Principal’s Message
Before I came to MVL, I served as principal of Huron Valley Lutheran High School in suburban Detroit. There are a variety of differences between the two schools, their location and their associations. The trips between school and home were of quite a different nature too, especially when I think of the five minute trip I now have from Courtland to MVL.
We lived nine miles from the school. On a typical school morning it would take 20 – 30 minutes to get to school, even at 7:00 in the morning. It was not unusual to wait through three stoplights to turn left at an intersection. There were some afternoons, I could expect a 30 – 40 minute commute. It’s safe to say that my patience was often tested.
In the passage listed above, the Psalmist tells us to be patient and wait for the Lord. I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t just mean being patient in traffic. Waiting on a personal health diagnosis after some tests were taken? Wait patiently. Wondering about the results of a student’s test in school? Wait patiently. Not sure about your future job? Wait patiently. Wondering if the four calls that MVL (or a position in your congregation or school) has extended will be accepted? Wait patiently.
We can be confident that our gracious Lord knows what’s best for us and the answer could be “Yes”, “No” or “Not right now – and you have to wait longer.”
If you’re in one of the positions noted earlier, I pray that God grants you peace and calm as you wait and that the outcome is a good one and God pleasing. Join me in praying that God’s will be done!
We will be hosting our Open House event on the evening of Tuesday, March 14 starting at 6:30 p.m. That evening, we will offer tours of our school, a session for parents and students on our mission, academics and activities, and an opportunity to register for the 2022-23 school year. Parents and students of new 9th-12th grade students are invited and encouraged to attend.
Pike Driving School
MVL is once again offering Driver’s Education classroom instruction during the after-school hours from 3:15 – 5:15 p.m., beginning Tuesday, February 28. This program, offered by Pike Driving School of New Ulm, will run until March 14. There will be sign-up sheet and informational postcard in the office starting in February. Have your student pick one up for more information.
Virtual Learning Day Guidelines
One of the blessings of the COVID pandemic was the attention placed on virtual learning as a way of staving off the knowledge loss due to no school because of a pandemic. While virtual learning will not likely replace face to face instruction, we can use is to our advantage to help our students learn. We can also use virtual learning to provide assistance to us in the learning process when we have snow days.
The guidelines listed below for our students will provide a foundation for the virtual learning experience we will use as needed at MVL when we’ve had a number of snow days or for other reasons. When a storm is impending, we will alert the students at the end of the day to take their devices home in case we experience nasty weather.
If you have questions about these guidelines, please contact Mr. Buboltz or Dr. Plath.
Virtual Learning Day Guidelines
- MVL teachers will utilize Google Classroom for a Virtual Learning Day. With the exception of Band, Choir and PE classes, a learning activity will be posted in Google Classroom for every class.
- All directions and assignments will be posted by 8:30 a.m. that morning.
- Teachers will utilize a variety of ways to determine attendance:
- Have the students hand in the assignment due that day from the previous day;
- Give a new assignment due by class time the next day;
- If the class is synchronous, each student will check in virtually; or
- Each student is to check into Google Classroom as part of the requirements of that day’s class.
- It is up to the teacher to determine whether the class will be synchronous or asynchronous.
- Each class will be 20 – 30 minutes of time committed.
- Teachers will monitor email from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. to answer any questions students might have.
- Normal grading guidelines will be applied for each class.
Bus WiFi
For parents that weren’t aware, the MVL buses were equipped with WIFI at the beginning of the school year. This allows your student the ability to work on their schoolwork while traveling to and from school, including athletic and other events. The connection is filtered and social media and other non-educational websites/apps are blocked. The password to use the WIFI has been shared with the students. If you have questions about this, please contact Mr. Schauland (kschauland@mvlhs.org).
If you haven’t yet taken the 2023 Parent/Guardian Bus WIFI Survey sent out a week or two ago via Infinite Campus, please take a moment to complete it. We are in the process of evaluating whether this option is worth continuing next year. Please click on the link to take a short 5 question survey and offer any additional thoughts as we consider whether to continue with this option or not.
