Mill Creek Principal Update

Dear Mill Creek families,

Winter certainly came roaring in this weekend with the beautiful snow and cold temperatures! Our teachers and staff are ready to welcome our Cougars back for a chilly month of learning and fun.

If you haven't heard already, Columbia Public Schools received some very positive news right before Thanksgiving break. Missouri released its Annual Performance Report (APR) information for Missouri public schools, and CPS scored in the top 20% with a score of 86.5. This is up from a score of 70.1 last school year. CPS was the only district of our size to earn double-digit growth. Mill Creek staff and students played a key role in this improved score, thanks to our growth in attendance (moving from 88% to 92%), as well as our improved scores on the MAP test in math and English/Language Arts. We have a great deal to proud of as a school and school district! We could not continue to make this growth without the support of our Mill Creek families. Thank you for ensuring your students come to school each day, for reading with your children, and for encouraging outdoor play after school. All of these factors make a difference in student success at school.

As we move into the busy holiday season, we look forward to having some fun at school. Next week, from Monday, December 9 - Wednesday, December 11, PTA will host Cody's Snowball Shoppe. Flyers with more information will go home in Friday folders. Additionally, we will have a spirit week during the last week of school before Winter Break. Each day's theme can be found below. You also should receive information soon from your class room parent regarding winter class parties, which will take place on Friday, December 20 from 2:20-2:50 pm. We are excited for an enjoyable end to 2024!

Go Cougars!

Amy Rogers & Samantha Adams

December 9-11 - Snowball Shoppe

December 16 - 20 - Winter Spirit Week (see theme days below)

December 20 - Winter Parties, 2:20-2:50 pm

December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break

January 6 - School resumes

January 14 - General PTA meeting and Cyber Security Presentation, 6 pm in the Media Center

January 23 - Multicultural Night, 4:30 - 6 pm

Monday, December 16 - Snow Day! Wear white

Tuesday, December 17 - Ugly Sweater Day - Wear your tackiest sweater or sweatshirt

Wednesday, December 18 - PJ Day - Everyone gets to wear pajamas

Thursday, December 19 - Cozy Day - Wear your favorite winter hat, scarf, and socks

Friday, December 20 - Holiday Bling - Wear your favorite bling for the Holiday Sing!

We are bringing back the Cyber Security presentation offered to parents at Mill Creek in previous years. Detective Tracy Perkins from the Boone County Sheriff's Office will present at our PTA meeting on Tuesday, January 14 at 6 pm. This presentation is geared toward families whose children will soon be attending middle school, as well as parents who have questions about better ways to monitor and regulate their children's online presence.

On November 8, CPS sent families information regarding changes to the school year calendar. Here is information from the email:

The changes for the current 2024-25 school year are as follows:

• February 7 is now an Early Release "D" Day for Elementary and “B” for Secondary
• February 14 is now an Early Release "A" Day
• April 11 is now an Early Release "B" Day

Columbia Public Schools prepares its calendars years in advance to provide families, staff, and the community time to plan around the school year expectations. The current 2024-25 calendar was originally approved by the Board of Education in 2023.

After the 2024-25 school year calendar was developed by the district’s calendar committee and approved by the Board of Education, the state legislature passed new legislation with optional provisions for school districts to receive additional funding. While the funding will not be allocated until 2025-2026, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education later determined that the current 2024-2025 school year calendar will be used to determine eligibility. The new legislation requires the district maintain a calendar that includes both 1044 hours and 169 days. The district already exceeded the 1044 hours previously required but needed to add additional days to the existing calendar to meet the new requirement.

These changes also mean the district will need to adjust how inclement weather days (snow days) are handled this year. The district will now have Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) on inclement weather days. The district will use AMI for up to 36 hours. This will be utilized as 9 four-hour early release days. If all 36 hours of AMI are used, any additional time will need to be made up. This could result in the extension of the school year.

The district is working on developing the AMI structure and more information will be available on the district’s website later this month. Please note the AMI offered for inclement weather days differs from what was required during the pandemic. Inclement weather AMI will not include the delivery of new content to students and will focus on review and study of material already taught.

More information should be coming from the district soon regarding the work that will be required of students on inclement weather days. We will share it as soon as we have it, as well.

Cody's Snowball Shoppe is coming soon! Students will have the chance to shop for gifts for friends, teachers, staff, family, pets, or themselves during school hours. Each class has a designated shopping time, which will be communicated by your teacher this week. Shopping will take place between December 9-11. Your child will receive a flyer from Penguin Patch, the company PTA is partnering with for holiday gifts, along with an envelope. Please be sure to fill it out and check the sticker at the bottom. All funds raised will go toward purchasing new outdoor recess equipment!

Remember to send your child with cash or a check made out to MCE PTA. Prices for gifts range from $0.25 to $12.00.

** Please send cash or check on your child’s assigned shopping day, which your teacher will share with you soon.

Come volunteer at Cody's Snowball Shoppe! We’re looking for parents like you to help create a fun shopping experience for the students at Mill Creek Elementary. Click the link to choose a shift (or more) to volunteer. Your support is greatly appreciated! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45AFAE22ABFAC16-53313625-codys

Please save the date for our upcoming Mill Creek Multicultural Celebration on Thursday, January 23, 2025 from 4:30-6:00pm. There will be fun activities and performances for families to enjoy. We are looking forward to celebrating the many cultures and languages represented at Mill Creek!

On the morning of January 23, we will have a Parade of Nations for students at school. Students are invited to wear traditional dress (if available) and will carry a small flag (provided by the school) showing their family’s origin. Please return the paper form sent in Friday folders or complete the electronic form below.

We are also inviting families who would be willing to set up a display, share a talent, or participate in some way from 4:30-6:00pm on January 23. Whether you moved here from another country or have always lived here and just want to celebrate your heritage, we would love your help. Some ideas to share your family’s culture: make a poster, show traditional clothing, write names in another language, show artwork, provide food samples, display money/currency, dance, storytelling, share games, or play instruments.

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Rpg8UQ4817FQQEh7Ylgj9bxVw-RMhipVWZJsdXTwWp4/edit?usp=sharing

Questions? Contact: Kelley Rogers kerogers@cpsk12.org

Website: www.cpsk12.org/mce
Location: 2200 West Nifong Boulevard, Columbia, MO, USA
Phone: 573.214.3280