Lion's Den
Lakeview Family Newsletter - November 1
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Early Dismissal on Friday, November 8th at 11:45 a.m.
Lakeview School Goal
Our goal is to "be responsive to student academic needs so that all students meet or exceed expected growth." Let's break that down:
Be responsive - this means that our teachers recognize that every student is an individual with slightly different academic needs. We want to know our students well so that we can give them just what they need at just the right time in order to grow academically.
To student academic needs - We value all sorts of student growth (character, creativity, leadership, etc.) but we measure reading and math growth particularly. You received MAP assessment scores at parent/teacher conferences this month. That is an important measurement for us.
So that all students - Every single student can grow. It has nothing to do with past achievement, economic status, or anything else. Everyone can grow!
Meet or exceed expected growth - The MAP assessment results you received predict a future score for your student, based on students across the nation. We are working to make sure Lakeview students meet or exceed that target.
How can you help at home?
#1 - Read, read, read! I can't stress this enough. 30 minutes of reading a night is like a college scholarship.
#2 - Talk to your students how important school is to you and your family. Expect them to do well and they will live up to your expectations.
#3 - If you have a student that is in 4K through 1st grade, be sure to point to every word as you read and ensure your child can do that as well. It's actually a skill that predicts later reading proficiency.
#4 - For young students, make sure they can count one item at a time. Count toys, legos, buttons, or anything else!
#5 - For older students, work with them on math fluency - that means good old flash cards. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division never go out of style, and they are really important to be able to solve quickly.
#6 - Be at school all day, every day.
#7 - If you have preschool aged children, be sure to talk to them, sing to them, read to them, and give them social experiences (like library story time or a Rec Department activity). These four things make a difference!
Grade Level Newletters
Please read the newsletter(s) that are appropriate for your family:
Specials (rotates grades each week)
'Tis the Season
• Students are outside anytime the "feels like" temperature is at least 10 degrees.
• As long as there is snow on the ground, students must be wearing both boots and snowpants to leave the blacktop and play on the equipment or swings. Some of our younger students get really upset when they learn this rule because they see their friends playing in the snow. Help your child by sending boots and snowpants to school.
• Please label all items - coats, hats, gloves, etc. As a parent, I know how expensive those items are and how quickly they get lost. Having a name written on the tag really helps!
• Send all of your child's outerwear every day - even if it is too cold to be outside for morning recess, we might get out by noon recess if the temperature hits 10 degrees.
• The office does not provide extra hats, gloves, etc. for students. We do not keep those supplies on hand.
• Please make sure students have extra socks, shoes, or even pants at school. Who likes to learn in cold, wet socks?
Upcoming Events
Monday, November 4 - Golden Lion Assembly (all-school assembly to recognize Golden Lion ticket recipients and send home)
Friday, November 8 - Early Dismissal at 11:45 a.m.
October Attendance Update
• 130 students (42%) at Lakeview missed at least 1/2 of a day without a medical excuse. These could be slight colds, family vacations, etc.
• 44 students (14%) at Lakeview missed at least 2 days without a medical excuse.
• 85 students (27%) were tardy at least once in October. Tardy means they were late to school.
• 17 students (5%) were tardy 4 or more times in October.
• 15 students (4%) left school early at least once in October.
As the weather gets colder, please allow extra time to get dressed at home and make it to school on time. School starts at 8:30. Supervision begins on the playground at 8:15 every morning, so the best plan is to drop students on the playground between 8:15 and 8:25 so they are automatically on time for school.
Also, please remember that medically excused absences do not count against a student's 10-day absence limit for the school year. An excuse must be written by the provider's office. Sorry, we cannot take your word for it, and we cannot take a post-visit summary letter.
StopIt App
• Click here for the link to the parent letter and student poster
• Click here to see the slides that 3rd-5th grade students viewed in class with Mr. Sepersky to learn about the STOPit app and website.
• The access code for Lakeview is #Lakeview1
New G/T Coordinator
Greetings! I hope you have had a successful start to the school year. I am excited to be able to share that at the October 23rd School Board meeting, the Board approved the hiring of our new District Gifted and Talented (GT) Coordinator, Mrs. Brigid Harmeyer. As you may know, our GT coordinator resigned immediately prior to the school year. This position requires a unique skill set with far-reaching classroom and leadership responsibilities. We conducted an initial round of interviews and were left unsatisfied with the candidates. After conducting a second round of interviews, we are confident we have found an incredible individual who will bring a wealth of experience with students of all ages, staff at all levels, and all families in South Milwaukee.
Mrs. Harmeyer is an experienced classroom teacher and GT Coordinator who is thrilled to be joining our learning community. Mrs. Harmeyer impressed our interview team with her natural connection to each and every student, her innovative ideas for learning, and her excitement to take GT programming to the next level. Mrs. Harmeyer will work with students and staff at every level throughout the district. We are thrilled to have her begin in South Milwaukee on Tuesday, October 29. We will be sharing more information about Mrs. Harmeyer’s role throughout the year and working with building principals to introduce her to you and your children as quickly as possible. If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me, Ann Newman Ph.D., Director of Instruction (anewman@sdsm.k12.wi.us). Thank you!
5th Grade Camp Meeting
The meeting will be on Thursday, November 14th from 6-7 p.m. in the Lakeview library. If you have questions ahead of time, please contact your child's 5th grade teacher.
Lakeview Elementary School
Email: csepersky@sdsm.k12.wi.us
Website: lakeview.sdsm.k12.wi.us
Location: 711 Marion Avenue, South Milwaukee, WI, USA
Phone: 414-766-5252
Twitter: @sepersky