EC-5 Elementary Express
April 2018
April Dates At-A-Glance
April 3-May 5 - FORWARD State Testing Window
April 4 - 4th Grade Field Trip to the State Capitol / Bjugstad,Johannes, Brown, Meeks
April 5 - 4th Grade Field Trip to the State Capitol / Chapman, Swinea, Matrosic, Krueger
April 6 - Kindergarten Orientation 8:15-9:15 (rsvp required)
April 9-13 - Severe Weather Awareness Week
April 10 - 4th Grade GIRLS Human Growth and Development Night 6:15pm - WIS
April 11 - Summer School Registration Opens at 7:00pm
April 12 - Tornado Drill
April 12 - 4th Grade BOYS Human Growth and Development Night 6:15pm - WIS
April 13 - Elem Campus - Crazy Hair Day
April 16-April 20 - 1st & 2nd Grade Swimming Unit
April 16 - 3rd Grade Landfill Field Trip 8:15am-10:00am - Mrs. Miller/Mrs. Kramper
April 17 - 3rd Grade Landfill Field Trip 8:15am-10:00am - Mrs. Swierczek/Mrs. Eckel
April 18 - 3rd Grade Landfill Field Trip 8:15am-10:00am - Miss Case/Mrs. Rowley
April 19 - 3rd Grade Landfill Field Trip 8:15am-10:00am - Mrs. Beam/Ms. Lown
April 19 - Kindergarten Music Programs at MPS gym 5:30 - Dettlaff, Doll, Gray, Heim & Marking; 6:30 - Cook, Kuehl, Mosso & Paugel
April 20 - PTO Sponsored Grades 3-5 SOCK HOP @ WIS Gym 6:30pm-8:00pm
April 23-April 27 - 1st & 2nd Grade Swimming Unit
April 23 - Second Grade Field Trip - Dolphin Earth Day Movie Field Trip- (afternoon)
April 24 - Open Mic Poetry Night 6:00pm-7:00pm - ED Locke Public Library
April 24-April 26 - Pre-K Child Development Days - Curling Club
April 25 - SEE - String Exploratory Evening (Orchestra) 4th Graders Interested in joining in 5th grade. 5:30pm-7:30pm WIS Commons
April 30 - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information Meeting @ IMMS Cafeteria / 6:30pm
May dates to look forward to...
May 1 & May 2 - Kindergarten Farm Field Trip (morning only)
May 4 - Elem Campus - Star Wars Day
May 7-11 - Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8 Teacher Appreciation Day)
June dates to look forward to...
Save the Date - June 4 - 2nd Grade Picnic at Lewis Park
Save the Date - June 5 - 1st Grade Picnic at Lewis Park
June 6 - Last Day School for 4K-2
June 7 - Last Day WIS
Summer School Sign-Up Is April 11 at 7:00PM - BE SURE TO REGISTER BEFORE!!
CEELC/Primary Building Information
MPS Building Administrative Assistant: Sheryl Leemon 608-838-3115
Email: novakk@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/elementary/
Phone: 608-838-3115
From the Desk of Dr. Novak...
April 2018
Dear Families,
We hope you enjoyed your Spring Break, whether that meant fun travels or relaxing downtime for your family. Can you believe that we have less than ten weeks left of this school year? We’ve had a great year working with your kind, unique, and creative children and we’re so pleased with the growth they’ve shown. Thank you for all you’ve done to have them at school on time and ready to learn. Your partnership and support is most vital and very much appreciated! These last few months will be a busy and exciting time for our students so make sure to check out our April events calendar!
At the end of March, our staff took tours of the new Conrad Elvehjem Primary School. The space is absolutely beautiful and we cannot wait for you to see it next year. One new and exciting space is the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows in the new Instructional Media Center that flood the space in natural light! Feel free to follow along with the progress with notes and pictures from Findorff Construction on our district’s Facilities Planning website. We are also in the midst of ordering some new furniture pieces to complement the new learning spaces; hats off to our staff for their active participation in providing input and careful selection of the new student tables, desks, chairs, and flexible seating options to meet a variety of student needs.
This month, we will wrap up our new “Welcome to Kindergarten” Orientation with our last student/family visit scheduled for Friday, April 6th. With the completion of this event, we will have had over 130 incoming kindergarteners learning about A Day in the Life of Kindergarten, seeing our classes in action, and enjoying a delicious school breakfast. We have enjoyed meeting the Class of 2031 and their families and are excited to welcome our newest Spartan Stars in September!
As the weather continues to warm up, please consider checking the temperature and conditions with your son or daughter before school each day. Discuss what appropriate outerwear for the temperature itself would be, factoring in the mix of conditions that this month brings, and how wind, snow, rain, etc. will impact your son or daughter’s decision on what is appropriate to wear to school. Thinking of recess, we encourage you to ask your child what their favorite recess activities are, and challenge them to describe how they show our Spartan Star expectations of being safe, kind, and responsible outside. When families connect school expectations to conversations at home, our students know we are partnered together to best support their learning.
