IMMS Family Flier

Dear Indian Mound Middle School Students and Families,

As we step into February, we embrace a month filled with opportunities for learning, reflection, and connection. This time of year brings us closer to the heart of our school community—our students, families, and staff—who continue to inspire and support one another.

This week at IMMS is "Community Week". Community Week is happening throughout the district. It is a week dedicated to showing kindness, empathy, respect, and appreciation for our students, staff, and families.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making IMMS a place where all students feel supported and empowered. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or thoughts to share. We are grateful for your involvement and look forward to a great month ahead!

Warm regards,

Jamie Thomas, Principal

Brett Jondle, Associate Principal

2-hour delay schedule

Daily Schedule

Daily Announcements

Day A/Day B Schedule

Student Services Support Contacts

McFarland School District Website

McFarland School District App

McFarland Youth Center Website

McFarland RADAR (Relevant Alcohol & Drug Awareness Resources) Coalition Newsletter

IMMS Athletics Calendar

Family information on IMMS Expectations

IMMS Sports and Clubs Eligibility Criteria

Feb 10-13 Community Week

• Monday: Spartan Out
• Tuesday: PINK day
• Wednesday: PJs
• Thursday: TBD

Feb. 14: No School - Conference Release Day

Feb. 19: 7th-12th Jazz Ensembles

Feb 22: Orchestra String Fling 2:00-7:00 Concert at 5:45pm

March 6: Family Teacher Conferences

March 7: No School, Family Teacher Conferences

March 11: Choir Concert 7-8

March 24-28: No School, Spring Break

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👭👬🪷😌Here are our plans for Community Week:

• Monday is Community Day (Wear Spartan Gear)🔵⚪

• During ARRE time, students will answer the question about what they like about their community on their slip and then add it to your ARRE time chain.

• Tuesday is Kindness Day (Wear PINK) 💗🎀

• Student Council will deliver Thank You cards before school. Students should write a thank you card for someone to show how much they appreciate them. Students should deliver their letters individually to the person they wrote the thank you note.

• Wednesday is Self Care Day (Wear PJs/Comfy clothes) 🪷😌

• Students will watch a self-care/mindfulness video in ARRE time. After the video, students will have the opportunity to answer the questions:Describe a time you felt proud of yourself. What was it that made you feel proud, and why? List three of your favorite activities that help you relax and have fun. Why do they make you feel that way? Think of a friend or family member that makes you feel happy. What qualities do they have that you appreciate?

Conferences will be held the evening of March 6th and the afternoon of March 7th. More information will be emailed to you on February 21st. Spring conferences are optional. This means if you are feeling comfortable with the success of you scholar, you are not required to schedule a conference.

More to come in a couple weeks....

Students recognized:

First Row - 6th Grade - Owen Biddick, Hanna Carlson, Stihl Anderson, Logan Payne and Lucas Ecker.

Second Row - 7th Grade - Emma Sieja, Addy Ewing, Mason Weier, Zoey Bontz, Brady Brezenski, Will Olson and MYC winner Jaydenn Friedl.

Third Row - 8th Grade - Renae Lin, Alyssa Bresette, Liam Comstock, Ali Charbonneau, Aria Vazquez-Bonfanti and Sylvia Bloechl-Anderson

Above Left to Right: AJ, Dash, Ha'Keem, Miley, Serafina, Norma, and Astou (Jamyla not pictured)

Above Left to Right: Mr. Bartman, Ms. Thomas, Miley, Norma, Serafina, Dash, Astou, Jamyla, Mr. Tarnutzer (Ha'keem not pictured)

We are excited to share that it is time for our 2nd quarter / Semester 1 report cards. The purpose of grades in the McFarland School District is to communicate the learning, growth, and achievement of individual students about necessary academic standards with a focus on critical thinking, creative thinking, and communication skills. In addition to the ongoing communication that teachers and families have throughout the school year, we formally communicate four times yearly on your child's academic, behavioral, and social progress: twice at Parent/Teacher Conferences and twice with semester report cards. Our Q1 and Q3 report cards are an opportunity to share a snapshot of your child's progress toward learning standards each year, and spring report cards are now available on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Note: If the class is a 9-week long class, the grades at each quarter are the final grades.

***HERE is a 90-second video on how to check your scholar’s grades on IC.

Final Grades for 9-week classes: The following courses are only 9 weeks long and the grades are final: Art, Family and Consumer Sciences, Futures, General Music, Technology, and Engineering.

Final Grades for other classes: All remaining courses have final grades that reflect student progress throughout the first half/second half of the school year, with the most recent evidence (assessments) being the most important.

