Rasco Review January 15, 2021
Lake Bluff Elementary School Family Newsletter
WHAT'S INSIDE?
- Important Dates
- A Message from Principal Rasco
-Registration Information for New Students for 21-22
-Thursday Virtual Folder
-Martin Luther King Jr Day
-Come Play at Lake Bluff
-Counselor Corner with Ms. Gahl-Sweeney
-Updates from the Advanced Learning Department
-Lake Bluff PTO Updates
-Community Happenings
*PLEASE NOTE THE RASCO REVIEW WILL START COMING OUT ON THURSDAYS STARTING NEXT WEEK.
Important Dates
-Tuesday, January 19-21- Asynchronous Learning
-Thursday, January 21- PTO meeting at 7:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86124105930?pwd=dkp0bnYyUzNjN2pjR01FOG42VXppdz09
Meeting ID: 861 2410 5930
Passcode: Beagles
-Friday, January 22- NO SCHOOL and In-Person Orientation (details below)
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL RASCO
Hello Lake Bluff Families!
I hope you have enjoyed a productive week and that you remain healthy and safe this weekend. A few reminders and some resharing of information, as we continue to plan for our transition to hybrid learning on Monday, January 25th.
To prepare for the transition, our schedule next week will have some changes. Below is an overview of next week's plan once again for your convenience. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, teachers will be hosting live, virtual classroom Crew meetings daily, from 8:30-9am, followed by asynchronous learning provided via Seesaw and Google Classroom. We look forward to welcoming our students to Winter Orientation on Friday, January 22nd.
Monday, January 18th:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day: No School for students and staff.
Tuesday, January 19th, Wednesday, January 20th & Thursday, January 21st
Teacher Professional Development Days
Live Classroom Crew meetings daily from 8:30-9am.
All other learning will be asynchronous all day. Imagine, “three Wednesdays in a row!”
Friday, January 22nd
Winter Orientation Day!
Students are invited to come into their classrooms and “meet” their teacher and a small group of 5-7 classmates for about a half hour.
Sign up information will come from teachers-many have sent this already. When signing up, please make every effort to sign up for times similar to your assigned in-person half day time (AM or PM). This helps us ensure cohorts remain separate and intact.
In these sessions, teachers will spend the time teaching students their meeting spots, hand sanitization, recess zones, restroom routes and other day to day operations. Classroom mitigation procedures will also be covered.
Parents or guests will not be invited in the building during these times.
Below you will find links to sign up for a time for orientation on January 22nd. If your child’s class is not listed or if you have any further questions regarding Orientation Day on January 22nd, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher.
Finally, Ms. Harrison and I are currently working on a Welcome to Hybrid learning packet that will summarize all of the communications sent out already, and include more information regarding the transition. Please watch for this hefty communication on Tuesday, January 19th. It will also be posted on our Lake Bluff school website. Our goal is to provide families with a “one-stop-shop” to use as their main resource as you plan to come back to school. As always, feel free to contact me or any Lake Bluff staff for any additional questions you may have.
Take good care,
Tammy Rasco
Lake Bluff Principal
Registration for NEW Students for Fall Opens January 1
Please spread the word to your Shorewood neighbors: Beginning on January 1, Shorewood residents should register NEW STUDENTS for Fall 2021-22 enrollment at all grade levels. This will help the District plan for staffing. Instructions can be found here.
4K Kindergarten: If your child will turn 4 years old as of September 1, 2021 (born on or before 9/1/2017), be sure to register by January 31 to have your child included in the lottery to be placed in your preferred AM or PM kindergarten session for Fall 2021-22. Details are in this flyer.
Email any questions to Iris Bohan. Currently-enrolled students will have annual registration for fall as usual--later in the year. Registration will be online again (as it was last summer); watch for details coming later in the spring.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Monday, January 18th is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr day. The Shorewood Schools are closed that day in honor of Dr. King. There are a variety of ways to celebrate Dr. King's legacy over the weekend and next week.
A MILWAUKEE TRADITION FOR MORE THAN 3 DECADES! Celebrating Dr. King’s Birthday annually since 1984 the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration programming highlights the youth in our community who every year interpret Dr. King’s words through art, speech, and writing contests, 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Celebration – Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 1pm
National Day of Service Monday, January 18th. Click here for ways to participate virtually and/or in the Shorewood/Milwaukee area.
Please join families of all ages as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 18, 2021. Kids Impact Community (KIC) is partnering with several local organizations to offer at-home learning and service opportunities for families with young children on MLK Day of Service and throughout that week, as we seek to Celebrate, Educate, Advocate and Serve! Event details and registration info can be found here: http://kicmke.org/mlk/
Shorewood Public Library: Do Black Lives Matter?- TUESDAY, JANUARY 19
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Virtual via Zoom
In this four-part series, Reggie Jackson will examine the hot topic of Black Lives Matter by asking the question: Have Black lives mattered in our society historically? The sessions are designed to provide historical context for the present day dilemma facing Blacks in America. The first session in our four-part series on the devaluation of Black lives will take a broad look at the hidden history many of us didn’t learn growing up, including:
COME PLAY AT LAKE BLUFF!
There’s still time to sign up for a “Virtual Plus Recess” on the Lake Bluff playground! Next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday will be the last days this is offered, so don’t delay!
As always, masks will be required during these recesses, and all participants will need to complete the Shorewood School District Covid Self-Screener prior to arrival.
If you have any questions please contact Ms. Harrison (charrison@shorewood.k12.wi.us).
Go to the appropriate grade link below to register:
COUNSELOR'S CORNER WITH MS. GAHL-SWEENEY
As we get closer to our transition to hybrid learning, you may find that your student has a variety of feelings and reactions to the change. If you’re wondering how you can support your student in this transition, please feel free to look at these recommendations from Dr. Maggie A., our consulting psychologist from Children’s Wisconsin. As always, it’s important to acknowledge any feelings your student is having and allow them space to talk about it with you. It’s also important to acknowledge that they are resilient and that you are confident in their ability to handle this change successfully!
The Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee is offering a Virtual Family Connections Workshop January 21. Check out this flyer for more information!
As always, please feel free to reach out to me.
agahl-sweeney@shorewood.k12.wi.us
414-963-6972 ext. 7810
Website: Ms. Gahl-Sweeney's Counseling Corner
Updates from the Advanced Learning Department
Updates from the Advanced Learning Department
1/15/21
The Advanced Learning Department offers a variety of opportunities for kids to meet together and engage in fun and challenging enrichment opportunities outside of class time! These occur on a weekly basis, and consist of some whole group time as well as small group breakouts and check ins. As we move into the hybrid model of instruction, please note some day/time changes for each activity below. We will continue to offer all of our enrichment activities, and they will remain virtual at this point since we are not mixing cohorts of students for health reasons. Thank you for your support!
Please see our Advanced Learning Virtual Classroom for additional resources and details about each club/activity listed below.
Battle of the Books
Participating students in grades 4-6 should be busy reading their books from the Battle of the Books book list. We have provided lots of choices on our virtual classroom page for ways to practice book facts. Check out all the great book quizzes - they are really fun! In-school battles will likely begin in late February (and will be virtual), so KEEP READING!
Upcoming Meetings:
1/18/21 - NO SCHOOL (no meeting)
1/27/21 - We will begin meeting on WEDNESDAYS from 12:00-12:30 using the same Zoom link as before (virtual meeting).
Math Club
This math enrichment club is for any interested 1st-3rd grader. Don’t forget to check out our virtual classroom page to see more resources and opportunities to practice what we’ve discussed in Math Club!
Upcoming Tuesday Meetings:
1/19/21 - Asynchronous Math Club activities (check the virtual classroom)
1/26/21 - We will meet on Zoom from 11:45-12:15 now (still on Tuesdays, and still using the same Zoom link).
Math Olympiad
This math enrichment club is for any interested 4th-6th grader.
Upcoming Meetings:
1/19/21 - Asynchronous Math Olympiad activities (check the virtual classroom)
1/27/21 - We will now meet on WEDNESDAYS on Zoom from 10:00-10:30.
Newspaper Club
Our “editing team” consists of 4th-6th graders, but students in all grade levels are encouraged to submit stories, poems, puzzles, artwork, etc. for The Beagle Times! Our editing team will continue to meet virtually on Wednesdays from 1:30-2:00.
WordMasters
The 2nd list of words was released on December 10th. Check out our virtual classroom for more information and practice ideas. Note: we will still have our meetings on Thursdays in the hybrid model, but will alternate meeting times (one week it will be in the AM, the following it will be in the PM. Students just need to attend every other week, at either the AM or PM time).
Upcoming Thursday Meetings:
1/21/21: NO WordMasters meeting; check the virtual classroom for word lists and practice activities!
1/28/21: WordMasters A meeting from 10:30-11:00
2/4/21: WordMasters B meeting from 2:30-3:00
Questions? Please contact Jennifer Cosgrove (jcosgrove@shorewood.k12.wi.us) or Jennifer Damm (jdamm@shorewood.k12.wi.us), Advanced Learning Department teachers.
A blizzard is coming! A blizzard is coming! Your student can help create a blizzard in our community next week. Create a snowflake window to share with neighbors. Print or pick-up a snowflake coloring sheet in the Lake Bluff lobby (open 1/19-1/21) or create your own snowflakes to hang in your window. Additionally we have lots of snowflake design ideas, experiments and other snow related activities on our Lake Bluff PTO Pinterest page.
Please share photos of your blizzard window by 1/24 to be entered into our contest. Pictures can be emailed to LakeBluffPTOPresident@gmail.com to be entered into the giveaway. We may share your photos on our Facebook page. Five participants will receive a Dairy Queen Gift Card to enjoy an ice cream blizzard. Enjoy the Blizzards on your family walks. Full details can be found below.
Have you ordered your 2020-21 yearbook yet? This will definitely be a year to order a yearbook! Not sure if you ordered? Check our My Account/Previous Orders on the Lake Bluff PTO Website.
Reminder as we transition into the new hybrid learning model, the traditional Thursday Folders will remain virtual. The virtual Thursday Folder enables you to print any fliers and use them as needed. In addition to finding it on our website (www.lakebluffbeagle.com) you can use the Membership Toolkit app on your phone available as a free download from the App Store & Google Play.
Join us for our next PTO meeting on Thursday, January 21 at 7pm. The zoom link can be found below. We welcome your participation in any aspect of our work. Please feel free to contact PTO President Sarah Keefe with any questions, comments or suggestions. Please read the PTO's full newsletter at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bd-UomEsIJY4Qfzs9qHa6ug5-bqSF5ddVxqGmfEC5m4/edit?usp=sharing