Primary Press

12/6 Futura Spanish Class 2:45-3:45

12/8 NO SCHOOL, Professional Development Day

It's certainly clear, that winter is here!

Cold, wind, snow, and sometimes all of 'em at once - tis the season for me to share my annual message around winter gear and student independence. First, if you haven't yet - please make sure your child starts coming to school with a warm hat, gloves, and coat (if they put up a fight, feel free to say Mr. Nelson says so!). And as we start having more days with ice/snow than not, it will also be important to make sure they wear/bring snowpants and boots. It is extremely important that each item has your child's name on it; I know we harp on the fact of checking the lost and found, but it really is a shame how many thousands of dollars of unclaimed items we end up donating throughout the year. Next, in addition to getting that gear out of storage, I also like to put a plug in for how helpful it is to have your child practice taking it all on and off at home. When your child can zip their own zippers, buckle their own buckles, and put those pesky mittens on after all is said and done, they get so much more playtime outside, versus when our staff have a line of students needing help putting items on. If your child is used to getting a bit more help with these items at home (which is just fine!), consider having them try doing a couple more steps of the process each week to build that independence. Finally, on days your child might have forgotten something, we do have an extra supply of winter gear in our health office, but although it's only the beginning of December, we are already seeing lots of students need to stop down and borrow.

Thank you, and have a great weekend!

Check out our Wonders (English-Language Arts curriculum) grade-level newsletters by clicking the buttons below, to keep up-to-date on what your child is learning, along with tips on how to support literacy at home!

With the cold and flu season in full swing, please review our Guidelines for sending your child to school and MSD Health Services Handbook. Remember, if your child is sick please keep them home and seek medical evaluation as needed. Students will be sent home with the following symptoms:

• Temperature above 100.4°F

• Vomiting or diarrhea

• Frequent uncontrollable cough

Your child should remain at home until fever, vomiting/diarrhea has stopped for 24 hours without the use of medication. Students who are prescribed antibiotics for infectious conditions such as strep throat or impetigo must complete treatment for 24 hours before returning to school. As well, please notify the School/Health Office if your student has tested positive for a communicable disease such as: Influenza/Flu, Covid 19, Strep Throat, Hand Foot & Mouth, Chicken Pox, Pertussis.

Thank you for your partnership as we work to keep our students and staff healthy and safe each day!

Last week the Lions Club trained vision screeners conducted vision screenings on all Kindergarten and 2nd grade students for vision difficulties.

Families of students who did not pass will be emailed a vision referral. Please review the information provided in the email and let health services know if you have any questions. If you need assistance or resources obtaining vision exams and glasses please reach out to Stephanie Peplinski, District Nurse Peplins@mcfsd.org for information.

Hello McFarland Families,

As part of our commitment as a district to not only gather your feedback, but to collaborate and make positive change in response to this feedback, we are pleased to share an update on the actions that have been taken so far in response to the areas of growth identified from the parent/guardian satisfaction survey you completed in March of 2023.

As we stated when the results were initially shared with you in June (see results here), these survey results are used for:

• Accountability: To set benchmarks and goals, and to monitor our progress in relation to the strategic plan

• Action: To determine action steps in relation to the strategic plan including the allocation of resources

As a reminder, we plan to administer the parent/guardian satisfaction survey and staff check-in survey annually. This winter we will also administer our first annual formal student surveys for students in grades 4-12.

Thank you for taking time to review the highlighted updates below.

I welcome your questions and comments!

Thank you,

Aaron Tarnutzer, District Administrator

838-4550, tarnuta@mcfsd.org

December 3 International Day for Persons with Disabilities

• International Day of Persons With Disabilities, is an annual observance to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
  

December 7 - 15 Hanukkah

• Also known as the festival of lights, is time for Jewish people to come together and reflect on their story of resistance. The celebration lasts eight days and nights and is observed with foods, games, and the most symbolic tradition of lighting the menorah.

• Today marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights by the United Nations General Assembly. This document lays out the fundamental and entitled human rights of all human beings. Together we must work to build a better future.

* Wisconsin Public School Observance Days

The following flyers are not necessarily school-sponsored activities, and the McFarland School District does not provide support or endorsement of the program/flyer. It has neither reviewed nor approved the program, personnel, or activities announced in the brochure/flyer. Permission to distribute this material must not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by the School District.

3 juniors at McFarland High School, Emmi Everson, Kendra Mueller, and Lauren Boehnen are representing McFarland DECA through organizing the Ryan's Roundup events. Ryan's Roundup is an annual event that raises money to support kids, like Ryan Udell, a current 8th grader at the Middle School, with muscular dystrophy to attend the MDA summer camp which gives these kids a chance to escape their typical everyday life and daily challenges. They need your help! Help support McFarland DECA in their goal to donate $10,000 under Ryan's name to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. You can help by using the link to donate or buy a shirt and attend the Mcfarland High School Boys and Girls basketball games on December 1st and 5th. (Wear your shirt to the games!) Help make this a successful and memorable event for Ryan! Classmunity Link