Previous Newslines:
Principal’s Message
A Commitment
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6
Seven thousand four hundred dollars for one year of your son or daughter’s education. If you have two students attending Minnesota Valley Lutheran High School, the cost increases to $14,050. That doesn’t include cocurricular fees, transportation, or supplies for MVL. That also does not include what you may pay in tuition for your younger children to attend Lutheran elementary school.
I would not at all be surprised if friends or neighbors knew the level of financial commitment you are making to MVL, they would really wonder or be amazed. Parents, you are making quite the effort to provide a Christian education for your son or daughter. You are to be commended for the sacrifices you make for christian education.
Solomon wrote the words above a long time ago. He didn’t send his children to a Lutheran elementary school or area Lutheran high school. But, he did understand the impact that parents have on their children when it comes to spiritual training. You are setting such a wonderful example of faith to your children. You are showing them the one thing needful. You could have used the tuition money for a new car payment, a bigger home, etc. Yet, you chose to educate your children in our Lutheran schools where they would sit at the feet of teachers who believe as you do and share Jesus each day with them. Well done, good and faithful servants!
I can assure you that, as the year progresses, each of our teachers here at MVL will be committed to our mission of “training students for Christian lives on earth and for eternity.” Thank you for entrusting us with the education of your son or daughter. May our gracious Lord bless the ministry of MVL and our work together!
2022-2023 MVL Parents and Students are asked to take a special look at the changes in the MVL Student Handbook. There have been some modifications to the MVL Dress Code, Counseling Services, Incomplete/Late Work, Make-Up Work, and Electronic Device policies. These were highlighted throughout the summer in past Newslines, but it is possible they are more applicable with the start of a new school year. Please feel free to contact Dean Buboltz with any questions you may have concerning these modifications. Thank you for your support in this venture!
Safety Drill Notification
For the safety of our students, during the year, we hold safety drills for fire, tornado, as well as lockdown procedures. While these drills do take away from some class time, we believe the time is well spent, to ensure proper procedures in the case of an event taking place at school.
Christian Counseling Services Available
To help students navigate the challenges of the high school years, MVL is partnering with WLCFS-Christian Family Solutions to maintain an on-campus counseling center with scheduled office hours. There is no cost for an initial set of five (5) counseling hours. For more information, contact the MVL office.
Thank you!
Thanks to so many generous donations, we have a good supply of Kleenex boxes to start the school year. Of course, we will be using them up as time progresses, so please think of us when cold/flu season starts. An extra donation will help very much. Also, we have enough paper grocery bags to afford each student one book cover, but many of them need more; please remember to occasionally send more bags along with your student. Many thanks to all our donors!”
Student Planners
Freshmen and new students were provided with an MVL Student Planner. Extras will be available for purchase in the office for $5 until they are gone.
Highway 14
The detours we experienced last year for Highway 14 have not changed for the fall. Based on a recent conversation with MNDOT, we can expect that these traffic patterns will remain the same until early June 2023.
Everyone, please be aware of construction workers in the twelve-mile construction area. Be prepared, too, for farm machinery traffic increasing in the coming weeks as harvest starts.
Please stay aware and slow down so that we have no accidents. Thank you!
As you may have heard, I (Jim Buboltz) accepted the call to be Director of Mission Advancement at MVL last April. The main focus of that work will be dedicated to the Building on the Rock Campaign. This will/could include many visits to our local association churches as well as many of our MVL supporters. There is a good chance also that many of you will hear from me concerning any role you could play in this campaign. I also hope to continue to build on alumni relationships I’ve been able to forge these past 22 years at MVL as well as the foundation alumni pre-2000. I look forward to serving our Lord and MVL in this capacity. I ask for your prayers as I begin this venture in His kingdom. If you have any questions concerning the Building on the Rock Campaign or wish to make a gift to MVL in any way, please feel free to contact me. I would treasure an opportunity to meet with you and share why I feel MVL is such a special place.
Chromebook Reminders
Damages/Costs/Responsibilities
The day you pick up your Chromebook, it becomes your responsibility. Any repairs, not covered by the manufacturer warranty, are the responsibility of the family. A $300+ investment in your education needs to be cared for. See the notes below. MVL runs an in-house repair facility to keep costs down.
Caring for and Feeding your Chromebook
In order to be proactive in avoiding unnecessary repairs and expenses, please read the basics of Chromebook use at MVL:
- When storing the Chromebook, store it so it is either flat on a separate shelf in your locker or supported on its side so it is not able to fall.
