Kegonsa Family Newsletter
November 6, 2019
Welcome to Snowy November!
Screen Use Tied to Children's Development
Gilly Shout Outs!
1st Trimester Golden Gillies!
Bullying Intervention and Communication Skills Workshop: Knowledge and Tools for All Parents
Bullying and other types of mistreatment impact student achievement and are harmful to young people’s social and emotional development. These are challenging issues for families to address, especially since parents/guardians or other adults are often unaware of the incidents that are happening.
Join us at the SASD District Office (320 North Street) on Tuesday, November 19th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for an engaging and informative workshop to gain an increased understanding of emotional and physical violence- especially relational aggression and cyberbullying- and their impacts.
This workshop will equip parents/guardians with knowledge and skills to respond effectively when they or their children witness or hear about mistreatment. Through a series of hands-on activities, parents/guardians will learn how to use communication skills and strategies to encourage their children to talk with them about difficult issues. This workshop is for any parent/guardian of school-aged youth (K-12). Interested community members are also welcome to attend.
Light refreshments will be served and there will be several door prizes. There is no fee for this event. If you plan to attend, please complete this google form to RSVP. If you have questions, please contact Anne Fimreite at anne.fimreite@stoughton.k12.wi.us or 608-877-5511.
Message from the District Administrator: Upcoming Safety Drills
Dear Families:
At the Stoughton Area School District, the safety and welfare of our students and staff are our highest priorities. That is why we practice a variety of safety drills throughout the school year: so that our students and staff know how to keep themselves safe in different kinds of emergencies.
Consequently, we wanted to let you know that during the first week of November our District will be working with the Stoughton Police Department to conduct active threat drills in all five Stoughton schools to ensure the safety of our students and to align with annual State requirements on school safety drills.
During these drills, our staff will be communicating with our students in an age-appropriate manner. Students will NOT be asked to practice any countering strategies during the upcoming exercises, and there will NOT be a simulated “shooter” during these drills.
We are tentatively planning on the drills to take place at our schools on the following dates:
Stoughton High School - Tuesday, November 5
River Bluff Middle School - Tuesday, November 5
Kegonsa Elementary School - Wednesday, November 6
Sandhill Elementary School - Wednesday, November 6
Fox Prairie Elementary School - Thursday, November 7
In preparation for these drills, our staff have been trained on how to prepare students to make this drill as smooth and stress-free as possible. Our staff will also have age-appropriate conversations with our students before and after the drill so they have a chance to ask questions. The drills will take place under the supervision of school staff and Stoughton police, and your child(ren)’s building principal also will send out a message to families as soon as the school’s drill is complete.
It is unfortunate that we even have to talk about training for an active threat, but these kinds of safety drills help us evaluate our emergency operations plan, improve our response skills and prepare our students and staff so that we know what to do in the event of an actual emergency. If you would like resources to talk with your child(ren) at home about any of these types of issues, I am including this link to a site that we believe could be helpful. You can also feel free to reach out to your child(ren)’s principal if you have any questions about our safety program or the upcoming drills. Our District staff are here for you.
Sincerely,
Tim Onsager
District Administrator
Stoughton Area School District
Back to School Smiles! Dental Clinic at School on Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Bridging Brighter Smiles is holding their next dental clinic at Kegonsa Elementary on Tuesday, November 12, 2019.
It is not too late to enroll! Get your smiles back to school ready!
Sign up online at: http://enrollment.bbsmiles.org/
Professional Dental Services Provided Right at School Include:
- Oral Screening
- Dental Cleaning
- Fluoride Varnish Application
- Dental Sealant Placement
- Oral Health Education
- Referral Assistance
Forward Health (BadgerCare) Accepted!
(Other Private Dental Insurance Not Accepted)
Not sure if your child is enrolled, or due for care? Call Bridging Brighter Smiles at 262-896-9891, or emailcoordinator@bbsmiles.org.
SASD snow/cold weather cancellation protocols
School district staff take decisions to delay, close, or dismiss school due to inclement weather conditions very seriously. As with most decisions that affect literally thousands of people, it will impact individuals differently. You may be interested in knowing what goes into the decision.
The most important consideration in the decision is children's safety. Can we safely transport children to and from school – and at what point in time is it the safest?
Many people and factors are involved. The process begins as early as 4 a.m. when Karen Johnson, Stoughton Area School District Coordinator of Transportation, and myself confer about weather conditions with information from national and local weather services. County and municipal road crews are contacted to assess road conditions and the extent to which they will be safe to travel at the time students are to be transported. A driver travels a rural route and is consulted for his/her input as to the safety of travel on the road. If plows are able to have snow removed from the majority of bus routes, and there is no concern for high winds or a rate of snowfall that would prohibit keeping the roads clear, busses can operate safely. Few vehicles are safer than busses in winter driving conditions. If it is determined we cannot safely transport children to school, or cannot safely transport children home from school, then schools will be delayed, dismissed early, or closed. Our intention is that the final decision to close or delay school will be made by 6 a.m. at the latest. The district will use its Emergency Notification system, as well as local news outlets, to spread the word about school closings.
For cold weather, the main indicator is wind chill factor. If the wind chill factor generates a Wind Chill Warning (-35 sustained wind chill) we will close for the day, or consider a delayed start if the warning will be lifted in the mid-morning hours. We will consider closing schools with a Wind Chill Advisory at negative 25 degrees.
A decision to dismiss school early depends on additional criteria. This decision requires that notice go out to the public at approximately 11 a.m. in order to provide reasonable notice to parents. This is an important matter in our community as the employment rate among our families is high and literally hundreds of young children have no one at home in the afternoon to accommodate an early dismissal. Their safety from early dismissal to the point at which parental supervision is available is considered. In addition, we have excellent county and municipal road crews. Normal dismissal schedules allow more time for them to do their work clearing all roads in our 100-square-mile district and improving conditions for safe travel.
While district staff have the responsibility to alter the school day due to weather, no decision of ours overrides your judgment as a parent. If parents have sincere concern for the safety of their child, they can certainly keep their child home or pick them up from school early.
In the end, please rest assured that the ability to safely move our nearly 3,000 students to and from school is the primary determinant for closing, delaying, or dismissing school early. That safety is determined with input from many professionals who are committed to the safety of children – a responsibility that is not taken lightly.
How can you help as a Parent and Community Member?
- Please take a moment now to make sure we have the most up to date contact information for you and caregivers who wish to receive school closing announcements through your Infinite Campus Portal account
- Talk with your family about emergency weather procedures in the rare event that schools are closed early
- With wintry weather approaching, remember to slow down and drive safely, especially in school zones. Our custodial and maintenance crews work hard to remove snow from parking lots and sidewalks as quickly as possible
- Please help our students to remember to dress for the weather
Thank you for your cooperation and help.
Dr. Tim Onsager
District Administrator
Stoughton Area School District
Head Lice
At any given time during the school year, there may a student(s) with head lice. Please continue to check your child(ren)’s head periodically and inform the health office if your child has head lice. Health staff can help with identification, provide instruction on treatment, and provide follow up. If there are financial challenges associated with providing treatment, the family resource specialist can help. Please call the health assistant at 877-5024 or the district nurse, Laurel Gretebeck, at 877-5405 if you have questions or need assistance. Thank you.
For more information: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs.html
Seasonal Flu
Seasonal flu (influenza) typically peaks between December and February but can start as early as October. Influenza or the flu is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs caused by influenza viruses. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with the flu cough, sneeze or talk and the droplets land in the mouth or nose of another person. A person may get the flu by touching an object that has flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes but this type of spread occurs less often. Symptoms of the flu may include fever (some will not have a fever), cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and feeling very tired. Some people may experience diarrhea and vomiting.
Here are some ways to prevent the flu and other respiratory illness:
- Remind your child:
- Wash hands with soap and water frequently. Alcohol-based hand rubs can be used if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching eyes, mouth and nose.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue.
- That he/she shouldn’t share drinks or eating utensils.
- If your child is sick, he/she should stay home from school for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medication.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that may have flu germs.
- Consider and consult with your health care provider about getting the flu vaccine.
Here is additional information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding the flu:
Managing Life Threatening Allergies
The Stoughton Area School District is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all of our students. As part of that commitment, our District has a policy in place to help protect students who suffer from allergies that may lead to a serious life-threatening medical condition (anaphylaxis).
This policy (1022 Managing Life Threatening Allergies) was developed using guidelines from the Wisconsin Association of School Nurses and CDC and after reviewing similar policies in place in other school districts. Although our policy does not ban certain allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, for examples) from District facilities, it does ask our students, staff and visitors to be aware of the medical needs of our students and to comply with the safety measures our staff put in place to reduce our students’ risk of exposure to these allergens.
We have included a link to the policy and the policy guidelines in this communication if you would like more information about the specific types of allergens that could affect some of our students and the protocols we have instituted to address those issues. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we try to maintain allergy-aware facilities. If you have any questions about this policy and/or these guidelines, please do not hesitate to contact Laurel Gretebeck, our District Nurse, at Laurel.Gretebeck@Stoughton.K12.WI.US or 608-877-5405.
Staff bios
Recess Lunch Schedules
Drop off/Pick Up
Donations for our Food Pantry
Next meeting November 12th
Upcoming Meetings: 6:15-7:15 in the Kegonsa Library/Free Childcare
November 12th, December 10th, January 14th, February 11th, March 10th, April 14th, May 12th
Past Newsletters
Kegonsa Elementary School
Ms. Conrad, Principal (877-5201)
Mrs. Sannes, Dean of Students (208-3468)
Mrs. Moe, Admin Assistant (877-5202)
Mr. Schultz, School Counselor (877-5229)
Mrs. McDermot, School Social Worker (440-0270)
Mrs. Wirag, Health Assistant (877-5204)
Email: erin.conrad@stoughton.k12.wi.us
Website: http://www.stoughton.k12.wi.us/page.cfm?p=619
Location: Kegonsa Elementary School, Vernon Street, Stoughton, WI, United States
Phone: 608-877-5202
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stoughtonschools/
Twitter: @WeAreStoughton