WIS Express
--------------November 2020------------
Waubesa Intermediate School Information
School Principal:
Corey Shefchik
Associate Principal:
Al Northouse
Building Administrative Assistant:
Arlene Bast (608) 838-7667
Email: shefchc@mcfsd.org
Website: http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/schools/intermediate/
Phone: 608-838-7667
A Note From Our Principals
Hello Waubesa Families,
We’re so proud of your kids for all they’re doing to show their Waubesa POWER, giving their best effort and taking ownership during these unique times; please share with them our appreciation. We especially saw this on October 21 when students took the Fastbridge aReading assessment. We really appreciate their patience and how positive they were as they worked through something new.
We’re so excited to see so many students tuning in to our Wednesday Virtual All School Assemblies on Zoom and on Youtube live at 11:00 a.m. The message of our recent assemblies is “You’re a shining star, no matter who you are.” We’re sharing stories about how individuals are finding ways to make a difference right here in our McFarland community. Our October 28 assembly featured the Domack Family and our October 14 assembly featured high school senior Laetitia Hollard. Additionally, we continue to teach and reinforce our school theme of “Show your Star POWER” with POWER as the guiding word for who we are and how we conduct ourselves. This is our foundation that unites us as a school community. It would be great if you could find ways to use these same POWER words in your conversations with your child.
Pride, Ownership, We work together, Empathy, and Responsibility
Words can’t begin to express our gratitude for all you are doing to work with us to support your child through virtual learning. Balancing the demands of your own job while showing your commitment to your child’s education is stressful as you’re trying to both be supportive and push them in their learning. We wanted to share this useful chart from The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents as it helps to show the difference between the role of a teacher and a parent/family. Please know that we do not expect you to be a teacher. Continue to encourage, love, and support your child and reach out to your child’s teacher or us if you have any questions or concerns.
Additional Related Arts Opportunities -
On Friday, October 30th, our Related Arts teaching staff visited all homerooms to introduce an exciting new opportunity that will be starting the week of November 10th and continuing through the second quarter. Three days a week at 11AM there will be additional related arts experiences available to all students. Monday will feature Mr. Otteson with additional music opportunities, Tuesday will be Mr. Williquette and Mr. Hartlaub with some extra physical education activities and on Thursday, Mrs. Russell will host some extra art experiences. Students will find links to activities in their related arts courses in Canvas and more information coming soon during their Related Arts classes on Wednesday. We hope these experiences are valuable for all students.
Fall Conferences Reminders - the goal of conferences is to highlight what your child is doing well and ways we can continue to work together to support them. We appreciate your flexibility as we will be conducting conferences remotely over Zoom or by phone. While we have a set conference week of November 2-6, there’s flexibility to schedule them outside of this week to accommodate the various demands on family and staff schedules. Just a reminder that Related Arts Open House Conferences will occur on Monday, November 2 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, November 3 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Families will have an opportunity to experience a Related Arts class and connect 1-on-1 with a related arts teacher if you have questions. The simulated related arts experience will occur at 6:40 p.m. on November 2 and 2:40 p.m. on November 3. If you have any questions about when or why we’re in Step 2 Virtual Learning, when we might move to Step 3 Hybrid, or technology issues, you can contact us, as building administrators. We hope to keep the focus of the conference on your child.
In this edition of the WIS-Express, we’re excited to share with you the following:
Related Arts Conference Information
Waubesa Virtual Learning Important Updates and Schedule Details
iPad/Tech Support Basics and District Technology Support
Update from Music Dept
Waubesa Open Mic Invitation to all Families
Parent Resources Corner
Supply Swap Reminder
Student Meal Update
Message from the PTO
A Note from Student Services
School Calendar Updates
Community Events/Activities
We continue to encourage families to visit our “Family Resource” link on our Waubesa website for various resources related to technology, Canvas, reading, math, writing, and more. Thanks for all you’re doing to work with us to support your child.
Waubesa Pride,
Corey Shefchik - Principal
Al Northouse - Associate Principal
Related Arts Conferences
The Waubesa Related Arts teachers invite you to attend a special conference event!
