EC-5 Elementary Express
December 2017
December Dates At-A-Glance
December 1 - PTO Science Night in WIS gym, 4K-5th grade from 5:30pm-7:30pm
December 12 - WIS Book Fair 12:00pm-7:00pm - Buy One Give One
December 12 - 4K Winter Craft Night, 6:00pm-7:00pm CE Cafeteria
December 20 & 21 - 1st/2nd Grade trip to the Ice Rink (9:10am-10:10am)
December 21 - Festive Sweater Day 4K-2nd Grade
December 21 - WIS All School Read Aloud 1:00pm-1:30pm
December 21 - Blue Notes Winter Tour at all schools
December 22-January 1 - Winter Break NO SCHOOL
January 2 - BACK TO SCHOOL
January 8 - 5th Grade Planetarium Field Trip (Grenzow & Eversoll)
January 9 - 5th Grade Planetarium Field Trip (Butorac & Wilson)
January 10 - 5th Grade Planetarium Field Trip (Wells & Lackey)
January 11 - 5th Grade Planetarium Field Trip (Frank & Litz)
January 11 - 5th Grade Orchestra Concert 7:00pm @ MHS
DO YOU KNOW WE OFFER BREAFKAST EVERY MORNING?
We know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Our children need to receive nutritionally adequate meals in order to learn and grow properly. We also know that mornings can be hectic trying to get everyone off to school and work on time. If there isn’t time at your house to make breakfast or, if you child isn’t yet hungry before you leave, the School Nutrition Department offers a healthy, well balanced meal to start your child’s day off right.
We offer one hot entrée every day and there will be at least three cold entrees every day to choose from. Low sugar cereal will also be available daily. Mini bagels and lowfat, whole grain blueberry muffins are just a couple examples of what we offer. Check out our website for the menu of hot items at http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/district/Dept-SchoolNutrition-Menus.cfm.
The cost of breakfast is $1.75 or $0.30 for students who qualify for reduced lunch. Families who qualify for free lunch are also able to receive a free breakfast. If you have any questions about breakfast or anything about our program, please contact me, Barb Waara, Student Nutrition Director, at waarab@mcfsd.org or 838-4549.2017-18 Calendar Change
Dear McFarland Families,
On Monday, November 20, the School Board approved the following change to the 2017-18 school calendar for PK-5 students:
Thursday, May 24, 2018 will now be a professional development day for PK-5 staff, with no classes for PK-5 students only.
This change was made to allow PK-5 teachers to attend a two-day training that will support a curriculum adoption and best practices in education.
Here is how the end of the week of May 21 will look:
Thursday, May 24th, 2018 (This is the change)
No school for PK-5 students
Regular School day for 6-12 students
Friday, May 25th, 2018 (As originally scheduled)
No school for PK-8 students
Regular School day for 9-12 students
We understand this may create a need for child care on this day and we have contacted area organizations including the McFarland Recreation, Activities and Play (MRAP) about this change. MRAP is exploring the possibility of adding events on this day and we will communicate that information as it becomes available.
In addition, the School Board also approved the 2018-19 school calendar at that same meeting. The updated calendar will be posted on the school website this week.
Please feel free to contact Melissa Pfohl, Director of Teaching Learning, at pfohlm@mcfsd.org or 608.838.4510 with any questions about this calendar change.
Thank you for your flexibility, and your continued support of our schools,
December 1 - 5:30pm-7:30pm / FREE EVENT!!
Join us on Friday December 1, 2017 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm for the annual PTO Family Science Night. This is located in the Waubesa Intermediate School Gym and it is for the entire family to enjoy! You won't want to miss this event!
We will be welcoming the wonderful students from the UW Madison Biocore Ambassadors as they show off some incredible science experiments! It is a fun and interactive evening. We hope to see you there
CEELC/Primary/WIS Cold-Weather Dress Code
The playground area behind our schools are quite open and therefore very windy. This can make it feel very cold when students are outside for recess or before school. Please help your child to enjoy recess time by providing them with appropriate winter clothing.
