☕ Coffee with the Superintendent
Join Superintendent Shannon Murray for an informal conversation about what’s happening in the district!
🗓 Tuesday, October 28, 2025
🕗 8:00–9:00 a.m.
📍 Auntie Ray’s Coffee House – 812 E. 1st Street, Merrill
This is a great opportunity to learn more about district updates and ask questions in a casual setting.
Topics will include:
• The state of the budget
• 5th grade transition to the elementary level
• The future of the Prairie River Middle School building
We hope to see you there! 💙 Please share! #WeAreMAPS
Join Superintendent Shannon Murray for an informal conversation about what’s happening in the district!
🗓 Tuesday, October 28, 2025
🕗 8:00–9:00 a.m.
📍 Auntie Ray’s Coffee House – 812 E. 1st Street, Merrill
This is a great opportunity to learn more about district updates and ask questions in a casual setting.
Topics will include:
• The state of the budget
• 5th grade transition to the elementary level
• The future of the Prairie River Middle School building
We hope to see you there! 💙 Please share! #WeAreMAPS
🎉 Congratulations to Noah Klug, our September Youth Optimist of the Month! Your positive attitude, hard work, and leadership make us proud to call you a Bluejay! 💙 #WeAreMAPS
Superintendent Shannon Murray and Board President Kevin Blake joined Bluejay Radio’s Community Scan to recap the latest Board of Education meeting. 🎙️
🎧 Listen here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Be-LEK03ed2UAIfcFgx1qId6P1DUq2Mo/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gxbWIDxT_jVlcqB9d-CNMcIK-KcBl3WJ/view?usp=sharing
#WeAreMAPS
🎧 Listen here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Be-LEK03ed2UAIfcFgx1qId6P1DUq2Mo/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gxbWIDxT_jVlcqB9d-CNMcIK-KcBl3WJ/view?usp=sharing
#WeAreMAPS
🎙️ Bluejay Radio’s Community Scan – Featuring Mark Powell
Merrill Area Public Schools Director of Finance, Mark Powell, recently joined Bluejay Radio’s Community Scan to share updates as the school year gets into full swing!
🚌 Transportation Updates
💼 Employment Opportunities
📅 Important Dates & Reminders
💰 Budget & Levy Update
Mark also shared that the Annual Meeting was held last month and the 2025 preliminary budget and initial tax levy were presented. At this point, taxes are projected to increase about 9% due to reduced state aid, with final numbers expected in October.
🎧 Listen to the full interview to hear more from Mark on these topics and other district updates:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gG4ErizCAhLMDzxbC487IPhqH1m9MKP1/view?usp=sharing
Merrill Area Public Schools Director of Finance, Mark Powell, recently joined Bluejay Radio’s Community Scan to share updates as the school year gets into full swing!
🚌 Transportation Updates
💼 Employment Opportunities
📅 Important Dates & Reminders
💰 Budget & Levy Update
Mark also shared that the Annual Meeting was held last month and the 2025 preliminary budget and initial tax levy were presented. At this point, taxes are projected to increase about 9% due to reduced state aid, with final numbers expected in October.
🎧 Listen to the full interview to hear more from Mark on these topics and other district updates:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gG4ErizCAhLMDzxbC487IPhqH1m9MKP1/view?usp=sharing
A big thank you to Kelli Morgan and Kris Alston for putting up this month’s Central Office bulletin boards! The displays highlight the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northcentral Wisconsin program — a wonderful community partnership supporting our youth. 💙 #WeAreMAPS
Merrill High School is grateful for the incredible support we receive from our local business community!
Merrill High School truly appreciates the support we receive from area businesses that donate materials and equipment, help with mock interviews, and share their time and expertise with our students.
💥 A special shout-out to Samuel Pressure Vessel Group for donating stainless steel plates to our welding program — your generosity helps our students gain valuable hands-on experience and grow their skills! 🔩🔥
Did you know October is Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin? Manufacturing careers are in high demand, and this year Merrill High School is expanding opportunities with new course offerings in Welding, Machine Tool, Basic Auto, and Small Engines.
If your business or organization would like to support these programs, we’d love to hear from you! 🤝
#MerrillHighSchool #ManufacturingMonth #WeldingProgram #CommunitySupport #CareerPathways #SamuelPressureVesselGroup #ThankYou #WeAreMAPS
Merrill High School truly appreciates the support we receive from area businesses that donate materials and equipment, help with mock interviews, and share their time and expertise with our students.
💥 A special shout-out to Samuel Pressure Vessel Group for donating stainless steel plates to our welding program — your generosity helps our students gain valuable hands-on experience and grow their skills! 🔩🔥
Did you know October is Manufacturing Month in Wisconsin? Manufacturing careers are in high demand, and this year Merrill High School is expanding opportunities with new course offerings in Welding, Machine Tool, Basic Auto, and Small Engines.
If your business or organization would like to support these programs, we’d love to hear from you! 🤝
#MerrillHighSchool #ManufacturingMonth #WeldingProgram #CommunitySupport #CareerPathways #SamuelPressureVesselGroup #ThankYou #WeAreMAPS
💙 October 5–11 is Wisconsin School Board Week! 💙
Our students benefit every day from the leadership, vision, and dedication of our School Board. Please join us in showing appreciation for these committed leaders who work tirelessly on behalf of our schools and community.
#WeAreMAPS #WISchoolBoardWeek
🧹✨ Happy School Custodian Appreciation Day! ✨🧹
Today, October 2, we celebrate our amazing custodians who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our schools clean, safe, and welcoming for students and staff. 💙
Thank you for all that you do each and every day—you are an essential part of the MAPS family!
#WeAreMAPS
Today, October 2, we celebrate our amazing custodians who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our schools clean, safe, and welcoming for students and staff. 💙
Thank you for all that you do each and every day—you are an essential part of the MAPS family!
#WeAreMAPS
🍎✨ October is National School Principal Month! ✨🍎
We are grateful for the incredible principals at MAPS who lead with dedication, care, and vision every single day. Please join us in celebrating and appreciating all they do to support our students, staff, and community. 💙 #WeAreMAPS
We are grateful for the incredible principals at MAPS who lead with dedication, care, and vision every single day. Please join us in celebrating and appreciating all they do to support our students, staff, and community. 💙 #WeAreMAPS
📢 Reminder for Families 📢
🚨 No School for Grades K-4 on Monday, September 29, 2025 🚨
This day is dedicated to Professional Learning for our K-4 teaching and support staff. Our team will be focusing on enhancing their understanding and implementation of the Science of Reading through LETRS training.
Thank you for your support as we continue to strengthen literacy education for our students! 📚✨ Please share. #WeAreMAPS
🚨 No School for Grades K-4 on Monday, September 29, 2025 🚨
This day is dedicated to Professional Learning for our K-4 teaching and support staff. Our team will be focusing on enhancing their understanding and implementation of the Science of Reading through LETRS training.
Thank you for your support as we continue to strengthen literacy education for our students! 📚✨ Please share. #WeAreMAPS
✨ Our 6th graders in STEAM took on an exciting challenge—building tetrahedral kites inspired by Alexander Graham Bell! After putting their designs together, they headed outside to test them out and see if they could take flight. 🪁 Great teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving on display today! #WeAreMAPS
We are proud to recognize Carla Juedes and Tracey Folz as Employees of the Month for their outstanding dedication and commitment during our transition to a new bussing company.
Carla has devoted countless hours to planning, training, coordinating, and assisting with all aspects of transportation. Despite the challenges of a bus driver shortage, she has stepped up to help out the Kobussen office and has worked tirelessly to ensure that every student gets where they need to go safely and on time.
Tracey has also gone above and beyond, putting in extraordinary effort over the summer to support the bussing transition and to prepare our school buildings for the new year. Her positive attitude and never-quit spirit set an example for all of us and make a lasting impact on our team.
Congratulations to both Carla and Tracey on this well-deserved recognition. MAPS is grateful for your hard work, resilience, and unwavering commitment to our students and staff! #WeAreMAPS
Carla has devoted countless hours to planning, training, coordinating, and assisting with all aspects of transportation. Despite the challenges of a bus driver shortage, she has stepped up to help out the Kobussen office and has worked tirelessly to ensure that every student gets where they need to go safely and on time.
Tracey has also gone above and beyond, putting in extraordinary effort over the summer to support the bussing transition and to prepare our school buildings for the new year. Her positive attitude and never-quit spirit set an example for all of us and make a lasting impact on our team.
Congratulations to both Carla and Tracey on this well-deserved recognition. MAPS is grateful for your hard work, resilience, and unwavering commitment to our students and staff! #WeAreMAPS
🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸
Today we celebrate and honor the hard work, dedication, and contributions of workers everywhere. Thank you to our staff, families, and community members who give their time and talents each day to make a difference.