What: A Zoom session with the Waubesa Related Arts Teachers, hosted by Mr. Shefchik and Mr. Northouse.
When: Choose from two different days/time that best fit your schedule.
Monday, November 2nd 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
- 5:00 - 6:30 PM Open House drop-in to talk with a particular teacher
- 6:40-7:00 p.m. live Related Arts experience
OR
Tuesday, November 3rd, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
- 1:00 - 2:30 PM Open House drop-in to talk with a particular teacher
- 2:40-3:00 p.m. live Related Arts experience)
Open House drop-in to talk with a particular teacher
- You will be directed to a breakout room with the teacher of your choice.
Related Arts Live Experience
- Meet the teacher pairings and learn more about the Related Arts lessons and schedule.
- Participate in activities your children do while in Related Arts Zoom classes.
Can’t attend either of the times but you have a question for the Related Arts teachers?
Fill out our Parent Questions Google Form
How? Use the Zoom link below for both the Open House and Live Experience
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89336467762?pwd=QkxRemx2c09YZkdVL0lNRFJUWlgwdz09
Meeting ID: 893 3646 7762
Passcode: wispower
Waubesa Virtual Learning Schedules Updates and Details
Below you'll find a link to each grade levels schedule that includes the writing update we mentioned in our letter:
For more information regarding scheduling, please visit our Waubesa website.
iPad/Tech Support Basics and District Technology Support
By this time all the students have had the opportunity to use their iPads. Some basics to try if you are having any iPad or Zoom issues are:
1. Check your iPad's internet connection
2. Restart your iPad
3. Press the iPad's Home Button Twice and close all the open apps by swiping them toward the top of the iPad
4. Visit the Self-Service App (Pictured) and "install" the impacted app.
If you have further technical issues, please visit the district website and submit a technology support request and our dedicated technology team will be able to assist you.
News from the Music Dept
Hello 3rd & 4th Grade Parents/Guardians!
We are going to explore the use of instruments at home in our music lessons for the remainder of the year. After surveying the kids, it seems many students have an instrument of some kind at home. We've narrowed down our focus to 3 instrument types: recorder, ukulele/guitar, or keyboard/piano. Please fill out this survey so we can better plan for this AMAZING musical experience: 3rd & 4th Grade Instrument Survey
Thanks for supporting your child in the arts!
Mr. Otteson
Parent Resource Corner
Building a Reading Life
Building a reading life is essential and so much fun! Click on the link below to watch a short video to help your child build his or her reading life. The video also includes ideas on how to be an “in-house” reading partner.
Building a Reading Life - video
Attendance Information and Policies: Kindergarten-5th Grade
Daily school attendance is vital to your child’s success. We hope you can support us by making attendance a priority and helping your child understand that establishing good attendance habits now is important for success in school and beyond! Below are highlights from our School District’s Attendance Policy:
Please call your student’s school office to report an absence or tardy. If we do not hear from you regarding your child’s attendance, we will call you to verify your child’s absence. If we are unable to reach you to verify your child’s whereabouts, a member of the student services team may make a homevisit to ensure the student is safe and accounted for.
Attendance: Excused Absences
Students may be excused from school for the following reasons:
1. A parent or guardian may excuse a student before the absence for any or no reason. A student may not be excused for more than ten (10) days per school year and must complete any course work missed during the absence. Reasons in the category include, but are not limited to, the following:
Any professional and other necessary appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of the school day.
A death in the immediate family or a funeral for relatives.
Legal proceedings that require the student’s presence.
Family trips that can only be taken during the normal school term. Please notify a building administrator about the trip at least one week before leaving.
2. Evidence that the student is not in proper physical or mental condition to attend school.
3. Obtaining religious instruction or observing religious holidays
Please be advised that after a student has been absent ten (10) days in a school year, a conference may be requested to discuss measures related to attendance and how we can help improve the student’s attendance. If a doctor’s note or appointment card is presented as proof of appointments, they will allow the absence to be medically excused and not count towards the 10 days. In addition, students who have tested positive for COVID-19, were exposed to a positive case of COVID-19, or are experiencing COVID-like symptoms should work with the health office, our District Nurse and school administration to determine next steps (i.e. quarantine, access to instruction, etc.) and if the absence should be medically excused and not count toward their 10 days.
