Prairie View Middle School Familes-

Our students are already begining to settle in, get accustomed to their schedule and understand practices and procedures within the building. On these first four days, they have demonstrated their ability to be ready, responsible and respectful learners! It is our joy to have them back in the building. Students exited the building on Friday a bit tired, but with smiles on their faces and expressing excitement to return to school on Monday. We are equally excited and look forward to an amazing year ahead!

With this being said, we know that for some of our students, week two and beyond can present more challenges, as the excitement of the first days of school have come and gone. We want to assist students everyday of the school year and ensure each student is connected and supported within our school community. I encourage you to reach out if you have questions or if your student needs additional support as we navigate the first weeks of the school year.

Thank you for all you do to partner with us at PVMS!

Julie Athman, Principal

julie.athman@isd728.org

763-274-6261

Prairie View Middle School Main Office: 763-274-6260

Website: pvms.isd728.org

September 19 - Picture Day (See details below)

September 23 - Math Night, 5:00 - 6:00 pm

Looking Ahead:

October 10 - Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, 4:00 - 7:00 pm

October 14 - Picture Retake Day

October 15 - Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, 4:00 - 7:00 pm

October 16 - Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences, 7:40 - 3:25

October 17 - 18, No School, MEA

November 1 - Last Day of 1st Quarter

We are seeking parents or grandparents to serve as Prairie View Middle School greeters on Wednesday mornings, from 7:45 - 8:15 am. We have a need for additional adults to be present at bus drop off, parent drop off, and in our commons space prior to the day beginning every Wednesday morning, while our teachers are in essential meetings. We recognize that the start of a school day is a critical time for students to feel connected and welcome to successfully begin their day.

If you have time in your week, even if just once or twice a month, we would greatly appreciate your presence and support. They may not say it, but most middle school students are pretty excited to have their adults present in the building. All greeters will receive an inservice training to feel confident about the expectations in their role as the Wednesday Welcome Crew.

Please complete the PVMS Parent Volunter form if you are interested in this opportunity. Please reach out to Julie Athman, Principal (julie.athman@isd728.org) or Anna Cunzeman, Parent Liaison (pvms.parentliaison@isd728.org) if you have any further questions.

Kemmetmueller Photography is our district's photography provider. They will be at our school on Thursday, September 19th to take your student's photo. Please review the document below that provides more information about the process. Please note, we will request that all students remove hats and hoods for school pictures, unless headwear is worn for religious purposes.

Have you ever felt like having additional information about strategies to support your student with their middle school math work could be a benefit to you and your student? We are here to partner with you in this process! We welcome parents and guardians of 6th - 8th grade students to join us on Monday, September 23 at our first annual, Math Night! On this evening our math teachers will share information about our math curriculum, how to understand your student's strengths or areas of need in math based on their standardized testing results, grading practices in the math classroom and more! Your time is valuable and we will adhere to the one hour timeframe set aside for this meeting. We look forward to seeing you on September 23.

We have roughly 100 - 200 students that walk or bike to Prairie View Middle School each day! We want all students to be safe on their journey to and from our school. Please, once again, review the following guidelines with your students to ensure safety for all.

If your student is coming from neighborhoods to the south of our building, they must follow the bike path and sidewalk from 80th St, along the sidewalk that runs through the Prairie View Elementary grounds and onto our Prairie View Middle School grounds. ***Please direct your student to stop at the crosswalk on 80th St. and Maciver, to watch for traffic. Also note, there is not a crossing guard assisting middle school students to cross at any intersection.****

Students must refrain from lingering on the elementary campus or interacting with the elementary students that may be outside at this time. Students should remain on the sidewalk space and cross through the elementary grounds to/from the middle school grounds in a swift and respectful manner.

Bike racks are located at the front of the school building to the left of the main entrance. Students dismount their bike at the start of the PVMS front sidewalk and walk it to the bike racks in the morning and walk their bike across the sidewalk in the afternoon, to avoid running into others that are arriving or exiting the building.

Please see the map below to review the expected route that your student will navigate to or from Prairie View Middle School. We discourage students entering or exiting the Prairie View Middle School grounds at our main entrance, as you would need to cross traffic entering or exiting the parking lot.

Many students have done a great job of brining the expected water bottle to school for their personal use. Only clear, see through water bottles, containing water only, may be used during the school day or taken out of the commons/lunchroom area.

We ask that students refrain from bringing metal or glass thermoses or containers, (like a Stanley cup) into the classroom space. Students are not to store other open beverages in their lockers or bring any beverage, other than water, out of the commons space to the locker area, or classrooms. Water fountains and water fill stations are available throughout the building as well.

Thank you for helping your student transition their water bottle to the requested clear container, if not already done so.

At Prairie View Middle School thousands of meals have been served to our students at breakfast and lunch over the first few days of school! We are grateful for our food service staff who provide delicious and nutritious offerings to students each day. During the 2023 Minnesota Legislative Session, lawmakers signed into law the Free School Meals program for students. All students are eligible for one reimbursable breakfast and one reimbursable lunch per school day free of charge.

