Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
October 13th, 2023
Dear Muskego Lakes Families,
With the 1st Quarter wrapping up in the next few weeks, we know that grades are often on our students’ minds. They are likely preparing for upcoming assessments, wrapping up projects, and double checking to make sure all of their work is turned in.
For some students, academics seem to come easily. They participate in their classes, have minimal work to take home at night, and feel proud of their grades. And yet for others, despite their best efforts, staying caught up with classwork and getting good grades can feel overwhelming.
As principals, we want you to know that we get it.
And while student learning is our number one priority here at Muskego Lakes, we don’t ever want our students (or their families) to lose sight of the fact that we care deeply about the whole child here at school.
And so, while the purpose of report cards every quarter is to ensure families know the extent to which students are progressing as learners, we also believe that their emotional health and wellbeing is just important.
As principals, we hold ourselves responsible for creating a safe and supportive environment here at school. We want to make sure that, as a school, we honor our students who show up each day, navigating their own challenges that often go unspoken.
We have students who struggle with anxiety. We have students who have trouble making friends. We have students who didn’t make the volleyball team, who don’t have anything to eat at home, who worry about everything going on in the world around us, and who put an enormous amount of pressure on themselves to not let anyone down. We have students who are battling eating disorders, depression, trauma, and the list goes on.
We also have students whose parents are incarcerated. We have students whose siblings and/or parents are facing terminal illness. We have students whose parents are going through divorce, caretaking for their own parents, battling addiction, struggling to pay the bills, and so much more. And it can be all too easy for us to forget just how much these young people carry around heavy on their hearts.
Our students have a range of personalities, emotions, strengths, dispositions, interests, and dreams here at Muskego Lakes. Some shine brightest while performing on stage during a choir concert. Others can teach their peers about mathematical concepts with ease. Some of our students love designing and building during Robotics Club. Others can use watercolors to paint a masterpiece that would sell at a studio in New York City. So it’s okay if your child’s report card is not all As. That’s not the most important thing about them. Not even close.
And we want you to know that we stand with you and by you as partners. We get up every morning with your children on our minds, and we go to sleep at night with them on our minds as well. We care about them more than you know.
It's a privilege getting to spend our days with your children. And we are here for you if there is anything at all that we can do to better support them ahead. As a staff, we really do love your children. And we will do just about anything we can to support them (& their families).
As principal, my personal cell phone is (608) 628-8546, and my school email is rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org. If there is anything your child (or your family) is going through, don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to listen. And while we may not be able to fix every hard thing going on, we will never give up trying to do our part so that your child feels cared for and supported here at school.
In partnership,
Rachel and Nancy
Muskego Lakes Principals
Important Dates Ahead
- October 19: Fall Conference Night 4-8pm
- October 22: MLMS PTO Pumpkin Spice Fair 9-2pm
- October 23: Fall Conference Night 4-8pm
- November 7: 8th Grade Pre-ACT
- November 29: Choralfest
Fall Conference Reminders
Our staff is looking forward to being able to connect with families at our upcoming fall conferences! Each night, conferences will be between 4pm-8pm. Please mark your calendar for the following dates:
Thursday, October 19th, 2023: both Virtual and In-Person options
Monday, October 23rd, 2023: both Virtual and In-Person options
A reminder that we are using the platform "Meet the Teacher" to schedule these conferences, so no drop-in conferences are available. Each scheduled conference will be 10 minutes long with 2-minute transitions in between. This sign-up will be closed for booking on Wednesday, October 18th at 3:00 pm.
Still Need to Sign Up? Link to Sign Up
Getting Ready for MLMS for In-Person Conferences
Before You Arrive
Don’t leave home without your child (if at all possible)
- At Muskego Lakes, we empower our students to know who they are as learners and to ensure they have an equal voice when it comes to their academic progress. For that reason, we highly recommend bringing your child along. Not only does that allow your child to hear strengths and opportunities for improvement but allows both you and the teacher to hear the student’s perspective on how things are going.
Make sure you know your schedule.
- We recommend printing if you have access to a printer. If not, you can reference the Meet the Teacher email you've received with your schedule on your mobile device.
Arrive early.
- We will have printed maps provided. Please come early so you can mark up the map and know where to go. Or better yet, bring your child along. With 2 minute transition time between conferences, it will be important that you have a game plan of classroom locations before the first conference begins.
Reminders for DURING Conferences
We need your help sticking to the scheduled conference times.
- Please be aware that we are recommending that teachers set a timer on their computers to stay on schedule. Please know that by doing this, they will be able to best value your time to make sure you get their undivided attention.
Don’t stress if running behind- you can set up an alternative time.
- If you arrive late for a conference, teachers will need to end the conference at the originally scheduled time. Thanks for understanding as we want to make sure we keep on schedule for all families. But if you are late or miss your conference, the teachers are more than happy to schedule a follow up time to meet. Just send them an email to set up an alternative time.