If a student is kept home, or sent home, for COVID-like symptoms, they must be evaluated by a provider before coming back to school. This may be by a virtual or actual visit to the healthcare provider. If the student is ruled out for COVID-19, they may return to school 24 hours after their symptoms are gone without medicines. You must provide documentation from the provider stating the student was ruled out for COVID-19. If the student is tested for COVID-19, they must be out until their results are received, and as indicated by the District's COVID-19 policy.
Attendance: Unexcused Absences
Truancy means any absence of part or all of one or more days from school, for which the school was not notified of the absence by the parent/guardian of the absent student. A habitual truant is a student who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse for all or part of five or more days during a school semester.
If a student is truant, a parent meeting may be requested. If efforts to reduce truancy are not effective and the student is considered a habitual truant, the student will be referred to the McFarland Police Department and a citation may be issued.
If a student is open enrolled into the District, and is habitually truant from the District, the Board may prohibit the student from attending in the succeeding semester or school year.
Tardiness:
Students must be in their classrooms at the established starting time for the school day (see above table). Students who arrive late should report to the office for a pass.
At any time, if chronic tardies or truancy are issues that you would like assistance from school staff to address, please do not hesitate to contact Lily Hlavacek, School Social Worker K-5 (608)-838-4610, Al Northouse, Associate Principal at Waubesa Intermediate School 608-838-4609, or Brooke Hauser Associate Principal at Conrad Elvehjem Primary School 608-838-4595.
Attendance - Link to Family Handbook pages 36-37 outline attendance procedures.
The Waubesa Office team is hard at work reaching out to families who may be struggling connecting to the live learning sessions. If a teacher marks a child absent, the office will call to check on a student and support them logging into the session.
Attendance - Link to Family Handbook pages 36-37 outline attendance procedures.
The Waubesa Office team is hard at work reaching out to families who may be struggling connecting to the live learning sessions. If a teacher marks a child absent, the office will call to check on a student and support them logging into the session.
Supply Swap Thursdays from 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Supply Swaps will happen every Thursday from 4pm-6pm in the Waubesa Parking lot. Please have your students' name and homeroom teacher displayed on a piece of paper in your car window. Books will be placed in the trunk. Please see the map for parking lot directions.
Our Supply Swap will be responsive to student learning and their needs. Students will receive supplies from their homeroom teacher, RA teacher, library requests, or other instructional services staff. Families will receive notification (email on Wednesday afternoons) only if they have supplies that need to be picked up.
Please return completed books as soon as possible so we can redistribute items to other students.
Student Meals Update
McFarland School District has been authorized to provide free breakfast and lunch to all McFarland children, ages 18 and under. This program is paid for by the National School Lunch Program and USDA. Every meal distributed helps our School Nutrition Department cover costs and continue our mission to provide healthy, good tasting meals to our community members under the age of 18. We have made a few changes to our program that we need to inform you of:
Daily hot lunch ordering and pickup is available Monday through Friday at Waubesa from 11-12 and McFarland HIgh School from 11:00-12:45.
Friday pickups will include the option to add two additional cold lunches and two additional breakfasts for weekend consumption on the ordering site.
CEPS parents can order cold meals for their students to bring home on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Orders can be placed for Wednesday meals along with their Tuesday orders, or parents can choose to order and pick up hot meals from WIS & MHS.
We are offering meals to some daycares in the area. Please check with your provider to see if they are available through your facility.
- A new and improved ordering site is now available
. It will allow parents to order meals for multiple children every day. Use this link to place orders.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to feed your children healthy, tasty meals. We hope this provides some normalcy and structure during these ever changing times.
