To our Parents, Students, StafF, and Community -

We are looking forward to the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year here at Prairie River Middle School. This update is written to answer questions you may have as we look at starting another year at PRMS. There are several new processes and procedures that will be implemented this year. The following are highlights that should be noted.

1. It is imperative that all parents complete online registration as soon as possible. Registration opened July 15 and will end September 2. The importance of us having vital contact information is needed and in no way is any of that information released and it is confidential.The online registration can be referenced by going to our website under Family Information and click on resources. In addition, for families that do not have internet access, we will have kiosks available to help with registration on site. I would encourage parents to complete this process prior to coming to orientation as it will avoid taking additional time.

2. In order for new students to the district to receive their iPads, students must have their online registration forms completed.

3. The first day of school is Tuesday, September 3. 4. We will be having ALL students and parents meet for a brief meeting during orientation day in

the auditorium. More information about times is located within this newsletter.

If you have additional questions, please call 715-536-9593 or go on the MAPS website www.maps.k12.wi.us. You can also contact us and follow important announcements via Facebook - at Prairie River Middle School. We will be glad to help you! Ryan Martinovici, Building Principal Mark Seaman, Associate Principal and The Staff at PRMS

Prairie River Middle School Newsletter

August 2019

Prairie River Middle School MISSION

The mission of Prairie River Middle School is to inspire academic

excellence and citizenship in all students.

VISIONPRMS will be a community of learners that builds positive

relationships and promotes social responsibility, intellectual

development, and emotional growth.

What are the PRMS hours for students? The building will be open for students from 7:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. each school day.

Exterior building doors, 14 & 26, will open for students at 7:30 a.m. Students are able to eat breakfast in the cafeteria or arrange to meet with teachers or friends upon entry.

Before school, students who need a pass for an appointment, an admit slip for an absence, or to deposit lunch money will need to stop in the office.

Students are to be out of the building by 3:20 p.m. unless they are supervised by an adult or staying for extra-curricular.

From the School Counselors.... We hope you all had a safe and enjoyable summer vacation!  

Mrs. Knospe will be serving students in 6th grade as well as students on the 8th grade Sequoia team. Mrs. Forster will be working with the 7th grade students, as well as students that are on the 8th grade Tamarack and Bonsai teams.  

Counselors see students individually, in group settings, as well as in the classroom.  We work with students each year to help them develop their Individual Learning Plan which is a focal point in their 8th grade Jay Talks.  Keep your eyes and ears open for more information regarding Jay Talks as the school year begins.  

Please feel free to contact either one of us before and/or during the school year with any questions or concerns.  Our offices are located across from the main office.  We look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces very soon!  

BUSING Peterson Busing: 536-1119 Wendorf Busing: 536-6039

If you don’t know if your child is eligible to ride the bus or which contractor to contact, call Lori Ugolini at (715) 536-4581 ext. 10007.

Messages to Students . . .

Messages received from parents/guardians will only be forwarded to students during

the day as appropriate. If there is an emergency,

please contact the main office at 715-536-9593 ext. 17000.

Student Athletics: John Miller, MAPS Activities Director

What does PRMS have to offer:

Fall Winter SpringFootball (6th-8th) Boys Basketball (7th & 8th) Softball (8th grade)Cross-Country (6th-8th) Girls Basketball (7th & 8th) Track (6th-8th)Swimming (6th-8th) Wrestling (6th-8th) Girls Soccer (6th-8th)Volleyball (Girls 7th, 8th)Boys Soccer (6th-8th)

Student Activities: Please contact the appropriate advisor for more information.Student Council - Kelly Kraegenbrink, Kim Hoff, Laura ForsterForensics - Mike Rindt, Jean NelessenYearbook– Megan Dalebroux & Hannah FrobergSchool Newspaper– Hazley BonnellWeight Room—Scott Boesel (check times for availability)Ski Club - Christy RasmussenMathCounts - Nate GramsCheerleading - Melissa McCoy/Hannah Froberg

5th Quarter!Sponsored by Merrill Park and Recreation and Merrill Youth Hockey. Friday, September 27, 2019 from 4-7 pm at the Smith Center. For more information contact Merrill Park & Recreation (715) 536-7313. Parent volunteers are always welcome.