We hope you enjoy a safe and restful holiday! 💙
Today we celebrate and honor the hard work, dedication, and contributions of workers everywhere. Thank you to our staff, families, and community members who give their time and talents each day to make a difference.
We hope you enjoy a safe and restful holiday! 💙
🚌 We wanted to give you a heads up that tomorrow, August 27, 2025, Kobussen Buses Ltd. will be running all routes in the morning and routes at night to make sure times and stops are correct 🚌
Tuesday, September 2, (the first day of school for Grades 1-9) Kobussen will be stopping at ALL of their stops. If you have a Kate Goodrich Kindergarten student or High School Grades 10-12 student, the bus will stop at your residence to make sure their routes are still on time. We want to make sure everyone is aware of this.
Kobussen is still working on routing students, please continue to look at your StopFinder app, as times will still be changing.
For all busing questions, please call the Kobussen office at 715-539-8121, option 1.
We cannot wait to see everyone next week! Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Please note that due to limited staffing, our Central Office will be closed on Friday, August 29.
We will also be closed on Monday, September 1 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
Thank you for your understanding, and we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend! 🇺🇸
#WeAreMAPS
We will also be closed on Monday, September 1 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
Thank you for your understanding, and we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend! 🇺🇸
#WeAreMAPS
💙 The 7 Mindsets Coaches are incredibly grateful to the sponsors of our 1st Back to School Bash! This event would not have been possible without your support.
Our community is lucky to have such amazing partners who believe in investing in our students and schools:
✨ IncredibleBank – Merrill
✨ Merrill Community Foundation
✨ Kevin Blake – First Weber
✨ Brickners Park City
✨ Kwik Trip
✨ Walmart
✨ Golden Harvest Market
✨ Big Blue Design
✨ Auntie Ray’s
✨ The Grand Stand
Thank you for making a difference! 💙📚
Sign ups for the 2025 Youth Cheer Camp are now open! Please sign up using the link below.
https://forms.gle/Tg7zLTUtjm9LjYz28
Sign-ups close on Tuesday, August 26th!
https://forms.gle/Tg7zLTUtjm9LjYz28
Sign-ups close on Tuesday, August 26th!
TODAY we are excited to host our first annual MAPS Community Back-to-School Bash! This is a FREE event for our families and students to build community and collaboration prior to the start of the school year! There will be numerous raffle prizes and food and beverages provided free of charge.
Event Details
📍 The Smith Center at the MARC
📅 Wednesday, August 20
🕓 4:00–8:00 PM
What to Expect:
Interactive activities showcasing our 7 Mindsets curriculum for families PK–12
Opportunities to connect with local organizations and resources
Booths from each school, featuring what makes them unique and sharing supply lists
Community partners including Food for Kids, Haven, NorthCentral Health Care, Boys and Girls Club, Girls on the Run, Merrill Go Round, and many more
Family Sessions led by our regional 7 Mindsets representative, Teresa Regiosa, Ph.D.
We’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible work happening in our schools and to build even stronger connections with our community. We hope to see you there! #WeAreMAPS
Event Details
📍 The Smith Center at the MARC
📅 Wednesday, August 20
🕓 4:00–8:00 PM
What to Expect:
Interactive activities showcasing our 7 Mindsets curriculum for families PK–12
Opportunities to connect with local organizations and resources
Booths from each school, featuring what makes them unique and sharing supply lists
Community partners including Food for Kids, Haven, NorthCentral Health Care, Boys and Girls Club, Girls on the Run, Merrill Go Round, and many more
Family Sessions led by our regional 7 Mindsets representative, Teresa Regiosa, Ph.D.
We’re thrilled to celebrate the incredible work happening in our schools and to build even stronger connections with our community. We hope to see you there! #WeAreMAPS
Discover New Learning Adventures!!
The new fall course offerings provide opportunities for everyone, whether you want to dive into a new hobby, gain professional skills, or explore a new interest. You can find the perfect opportunity to learn and grow in your community, from cooking to fly fishing, yoga to creative arts/crafts.
Create your account here: https://mapsedu.recdesk.com/Community/Home
The new fall course offerings provide opportunities for everyone, whether you want to dive into a new hobby, gain professional skills, or explore a new interest. You can find the perfect opportunity to learn and grow in your community, from cooking to fly fishing, yoga to creative arts/crafts.
Create your account here: https://mapsedu.recdesk.com/Community/Home
Please share. #WeAreMAPS
