Sand Lake 3600 Sand Lake Road School’s Holmen, WI 54636 (Voice) 608.781.0974 March Fax) 608.781.2809 (Web) www.holmen.k12.wi.us Newsletter Natalie Morgan, Principal [email protected]
From the principal’s desk…
Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled to take place on March 19th and 26th. March 21st has also been set aside as a conference night for those teachers needing additional time to meet with parents. During your children’s conferences, staff members will be looking for feedback from you regarding how to continue helping your child do their best in school. Teachers will discuss students’ progress (i.e. strengths, daily work habits, assessment results, interactions with classmates, areas for improvement, etc.). Time will also be provided for parents to ask questions. It may be beneficial to discuss your children’s school experiences with your child(ren) prior to the scheduled conference. You may be able to use the information they provide as a means to communicate to the teacher what you feel is going well, as well as what type of assistance your children might need from the staff. Following the conference, please take the time to praise your students’ efforts and assist them in recognizing those areas in which work is needed to continually improve.
Because each conference is allotted only fifteen minutes, it is important that we start and end on time. If a conflict arises and you are unable to attend, please contact the school office prior to your scheduled meeting.
In addition, we encourage parents to look through the LOST AND FOUND items that will be on display in the cafeteria area. Whatever is not claimed will be donated to charity.
The Sand Lake staff appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with you regarding your child’s achievements. We hope that you will continue to maintain open communication via telephone calls/e-mails, written notes, and visits to the school throughout the remainder of the school year.
Vehicles in the Parking Lot This school year we have noticed a lot of unattended vehicles left in the parking areas with the engine still running. Perhaps this issue is symptomatic of such a long and cold winter, but the concern still exists. With so many children walking from the bus area to the playgrounds, this presents a very dangerous situation. If you are dropping off or picking up your children from school or YMCA Surround Care, or are leaving your car for any reason, please turn off your vehicle. We appreciate your support. Please also continue to obey all traffic signs.
As always, if you have questions pertaining to Sand Lake School and/or your children’s education, please feel free to contact me.
Thanks for supporting your child’s education!
Natalie Morgan
2019-2020 Sixth Graders All parents of 2019 - 2020 incoming 6th graders are invited to our 5th grade Parent/Guardian-Student Information night at Holmen Middle School in Gym B on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. This is an informational meeting that both parents and students are welcome yet not required to attend. Please join us in the Holmen Middle School in Gym B on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. for this informational meeting.
If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Vogler, Holmen Middle School Principal, at 608-526-3391 ext. 5405 or [email protected]
Art Room News from Mrs. Staige and Mrs. Breidel The Original Works Art Fundraiser is here! Sand Lake has once again teamed up with Original Works – the #1 art based program in the country – to offer a very special program. This program allows you to have your child’s very own artwork reproduced onto a selection of over 20 quality products. These products range from magnets, mugs and mouse pads to t-shirts, tote bags and ceramic tiles. The wide selection of professionally produced, full color products offers something for everyone. We will be selling these products as a fundraiser, in which a percentage of sales will go back to help purchase supplies, resources, and equipment for the art department through the PTG. This year we will be sending home your child’s artwork, the product price list, and order forms, if you are interested in ordering. Thank you for your support, Mrs. Staige and Mrs. Breidel
Art Room News from Mrs. Breidel The second graders are currently working on landscape drawings. They will be using chalk pastels for the sky and colored pencils for the scenery. So far they are looking wonderful!
Barnes and Noble Fundraiser Sand Lake Elementary will be hosting a fundraiser at the Barnes and Noble in Valley View Mall on Saturday, March 2 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Stop by to hear students and staff from Sand Lake reading books. When making your purchase, present the voucher or mention Sand Lake, and a percentage of your purchase will be given back to Sand Lake classrooms. Can’t attend on Saturday, online purchases made from 3/2/19 to 3/7/19 also support Sand Lake. Just enter the bookfair ID: 12495479 at check out. A flyer with additional details can be found at the end of this newsletter.
