#PointerNation News

Congratulations to our National Honor Society members! We enjoyed celebrating all of their amazing accomplishments at the ceremony last week. For more photos, visit: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=MineralPointSchoolDistrict&set=a.680307950737757

At Monday night's School Board meeting, the Board accepted the retirement notices of Vickie Dahl (Middle School Principal & Middle/High School Athletic Director), Benita Schmitz (Elementary School Special Education Teacher), and Scott Schmitz (Middle/High School Physical Education Teacher), effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year. #PointerNation is grateful for your 34, 15, and 36 years touching the lives of our children!

Let's hear it for our Civics Games Team which is State Bound! Kudos to Bobby Allbright, Matthew Goninen, Abel Logue, and Tyler Nordstrom. (Note: Griffin Albaugh will replace Goninen at State due to conflicts.)

41 teams from 25 schools across Wisconsin participated Thursday and Friday in the Wisconsin Civics Games Regionals for a chance to compete next month in the State finals. The competition, presented by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, drew more than 160 students.

During the five competitions held virtually on Thursday and Friday, teams faced off in head-to-head matchups, answering questions about the state budget, local elections, legislative term limits, quorums and other civics-related issues. Public officials, legal professionals, and newspaper editors and publishers served as judges for the Games.

The top three scoring teams from each region advance to the State championships on May 12 at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison.

Kudos to the cast and crew of "Hamlet" on a fine production this past weekend at the Opera House! Check out more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=MineralPointSchoolDistrict&set=a.679726857462533

The 1st Grade Team made a trek to visit the Custom Education Solutions Bookroom in New Berlin before spring break! They enjoyed being able to look through the books and see how they can fit the needs of our students firsthand.

On Wednesday, April 12, Mineral Point Personal Finance students attended the annual Southwest Wisconsin Interactive Financial Literacy Event (SWIFLE) at the Lenz Center at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore, hosted by 12 area school districts and staffed with area community business leader volunteers.

SWIFLE is an interactive hands-on experience for high school students designed to demonstrate the importance of sound money management skills. SWIFLE provides an opportunity for students to connect with community business representatives in an authentic situation where students test their budgeting skills. Based on their chosen career and randomly drawn marital status and family, students are asked to make a month’s worth of financial decisions, make deposits, make payments, and balance their accounts. Students make consumer choices about housing, transportation, insurance, retirement investments, credit cards, childcare, phone, internet, cable, gas, electricity, water, groceries, gasoline, clothing, personal items, household items, pets, entertainment, and recreational vehicles based upon the monthly pay earned from their chosen career.

Students have a great time interacting with and learning from professionals with expertise in the field. Thank you to all of our volunteers for making SWIFLE a great experience for our students!

All students in grades 6-12 recently participated in a Wellness Day where they were introduced to the Sources of Strength wheel! The focus of the Wellness Day, and Sources of Strength, is to help people understand that life is going to be filled with ups and downs; positives and negatives; good times and more challenging times. Some days, weeks, and months are going to be more difficult than others. The goal of Sources of Strength is to help you build on the strengths that you already have to help you through those tough times. Our trained Sources of Strength Peer Leaders led their classmates through games, discussions, and activities to help them find strengths in themselves, those around them, and to connect with others. The day was filled with laughter, empowerment, and even six sweet kittens who showed up to accept a donation to the Iowa County Humane Society!

Our Middle School's Kindness Club is promoting and creating a culture of kindness in our school. Each week we will be giving a 'shoutout' to students caught being kind. Congrats to Aubryana Wetter, Parker Wilson, Grant Schaaf, and Carver Potterton! "Every single day since the beginning of school this year, without me ever asking them to, these students take down all of my chairs for my advisory group. Thank you for your kindness," Mrs. Rielly

Our Senior musicians enjoyed a great trip to Chicago!

We love to see the smiles after our first Game Day in 3rd grade! They hit it out of the park! They enjoyed their healthy treats and outside time to refuel.

When you request bringing Pokemon back to school and the Principal suggests a special lunch to talk and trade...

There's gnome place like home at Mineral Point Middle School -- spring has sprung!

Our high school band visited the elementary to play for 4th graders and kindergarten! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your talents.

1st graders traveled to Gambia to talk about how Isatou Ceesay helped in her community by making purses out of plastic bags. They then talked about ways to help reduce the use of plastic!

1st graders traveled to Pennsylvania to learn about the invention of bubble gum!

Last week's weather has us excited for garden time!

Our Key Clubbers did a great job helping out with the Mineral Point Kiwanis Egg Hunt at Mineral Point Health Services!

The MPHS Junior Class is excited for Prom Saturday, April 29. Grand March will commence 8:30 pm with doors opening at 8 pm. The dance will be from 9 pm to 12 am with Post Prom from 12:30 am to 2:30 am. All are welcome!