As was shared in last month’s newsletter, the McFarland School Board approved the addition of an Associate Principal to help provide leadership and support in the areas of behavior, curriculum, instruction, and supervision. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Greg Nelson, our current Teacher on Special Assignment, for his recent appointment to this new role. Greg has been a member of the Elementary Campus staff since 2012 in both this current role and as a Cross-Categorical Special Educator. He is a knowledgeable, dedicated, and highly-valued member of our learning community and we are thrilled to have him continue as a member of our team as our new Associate Principal!
Yours under “Kid”struction, as we are building Learners, Leaders, Dreamers, and Doers,
Kelley Novak, Ed.D
Elementary Campus Principal
Greg Nelson
Teacher on Special Assignment
IMPORTANT DATE CHANGES - ELEMENTARY CAMPUS
2017-18/2018-19 School Calendar Changes and New School Start Time for 2018-19
On March 19th, in an effort to meet the construction schedule for our new school building, the McFarland School Board approved changes to the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school calendars. The following day, the details of these changes were shared with families via an Infinite Campus email, but in an effort to make sure everyone is aware, you can also find the information at this link. We sincerely appreciate your understanding about these changes as we know it may require families to make adjustments to their family calendars to accommodate them.
In an effort to maximize our schedule and learning needs, the decision has been made to move our K-2 school start time up a few minutes to begin at 7:45 AM. This will be the time of the first bell when students can enter their classrooms to begin the day. The dismissal bell will remain at its current time of 2:42 PM. As we continue to evaluate the arrival/dismissal, transportation, and supervision needs of our new campus layout, more details will be provided about the procedures associated with these these time frames. In the meantime, thank you for noting our new student school hours of 7:45 AM-2:42 PM.
Waubesa Intermediate Building Information
Principal: Sue Murphy
Building Adminstrative Assistant:
Arlene Coady-Bast
608-838-7667
Email: murphys@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/intermediate/
Phone: 608-838-7667
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Waubesa.Intermediate.School/
From the desk of Principal Murphy...
Dear Waubesa Families,
Don't forget to check out the Waubesa Intermediate School Facebook page that features upcoming events and amazing pictures from the fun days/events we have here at school!
It was great seeing so many of you at the recent 4th & 5th grade Art and Music Programs! The students performed well and provided all of us with great entertainment. The evening celebrations really confirm for me the importance of the arts in our schools. We appreciate your support at these events.
Spring is arriving soon and should bring with it a bit of warm weather. Spring also brings some fluctuation in temperatures. Wearing layers to school is the best way for students to always remain comfortable during the school day and at recess times.
April is the start of a very busy time for us at Waubesa. Students will be taking the state Forward exam at various times during the month. It will help them greatly if they get a good night’s sleep and eat healthy so they can be focused and do their best.
There are also several field trips during the month of April and into May as well as many transition events as we begin to prepare for next year.
I had someone ask if we would be hosting our annual Olympiad again this year. We will be. The Olympiad is scheduled for Friday, June 1. As always, we will be looking for many parent volunteers to help with the day’s events.
Sue Murphy
Principal
Waubesa Intermediate School
4th Grade Human Growth and Development
We will once again host a 4th Grade Human Growth and Development Night. The night will be focused on helping your student understand the upcoming changes they will encounter. Our goal is to begin the conversation now so that students feel comfortable talking to a trusted adult. There will be a lot of time given for individual family conversations, so be prepared to have open and honest discussions. We encourage you to bring all of your questions. We will provide note cards for these questions.
April 10th at 6:15pm- GIRLS Night - Waubesa Commons
-Presenters include Alison Potter-RN, Jennifer Chapman and Andrew Meeks
April 12th at 6:15pm- BOYS Night - Waubesa Commons
-Presenters include Tom Murwin-MD, Jennifer Chapman and Andrew Meeks
Drop Off / Pick-Up
Bike to School
As a child I was not able to bike to school, because I lived too far from school. So once again this year, I’ve decided to organize the event slightly different. Instead of meeting all students at the school when they arrive, we will be meeting at the Village Hall and creating a bike train. The train will leave Village Hall at 7:35AM with a police escort! This way any student who, like me, lives too far away, can come to the Village Hall and enjoy a bike ride to school. Parents are welcome too!
No bike? No problem! We will also be having a group walk to school from Village Hall as well! In order to arrive at school on time, this group will be leaving at 7:30AM. This group will be led by staff and parents from our school.
For those who are able to come to the Village Hall, we will be having a raffle for great bike themed prizes. However, the best part of the event is simply riding to school with a great group of fellow schoolmates.
I look forward to seeing many of you at this event!
Mr. Al Northouse
Basic Details:
What: Bike to School Day
When: May 9th, 2018 @7:15AM - Bike Train leaves at 7:35AM
Where: Meet at McFarland Village Hall
Who: All interested Waubesa Parents and Students
A special thank you to the PTO and Waubesa Families
Art and Music Shows - BRAVO!!!
Thank You Parents!
We appreciate your support during conference weeks. It gives teachers an opportunity to discuss your son or daughters progress in class and work towards their goals. It is important that we all work together.