CEPS Express
March 2020
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, 608-838-3146, broomee@mcfsd.org
CEPS Administrative Assistant:
Sheryl Leemon, 608-838-3146, leemons@mcfsd.org
A Note From Our Principal
Dear Families,
Happy March! This month is an exciting time at Conrad Elvehjem Primary School! Our students will surely look forward to the weather warming up in the coming months (hopefully!), and this is also a time where our teachers note that students make large gains in their academic and social learning.
Last month, our first and second graders got to invite their families to our CEPS Fine Arts Night. They had the opportunity to show off their artwork displayed throughout our school, and also put on a musical performance in the gym; thanks to music teacher Kathy Kellen and art teacher Angela Reda for their time and energy put into making this a fun night for all! I would also like to share an appreciation with our PTO for hosting our first-annual CEPS Winter Carnival for our students and their families last month; it was a HUGE success and we appreciate your energy and support!
Some important dates to look forward to in the month of March include “Green Dress Up Day” on the 17th and spring break the week of March 30th-April 3rd. This month, we also look forward to our spring Parent-Teacher conferences, which is an opportunity for families to hear about our students’ progress in their all-around learning in school, and a chance for teachers and families to strengthen the partnership as you collaborate to best support your child(ren)’s unique characteristics. Please anticipate more to come from your child’s teacher, and thank you in advance for making your participation a priority.
Thinking about the weather and the arrival of Spring, March often likes to surprise us with what to expect. Please plan to check the weather before sending your child(ren) to school, as there may be snowy, rainy, muddy, windy, dry, cold, or warm days! Students have recess outside as long as it isn’t actively raining or a windchill below 0, so it is important to be prepared for whatever elements come our way. We suggest that students wear waterproof boots and snow pants outside during the “slushy” days so that pants and shoes don’t get wet, which can be an uncomfortable distraction during the learning time in class.
Related to sending your child(ren) to school in the morning, we have made an observation about students that choose to take advantage of our morning breakfast program. A handful of students are often not done eating and ready to clean up and go to class when our first bell rings at 7:45 AM. Families, if you drop your student off for breakfast, please do so as close to 7:20 AM (but no sooner) as you can so they have plenty of time. If your child rides a bus that picks up later in the morning, please consider having your child eat breakfast at home if you are able. Some buses drop students off at CEPS close to 7:40 AM and this just is not enough time to transition into the building, eat breakfast, then transition to class ready to start the day at 7:45 AM. I understand that mornings are busy and tight, and I just want to bring this to your attention for consideration.
Last, a final reminder that families are welcome to send me an email or written note regarding placement for next year. Please do not request specific teachers or peers, rather, feel free to describe qualities and characteristics and classroom settings that a teacher may have that would support your child in having a successful year. These emails are due to me no later than Friday, March 6th.
Till next time!
Greg Nelson
Principal
CEPS March Dates At-A-Glance
March 3 - 4K Dr. Seuss Math/Literacy Night, 6-7 pm, CEPS Cafeteria
March 5 - Youth Art Month Reception, 5:30 pm - ED Locke Public Library
March 6 - 4K Friday's start
March 13 - NO SCHOOL - Staff Development
March 17 - Wear Green Day
March 17 - Welcome to 4K Parent night, 6-7 pm, CEPS gym
March 18 - NO After School Spanish today
March 23- March 27 - CEPS Conference Week
March 27 - Last Kindergarten Orientation, RSVP required, 8:15-9:15 am
March 30 - April 3 - NO SCHOOL - SPRING BREAK
Upcoming Dates in April
April 10 - NO SCHOOL
April 13 - NO SCHOOL - Staff Development
April 15 - Summer School Registration Begins
The first week of March is National School Breakfast Week. McFarland Police Officers joined our students at CEPS on Monday, March 2.
The theme is "School Breakfast is out of this World" which fits in perfect at CEPS! We'll be decorating a little and handing out coloring sheets and word puzzles for students to take home. We'll also be encouraging students to wear Star Wars or other galaxy related clothes.
Updates from the PTO
February was a busy month for the EC-8 PTO! We participated in Indian Mound Middle School Family Night, where we hosted Escapes rooms and sold pizza with root beer floats. Our at Large Meeting on February 19th was well attended and featured guest speaker, Angie Brunett. We learned about the middle school’s progressive gender support plans, principal updates as well as PTO happenings. On Saturday, February 29th, the PTO hosted a Winter Carnival at CEPS. Families enjoyed crafts, games, yo-yo demonstrations, James the Magician and silent raffle prizes. Thank you to our many parent volunteers, to the CEPS staff, Mr. Nelson, Emily Broome and Ben Snyder for their support during the planning process of the carnival.
We are in the final days of the No Hassle Fundraiser. Thanks to your generous donations, the PTO has raised over $5,000.00. To make an online donation please visit https://mcfarlandpto.org/donate.php.
In March the PTO is organizing staff appreciation meals. The PTO will provide sandwich wraps and we are asking for families to provide side items. Watch for a sign-up genius. Thank you for your continued support. These meals are greatly appreciated by the staff.
Upcoming PTO Events and Meetings:
March 5, 2020, 7pm PTO Advisory Council Meeting at the McFarland House Café. Learn about the inner workings of the PTO and become involved. We are accepting nominations for our treasurer position and advisory council members.
March 12, 2020, 6-8pm Waubesa Intermediate School Paint a Tile Fundraiser. Parents come with your Waubesa Student and paint a ceiling tile to have displayed in the cafeteria or main hall at WIS. The cost is $15.00 per tile and includes all supplies. Please RSVP by March 6, 2020. Thank you to Brooke Ecker for organizing this fundraiser.
April 17, 2020 Save the date for a Playtime Productions performance. More details to come.
2020-2021 Enrollment Information for 4K and 5K!
Classroom Placement for 2020-2021
The process for determining class placement for the 2020-2021 school year occurs during the spring and summer, with final decisions shared with families as a part of fall registration in August. Many factors go into this complicated and time-consuming process as great care is taken to establish class rosters that support the unique needs of all learners. Please note that while we do NOT take family requests for placing their child(ren) with a specific teacher or peer(s), we are open to families that desire to share details about teacher characteristics or classroom environments that we might consider when determining a student's best placement for next school year. If you are interested in sharing preferred teacher traits or other student needs (without specific teacher names), please send an email or written note to Principal Greg Nelson by Friday, March 6th, 2020. Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Nelson or your child's teacher with questions about this process
Kind regards,
Greg Nelson
Principal, CEPS
Summer School
Session 1: June 15 - June 25 (classes Monday - Thursday)
Session 2: July 6 - July 16 (classes Monday - Thursday)
Camp Kindergarten - July 27 - August 6 (classes Monday-Thursday)
A table of offerings and course descriptions will be available online on our district website March 2.
Online Registration will begin April 15, 2020 at 7pm!
Note: All classes for students entering grades 1 - 5 will be held at WIS, and all classes for students entering grades 6 - 8 will be held at IMMS. Camp Kindergarten will be held at CEPS.