Mill Creek Principal Update

Dear Mill Creek families,

Welcome back to school! We can't wait to see our Cougars next week when school resumes. We hope everyone had a restful and fun break.

Winter weather is heading our way. Please check to make sure you know where the paper choice boards your teacher sent home prior to winter break are located. Students will complete activities from these boards should a snow day be called by the district this winter. See the AMI/Snow Day activities section below for more information. You can also find the online link to the choice boards below.

We will be administering the second iReady diagnostic to all of our students when we return to school. Thank you for helping your children understand the importance of this assessment. As I mentioned in my Parentlink prior to break, the January diagnostic allows us to see student growth from the beginning of the school year. Reading and math interventions for students are determined by student performance on the iReady. Additionally, middle schools use the data from the fifth grade winter diagnostic when placing students in sixth grade courses.

When we do come back to school, the temperature is forecast to be very low. We do still go out for recess, so send your children with heavy coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. We know fresh air and outdoor time are vital to our students' learning!

As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. Have a wonderful weekend.

Go Cougars!

Amy Rogers & Samantha Adams

January 6 - School resumes

January 8 - Math Contest Tryouts (See information below)

January 9 - Club pictures

January 13 - Yearbook orders due (See instructions below)

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

January 20 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School

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

While no decision has been made yet regarding the winter weather headed our way, we wanted to remind families of the AMI (Alternative Method of Instruction) plan that will be in place should a snow day be called this school year. Prior to winter break, our teachers sent home choice board packets for students to be able to reference at home should in-person school be canceled due to bad weather. If you have misplaced your child's packet, no worries. The link to elementary choice boards is available below. Students simply choose some activities to try while they are at home. Teachers will ask students the next day they return to school if they tried some of the options, and students who answer in the affirmative will be marked present for that AMI day. No work will need to be turned in. Teachers will be available via email during school hours (8:20 am - 3:20 pm). Here are some of my favorite choices:

• Read for 20 minutes
• Make a shopping list for the grocery store
• Do a 7 minute HIIT workout
• Write a word problem about snow or ice and have someone in your house solve it

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. All are welcome!

What is the Math Contest?

•Our school will have ten 4th graders and ten 5th graders participate in the Qualifying Math Contest. (This year, the district has limited the number of participants to 20 total students from each school.) We will also have two 4th grade alternates and two 5th grade alternates, who will participate if we have contestants who unexpectedly cannot attend.

•There are 4 rounds of competition: Number Sense (timed mental math computation), Sprint (timed multiple-choice word problems), Target (timed short-answer word problems), and Team (timed short-answer word problems with your assigned team).

•The math contest questions are challenging. Most students will be familiar with many questions on the computation round. Other rounds will have word problems that are above the elementary level (some even at the high school level), and they are meant to be very challenging.

Who can try out for the Math Contest?

You can try out for the Math Contest if:

1.You are a 4th or 5th grader at Mill Creek.

2.You can attend the Qualifying Math Contest at Rock Bridge High School on Saturday, March 15 (approx. 8:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m.)

3.You can attend Math Club meetings to learn rules and practice for the contest. Club meetings will be Wednesdays before school (arrival at 7:20 a.m.) at Mill Creek. Specific dates will be sent to eligible students.

How do I sign up for the Math Contest try-out?

•Sign up for the Math Contest Try-Out using this link: https://bit.ly/MCEMathTryout2024

•On Wednesday, January 8: Students trying out for the Math Contest will meet Miss Slaven between 7:20-7:25 a.m. at the parking lot doors (drop off at the curb on the parking lot side of the building). Do not leave until your child is able to enter the building. Students will take a timed test, so it is important for your child to arrive on time.

•After Miss Slaven finishes scoring the try-out tests, she will send home your child’s test with a note stating whether your child qualified to participate in the Math Contest.

If you have any questions, please contact Miss Slaven (5th grade teacher): aslaven@cpsk12.org

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.

Questions? Contact: Kelley Rogers kerogers@cpsk12.org

Thursday, January 9 -Group and club pictures, your child should listen for their club to be called during the day to take their photo for the yearbook.

If you have any candid photos from throughout the year that you'd like to share, please upload them here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yrdTY6D9vdK52pmMA or email them to mceptaboard@gmail.com.

Monday, January 13 - Don't miss out on preserving a year of memories with a MCE yearbook! The deadline is January 13, 2025. Order now at https://inter-state.com/Yearbooks using code 91197W. If you're unsure whether you've already ordered, email Mceptaboard@gmail.com for help!

Tuesday, January 14 - PTA Meeting at 6:00 PM - All are welcome to attend in person (Media Center) or via Zoom Topics: Special Guest Speaker, Tracy Perkins, Detective - Internet Safety Presentation and PTA Updates.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82651516632?pwd=0eo3hAUSw1CkGnaL7t64Z4yYRmjZWB.1

Meeting ID: 826 5151 6632
Passcode: 483814

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.

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.

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