Survey link: https://forms.gle/Z55Vv1AikfEY7Mr76
Senior Photos Needed!
The MVL yearbook needs your senior photo. Please reserve good judgment for apparel and poses. The main focus of these pictures must be your face. It should be clearly visible (no sunglasses) and close enough to see (no far away shots). These photos do not need to be professional photos. All photos are subject to review by the yearbook committee. The deadline for senior photos is March 31, 2023
2022-2023 Course Selection
Mr. Nehls, the MVL Registrar, met with the 9th-11th grade classes during the last week of January to step them through the course selection process for the next school year. All of the materials are available on the Course of Study guide linked from mvl.org. Students should talk with the parents and teachers to obtain good advice. Some courses require initials from teachers in order to be enrolled. All course selection forms should be turned into the student’s homeroom advisor on or before Thursday, February 15th.
Experience the right way to fundraise
Gift card fundraising is the best way to raise money. Buy gift cards from your favorite brands to earn on your daily purchases. It’s never been easier to create opportunities for your family and offset costs for our organization. No extra money spent. No extra time wasted.
You Don’t Know Until You Go!
There are three vacation days in February (the 17th , 20th , and 24th ), which are excellent days for juniors and seniors to complete college visits or job shadowing experiences. If you plan on visiting a campus on President’s Day, call the institution first to ensure thatthey will be in session on that date. Start planning now! If you need assistance in setting up a visit or job shadowing experience, please contact Mr. Smith at tjsmith@mvlhs.org or via phone at 507.233.8685.
Juniors, Seniors, and Parents
There will be a Financial Aid/FAFSA Completion Night presentation by Amber Barcalow (Financial Wellness Trainer at MLC) held here at MVL on Wednesday, February 8, 2023 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Mark Bauer, the Financial Aid Director at MLC, will also be present. This in person presentation is for all college bound students and their families (not just MLC specific) and will focus on the types of Financial Aid, reading/dissecting award packages, and common barriers to completing the FAFSA. The presentation itself will last approximately 40 minutes, followed by a question and answer session. If senior students and families have not yet begun the FAFSA, there will be an opportunity to do so after the presentation for those who wish to complete it that night. Please reach out to Mr. Smith with any questions. If you could RSVP to tjsmith@mvlhs.org prior to Tuesday, February 7th it will ensure that space and logistics can be effectively planned.
Juniors (and Parents)
Have you taken an ACT yet? Spring is a great (and recommended) time for Juniors to take an initial ACT. The April test date is on April 15, 2023. The regular registration deadline is March 10, 2023. Current (somewhat local) test centers holding this ACT include: Mankato East and Minnesota State University in Mankato, Northfield High School, and St. Peter High School. Registration can be completed online at www.act.org . The April test also offers the option of purchasing Test Information Release (TIR). By purchasing (additional $32) TIR, students will receive a digital copy of the multiple- choice test questions, their answers, a copy of their answer document, the answer key, and the conversion table used in determining their ACT scores. If they took the optional writing test, they will receive a copy of the writing prompt, the writing test scoring rubric, and their essay scores. This can be an invaluable study tool/guide for future exams (for those planning to test multiple times).
Reminder
I am here to serve all MVL students and their parents. Please do not hesitate to contact me for assistance or with any questions. I can be reached via email, tjsmith@mvlhs.org , or at my direct line, 507.233.8685.
The annual Booster Club Auction is April 1 at Turner Hall. Get ready for a fun evening with other MVL supporters. If you have items to donate to the live or silent auctions, please get them to MVL by March 5.
Be sure to like the MVL Booster Club Facebook page for important reminders and fun photos of MVL activities.
We’re in the final stretch for concessions, and WE NEED YOU to volunteer. Come out for a couple of hours to help with this Booster Club fundraiser, and stay to watch some basketball or listen to the pep band.
Our pork chop meal will be held prior to the March 5 concert. Bring your family, friends, and appetite to this fun and delicious event.
