WMU District Newsletter

We would like to congratulate all of our seniors and wish them the best as they move into the last month of their high school career. We are currently finalizing plans for graduation which will be held on Sunday, May 21st at 1:00. If you are a parent of a senior, congratulations to you too! It is a lot of hard work to get to this point. Helping with homework, concerts, sports, school play, speech, skinned knees, learning how to ride a bike, birthday parties, learning how to drive a car, Prom, 4H, boy scouts/girl scouts, getting a job, balancing their time, selecting a college, financial aid, etc. This list could go on and on. WOW it is a lot of work being a parent, but when they walk across that stage, it is emotional and AWESOME! We hope you feel that sense of pride when you see them get that diploma. They have earned it and so have you!

Yours In Education,

Mr. Jeff Maeder, Superintendent of School

Mr. Dave Edwards, 6-12 Principal

Mrs. Karinda Wahls, PreK-5 Principal

Teachers spend countless hours preparing lessons, evaluating progress and coaching and counseling students. Their leadership and commitment in the classroom supports our mission of growing learners and leaders. WMU teachers are all truly amazing!

This week is also a time to celebrate our school staff! Our WMU staff are indispensable and without them, our schools wouldn't exist to function the way they do. The level of support that they provide for our students and teachers is a daily reminder of how fortunate we are to have them!

Please consider reaching out and thanking a WMU teacher or staff member for their dedication to serving WMU school and students, especially during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (May 8-12).

Thank you WMU teachers and staff for everything you do!

May is School Board Recognition Month, sponsored by the Iowa Association of School Boards, to celebrate the contributions of board members to Iowa public education. The Winfield Mt. Union School District is celebrating the work of school board members, who are committed to our students, school, and communities.

While school board members are elected by the community, they serve as unpaid innovators who help students take flight by devoting their time to monthly meetings, reviewing board materials, communicating with citizens, exploring learning opportunities, and attending school functions and activities.

Your school board is working hard to make sure all students succeed. Take a minute and say thanks to the following members of the WMU Board of Education: President, Klay Edwards, Vice President, Aaron Cummings, Matt Nelson, Stacey Buffington, and Jason Remick. Thank you for all you do!

For five days, WMU students engaged in Spring Term. Students and Teachers took a break from classes and immerse themselves into a project of their choosing. These projects ranged from designing a disc golf course, baking, making a large quilt, writing and creating a short film, job shadowing, and impacting others by volunteering in local communities as well as our own.

The Industrial Technology program has been awarded two grants this spring. The first one is from the South East Iowa Builders Association. We filled out the grant to buy a new TIG welder and a new air compressor for the shop. We also had the opportunity to apply for a STEM Scale-Up grant for the training and the materials to bring a Drone class to our Industrial Technology program. The class will take place this summer where Mr. Kongable will travel to a site to learn about how to build and program drones and then the class content will be taught this fall in the Industrial Technology curriculum here at WMU.

Our TAG program was awarded a STEM Scale-Up grant also for Storytime STEM-packs which will be available to students and staff in fall of 2023 to use. These STEM-packs will engage young learners in STEM and computer science challenges connected to popular children's books.

Our Elementary was awarded the Casey's Cash for Classroom Grant for $3500. This grant will be used to create STEM bins for all classrooms PreK-5.