School Policy Guide

MSCR runs an Afterschool program at Midvale-Lincoln. Information is available on the website as well as in both school offices.

In the 2019-20 school year, we incorporated the Standard Response Protocol into our emergency procedures in line with guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety and national recommendations on school safety. It incorporates many of the concepts we already use but offers more clarity and consistency in terminology among schools and first responders across the country. Each school year, students will receive age-appropriate instruction on what to do in each of these scenarios through lesson plans, slide presentations, class discussions, videos, and more.

We believe optimal student achievement, both academically and behaviorally, can be achieved by taking a positive and proactive approach for creating and maintaining a safe and effective learning environment. We use the Proactive Behavior Support (PBS) practices to both teach students about expectations and recognize when they are “caught doing good.” Every classroom teacher also uses Second Step, a social-emotional learning curriculum to help students meet our district social-emotional learning standards (SELS). Along with this curriculum, teachers integrate the SELS throughout the academic day and also utilize the Zones of Regulation, which provides students easy language to be metacognitive about their feelings and many strategies for keeping themselves “in the green.”

We welcome family engagement in all aspects of our school. Whether you’re able to participate in the classroom, or support at home, we welcome the opportunity to engage in this work with you. We have a dedicated Parent Teacher Organization that is always looking for both volunteer support and a yearlong commitment.

Families play a key role in school safety.  We believe that it is beneficial for families and the community to engage in our students’ education. We also want to provide a safe and comfortable environment for our students to learn. If you plan to visit, please pre-arrange your visit with the classroom teacher. The teacher will communicate with the office about your visit. You’ll find more information on district safety and security, including how we communicate with you in an emergency, at mmsd.org/safety. Thank you for your partnership in creating a safe and positive school environment. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for any reason.

Each student will be assigned a locker to hold their belongings. We ask that students keep personal toys at home, unless there is a special event in their class. Students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices during the school day. They may carry them in silent or off mode. Lockers at elementary schools are NOT locked.

Morning drop-off: For your child’s security, we ask parents to remain outside the school and let their children walk through the doors themselves. It is crucial that students cross at the crosswalks on the north and south side of the building.

Afternoon pick-up: At Midvale, teachers need to hand off students to parents to ensure the safety of all students. Parents picking up students at the end of the day will wait for their students outside on the sidewalk near the tables by the side gym door. Teachers will walk all students out to each bus, and then will walk students to their parents. Staff will wait for parents for a short while (5 minutes or so). After that they will escort students to the office area where they can be supervised until parents arrive. At Lincoln, parents picking up should wait either by the flagpole on Sequoia Trail or in their cars on South side of the street. No one should drive through or park in the bus lane or staff parking lot.

To ensure the safety of your child, please send a note in advance to your child’s teacher or the office. We require parents to come into our office and sign out the student. We will call the classroom to have the student sent down to the office to meet the parents. Please remember anyone picking up a student must be authorized and listed in Infinite Campus. Once school is in session, no non-school staff (including parents) will be allowed to go to a classroom unaccompanied and pick up a child.

We have a fantastic building and grounds that support our students’ learning and play. We have a playground, soccer field, as well as a community garden on the property. Our building is maintained by a skilled set of custodial staff as well as the district. We are lucky to have community members who help us maintain the gardens during season.