If the weather has kept you inside and at home, come to MVL and watch our athletes perform or help out in our concession stand and meet new people. The basketball teams have been exciting to watch, while the pep band and dance team have enhanced our events with the hard work they have put into practicing for their performances.
Behind the scenes, the Knowledge Bowl has chalked up another conference championship for the 17th time in a row. The Math Team is nearing the end of their season and has pulled into first place by just a few points ahead of Mankato West. The Speech team is gearing up to start their season in February. Even our Drama Department has begun auditions for this spring’s play, The Music Man.
Coop Tennis Parent/ Athlete Meeting & Sign Up
For any boys interested in playing tennis this spring in our co-op with New Ulm High School, there will be a parent and athlete sign-up and meeting on March 6 at 6 pm. Do not register online with New Ulm. Instead, you should pay your $175 participation fee to MVL, and your physical and Minnesota State High School League Eligibility form must be on file in the office.
Trap Shooting
On Wednesday, February 8, there will be the annual MVL/NUC Trap Sign-up meeting at 8 pm at New Ulm Cathedral.
Boys Basketball
The boys have been jelling since the Bethany Lutheran College/Kwik Trip Holiday Tournament, where both the varsity and JV took the consolation championship. Since Christmas, the team has gone 9-1, with a hiccup of SESM early in January. The rematch will be on February 7 at St Mary’s. Each team has only one loss in the conference as of this writing. On Saturday, January 28, Ben Pearson was named KNUJ Boys’ Basketball Player of the Week. Ben gave much of the credit to his teammates and the extra work he puts into the game.
Track & Field
While track practice begins in March (March 13), February would be a great month for athletes to start training and getting ready for the upcoming season!
Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who have filled out a pledge card of support for the Building on the Rock Campaign. As you can see, we have recently achieved over 50% of our campaign goal to get a golden shovel in the ground. This has all been possible with our Lord’s help and around 3.9% of our association. (around 150 gifts) Imagine if that number could rise up to 10 – 12% of our association. That would be amazing and is very achievable!
With our Lord’s help, we can do that. Would you be willing to fill out a Building on the Rock pledge form and be part of this legacy campaign? Pledge cards can be found on https://www.mvl.org . Look for videos and bulletin updates both in your churches and on Facebook to the current status of the campaign.
– Mr. Jim Buboltz – Director of Mission Advancement
January Update
The Campaign Committee has wrapped up its first phase of the campaign, finalizing its visits to Association Churches. Close to 1500 marketing packets and pledge cards were distributed during thispart of the campaign. The Campaign Committee will once again be reaching out to Association membersto distribute additional marketing information for those who have not already received the packets. The Committee intends to provide monthly bulletin inserts through April giving Association members updates on new announcements, funding, and goals.
Our Project
• To add additional science/chemistry classrooms
• Transform the existing gymnasium into a multi-purpose event center
• Add a new field house with seating capacity of 1100
• Construct a new activities entrance
Our Goal
To raise $6,500,000 before April 15, 2023. This will allow MVL to move immediately into the construction phase of the project.
Where we stand
As of January 20, 2023, we have secured $3,367,966 (51.8%) in gifts and pledges
(up $100,000 since last update 1/10/23)
We need to raise an additional $3,132,034 before April 15, 2023
To date, an estimated 3.9 % of the Association giving units have pledged to the campaign
(up from 3.6% since last update 1/10/23)
How you can help
The Capital Campaign Committee is seeing 100% participation from its members through a monetarygift or supporting the campaign through prayer. Both options can be completed on a pledge form or logging on to MVL’s website at www.mvl.org and navigate to Support MVL, then Capital Campaign to donate a tax-deductible gift.
How do we get there?
Can we count on you to complete a pledge card? If you are unable to pledge a monetary gift,
there is a box to check on the donor form indicating you will support the campaign through
prayer. Please, get involved in building MVL’s legacy for the next 50 years! We need your prayers and financial support!