West Middleton Update
~Building a Compassionate, Collaborative Community For All~
A few quick updates from Mrs. Krych for May 2019
I hope you are all enjoying the slightly warmer, albeit wetter weather that May has been bringing us. The energy in our building is definitely buzzing and the kids are still excited and engaged in learning, which is awesome. There are lots of events and field trips coming up, so please make sure to check your child's backpacks more regularly during these final weeks of school. We hope to see some of you at our Annual Hot Dog Picnic which will be on Thursday, May 30th during your child's regular lunch times. A flyer and RSVP information went home with your child at the end of this week so please make sure you return the RSVP so we can order enough yummy food!
K - 10:50 - 11:10
1 - 11:25 - 11:45
2 - 12:05 - 12:25
3 - 11:45 - 12:05
4 - 12:25 - 12:45
We'll also be having our 3rd annual End of Year Ice Cream Social on Wednesday, May 23rd from 5:30 - 7:00 so mark your calendars!
If you haven't already heard, two of our most beloved teachers will be retiring at the end of this year, Ms. Beth Marty, third grade teacher and Ms. Diane Boles, former third grade teacher and current Advanced Learning Specialist. Not only have they dedicated their lives to teaching, but also to West Middleton and the MCP school district. If you happen to see them over the next few weeks, please make sure to wish them well on the next portion of their journey.
We will be updating our Family Handbook over the summer. If you have any feedback for us, please email me directly with any input you want to share (kkrych@mcpasd.k12.wi.us). You can view the 18-19 Family Handbook by clicking this link.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and commitment to your child's education and to our West Middleton community. We appreciate our parents and families SO much! It takes a village and we're so glad to be a part of your child's village. We are #bettertogether at West Middleton!!
Happy Spring!
Mrs. Krych
Save the Date - End of Year Ice Cream Social - May 22nd 5:30pm - 7:00pm
WHAT: West Middleton End-Of-Year Ice Cream Social!
WHEN: May 22nd from 5:30-7:00 pm
All WM students and families are invited to celebrate the end of an amazing school year
and the start of SUMMER! Come to school anytime between 5:30 and 7:00pm for FREE ice cream and to hang out with your friends!!
Parking and Buses:
Please park at Blackhawk Church. A shuttle bus will pick up on the southwest corner of Brader Way and Veritas Dr. and run every 15 minutes continuously throughout the evening, beginning at 5:25. Buses will pick up at Moraine View Dr. at 5:30 and Gammon Ln. at 5:40 and will return after the event. Students must be accompanied by a grown up!
All School Field Day - June 6th - Volunteers Needed
We are having our All School Field Day on Thursday, June 6. In order for it to be successful we need MANY volunteers. Please consider signing up to help out with what is sure to be a fun day! We are able to provide transportation for those family members wanting to volunteer for this event. Families should contact Emily Stockbridge at estockbridge@mcpasd.k12.wi.us or (608) 616-0169 regarding transportation.
Thank you for your support!
PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) April Updates
Happy May from the PBIS Team!
The month of April we have been working as a building on what it looks like and sounds like to be respectful. Classes have been earning red Pride Paws when an adult notices them be respectful. In the cafeteria, classes have also been earning a red Pride Paw for being respectful. If the class earns a red Pride Paw in the cafeteria 3 out of 4 days, the class earns free seating Friday! The month of May we are focusing on the Wolverine Way. We are going to be working on all four expectations of Be Respectful, Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be a Learner! At our assembly on Monday, Mr. Geissal's Fourth grade class shared an amazing video with us about what this looks like and sounds like! We also learned about the work our Justice Pack has been doing around Respectfulness in the bathrooms.
April's Student's of the Month are:
K: Jack Keenan 1: Ye Zhu 2: Simon Albrecht 3: Liam Cox 4: Yashu Nagineni
West Middleton Cultural Family Night
Our 2nd Annual West Middleton Cultural Family Night was another HUGE success!! We had over 400 people attend with 17 different countries represented (3 families represented Mexico and 3 families represented China). It was so cool to see all of our students and parents interacting and learning from each other. We can't wait to do it again next year! Any family who is interested is able to participate and host a country when we offer this family event next year. Information will be sent out prior to the event so keep your eyes peeled. If you would like to see more pictures, please check out these 2 Facebook posts - Cultural Family Night Pics #1 and Cultural Family Night Pics #2. We also have several videos of the performances on our WM Facebook page (and here and here) as well.
