Isanti Middle School

Parent/Family Newsletter December 15, 2023

June 5, 2024

End of the Year

Where did the time go? It seems like we just had Open House, and now here we are at the end of the year. It has been a crazy pace these last two weeks. We have had three concerts, Honor Society Induction ceremony, Spring Formal, 5th grade Family Night, and 8th grade Celebration the last six nights. While it is a lot, it is so worth it to spend time with students and families at this exciting time of the year.

A few notes as we finish the year. Please have an AWESOME summer. 8th grade families, have an awesome start to high school in September. 6th and 7th grade families, we will see you on Wednesday, August 28th for our 2024-25 Open House.

Please Let Us Know

We have a lot going on tomorrow, the last day of school. All three grades have students going on field trips. If your student is not going on the field trip, and you are planning on having them stay home, it would be helpful if you could call or email us to let us know.

Please know that we have students all over the place during these last days of school. If you are planning on picking your child up before the end of the day PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send them with a note, or call us well ahead of time. If they know when to come to the office that is the best option. Otherwise it may take a while to locate their class. Thank you for your patience.

8th Grade Families - Memories Video

We plan to send out a link to last night's "8th Grade Memories" video to you tomorrow. There are a couple of things we need to clean up, but please look for it before the end of the day. Once again, a shout out to Josh Brantley for the hours he spent putting the video together.

Last day - 8th grade - If you are planning on doing the Slip-n-Slide make sure you have appropriate clothing AND you bring a towel. 8th graders you will not be re-entering the building if you do the Slip-n-Slide, plan accordingly.

Moving or changing your contact information?

Don’t miss important back-to-school communication. If your email, cell phone, or mailing address changes, please log into Skyward and update your information. If you are moving and won’t be attending our schools, please contact our school office.

Changes to Skyward student data may only be made by the PRIMARY guardian. Secondary guardians may change their own contact information, but not the student’s. If you don’t remember your log-in, click Forgot Password.

IMPORTANT IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION

As we head into summer, the District’s Health Offices want to remind parents and guardians of the immunization requirements so they can use the summer months to get their child’s shot records current. Fall will be here before we know it and ultimately it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure their child will not miss any classes because an immunization record is not up to date.

Immunizations are required by Minnesota law and must be completed before students can start school in the fall. Kindergarten, 7th grade and 12th grade students have several requirements. 7th grade students need to show proof of a Tetanus Diphtheria booster shot and meningococcal vaccine after the age of 11. These are required for all students grades 7-12. New in 2021, schools are required to report a second meningococcal vaccine for 12th grade students. This immunization can be given as soon as students are 16 years old.

A copy of the student's current immunization record must be on file at school PRIOR to the first day of school. Parents may file a medical exemption signed by a healthcare provider or a conscientious objection signed by a parent/guardian AND notarized.

IMPORTANT - By law, students will be excluded 30 days after the start of school, which means if students do not have current immunizations or a conscientious objection on file, they will not be able to attend school after October 16, 2024.

For a current copy of your child’s vaccination record call the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) at 651-201-3980 or your primary care provider. Use this chart as a guide to determine which vaccines are required for school (online, home school, public, or private).

If you need exemption information, the Immunization Form (Immunization and Exemption Form) is available on the MDH website.

Isanti County Public Health has low cost immunizations available for infants, children, and adults who are eligible for Medical Assistance/MinnesotaCare, uninsured, under insured, or otherwise unable to access services. To schedule an immunization appointment at Isanti County Public Health or for more information, call 763-689-1711 or email ICPH@co.isanti.mn.us.

Please remember - summer construction.

Parking Lot Reconstruction - Summer Work

Many of you may not be aware that we will be having a major renovation/reconstruction of the IMS parking lot this summer. As you all know, our parking lot, and more specifically, our traffic patterns into and out of the parking lot at dismissal time has been a huge challenge the last three years.

IMS Parking Lot Redesign Summer 2024

The major changes to the parking lot were intended to really address the traffic flow problem. Having one entry/exit for buses and for visitor parking/student pickup is a the problem the construction this summer is intended to resolve. While there will be a slight increase in the total number of parking spaces, the biggest change is that the entry for the visitor lot / student pickup has been moved north on centennial drive. That entrance is now much closer to County Road 5. Additionally, the bus lot has been moved closer to the building, as seen in the dark area on the south side of the diagram. The bus lot will surround the staff parking lot on the south side.

With all of this work being done here this summer, there are no scheduled activities being held at IMS. Targeted Services will be taking place at IIS, and Middle School Hangout will be taking place at CMS.

Please look to more information coming out in August as the construction draws to a close. At this time, the construction is scheduled to be completed by August 25, just in time for our back to school preparations.