Attention All 8th Graders interested in Merrill 8th Grade Tackle Football

First Practice: Monday August 19th from 3:30-5:30 pm at PRMS (Bring pad lock or $5 to purchase lock) Wear shorts and t-shirt. Practices August 20-23 from 8:00-10:00 am.

Parent Meeting & Equipment pick-up: Monday, August 20th at 3:30 p.m. in the PRMS Cafeteria (approximately 30 min.)

Athletic Cards: Fill out all online athletic forms and registration forms before the first practice. The forms can be found in

skyward, family access. Athletes and parents have forms to fill out. For questions contact the high school activities

office (John Miller or Julie Losee).

Merrill 6th & 7th Grade Tackle Football information Parent meeting and equipment pick-up: August 20th at 5:30-7:00 pm in the PRMS cafeteria. First Practice: Monday, August 26th from 3:30-5:30 pm.

Bring iPads - There will be someone there to help register the players at the parent meeting. Any players already registered can check to see if everything is complete at the meeting. Forms are in skyward. Go to family access and search for athletic forms. Players and parents have forms to fill out. If you see your family doctor for the physical, please plan accordingly. It sometimes takes awhile to get an appointment. Email: brian.suchocki@mapsedu.org if you have any questions.

Cross CountryParent meeting was Tuesday, August 6th from 5:30-6:30 pm in the PRMS cafeteria. The first

practice is Monday, August 26th from 3:20-5:15 pm.

Contact Coach - Russ Noland

russ.Noland@mapsedu.org or (715)612-0471

Volleyball

Volleyball Practice for 7th & 8th graders will be held August 26, 27 & 28 from 3:00-5:00 pm and August 29 from 9:00-11:00 am &

August 30 from 8:00-10:00 am at PRMS. All athletic forms need to be completed online. Make sure your physicals are up to date also. Parent meeting - Tuesday, September 3 @ 5:15 pm right after practice. Players are expected to work a tournament and Parent help is needed for Saturday, September 14th & September 21st.

Student iPads should be brought to school fully charged every day.

What door do I use when I visit the school?

At 8:00 a.m., the two doors used by students who enter the building will be locked. The main door (#13) will be available for visitors.

Visitor and handicapped parking is available on the “river” side of the building near the fence. All visitors are asked to register in the main office. If your stay will be longer than 15 minutes, please park in the staff parking lot across the Third Street bridge.

Where can I drop off and pick up my child?

If you are driving your child to school or picking your child up after school, please use East Third Street or Second Street. Polk Street and “Prairie River Drive” will be used by buses from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. and 2:45 to 3:30 p.m.

Between these hours, please drop off or pick up your child on the “Prairie River side” of school

Parent Volunteers

PRMS welcomes parent involvement in our school, whether it be chaperoning, coaching, or the like. Per MAPS policy, all volunteers must complete a Volunteer Application prior to helping with any school activity. These forms are available online. Thank you in advance for all that you do for our children.

In an attempt to save on the costs of postage and printing as well as to “go green,” PRMS will be working to communicate with parents in an increasingly paperless manner. With that in mind, we will be working to make sure we have the right email addresses for families. Please take a moment to make sure that the email address we have for you on your student’s registration form is accurate. As each newsletter comes out we will send an email to families to let them know that it is available online. We will still be printing and mailing newsletters to those unable to receive emails or access the newsletter online. Thank you for your help as we try to save money and work towards a greener future for our children. Family Access is also a great paperless tool for parents and students to keep informed. If you need help accessing your account please give us a call at 715-536-9593.