Camp Invention
Counselor Connection – Mrs. Kobs I want to welcome Skyla Killilea from Coulee Council to Sand Lake. During the month of March, she will be teaching lessons in all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms on such topics as responsibility, goal setting, decision making, and interpersonal skills to resisting peer pressure. You are encouraged to ask your child about what he or she has learned throughout month. This program is part of the school counseling curriculum. Students in 4th and 5th grade will be working on a strengths and talents planning folder. Students will be putting together information on academic skills, strengths, interests, and goals as it relates to being a 4th or 5th grade learner. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child. I’m here for students and you!!!
Amy Kobs School Counselor 781-0974 ext. 3400 or [email protected]
District Open Enrollment
Wisconsin’s inter-district public school open enrollment program allows parents to apply for their children to attend school districts other than the one in which they live. Applications may be submitted up to three nonresident school districts. Students in 5-year old kindergarten to grade 12 may apply to participate in open enrollment. Open enrollment for pre-kindergarten, 4-year old kindergarten and early childhood education is limited. Parents should call their resident school districts to find out if their preschool-aged children qualify for open enrollment. The Open Enrollment application period for the 2019-2020 School year is from February 4 - April 30, 2019. Parents must apply to the nonresident district. A nonresident district is defined as the district you do not live in, but where you want your child to attend.
It is recommended that you apply for open enrollment through the on-line application process at http://dpi.wi.gov/oe. The open enrollment application period closes at 4:00 p.m. on April 30, 2019. Late applications will not be accepted for any reason.
If you have any questions regarding open enrollment, please contact Monika Buggy, Open Enrollment Coordinator for the School District of Holmen, and Student Services Department at 526-1309.
Early Release Reminder
As a friendly reminder, there will be an early release day on Wednesday, March 13th, in order to provide professional development opportunities for staff. School will be dismissed at 1:40 p.m. Surround Care will be available.
Educational Assistants EXTRA The Educational Assistants would like to remind parents to have your children continue to bring their snow pants and boots to school. This will help protect the students from the wet and muddy playground conditions this time of the year.
Family Fun Fest is Coming Soon! You are invited to attend Sand Lake Elementary School’s annual Family Fun Fest, which will be held on Saturday, March 23rd from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Families will enjoy an inflatable carnival, games and a silent auction during this event. Lunch will also be served for a small fee. You will not want to miss this fun-filled day! If you have not signed up yet and wish to volunteer, contact the office.
Farm 2 School The La Crosse County Farm2School program is a collaboration between public school districts in La Crosse County and the La Crosse County Health Department. The Farm2School program provides student opportunities for health and nutrition education. Each month, one locally-grown produce item is selected as the Farm2School "Harvest of the Month" and featured in taste tests, as part of nutrition education in the classroom, at special events, and of course, in the cafeteria. March’s “Harvest of the Month” is edamame. Check out the Farm2School link on our website.
Four-Year Old Kindergarten (4K) Registration The School District of Holmen is currently accepting enrollment for the 2019-2020 Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) Program. Any child, who is four-years-old on or before September 1, 2019 and lives in the school district boundaries, is eligible to participate. We encourage early registration in order to help us plan accordingly for the 2019-2020 school year. Note: All enrollment is done online.
4K online enrollment instructions were mailed out at the end of January. If you did not receive the mailing, are considering waiting for a year prior to sending your child to 4K, or would like additional information, please call the Holmen Public Preschool Office at 608.526.1381. We ask that you share this news with friends, family members, or neighbors who have children eligible for Holmen’s 4K program, as well.
Important 4K Information: 4K Classes are held at two elementary schools in the district: Prairie View Elementary and Viking Elementary. AM session: 8:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. PM session: 11:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Site/session is based upon transportation needs. We notify you of class placement during the first week of August.
Health Office News Nurse: Emily Hanes, RN, BSN Health Aide: Annette Hundt
Donations: The health office is always looking for clothing donations for accidents at school. We currently are in need of girls and boys pants (athletic or leggings), size 6-8 and 16-18. All donations are always greatly appreciated!
Musical Notes from Mrs. Heerts Upcoming concert dates! See the schedule below! March 7th - 1st Grade 6:30 P.M. April 11th - 2nd Grade 6:00 P.M/ 3rd Grade 7:00 P.M. May 2nd -5th Grade 6:30 P.M. May 9th - Kindergarten 6:30 P.M.
Hello Sand Lake Families! We have a busy Spring for concerts as you can see from our concert dates listed above. Here are some additional topics that we will be covering in music class during the month of March!
