Spartan Gazette
Indian Mound Middle School
Greetings From Aaron Tarnutzer
What is our vision for IMMS?
Last year we answered the question of why our school was built by developing the following mission:
The mission of Indian Mound Middle School is to develop globally engaged and resilient citizens who are critical thinkers, collaborators, and curious learners.
Since the beginning of this school year our staff has been exploring what our school must become to accomplish this mission. We have been working together to answer the question, “What is our vision for IMMS?” resulting in the vision below.
In order to achieve our mission, we envision a school in which:
· All members of the school community feel valued, safe, and respected for who they are and what they believe.
· Students and staff are continually growing in a collaborative environment that promotes taking risks while providing support to ensure each person reaches their potential.
· Students take ownership of their learning by pursuing educational challenges, thinking critically, and persisting when learning is difficult.
· Families are active, engaged, and welcomed partners in their child’s education and involved in school decision-making.
· Learning opportunities are rigorous, meaningful, engaging, culturally relevant, and build on student passions and curiosities.
There are a few things in our vision that I would like to highlight. First, our partnership with you is essential. We want families to not only be engaged and feel welcomed at school, but to be actively involved in school decision-making. I feel we have work to do in this regard and I want you to know that we welcome your suggestions. Just yesterday I met with a parent who had some excellent ideas on how we can better meet student needs in a specific subject area. These conversations make us better. Second, we want all members of the school community to feel valued. IMMS should be a safe place similar to a home away from home. Students cannot learn unless they feel valued and feel safe. Teachers want to work in a school in which they feel supported and respected. Third, we want to students to grow and learn using a rigorous curriculum that is meaningful to their lives and passions. We need to engage students in a way that prepares them for more than the “real world.” We need to prepare them to shape the future “real world.”
I have one last note about a vision. This vision represents the school we hope to create, but we recognize we are not there…. yet. We now have a destination that we are committed to reaching. We hope that your vision for a middle school for your child is similar to this vision. We welcome your ideas, comments, suggestions, and questions about this work. Thank you for your involvement in your child(ren)’s education!
Aaron Tarnutzer
IMMS Principal
Guidance News: 8th Grade Students Register for High School
With the start of the New Year comes the impending transition to High School for our IMMS 8th graders. This is a very exciting time full of choices and uncertainties. These decisions can be supported and anxious times alleviated through active involvement for students and their parents in the decision making process. Therefore, it will be crucial to keep in mind some important dates when looking to allow for an efficient and successful transition:
Wednesday, February 1st: MHS counselors will present important High School registration information to 8th graders in their Social Studies class.
Monday, February 6th: Parent (of 8th grade students) Orientation meeting & tour at MHS from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF 8TH GRADERS AND 8TH GRADE STUDENTS ARE URGED TO ATTEND.
Thursday, February 23rd: Registration for high school classes must be complete on Career Cruising and a printout is due to the student’s Social Studies teacher.
If you have any questions, please call Jill Runde at 838-4577 – she will be most happy to help!
Student of the Month Winners
Important Reminders From the Attendance Office
Student Absences
Please be sure to call in before 8:10am if your child will be absent for the day. You may leave a message or talk to the front office staff for absences at 838-8980.
Homework Requests
As noted in the family handbook, if your child has been absent for two or more days, you may request homework for pick up by 8:10am. Please plan to pick it up in the office by 3:34pm that day. If your child has been absent for only one day, we respectfully ask that your child collects their homework when they return to school. You may also look at the Assignment Task List on our website for assignments.
Anticipated Absences
If there is an anticipated absence and you would like to collect homework in advance, please inform the front office at least one week prior to the absence.
Appointments
If your child has an appointment during the school day, please send a note with them in the morning. Have your child go to the front office, where they will receive a pass and instructions on leaving class. If your child sees a medical professional for any reason, please have them provide a note for the absence and have your child drop this off in the office. This simple step helps us make sure the absence is recorded as a medical excuse versus any other reason (i.e. ill).
If you have any questions or concerns please contact the attendance line at 838-8980.
Cafeteria News
Did you know our doors open at 7:15 am at IMMS for breakfast? A different hot entrée is available each day along with cold breakfast favorites like whole grain, reduced sugar cereals, yogurt, and low fat muffins. Fruit and 100% juice is available daily as is low fat or skim milk. The cost of breakfast is $1.75, $0.40 for reduced status families, or free for qualified families.
When permission slips for field trips start to come home be sure to look for the lunch signup sheet that comes along with it. Your child’s lunch will include a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread or yogurt and a string cheese, sun chips, fresh veggies, sliced apples, choice of milk or juice and a sweet treat. $2.95 will be charged to your student’s lunch account, $0.40 for reduced meals or free lunch if qualified. We will pack the meals up in a cooler and be sure it is on the bus when the students leave for their trip.
With the offering of breakfast and field trips lunches, we try to help make your life a little less hectic. Call Barb Waara at the School Nutrition office at 838-4549 with questions or comments, or visit our Facebook page at McFarland School Meals. Our breakfast and lunch menus are posted on our website at mcfarland.nutrislice.com.
Encourage your student to try our new Wild Mike’s Pizza on January 6! If they haven’t tried it yet, they are in for a big treat!
Congratulations to Jaden White for winning the Peace Poster Contest.
