Falcon Flyer
April 3, 2020 - Ixonia Elementary School
I hope that this email finds you well and that your family is staying healthy. We made it through our 2nd week of virtual teaching and learning. You will start to notice a similar format being followed from day to day and week to week. Our teacher teams are continuously reflecting and tweaking to make the experience easier for you. The bottom line is that this is not easy work for anyone.
I've been reading more and more about how we have called this whole experience "virtual learning." And while our teachers, parents and students are doing an incredible job adapting to the circumstance, this is far from a true" virtual teaching" environment. In all reality, educators who choose to teach from an online platform have months to learn about and plan for effective teaching methods in such an environment. The other difference is that none of you chose this. Many of you are still working full time in your home, yet still trying to juggle teaching your child. This is hard and this is stressful. We all understand what you're going through. Please know that we are here to partner with you and support your child to make the best of this experience. No one is here to judge. Ever.
Thank you for continuing to be flexible and provide us helpful feedback. We miss your children very much. The relationships we have with all Ixonia students is so important to all of us, which is why we want to offer weekly classroom meetings -- just to reconnect and see each other's faces. You have probably also seen the every other week individual meetings. This is to give personal feedback to your child and provide them with "next steps" in their learning.
I want to make sure I say this to all of you... Take the pressure off yourselves. Please. You are all wonderful parents whom we respect. Everything we are providing are all just opportunities, not requirements. There are too many other serious things happening in our World that sometimes the work might not get done -- we all understand.
Assignments don't need to be completed the same day -- you can have all week to get the work done. And if there are some assignments you don't get done at all, that's ok too. We all need to step away when it's feeling overwhelming...it's healthy to draw boundaries and say enough is enough.
As an educator, I do believe learning and routine is important. It gives us direction, purpose, and hope. But so are many other things in life. Take one day at a time. Please continue to reach out to the school if you need any support. We are here for you and we think of you often.
Be well and stay healthy,
Stacy Yearling
Ixonia Principal
Spring Holiday Break & Calendar Update
Happy Birthday!
- Olivia Kummrow
- Zoe Arsiniega
April 1
- Jordyn Zielski
April 4
- Ariella Braatz-Boucher
April 5
- Scarlett Weideman
April 6
- Elizabeth Kummrow
Being a Super Digital Citizen
Each week in your child's learning plan and on Seesaw, there will be a PBIS video and response activity from Mrs. Yearling.
Spirit Days Coming!
Use hashtag #IXOvirtualspiritday when you post to Ixonia's FB page.
The theme for the week of April 6 is: Picture of your kids enjoying the outdoors!
March PBIS - Responsible Reading Challenge!
Next week we will be recognizing students who have continued to track their reading minutes over these past couple weeks. You don't want to miss this!
Please send your total minutes read to your child's teacher by Tuesday, April 7. If doesn't matter how you've been tracking it, you can send her a picture of your child's hard work.
- Week of March 23
- Week of March 30
Concerts & Moving On
Family Resources During COVID 19
Food & Toiletries
**These resources are available for ANY family in need of food support!**
Oconomowoc Food Pantry at Brown St. (South End of St. Vincent De Paul)
Open Tues & Thurs 1:30-2:30pm and 6:30 - 7:30pm. Saturday 9:30-10:30am.
Must bring current bill for proof of address (in OASD) and photo ID
Phone: 262-567-7054
St. Paul's Lutheran Church Drive-Up Food Pantry at 210 E Pleasant St
Anybody who comes receives food/goods (toiletries/paper products require request)
1st and 3rd Monday of the Month from 5:30pm- 6:30pm
Ashippun Bread Basket at W24457 Oak St.
Open Thurs 6-7pm or Sat 9-10am
Phone: 920-474-4075
Mental Health
Student and Family Assistance Program (SFAP)
Free service (select number of sessions) offered to families with students in the OASD district
Phone: 800-236-3231
Call 2-1-1
Crisis response, crisis assessment, safety planning, facilitate voluntary hospitalization, and facilitate emergency detention
NAMI Information and Resource Guide
Financial Assistance
Disaster Unemployment Assistance - Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Unemployment benefits to unemployed/partially unemployed as a result of the disaster
Cannot qualify for regular state unemployment insurance
Covers those who are self-employed and become unemployed because of the disaster
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) - Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance
List of other Financial Resources
Food Service Updates for All OASD Families
All OASD families in need, who have at least one student enrolled in an OASD school, will now be able to pick up a full week of breakfast and lunch “Grab and Go” meals at Oconomowoc High School East Campus. Families do not need to be using the free and reduced lunch program to pick up these meals.
