Primary Press

At our all-school assembly last week on Friday, not only did we have a visit from the Blue Notes (high school choir), but the MHS senior class president came and shared the importance of kindness, how he models kindness to others, and he launched our whole-district dress up week this week (notes further below).

Address: 6009 Johnson St. McFarland, WI 53558

Main Phone: 608.838.3146

EC-2 Principal: Greg Nelson

K-5 Associate Principal: Brooke Hauser

Building Administrative Assistant: Lyndsey Niebuhr

Online: Website & Facebook Page

Meeting the needs of every learner, every day

Enjoy the shorter week; Friday is a conference release day (no school) to account for the additional time our teaching staff puts in preparing for and leading parent-teacher conferences next month during the week of March 17th (which is also our Book Fair!).

Sincerely,

Greg Nelson, CEPS Principal

Brooke Hauser, CEPS/WIS Associate Principal

• 2/10 Community Day, Wear Spartan Gear or Blue & White
• 2/11 Be Kind to Yourself Day, Wear Pajamas or Comfy Clothes
• 2/11 2nd Grade Geology Museum Field Trip (Albrecht & Punzel) 9:30-10:30 am
• 2/12 Letter "P" Day, Wear Something That Starts With the Letter "P"
• 2/12 2nd Grade Geology Museum Field Trip (Schmidt & Wisniewski) 9:30-10:30 am
• 2/12 Futura Spanish Class 2:45-3:45 pm
• 2/13 World Kindness Day, Wear Bright Colors!
• 2/14 NO SCHOOL
• 2/19 Futura Spanish Class 2:45-3:45 pm
• 2/20 CEPS Open House 4:00-5:30 pm
• 2/21 Kindergarten Orientation #1 8:15-9:15 am
• 2/26 Futura Spanish Class 2:45-3:45 pm
• 2/26 Kindergarten Orientation #2 5:30-6:30 pm
• 2/28 Kindergarten Orientation #3 8:15-9:15 am

• Spartan Headquarters Vintage Sale to Benefit McF Food Pantry - February 11 & 13

• Youth Apprenticeship Info Nights 2025 - February 12 and March 3

• McFarland Optimist Club Free Family Bingo Event - February 14

• E.D. Locke Library Teen Beginner Sewing Class - February 14

• E.D. Locke Library Perler Bead Crafternoon - February 14

• E.D. Locke Library Self-Defense Classes - February 15

• E.D. Locke Library Star PJ Storytime - February 20

• E.D. Locke Library Teen After Hours Karaoke Party - February 21

• WI Assoc. for Talented and Gifted Four Corners Free Madison Workshop - February 22

• PICADA Virtual Dangers of Human Trafficking Program - February 26

• Stoughton Health Safe@Home Program for Grades 4-6 - February 28

• Stoughton Health Safe Sitter Program for Grades 6-8 - March 1

• CESA 2 MHS Driver Education Program

• ACT Prep Plus - Registration Open

• Futura Grades K-2 Spanish Language Program

• E.D. Locke and Galin Education Free ACT Diagnostic Test Day - March 11

• McFarland Youth Baseball Organization 2025 Season Registration Open

• McFarland Youth Softball 2025 Season Registration Open

• Badger Precollege Grades 6-8 Latino Youth Summit - March 24-25

• i9 Sports 2025 Spring Season - Register by March 28

• McFarland Soccer Referee Course - April 19

• E.D. Locke Library Teen Dungeons and Dragons One-Shot Adventures - January-April

• E.D. Locke Library VolunTeen Program - January-April

• E.D. Locke Library Teen S.T.E.A.M. - January-April

• E.D. Locke Library Teen Hangout - January-April

• E.D. Locke Library Teen UnBook Club - January-April

• E.D. Locke Library Teen Snack & Chat - January-April

• E.D. Locke Library Grades 3-5 LEGO Club - September-May

• E.D. Locke Library Grades 3-5 Graphic Novel Book Club - September-May

• E.D. Locke Library Grades K-2 Magic Tree House Book Club - September-May

• Free Triple P Positive Parenting Online Program for WI Families

• Badger Bots Kids Summer Camps

When we implemented our new English-Language Arts (ELA) curriculum last year, Wonders 2023, we provided updates in our monthly newsletter so that families knew what their children were working on. Now that it isn't new and we're no longer sharing specific updates, we thought it would still be great for families to be able to see what each unit entails. Our 4K-5 Lit Coordinator Lori Lovell put together the following info. Be sure to check it out!