An Update From Our School Nurse
The sun is shining and the weather is getting warmer (finally!). Our kids are going to be spending more time outside so it’s a good time to remind ourselves of some tips to help keep them safe while they play!
Unfortunately, summertime is known as “trauma season” among public health and medical professionals due to the increase in unintentional injuries in children. Many of these injuries can be preventable. For tips on playground, swimming, water, lawn mower and fire safety, go to:
https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc/safety-tips
Sunscreen:
A reminder for parents when thinking about upcoming Field Trips and protecting your
child from the sun. You might want to consider using sunscreen as it is suggested as a
protection for skin exposure to UV rays.
There are lots of ways to protect your child’s skin. Here are five from the CDC:
Hide and Seek-UV rays are strongest mid-day, find some shade if possible
Cover Up-clothing that covers skin provides some protection against UV rays
Get a Hat -hats that shade face scalp, ears and neck are easy to use
Shades Are Cool-sunglasses can protect child’s eyes from UV rays
Put on Sunscreen-Keep in mind, sunscreen is not meant to allow your kids to
spend more time in the sun than they would otherwise. Sunscreen reduces
damage from UV radiation, it doesn’t eliminate it.
The MCPASD will not be able to provide or apply sunscreen or insect repellant for
students. There are many individual reactions to types and brands of sunscreen or insect repellant. We also do not encourage students to share with each other.
Medication pick-up:
If your child has any medication here at school, it MUST be picked up from the health office by the last day of school. If your child has an emergency medication, we ask that you pick it up at the end of the day on the last day of school. All medication left at school after June 8th will be discarded. We cannot send medication home with a child. Keep in mind that we need new orders for medication each school year. We’d be happy to give you new forms for the 2018-19 school year when you come to pick up your medication!
Wolverine Dash Funds Update
We also have a small committee of teachers and parent volunteers who will be spending time this summer leveling books, as well as labeling and organizing them. This is no small task and will take over 120 hours to organize but it's SO worth it!! Our #1 goal is to help build avid, engaged and strategic readers and expanding and updating our book room is one giant tool to help us get even closer to that goal.
The second portion of the Wolverine Dash funds has helped to purchase 2 additional ipads for each of our K - 2nd grade classrooms (32 ipads total), in addition to cases, charging stations and apps. These will be used in a variety of ways and teachers are currently researching the most up-to-date educational apps that will help to complement our curriculum.
Thanks again to our AMAZING PTO and families for raising the funds to bring these resources to our students!!
Look How We've Grown!!
Education Foundation Grant Winners
Two times per year, the MCPASD Education Foundation provides grants to teachers in the district. Out of the 17 grants submitted, West Middleton staff wrote 5 of them and 2 were funded. Congratulations to Marnie Hyland, our art teacher, for having her Art Room Accommodation Station funded. The funds will be used to create a learning zone/makerspace for enriching art activities and sensory tools to inspire and support students who could benefit from more choice and support in art, specifically students with disabilities and students who require trauma-informed care. The $2100 will go toward a storage unit, tools like noise-canceling headphones, adaptive art supplies, visual timers etc. and activities like a standing loom, table-top easel, Japanese Sand Garden, Buddha Boards, Boogie Boards, a light table and magnatiles, modeling clay, etc.
The second grant that was awarded was given to Jen Lombardi, our Social Work Intern and Emily Stockbridge, our School Social Worker to purchase a small collection (5-10 per classroom) of diverse books for each classroom library at West Middleton that addresses topics like diverse families, LGBTQ+ inclusion, racial diversity, immigration, and bullying. Access to diverse literature promotes student engagement, acceptance and normalizes differences among peers. Congratulations to our winners!!!