Message from the PTO
The McFarland EC-8 PTO held its first at large meeting on October 20, 2020 with over 50 people joining us virtually via Zoom. Our guest speaker was Erin Sadler from the Rooted Family. She offered quick strategies to manage stress. Please visit her web site (therootedfamily.com) for free ideas. All three principals provided updates at the meeting for each of the three schools represented by the PTO. The PTO also shared how we continue to engage and support our school community this school year.
Goodie bags were distributed to teachers and staff at CEPS, WIS and IMMS in
coordination with parent teacher conferences (being held primarily virtual this fall).
Thank you to our supportive families for your generous donation of items and to PTO
members Beth Malecki and Jaclyn Persinger for their time to assemble and distribute
the bags.
Upcoming PTO Events:
November 18 & 19, 2020 Spartan Pizza Fundraiser. Take a night off from making dinner,
support a local business, and the McFarland EC-8 PTO. A portion of all the proceeds will be
donated to the PTO.
December 2020 Watch for updates regarding the No Hassle Fundraiser
Anyone is welcome to attend our monthly meetings, held on the second Thursday of the month
at 7pm. Please contact Michaela Voeck at mcfarlandptopez@gmail.com for more information.
At large PTO Meetings: February 17, 2021 and May 10, 2021 (election for new officers and
advisory council members)
You can see all of our updates by following our Facebook Page
www.facebook.com/McFarlandPTO or visiting our website www.mcfarlandpto.org
A Note From Student Services
With the change to colder weather and the news that school will continue to be virtual until at least January 26, 2021 students may be expressing various feelings about this. We have included some resources for adults to help children process their emotions when the need arises.
Children’s Well Being - Resources for Parents
Coping with Grief related to loss of activities/events (Help Children Cope with Grief)
Behavioral Health Resources for Coronavirus
YouTube Video: 5 Ways to Help Kids Cope with Staying Home
"Handling your Kids Disappointment when Everything is Cancelled"
“Zooming” with Peers.
The school issued iPad is meant to be a learning tool for students, however, it would be appropriate for parents/guardians to assist their student in setting up a zoom call with a classmate or peer. This could be to socialize for a bit or to possibly work on asynchronous learning together like they would if they were in the classroom together.
Related Arts extended learning opportunities
Starting during the 2nd quarter, the Related Arts team will be offering optional Zooms for Music, Phy Ed, and Art. Activities during these Zooms will vary, but they offer an additional connection for students and staff. Look for more information to be shared with parents during Conference Week!
Kayla Gauwitz
School Psychologist
608.838.4500 ext. 5447
Casey Ruhland
School Counselor
608.838.4500 ext. 5448
Lily Hlavacek
Social Worker
608.838.4610
Decorating Bags for the Food Pantry
Is your family creative? Are you interested in helping out the community?
Here is an opportunity for you!
The McFarland Food Pantry uses brown paper bags to pack meals for the residents that they serve. Our task is to decorate those paper bags with a Winter theme! If you are interested, please complete the form below.
Paper bags will be available during the Supply Swap on November 12th or November 19th. Completed paper bags need to be returned by December 3rd.
Please use link to sign up.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZYAEiuaS8J7Tb3AvlihFFi3cAbUpMbhxHuGZWqJO3NN5nUA/viewform
November Calendar Updates
November 2-6: Conference Week
November 2: Related Arts Open House Conferences 5:00-7:00 p.m.
November 3: Related Arts Open House Conferences 1:00-3:00 p.m.
November 5: Weekly Supply Pickup Day 4:00-6:00 p.m.
November 6: Supply Swap additional pickup 11:00 am to Noon
November 10: Open Mic 4:00-4:30 p.m.
November 11: Virtual Assembly - Veteran's Day
November 12: Weekly Supply Pickup Day 4:00-6:00 p.m.
November 13: Supply Swap additional pickup 11:00 am to Noon
November 19: Weekly Supply Pickup Day 4:00-6:00 p.m.
November 20: Supply Swap additional pickup 11:00 am to Noon
November 25: Virtual Assembly
November 26: Thanksgiving, No School
November 27: No School