STILLSON BUZZ
December 2023 Newsletter
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Stillson Families,
December is such a busy month at Stillson with lots of activities ahead! In the upcoming weeks, we will be hosting the district 5th grade volleyball tournament, the Holiday Store, the Holiday Sing-A-Long and also the Stillson Singers concert! We are also planning some fun dress up days and holiday parties for our students to close out the year!
This month, our staff and students will be focusing on the power of attention: consciously choosing what we give our attention to and focusing on what we value. We talk and teach our students often about kindness and the importance of our school community. Kids will be using paper ornaments to record acts of kindness they or other members of the school community have performed. The visual of all the ornaments will help them see how much kindness exists within our school.
On another exciting note, the Wisconsin Department of Education released our school report card in November. I am proud to share our report card with you! As a learning community, we will continually look for ways to improve and ensure our students receive a quality education.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership,
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Sarauer
Stillson Elementary Principal
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HAPPENING THIS MONTH
- December 2 : Bridge to Wonderland Parade at Downtown Chippewa (6:00p)
- December 7 : Picture Retake Day
- December 15 : 5th Grade Volleyball Tournament
- December 20 : Holiday Store
- December 21 : Holiday Sing-A-Long (6:00-7:00p)
- December 25 - January 2 : No School - Holiday Break
UPCOMING EVENTS
- January 8 : PTO Meeting in LMC (6:00p)
- January 16 : Culver's Night for Stillson (4:00-7:00p)
- January 19 : No School - Work Day
- January 23 : Bright Smiles - Fluoride
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DAY OF GIVING RESULTS ARE IN!!
We are happy to announce that our "Day of Giving" Pajama's for Pennies has raised us $1,112.40!
Thank you to all who participated and please stay tuned for our next event - Culver's Night on Tuesday, January 16 - to help us raise funds for our community project. This year we are donating to The Chippewa and Eau Claire Humane Association.
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PBIS NEWS
A big shout out goes to Kenzie, our orange ticket winner for November. She won a popcorn and movie party for her whole class. Congratulations!
Classrooms have been busy filling their “100 thankful things” chart. Stillson teachers have a lot to be thankful for too. Hopefully, you were able to read some of their thankful jars while at Stillson for your child’s conference.
In December we will continue to show our superpowers of attention, unity, and love by adding to a schoolwide kindness tree. Classes will focus on kind and helpful acts and will add ornaments to the tree that reflect those acts.
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PTO NEWS
Thank you to Shannon Potts for her work as the Marketing Coordinator for the past few years! We appreciate all that she has done for our organization and students! Thank you to Katie Brunner and Chantel Erickson for taking on new Board roles!
Upcoming PTO events:
12/20- Holiday Store: you can start bringing in donated items, wrapping paper, gift bags now!
1/8- January PTO meeting: 6:00 pm in the Stillson Library
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MEDICAL EXCUSES FOR ABSENCES
If you child will be out due to an illness or medical appointment, please ask for a doctor's excuse or note so we can medically excuse your child. Medical excuses do not count towards attendance reports. Here are the approved examples of medical excuses noted on attendance:
- Doctor note excusing for certain dates
- Doctor note excusing for surgery and recovery time
- Doctor note excusing for same day doctor appointment
- Being sent home due to fever of 100.4 (we mark medical)
- Being sent home due to confirmed vomiting or diarrhea (we mark medical)
- Being sent home due to unexplained rash of unknown origin (we mark medical)
- Following our 24 hour rule of no fever/fever reducing meds/vomiting/diarrhea (we mark medical)
Many times parents/guardians are unaware of the total number of days their child has been absent and/or tardy. Wisconsin Law 118.15 requires that students miss no more than 10 days each school year. The absences counted are excused and unexcused.
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START/END TIMES
Drop Off to School Begins : 7:20am
Line Up from Playground/Enter Building/Breakfast Served : 7:35am
End of Day/Dismissal to Bus and Pick Up : 2:35pm
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PICTURE RETAKE DAY - DECEMBER 7
PICTURE RETAKE DAY is December 7th! If your child was NOT photographed on the original picture day OR you do not like the picture that was taken on the original picture day, your child may take a retake at no additional charge to you!
