CEPS Express
January 2021
Conrad Elvehjem Primary School Information
School Principal: Greg Nelson, nelsong1@mcfsd.org,
608-838-4602
Associate Principal: Brooke Hauser, hauserb@mcfsd.org,
608-838-4595
4K/CEPS Building Administrative Assistant:
Emily Broome, 608-838-4652, broomee@mcfsd.org
CEPS Administrative Assistant:
Sarah Goecks, 608-838-3146, goeckss@mcfsd.org
A Note From Our Principal
January 2021
Dear Families,
The new year is upon us! I hope that this winter break provides a nice and safe break to re-energize ourselves as we look forward to hopeful times in 2021.
At this time of the year, I like to give an annual plug for the importance of reading with your children at home: Read, Read, Read! Studies have shown that the more language and reading a child is exposed to at a young age, the greater their achievement is in their later years. Reading at home can be fun and can look a lot of different ways: share a favorite story together, ask your child to read their books from school to you, practice snap words, model your own strong reading habits as you read the newspaper or magazines, follow a recipe to make brownies (or slime!) together, etc. At the EC-2 level, we are building the foundation that is so essential for helping students make the transition from learning to read, to reading to learn. Thanks for making reading a priority.
Another way you can support your child, albeit a bit more indirectly, is by submitting Box Tops for Education. We have gone electronic with collecting box tops. Head over to https://www.boxtops4education.com/, download the mobile app, create an account, and each time you visit the grocery store, simply scan your receipt and Box Tops will scan your purchases for any participating products to add online earnings to our EC-8 PTO account.
Speaking of the PTO, I encourage you to mark Wednesday, February 17th on your calendar for the next PTO meeting, which will be held over Zoom at 6:30 PM. Look for more information, including plans for speakers for that night, to come soon.
It looks like January will be a cold month, and students need to be bundled up! If your child is missing any mittens, hats, or boots, please direct them to stop by the “Lost and Found” bin located next to our main office and give it a look through. Every few months, when the bins are overflowing, we make a donation of those items that have been hanging out in the Lost and Found to a local charity organization.
Our CEPS team is committed to keeping open communication between home and school, and we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher, or any staff member, to request support and assistance. We know that we do it better together!
Sincerely,
Greg Nelson, CEPS Principal
CEPS January Dates At A Glance
January 15 - Literary Character Dress Up Day
January 18 - NO SCHOOL/Conference Release Day
January 19 - Picture Day (one of three days) at CEPS & 4K Sites
January 21 - Picture Day at CEPS
January 22 - Final Picture Day at CEPS
January 25 - NO SCHOOL/PD Day
January 26 - 2nd Semester Starts
February 1 - Report Cards Live in Infinite Campus!
Introducing the McFarland App
We are happy to roll out the McFarland School District Mobile app which is tied to our website. You can easily access News, Events, staff contact info and more.
You can customize what alerts you receive by selecting the 'My Alerts' option!! This is an additional tool we will use to inform families and students of important developments like school closures so make sure you have your Emergency Alert activated!
The app is available from the Apple App Store, Google Play as well as any device using this URL.
Attendance Information and Policies: Kindergarten-5th Grade
Conrad Elvehjem Primary School (K-2) 608-838-3146
Waubesa Intermediate School (3-5) 608-838-7667
MVP (Step 2)
School Hours
AM Session: 8:00-10:35
PM Session: 12:00-2:35
Hybrid (Step 3)
School Hours
AM Session: 7:45-10:45
PM Session: 12:15-3:15
Drop Off Start (Step 3)
AM Session: 7:45
PM Session: 12:15
Tardy After
(Step 3)
AM Session 8:05
PM Session 12:35
Please call your student’s school office to report an absence or tardy, even during virtual learning. If we do not hear from you regarding your child’s attendance, we will call you to verify your child’s absence. If we are unable to reach you to verify your child’s whereabouts, a member of the student services team may make a home visit to ensure the student is safe and accounted for.
COLD WEATHER GEAR
Both CEPS and Waubesa use Channel 3000 Weather to monitor the temperature.
Families can update their contact information via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
Free Meals...
Dear McFarland Families,
McFarland School District has been authorized to provide free breakfast and lunch to all McFarland children, ages 18 and under. This program is paid for by the National School Lunch Program and USDA. Every meal distributed helps our School Nutrition Department cover costs and continue our mission to provide healthy, good tasting meals to our community members under the age of 18. We have made a few changes to our program that we need to inform you of:
Daily hot lunch ordering and pickup is available Monday through Friday at Waubesa from 11-12 and McFarland HIgh School from 11:00-12:30.
Friday pickups will include the option to add two additional cold lunches and two additional breakfasts for weekend consumption on the ordering site.
CEPS parents can order cold meals for their students to bring home on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Orders can be placed for Wednesday meals along with their Tuesday orders, or parents can choose to order and pick up hot meals from WIS & MHS.
We are offering meals to some daycares in the area. Please check with your provider to see if they are available through your facility.
A new and improved ordering site is now available. It will allow parents to order meals for multiple children every day. Use this link to place orders.
Barb Waara waarab@mcfsd.org
**CHANGE IN MEAL PICK UP LOCATION AT WIS STARTING 11/30/2020
The new pick up location for meals at Waubesa will be the bus drop off spot in the large parking lot off of Leanne Lane. This change will begin on Monday, November 30.
Please have a sign with the parent last name written in large bold letters in the passenger window when you reach the pick up site.
Be aware that the traffic flow of the parking lot will be reversed in order to accommodate more cars for pick up. Please see picture below.
Please email martina@mcfsd.org (Amie Martin-CEPS Librarian) if your CEPS student needs help logging into our library search app on school devices. We love that students are getting library books this year!
