MacArthur Messenger
February 17, 2023
From the Principal...
Dear MacArthur Family,
It is hard to believe that we are already a month into the second half of the school year. Our parent-teacher conferences are right around the corner, taking place on the evening of Wednesday, March 8th and during the day of Thursday, March 9th. Families will be able to sign up for conferences beginning on Thursday, February 23rd at 8am (more information is in the office notes below).
Conferences are such a valuable time for families and teachers to connect and discuss your wonderful scholars. So much academic, emotional, and social growth has occurred since conferences in the fall, and we are so proud. Our teachers are grateful to have this opportunity to sit down with parents and guardians to learn more about how we can all work together to best meet the needs of every student. We take a lot of pride in our jobs here at MacArthur as we work hard to give our students the tools they need to feel success. We aim for every student to feel proud of their accomplishments and we want them to walk out of the current school year with the confidence to tackle the next school year with purpose.
I shared some tips in the fall on how to best prepare for your child’s conference. I am re-sharing them again, along with some new ideas, as we anticipate the upcoming conversations. Take a moment to read through the below tips as we want to make the most of your time during your conference.
Talk to your child about how they feel about school and get an idea of whether there is anything specific you would like to talk about with the teacher. Let the teacher know ahead of time if there is a particular topic you would like to focus on during the conference.
Prepare questions in advance. What are my child’s strongest subjects? What are some weaknesses? Does my child participate in class? Is my child finishing the work assigned in class? The most important question of all is "How can I help my child at home?" Decide what the most important questions are to you, and ask them first.
Start with a positive attitude. Don't waste valuable conference time by focusing on the negative. You and the teacher are a team. Positive comments such as "How can we solve this problem working together?" will be the first step in coming up with good solutions. Ask for explanations of anything you don’t understand.
Exchange information. Let the teacher know about any situation at home that may affect your child's schoolwork, such as a death in the family, a new baby, or a change in daycare arrangements.
Take notes. Your conference may result in several actions for both you and the teacher. Taking notes will help you remember what was discussed and what was agreed upon.
Discuss the whole child. Your child's social development is as important as academic success. Include questions about their interaction with other children and their willingness to participate in class discussions.
After the conference, talk with your child about the positive points and be specific with areas of concern or areas in which growth is needed. Keep your child informed about any plans you and the teacher created and continue to be in touch with your scholar’s teacher. We are here to help.
I look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks! I will be stopping in during many conferences to hear about all the progress being made, and collaborate and celebrate alongside you.
Sincerely,
Mr. Gonzalez
Mark your calendars...
Thursday 2/23: Parent-Teacher Conference Sign-Up Opens at 8am
Thursday 2/23: 5th Grade Concert at 6:30pm
Friday 2/24: Wear your flannels for ... Flannel Friday!
Friday 2/24: MacCarnival from 6-8:30pm
Thursday 3/2: PTA Meeting at 7pm
Sunday 3/5: Yearbook Sales End
Wednesday 3/8: Parent-Teacher Conferences in evening, 4:45 - 7:45
Thursday 3/9: No School/ Daytime Parent-Teacher Conferences
Friday 3/10: No School/Teacher In-Service
Tuesday 3/14: Group Photo Day
Thursday 3/16: Summer School Registration Opens
2022-23 School Year District Calendar
Notes from the Office:
Conference Signup: As noted above, families will be able to sign up for conference times beginning at 8am on February 23rd. The sign up will all be completed on your Skyward family account, by clicking on "Conferences" on the left-hand side.
4K and 5K Registration: Our 2023-24 school year online registration period for 4K and 5K* students is ongoing. 4K is a half day preschool program, and 5K is a full day kindergarten program.
*Registration is just for new families entering the district. If you currently have a 4K student at MacArthur, you do not need to go through the entire online registration process for them to enter 5K in the 23/24 school year. You will need to "verify" their attendance for 5K during the summer months (an email will be sent via Skyward in July). Please note that proof of residency and immunization documents can be uploaded online, but birth certificates need to come into our office at MacArthur to be verified in person. For more information on GSD's 4K program, please click here.
Open enrollment for NON-RESIDENT students closes at April 28th at 4pm.
More enrollment information and specifics can be found here. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the office at 262-253-3468.
Summer School: The catalog for our summer school classes and schedule will be available for preview on March 1st. Registration for classes will begin on March 16th (via Skyward), and the deadline for signing up will be April 14th. More general information on our summer school sessions can be found here.
Lunch Change: Due our snow day, the planned lunch for Thursday, the 16th, is now being served on Monday, February 20th. The updated lunch menu can be viewed by clicking the button below.
School Happenings
Great News! Yearbook sales have reopened...
Our ordering period for the 22/23 MacArthur Yearbooks has reopened for a few more weeks in case you missed the ordering window. Ordering will close March 5th.
Put your order in ASAP using one of the links below if you are interested!
MACARTHUR ELEMENTARY 22-23 PERSONALIZED YEARBOOK PREPAY LINK
MACARTHUR ELEMENTARY 22-23 YEARBOOK PREPAY LINK
You can also go to www.networkphoto.net, select FALL PREPAY tab, and enter MacArthur Elementary School, to order.
5th Grade Concert is Next Week!
Our 5th grade concert is next Thursday, February 23 at 6:30 pm in the MacArthur Elementary School Cafetorium. Doors 1 and 5 will open at 6pm, but you are welcome to arrive anytime in the 6-6:30 timeframe. Students should be dropped off in the 3rd grade hallway between 6:10 pm & 6:20 pm.
Celebrations!
News from the PTA
MacCarnival - Friday February 24th!
Pre-sale of all tickets has been extended until Wednesday, February 22. Watch an explanation and description of the tickets here.
The Silent Auction began today at noon! Get items from companies around the entire state as well as some Chicago attractions! Bid early and often once bidding starts. You can access the auction site now. If you want to understand how exact and proxy bidding works, watch this instructional video here.
We are still in need of volunteers. Please sign up here to help make the night a huge success!
We are also still collecting items for the classroom themed Basket Raffle. You can so those themes below and can either donate items from those themes directly to your teacher or you can donate money to have the PTA purchase themed items here.
Thank you!
MacArthur PTA Board ptamacarthur@gmail.com
President- Rob Sanchez, robkiana@gmail.com
Vice President-Nicole Christensen, nicoleriege@gmail.com
Secretary-Caryn Pawlak, caryn76@gmail.com
Treasurer-Alexis Melby, leximelby0110@gmail.com
District News
Germantown High School Spiritwear Sale!
The GHS online store has opened for another window of opportunity to purchase spiritwear! This store will close on Sunday, 3/5/23.
Please see this link or the button below if interested, and thanks for your support!
Park and Rec Department Announcements
The Germantown Park and Rec. Department’s Winter/Spring Recreation Brochure can be viewed online here.
- Upcoming Programs to register for include:
- Egg Hunt
- Track & Field
- Night Tball/Coach Pitch
- Pee Wee & U6 Soccer
- Night Tball
- Gymnastics
- Afterschool Legos & Mad Science Classes
- Schools Out – Stream Sampler
- Babysitters Classes
- Stay Home Alone Class
- Sewing & Art Classes
Check out this link for program specifics.
Stay Connected
MacArthur Elementary School
Website: gsdwi.org/o/macarthur
Location: W154N11492 Fond Du Lac Ave, Germantown, WI, USA
Phone: 262-253-3468
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MacArthurGSDWI