There are three areas assessed for student progress:

• Conduct: Reflecting our empathy and respect goals.

• Effort Reflecting achievement and responsibility regarding completed/ missing/ late work and effort in participating in class activities and learning.

• ELO Standards: These reflect the course's academic standards (“Essential Learning Outcomes”).

Student progress is reported using the following scale:

Extending the standard (ES) My performance extends the standard at this time. I consistently apply and/or extend a thorough understanding of the concept or skill being assessed.

Meeting the standard (ME) :My performance meets the standard at this time. I consistently demonstrate an understanding of the concept or skill being assessed.

Approaching the standard (AP):My performance is approaching standard at this time. I demonstrate a basic understanding of the concept or skill being assessed. I may need more time to practice before becoming independent.

Significantly below the standard (SB):My performance is significantly below standard at this time. I demonstrate a limited understanding and/or misunderstanding of the concept or skill being assessed. My performance indicates significant gaps in understanding that are needed to meet the grade level standard at this time. I need more time and support before becoming independent.

Not Assessed or Blank (NA)The standard is not assessed at this time.

Not enough evidence (NE): I have not yet provided enough evidence of understanding at this time.

• Not assessed NA The standard is not assessed at this time.

• For the conduct grade and the effort grade, students' goal is to perform at the “ME” level. If your child is not meeting these expectations, please talk to them and their teachers about how to improve.

• For final grades, the goal for students is to be performing at the “ME” level at the end of the semester/school year

• You should not expect to see grades of “ES” as this is an extremely high standard and not the equivalent of an A in a traditional grading system. Please understand that teachers are doing their best to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate higher levels of learning as they build their foundational skills.

• Not all ELO’s are assessed at a given time. ELO’s not assessed enough for a teacher to assign a score are either left blank or listed as “NA” for “not assessed.

• Should you have questions about your child’s grades, please contact their teacher for that course directly.

Here are some helpful tips and videos that may be useful:

• How to log-in to Infinite Campus (38 second video) or HelpDoc

• How to check your scholar’s missing assignments (2 min. video) or HelpDoc

• What are Conduct and Effort Scores? (2.5 min. video)

• How to check your scholar’s Conduct and Effort Scores (3 min. video) or HelpDoc

• IMMS Standards Based Grading Presentation

How to view grades on Infinite Campus:

1. Log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

• If you do not have an Infinite Campus portal account, please contact Gina Pili at pilig@mcfsd.org or 838-4580 and request your Portal Activation code.

• If you have forgotten your username and/or password and previously set your Security Preferences, you can click the orange HELP button on the portal login screen and choose either 'Forgot your password?" or "Forgot your username?'

• You can also send an email to Eversomm@mcfsd.org for help with either of these issues.

2. Select your child from the “Select a student” drop-down menu at the top. If you have only one child in the district, this won’t be necessary.

3. You have 2 options to view the final grades and in-progress grades.

a. Grades Tab:

• Go to the top left 3 bars to bring down the menu and select Grades and Term 2

• You will notice some grades are “in progress” and those that are final grades are in bold.

b. Documents Tab:

• Go to the top left 3 bars to bring down the menu and select Documents, Report Card, IMMS Report Card.

• Please note that only final grades are on the report card (versus in-progress grades

• Select Progress Report " to see the current "in progress" grades in your child's other classes.

Fastbridge Information: FastBridge assessments are a universal screener that students in grades K-8 participate in three times per school year. These results provide a snapshot about what our students know and are able to do in the core academic areas of English/Language Arts and Math, and spring results are available for families to view in Infinite Campus.

To access your child's Fastbridge results, please follow these steps:

• Log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal

• On the left-hand side menu, click More and then Assessments

• All of your child's historical FastBridge scores will be displayed. The number under Score is a raw score and the number under Result is the national percentile rank of that score for your child's grade level. A percentile shows the percentage of students nationally who scored at or below your child's score. The lowest value is 1 and the highest is 99.

• If you have more than one child in the District, you can click in the upper right to change which child's scores you are viewing

• If you would like additional information about your child's FastBridge scores, you can email one of us to request a FastBridge Family Report that includes more detailed information

If you would like additional information about your child’s FastBridge scores, you can reach out to your child’s principal and request a FastBridge Family Report that includes more detailed information.

Please contact the main office at 838-8980 if you would like a printed copy of your child’s grades. Thank you for your involvement in your child(ren)’s education!

Family Fun Night

Thursday, February 27, 5:30-7:30

Indian Mound Middle School

This event is for everyone! Not just IMMS families!

