KMS Family Newsletter
October 2023
MISSION: IGNITING A PASSION FOR LEARNING
Message from the Principal
Dear KMS Families,
We are off to a fantastic start, and we extend our heartfelt thanks for making the first month of school a truly remarkable one.
Celebrating Your Student:
This school year, our Student Government Club is dedicated to fostering school spirit and nurturing a positive sense of community here at KMS. As part of this endeavor, we are excited to introduce the addition of locker signs to celebrate various student achievements and milestones!
If you have a student involved in a group, sports team, club, or any other activity you'd like to honor, we invite you to fill out the form provided on the KMS Family Information Hub. You can either submit your own design, or our talented student club members can create one for you. We kindly request that you provide us with at least one week's notice to ensure we can create a memorable celebration.
Communication Expectations with Staff:
We understand that there may be times when you need to communicate with your child's teachers. Please be aware that our dedicated staff will respond to your inquiries during the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On working days, we kindly ask for your patience and allow for up to 24 hours to receive a response.
ID Badges and Replacements:
Should you require an ID badge or need a replacement, they are available for a nominal fee of $5 and can be conveniently purchased at our office. It is an expectation that students wear their ID badge at all times while in the building. Students are welcome to provide their own lanyard or use the one that was provided for them.
Announcements:
We encourage you to check out our daily announcements. This often has the latest information about clubs/sports sign-ups and other day-to-day information. You can access them on our school webpage or through the Information Hub.
Warm regards,
Mrs. Skelton
Upcoming Dates
OCTOBER
10/6/2023- Homecoming Parade @ 4:00 for 7th & 8th Grade Band Students
10/6/2023- 8th Grade Pep band and pregame performance
10/19/2023- Picture Retake Day
10/26/2023- Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:00 - 7:00 pm
10/27/2023- No School - Professional Development Day
NOVEMBER
11/30/2023- End of Trimester 1
11/22-11/24/2023- No School - Thanksgiving Break
DECEMBER
12/1/2023- No School - Professional Development Day
12/11/2023- KMS Holiday Band Concert - 6th grade 6:30 pm; 7th-8th grade 7:15 pm
12/4/2023- KMS Choir Concert
12/25-1/1/2024- No School - Christmas Break
Communication Spotlight
To access this spreadsheet please use the "KMS Family Information Hub" under Classroom News.
Updates to District Mitigation Plan
A recent change to the Kewaskum School District's Illness Mitigation Plan took place. The district will now accept either a positive COVID test from a testing site or a home test as a medical excuse for up to 5 days. A picture of the home test must be taken and emailed to your child's building principal to count as medically excused. In addition, if a home test is used, subsequent COVID absences within a 90-day period will require a doctor’s excuse or a positive test from a testing site in order to be medically excused. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's building principal or school nurse with any questions or concerns.
Stay in the Loop with Remind
I have some exciting news to share with you all. Our KMS Information Remind group has become so popular that we have reached our capacity. However, worry not!
I have come up with a solution to keep everyone connected. I have created a second group called KMS Information 2. To ensure that our group doesn't exceed the 150-user limit, I have already moved some users over to the new group. If you were one of them, you should have received a notification about it.
If you have already joined the Remind App, there's no need to take any further action at this time.
But if you haven't signed up yet and would like to join our amazing group, all you need to do is download the Remind App and enter the following class code: @kmsinfo24.
Thank you all for your understanding and cooperation in making this transition smooth.
Get Involved at KMS!
We appreciate that being a parent of a middle schooler can be incredibly busy. Between driving them to activities and constantly running errands, it can be challenging to find time to get involved in their school. However, KMS understands your situation and wants to provide opportunities for you to be involved in your child's education, no matter how busy you are.
To make it easier for you to participate, we have created a spreadsheet that offers various ways for you to get involved at KMS. This spreadsheet will replace our previous KMS Parent Group, and we will only meet as subcommittees when necessary. By using this spreadsheet, you can choose the involvement options that suit your schedule and interests.
Furthermore, I will regularly update this section of the newsletter with additional opportunities to help out at KMS. We are grateful for your time and willingness to contribute to our school community.
Club- Activity-Sport Updates
Clubs/Activities:
*Yearbook
*Builder's Club (see description below)
Sports:
Boy's Basketball
Wrestling (season starts in February)
KMS Athletic Worker Sign-up-- We invite adult family members to work our athletic events during the year. If you can help us out please sign up on the spreadsheet. This spreadsheet can also be found on the KMS Family Information Hub under Sports.