Please help us keep your child safe, warm, comfortable, and dry by sending them to school dressed in the following outerwear:
- Boots are required outdoor wear during the snowy winter months. Boots should be at least high enough to cover the ankle. Boots provide warmth, traction on ice and snow, and have the ability to keep your child’s feet dry. A common sense approach will be used to monitor the wearing of boots. We will require students who do not have boots to stay on the blacktop if clear of snow and ask students to stand by the wall if the blacktop is snow covered.
- Hats or earmuffs are required winter wear. They should cover the ears to prevent frostbite. Seventy percent of a person’s heat loss is from the head, so hats are essential for conserving warmth.
- Mittens or gloves are required. Mittens that provide water resistance are preferred, especially when children play in the snow. Dry hands are warm hands! Wet hands are very, very cold!
- Snow pants are required for any student who wishes to leave the blacktop and play actively in the snow. Those who do not have snow pants are not able to play actively in the snow (e.g. lay down and make snow angels, etc) and may be restricted to the “blacktop only” depending on the conditions.
- Please label all of your child’s outerwear with their name. Many children have the same or similar items. In addition, coats, gloves, and hats are frequently left on the playground and if they aren’t labeled they go into the Lost and Found where they are often forgotten.
CEELC/Primary School News
CEELC and Primary School Information
Building Administrative Assistant / CEELC: Emily Broome
Building Administrative Assistant / Primary: Sheryl Leemon
Email: novakk@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/elementary/
Phone: 608-838-3115
Dear Families,
With the warm, sunny days we’ve had over the past week, it’s hard to believe that the month of December is already upon us! As a Floridian, I have been taking full advantage of this weather, but realize that much cooler days are on the horizon. In anticipation of these weather changes, we appreciate your help ensuring that your student is dressed for warmth during outdoor playtime. Getting ready to endure the cold at recess takes a little extra time and organization, and we would be most grateful for any assistance you can provide in helping your child learn to put on and remove his/her boots, snow pants, mittens, etc., as well as making sure all of these items are labeled with his/her name. Our community does a great job of placing found items in our Lost and Found, but these labels will surely help keep our bins from overflowing at this time of the year.
Although our students attend fewer school days in December, there is no shortage of fun and exciting events around campus! In addition to the daily learning taking place in each and every classroom, our students will participate in our next school-wide PBIS assembly on December 1st (remember to wear your Spartan Star shirt!), 4K students and families will tackle glitter and glue during our Winter Craft Night on December 12th, and on December 21st, our students will enjoy a visit from the McFarland High School Secondary Blue Notes Choir, when they are also invited to don their most festive sweaters and winter wear in the spirit of the season.
Please note that our first day of Winter Break begins on Friday, December 22nd with classes resuming on Tuesday, January 2nd. This time away from school provides a great opportunity for extra time with family and friends, playing outdoors, and cozying up with some great books or extended practice on Dreambox. However you and your family choose to spend this time, we want to take a moment to wish you all the best this holiday season! We hope you and yours enjoy some special time together during the break, and we look forward to welcoming our students’ bright, shining faces back to school in 2018!
Warm regards,
Kelley Novak, Ed.D
Principal
Greg Nelson
Teacher on Special Assignment
Elementary Campus Construction Update
Our PBIS Award Touch-a-Truck event was a huge success! The students had an opportunity to get up close and personal with a Wingra cement truck, learning about the various parts of the truck and their functions, comparing their height with the tires, and for our 1st Quarter Safety Specialist awardees, an opportunity to sit in the cab and enjoy the bouncy driver’s seat. In preparation for this event, our talented Technology teacher, Brooke Houser, made an informative video for the students to learn more about the job of cement trucks prior to their visit. Check out the video at this link: Touch-a-Truck. Many thanks to Mrs. Houser, Ms. Lily and our PBIS team, Findorff Construction, and the Wingra Stone Company for partnering with us to provide this fun-filled, educational experience!
Tech Tidbits
By: Brooke Hauser, Elementary Campus Technology Teacher/Integrator
Topic: Parameters for iPad use at home
In this month’s Tech Tidbits, you will find excerpts from the American Academy of Pediatrics New Media Use Guidelines (October 2016) , as well as some helpful tools and tips for monitoring your family’s use of electronics.
