Greetings Parents & Guardians:

As the school year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to each and every one of you. As the superintendent, I am constantly reminded of the immense impact that parents have on the education and well-being of our students.

Your unwavering support, dedication, and involvement in your child's education are truly commendable. You play a crucial role in creating a positive and nurturing environment for our students to thrive. Your encouragement and guidance motivate them to reach their full potential.

Thank you for entrusting us with the education and care of your children. We understand the tremendous responsibility that comes with this, and we strive to provide them with the best learning experience possible. Your partnership with us enables us to create a strong foundation for their future success.

We are grateful for your active participation in parent-teacher conferences, school events, and volunteer activities. Your collaboration strengthens the bond between home and school, fostering a sense of community and ensuring that our students receive a well-rounded education.

Please know that your support does not go unnoticed. It is the collective effort of parents like you that makes our school district exceptional. We are privileged to work alongside such dedicated individuals who prioritize their children's education and well-being.

Once again, thank you for everything you do. Your commitment to your children's education inspires us every day. Together, we will continue to make a positive difference in the lives of our students.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Shannon L. Kilton

Superintendent

Our school district is committed to supporting the academic, social-emotional, and health and safety needs of our students. The Wisconsin Department of Instruction offers many resources for districts in these areas. To support the health and safety needs of our students, DPI offers a state-wide survey (YRBS) to collect data to show us what supports our students need to stay safe and healthy.

The Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is conducted as part of a national effort by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor health-risk behaviors of the nation's high school and middle school (grades 6-8 only) students. These behaviors, in turn, result in the most significant causes of both mortality and morbidity during youth and adulthood. The behaviors monitored by the Wisconsin YRBS include traffic safety; weapons and violence; suicide; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behavior; and diet, nutrition, and exercise.

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has administered the YRBS every two years beginning with 1993. The YRBS is administered to students in Wisconsin's public high schools and middle schools. Survey procedures are designed to protect the privacy of students by allowing anonymous and voluntary participation.

The Howards Grove School District will be administering the YRBS Survey to students in grades 6-12 on Wednesday, May 31st, 2023. Here is a link to the DPI website with more information.

Here are some of the sample questions at each level:

High School Samples

Middle School Samples

If you have questions or concerns regarding this survey or would like to opt out your child from taking the survey, please contact the school counselors at each school.

Jessica Luecke- Middle School

jluecke@hgsd.k12.wi.us

Krista Neave- High School

kneave@hgsd.k12.wi.us

The Board approved several new teacher contracts on Monday night. Welcome aboard to our new staff for the 2023-2024 school year!

Becky Holzer- 5th Grade: Becky brings 17 years of teaching experience in Reading and Special Education. She is trained in the Wilson Reading System reading intervention program. She has team taught in the Reader's/Writer's Workshop model. Becky's references said things like: "dedicated, talented, knowledgeable, literacy and differentiation expert, firm yet kind, and builds very strong relationships with students."

Nicole TenPas- Chemistry: Nicole is a graduate of UW-Madison and earned her Master's Degree from Cardinal Stritch University. She has taught for nine years in the Whitnall and New Berlin School Districts as a high school chemistry and biology teacher. Nicole emphasizes relationships and a student-centered learning environment as she strives to help all students achieve success in the classroom. She will be a great addition to our high school team.

Sarah Nowak- Kindergarten: Sarah is joining our kindergarten team. Sarah has recently graduated from the University of Green-Bay with a bachelors degree for early education-middle childhood. Sarah recently completed her first teaching experience as a longer term substitute in a kindergarten classroom. Sarah has served as a special education paraprofessional from 2016-2018 in summer school positions. Sarah is very excited to work in the School District of Howards Grove.

Linsey Wymer- 1st Grade: Linsey has had 14 years experience as a teacher. Linsey started out as a kindergarten/1st grade teacher in Madison, WI (2008-2010). She then moved to Alaska and served as a physical education teacher (2010-2012) and 3rd grade teacher (2012-2013). Lynsey wanted to be closer to family, so she moved back to Madison and served as an infant and toddler teacher (2013-2014) and then moved into the role of a 4K teacher for the Madison Area School District (2014-2022). Lynsey now lives in Sheboygan and is excited to continue her teaching career at Northview.