- Parents/Guardians: Please inform your child's teacher and the office of a picture needing to be retaken. We only have a list to go off of if you let us know!
- If you want to order pictures of the retake picture, you may do so for FREE shipping by going to strawbridge.net. This option is pre-pay ordering, so you will not be able to view your child’s image and is valid until 12/11. If you wish to wait to view the image first, you will need to wait until your child’s personalized ordering code is issued, and a $7 shipping fee will incur. (After 12/11, you will have to wait until the personalized codes are issued).
- If you already ordered a package, but wish to take a new picture, we will print a new package at no additional cost. Please send the package with your child to school so we may see what needs to be changed and improved upon when we photograph the retake picture. You may also send a note if you wish.
- If you still need to order a picture from the original picture day, please use the personalized ordering code that was issued to your with your package or proof. If you do not have your personalized ordering code, please reach out to your school to obtain your code.
- If you have additional questions or concerns, the best way to reach customer service is by using the chat feature on strawbridge.net or you may contact your local representative at tracy.cochran@strawbridge.net
We are looking forward to seeing your smiles!
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LUNCH VISITORS
If you would like to have lunch with your child(ren), we ask you call 24 hours in advance and schedule with Ms. Prince. Only two families are being scheduled per lunch session at this time.
If another family member wishes to have lunch with your child(ren), we will need the parent/guardian to call and schedule it with Stillson. At no time is a non-parent/guardian permitted to schedule visits.
If purchasing a lunch from the school on the day of your visit, adult lunch tickets cost $4.00.
A Volunteer Form is needed to be on file in order to have lunch.
Any questions, please feel free to call or email the office.
Ms. Prince
715-726-2412
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CLASS DOJO
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NURSING AND HEALTH SERVICES
Just a friendly reminder as it is that time of year where viral and bacterial illnesses are on the rise and we are in cold and flu season. Please help remind your children to cover their coughs/sneeze into an elbow, Kleenex, or sleeve. Wash hands often! If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer. Handwashing is always the preferred method, but if unable use hand sanitizer until you are able to wash with soap and water. Follow these steps:
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
WINTER HEALTH TIPS
Exposure to cold can lead to injury or serious illness such as frostbite or hypothermia.
Follow these tips to keep your children safe in cold weather:
Dress your children appropriately before coming to school. The air temperature does not have to be below freezing for your child to experience cold emergencies such as hypothermia or frostbite. Wind speed can create dangerously cold conditions even when the temperature is not that low.
Dress your child in layers so they can adjust to changing conditions from indoors to outdoors.
Most of your child’s body heat is lost through their head, so they should wear a hat, preferably one that covers their ears.
Mittens provide more warmth to a child’s hands than gloves.
Your child should wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping their feet warm and dry and to maintain their footing in ice and snow.
SICK PROCEDURE
Keep your student home if any of the following apply:
Temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher in the last 24 hours before medication (Tylenol/Ibuprofen)
Vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours
They have been diagnosed with a contagious illness (e.g.; strep throat, pink eye) and have been on medication for less than 24 hours if medication is required
They have an unexplained rash
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RCU SCHOOL $ENSE
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ON-SITE CHIROPRACTOR
December - the month of gifts, but some of the best gifts can’t be wrapped or put under the tree.
One of the best gifts you can give someone is not a physical gift, but the gift of your time, your attention, and a listening ear. We all know how great we feel when we are truly seen and heard. Probably everyone on your Christmas list would love receiving this type of gift!
Chiropractic care can help with attention and focus by “turning on” the nervous system. When spinal bones are misaligned it puts pressure on the nerves running along the spine (the central nervous system). A chiropractic adjustment helps to remove the interference, allowing the nerves to carry messages to the brain as they are supposed to.
Did you know that you can sign your child up for chiropractic care at any point during the school year? They didn’t need to start back in September - any day is a good day to start taking care of their nervous system. If you have any questions contact us at onsitechiroinfo@gmail.com and have a wonderful holiday season!
