Spartan Gazette
Indian Mound Middle School
Staying Involved by Staying Informed
Thank you for taking the time to read our first newsletter of the school year. If your life is anything like mine, you are constantly running from one event or “to do” to another and rarely have time to go searching for information unless it is vital to your survival. For some reason, when our children are younger it seemed easier to stay informed on the other part of their lives when they are not with us. At IMMS we recognize this challenge and want to make it as easy as possible to be involved at IMMS by first being informed of what is happening. To that end, we have several tools at your disposal:
Phone calls: Staff members will call you to share positive things about your child, and, if necessary, some areas in which they can improve. We will ask, “Is now an okay time?” when we call to honor your time. We will return your phone calls promptly (our goal is 24 hours).
Email: We try to make it clear in the first sentence or two the purpose of the email. Is this a “nice to know” or a “need to know?” We will get to the point, but, when possible, we will make it engaging to read. We will not send you an email for something that applies only to your child and should be discussed in person or during a phone call.
Newsletters: We will put the need to know information first and the nice to know information later.
Web page http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/middle/ : We are continuing to develop new structures to make sure our web page is an up to date and useful resource for families. Our webpage also includes the daily announcements in an effort to directly address your child’s response that “Nothing is going on at school.” We are working hard to put extra copies of forms and handouts on the page as well, in case they don’t make it home (i.e. field trip permission slips). All teachers have webpages and many keep them updated with current units, including important resources.
Assignment Task List: This resource, which you can access from our webpage in the quick links section, lists the current daily assignments and long range assignments for all classes. It is updated each day by 1:00 p.m.
Infinite Campus: We will update grades on Infinite Campus within two weeks of an assignment being due.
Letters: We will only mail home information that is important for you to read.
Facebook: We use the IMMS Facebook page to share interesting stories and events, as well as reminders. If you are on Facebook, I encourage you to “like” the IMMS page.
We hope that these commitments honor your time and provide meaningful ways for you to stay informed and involved at IMMS. If you have any other suggestions or comments, please stop by, give me a call at 838-8980, or send me an email at tarnuta@mcfsd.org
Thank you for your involvement in your child’s education!
IMMS Book Fair
BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS...EVERYONE LOVES BOOKS!!
The Book Fair is coming to IMMS, and you won't want to miss it. The Fair will be set up in the library from October 16-20. Ms. Neal, Ms. Feralin, and Ms. Fischer will be in the library to assist students who want to find great books. Students will have the opportunity to visit the fair and buy books during the school day. Come in and browse through the great books.
Get the Book Fair app to preview book details, including age, grade, and reading levels!
Volunteers are needed to cover shifts during the school days, as well as during Thursday's evening conference. Please use the link below to sign up to volunteer. It is a fun and easy way to help your school! If you have any questions, please call Melanie Neal at 838-4575.
Proceeds from the Book Fair go to purchasing books for our classroom libraries and our book room.
IMMS Presents: The Wizard of Oz
The 2018 IMMS Drama Production The Wizard of Oz will be on February 8th, 9th and 10th 2018 at the McFarland HS Auditorium.
Applications will be available with detailed information on October 16th. Students must turn in an application and signed permission form no later than Friday, October 20th at 3:45 pm.
No late applications will be accepted.
Spots in the program are limited. 75 cast members and 20 crew members will be selected based upon answers to the application questions and availability for rehearsals.
All selected cast members will be singing, dancing and acting in the production.
Roles will be selected based on auditions.
Please check your conflicts before committing to the production.
Orchestra
Greetings from the Orchestra Room:
The IMMS orchestras are off to a great start! We are having fun, fiddling around! We will have our first orchestra event on Wednesday, November 15. This will be our Local Solo and Ensemble evening at IMMS. Music students will be performing for clinicians and family members. The first IMMS Orchestra concert will be Monday, December 11 at 7:00 pm in the MHS Auditorium.
Fiddles on Fire has started and will continue to accept new students. We are students interested in more orchestral music and we meet on Tuesday's after school. Please let Mrs. Hershey know if you are interested. Friday Fiddles has also started and meets on the first and third Friday of the month after school in the MHS orchestra room. Come join us for some fiddle fun.
Have a great year!