Happy Holidays from the McFarland EC-8 PTO. We held a fundraiser in partnership with Spartan Pizza in November and raised $600.00 in just two nights! Thank you for your support of both a local business and our organization.
This holiday season, the PTO is partnering with the McFarland Food Pantry’s Giving Tree Project and adopting a few families to provide gifts to this holiday season. To help make a donation please visit our website at McFarlandpto.org, go to the bottom of our homepage where you can contribute through our PayPal account, or checks can be made out the McFarland PTO (please put “giving tree” in the notes section) and mailed to 5204 Rustic Way, McFarland, or contribute directly to the McFarland Food Pantry. A friendly reminder that the PTO is a nonprofit 501c3.
You can see all of our updates by following our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/McFarlandPTO or visiting our website www.mcfarlandpto.org
Please mark your calendars for our at large meeting on February 17, 2021(6:30pm) via Zoom. We also meet the second Thursday of the month for PTO advisory council meetings. To join us please email Michaela Voeck (PTO president) at mcfarlandptoprez@gmail.com to be added to the Zoom meeting invite.
Tips from Love and Logic for Helping Kids Cope with Uncertain Times
The global health crisis affects everyone in some way and parents all over the world are wondering, “What do I tell my kids about this? What do I do?”
Children have an incredible capacity for strength, and parents can play a powerful role in helping their children cope with these extraordinarily uncertain times. Here are some practical guidelines for helping you help your kids.
1. Be honest about your emotions while modeling strength
Because our children copy our behaviors, they will learn to respond in difficult situations only as well as we do. Children who see their parents become overwhelmed with anxiety, fear, and grief will also become overwhelmed. At the other end of the spectrum, parents who stuff their feelings inside will deprive their kids of the opportunity to learn healthy expression of feelings.
The key is being honest about your emotions while showing that your family remains strong. For example, you can hug your child and say:
This is a very sad time.
Sometimes I feel like crying about it and it also makes me a little afraid.
But I know that we will be okay…because we are strong.
2. Limit your children’s exposure to media coverage
Turn the television and radio off when your kids are in the room. Repeated exposure to visual and spoken images of a crisis can create more anxiety and fear. Younger children who don’t understand how to put media coverage in perspective can become overly concerned and frightened.
3. Give them the facts about the event
Don’t try to keep the current situation a secret! First, it’s simply impossible to do. Second, humans create information when they lack it. When children only get bits and pieces of bad news, they “fill in the blanks” with their imagination. Typically, their fears, or the rumors that they might hear from their friends, will produce more anxiety than hearing the truth.
Children, even children as young as two years old, may need you to lay out the facts about the event. Tell them the basics while leaving out more sensitive details. Remember, your tone of voice must communicate compassion as well as strength.
4. Listen, listen, listen
There is nothing powerful for comforting a child than an open ear, heartfelt understanding, and a warm hug from a parent.
5. Let them know that they are safe
Our children need to hear about the thousands and thousands of wonderful people who are working day and night to keep us safe and healthy. Despite any fears or doubts that we might have, our kids need to hear and feel that they are safe.
Make your reassurances short and to the point. When parents spend too much time, say too many words, or exhibit too many emotions trying to reassure kids that they are safe, then the message can backfire. Your message will be more powerful and believable if it is very brief and to the point.
There are thousands of people working to keep everyone safe and healthy. We are going to be okay.
Have a good day with your schoolwork. I love you.
6. To the greatest extent possible, maintain daily routines
Daily routines give all of us a sense of predictability, control, and safety. When we stick to them, we also communicate to our youngsters that we are strong enough to keep going—and they are too!
7. Involve them in helping others
There are few things more therapeutic than helping others. Even actions that may seem small, like writing letters of support or sending a box of food to healthcare workers, can mean a great deal.
An elementary school principal who followed these tips voiced amazement at how they work. “I can’t believe how well our students are dealing with the crisis. The teachers were calm and so were the kids. Everyone is very concerned, but we are going to make it through!”
One last thought—following these guidelines can help, but it is just as important to take good care of yourself. The healthier you are, the healthier your kids will be.
Dear McFarland School District Families,
Thank you for your contributions to the 2020 Bowls for Hunger fundraiser for the McFarland Food Pantry. Thanks to your generosity Bowls for Hunger has had another successful year and continues to help our community. It is the generous support of contributors like you that makes it possible for McFarland families in need to have access to healthy food.
With our sincere thanks,
McFarland School District Art Teachers
CTM-Winter Theater Classes
Futura Aventures Spring 2021
Greetings Conrad Elvehjem,
As we look to Spring 2021 we are excited to continue our LIVE Virtual Spanish offerings. We have found much success with our offerings this Fall and families have been enjoying the ability to learn Spanish in a safe and comfortable learning environment each week.
Attached is our Spring 2021 flier highlighting the new courses coming up in February. Also, we are offering a FREE! virtual holiday bonus class to any student who enrolls in the Spring (information included on the flier about this incentive).
Live Interactive Spanish in a Virtual Setting!
ALL NEW MATERIAL THIS SPRING. . . Join Futura for a live, interactive Spanish class in real time! From the comfort and safety of your home, your child will learn Spanish in a dynamic, lively manner that incorporates songs and games. There are two options for learning: ‘Vamos a Explorar’ is a theme based class where students will “explore” all in Spanish. ‘Essential Spanish’ will include all the basics to create an amazing language foundation for years to come. Various times and days to choose from to fit your family’s needs for language learning. Please check our website for course details and offerings. https://futuraadventures.com/virtual-learning-registration/ Enroll today! Space is limited.