Bay Lane Newsletter
February 2018
Message from the Principals
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As you read last week in an IC Blast, Mrs. Zandt will be retiring at the end of this school year. She has been the principal at Bay Lane for 5 years and has made some lasting professional and personal relationships here in the Muskego School District. As shared, she finds working with staff and students at the middle school level to be the most rewarding part of her career!
The District has started the process of finding a replacement for Mrs. Zandt. A team of Bay Lane students, parents, and staff will join District office administrators to provide information for the principal profile. Then this team will be a part of a listening panel to provide feedback to Dr. Thompson, Superintendent. They hope to present to the School Board on Monday, March 5 the principal candidate. We will keep you informed as this process continues.
Please note that Bay Lane parent teacher conferences in February will be held on Thursday, February 22. Here are some of the guidelines:
- Teachers will be communicating to families about Parent Teacher conferences that are needed at this point of the year.
- They will also set up some additional dates and times for parents to receive phone calls or to schedule time to meet.
If you have any question about the need for a conference or a teacher's availability, please reach out to them.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Dawn Zandt, Principal, and Ms. Rachel Rydzewski, Associate Principal
Important Dates
- Monday, February 12, PTO Meeting at BLMS Library 6:00-7:00PM
- Tuesday, February 13, Grade 8 Commencement Parent Meeting at BLMS 6:00 PM
- Friday, February 16, Student Incentive Day 12:30-3:00 PM
- Friday, February 16, Teen Center Grade 5-7 at BLMS 7:00-9:00 PM
- Monday, February 19, Mid-term Progress Reports will be mailed home for students who have D's or F's
- Thursday, February 22, Spring Parent Teacher Conferences 4:00-8:00 PM
- Monday, March 5, No Students - Teacher Professional Day
2018 Bay Lane Dodgeball Tournament April 27th, 2018~More Information in March!
2018 Third Annual Color Run at BL is scheduled for Thursday, May 10, 3:30 pm - Students, Parents, and Families are encouraged to participate!
PBIS Corner
Supporting PBIS at Home
Part of being a Respectful, Responsible Community is demonstrating kindness and empathy to others not only at school but also at home. Demonstrating these character traits can be small or large scale. For example, a simple compliment to another can go a long way. Last week at BLMS, students and staff participated in a larger scale act of kindness by being part of the Pennies for Patients fundraiser. These acts of kindness teach empathy to children and help students relate to others, especially in times of need. As adults, we know these two traits are essential skills for kids in life. The article from Parents Magazine, “14 Little Ways to Encourage Kindness: These simple ideas teach your children to be nice, generous people, one good deed at a time.” By Kristine Breese, suggests great tips parents can try at home to teach kids of all ages to be kind and empathetic. The biggest take away from this article, is that families should participate in these acts of kindness together. Read the article over, and try one of the suggestions with your family at home. After you have completed the act of kindness, talk with your children about how it made them feel and how the act made others feel. Encourage your child to continue to spread the kindness onto others; it makes the world a better place!
Promoting a Respectful, Respectful Community
Mr. Bergum, Mr. Leiteritz and the PBIS committee have been planning and coordinating awesome videos about character development of our 3 Core Pillars; Respect, Responsibility and Community. Each month in homeroom, students learn about a character trait and watch a video from members of the Muskego Community and beyond! The videos are a great way for students to see and hear how to make an impact in school, at home and in the community. This month’s video is Problem Solving with Mayor Chiaverotti.
Being On Time to Class
Please consider sitting down to talk about tardies with your son/daughter. You can find the number of tardies on Infinite Campus. We want students to be in class on time, so they do not miss key learning at the start of class. Feel free to reach out to your child’s teachers if you notice a pattern of tardies for a particular class. And, please consider using parent-teacher conferences ahead to discuss tardies with your child and his/her teacher. Thanks for partnering with us to help students develop the habit of getting where they need to be on time!
PBIS February Challenge
This month, there will be a PBIS challenge for students. Any student that has NO TAB OUTS for the month of February (2/1 - 2/28) will get to participate in Pajama Day on Friday 3/2. Please talk with your child about making choices at school that help create a Respectful, Responsible school community.
Attention all middle school Students and Families!
Muskego High School is hosting WARRIOR FAMILY WEEK, during the week of February 12-17, and we'd love it if you would be involved to! 2 of the main events are very exciting, and we are hoping you and your families will be involved!
- Thursday, Feb 15 - Basketball contest to win $10,000
- Come support a great cause (Warrior Family), watch the boys and girls basketball teams battle Kettle Moraine, and have your chance to shoot to win $10,000 at halftime of each varsity basketball game! Girls: 5:45pm, Guys: 7:00pm. Use the link below to purchase entries to the contest for only $3! Eligibility rules
- Friday, Feb 16 - Broomball Tournament at Idle Isle, Little Muskego Lake
- 5v5 Broomball Tournament @ Idle Isle Park on Little Muskego Lake! Bundle up & come check out the empty lake! Each team guaranteed 2 games. Middle School will have a different bracket than the High School bracket. Cash prizes for winning team!
- Register team / Permission slip
Please visit bit.ly/warriorfamilyweek to learn more and to register for all events!
Thank you!
MHS Student Council
Spring 2018: Girls on the Run ~ Heart & Sole
Girls on the Run/Heart & Sole is an experience-based curriculum to inspire girls through critical life skills, tools, and resources, such as managing emotions, resolving conflict, helping others or making intentional decisions to be joyful, healthy, and confident. Girls in grades 5 and 6 of all athletic or non-athletic abilities are welcome to participate!
Practices are on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:15-4:30pm. This 10-week program starts Monday, March 12 and will end with a 5K at Miller Park on Saturday, June 2.
Students are able to pick up and turn in GOTR interest forms in the BL office. The interest form is NOT a registration form. To officially register your daughter for the program, those who select YES will be sent further information about the program closer to the start date, as well as how to register. Please turn interest forms in to the Bay Lane office by Monday, February 12. There is a sliding scale fee to participate.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to the coaches if you have questions:
Jenny Waltz - BL Special Education Teacher: jennifer.waltz@muskegonorway.org
Julia Rutkowski - MHS School Psychologist: julia.rutkowski@muskegonorway.org
Rachel Rydzewski - BL Associate Principal: rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org
Attendance Reminder
Parents please remember to obtain a doctor's excuse when taking your child to the doctor during the school day. Also, if your child is going to be out of school for a period of time for surgery, illness, or another health condition then please have the supervising physician provide a note excusing the extended absence. If you have any questions or need to run a situation by someone, then please feel free to contact Jen Gigl, School Social Worker, at 262.971.1810 ext. 6216.
PTO Reminder
Bus Expectations
- Students are not permitted to consume food or drink.
- Students use level 1 voices.
- Students keep their area clean.
- Students use kind and appropriate words.
- Students remain seated and face forward.
- Students keep hands and feet out of the aisles.
- Students enter and exit in an orderly manner.
- Students do not use electronic devices to take photos or videos.
- Students do not engage in any physical contact with other students.
Muskego Lakes Middle School - Progress Continues
Entrance is nearing completion
Muskego, WI
Gymnasium is taking shape with 2 regulation size basketball courts
6th grade teachers check out science labs
Bay Lane Middle School
Location: S75 W16399 Hilltop Drive
Phone: 262-971-1810
Twitter: @BLBobcats