Kindergarten- We will continue to work on melodic direction and the instruments of the orchestra families. We will also be working on songs for our upcoming program. We will be singing a variety of seasonal songs and movement activities. First- We will practice and perform our Spring concert on March 7th and focus on identifying the verse and refrain in our songs. We will be singing a variety of seasonal songs and movement activities and incorporating African drums into our classes by the end of the month. Third Grade- We begin to rehearse for our upcoming concert in April along with reviewing our notes of the treble clef and rhythm reading skills. Fourth Grade- We will continue our recorder unit in March and end that unit with the writing of our own recorder composition. This composition will include our new notes for the recorder this year, low E and low D. Fifth Grade- We will begin the month of March with a group project on the importance of music in our lives. March is Music in our Schools Month. We will then share those projects in class. Finally, we will begin to focus on music for our upcoming program and DARE.
Thank you for supporting music education at Sand Lake.
Musical Notes from Miss Schiewer
This March our second grade students will be preparing for their concert! Our concert theme this year is "Seasons of Love". We will be singing songs about all four seasons. Please encourage your child to practice their songs and speaking parts at home. Our concert will be on April 11th at 6:00 p.m. in the Sand Lake cafeteria.
Due to a preplanned absence, I will be gone March 4th-15th. Jim Knutson will be subbing while I am away. Please also note that I will be out of the country during those two weeks and will have limited internet access. "
National School Breakfast Week
Parent Request for Classroom Assignment Form Parents who are planning to make requests for 2019-2020 classroom assignments must complete a "K-8 Parent Request for Classroom Assignment" form. This document is available in the school office or on the Holmen School District website. Please submit requests on or before April 1, 2019 for consideration.
Parent Teacher Group (PTG) News Original Artworks-Once again this year, you will have the opportunity to participate in the Original Works Art Program. The Sand Lake Art teachers have put a lot of time and effort into helping each student create at least two wonderful pieces of art. That artwork can be applied to a variety of products, such as mouse pads, magnets, phone covers and much more! We will be sending all order information and artwork home with your student this year, so keep an eye out! Sales will be from March 15th -25th. It's a great idea for Mother's Day gifts as items purchased should arrive in plenty of time for Mother’s Day.
Family Fun Fest – Our annual Family Fun Fest is scheduled for Saturday, March 23rd from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Volunteer sign - up will be done via SignUp Genius again this year. We will email parents who indicated an interest in helping on the volunteer sheet submitted last fall. Many volunteers are needed to make this event happen, so please help out if you can! Additional details will be forthcoming, so watch your child's folder and our Facebook page.
Scrip Cards- This year classrooms will be doing a 'March Madness' competition for selling Scrip gift cards! Kwik Trip and Festival Foods will remain available in the office only. Currently, Scrip is available in the office for many businesses such as Kwik Trip, Festival Foods, Old Navy, and many more. Exciting SCRIP news - you can now order your cards online!! Physical gift cards, Ecards, and reloading current cards are some of the options!! Just go to www.shopwithscrip.com and register with our school's enrollment code: C5L6165B29441 Online orders still need payment made to Sand Lake PTG via check or cash. You will be contacted once your order arrives in the office. For example, you complete an order form to purchase Scrip with a personal check or cash for a $100.00 Festival Foods gift card, you pay $100.00. Sand Lake would receive $4.00 from Festival Foods. If every family used Scrip once a month (as in the example), we would easily earn more money with little effort!
The next Sand Lake PTG Meeting will be on Thursday, March 14th at 6:30 p.m. Child care will be provided. If you haven't attended a meeting yet this year, please do so! We are always looking for more input for the many things we do. You can also “like" our Facebook page for reminders and updates. Find us at Sand Lake Elementary PTG. We appreciate your involvement and support!
Physical Education - Sneaker News from Mrs. Abraham
THANK YOU TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS THAT MADE THE WINTER OLYMPICS AWESOME! THANK YOU!!!
Unit Update: Kindergarten and First grade finished their Healthy Habit unit. Students learned the “most important” muscle is the heart, what the heart does and where it can be found in our bodies. They also have a good understanding of which foods are “go & whoa” foods. Next unit: Jump Rope.