>>>>Student Barcodes:

ISD 728 utilizes a unique barcode for each student and is used to account for meals served to students. Currently enrolled students have been assigned a barcode. Barcodes will follow students throughout their years in ISD 728, therefore a previous student ID will have their barcode printed on it. A student ID with the barcode on it was distributed to all students this past week in homeroom or AVID. This scannable barcode may also be used later in the year for things such as book check out in the media center or other uses within the school. It is imperative that the student have their barcode with them at school each day, therefore they are encouraged to leave their ID with their materials that remain at school. If they have lost their barcode, students are encouraged to print a new one at home. Students will receive an additional student ID with barcode once school pictures are taken.

Menus:

Menus for lunch and breakfast are available on the District website or through the Nutrislice app. Please select Prairie View Middle School and meal to view the options.

A la carte Options:

A la carte options (such as additional snacks, beverages, ice cream and second servings of the meal served for the day) will be available for students to purchase in the cafeteria. Parents/Guardians have the option to limit these selections for their student(s) by completing the No A la carte Request Form available on the District website under Food Service.

Parent Portal Online Payments:

It is only necessary to have funds available in your student’s food service account if they intend to purchase extra food items (a la carte). Students without money in their account will not be able to purchase extras. When you log into Parent Portal, parents/guardians will see the Food Service tab in the menu. On this tab you can view individual meal account balances, view daily meal purchases in real time, make secure payments anytime, and sign up to receive low balance e-mail notifications. NOTE: If an account balance falls below $0.00 you will automatically receive a notification from ISD 728. For more information, please visit the District website.

Apply Now for Educational Benefits:

ISD 728 will continue to collect the Application for Educational Benefits to determine if students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Students qualifying for benefits increase federal and state funding to support learning experiences for ISD 728 students. Please help ISD 728 students by completing the application! Qualifying for benefits also helps your family reduce fees in other areas of your child’s school experience. Please apply!

The online Application for Educational Benefits is now available for the 2024-2025

school year directly through Parent Portal. You can print a paper copy from the website or obtain one in the school offices. A new form needs to be completed each school year, and you can apply anytime throughout the year if your circumstances change.

Healthy eating is so important for children. At Prairie View Middle School, we work hard to ensure students receive a healthy breakfast and lunch each day to support their developing brains and bodies. Research shows that children who eat regular, nutritious meals are more likely to attend school and be engaged in learning. We are excited to partner with Every Meal to offer a free weekend meal program to all our students.

Every Meal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. They strive to make a difference in children’s lives by focusing on food gaps like weekends, school breaks, and summer when they can’t receive food in school.

• Free for all families

• No qualifications required

• Students enrolled in the program will receive a 4-5 pound bag of nutritious, nonperishable food each week

• Every Meal does not collect information from families; privacy is protected

• Families may choose to participate in the program anytime throughout the school year

• Families may choose from a variety of different weekend food bag options

To participate in this program, please complete this FORM

Please reach out to Prairie View Middle School Counselor, Jessica Hootz at jessica.hootz@isd728.org, if you have further questions about Every Meal distribution.

We appreciate your patience with transportation as we have started the school year. Bus routes, bus stop locations, and pick-up and drop-off addresses are available in Parent Portal. Once logged in, look under ‘More’ and then ‘Transportation’ for details.

If you recently requested transportation for your student, it will take about two weeks from the time of the request for your student to be placed on a route. If you have not yet requested transportation for your student, but need to do so, please review additional information at www.isd728.org/transportation.

Ride Safe: Bus Rules and Expectations

Riding the bus is a privilege and not a right. Please review bus expectations with your students. Students will receive this information during the first weeks of school as part of School Bus Evacuation drills, required under Sec. 123B.90 MN Statutes.

>>Bus Safety and Expectations on ISD 728 Website

Tech Resources for Students & Families

• Tech Flyer for Families (Includes information about Campus Portal, Schoology and GoGuardian)

• Tech Flyer for Students

• Chromebook User Guide

• Student Chromebook Care & Expectations

• Empowering Parents: Steps to Foster Healthy Technology Habits in Children

ISD 728 Student Device Plan & User Agreement: Prior to starting each school year parent/guardian must sign-up for a device plan for each student attending grades 5 through 12. Returning 6th - 8th grade students will bring the school issued chromebook from home to school on the first day. Incoming 5th grade students will be issued a chromebook during the first week of school.

We have been reviewing the expectations outlined in the ISD 728 Middle School Student Handbook with students. We encourage parents and guardians to also review the materials to best understand expectations for all students. Additional detail pertinent to Praire View Middle School can be found in Section 4 of the document.

Our district wide Math League will soon be starting for students in grades 6-8. Interested students should connect with Mrs. Stangler, Math League Coach, for further details.

Save Receipts for School Supplies! The Minnesota Department of Revenue offers two valuable tax benefits for parents who purchase school supplies for their K-12 students: the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction. These benefits can reduce parents’ taxes to increase their refund, but is only available for those who keep their receipts. Purchases for most school supplies, field trips, and musical instruments for school band are eligible. Most Minnesota parents qualify for the K-12 subtraction, which reduces their taxable income. Parents under certain income limits may also qualify for the K-12 credit, which can refund up to 75% of their costs – even for parents who do not owe any taxes. Review this informational flyer to learn more.