CLICK HERE for an overview that outlines learning outcomes and key skills for each unit as well as ways you can support your child’s learning. Classroom and/or grade level newsletters will note the current unit.

As you are likely well aware, each CEPS student gets a chance to be "special person" for a week where they get some special recognitions and privileges. One super fun part of that is getting to invite favorite grown ups for lunch! It is important to ensure that any adults who attend have explicit permission from parent/guardian ahead of time (call the office). In addition, come as close to the start of lunch period as possible; any earlier and you'll need to wait for the kids to come in from recess and any later and the special student starts to worry if the adult is showing up! Here are the lunch times:

• Kindergarten: 11:05
• Second Grade: 11:50
• First Grade: 12:35

This week, all district schools are focusing on the many ways to show kindness, from small random acts to good deeds, to showing empathy, appreciation, and respect for others, and everything in between. One fun connection across schools is a district dress up week! See below for the details for each day.

This week, as part of our plan to spread kindness to the community, students will be decorating to-go bags that Rock N Rollz and McFarland House Cafe will use later this month to bag up food. Be sure to stop by and pick up some yummy grub bagged up in our amazing artists' designs!

Last month's monthly theme was Goal Setting. One area we focused on was school-wide responsibility and goal-setting to see which grade level could keep the cleanest cubby areas for the month. Each day, staff took data on which grade did the best jobs with coats and backpacks hung, boots and winter gear organized, etc. Drum roll please....our kindergarteners won!! Tomorrow, they will get extra recess time staffed by our admin/student services team as a reward. Congrats to our klean kinders!

Free COVID-19 tests available: U.S. households are still eligible to order four free COVID-19 tests through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at COVIDTests.gov. The COVID-19 Tests will detect current COVID-19 variants. Many COVID-19 tests have extended expiration dates, so you may be able to use your COVID-19 tests after the expiration date that is printed on the box. To find out if your test has an extended expiration date, check the FDA’s list of extended expiration dates.

Looking for Covid and Flu testing?: From our community friends at Forward Pharmacy – Speedy Swab Rapid COVID-19 + Flu A&B Antigen Self-Test are now available at Forward Pharmacy. These easy-to-use self-tests provide you with rapid results right in the comfort of your home. Whether you're feeling under the weather or just want to be proactive, these tests can help you check your health status. Stop by Forward Pharmacy today to get your kits and be prepared for whatever the flu season may bring! Prefer us to do the testing? We also offer rapid tests for COVID/Flu, Strep, RSV, and Lyme Disease at our Cottage Grove location. Get reliable and rapid results in only 15 minutes—spending less time at the clinic waiting for appointments and lab results.

Vaccine Clinics: Public Health Madison & Dane County is partnering with Madison Metropolitan School District and SSM Health to offer more school vaccine clinics to get students up to date on their school vaccines. These clinics will take place at the below dates and times in Madison.

• Saturday, February 8th - 10am-2pm – Holtzman Learning Center

• Saturday May 17th - 10am-2pm – Holtzman Learning Center

To find out more information and to schedule an appointment, see the attached flyer, or visit publichealthmdc.com/schoolclinics.

• WI Student Immunization Law by Age/Grade Requirements
• Student immunization record (English, Spanish)

• Due to budget challenges, the district evaluated the vacant Waubesa Intermediate School (WIS) Associate Principal (AP) position in summer 2024 using our decision-making guidelines to determine whether to pause, hire, or reduce the role.

• After exploring multiple options, we reassigned the K-2 AP to a K-5 AP, with support from other staff members.

• Staff who took on additional responsibilities have been working exceptionally hard and exceeding expectations.

• Despite their efforts, concerns remain about the impact of eliminating the position, as expressed by numerous staff members and families.

• In response, the district is initiating the hiring process to fill a full-time Associate Principal position for Waubesa Intermediate School (WIS) for the 2025-26 school year. The current K-5 AP role will be split back into two separate positions: one at Conrad Elvehjem Primary School (CEPS) and one at WIS.

• We have identified multiple funding sources to support this hire, including reallocating summer school principal responsibilities, energy and transportation savings, and copier contract adjustments.

• For questions about this decision, please contact Aaron Tarnutzer at tarnuta@mcfsd.org.

February is...

• Black History Month
• Kindness Month
• Career & Technical Education Month

• February 10 -14 McFarland Community Week
• February 12 - Abraham Lincoln's Birthday
• February 14 - Friendship Day