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PRACTICING GRATITUDE
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THE LAKE WISSOTA LIONS CLUB RECYCLING PROGRAM
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INCLEMENT WEATHER
Weather can change quickly in the Chippewa Valley. When inclement weather strikes, there are three options for adjusting our days:
Cancellation: If the weather is too severe, school and other activities may be canceled altogether.
Two-hour delay: If the weather is bad but not severe enough to cancel school for the day, classes may be delayed by two hours.
Early release: If the weather worsens during the school day, school may be dismissed early.
Cancellation -- If we cancel school due to inclement weather, we will make the decision by 6:00 AM. All schools, Head Start, Early Childhood, 4K Cardinal programs, after-school programs, and public use of buildings will be closed.
Two Hour Delay -- If we delay school due to inclement weather, the school day will start two hours later than normal. Buses will also run two hours behind schedule. Breakfast will not be served, but lunch will be served near normal time. 4K Cardinal, Early Childhood, and Head Start will be canceled for the day. After-school programs and public use of buildings may still occur. If the delay is later changed to a cancellation, the decision will be made by 8:00 AM.
Early Release -- If we dismiss school early due to inclement weather, the decision will be made by 10:00 AM. Elementary schools will dismiss at 12:00 PM, and secondary schools will dismiss at 1:00 PM. Lunch will be served at the normal time. High school students with open campus lunch may leave at 12:00 PM. Afternoon 4K Cardinal, Head Start, and Early Childhood are canceled. After-school programming and public use of buildings are canceled.
When there is inclement weather in the Chippewa Valley, we may have to change the school schedule. We will let you know by 6 AM if we are canceling school or starting school two hours late; by 10 AM for letting students out early.
We will tell you via radio, TV, our website, social media, and by email or text message. We want to keep our students safe, so we may have to make last-minute changes. We will try to make the best decision we can based upon the weather and/or other information available to us.
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EARLY RELEASE TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
Chippewa Yellow Bus is reminding families about after school bussing on Early Release Days.
The Boys & Girls Club does NOT operate on Early Release Days.
If you want your student to ride a different bus home on those days, a student rerouting request must be on file through the bus company. The bus company will NOT accept changes called in on the day of an Early Release, even if it's an emergency. Please have a plan in place.
Chippewa Yellow Bus: 715-726-2454
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REMOTE LEARNING MATRIX
We are writing to inform you that the District will be moving to a remote model of learning for students when inclement weather or other emergencies force school closures. This means that students will be able to continue their learning from home on days when school buildings are closed.
We believe that in-person instruction is the best way to deliver education, but we also know that there will be times when school closures are necessary and appropriate. By implementing a remote learning model, we should be able to avoid having to make up days for these school-day closures and the focus will be on continuing learning and connecting with teachers through modern means in these modern times.
Here are the major points to keep in mind as we prepare for inclement weather and other emergencies:
DISTRICT-WIDE
● Two inclement/emergency closure days are already incorporated into the 2023-24 school year calendar.
● If a high chance of inclement weather is predicted well in advance and there is high confidence from the National Weather Service (NWS) that the prediction will hold true, the District may make the call at a sooner time to have a "REMOTE LEARNING DAY" and bank a school closure day. This would allow the District to save for two unplanned school
closure days when those calls have to be made unexpectedly or without advance notice.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
● The elementary schools will develop consistent independent study packets for each grade level to send home when potential school closures occur, except on the two designated inclement weather/emergency closure days. Packets will include reading, math practice, writing prompts, and activities from our specialists.
● Teachers will be remotely available those days to aid students with their assignments during the regular school day hours; however, school electronic devices will not be sent home with the independent study packets.
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CFAUSD FOOD SERVICE HIRING
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DISTRICT FAMILY LINKS
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CFAUSD NOTICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION REFERRAL AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES
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CFAUSD Regular Monthly Board Meeting
Tuesday, Dec 19, 2023, 07:00 PM
1130 Miles Street, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
CFAUSD Automated Phone System
Stillson Elementary
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/stillson/
Location: 16556 50th Avenue, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-726-2412
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StillsonPTO/
Twitter: @ststingers