Student Services
May 2017 Newsletter
Message from Cynthia Russell Smith, Student Services Director
As the 2016-17 school year comes to an end we would like to thank all stakeholders (District staff, Board members - and most importantly, District students and parents) for your collaboration and dedication in making the School District of Marinette the “destination district” for educating our children. Best wishes for a great end of the school year and a relaxing and enjoyable summer. See you in the 2017-18 school year!
End of Year
Following are some important dates to remember:
Monday, May 29, 2017 school closed for Memorial Day
Friday, June 9, 2017 will be the last day of school for students. This will be a half day for students, staff works until 3:00pm.
SENIORS:
Senior Sports Awards Program: May 17, 2017 @ 7:00 pm
Seniors last day of school: May 25, 2017
Saturday, May 27, 2017: GRADUATION, CLASS OF 2017
Summer Learning Opportunity
It is important for your child to continue his/her learning over the summer months. Marinette is offering academic and enrichment classes for children in four year old kindergarten through eighth grade. Registration instructions can be found on our website at www.marinette.k12.wi.us. Let your Summer of Free Fun start with us!!
Summer Tips
Math is another skill that if not used and practiced could be lost. It is much easier for students to begin their new school year in the Fall if they have practiced their skills over the summer. There are many fun ways for children to "practice" math. Use things you have around your home such as coins, games, playing cards, dice. Try to do some "mental math" with them with things such as: If 5 of us have ice cream cones and the dog eats mine, how many now have ice cream cones? Use your everyday chores and excursions to integrate learning math in a fun way.
Love & Logic Parenting Tip
Love and Logic Parenting Tip by Charles Fay
I'm asked quite often, "When my child misbehaves or causes a problem for someone, he's quick to say, 'I'm sorry.' Is that enough, or should he have a consequence?"
Common sense tells us that actions speak louder than words. That's why it's important that our kids do more than just apologize. Let's take a look at an example:
Parent:This is so sad. You rode your bike right through Mrs. Wilson's flowers. What are you going to do?
Child:Uh... say 'I'm sorry'?
Parent:That's a great start! What can you do to show her that you are sorry?
Child:I don't know.
Parent:Would you like to hear some ideas?
Child:What?
Parent:Some kids decide to buy some new flowers and plant them for her. How would that work?
Child:I don't have any money.
Parent:Other kids ask their parents to buy some new flowers, and they pay their parents back by doing lots of extra chores. Let me know what you decide. Good luck.
That's Love and Logic.
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible.
Dr. Charles Fay
Speech and Language Tips
One of the most important points to keep in mind when your child is receiving speech and language services is the importance of carrying over intervention in both the home and school settings. It is ideal for parents, therapists, and educators to work together and discuss the techniques that will be effective for each child. There are everyday strategies that can be incorporated into a child’s daily routine to boost their speech and language skills. In this post, we will focus on articulation.
Articulation: for more information on this please click on the following link:
Blog post from www.oliviasplace.org/speech-and-language-strategies-for-parents-educators-articulation
Community Education
It's hard to believe, but it's that time of year where we start working on our Marinette Community Education offerings for the fall of the year. We are again hoping to expand our offerings to include programming from more community members. The dates for our fall offerings are the end of August thru the first part of January. If you or someone you know has a skill to share, please let us know. If you are a part of a community organization that has ongoing community education programming, let us know. If you have connections to any of these organizations or would like to see something specific included, please let us know.
We would love to see additional course proposals for our fall offerings. A proposal would include a course name, description, age group if not just adults, dates and times you would like to offer the course and any course fees involved. It is best to submit it on the form found here: http://goo.gl/forms/pQiRMcFklH. We would like these by the mid-June, if possible. The course catalog will go out early in August. Once you submit the form, I will correspond with you about your proposal. You could also suggest possible courses and people to offer them by using the form found here: http://goo.gl/forms/Bl8158DxPg
I hope you can be a part of of the Marinette Community Education Program Catalog next fall! If you'd like to talk to me about this, have questions, etc., please don't hesitate to contact me at: kschroed@marinette.k12.wi.us or call 715-735-1379.
Family Engagement Survey: we are asking for your help!!
The School District of Marinette is working with the U.S. Office of Education and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to ask parents about how schools develop partnerships with parents. Your child’s education is important and we want to know what you think. This is a chance to confidentially inform your district or school of the services that are helping families. The School District of Marinette is required to collect this information by federal and state law.
How you can help:
Look for the letter coming soon in the mail from the Student Services Office. This letter will give you detailed instructions on how to complete the survey. ( You will be given the option to complete the survey online or with a paper survey)
Complete the survey in a timely manner. The survey window collection closes June 30.
The information you provide in the survey is confidential.
This report helps districts and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction increase family engagement to improve services and results for children with disabilities.
Parent AWARE:
Suicide and the Media, “13 Reasons Why” Netflix Series
This is an important message for parents as many of our Marinette School District students are watching, discussing, and absorbing the powerful messages from this series.
“13 Reasons Why” is a fictional story depicting the aftermath of Hannah Baker’s teenage suicide. Hannah then arranges for audio tapes providing 13 reasons of why she did it and the people responsible for her wanting to take her life.
The concern over this fictional series is a powerful message that glorifies suicide as a viable answer. Apparently, it is causing uproar among critics; it is also providing intrigue (and interest) for our children and youth. Critics of the show suggest that it ignores discussion about mental illness - often an underlying factor in suicide.
Self-harm and suicide are, unfortunately, a part of society. Suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst individuals ages 10-24, according to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This website can help you learn the warning signs as well as have the resources to deal with youth in crisis: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/youth/
We ask you to please take this opportunity to talk to your child about his/her feelings, positive and effective antidotes to depression and loneliness, and the various counseling options available. The Center for Safe and Healthy Schools has advocated for the following talking points regarding managing stress and suicide awareness:
Please let your child know that the school is a safe place - a place where he/she can find a person who truly cares; someone who can provide support and critical resources.If you have questions or concerns regarding your children, please contact your school student service professionals by either calling your child’s school or finding their contacts through this link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ve5TMVybtUhcX9HIZmoTuzNtxYFYa3YvdoBzdO2lZNM/edit
The opposite of a hero is not a villain, it is a bystander...Matt Langdon, The Hero Roundtable
We must ACT:
Acknowledge: Recognize the signs, be aware of what your youth are watching and thinking
Care: Show your concern, without judgement
Tell: Know if they feel that they have a trusted adult, be open and available