Musically,
Mrs. Hershey
October is National Bullying Prevention Month (a.k.a. Empathy Month)
At IMMS we are committed to a comprehensive approach to helping our students display empathy (the E in "We ARRE Spartans,"), and preventing and addressing bullying. While students learned about bullying prevention and intervention beginning on the first day of school throughout the year, during October we add some additional activities including grade level presentations, in class lessons, a survey, staff training, a courage retreat, and stating our commitment to keeping students safe. You can learn more about each of these activities below.
An important part of this process is sharing with you all of the things we are doing, stating our commitment to keeping your child safe, and asking for your help. Bullying is not a rite of passage. It is not something we tolerate or expect to go away if not addressed. It is also something that we, as staff members of IMMS, cannot always see. You, as parents/guardians, are often the first line of defense when dealing with bullying behavior. Your child may share things with you that no one at school knows. We ask that you please share this information with us so that we can work together to keep your children, our students, safe. You can call, stop by, or go to the IMMS website to report online.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, regarding our efforts to eliminate bullying at IMMS, please contact us or any staff member. Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy article and for your support to make IMMS Bully Free!
1. Grade level presentations: Administration and student services (Counselors and Psychologists) will present information to students as a grade level including that they deserve to go to a school that is free from bullying and harassment and what to do when they see or experience bullying (i.e. being an ally not a bystander, reporting using the report form or online at Sprigeo.com). We also re-teach the "Name it, Claim it, Stop it" strategy that involves naming the behavior ("I just heard you say..."), stating that the behavior is not okay ("I don't like that.."), and telling the person to stop ("It's not funny and you need to stop it). We reference important parts of our School Board Bullying Policy, which is included in our family handbook and can be found on the district website by searching for "bullying" at this address: http://www.neola.com/mcfarland-wi/
2. Lessons: All students participated in a lesson on bullying prevention and intervention on the first day of school. Students in each grade level participate in bullying prevention lessons throughout the year during ARRE Time. For example, all students will participate in a "Use Another Word" lesson regarding how to address inappropriate language (i.e. "that is so gay," "you're a retard") and bullying when it is observed. A special emphasis is placed how to be an assertive ally and not aggressive by retaliating. Additional lessons occur on an ongoing basis throughout the year, with an emphasis on integrating the lessons into existing content area units (i.e. Language Arts).
3. Survey: Each October students complete an anonymous online survey regarding their experiences with bullying. We use this information to help us better prevent bullying and intervene if it does occur.
4. Staff training: Each October we provide training to staff focusing on preventing, identifying, and addressing bullying (i.e. being present and visible during unstructured times in the hallways and recess). We reinforce these skills throughout the year.
5. Staff statement to students: On a designated day in October each teacher shares with their students in each period their commitment to keeping them safe and their right to be free from bullying and harassment. It is powerful for students to hear this same message throughout the day.
6. Courage Retreat: On November 2nd our 7th grade students and staff will participate in a “Courage Retreat” that is facilitated by a group called Youth Frontiers with help from high school mentors. During this day long activity students will work in small and large groups to empower students to face their fears and create a positive school community. You can learn more about the Courage Retreat here: http://www.youthfrontiers.org/courage-retreat/
McFarland 4H
School Nutrition
The School Nutrition department strives to provide high quality and nutritious meals to all students. Director Barbara Waara oversees a professional staff that is dedicated to your student's health. The department is an integral part of your student’s educational experience planning, preparing and serving over 1200 meals daily in 5 school buildings. Additionally, a la carte items are available at grades 6-12.
We offer a wholesome breakfast every morning for just $1.75 ($0.40 for reduced meals). Daily offerings include whole grain muffins and quick breads, granola bars, cereal, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, 100% juice and milk. We also offer a special hot entree each day.
All our menus can be found on our website: http://mcfarland.nutrislice.com/menu/indian-mound-middle/lunch-2/
Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more info and our twitter page too!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McFarlandSchoolMeals/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHSschoollunch
If you have any questions, please be sure to contact us at 838-4549 or waarab@mcfsd.org
Cross Country
Cross Country has 5 meets, and the runs range from 1-2 miles. Our primary goal is for students to improve and be excited about running. We work hard at practice, but love "Fun Fridays" to build team spirit across grade levels. It's amazing to watch kids who have never really run before find their passion and really excel at this sport.
If your child is interested in joining please contact Melissa Harrison at 608-838-8980 ext. 4837 or harrism1@mcfsd.org.
Important Dates
Oct. 19 - Family Teacher Conferences 4-7pm
Oct. 24 - Family Teacher Conferences 4-7pm
Oct. 26 - No School
Oct. 27 - No School