- Cleaning:
- Use a dry, non-abrasive cloth (microfiber Norwex polishing cloths work very well);
- Ammonia-based or liquid cleaners will damage the screens and should not be used;
- Damaged Chromebooks should be directed to Mr. Schauland before or after school. He will assess the repair needs. Students will receive an invoice to be paid to the Front Office.
- Fees for invoices are to be paid in order to receive the repaired Chromebook.
- Students who have Chromebooks being repaired will receive first priority for loaners.
- Students with outstanding repair balances will need to rent Chromebooks (if available) from the Chrome Depot until the balance is paid. Rental fees will be assessed
- Fees for repairs will be the lowest price the market has at that time.
- Students are responsible for charging Chromebooks prior to the school day.
- If you forget to bring your Chromebook to school, limited Chromebook rentals are available from the Chrome Depot.
- Chromebook rental is $2 per day.
- You can either pay cash or charge the rental to your school account.
- Parents will be notified that you rented a Chromebook.
- Students are not guaranteed a rental Chromebook as a limited supply is available.
- Students are responsible for the care of rental devices and will be accountable for any damages to rental Chromebooks.
- The rental Chromebook needs to be returned to Mr. Schauland at the end of the day.
- Powering on/off vs. opening/closing the device:
- Manually powering on and shutting down the Chromebook allows the device to “rest” and reboot its applications, and update the Chrome OS.
- Opening and closing the device transitions it out of or into “sleep mode” where the device is still communicating AND logged
- Students not using a Chromebook for more than one class hour should manually shutdown the device. It is a short, six-second, process.
What happens to the Chromebook after a student graduates?
Students that pay the 4 years of technology fees will walk out of MVL with the device.
With the 1:1 Chromebook rollout starting this year at MVL, new guidelines and procedures are being implemented to help protect this new investment. The MVL Chromebook Guidelines Handbook and Acceptable Use Policy is available here. A condensed overview of that handbook is linked here. Please take a few minutes to look the documents over and review them with your child. These reminders will also be kept in front of the students as the year goes along.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Kirk Schauland, MVL’s Director of Technology, at kschauland@mvlhs.org.
All tuition, class dues, Chromebook fees, and graduation fees have been added to all FACTS accounts that have been completed. Please look over your family’s FACTS account and let Deb know if you need any changes made to your payment plan, or if anything looks incorrect. If you have not completed your online FACTS enrollment and financial information, please do so promptly.
As a reminder for senior parents, per MVL policy, senior students need to be paid in full prior to graduation. The 11-month payment plan is not an option for seniors who are the only student here. If the senior has a sibling at MVL, they are able to do the 11-month plan, but half the tuition needs to be paid prior to the senior’s graduation. Please contact Deb if you have questions on this. Changes can be made to finalized payment plans. You are able to change the date of a payment by a number of days, but there are some more advanced changes we can help you with too. Please don’t hesitate to contact Deb if changes need to be made. Always allow at least two business days when making changes to payments.
If you have a unique payment request, or will be paying by check at school, please check the invoice button under the “pay in full” option when completing your registration. This will skip over adding banking information. If you select this option, we will send out a form for you to complete detailing your payment intentions. We ask you mail the form back, or return it in person no later than registration day. Dr. Plath will look over these requests. When he signs off on the agreement, you will receive a signed copy for your records. If he needs additional clarification, we will reach out to you. This year we will be processing all charges through your family FACTS account. The sports fees, field trip fees, activity fees, and the like, will be billed at the start of the activity and throughout the year. Typically, we ask that these are paid within a month. You have the option to have these charges automatically billed to a checking account or credit card when due. There is a check box for this when you enroll for your payment plan. Otherwise, you will need to go on your account and pay them manually when convenient, or send a check or cash to school with your student. (The exception would be the Co-op sports fees, but these can be paid online as well, through the main MVL website) We will also be running History Tour through FACTS this year. Juniors who will be attending the trip will see their initial invoice sometime late September. The due date will be the end of the school year, allowing you to make payments anytime, when it is convenient for you. Deb Kuck is the contact for financial issues concerning History Tour.
When making any payment on your FACTS account (for tuition, sports fees, History Tour, etc.), please log onto your family FACTS account to do so. When done this way, you will see your payment post immediately. If you make the payment through the general form on the website, it will take a few weeks for your payment to post to your account.