Family Fun Night is an opportunity to meet Indian Mound Middle School’s teachers, students, and clubs and have a great time with your family. There will be a variety of events and activities staged throughout the school. Many are sponsored by clubs, students and community organizations. These include many fun experiences for folks of all ages. Come out to Family Fun Night and see what IMMS has to offer our community. There is something for everyone!

The PTO is looking for input on meeting topics and activities that are of interest to families! Hearing directly from you will help us identify topics that are interesting to you and how best to communicate about meeting dates, times, and locations. We appreciate you taking the time to provide your thoughts! Please fill out this SHORT SURVEY

This week 8th graders will start learning and talking about high school registration. The start comes on Wednesday when high school counselors come to IMMS to talk with all students during their Social Studies class about the high school transition process. Below are some key dates that you should keep in your calendar. Please reach out to Fred Bartman, School Counselor with any questions you may have.

High School Registration Timeline:

• Jan 21: High School Counselors Talk w/ 8th graders during school day
• Feb 5: Advisory Night at MHS
• Feb 10: Registration sheets due to IMMS Social Studies Teacher
• Week of Feb 17: 8th graders register online for classes during Social Studies Clas

We may not be jumping into a frozen lake, but we are gearing up for an icy good time to support Club Unified & Special Olympics! Instead of the traditional Polar Plunge, we’ll be taking on water balloons, ice buckets, &/or super soakers – because why freeze alone when we can share the chill?

If you’d like to support our brave (and slightly crazy) participants, we’d love donations! Every dollar helps us continue building an inclusive community at IMMS. Click HERE to donate.

Thanks for helping us make a splash for a great cause!

Stay warm (we won’t),

The IMMS Art Ambassadors designed Valentine's Day postcards. This beautiful pack of cards is only $5 and proceeds will support McFarland's Food Pantry. You can purchase them through the Classmunity fundraiser link and then the cards will be available for pick up in the IMMS lobby starting January 29th Monday - Friday 8:30 - 4:00.

Use this LINK to order!

For More Information

Contact: Sandy Schoen

608 838-4500 ext. 4805

SchoenS1@mcfsd.org

We will gladly accept donations of snacks that we can give to students who may not be able to provide their own. We are specifically looking for nut-free, nonperishable, healthy snacks. You can drop off donations at the IMMS Student Services office.

Thank you to everyone who has donated ground coffee for our staff members! We are well stocked with bags of coffee for a while and the teachers will be happier for it:). One thing we COULD use right now are additional K-cups for those seeking a single cup of coffee in the afternoon.

Thank you in advance.

As the weather continues to cool down and the seasons change, we wanted to provide a few reminders that we will/have been sharing with your scholar:

• Students should take their coats/sweatshirts/hats with them to lunch to avoid having to have to go to their locker/backpacks after being dismissed from lunch to recess
• To allow students the chance to eat at their own pace, there are two waves of dismissal from lunches. The first wave of dismissal happens 15 minutes into lunch (for those who are finished and want to get outside right away). The second wave of dismissal occurs twenty minutes into lunch (lunch/recess is thirty minutes total).
• The expectation is that at this point, all students must go outside for recess. Please continue to encourage this with your scholar

Below you will find "Hubs" (aka Task-List) for each grade level and Related Arts. You can click on the "Hub" to get information on what your scholar is doing in class, assignments, and assessments.

• 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

McFarland Recreation Aquatics & Play (MRAP) and the McFarland Performing Arts Center (MPAC) offer a wide variety of recreation and aquatics programs for community members of all ages. To learn more, visit MRAPNews.com

Questions about specific MRAP or MPAC programs?

Reach out to the staff contacts listed below:

Stu Schaefer, Director of Community Services

schaefs@mcfsd.org | 608-838-3168

Kayla Eliasson, Aquatics Supervisor

eliassk@mcfsd.org | 608-838-3168

Alisha Fix, Recreation Supervisor

fixa@mcfsd.org | 608-838-4666

Zachary Franczak, Performing Arts Supervisor

franczz@mcfsd.org | 608-838-4461

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.

Parents and Families: as a reminder, please do NOT send any medication to school with your child-this is a safety risk and is not allowed. The only medication that students can carry with them at school are emergency medicines such as an EpiPen or Inhaler. Even then, the health office must be notified of this and have signed documentation by the student's physician and parent/guardian (Medication Consent Form: Prescription, Over the Counter). OTC medication such as Tylenol and Ibuprofen are stocked in the health offices for student use if needed. Please call or email with questions about this or if you would like your student to take medication at school.

• 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