Getting Ready for MLMS Virtual Conferences
Please prepare to use Meet the Teacher for parent-teacher conference scheduling and attending by reviewing this quick reference guide HERE. This resource includes an 8-minute video tutorial and a “how-to” article with screenshots. Please Note: the video is UK-based and uses terms like "parents evenings" in place of "parent-teacher conferences."
Here are a few bits of information to note:
Check that you’re using a compatible web browser
The following web browsers are supported for making video calls:
iPhone/iPad: Safari
Android: Chrome or Firefox
Windows: Chrome, Firefox, or Edge (latest version only)
Mac: Safari, Chrome, or Firefox
Check your firewall settings
Please run this test https://networktest.twilio.com/. You will need to allow access to your microphone and camera. This test checks to see if there will be any firewall issues. Firewall issues during conferences are exhibited by seeing "black screens" or "Error 53000."
Going to your virtual meeting
Click HERE for the MLMS Conference Scheduler to attend your conference! This link is the same that you used to book your conferences.
We need your help sticking to the scheduled conference times.
- Please be aware that the Meet the Teacher platform has a 10 minute timer that begins at the start of your scheduled conference time and ends promptly after 10 minutes. At that time, the program will automatically boot both the teacher and family out of the video call. Therefore, the teacher will make every effort to wrap up the conference so that no one is cut off at the end.
Don’t stress if running behind- you can set up an alternative time.
- If you arrive late for a conference, teachers will need to end the conference at the originally scheduled time. Thanks for understanding as we want to make sure we keep on schedule for all families. But if you are late or miss your conference, the teachers are more than happy to schedule a follow up time to meet. Just send them an email to set up an alternative time.
Having Trouble During Your Virtual Conference?
Having difficulty accessing your conference?
If you are having difficulty accessing your conference via your computer, Meet the Teacher asks you to consider using a personal smartphone if you have access to one. Smartphones often have the microphone and camera enabled. Additionally, there are generally no firewall issues with these devices.
When accessing video calls for the first time, your web browser should ask you if you wish to allow access to the camera and microphone. If your camera and/or microphone is not detected, you'll see a message similar to this:
Please follow these suggestions below and then press Try Again:
- Try refreshing the page to see if the web browser prompts you for access to the camera and microphone. If you're prompted for access, choose Allow.
Otherwise, continue to step 2. Check if your web browser is blocking access to the camera and microphone and if so, unblock access. The steps to do so depend on which web browser you're using. Click on the link to view the guide:
iPhone/iPad: Safari - open Settings from the Home screen, then choose Safari, and scroll to the Camera & Microphone Access option.
Windows: Chrome, Firefox, Edge (latest version) - press the three dots in the upper right and choose Settings, press Site permissions on the left, followed by Camera and Microphone on the right. Ensure camera and microphone access isn't blocked for this website.
Need more assistance?
Contact Sarah Bauhs (sarah.bauhs@muskegonorway.org) with questions.
Is your Child Missing Something? Check the Lost & Found!
However, we still have quite the collection of items in our lost and found that are looking for their owners! Please encourage your child if they are missing sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, pencil cases, hats, headbands, etc. to stop by student services to check for their missing items. We will continue to update our photos weekly, but any items remaining on October 24th will be donated. We will have tables up for both nights of conferences for you to stop and check for missing items as well.
Partnering Together to Support Student Attendance!
It’s officially fall in Wisconsin which means the spooky season is upon us! In honor of this time of year, here’s a scary fact - If your student has missed 3 or more days of school so far this year, they have missed out on 10% of the instructional time and social opportunities so far this year at school.
Great attendance impacts students in many ways socially and academically. We are here if your child is struggling getting to school and we want to partner with you to get them to school! Please contact Stacy Pawlak,School Social Worker, if you are struggling with your child’s attendance and would like to partner together! Stacy can be reached at stacy.pawlak@muskegonorway.org or call at: (262) 971 1800 ext. 5403.
Are you coming to have lunch your child?
Parents/Guardians are welcome to have lunch with their child during their child's lunch hour. Upon arrival at school, you will need to check in at the front office with your driver's license. Please know that you can only bring food for you and your child. There is no food sharing with other students or bringing food for your child's friends.
If your child eats at the "allergy table", we will help find a different location for you and your child if you are bringing food from an outside source. The reason is that some students sit there with other allergies and could react to an allergen by contact or particulate inhalation. We appreciate your understanding.
Upcoming MLMS PTO Kringle Sale
Help support the Muskego Lakes PTO by selling/ordering Kringles. This year we will sell from 10/16-11/03. Kringles are from O&H in Racine and will be $15 each. They freeze beautifully, so perfect for the holidays. All orders are due by 11/03 at 8pm.
How To Order:
- Please email your order to Jenn Colon at justicegirl180@hotmail.com.