The next pick up dates and times are as follows:
- Sunday, April 5: 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
- Monday, April 6: 8:00-10:00 a.m. or 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
This program will continue as long as the OASD is closed and will allow families an easy food pick-up plan. District social workers will be on hand to help families through this process. If you do not have a vehicle, please contact your school social worker for delivery arrangements. The OASD recognizes that many families are experiencing hardship due to loss of work, if in need of meals please stop by. We will find a way to support your needs with community donations that have been coming in.
OPTIONAL: Home Falcon Feathers and "Feast Menus"
Acknowledging positive behavior and recognizing your child for doing the right thing with a verbal compliments is a powerful way to reinforce the behaviors you want to see your child continue doing until it becomes a habit.
If you are interested in keeping a system of Falcon Feathers at home, attached is a sheet with Falcon Feathers you can print off at home. You can really use any system you want to keep track of their acknowledgements. At school, they are responsible for keeping track of them...if they lose them, then that's too bad.
Feast ideas can be brainstormed with your child on a sheet of paper and posted as a reminder of what they are working towards. Such experiences might include:
- Baking time with a family member
- Child picks the family movie
- Walk or bike ride around the neighborhood with a person in their home
- Throwing catch for 10 minutes
- Game night
- Etc., etc., etc.
If your child earns a feast due for 20 positive acknowledgements, post a picture on Facebook of your child earning their feast with the hashtag #homefalconfeasts.
We'd love to celebrate our students being respectful, responsible, and safe at home!
Tech Help is Available!
Attendance Reporting
If your child is absent due to illness or is unable to participate in virtual learning days due to illness, please leave a message on the Ixonia Attendance Line (262-560-8403) and include the symptoms your child is experiencing. Also, indicate if your child has received a diagnosis for their illness. This is to ensure the District’s ability to track illness trends, accurate reporting to the health department if needed, and better prepare for student safety when children return to school.
If your child is absent or unable to participate in virtual learning days, not due to illness, please indicate the reason for this absence so that we can ensure accurate attendance tracking.
Free broadband and wifi options
Internet Provider Options
Charter Communications is offering free access to broadband for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students. Charter Website
Information on Charter's COVID-19 Service Offerings
Other Internet providers offering services can be found here
Cell Phone Options
How to turn your phone into a hotspot (make sure you verify what is available through your provider so you are not charged)
- Verizon will waive late fees and keep residential and small business customers connected if negatively impacted by global crisis.
Sprint announced effective March 19th most Sprint customers with data plans will have unlimited smartphone data through mid-May, along with an additional 20 GB of hotspot/tethering service.
US Cellular announced that they will 1.) not terminate services 2.) wave late fees, and 3.) open their hot-spots to customers who need them.
T-Mobile / Sprint: ALL current T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers who have plans will have unlimited smartphone data for 60 days, Lifeline customers will receive extra free data up to 5 GB over the next 2 months and current customers will receive a mobile hot spot / tethering service for the next 60 days.
Community Info
Five O's Girls Fastpitch
Volunteer & Chaperone Background Checks
Would you like to volunteer or chaperone a field trip at the school? All school volunteers must pass a background check prior to volunteering.
The Oconomowoc Area School District is now using SecureVolunteer to process criminal background checks for volunteers. All volunteers must be screened prior to volunteering for a school event or in a building.
SecureVolunteer is a completely web-based/paperless system. BIB takes personal data security and privacy very seriously and has instituted safeguards to protect personal data.
Background checks are good for 3 years.
Click HERE to start!
Follow Us on Social Media
Ixonia Elementary School
Ixonia's school day runs from 8:40 am - 3:40 pm. Students are encouraged to be at school by 8:30, but not before 8:25 am, as no outdoor supervision is available before that time. If your child will be absent from school, please contact our attendance line at 262-560-8402.
Email: Ixonia@oasd.org
Website: www.oasd.k12.wi.us/
Location: N8425 North Street, Ixonia, WI, United States
Phone: 262-560-8405
Facebook: www.facebook.com/IxoniaElementary/
Twitter: @IxoniaOASD