Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
November 15, 2019
Important Dates Ahead
11/18 - School Board Dinner hosted @ Muskego Lakes 6:30pm featuring 8th grade AVID
11/18 - School Board Meeting hosted @ Muskego Lakes 7pm featuring Inclusive Practices
11/19 - PTO Meeting 6:30 - 7:30pm (Muskego Lakes Library)
11/27 - 11/29 - Thanksgiving Break - No School
12/12 - 7th & 8th Grade Band Concert 7:00pm - Muskego High School PAC
12/17 - 6th Grade Band Concert 7:00pm - Muskego Lakes Gym
12/23 - 1/1 - Winter Break - No students in attendance
Proud of our WI Department of Instruction Report Card at MLMS
We are so proud to announce that Muskego Lakes was once again rated Significantly Exceeds Expectations by the WI Department of Public Instruction! This is a direct result of the hard work of our incredible teachers & students and our supportive families. Review our state report card for more details.
Quarter 1 Report Cards
Our school is not the only one receiving a report card this month. Quarter 1 Report cards will arrive in the mail early next week. Enclosed with the report card is a Student Reflection Page. Our hope is that you would help your student(s) reflect on their progress so far this year. Then, after your student has answered the questions, please add your signature. Your child will need to return this to his/her homeroom teacher by November 22nd. Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s academic success.
Restorative Practices at Muskego Lakes
Building a strong student community is a priority for us at Muskego Lakes. On a daily basis, our students demonstrate Musky P.R.I.D.E. (Promoting...Respect, Integrity, Determination and Engagement). In addition, staff and students across the building work intentionally to build community. From time to time, conflict between individuals will arise. This is where Restorative Practices come in. Restorative Practices are built on the belief that individuals are less likely to treat someone poorly when they know and appreciate them. As a result, when conflict is present, individuals will seek to repair damage caused to others because they are part of a community where relationships matter.
When a student is not following our behavioral expectations, consequences are part of the process but they are not the main driver that will prevent reoccurrence of the behavior. This is where the restorative conversation comes in. In a more traditional disciplinary model, students who cause harm to another individual are not given the opportunity repair the damage they caused or learn how their actions impacted others. In a restorative conversation, an adult mediates a structured conversation between the student who caused the harm and the student(s) impacted. The student(s) have the opportunity to share how they were impacted and what they think needs to happen to make things right. The student that caused the harm is given the opportunity to share what happened, what they were thinking at the time and what they have been thinking since. They also have the opportunity to share what they believe they need to do to make things right. This conversation brings individuals into the process of joint problem solving and ensures all voices are heard. Restorative conversations decrease the likelihood of repeated behavior.
We also understand that all behavior is a form of communication. So, we appreciate when we have the opportunity to come alongside our students and help model for them how to repair harm they caused and reflect on their choices. If you have any questions about restorative practices, please reach out to us as your principals so we can answer any questions you may have. You can reach us at Muskego Lakes at (262) 971-1860 or via email at rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org or chad.krupar@muskegonorway.org.
What We Can & Can't Share with You as Principals
There are times when your child is involved in an incident at school, and as a parent/guardian, it is natural to want to know what is happening to the other student or students involved.
However, we are unable to communicate with you regarding any disciplinary action taken regarding any student other than your own. We know that this can be frustrating as you want to be certain we are handling disciplinary action with consistency.
The reason we cannot share that information with you is because we are bound by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act- not because we are trying to be difficult. This federal law prohibits schools from sharing personally identifiable information with anyone other than parents/guardians. This extends across both verbal and written communication and includes the sharing of any personal, educational or behavioral information.
The benefit of this law is that you can be sure that your child's right to privacy will be protected. The hard part about this law is that we cannot always communicate with you as thoroughly as we otherwise would.
So, thank you for trusting us to ensure our disciplinary actions are carried out with equity and consistency in order to make sure Muskego Lakes is a safe learning environment for all students.
What is Academic and Career Planning (ACP) at MLMS?
Academic and Career Planning, or ACP, is a student-driven, adult supported process in which students in 6th-8th grade at MLMS create and cultivate their own unique and information-based visions for post secondary success, obtained through self-exploration, career exploration, and the development of career management and planning skills.
ACP refers to both a process that helps students engage in academic and career development activities as well as a product that is created and maintained for students’ academic, career, and personal advancement. The ACP process supports the District's Vision for its Graduates and is an ongoing process that actively engages students enabling them to:
- Understand their own interests, strengths, values, learning styles
- Create a vision of their future with individual goals
- Prepare a personal plan for achieving their vision and goals.
At the middle school, our focus for Academic and Career Planning is for students to Know, Explore, Plan, & Go: Who am I?, What do I want to do?, How do I get there?
Academic & Career Planning in 6th Grade:
Explore careers that match current interests
Begin to develop financial literacy with simulation of sample career, learn more about personal finance management, and understand correlation between academic knowledge and application in the local economy
Learn to track academic progress and set goals for future success
Introduction to Academic Career Planning software: Xello
Academic & Career Planning in 7th Grade:
Promote employment readiness skills
Explore learning styles
Identify and utilize resources to explore career options
Develop goal-setting practices for employment readiness habits
Identify the impact of misconceptions and biases on career decisions
Explore the 16 nationally-recognized Career Clusters
Academic & Career Planning in 8th Grade:
Self-advocacy and utilizing resources
Identify career clusters and pathways & how that correlates to education
Four year high school plan and map for beyond
Attendance Update
58% of students at Muskego Lakes Middle School have not missed 1 full day of school! Thank you families and students for prioritizing school attendance and helping us work toward our attendance goal of 9 or fewer absences per student for the 2019-20 school year.
Of the total absences at Muskego Lakes for this school year 35% have been due to illness (without a doctor excuse), 14% appointment (without a doctor excuse), and 9% have been for vacation. Classroom instruction is so important for student success. Please schedule appointments and vacations outside of school time.
Parent Satisfaction Survey
- Back to School Musky Kickoffs
- Personalized Comments on Student Report Cards
- Scheduled Conferences for Parent-Teacher Conference Nights
- Chocolate and Chat Sessions
- Changes to the Drop off/Pick up lane
- Streamlined Communication through a weekly newsletter
- Adjustments to our Forms and Fees Days
- And more!
Our students and families are the reason we are here. We are looking forward to a significant number of responses from our Muskego Lakes families so we can continue to make adjustments as need to improve not only your child's experience at ML but yours as well!
PTO Updates
Shop with SCRIP
- Looking to help our PTO while shopping for the holidays? Consider shopping with Scrip! It is quick, easy and costs you nothing. Visit the link for more details.
Volunteers Needed
- Do you have some spare time to help make copies, laminate, etc? The staff greatly appreciates the help of volunteers like you! Sign up HERE for dates/times that work into your busy schedule.
- Do you have some spare time to volunteer at the Muskego Lakes PBIS store? The store is open every other Friday during lunch. Students visit the store to redeem red tickets they earned for positive behavior around school. Sign up HERE for dates/times that would fit into your schedule!
Reporting a Concern
What's Happening Around Muskego?
Important Dates Ahead
Important dates for the coming weeks and months are all located on the Muskego Lakes website.
https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
The calendar and events are found on the main page. Look under "Upcoming Events".
Muskego Lakes Middle School
Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies