MHMS Update

MISSION: Our mission is to ensure high levels of academic and social/emotional learning for all Mt. Horeb Middle School students and staff.

VISION: The preparation and practices of our middle school reflect our commitment to successfully develop students’ skills for high school.

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We have a few updates for you regarding conferences, athletic passes, crossing the street, and more.

As always, if you ever have questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us directly.

Sincerely,

Paul Christiansen, Principal

christiansenpaul@mounthorebschools.org

608.437.7331

Catie Goninen, Assistant Principal

goninencatie@mounthorebschools.org

608.437.7332

Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled to be held on Tuesday, October 8th and Thursday, October 10th. They will take place between 4:00 - 7:45 PM. If you have not already been contacted, you will be contacted by your child’s Viking Hour/Homeroom teacher to schedule a conference and time. All parent-teacher conferences will be conducted by your child’s Viking Hour/Homeroom teacher only, and are held in person, unless otherwise requested. If you are in need of a virtual conference, please reach out to your child’s Viking Hour teacher. We will be happy to accommodate that.

Our hope, as always, is to continue building positive relationships with all middle school families during these meetings. Homeroom teachers will have general academic information and universal screener testing data about your child. If you have a specific question or concern about a particular subject, please do not hesitate to reach out to that teacher directly via email. Our goal is to meet with 100% of our middle school families during our fall conferences and your child is encouraged to attend.

If you ordered your K-8 student an athletic pass for the 2024-25 school year & have not picked it up yet; please stop by the High School office between 7:15am-3:45pm to pick it up.

Everyday before and after school we have over 500 middle school students entering and exiting the building. Some of them walk to/from the Intermediate Center to ride the bus. However, many of them cross Lincoln or Garfield Street to either walk home or be picked up by a caregiver.

We have talked with students about making sure they cross the road safely. This includes looking both ways and even more importantly using the crosswalks. Even if they are right across the street from the person who is picking them up, walking across the street in an area that is extremely busy is unsafe, creates concern for other drivers, including bus drivers, and ultimately could lead to an accident.

We could use your help. Please help reiterate the use of crosswalks to your child. Also, if you are picking them up or dropping them off make sure they use the sidewalk to get to a crosswalk before crossing the street. We ask that you do not allow them to "cut across" these busy roads only to save a few seconds. Remember you are always welcome to use the loop in front of the building for pick up and drop off.

A map is pictured above with the crosswalk locations. Thank you in advance for your help and support!

We have all loved seeing Crumble in our hallways, classrooms, office, and student services area. Crumble, our new service dog, is here bringing comfort, joy, and a wagging tail to our students and staff! Custom Canines Service Dog Academy has kindly donated Crumble, a fully trained service dog.

Crumble's Role

Crumble isn't just any dog; he is a specially trained service dog equipped to offer emotional support and a soothing presence during challenging times.

How Crumble Can Help

1. Emotional Comfort and service: Crumble's calm demeanor and gentle nature provide a unique form of emotional service. His presence can help ease feelings of anxiety and stress, offering a comforting paw to hold in difficult moments. Sometimes, a dog's love is all it takes to help us feel a little less "ruff."

2. Creating a Safe and Inclusive Atmosphere: Crumble will help foster a welcoming environment that makes everyone feel welcomed. His friendly disposition makes him an excellent bridge for communication, encouraging students and staff to express their feelings and seek service.

3. Supporting Mental Health: Interacting with service dogs has been shown to improve mental health, reducing anxiety and depression. Crumble's role is to provide both physical and emotional comfort, contributing to overall well-being.

We're thrilled to welcome Crumble to our school community. Please don't hesitate to ask your child about Crumble.

Tiplines are used to identify threats to schools, and for concerns impacting school age youth such as bullying, drug use, suicidal thoughts and more. The SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT (SUSO) tipline is run by the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety.

Who knows more about what’s going on, in or out of school, than students themselves? Individually and collectively, students play an essential role in keeping our schools safe. Caregivers can support school safety efforts by helping children understand the clear difference between tattling or “snitching” and disclosing concerning information to a trusted adult to keep themselves and their classmates safe.

The SUSO threat reporting system aims to empower students to share their concerns safely and confidently without fear of retaliation. We encourage you to talk to your child about the importance of letting a trusted adult know when someone is struggling or demonstrating behaviors of concern. Early reporting of concerns prevents violence and allows us to

provide interventions and supports to the child that is struggling.

The SUSO threat reporting system is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and is free to all. Students, parents, school staff and community members can submit information about a school safety concern by downloading the SUSO app (Android and iOS), visiting speakup.widoj.gov, by calling 1-800-MYSUSO-1, or by texting “SUSO” to 738477. SUSO

Resource Center staff respond to reports and deploy a local response by communicating directly with school administrators; school counselors, psychologists, and social workers; and at times, law enforcement Partners.

To learn more about the SUSO Resource Center and how to report safety concerns, visit

speakup.widoj.gov or find them on social media @speakupwi.

Please access the Mount Horeb Middle School home page for a detailed calendar with all school activities listed along with any changes that may have been made: https://www.mounthorebschools.org/schools/middle/

Quarters

Quarter One Ends: November 6

Quarter Two Ends: January 24

Quarter Three Ends April 4

Quarter Four Ends: June 11

Early Release 12:40 PM Dismissal

September 9

October 14

November 11

December 9

January 24

February 10

March 10

April 14

May 12

June 11 Last day of school 11:15 AM dismissal

Parent Teacher Conferences

October 8 and 19 4:00-7:45 PM

March 13 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

As always, if you ever have a question, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.

-Paul

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Paul Christiansen, Principal

christiansenpaul@mounthorebschools.org

608.437.7331

Catie Goninen, Assistant Principal

goninencatie@mounthorebschools.org

608.437.7332

Email: christiansenpaul@mounthorebschools.org

Website: https://www.mounthorebschools.org/schools/middle/
Location: 900 East Garfield Street, Mount Horeb, WI, USA
Phone: 608.437.7306
Twitter: @christiansenpMH