ENROLLMENT
When will Mayer Lutheran middle school be taking enrollment?
Enrollment is live. Check the admissions tab on our website to find open house dates and/or schedule a private tour of the school. Any family interested in the middle school at any time is encouraged to contact our school.
How many students can we expect to enroll in the middle school over the next few years?
Currently we have 11 students enrolled at Mayer Lutheran middle school. During our planning phase, of the schools we studied, which varied based on their location and situation, some schools are in states that offer parent choice programs and their schools started with more than 70 students, while others, in more rural areas, saw significantly smaller enrollments. At Mayer Lutheran middle school, we would consider full enrollment to be 25 students per classroom with our current facilities.
PREPARING CHRISTIAN LEADERS
What about the curriculum?
We will offer a traditionally vibrant curriculum in line with other Christian middle schools. Our differentiator from free community schools will be the intentional Christian frame of reference and a Biblical world view in our curriculum not currently available in government-supported schools. In addition to language arts, science, math, social studies, and theology, we will have electives in music, visual arts, physical education & health, and STEM.
Is there help for students with special needs?
Mayer Lutheran has traditionally admitted students with special learning challenges and provided a resource teacher to help them maximize their potential in the classroom.
Mrs. Toews is our middle school resource aide. She will assist classroom teachers with differentiation and use various pull-out and/or push-in opportunities to best support our students. Mayer Lutheran partners with Watertown-Mayer Public School to provide student services. Students who come in with 504/IEP/ISP Plans should connect with Principal Gina Plotz, to go over more specifics about what MLMS can provide to best support your child.
How are you fostering character development in students?
At Mayer Lutheran we know it is our mission to prepare the next generation of Christian leaders. Students at Mayer Lutheran have opportunities to learn and develop characteristics of Christian leaders. Mayer Lutheran CRUSADERS are C-Compassionate, R-Respectful, U-Understanding, S-Servant, A-Aspiring, D-Discerning, E-Empathetic, R-Responsible, and S-Saved. A variety of ways that we are preparing the next generation of Christian leaders include: building positive relationships through chapel and small group discussion, mentoring opportunities between middle school and high school students, connections time at the end of the day, and more.
Can the middle school students go on the annual mission trip?
At Mayer Lutheran, students have an opportunity to practice character development and be the hands and feet of Jesus through our longstanding mission trip. Every year Mayer Lutheran offers students a mission trip opportunity over Christmas break. The middle school students will get to join in this special opportunity.
TRANSPORTATION
Will Mayer Lutheran provide transportation to middle school students?
Yes, there is transportation available for our middle school students. Waconia and Watertown-Mayer districts provide free bussing to Mayer Lutheran for students. This is coordinated by the parent directly with Koch Bus Company. For those outside of Watertown-Mayer and Waconia school districts, there is an affordable payment option for bussing. We currently have three vans and one bus for transportation.
TECHNOLOGY
Will Mayer Lutheran middle school students bring their own devices?
Mayer Lutheran middle school students will be issued a school issued laptop to have during their middle school years at ML. Students will have a technology training the first week of school. Students will be responsible for this computer, taking it to and from school, having it appropriately charged, etc. However, it will remain school property. Students will use Microsoft Office and Teams as the main technology platform.
How will the school monitor student technology use?
There will be many ways to monitor that students are appropriately using their device. Some examples include, but are not limited to: technology set-up and training at the beginning of each school year, our secured firewall-protected network (certain websites are blocked on our network), cybersecurity lessons from our Director of Technology, etc.
Will middle schoolers be allowed to have cell phones in the classroom?
No, students will not be allowed to have cell phones during the school day. If parents need to get a hold of students, they will be encouraged to call our office and send a message or connect with the student at the end of the school day.
CO-CURRICULAR
What about co-curricular activities?
Mayer Lutheran middle school students will be given the opportunity to compete in activities through several avenues. Opportunities include: competing against other local middle school teams, competing with the Mayer Knights program, or partnering with Mayer Lutheran High School.
7th & 8th grade students may be given the opportunity to tryout for eligible MSHSL activities in partnership with Mayer Lutheran high school students. The avenue of competition will be determined by factors such as number of participants, available coaches, practice facilities, transportation availability, and safety concerns.
