Primary Press

Our beautiful "Family Star" art installation contains all of the stars families completed together at our Open House in February. Each family completed a star sharing what makes their family unique. How awesome for students to see all of the school-home connections.

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

Tips to ponder for your week!

👂Did you know that on average, young children need to hear a new word over ten times in different contexts before it really sticks? A fun way to build vocabulary is to play a “word of the day” game at home: pick a new word, chat about what it means, and see how many times your family can use it throughout the day. You might be surprised at the creative ways they work it into their day! We'll set you up for the week:

• Monday: mumble
• Tuesday: zigzag
• Wednesday: splat
• Thursday: nudge
• Friday: gobble

⏩ Looking to build your child’s independence with daily tasks? Try using a “first-then” approach: “First we put on shoes, then we head outside to play!” This helps children understand sequences and expectations while giving them a sense of control. Pro tip: be sure the "then" is something the child looks forward to, otherwise there's no motivation to complete the sequence (anti-example: "first put on shoes, then eat cabbage" might not make your child excited to work on tying their laces!).

🐳 And, WOW first graders. You made waves and had us swimming with joy with your Under the Sea themed music program last week. Great work!

Sincerely,

Greg Nelson, CEPS Principal

Brooke Hauser, CEPS/WIS Associate Principal

• 3/11 1st Grade Field Trip to IMAX Theater 8:30-11:30 am
• 3/12 Futura Spanish Class 2:45-3:45 pm
• 3/13 Class Color Day (Wear your Class Colors! Kinder-Yellow, 1st Grade-Green, 2nd Grade-Blue)
• 3/13 2nd Grade Music Program at the PAC in the MHS 5:30-7:30 pm
• 3/17 - 3/21 Book Fair
• 3/17 - 3/21 Spring Conference Week
• 3/19 Futura Spanish 2:45-3:45 pm
• 3/21 Assembly 9:10 am & McFarland Vocal Tour 9:40 am
• 3/24 - 3/28 SPRING BREAK
• 4/26 CEPS Carnival 9:00 am - 1:00 pm (more information to come)

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

• DECA Share Night at Angelo’s - March 12

• Boys and Girls Club of Dane County Madison Shamrock Shuffle - March 15

• E.D. Locke Trinity Irish Dancers - March 17

• E.D. Locke Teen After Hours Nerf Night - March 21

• E.D. Locke Library Card Design Contest - March 1-April 4

• E.D. Locke Library All Ages Poetry Contest - March 1-April 1

• CESA 2 MHS Driver Education Program

• ACT Prep Plus - Registration Open

• 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

• E.D. Locke Library Bad Art Afternoon - March 28

• i9 Sports 2025 Spring Season - Register by March 28

• McFarland Soccer Referee Course - April 19

• IMMS McFarland Spring Craft Fair - April 26

• Dane County Humane Society Camp Wildside 2025 Day Camps and Summer Camp

• 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

• UW Madison Summer Anxiety Group for Kids Grades 2-4 - June 17-July 17

• Dane County Humane Society Summer Camp Pawprint

• Free Triple P Positive Parenting Online Program for WI Families

• WI School of Business - Grade 8 & 9 Free Precollege Summer Camp: Business Basics

• Badger Bots Kids Summer Camps

Last week, Superintendent Tarnutzer emailed all 4K-12 families launching our annual Family Survey. This survey is administered by School Perceptions, an independent education research firm, to ensure your feedback is confidential. Please be on the lookout for an email from School Perceptions that includes a link to the survey that is unique to you. The survey will be open from March 10 through March 25th. We value your feedback!

Tip 1: Help Move Skills from the Knowledge to Automaticity Level

Do you remember when you were learning to drive a car? At first, you had to think about every move you made. After instruction and repeated practice, it became possible to drive without consciously thinking about each action. Less brain power needed!

Learning to read is similar to learning to drive. It takes two important skills: recognizing words and understanding what they mean. When we talk about automaticity in reading, we mean being able to quickly and easily recognize words without having to think about it. To get there, we practice recognizing sounds, blending them together, then combining syllables and parts of words, and finally reading sentences. Once we become automatic at recognizing words, our brain can focus more on understanding the story or information we’re reading.

HERE are a few ways to help build automaticity at home!

Thank you to our 4K-5 Literacy Coordinator for putting together this lit tip!

Please take some time to review the CDC Measles Cases and Outbreaks regarding increased cases of Measles seen in Texas. While the current outbreak has not spread to Wisconsin yet, the potential exists. Measles is a viral infection that causes fever, cough, sore/watery eyes, rash and can lead to serious complications. Measles spreads very easily, so it is important to protect against infection DHS - Measles Fact Sheet. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent measles. Two doses of Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine provide the best protection against disease and is routinely recommended between 12-15 months and the second dose before entering school, at 4-6 years. Waivers to the state school requirements are available for religious, health, and personal conviction reasons (Student Immunization Record). However, in the event of an outbreak of measles students with waivers/unvaccinated may be excluded from school until the outbreak is declared over. You may check your child’s immunization record by logging on to the Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR). Your local health department, family health care provider or online health MyChart may also have your child’s immunization record. If interested in getting your student vaccinated please visit Public Health Immunization Clinics or reach out to your clinic. Please reach out to your primary care provider for questions. As always thank you for your collaboration in keeping our students and staff healthy and safe each day!

Incoming Kindergarten families, please complete the required Kindergarten Health Registration Packet and return to the CEPS Health Office prior to the first day of school or during Camp Kindergarten this summer!

March is...

• Women's History Month
• Youth Art Month
• Music In Our Schools Month

• February 28 to March 30 - Ramadan

Looking for more things to do?

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 Supervison: 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

The McFarland School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, sex, (including gender status, change of sex or gender identity), or physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability (Protected Classes) in any of its student program and activities.