If you would like a relative or friend to access your account to make payments through your FACTS account, you will select “add authorized party”. It will send a link to that person and they can set up their own log in to make payment or view the account.
If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Deb Kuck via email or by phone. financial@mvlhs.org (507) 233-8656. Thank you!
Student and Parent Guidance Nights
9th and 10th Grade Guidance Night
The freshman/sophomore parent night will be held on Wednesday, September 7th beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the commons. Come and walk your student’s schedule and meet their advisor and hear from directly from each of their teachers. All parents/guardians of 9th and 10th grade students are invited to attend.
11th and 12th Grade Guidance Night
On Wednesday, September 14th, Mr. Smith will be hosting the junior and senior parent nights.
Juniors and their parents are invited to attend a presentation beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Seniors and their parents are invited to attend a presentation beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Both presentations will be held up in Rooms 203-204.
Financial Aid Information Night
Martin Luther College is hosting a Financial Aid Information Night on October 5, 2022. More details will be shared as the date approaches.
This event is open to all high school juniors and seniors and parents. This free presentation, lasting about an hour, introduces students and parents to the costs of college, the types of financial aid that are available, how to apply, and where to find more information about financial aid.
Save the date!
The Martin Luther College Focus on Ministry trip will be on November 21st and November 22nd. Juniors and seniors interested in learning more about Martin Luther College are invited to attend. More information will be shared as the date approaches.
Updated Schedule
Similar to last year, Mr. Smith will be serving the 7th and 8th graders at St. Paul’s Lutheran School one day a week (most likely on Thursdays). He will be at MVL on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He can still be reached at tjsmith@mvlhs.org or via phone at 507.233.8685.
- The Booster Club concession stand raises funds for all of MVL’s co-curricular activities, from Band to Knowledge Bowl to Basketball. To make it a success, we need each family to help out 5-6 times a year in the concession stand. It’s a great way to meet other MVL parents and support your child’s activities. Don’t want to miss a bit of your football player’s minutes on the field? Sign up for a few volleyball shifts. Want to support your child’s non-sport activities? Sign up for some football shifts. As a volunteer for selling concessions or tickets, you also get free admission to the game. Signup links are on the front page of the MVL website. Sign up today!
- Coming soon! Homecoming is October 7. Enjoy a great pork chop meal at the game!
- Like and follow MVL Booster Club on Facebook for news and activity photos
Welcome to the 2022-23 school year and all the excitement that comes with everything new! New teammates, new schedules, new activities, and new friends. Parents have the opportunity to meet other new parents while volunteering at MVL. There are plenty of games where you can volunteer and serve your school. The concession stand and tickets are positions that are fun and easy to do. See the Booster Club article for the link to get started.
As we begin to watch and cheer on our Chargers, please keep your cheering positive for our teams. It’s easy to crique the close calls from the bleachers, but get down on the court or field and the view is different. Many times I’ve questioned the officials over the years, but when I go back and look at the game film, I see where I was wrong and they were right. If you are ever interested in officiating and getting paid for it please email me at cmorgan@mvlhs.org and I will point you to the right peron who can help you get started. Without officials we won’t have games. Go Chargers!
Activity Season Passes
MVL students are admitted free with their picture ID.
Season passes are good for all MVL home games except playoff games and are available in the office for parents and all non-MVL students.
Adults- $65.00
Students (K-12) $20.00
Family Pass- $150.00
Includes 2 adults and as many student passes you need for your
immediate family.
Advertise in our Sports Programs
Ad space for our Sports’ Program is available. The price for a space in the program is $175 per year. This includes your ad in all our sports’ programs: football, volleyball, and basketball.
Schedule and Schedule Changes
If you would like up to the minute game, match or meet changes, there is an app that you may download and is tied into our calendar. In the app store download the
Activity Scheduler app. It looks like a light blue baseball cap with the letters “rS” on the front. Then set it up for our school. You will need to know we are members of the Tomahawk Conference.
Game Streaming
We will be streaming our home games again this year using the NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) Pixolot System. Go to the MVL website and click on the LIVE STREAM button then click on NFHS Network LIVE. You can subscribe by the month or for the year. When your subscription time is up, be sure to unsubscribe. It will automatically charge you for the next month or year. You can watch games all over the state and country. Some schools in our conference also stream their games. Some have a fee and others are free. We went with this service because we could not get volunteers to help and no training was needed. But there is nothing like coming out to school and watch the action live and in person. Go Chargers!