Badger Middle School Newsletter
September 8th, 2023
Hello Badger Students and Families,
We have had a great transition back into school mode from the summer. Teachers spent the first two days clarifying school expectations with students and completing fun activities to help students get to know each other and the school. We believe activities on the first two days such as the scavenger hunt to help students know the building and locate their classes will assist them in having a successful year. As one long-time staff member said, “This has been one of the smoothest transitions I’ve seen in years.”
As partners in helping to make this a successful school year for your child, I have included below some of the specific expectation information we shared with students for your review.
The first week of school is an adjustment for everyone. As the father of a 4th and 7th grader, my family has been tired in the evenings this week. I truly appreciate your efforts to help get your children ready to learn. Thank you so much for the continued support and feel free to reach out to me any time.
Sincerely,
Patrick O'Connor
Principal
Badger Middle School
(262) 335-5456
Upcoming Testing
We will begin STAR assessments on September 14. See this informational letter for more details about STAR testing.
Extracurriculars/Athletics
We encourage students to get involved in a sport and/or extracurricular activity. As the school year continues, we will announce more details to students during our daily announcements and within this newsletter. The fall sports (boys and girls cross country and girls basketball) have started. Anyone interested in joining these sports can talk to Mr. Hoogester. More information can be found here about athletics.
"Late Bus" Beginning
Beginning Tuesday, 9/12, students will have the opportunity to take the “late bus” if they need to stay after school for a specific reason. (Athletics/cocurriculars, help from a teacher, etc.)
The bus runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
The buses head over from Silverbrook at 4:10. The buses will leave from the bus loading zone at 4:20.
Here are the drop off locations:
Bus 1:
Arbor Trace
Riverside Park
Fair Park Elementary
Lee & Spruce
City View Apartments
Kwik Trip on Schoenhaar and Hwy 33
Newburg Fire Department
Bus 2:
Rolling Meadows Subdivision(Quail Cr and Heron Drive)
Morning Star
Jackson Elementary
Jackson Community Center
Green Valley
Villa Park & Stanford Ln.
More Busing Info
Adjustments are being made to bus routes in these first weeks of the school year to ensure they are most efficient. This may create changes to pick-up and drop-off times. For the next week, please check Skyward daily for pick-up and drop-off times for your student(s). If your Skyward account does not show busing information and your family requires transportation, please email Riteway at westbend@goriteway.com.
Locker Room Usage
Thank you to the people who reached out to me via email regarding the practices around usage of locker rooms before and after physical education classes. We fully support our physical education class utilizing locker rooms to change into their P.E. clothes for full participation in activities. This message and proposed practice will be corrected. We apologize for any confusion.
First Week of School
Below, you will find some highlights of expectations that were shared and discussed with students on Tuesday and Wednesday. Reminding returning students and informing new-to-Badger students what is expected to be successful in the Badger environment was an important part of the activities. Of course, we will continuously remind students of these expectations and teach/reteach them as appropriate.
Bus expectations
All students reviewed the bus expectations, which apply while commuting to and from school, field trips, and sporting events. Drivers need to focus on getting students to their destination safely, so students should:
Listen to the bus driver
Stay seated
Enter and exit appropriately and quickly find a seat
Keep the aisle clear
The 2023-2024 West Bend School District Handbook features additional bus expectations on pages 35-37. Please review the handbook with your child if they will ride a bus.
Additionally, students can ride ONLY their assigned bus. To ride a bus they are not assigned to, a student must bring a signed note from their parent/guardian to the Badger main office before the end of the day. A bus pass will be issued with parent/guardian consent.
Lunch Time Expectations
For the first part of the school year, students can choose to sit at one of two (7th grade) or four (8th grade) tables in the cafeteria. Their resource class will be sitting with them at these tables. This practice helps us to identify students who are meeting expectations and reteach the expectations to those who are not. Choice of table and tablemates will expand as students continue to meet expectations. This week students reviewed key cafeteria expectations such as:
I clean up my lunch area including the floor.
I stay in my seat.
I wait appropriately to be dismissed.
During the last 10 minutes of their lunch period, students are excused to go to the playground if they choose. Some expectations for the playground include:
If I leave the cafeteria, I report directly outside and stay outside for the remainder of the period.
I stay in the designated areas.
I follow the directions of the supervising adults while outside.
Passing Time Expectations
Students may go to their lockers during passing. Please remind your child to LOCK their locker if they open it during the day. There are 4 minutes to get to class and a warning bell rings 1 minute before students must be in their class. Other expectations include:
I walk on the right at a moderate pace.
I walk directly to my destination.
I keep my locker combination confidential and lock my locker at all times.
Phone Expectations
Phones are not to be used during the school day and are subject to confiscation. Students should keep them in their LOCKED lockers. If a student violates the cell phone policy we use a progressive practice to address the issue:
1st Offense: The student can pick up their phone from the main office at the end of the school day.
2nd Offense: The phone will stay in the main office until a parent/guardian can pick it up.
3rd Offense: The phone will stay in the main office until a parent/guardian can pick it up and the student will also begin a “check-in/check-out process with their phone in the main office.
Lost and Found
There's a lost and found outside the cafeteria. It already has some items in it. Feel free to reclaim your items. (picture taken at 11:30 am on 9/8)
Hiring
Badger is looking to hire supervisory aides to assist in the supervision and engagement of students in the halls, cafeteria, playground, and common areas. If you or someone you know may be interested, please check out this vacancy on WECAN: Supervisory Aide.
Information below has already been communicated but is here for your reference
Parking
Badger has three parking lots, but only two are available for drop-off and pick-up.
The “main entrance” parking lot is off of 6th street and available for parents before and after school.
The “staff” parking lot is located off of Main St. This lot is available before and after school for drop-off and pick-up. Please enter from the Main St. entrance and leave using the Decorah Rd. exit.
The bus parking lot is located off of 6th St (closest to the track). This parking lot is for buses only. Please do not use this lot at any time.
Badger Menus for September
Purchase Your Badger Spirit Wear
See the online store here:http://badgermiddleschool.deco-apparel.com/
The ordering window closes on 9/16/23.