Spartan Gazette
June 2018
Indian Mound Middle School
Building Administrative Assistant: Gina Pili / pilig@mcfsd.org
Attendance Line: 608-838-8980
Fax: 608-838-4588
Email: TarnutA@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/middle/
Phone: 608-838-8980
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Indian-Mound-Middle-School-McFarland-WI-204736889672509/
Twitter: @ATarnutzer
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
As hard as it is to believe, another school year is coming to a close. There are so many wonderful memories to share from the school year and also a few things to look forward to next year. Here are a few of the highlights:
Parents of 5th grade students: Welcome to your first IMMS newsletter. We hope you find our newsletter to be informative and interesting. It was wonderful to see so many of you on April 30th at the 5th grade parent night. If you were unable to attend, you may find the information on our website in the quick links section at http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/middle/. We have heard so many wonderful things about the class of 2025 and we can’t wait to have them join us. While our next formal meeting will not be until the orientation sessions during the evening of August 30 (5:00-6:30 or 6:30-8:00), please feel free to contact IMMS at 838-8980 with your questions. In the meantime, please order your child’s P.E. uniform online. You may find the flyer on our website.
Parents of 6th grade students: What a wonderful start to their middle school careers. It has been exciting to watch this class change from somewhat nervous students in September to the confident students they are today. The class of 2024 has already made IMMS a better place through their hard work, enthusiasm, and commitment to our school. I can’t wait to see what they can do in 7th grade. I also want to acknowledge how impressed with have been with how involved you have been in their education as they begin to become more independent. It has been an honor to partner with you.
There will be a few changes for them next year, including having different teachers for Social Studies, Science, Math, and Reading/Language Arts. The students in their classrooms typically change each period as they no longer travel as a homeroom as they did for 6th grade. I am confident they will handle these changes with ease.
Parents of 7th grade students: They have reached the end of the middle of the middle. There are so many amazing students in this class who are ready to be leaders. We will count on these students to serve as excellent role models for our incoming 6th graders next year. Many of these students will be taking a summer school leadership course to serve as “Ambassadors” for the upcoming year.
In 8th grade they can expect more freedom and independence, accompanied with higher expectations and responsibility. There are also many “perks” to being in 8th grade including extra field trips (i.e. UW science, ropes course), being able to stay inside for recess during the winter months, and more. Before you know it, we will find ourselves in January where your child will begin choosing classes for the high school based on the career conversations they have with their School Counselor, Mrs. Runde.
Parents of 8th grade students: This is your last issue of our newsletter. Your children have made our school better with their great ideas, by modeling empathy for our younger students, and by “jumping the hurdles of life” on a daily basis. I can’t believe 3 years has passed. You will be amazed by how much they have changed when you see the slide show during 8th grade recognition! It is hard for us to see this class move on, but it will be fun to watch them at the high school. Before you know it, we will be at their graduation! I suppose I should slow down a little bit, but time does fly pass quickly. We are looking forward to celebrating this milestone at 8th grade recognition on June 6th, followed by their last day and the end of the year trip on June 7th. It has been an honor to serve as their Principal for the past three years.
Next Year: IMMS will look a lot different next year. Over the summer nearly ½ of the existing building will be renovated to look like the new space that has already been built including defined grade level areas with collaboration spaces. The cafeteria and band rooms will be filled in resulting in one level that is accessible to all and flexible. The gym will be larger with a wood floor. The library will have doors. I could go on and on. Only the office area of the school will be accessible from June 11 to August 27. In addition to the physical changes, we are unfortunately saying goodbye to the following three very important staff members:
Jim Kramer, School Counselor/Teacher: Mr. Kramer is retiring after a 35 year career in education.
Mike Eversoll, Math Teacher/Technology Integrator: Mr. Eversoll is retiring after a 35 year career in education.
Stephanie Schreiner, Math/Science Teacher: Mrs. Schreiner has accepted a teaching position closer to her home.
We will also be welcoming some new staff members. Emily Eschmann, currently a Long Term Guest Teacher in 7th grade math has been hired for this position permanently. We will also be welcoming David Wallace as an 8th grade math teacher. We have one more math/science teaching position will plan to hire for this week.
As we conclude the year, we welcome your thoughts on the school year and questions about next year. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call, stop in, or send an email. Thank you for making this year so amazing. Now, it is time to start counting down the days until the 2018-19 school year!
Spencer Phillips Competes in NATIONAL Spelling Bee
6th Grade Boat Regatta Highlights
To Take or Not to Take - Language at the Middle School - By Katie Younger
At IMMS, all sixth graders have the unique opportunity to take exploratory French and Spanish. A sixth-grade student will be introduced to one language during the first semester, and the other during second semester. These introductory classes meet every other day as part of the Related Arts offerings. As they are "exploratory" in nature, you can think of them as pre-level 1. They are intentionally low-key and fun, in order to pique students' interest in world languages. In seventh grade, students may choose to enroll in level 1 French or Spanish, which meets every other day all year. It is a prerequisite to continue level 1 in eighth grade, which will then meet every day for the school year. We are fortunate to be able to spread out level 1 over both 7th and 8th grade, as it gives students more time to acclimate to language learning.
If a student satisfactorily finishes level 1, they are ready to enroll in level 2 in ninth grade, which is a wonderful head start to make it all the way through level 5 upon high school graduation. Finishing level 5 just so happens to look great on a college application. Another option could be to take a year or two of one language, and then switch to another for the remainder of high school. Depending on the college or university, a student with this background can test out of, or simply skip several semesters of college level French or Spanish. This could tremendously impact tuition costs, of course! We've had many students in the past who have even studied French or Spanish abroad for a semester (or more) for college credit. Throughout my years as the French teacher at IMMS, it certainly has been exciting and rewarding to see the numbers of students who have chosen to take French 1 in 7th and 8th grade and continue it into high school and beyond.
Taking Spanish is as popular as ever, and will continue to be, thanks to the increasing Spanish-speaking population in the US. But what about French? Some parents make the knee-jerk assumption that it isn't useful, or that Spanish is better for job and college opportunities. Both languages are very important, so I would ask you to consider French, when it comes time for you and your child to decide to take a language at the middle school.
French has recently been ranked as the third most important language of business, after English and Mandarin Chinese (Bloomberg). Because of its global nature (it’s spoken on five continents) and the increasing development of twenty French-speaking countries in Africa, along with their rapid population growth, some are even predicting that French could have over a half billion speakers by 2050. Presently in the United States, there is a shortage of French majors. Your student could definitely be at an advantage for college and job opportunities with a degree in French or even a minor in it. It’s a great compliment to degrees in business, communication, education, law, and more. Please check out the following article that shares many more reasons to take French. You may be surprised!
17 good reasons for parents and school principals to choose French
Join Us For Summer Orchestra
Summer Orchestra
August 6-10 (M-F) and 13-16 (M-Th), 2018 – High School Orchestra Room
8:00 – 8:30 AM 5th grade cello
8:40 – 9:10 AM 5th grade viola
9:20 – 9:50 AM 5th grade violin
10:00 – 10:30 AM Interested new students – IMMS/ MHS
10:00 – 10:30 AM Bass – IMMS / MHS
11:15 - 12:00 PM 8th grade orchestra
12:15 - 1:00 PM 7th grade orchestra
1:15 - 2:00 PM 6th grade orchestra
2:15 – 3:00 PM MHS Chamber music
$5 fee for summer orchestra will be billed through IC.
Fiddles for the State Fair – open to 6th – 12th grade string students
Tentative rehearsal dates: June 18, 27 - July 9, 19, 31 – MHS Orchestra Room/ Mrs. Hershey’s house
Please check the Orchestra website for updates! -- mcfarlandorchestra.weebly.com
6:00 – 7:00 PM Fair beginners – typically 6th – 7th grade string players (fall grade level)
7:00 – 8:00 PM Fair advanced – 8th – 12th grade string players (fall grade level)
Thurs. Aug. 2 – 6PM - Performance at Sundaes on Thursdays at the McFarland Park
State Fair – 1:00 PM on Saturday, August 4, 2018 – State Fairgrounds – West Allis, WI
A la Carte Lunch
The School Nutrition Department offers some healthy a la carte items during the lunch period. Here is a list of what is available and the prices:
String Cheese - $0.25
Extra Milk Carton - $0.40
Peanut Butter & Jelly Uncrustable - $1.00
6 oz Yoplait Light Yogurt - $1.25
100% Juice Slushy - $1.25
When cookies are on the menu, extra cookies may be purchased for $0.50.
Extra entrees can also be purchased daily for $2.00 each.
If you have any questions regarding the student meal program, please call
Barb Waara @ 838-4549.
Find a Summer Meals Site
There are many organizations throughout Wisconsin that provide free healthy meals to children throughout the summer. You may use one or more of the following resources to find your nearest location:
- Locate a site on the Summer Meals Map (the map will be updated weekly throughout the summer)
- Call 2- 1-1
- 2-1-1 is a free, easy-to-remember phone number connecting callers with health and human services in their community.
- Text 'food' to 877-877
McFarland Youth Center - June News
Hello Youth, Parents and Guardians:
This month McFarland Youth Center youth have been busy preparing for the summer months with outdoor clean up, indoor organizational projects and volunteering their time at our fundraising events.
All youth who will be entering 6th grade in the fall will be welcome to participate in McFarland Youth Center programming starting the first day of summer (June 8th). During the summer months we will be open Monday to Friday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
We have many fun and exciting events planned for the first month of summer including field trips, magic classes and 3D printing! **See the attached June calendar for specifics.
Key Dates and Closings:
- Summer Hours Start Friday, June 8th, MYC will be open Monday to Friday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Tentative: please check calendar)
- Friday, June 8th: Summer Celebration Party (2:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
- Friday, June 22nd: Bowling Field Trip
- Tuesday, June 26th: Water day
- Wednesdays, June 13th, 20th, and 27th: Girls Group 5:00 to 7:15 pm (Magic with James Ember!! Come learn how to perform 6 different magic tricks in a 3 week period)
- Thursdays, June 14th, 21st, and 28th: Boys Group 5:00 to 7:15 pm (Magic with James Ember!! Come learn how to perform 6 different magic tricks in a 3 week period)
MYC is open Monday to Friday; 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm during the school year.
MYC is open Monday to Friday; 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm throughout the summer and on non-school days.
**Hours are tentative please check calendar.
**McFarland Youth Center is a FREE non-profit 501 C(3) open to all youth of middle school age (6th, 7th and 8th grades)
LIKE US on Facebook ----> https://www.facebook.com/mcfarlandyouthcenter/