Attention students! Do you want to make a difference in someone else’s life? Do you like lending a helping hand to others in the community? Are you looking for leadership opportunities? We have just the club for you. Our KMS Builders Club is going to be starting up soon. Builders Club is a club that volunteers in the community and builds leadership skills. We have worked with the American Legion and Auxiliary, Kewaskum Food Pantry, Washington County Humane Society, and the Salvation Army ringing bells at Piggly Wiggly to name just a few. Some of the events we are planning on doing this year are leaf raking for elderly citizens, turkey dinner, flag set up at the legion, Washington County Fair food stand, bell ringing, brat fry and many more. We meet once a month from 2:50-3:30 to plan our events. The volunteer opportunities will be dependent upon the activity. We're excited to have new members to our club! Please come and join us. The first meeting is Wednesday, October 4th from 2:45-3:30 in Mrs. Dreher's room. Please take the survey in Mrs. Skelton’s ELT.
Reminder
KMS Spirit Wear! (Store is Open Year Round!)
Greetings KMS Families,
KMS has our very own Spirit Wear Store!
From the Desk of Mrs. Paruch, School Counselor
Greetings KMS Families,
I'm Amanda Paruch, your school counselor here at KMS. I'm thrilled to be starting my second year with this fantastic community. Every month, I'll be sharing insights into our middle school counseling program, along with valuable resources and discussion points to assist you in supporting your student(s).
I trust the new school year has commenced on a positive note for everyone. While it's a time of exhilaration for some, it can also be challenging for others, grappling with the shifting routines and uncertainties that come with a new academic year—new instructors, fresh expectations, and concerns about friendships. The transition to middle school can be particularly demanding for some students.
To help navigate these challenges, I'd like to introduce you to the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit organization that offers evidence-based insights into children's mental health. They provide a wealth of back-to-school articles, including this one on Back-to-School Anxiety: Link.
Throughout the school year, students will actively engage in Second Step lessons, conducted during Extended Learning Time (ELT) once a week. Second Step is a comprehensive curriculum designed to equip students with vital social-emotional skills, such as fostering positive relationships, managing emotions, and setting goals, enabling them to thrive both academically and in life.
Additionally, during the initial months of school, students will delve into Xello lessons during ELT. Xello is an innovative online program that empowers students to align their skills and interests with potential career paths. It aids them in shaping their future goals and translating their aspirations into actionable plans for success.
I'll also be making classroom appearances throughout the year to impart valuable skills. This month, I'm excited to introduce myself to our new 6th-grade students and review coping strategies and leadership with our 8th-graders.
Wishing you all a successful start to the school year!
Warm regards,
Amanda Paruch
School Counselor, KMS
KMS Spotlight
KMS is lucky to have several Paraprofessionals working alongside our students everyday! I would like to take a quick moment to introduce them to you:
Lunch Supervisors:
Mr. Kohn
Mrs. Leu
Library:
Mrs. Aupperle
Special Education:
Mrs. Zak
Mrs. Becker
Ms. Lesch
Ms. Villarreal
Ms. Martin
Ms. Woods
These staff members serve our students in a variety of ways and our school is lucky to have them! We know it wouldn't be the same around here without them!
New York, 2024
We are excited to announce that we are planning an educational trip for students to New York during the 2024 summer! The trip dates are Monday, July 8th through Thursday, July 11th, 2024. This is an optional trip and is only open to current KMS students grades 6-8. Chaperones are also welcome to come along as a paying member. If you are interested in participating, please join us at our upcoming informational parent meeting. Mrs. Dreher will be holding an informational meeting on Monday, October 2nd, 2023 at 6:00 PM in her classroom (2263) to share details about the trip and explain how to register. Feel free to contact her via email if you have any questions about the upcoming meeting (kdreher@kewaskumschools.org).
Resource for Parents
Being a parent of a middle schooler can be tough and navigating their social media on top of it all can be overwhelming. SnapChat has a great parent resource and we encourage you to check it out.
Contact Information
Email: jskelton@kewaskumschools.org
Website: www.kewaskumschools.org
Location: 1676 Reigle Drive, Kewaskum, WI, USA
Phone: 262.626.3104