Thank you for staying connected with the Howard-Suamico School District.The Compass is an email Newsletter designed to engage, connect, and inspire HSSD families. It will be published the last week of each month.

In this issue:

• A Message from Superintendent LaCroix
• Student Snapshots: Lauren Nickels and Brooke Weyenberg
• Alumni Making Waves: Tyler Gerrits, Bay Port 1998, Returns Home
• And much more!
  
  

We are excited to share stories and news with you and we welcome your ideas for future issues.

Nominate a Teacher Feature: website@hssdschools.org | View All Teacher Features

Nominate a Student Snapshot: website@hssdschools.org | View All Student Snapshots

At HSSD, our students are learning from the book The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey. In each edition of The Compass, the Student Services team will share a topic for families to reflect upon. Learn more about Social Emotional Wellness on our website.

Habit 5 teaches us to listen to others with our eyes, ears, and hearts. When you listen empathically, you get out of your own story and into the story of the other person. You listen with the intent to understand, not to reply. When we listen with both empathy and curiosity we are empowered and avoid stereotypes.

Why is listening important to a family? The following activity allows your family to discuss how each way of listening makes the speaker feel. Get into two groups and role play the following forms of listening:

• Ignore what the other person is saying.
  
• Pretend to listen to the other person (but don’t really pay attention).
  
• Listen to select parts of what is being said.
  
• Listen while planning to reply.
  
• Interrupt with your own ideas.

Once you have completed the activity, brainstorm a family list of great listening skills and put them into practice!

• February 25: No School
• March 7: Bay Port NHS Banquet
• March 8: Bay Port Jazz Ensembles Concert
• March 10-12: Bay View Musical
• March 10: Meadowbrook Spring Concerts
• March 11: No School / Professional Development
• March 14: Bay Port Mid-Winter Blues Concert
• March 15: Meadowbrook Spring Concerts
• March 15: District Orchestra Festival
• March 22: District-Wide Band Concert
• March 29-April 1: Spring Recess

District and School Calendars | Bay Port Athletics Calendar

Community Engagement Survey Open Until March 7

Copies of the HSSD Community Engagement Survey are arriving in mailboxes this week. They survey can be complete online, or returned to School Perceptions, an independent research firm, with the enclosed postage prepaid envelope. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Bay View Musical Performances March 10-12

Bay View will present Newsies March 10-12 in the Bay View Auditorium. This high energy show will have you dancing in your seats. Tickets are going fast. Purchase tickets here. Show dates and times:

• Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m.

• Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m.

• Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m.

• Saturday, March 12 at 6 p.m.

The Giving Tree Taste of the Villages and Auction

We are excited to announce that the 14th Annual Taste of the Villages and Auction will take place in person April 21 at 1951 West - The Rock Garden. Learn more about the event and donation opportunities.

HSSD Job Opportunities

We are now accepting applications for the following support staff vacancies. Apply on the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network (WECAN).

• Benefits and Wellness Specialist

• Student Services Shuttle Driver

• Level 1 End User Support Specialist - IT District-wide

• Meadowbrook Special Education Aide

• Bay Port School Nutrition

• Lifeguard/Pool Teacher

HSBPA Event to Raise Funds for Scholarships

The Howard-Suamico Business Professionals Association (HSBPA) is hosting its annual fundraiser on March 9 from 6-9 p.m. at Townline to raise scholarship funds for Bay Port seniors. The event is presented by Fox Communities Credit Union, Townline Pub & Grill, and HSBPA. Learn more here.

Mental Health Series Event March 10: Your Choice Prevention-Wake Up Call

This event will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. at Bay View. Click here to register and to see a listing of all Mental Health Series Events this semester.

About the Event: The Wake Up Call presentation provides practical information on current drug trends, a walk-through of a teen’s bedroom with more than 20 red flags that could indicate substance abuse, and proactive parenting strategies to keep your child substance free.

Army National Guard First Sergeant Tyler Gerrits, Bay Port Class of 1998, recently completed an 11-month deployment in Iraq. His children, Quinn and Quaid didn't know dad was home until he surprised them during a fire drill at Meadowbrook Elementary on February 1, 2022. View the video of the reunion with dad below.

Nominate an Alumni feature: website@hssdschools.org | View all Alumni Making Waves Features

Twenty-five years ago, on March 1, 1997, Jay Van Laanen made history, becoming Bay Port’s first three-time state champion in wrestling. He ended his high school career with an impressive 150-12 record. After the state tournament, an all-school pep assembly was held in his honor.

The Compass is produced and distributed by the HSSD School and Community Relations Department. Tell us what you would like to see in this newsletter and share story ideas with us by emailing website@hssdschools.org.