P. E. Swimming Notice
All Ms. Stokes' P.E. classes will have their swimming unit from February 6th - 24th. Mr. Kubicek’s P.E. classes swim unit will be February 28th through March 17th. Remember bikini's are not allowed. Any student may wear a shirt over their swimsuit. Please send a towel and goggles (if your child would like to wear them).
Feel free to contact Ms. Stokes or Mr. Kubicek if you or your child has any questions about the swimming unit.
Request From Health Services
In order to get an accurate accounting of student illnesses, Health Services is requesting that when you call an absence in for your child, please specify if they are ill and what their illness is. Also, please continue to specify vacations, parent request (not an illness), funeral, etc.
IMMS Talent Show – March 23, 2017
"Overture, Cue the Lights, This Is It, The Night of Nights..." Who has talent? The students & staff of IMMS have talent! All are welcome to come join the fun on Thursday, March 23, 2017 as Indian Mound students perform, sing, dance…and entertain! Will there be some staff surprises again this year? Performance application forms are due Friday, February 24th and auditions are scheduled in the lunchroom after school on Tuesday, February 28th. The mandatory dress rehearsal is right after school on Tuesday, March 21st. Please direct your questions to Mr. Kramer at 838-4576.
Student Council News
- The Indian Mound Middle School Student Council meets every Thursday at 7:30am on the stage and has had a busy semester with projects that focus on the 5 S’s of Leadership (Students, Service, Staff, Senior Citizens, & Student Council). Let’s recap as we look forward to second semester…A big THANKS goes out to our officers, Will Karls, Emma Swaney, & Luke Mandli for being such great leaders & helpers.
The IMMS Student Council is launching a new Schoology page full of information, activities, & leadership resources. Check us out at: https://mcfarland.schoology.com/course/882012944/materials Class code: HDRVS-4SN7V
We had a very successful all-school dance & open gym thanks to everyone’s positive energy, parent & staff volunteer chaperones, & Student Council workers. We’ll have another dance in March.
The Indian Mound Student Council is hosting the State Leadership Conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of School Councils (WASC) on May 7-8, 2017 and will need LOTS of help welcoming over 1200 middle schoolers from all over Wisconsin to the Marriott West in Madison. Student Council reps planning to attend the state conference are required to participate in the January 16th (teacher work-day) work party at IMMS.Please contact Jim Kramer at 838-4576 if you are interested in helping too.
The WASC offers an unbelievable summer camp experience that ALL IMMS students (not just Student Council) are encouraged to attend: Whether students are involved in Student Council, the National Honor Society, school clubs, sports teams, the school musical, dance, cheerleading, Scouts, or your local FFA — WASC camp is for you! In fact, the camp programs are for anyone who wants to improve their leadership skills!
LEVEL 1: LEARN – During the Level 1 experience, students will participate in fun activities focused on skills essential for the middle level including: building self-esteem and self-advocacy skills, learning what it means to be a leader, and ways to create exciting and interesting student activities. LEVEL 2: ENGAGE – Team building, goal setting, communication, and organization are key components to being an engaged leader. Participants at this level will have the opportunity to explore concepts of leadership, improve their leadership skills in a creative, engaged way, and gain a better understanding of self and sensitivity to others. LEVEL 3: ADVOCACY – Entering high school confident and ready is essential to student success. The Level 3 curriculum combines experiential learning with essential skill development to ensure this success. Students will learn valuable skills like self-advocacy, effective communication, and goal setting – in a creative and engaging way. These skills will serve as a strong foundation as they enter high school. All IMMS students will receive $50 scholarships to attend camp. Please contact Mr. Kramer for details.
Blue Notes and IMMS Choir Perform at Assembly
Food Waste Reduction
Have a safe and prosperous new year!
Vicki Colle
Family Consumer Sciences Teacher
At Home: Cooking, Serving and Enjoying Food with Family and Friends
- Use “ugly” fruits or vegetables to whip up healthy smoothies and soups for your friends or family. No one will notice the difference!
- Be creative and have fun! Create new dishes and snacks with leftovers or items you think will go bad if not eaten soon. Have a cook off to find out who can come up with the best dish.
- Follow the 2-Hour Rule. For safety reasons, don’t leave perishables out at room temperature for more than two hours, unless you're keeping it hot or cold. If the temperature is above 90° F, food shouldn’t be left out for more than one hour. Also, remember to refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
- Use serving size information on the Nutrition Facts label to help you portion meals or snacks. You can always add more to your plate after finishing off the first helping.
- Prepared too much food for a party at your home? Pack extras in containers for guests to take home or take some over to a neighbor as a nice gesture.
- Have a friendly competition with your friends or family members to see who can go the longest without any food waste.
E. D. Locke Library News
Performer: Dash the Circus Dog—Monday, January 16 @ 2:00 p.m. Come watch as Dash, a professional circus dog, performs dozens of amazing tricks. He will wow you with his many talents including handstands, playing piano and barrel rolling. A not-to-be-missed performance.
Teen Advisory Board – Sunday, January 15 @ 1:00. This board was created to give teens a voice in what programming we offer at the library. Open to students in grades 6-12. We will be planning our upcoming February Teen program as well as discussing volunteer opportunities in the library.
Chess Club – Sunday, January 15 @ 1:00.
Indian Mound Middle School
Email: TarnutA@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/middle/
Location: 6330 Exchange Street, McFarland, WI, United States
Phone: (608)838-8980
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Indian-Mound-Middle-School-McFarland-WI/204736889672509?ref=hl
Twitter: @ATarnutzer_IMMS