Marshall County CSD

In Viking, additional classrooms, restrooms, and a new cafeteria are being proposed at Viking Elementary School. We’re also planning to remodel some existing classroom space, restrooms, staff lounge, and stage area. This will bring our building up to State standards for recommended room sizes. Our speech teacher, social worker, and nurse will get the spaces they need to effectively support our students. Right now, all of these services are crammed into the old stage area, which is located next to the gym and is separated by a curtain. This environment is very distracting for our students. Preschool and Head Start will each get a room and will be offered as all-day programs. This will be a significant improvement and help meet community demand. Mail-in balloting begins June 25th and election day is August 10th. Please visit buildmccstrong.org to learn more about the referendum. The proposed improvements in Viking and Newfolden will help build a solid foundation of educational excellence for the students in our district, now and into the future. Together, we can build MCC strong.

Building a foundation and future of educational excellence, one student at a time — that’s the mission of Marshall County Central Schools. In order to achieve this mission, we need to make improvements to address our current needs and plan for the future of education in our district. That’s why we’re proposing a referendum to voters later this summer. The plan reflects input from our community via surveys, meetings, and multiple years of analysis. Safety is a district priority and space is one of our biggest current challenges. In a 2019 survey, parents indicated their top concern is student traffic across County Road 28. About 315 students cross this street multiple times during the day to access shared facilities between the high school and elementary school. Vehicles park along this road, which creates potentially dangerous situations where kids are popping out in between parked cars as they try to cross the street. There are days when some of our elementary students cross the road 3 or 4 times. Enrollment in our district has increased by about 60 students in the past seven years. During that time frame we converted the Newfolden Elementary music room and library into classrooms. At Viking Elementary, the library and a computer lab were also converted into classrooms. Projections indicate this growth trend will continue and we won't have space to accommodate all of our students. We’re proposing to demo the existing elementary school in Newfolden and build an addition onto the high school. The addition will include space for elementary classrooms, a kitchen and cafeteria, gym, locker rooms, a weight room with community access, science classroom, expanded commons area, and a secured entrance. We’re also proposing new locations for parent pick-up/drop-off, a dedicated bus lane, and additional areas for parking. We intend to build a new space for the Northwest Regional Inter-District Council on the existing elementary site as well as overflow parking for school events. Recreational amenities are also being considered. The proposed plan accounts for updates to current areas of the high school as well. These include improvements to the library, so it meets current and future needs, automated controls of our air handling units, air conditioning to improve our learning environments, a multi-purpose room, and updates to existing classrooms. Visit www.buildingmccstrong.org to learn more.

MCC Families, We posted a letter to families and our May School Calendar. School Office Staff will be sending a paper version home with students preK-12 students today and tomorrow. Head Start students will receive one on Monday. You can view the letter and the May Calendar by going to our COVID 19 Information Page or direct link here: https://bit.ly/32KFIBf

The Marshall County Central School Board met in regular session last night. A briefing of the board meeting is found: https://bit.ly/3bO777x

Join our Team: MCC has immediate openings available for: School Cleaner (School Year) High School Custodian (Year Round) Both positions offer competitive pay, sick time, personal time, public employee retirement benefits, and health care options. We are seeking dedicated individuals who enjoy working for a team and have a pride in working a job that helps serve the community. Information and application for each position is available: https://www.newfolden.k12.mn.us/o/mccsd/page/job-postings--41 Questions about the position can be directed to Darwin Nelson, Head Custodian or Superintendent Lund (218) 874-8530.

Please be alert on the road. Our transportation department has reported two stop arm violations in the last two weeks and quite a few close calls. Our children our precious and we need everyone to be more alert around our school buses. Please be alert, give buses room and be safe! Thank you.

The Marshall County Central Musical will be performing Mamma Mia this week on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We have about 30 general admission tickets available for each night of the performance. Tickets are $10 each. They must be purchased in pairs and are available first come first serve. Please call Missy Bjorgaard at the MCC High School office if you would like to purchase tickets (218) 874-7225.

North Valley Public Health will be hosting two vaccination clinics this week. They will have the Moderna vaccine so you must be 18 years and older to register. If you are 18 or older and want a COVID-19 vaccine, use one of the links below to register. Appointments are available on Wednesday 3/31/21 at the Warren community center from 4:00pm-6:00pm and at the Middle River Community Center on Thursday 4/1/21 from 12:00pm-1:30pm. You must have an appointment and the link to register is below. Please wear a mask to your appointment, maintain social distance while you are there and stay home if you are sick. Warren Clinic Registration: https://prepmod.health.state.mn.us//reg/5092016701 Middle River Clinic Registration: https://prepmod.health.state.mn.us//reg/5971600812 If you are unable to register online and have no one who can help you register online, call our office at 218-745-5154. 

MCC Reminder for Week of March 29 - April 2: March 29 - No School Teacher In-Service. Emergency Tier 1 Child Care is available. Meals are available for takeout. If you wish to order, please complete form: https://bit.ly/37XtCb7. Tuesday, March 30: Head Start, K-12 full day of school. Wednesday, March 31: Head Start, K-12, early release 12:30 Viking, 12:50 Newfolden; 1:00 HS (All HS Students must stay in school until 1 pm. They are not allowed to leave early unless excused by principal.) Thursday: Preschool, K-12 full day of school. Friday, April 2: No School - Spring Holiday. No meals. No Emergency Tier 1 Child Care.

Email is currently working at MCC Schools. If you sent an email this morning between 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., we may not have gotten it, so please send it again if you did not get a reply.

Phone service to Newfolden area has been restored. Calls to school offices should now go through.

We are having some technical issues with our phones. If you try to call school and can't get through please e-mail office secretaries for support: Viking - Sarah: sbray@mccfreeze.org; Newfolden - Patty: pwagner@mccfreeze.org; and High School - Missy: mbjorgaard@mccfreeze.org. Sorry for the inconvenience. We'll alert you when phone service resumes.

MCC Families, We posted an updated letter to families on our web page here: https://bit.ly/3tFQELU The letter includes an April School Calendar: https://bit.ly/3d4fr63 Paper copies will be sent home with elementary students today. High School Students and Head Starts students will receive theirs on Monday. We wanted to get information out now to help you with spring planning. Thank you for all your flexibility and understanding this year. Superintendent Lund

The MCC School Board met in regular session last night (March 16, 2021). A briefing of the board meeting can be found here: https://bit.ly/3bO777x. Zoom Audio Recording of the meeting is available until April 9 here: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xcLo0S4PiM04ZwlHvdIkFHuQkIV8pchqWdyHJjhpKZgfhSURwgaxagT1nblTNSuO.2C7t4u8X_RNJuH_C Access Passcode: 3caYK==V

Reminder MCC Families: K-12 students attend school every day this week! HS attends Monday - Wednesday PK attends Thursday - Friday Wednesday is an early release day. Viking Elementary School Day ends at 12:30. Newfolden Elementary School Day ends at 12:50. High School School Day ends at 1:00. Buses will leave HS Loop area for homes at 1:05.

Reminder - MCC Families: please take time to complete our Summer Recreation/Summer Community Education Survey: https://bit.ly/3bwyaHH (Disregard if you already completed it) We are gathering interest in summer activities to help us with our community education and Summer Recreation offerings this summer. If you have any questions about anything community education related, please contact Missy in the high school office (218) 874-7225 or mbjorgaard@mccfreeze.org. Thank you!

The Marshall County Central School Board will meet in Regular Session on Tuesday, March 16 in the MCC High School Library at 6:30 p.m. Due to COVID restrictions, the public may attend the meeting but must do so via Zoom. If you would like an invitation to the meeting, please contact Superintendent Lund before 3:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. He can be contacted via e-mail: jlund@mccfreeze.org or by phone: 218-874-8530. If you would like an open forum item discussed by the board, please send written information to Superintendent Lund by 3:00 p.m. Monday, March 15 and he will share concern/question with board members prior to meeting and they will consider discussion during a time reserved at beginning of the meeting. Agenda for the March 16, 2021 School Board meeting is located here: https://5il.co/qkhh

Summer Recreation/Summer Community Education Survey: https://bit.ly/3bwyaHH MCC Families please take a moment and click on the link to complete our Summer Recreation/Summer Community Education Survey. We are gathering interest in summer activities to help us with our offerings this summer. If you have any questions about anything community education related, please contact Missy in the high school office (218) 874-7225 or mbjorgaard@mccfreeze.org. Thank you!

Stress related to COVID-19 is at an all-time high. The American Psychological Association’s Stress in America report found that nearly 8 in 10 adults say COVID-19 is a major factor in their stress levels. Resilience includes our ability to bounce back from adversity and come back stronger, and while that may not come effortlessly, it is achievable. Here are some tips to help you get started: 1. Accept change. We all got a good dose of change in 2020! Whether we were working from home, virtual learning, or staying indoors for days at a time, we had to adapt to something completely new. Managing your expectations and allowing for flexibility are great places to start, so if things don’t happen as planned, you can continue to adapt. 2. Keep things in perspective. This takes practice, but a great place to begin is thinking about and writing down what you’re grateful for. When you focus on the positives around you, the negatives don’t feel as overwhelming. How you organize your thoughts matters and realizing that some things are out of your control can free you from harmful thought patterns. It helps to think about the big picture. You can’t always change what happens, but you can control how you react to it. 3. Take care of yourself. We can’t emphasize self-care enough, as it really can help bring you to a more positive and hopeful mindset. Doing nice things for yourself or planning activities you enjoy can promote a better mood, and it’s a great excuse to do something enjoyable for yourself if you’ve been feeling down. Try going for a brisk walk, watching a funny movie, or crafting – anything that’s going to make you feel more like you. 4. Prioritize relationships. Connecting with other people and cultivating relationships are innately human activities; we are social by nature. Lean on your social network for support if you need it. You are not alone in feeling “2020 fatigue,” and investing time in your relationships will help foster a sense of solidarity. Your friends and family may need some support from you as well, so be sure to offer them help too. 5. Seek professional help. Last year was far from the norm, and if you’re finding it hard to adjust, know that help is available. A licensed mental health professional can help you find some strategies for staying afloat and moving forward. Community organizations and faith-based groups are also available for support. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, and your well-being is the top priority. Source: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2021/01/2020s-word-of-the-year-resilience-and-five-tips-to-help-you-maintain-it-in-2021/ If you are feeling Hopeless, Angry or Confused, or even just need an ear to listen, please call the NW8 Children's & Adult Crisis Support Line at 800.282.5005 or Text "MN" to 741741.

Reminder for the week: K-12 in school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Head Start in school Monday & Tuesday Preschool in school Thursday & Friday All students distance on Wednesday K-12 parent teacher conferences Monday and Tuesday - elementary were mailed appointment times; HS parents please call Missy for appointment To reserve takeout meals for Wednesday: https://bit.ly/3sxHa4Y