- Please just type your order in the email, do not scan or send the order form. This makes it easier to count. HERE is a digital copy of the order form for you to use/reference.
- You will recieve an email that your order was received within 24 hours.
- If you do not receive an email within 24 hours, that means she did not get it. If this happens, contact Jenn ASAP. You can also leave your order at the front desk of ML.
- No late orders will be accepted, so please have them to Jenn no later than 11/03 at 8pm.
Delivery/Pick-up
Delivery/pick up will be Saturday, November 18th around noon. More information on the location of pick up to follow.
Payment
On the day of pick up, we will need one check made out to MLPTO. No cash will be accepted. We will hold your check for 1 week to give you time to collect.
If you have any questions, please contact Jenn Colon at justicegirl180@hotmail.com. Please give her 24 hours to respond.
Help Us Celebrate Our Staff, Give A Staff Shout-Out!
To do so, you can complete the form HERE. We will be taking nominations until October, 20th, 2023. Thank you for helping us honor our staff here at Muskego Lakes!
Shown above are the upcoming co-curricular events at Muskego Lakes!
If a change occurs from the date of this newsletter, we post on Infinite Campus in the announcement section. We commit to letting students/families know about changes and updating Infinite Campus announcements as soon as possible once we've been notified of a change.
Check out all MLMS events here which includes more detailed information!
Monitoring Time Out Of Class to Maximize Learning & Safety
Muskego Lakes is excited to introduce you to our new digital platform to manage hallway movement, called SmartPass. Some of the most helpful features of this program are
Staff can see a live view of which students are in the hallways, so every student is accounted for digitally. This is a helpful safety feature in an emergency.
A time limit is provided for all passes so that students take care of their business and return to the learning environment promptly
An accurate record of total time spent out of class by each student is easily accessible by the staff member and the student
Students and staff can see how many passes have been created by the student, where their destination was, and how many times they have come back to their origin room after the time on their pass has expired
Students and staff can create passes for “now” and for “future.” The future pass is a great feature because it can be used to arrange a time to meet (ex during homeroom), without the hassle of getting a paper pass first.
Want to learn about your child’s pass usage?
Follow these quick and easy steps using their account!
Ask your child to go to app.smartpass.app
On their home page, they can show you their past passes. You can see their destination, and if you click on the pass, how much time they spent out of the classroom on that particular pass.
Are you interested in more details?
Email your child’s homeroom teacher or ask about it during conferences. They can provide you with additional information, such as the total amount of time spent out of classroom on all passes, and how many times they’ve arrived back to their origin room after their pass has expired.
Purchase a Yearbook Yet?
Help Needed At MLMS PTO Pumpkin Spice Fair
SIgn Up Today for Mid-Week Munchies
Every Wednesday the Muskego Lakes PTO is looking for volunteers to donate snacks to our teachers and staff. This greatly helps them make it through the week and brighten their day. You can donate snacks or a group of families can donate. We have roughly 100 staff members. Snacks can be anything you'd like. Please sign up for a date HERE if you can. Drop off will be in the front office by 8am on the Wednesday you sign up.
Thank you in advanced for helping spoil our staff.
Get Involved By Joining The Muskego Lakes PTO!
Please consider joining the Muskego Lakes PTO. We meet monthly in the MLMS library at 6:30pm. We always welcome new faces and would love to hear your ideas on how we can make this an amazing school year ahead!!
Meeting Dates for the 23-24 School Year:
- November 8
- January 10
- February 14
- March 13
- April 10
- May 8
Reminders for the Lunchroom
In an effort to ensure students can move through the lunch lines efficiently, we ask that you remind your student to ensure that they bring their school ID card with them to lunch daily or ensure that they have gotten their finger scanned.
For your convenience, we have linked helpful resources. You can always find the link to updated lunch menus, at the end of this newsletter.
2023-24 Lunch Prices:
- Elementary Lunch: $2.55
- MS Lunch 1: $2.95
- MS Lunch 2: $3.50
- MS Creation Station: $3.90
- Milk Carton: $.50
- MHS Ala carte meal rates as noted on the monthly menu will apply.
Questions related to the food service program can be directed to Benny D’Epiro, Food Service Director at 262-971-1790 x4522.
Clinical Psychology Associates Services
We are proud to continue to partner with Clinical Psychology Associates (CPA) to offer on-site counseling services through the summer months for students enrolled in Lakeview Elementary, Mill Valley Elementary, Bay Lane Elementary, Lake Denoon Middle, Muskego Lakes Middle, and Muskego High School. For information about CPA’s services and therapists or to get started with an appointment, please visit our website. Therapeutic services will continue into the 2023-24 school year as well.
Muskego Norway School District Calendar
Please make note of days off and important events on the 23-24 calendar. It is ideal to make dentist and doctor appointments on days we do not have school whenever possible.
Thank you!
Muskego Lakes Middle School
Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies