EC-5 Elementary Express
September 2019
September EC-5 Dates At a Glance
September 20-22 - McFarland Family Festival
September 24 - Picture Retake Day at CEPS and WIS
September 26 - 5th Grade Field Trip to MacKenzie Center
September 27 - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development
Upcoming Dates in October
October 1 - 3 - Third Grade Walking Tours Begin
October 3 - 4K Fall into Fun Family Night, 6:00-7:00 PM
October 16 - PTO Meeting - CEPS Library - 6:30 PM
October 21 - Third Grade Open House - 6:00 PM
October 22 - CEPS Open House - 5:30 PM - 6:30PM
October 23 - 4th Grade Field Trip to Old World Wisconsin
October 24 - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development
October 25 - NO SCHOOL - Conference Release Day
October 28 - 3rd Grade Swim Unit Begins
Visitor Guidelines - Updated Information!
We know how exciting it can be for children to have a special grownup come to visit them at school, for example a grandparent coming for lunch or an aunt or uncle picking them up early for a weekend trip. With our top priority being student safety, we ask that adult visitors adhere to the following guidelines when coming to either Conrad Elvehjem Primary School (CEPS) or Waubesa Intermediate School (WIS) during the day.
- Parents and guardians may come for lunch; no need to call ahead of time. Simply be prepared to show your photo ID, sign in at the main office, and wear a "Visitor" badge.
- Parents and guardians may pick students up early for appointments, etc. Please notify both the main office and classroom teachers by phone or email prior to 7:30 on the morning of the early pick-up.
- Other non-parent/guardian adults may only visit for lunch or pick students up during the day with prior parent/guardian permission. The student's parent/guardian must call or email the main office on the morning of the visit/early pick up. The parent/guardian is also responsible for making sure the visitor knows that a photo ID will be required.
- If a visitor arrives without prior parent/guardian permission, he/she will be directed by our office staff to contact the parent/guardian who must then call the office before before being allowed to visit for lunch or pick up the child.
Many of you follow these guidelines as they stand, and we appreciate your communication with us. With these practices in place, we ensure that the only outside adults interacting with your child at school are doing so with your knowledge and permission.
Of course, if you would like clarification or have questions, please do not hesitate to be in touch.
Thank you,
Greg Nelson - CEPS Principal
Corey Shefcik - WIS Principal
Picture Retake Day is September 24!
If your child is having his or her picture retaken, please send the picture package you recently received with your child to school on Tuesday, September 24. Pictures will be taken first thing in the morning!
News from the PTO
Save the Dates: McFarland EC-8 PTO meetings!
Come hear updates from the school principals and get information on key topics related to our community, families, and students. Childcare will be available.
Dates as follows and topics to be announced soon:
- October 16, 2019, 6:30PM - CEPS Library - Topic TBA & *Voting for Special Elections*
- February 19, 2020, 6:30PM - WIS Multi Purpose Room
- May 20, 2020 - IMMS Library
Conrad Elvehjem Primary School Information
Principal:
Greg Nelson
Associate Principal:
Brooke Hauser
CEPS Building Administrative Assistant:
Emily Broome - (608) 838-3146
Administrative Assistant:
Sheryl Leemon - (608) 838-3146
Email: nelsong@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/elementary/
Phone: 608-838-3146
A Note From Our Principals...
Dear Families,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 School Year at 4K and Conrad Elvehjem Primary School!
If you haven’t yet, please check your email for a message I sent on the Friday after our first week in school. I shared some information about our first week for K-2 students, along with pertinent reminders as we get into the swing of things.
We are looking forward to the opportunity to show and share more about CEPS at our upcoming Open House on Tuesday, October 22nd. This event, for all Early Childhood and K-2 students and their families, will consist of a student-led tour where all are invited to visit many notable areas of our school to learn more about your child’s day at CEPS. One “stop” on this tour will be your child’s classroom where you will have an opportunity to chat with the teacher, explore the learning space, and get to know more about how your child spends his/her day at school. Our Open House will run from 5:30-6:30 PM. We anticipate it taking about 30 minutes to work through the various locations on the tour and invite you to plan your arrival according to your needs between our 5:30-6:30 PM time frame.
In closing, a successful school experience is not possible without strong, collaborative partnerships between home and school. Our staff is committed to maintaining open communication and we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher or any other pertinent staff member with the support you need. Our success is measured by the success of your child and we know we do it better together!
Yours in Education,
Greg Nelson Brooke Hauser
Principal Associate Principal
New Staff/Role Changes at CEPS!
Please join us in welcoming these new faces (and role changes) to Conrad Elvehjem Primary School!
- Lauren Frazier - 2nd Grade Teacher
- Audrey Presser - 2nd Grade Teacher
- Kylie Hemmer - 2nd Grade Teacher
- Megan Albrecht - 2nd Grade Teacher
- Mary Huber-Drake - Technology/Interventionist Teacher (new role)
- Angela Eilbes - Speech/Language Therapist
- Amanda Geisinger - Speech/Language Therapist
- Lisa Aubey - Lunch/Recess Supervisor
- Angela Kinstler-Reda - Art Teacher
CEPS Enrollment for 2019-2020
- 4K - 141
- Kindergarten - 182
- 1st Grade - 170
- 2nd Grade - 198
CEPS Bell Schedule
- School Start Bell - 7:45 AM
- 2nd Bell (Tardy Bell) - 7:48 AM
- Dismissal Bell - 2:42 PM
Waubesa Intermediate School Information
School Principal:
Corey Shefchik
Associate Principal:
Al Northouse
Building Administrative Assistant:
Arlene Bast (608) 838-7667
Email: shefchc@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/intermediate/
Phone: 608-838-7667
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Waubesa.Intermediate.School/?fref=ts
A Note From Our Principals...
Hello Waubesa Families,
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! We’re so excited we get to be the principals of such a positive school and community. It was such a pleasure meeting so many of you at the August 28 Back to School Ice Cream Social and Supply Drop-Off.
We enjoy seeing so many of you each morning or afternoon when you drop off and pick up your child. Student safety is extremely important to us. Please take a moment to review the pickup and dropoff information below in this newsletter. We have included a map to help you visualize the parking areas. To help with the flow in the afternoon, please help us by waiting in the parent pick up line that extends onto Red Oak Trail. Once students exit the building, it’s only taking 6 minutes for the line to be gone.
Each year Waubesa has a theme or focus that the entire school community supports. This year, our theme is “The POWER is in our Hands!” POWER is the guiding word for who we are and how we conduct ourselves. For our third grade families, POWER is the version of the Spartan Stars Program at CEPS. POWER stands for:
Pride - I do my best work
Ownership - I am responsible for my choices
We work together - I work well with others
Empathy - I try to understand others’ feelings
Responsibility - I do the right thing to help our school be a better place
At our all-school assembly this morning, we celebrated the awesome start of the school year and introduced our school theme through music and performance. We also celebrated our school community by having each homeroom march in with their homeroom banner.
Please be aware that as the year begins, we do a variety of assessments so that we can better understand your student as a learner and better plan and support them. When teachers meet you at fall conferences, they will discuss some goal setting based on our observations, student work, and the results of various assessments. We promote with students the importance of having a growth mindset by encouraging effort and recognizing that when a student doesn't know something, we let them know “you don’t know it, yet!” Please reinforce this same message as students can be very hard on themselves when they’re not successful right away.
We look forward to seeing what this school year brings and working together with you to make it a great year!
Sincerely,
Corey Shefchik - Principal
Al Northouse - Associate Principal
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
RED OAK TRAIL LOT:
PICKUP & DROPOFF ONLY
When dropping off or picking up children at Waubesa, PLEASE USE THE DRIVE-THRU PARKING LOT OFF OF RED OAK TRAIL. Simply pull over near the front of the yellow zone, let your child safely exit on the passenger side, and leave. There’s no need to wait for the car ahead.
LEANNE LANE LOT:
BUSES AND DAY CARE VANS ONLY
Please do not use the Leanne Lane parking lot for drive-thru drop off or pick up of students. This parking lot is for buses, daycare vans, and all those who need to park and enter the school with their student(s). WHEN DROPPING OFF OR PICKING UP CHILDREN AT WAUBESA, PLEASE USE THE DRIVE-THRU PARKING LOT OFF OF RED OAK TRAIL.
Staying Connected...
Up-to-date events also appear on the right side of the WIS home page accessible via a scroll-down bar.
New Staff and Role Changes at WIS!
Third Grade
Madison Griffin, Teacher
Fourth Grade
Christina McKernan - long term substitute for Alison McSweeny
Caitlyn Hiveley - Teacher (moved from 2nd grade)
Casey Schut - Teacher
Signe Rose and Kerry Beam - Interim Teachers
Melissa Shanks - Teacher (starting in October)
Fifth Grade
Andrew Garvey - Teacher (moved from 3rd Grade)
Marilyn Ganger - Special Education Assistant
Sam White - Student Teacher
Lauren Price - Student Teacher
Specialists
Susan Gralak - Physical Therapist
Kathleen Lau - STEAM Teacher
Spencer Koscik - Orchestra Assistant
Administration
Corey Shefchik - Principal
Kayla Gauwitz - School Psychologist
Jessica Luebke - School Counseling Intern
The Power is in Our Hands!
When a student is supercharged, he or she will also place a colored sticker on their classroom's paper hand. When the hand is filled with stickers, they will be attached to our Waubesa POWER tree display outside the lunchroom. When you next stop by our school, check out the display! At WIS we love celebrating all the hard work that our students display throughout the year!
WIS Bell Schedule and Attendance Information
7:52am
First Bell
8:00am
Tardy Bell
2:55pm
Dismissal
Our school day begins at 7:52 AM with a bell tone. A second tardy bell will sound at 8:00 am. Students arriving after this bell will be marked tardy that day. Please have your student(s) to school by 7:50 so they are able to be on time to their classroom.
Adult supervision is available on our playground starting at 7:30 am. If it is raining when they arrive, students may enter the building and either play in the gym or spend time in the multi-purpose room until the 7:52 bell rings.
Will your child be absent?
Please call 838-7667 prior to 8:00 AM if your child will not be in attendance on any given day so they can be marked absent.
Tardiness
The following guidelines appear in our Family Handbook ( Link to Family Handbook pages 6-8 outline attendance procedures):
A student is considered tardy if he or she arrives within thirty minutes of the beginning of the school day (prior to 8:30 AM). The first 2 tardies that a student earns in a quarter are counted as “freebies,” meaning there is not a consequence. However, if a student is tardy to school for a third time and each subsequent time in the same quarter, the student will earn a 15 minute lunch detention. Chronic tardiness may result in a truancy notice and ticket (see section on tardiness). These consequences apply regardless of why the child is tardy (e.g., traffic, late start, parent/guardian responsibility). For 3rd grade students, we will not impose this consequence for the first quarter of the school year. However, we will record all tardies in Infinite Campus for attendance purposes and will communicate to the student’s parents if they reach the level where a consequence would have been imposed.
After School
Students should immediately go home after school unless they are in a supervised activity. It is our expectation that students be picked up by at least 3:05.
Family Handbook
Family Handbook Link
Please make sure to take a few minutes to check over the various sections and become familiar with our expectations. Feel free to let us know if you have any questions!
WIS Enrollment for 2019-2020
- 3rd Grade - 158
- 4th Grade - 190
- 5th Grade - 180