Calven and Dakota Zakovec, seniors here at Mellen have been selected to play in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association 8 man football game on July 18, 2015 in Oshkosh.  

This is a great honor for these students to be selected after only the second year of football back in Mellen.

This special event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Children’s Hospital. The students need to raise funds for the event. 

You may donate at: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Calven54DakotaZakovec44/2015-wfca-all-star-football-game 

An account has been set-up at Northern State Bank in our names, or you can send donations directly to us at: 39049 State Hwy. 169; Mellen, WI  54546.  Any amount over $25.00 will put your name in the book at Children’s Hospital as a sponsor.  

Help bring the Mellen Mascot, the "Granite Digger" to life. We are requesting your help to raise funds so we can purchase a costume.

The goal is to raise $4,744.00 plus shipping and handling. You will be able to witness the unveiling of the "Digger" mascot during the 4th of July celebration in 2015.

For more information contact Jim Parker at 262-914-8593 or 715-278-3405. Or you can mail your donation to Jim at:
39243 North York Road
High Bridge, WI 54846

Or mail to Carol Pearson at the Mellen Chamber of Commerce.

Make all donations out to : Mellen Chamber of Commerce/Digger Drive

If you would like to check out the production company to see how our Digger will be made, go to:
http://www.loonietimes.com

Show your DIGGER PRIDE! Help out if you can.

August 22, 2014

Dear Parent and Caregivers:

The 2014-15 school year is about to begin and the School District of Mellen has exciting plans and high expectations for your child’s learning. I know that you also have many hopes and dreams for your child’s success in school and beyond.

To make sure those hopes and dreams are realized, I want to ask for your commitment to making sure your child attends school every day possible this year. The evidence is clear: children with good attendance are more likely to be successful in school. High attendance rates are linked to high student achievement. This is true for every grade – elementary, middle and high school students.

A recent review of student attendance data by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows that regular school attendance from Kindergarten on is essential to successful learning:

·       Every day counts. Missing school even 10% of the time has a significant impact on reading and math achievement as children progress through school.

·       Students with good attendance performed better in math and reading. Children who had good attendance in Kindergarten through Grade 2 were more than twice as likely to score proficient on state math tests by the time they reached Grade 8 as their peers who missed more school. In reading, there were similar results.

·       Good attendance starts early. Research has shown that the attendance habits established Kindergarten through Grade 2 have lasting effects on students throughout their education:  children with high attendance in the early grades continue to have good attendance; and students with low attendance in the early grades are more likely to have low attendance—and lower academic performance—throughout their elementary and middle school years.


You are your child’s most influential teacher. I am asking for your support in helping your child get to school on time every day this year. Your child needs to be in school and engaged in learning to reach his or her full potential. Yet, we realize that every family faces challenges— illness, transportation, child care, or scheduling demands. Please let me or your child’s teacher know if your family needs help dealing with these challenges to your child’s good school attendance. We will do our best to help your family ensure that your child’s school attendance stays on track.  

More information on what families and schools can do together to support good student attendance can be found at: http://www.attendanceworks.org/about/what-can-i-do/parents/.

Thank you for all you do to support your child’s school success and well-being, as well as our school. I look forward to working with you this year and to having your child learn and grow here in Mellen!

Best wishes for a safe and successful school year.

Kind regards,



Kevin Buxton

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year! 

We will be hosting an Open House on Thursday, August 28th from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. All parents of elementary students should have received a letter from their child’s teacher with Open House conference times. If you did not receive a letter, please call Heidi at 715/274-3601 ext. 400.

Middle school and High school students and their parents will be able to pick up schedules, locker information, etc ., outside the front office. Staff will be available to assist you, answer questions, and go over class information and expectations.
We do have some teachers with extra-curricular activities who may not be available for the entire Open House. If you are not able to meet with your child’s teacher, please make arrangements to meet at a later date. Appointments can be made at the front office.

Mrs. Powell, our school counselor will be available to cover graduation requirements, Youth Options courses, and ITV courses for high school students.

The student handbook will be available on our website. Please take the time to read through the handbook. We will need acknowledgement forms signed by both students and parents, but in an effort to reduce costs, we will not print out an entire handbook for each student. Here is a link to the student handbook.

Information regarding the 21st Century CLC 9th hour program will be available at the Open House.  Permission forms will be available during the Open House. The first day for the After School Program will be September 22rd. The Before School Program will begin on the first day of school, September 2nd at 7:00AM.

This year we have four new teachers and one new support staff member:
Deb Peterson will be teaching one of our Kindergarten classes.
Rebecca Ristau will be teaching Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies.
Sara Armstrong will be our Band/Music teacher.
Justin Jordan will be teaching Middle School Math and Science.
Jessica Jordan will be our Title I aide.

Also new this year, the school day will go until 3:25. These extra minutes will help us avoid adding additional school days at the end of the school year.

We have two early release days this school year. On October 8 and February 11, school will be dismissed at 2:00 PM. Please note this is a later dismissal than in the past.

Please be mindful of the students’ safety around the school particularly before and after school around the bus drop off and pick-up area. Students may enter the building at 8:00AM. Breakfast will begin at 8:00 AM. Door A (at the bus drop off area) will be locked at 8:05AM. The first class period of the day begins at 8:10 AM. 

Student parking is in the back of the school.  High school students (grade 9-12) will continue to have open campus. Students must have a signed parent permission form to go off campus for lunch. 

Once again, I would like to thank this great community for all the support given to the school in so many different ways, and I look forward to another great school year here in Mellen!


Kind regards,
Kevin Buxton, Principal

I see lots of smiles around the school as students and staff complete the last school day of the 2013-2014 school year.

This is a milestone for many of us, and an opportunity to reflect on how we did. Looking back on my first year as your principal, I am thankful for the support and hard work of the staff, students and the community of Mellen. None of us can do it alone, and although we may not always agree, it is refreshing to see those differences take a back seat to the overall effort of educating the children of Mellen.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the people of Mellen, especially the students.  They make it all worthwhile.

Have a great summer everyone!

Mr. Buxton

Congratulations to the School District of Mellen's Danielle Penney, the 2014 Wisconsin Art Teacher of the Year. This award will be presented to Danielle at the Wisconsin Art Education Association Fall Conference.

As a result of the number of school days we have missed this school year, we will need to extend the school year by three days through June 11th.  We will also extend the school day by two minutes starting on Monday the 28th of April through the end of the school year. School will be dismissed at 3:21 (instead of 3:19). This will keep us in compliance with the state mandated number of school hours.

The state has removed the required number of school days required in a school year, and will instead require only the actual hours of instruction. 

To help avoid having to add days in future school years, we plan to lengthen the instructional day by eleven minutes beginning with the 2014-2015 school year.

The Spring Food Drive for the Brick has begun.  The last day for the drive will be April 15.  Grades 3-12 will be participating in a "Cantest"; building structures out of the collected non-perishable foods. Information for this competition will be placed in your mailbox today.  Also see below for the flyer that you will be receiving.

Pre-K through 2nd grade teachers, please continue your great production.  If there is anything that you need, please let me know.

On behalf of the Partnership Between School and Community

At the February board meeting, the school board decided to make up all inclement weather days over five. We have closed school five days to date this school year. Any additional school days lost to inclement weather will be made up in June.