On Friday, May 12th, Mineral Point High School will be partaking in an annual Community Service Day in which students go around cleaning up the town. We are hoping to make the event more individualized, so we are asking for any names and addresses of people in need. If you or anyone you know would like some help raking leaves, cleaning yards, etc., please provide the following information below. If people don't have internet access, they are welcome to call the high school office at 608-987-0730 to get on the list. This event is being organized by the MPHS Key Club. Deadline to sign up is Friday, April 21st. Please contact Key Club Advisor Erin Sincox with any questions at erin.sincox@mp.k12.wi.us. Sign up link: https://forms.gle/9XAQaBWvN5KSK29J9

We have several openings for the 2023-24 school year -- come join the great place that is #PointerNation!

-- School Psychologist: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/172019

-- Middle/High Assistant Principal with Middle School Focus: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/172116

-- Middle/High Activities Director & Physical Education Teacher: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/171573

-- Middle/High Business Teacher: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/171625

-- Elementary Special Education Teacher: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/172035

-- Elementary Teacher: https://wecan.waspa.org/Vacancy/171729

The Mineral Point Unified School District is searching for a full time Night Custodian. To apply please reach out to Maintenance Director Dave DeVoe at dave.devoe@mp.k12.wi.us or 608-987-0740.

Our middle/high school has an immediate opening for a substitute custodian during the day shift. Come join the great place that is #PointerNation! Contact Dave DeVoe, Maintenance Director, at dave.devoe@mp.k12.wi.us or 608-987-0740 if interested.

#PointerNation events coming up this week -- join us! (Please note these schedules are always subject to change)

Monday, April 17

TWO HOUR DELAY: Slippery Roads

-- Future Business Leaders of America State Competition at Green Bay

-- POSTPONED: Varsity Girls Soccer vs. Monroe at MP

-- POSTPONED: JV & Varsity Softball vs. Cuba City

-- POSTPONED: JV & Varsity Golf at Barneveld

-- CANCELED: Track & Field at Prairie du Chien

-- POSTPONED: JV Baseball vs. Iowa-Grant 4:30 pm

Tuesday, April 18

-- Future Business Leaders of America State Competition at Green Bay

-- Varsity Baseball vs. Iowa-Grant 4:30 pm

-- Softball at Iowa-Grant (Varsity 4:30 pm, JV to follow)

-- Varsity Girls Soccer at Evansville 6:45 pm

Wednesday, April 19

-- Early Release 2 pm (every Wednesday)

-- Varsity Softball at Waterloo 5 pm

Thursday, April 20

-- Varsity Girls Soccer vs. Galena, IL 6 pm. Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@DodgevilleSchoolDistrict

-- Varsity Baseball at Cuba City 4:30 pm

-- Softball at Darlington (Varsity 4:30 pm, JV to follow)

-- MS Track & Field at Dodgeville 4 pm

Friday, April 21

-- State Forensics at DeForest

-- 1st Grade Earth Day Program 2 pm in elementary gym

-- JV Baseball vs. Cuba City 4:30 pm

-- MS Track & Field at Riverdale 4 pm

Saturday, April 22

-- Varsity Softball Tournament at MP 9 am

-- Varsity Baseball vs. Wisconsin Heights at Warner Park (Madison) 1 pm

-- JV Girls Soccer vs. Mount Horeb 11 am. Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@DodgevilleSchoolDistrict

Please be aware of other companies claiming to livestream our games, especially if there are links different than posted above and ask for credit card and personal information -- these are scams. We will update this pinned post as available livestream information is relayed to us.

If you would like to donate to the Mineral Point Middle/High School Care Closet, please reach out to Social/Emotional Learning Coach Dani Robb (dani.robb@mp.k12.wi.us) or School Counselor Erika Brunson (erika.brunson@mp.k12.wi.us). We are in need of snacks for students and personal hygiene items. Monetary donations will also be accepted which will be used for specific student and family needs.

If you would like to donate to the Elementary Students in Need Fund, please reach out to School Psychologist Katelyn Oellerich (katelyn.oellerich@mp.k12.wi.us) or School Counselor Alex Welsh (alex.welsh@mp.k12.wi.us). We are in need of boys pants children’s sizes 4T up to 14/16 and undergarments for boys and girls in all children's sizes 4T up to 14/16. We are also in need of snacks for students and monetary donations which will be used for specific student and family needs.

Est. 1829

"Grounded by our history as one of the oldest publicly supported schools in Wisconsin, Mineral Point Unified School District is the heart of a small community that educates and inspires our students for a bright future in a big world."

Email: joelle.doye@mp.k12.wi.us
Website: mineralpointschools.org
Location: 705 Ross Street, Mineral Point, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 987-0740
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MineralPointSchoolDistrict