on the OMS website under the Athletics tab, click 'Registration Instructions'.

  • Registration site.

  • Registration Instructions

  • Registration fee is $190 or $95 for those who have an Application for Educational Benefits (Free/Reduced Lunch) on file. You must apply each year.

  • Remember you need to have a sports physical on file before you can register. Sport Physical paper work must be submitted to Mr Clauson when completed in order to register. Please email it to mclauson@isd761.org.

• The mandatory OMS Parent/Athlete meeting is on Tuesday, August 18 at 6:00 PM at OMS-Cafeteria.

  • Football - 7th-8th Grades - First day of practice is Monday, August 17, from 3:00-5:00 PM at the DISTRICT OFFICE. We will meet outside of the gymnastics center doors to go down to the locker room. Please bring shorts/t-shirt, tennis shoes and cleats, and a combination padlock to use in the locker room.

  • Cross Country - 6th-8th Grades - First day of practice is Monday, August 17. Once you are registered, coaches will reach out to you with practice location and time.

  • Volleyball - 7th-8th Grades - First day of practice is Monday, August 24 at OMS from 3:00-5:00 PM. Information will be given to you at the Parent/Athlete meeting.

    • Volleyball- 8th grade girls trying out for the High School team, please attend the OHS Parent/Athlete meeting on August 17 at 6:00 PM at the OHS Gym.

Mayo

We are writing to let you know Mayo Clinic Health System will include sports physicals as part of a comprehensive well-child examination, which offers a full assessment of a student athlete's overall health.

If a student athlete has had a well-child examination within the past 12 months, a new exam is not necessary. In this case, the sports physical form can be submitted through Mayo Clinic Health System's patient portal or dropped off at the provider's clinic for signature. Please allow 5-7 business days for signature if dropping off the form.

Appointments for well-child examinations are required and can be conveniently scheduled through Mayo Clinic Health System's patient portal, the Mayo Clinic app or by calling 507-433-8758. Insurance will be billed for the well-child exam. They have appointment availability on July 30, August 4 and August 5 at Mayo Clinic Health System-Owatonna.

Olmsted Medical Center

Olmsted Medical Center in Owatonna is offering a reduced cost, cash-based option for sports physical examinations for student athletes. This event is open to all student athletes, and they do not need to be a patient at OMC. The physicals will occur on Monday, July 27 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and the cost is $25.

For Olmsted Medical Center to complete your students' sports physical, the parent and patient sections of the MSHSL form must be fully completed and signed prior to the examination. If additional immunizations are needed, the immunizations will be billed separately, and if they are done at OMC, they would be scheduled for another date. If the clinician finds that the student has additional medical concerns, they may need to make an additional appointment during the examination.

Please call the Owatonna Olmsted Medical Center for the July 27 appointment at 507-935-5601.

Students may have sports physicals completed at the following facilities:

• Owatonna - Mayo Clinic Health System

• Cedar Chiropractic

• Bridges Chiropractic Health Clinic

• Balanced Health Care (Formerly McGregor Chiropractic)

• Other chiropractic offices may do physicals as well

All Owatonna students must have an updated sports physical on file every 3 years. If they don't have a valid physical on file, they will not be allowed to register.

** 6th graders should only need a sports physical if they are going to be in cross country, wrestling or golf. If they are not going to be in one of those sports, they can wait until next year to get their physical.

Any questions, please contact me!

Mark Clauson, OMS Activities Director

mclauson@isd761.org

507-444-8714

With the fall sports season coming up soon at our secondary schools, we want to communicate some expectations of those who plan to attend to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.

● Tickets can be purchased in advance using the Bound app (NEW in 26-27). Credit cards are accepted at the gate. NO cash.

● All elementary students in attendance for a sporting event must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver who must remain with their student for the entirety of the game.

● OMS students should sit in the OMS section at varsity football games or with their parents/caregiver.

● If students are found with prohibited items, they will be asked to leave, and disciplinary action may be taken.

● No backpacks or large bags are allowed into the stadium or gym.

● No footballs can be brought into the stadium.

● No reentry to varsity football games.

● Fans will not be allowed onto the field after the game. Students and fans must vacate the premises following the game.

● There will be no supervision extended beyond the games.

Additional information regarding Bound ticketing and pricing can be found at owatonnaactivities.com

Campus Parent

Logging in from a Web Browser

1. Visit www.isd761.org, and under ‘Parents’ select Infinite Campus Portal

2. Select Campus Parent

3. Enter username and password

a. New User? Request an Activation Key from mjewison@isd761.org

4. Click Log In

Logging in to the App

- The Campus Parent app provides the same tools as the browser version, with the benefit of the option to Stay Logged In and receive push notifications.

1. Download the app from the App Store or Google Play

2. Search for your District Name and State, entering at least 3 characters of your district’s name to

search. Select your district from the list.

3. Enter your username and password

4. Is using a secure, private device, mark Stay Logged In to receive mobile push notifications

5. Click Log In!

General Navigation

1. Navigate between tools in the menu on the left.

a. On mobile devices, this menu shrinks to a “hamburger” or “three bars”

2. If a tool is specific to a single student, such as Grades or Schedule, a student dropdown list displays in the top right corner. This dropdown list does not display for tools that are not student specific, like Announcements

How do I get notifications?

1. Before you log in, mark Stay Logged In to receive notifications

2. After logging in, click the user menu in the top right and then click Settings and Notification Settings

3. From there, indicate which types of notifications. For example, indicate you only want to receive Assignment notifications if the score is below 70%

4. Click Save

Need Help? Contact Meghan Jewison a mjewison@isd761.org

Complete yearly back-to-school requirements, verify contact information the district has on file, and review annual notices in a (mostly) pre-filled form accessed through your Infinite Campus Parent portal account.

Click here for instructions and more information.

If you need assistance with accessing or setting up your account, please contact Infinite Campus Support.

( campushelp@isd761.org | 507-444-8650)

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