“Today's generation of children and adolescents is growing up immersed in media...Even though the media landscape is constantly changing, some of the same parenting rules apply," said Yolanda (Linda) Reid Chassiakos, MD, FAAP, lead author of the technical report. "Parents play an important role in helping children and teens navigate the media environment, just as they help them learn how to behave off-line. The AAP wants to provide parents the evidence-based tools and recommendations to help them make their children's media experience a positive one."
Among the AAP recommendations:
For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms.
Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect online and offline.
Remember, you are your child’s media mentor. Lead by example, staying engaged and connected when having conversations. Preserve face to face contact -- limit time where everyone is just looking at a device. Turn off all electronics one hour before bedtime to encourage better sleep patterns. Reinforce at home what we teach at school: iPads are a tool for creating, connecting and learning, not merely consuming media. Finally, don’t let technology replace the important jobs of being a kid: hands-on, unstructured play, socialization and sleep.
Online Tools for Creating a Family Media Use Plan and a Media Time Calculator
Tips from an MPS Parent: “Setting a time limit, sitting with her while she does [the iPad] and letting her 'teach me', making sure her other work is done first, not letting the Tumble Books become her 20 minutes of reading homework... ”
- Thank you to the PTO and McFarland families for providing such a great lunch for staff on the Elementary Campus on the day of Parent-Teacher Conferences.
- Thank you to families who contributed food during the recent Food Pantry drive.
- Thank you to parents who make sure their children arrive to school on time, every day. Children who arrive on time benefit immensely by capturing the announcements, directions, daily activities and assignments that are shared with students at the start of each school day.
- The high level of parent participation at the recent Parent/Teacher Conferences is another indication of the strong home-school partnership that exists in our community.
Waubesa School News
Waubesa Intermediate School Information
Email: MurphyS@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/intermediate/
Phone: 608-838-7667
A Note From Principal Sue Murphy...
The leaves are off the trees and the cold temperatures have arrived. Please take a few minutes to read through the winter dress requirements included in this month's news.
The past few years we have been working hard at helping our students develop a growth mindset. This requires students to believe they can learn anything as long as they work hard, try various strategies and accept input from others. In the process, they may fail, but this failure can help them to gain an even better understanding in the end.
It is often in math class that we hear students say things like, “I am just not good at math.” They seem to think that some people are good at math and some people aren’t. The staff at WIS do not believe this is true. We have researched this topic at length and believe ALL students can be strong at math. Students just need to work hard, try various strategies, be open to ideas from others, not be afraid to fail, and believe in themselves.
Of course, we believe this to be true in all subjects and would love your help in promoting this mindset. We’d love to ban the phrase, “Well, I wasn’t good at math either.” This phrase allows children the opportunity to not persevere through a problem, but to just give up. Something we feel is detrimental to their growth.
Check out the link to learn more.
This year, winter break starts December 22 with classes resuming on January 2, 2018. This is a perfect time for children to enjoy family and friends, as well as to read a good book (or two), and to practice math on Dreambox.
Finally, I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Holiday. There is always so much to be thankful for. I know I appreciate my family and friends and am grateful for the terrific staff here at Waubesa. We also have so many great families here in McFarland. This is such a supportive community and I feel lucky to work here with you.
As always, feel free to call with any questions, comments or concerns.
Stay warm,
Sue Murphy
Principal
Be On Time!
7:52am - First Bell
8:00am - Tardy Bell
2:55pm - Dismissal
Please note : Supervision begins at 7:30am on the playground and at 7:15am for breakfast.
The Waubesa Word
Visit our Waubesa Word You Tube channel weekly to hear the latest school announcements! Your children watch these videos on Monday mornings.
-In Search of G Rated Movies-
Attention WIS Families - Our library is in need of G rated movies. If you have any G rated movies that you are willing to donate we would GREATLY appreciate them! Thank you for taking a moment to look around. You can drop these off in the office or you can send them in with your daughter/son and they can bring them to the library.
Sincere Thanks -
Mrs. Evans and the Library Staff
3rd Grade Open House Music Program - DOWNSTAIRS -
3rd Grade Open House Music Program - UPSTAIRS -
Many Thanks To...
- McFarland EC-5 PTO and WIS families for sponsoring dinner for teachers on Parent Teacher Conference Night.
- Parents for the GREAT attendance at conferences! We appreciate your support.
- Families - that arrive on time everyday so the children don't miss any important announcements or key learning. Daily attendance does matter.