6th Grade/New students WEB Orientation

We are very excited that your child will be attending Prairie River Middle School (PRMS) and look forward to meeting your child on Monday, August 26th. Again this year, our school will participate in the nationwide Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) Program, an organization whose sole purpose is to help sixth graders feel more comfortable as well as help them achieve success in their first year of middle school. This program is similar to the high school Link Crew that currently functions at Merrill High School.

The WEB 6th grade orientation and transition program is designed to both welcome and support 6th grade students by assigning them an 8th grade WEB Leader as a mentor during this first year. This WEB Leader is a responsible older student who was hand selected from a pool of applicants and has met the qualifications of being a good role model and a positive leader in our school.

Please mark Monday, August 26th from 8:00 AM –2:00 PM on your calendar. Enter through door #16. Our goal is that 100% of the 6th graders join us for the WEB Orientation Day.

Your child can expect to receive an official invitation to the Sixth Grade WEB Orientation Day in the mail. If he or she has not received the invitation by August 23rd, please call 715-536-9593, ext. 17123, and leave a message requesting one.

A day or two before orientation, your child should receive a phone call from his/her WEB Leader from PRMS.

Your child is encouraged not to bring backpacks, purses, or other like items as the day is active.

Because the day is active, please make sure that your child wears comfortable clothing that does not restrict movement.

The WEB Orientation is a student-only function. Please feel free, however, to attend the parent meeting at the PRMS Open House on Thursday, August 29th from 1:00-2:30 pm OR 5:30-7:00 pm (See next page)

The WEB Coordinators Ryan Martinovici, Mark Seaman, John Bezier, Trina Knospe, Hazley Bonnell, Laura Forster

6th - 8th GradeStudent-Parent Meeting/Open House

On THURSDAY, AUG. 29th, ALL 6th-8th Grade students and parents are requested to attend a Parent Meeting during the Open House at Prairie River Middle School from 1:00-2:30 pm OR 5:30-7:00 pm in the auditorium. All students should enter and exit Door #14 or #26 (Prairie River morning entrances).

During this parent meeting, which will last about 20-30 minutes, you will have the opportunity to: Meet school counselors, administration, school nurse, SRO, etc. Learn about PRMS: teams, core classes, morning meetings, schedules, applied academics, etc. Gather knowledge of school culture, student expectations and parental involvement. Bring school supplies and organize lockers. Try out lock combination. Receive information from morning meeting teacher.

After the parent meeting, feel free to meet teachers and help your child with any additional locker needs.

Morning Meeting listings are in the following locations: Grade 6- Display case across from Main officeGrade 7 - Second Floor Right of LMC Grade 8 - Second Floor Left of LMC

***Stop in or call the main office, 536-9593 ext. 17000, if you have any questions.

Picture Day will take place Thursday, August 29, 2019 during the Student-Parent Meeting/Open House. (refer to page 6).

Picture Day order forms are available in the office starting August 19, 2019 and will also be available on picture day, or pictures can be ordered on-line through www.mylifetouch.com website.

Students please dress appropriately for pictures. No tank tops or spaghetti straps. Please refer to appropriate dress as stated in the Student Planner below:

The school store will be opening up in October. Be sure to look for new PRMS apparel.

No student shall be permitted to wear any clothing that contains pictures and/or writing referring to alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, sexual references, profanity, promotion of gambling, illegal drugs and/or gangs. Students wearing inappropriate shirts will change into a different shirt if they have one at school or a parent/guardian will be called to bring in

appropriate clothing.

New to PRMS this year! - Cheerleading

Cheer tryouts for 6th-8th graders will be August 13th & 14th at the PRMS Fieldhouse from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Bring a packed lunch. August 13th will be CHECK-IN and you will be taught tryout materials. August 14th will be TRYOUT Day . Reminder - Athletic forms must be completed via skyward before participating. Both days - attire gym clothes, tennis shoes, hair up, water & packed lunch.