Planned 2024-25 MS Co-curriculars:
- Fall Athletics: Volleyball, Football (Knights), Cross Country
- Winter Athletics: Basketball
- Spring Athletics: Softball, Baseball, Track & Field
- Fine Arts: Fall Play, One Act, & Spring Musical
- Other Activities: National Jr. Honor Society, Key Club, Robotics, Lego League, and more through our Knights program.
- Additional activities may be offered through co-op opportunities with other schools.
THEOLOGY
Will middle school students be pressured to join a Lutheran church?
We desire that each student at Mayer Lutheran grow in a relationship with Jesus. More than half of our current students are not Lutheran and they are living testimonies of the richness of relationships they discover among fellow Christians from all denominations and worship traditions. Naturally, for families without a church home who desire to join a faith community, we can connect them with local Lutheran churches to help them in this process.
What? No confirmation class at the Mayer Lutheran middle school? What if a child or family decide they would like do catechesis after learning about the Christian faith in class?
When families without a church home ask about joining a church, we will, with their permission, share their name with a supporting parish closest to their home and follow up with the pastor to ensure the opportunity to be shepherded in the faith will occur. Since we anticipate many students may not have a church home, working with our congregations will be a great blessing to those students and their families.
STAFFING
What about staffing? Will the students be taught by existing high school teachers?
Mayer Lutheran is essentially shifting from a 9-12 building to a 6-12 building. There will be specialist (band, choir, art, and physical education) teachers that teach both high school and middle school classes. Also, there are two designated middle school teachers, a Science/Math teacher, and a Social Studies/English Language Arts teacher.
Our long-term goal is to maintain a uniquely dedicated middle school teaching staff including administration. For the 2024-25 school year, Gina Plotz will be a teaching principal who will have time in the day to plan and execute strategies for strengthening the middle school in addition to teaching middle school science & math classes. This is a common occurrence as several local Lutheran schools have teaching principals who provide outstanding leadership.
Also, Mayer Lutheran has hired Crystal Toews as the new Middle School Office Manager & Resource Aide. This part-time employee will run the office and has skills in student support.
Will Mayer Lutheran take teachers from our local Lutheran schools for the new middle school?
In hiring teachers, Mayer Lutheran has traditionally avoided offering positions to teachers already serving in our feeder schools and we intend to follow those practice. Naturally, in our LCMS calling structure, any teacher may apply for a position in any school that has an opening. Our strength at Mayer Lutheran has traditionally relied on strong feeder schools taught by talented and strong teachers. Our desire is to not change that reality.
RECRUITMENT
Are we recruiting from our current supporting schools?
No, Mayer Lutheran is not recruiting from other Lutheran grade schools. Middle school marketing materials and strategy has been directed to the community at large apart from our churches and schools. Mayer Lutheran middle school is an outreach opportunity to extend our mission to students in the public school system, homeschooling communities, etc.
Will there be a draw of younger students to Mayer Lutheran Middle School from our feeder schools when a family’s oldest child enrolls in Mayer Lutheran High School to create a “one-stop-shopping” scenario?
We cannot predict whether this will occur. Our protocol is to deter transferring from a feeder school to Mayer Lutheran. Over the past several years though, the “one-stop shopping” scenario has unfolded when a family’s oldest child enrolls at Mayer Lutheran and they enroll the younger siblings at Zion Lutheran School in Mayer, often transferring from another Lutheran partner school.
What if I want to send my child to Mayer Lutheran high school but they do not attend the Mayer Lutheran middle school? Will we be able to do so?
While our own middle school students will have the first chance to enroll in high school, students from our twelve feeder schools will have the next priority before opening up high school enrollment to the general community. We envision enrollment windows for each group that will provide sufficient time for enrollment before opening up enrollment to the next group. The details of high school enrollment deadlines are still being worked out.
MISC
How can I learn more about this initiative? How am I able to share my ideas and concerns?
As we gather more information and make further plans for our 6-12 building, we will provide news online through our website, social media, and monthly newsletters.
The Executive Director is always eager to discuss any Mayer Lutheran news, ideas, dreams, concerns, and criticisms personally through a meeting, phone call, or email. He can be reached at 952.657.2251 x 1007 or joel.landskroener@mayerlutheran.org. Additionally, Middle School Principal Gina Plotz can be reached at 952.657.2251 x 1009 or Gina.Plotz@mayerlutheran.org.