Third grade also wrapped up their Healthy Habit unit. Students were working with fitness components such as aerobic fitness (cardiovascular fitness), flexibility, body composition, muscle strength and endurance. We will continue to work on the rate of perceived exertion. Next unit: Jump Rope.
Fourth and Fifth grade students can identify fitness components and know the difference between fitness components and health related fitness, while identifying the major muscles of the body. The snowshoe unit will end the last week of February. Ask your child if they enjoyed snowshoeing! Snowshoeing is a great family winter activity!
Upcoming Unit: Educational Gymnastics for all grade levels. Please have your children dress in moveable clothing for inverted skills and remember to keep ears safe with post earrings.
St. Patrick’s Day lunch program:
5th grade students in Dance Club will be performing the Irish Jig during lunch time on Friday, March 15. Come and support our students!
Physical Education: News from Mr. Scheevel Second grade students just completed their jump rope unit where they worked on jump rope skills with both a short and long rope. Students worked with short jump ropes doing activities such as jump rope BINGO and practiced turning and jumping a long jump rope with others. The second graders have now begun our educational gymnastics unit where they will learn about and use the different components of physical fitness as they practice their gymnastic skills. The unit will conclude with students creating their own gymnastics routine and performing for a partner and the teacher.
Read Across America Week Read Across America Day is a day held annually on March 2nd to encourage children in every community to read and parents and teachers to celebrate the joy of reading. This holiday has been celebrated since 1998 and falls on the birthday of children’s book author, Dr. Seuss. This year Sand Lake will hold a week- long celebration from February 25th – March 2nd. We will have special events each day that help inspire students to read. To close out the celebration, we will be hosting our annual fundraiser at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, March 2nd.
Elementary Summer School July 15 – August 1, 2019
8:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Prairie View (Ready, Set, Let’s Learn)
8:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. at Viking (K – Gr. 4 Students)
2019 Summer School Locations: Prairie View Elementary for incoming K students (Ready, Set, Let’s Learn Class) Viking Elementary – For current Kindergarten through gr. 4 Current 5th grade students invited to attend would participate in Holmen Middle School’s Summer School program. Contact Mrs. Keri Holter at 608.526.3391 with any HMS summer school questions. Classes: Ready, Set, Let’s Learn (for students who will be attending K in the fall of 2019) Students are placed with other children who will be attending K in the same school. Children remain with one teacher and EA (Educational Assistant) for the entire morning. Kindergarten – Gr. 4 (for students currently in K – Gr. 4) Students placed in the grade level they are in during the 2018-19 school year. There will be 3 classes during the summer school morning. All K – gr. 4 students will be placed into a reading class and a math class based on school year data. *All K – gr. 4 students will have ONE enrichment class for the 14 days of summer school. During registration, parents will rank the class choices available at the child’s grade level. *THIS IS A CHANGE SINCE LAST MONTH’S NEWSLETTER ARTICLE Registration: All Elementary Summer School registration will take place online from March 11 – March 15. Families will receive an email the morning of March 11th with the link to register. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Once classes are filled, students are placed on a waiting list. If this happens, we will email the parents. If you need to withdraw your child from summer school after they have been registered, please call 608.526.1381. In the event we are able to enroll any additional students, we will take the first child who is on the waiting list at that grade level. Parents will be contacted if/when this occurs.
Breakfast/Snack Time Transportation The Student Universal Nutrition (S.U.N.) Transportation within our district’s boundaries will be program will be offering breakfast during provided to and from Summer School following regularly summer school at a reasonable cost. If your established guidelines. If your child needs transportation, make family qualifies for free or reduced meals, this certain to complete the transportation section during online would apply during summer school. Teachers registration. will be taking students to breakfast during an established time. This is their snack time for the If your child attends summer care through the Y program in day. If your child will not be purchasing the one of our district’s schools, you must also complete the breakfast, then we ask that you please send a transportation section during online registration. healthy snack from home for your child to eat during that time. Lunch will not be served. Questions? Food Service – Contact Michael Gasper at [email protected] or 608.526.1324. Transportation – Contact Beth Hobbs at [email protected] or 608.526.4752. General Summer School - Contact Sue Eitland at [email protected] or 608.526.1381.
Support Services Substitute
Tech Fear Therapy Presentation
Virtual Backpack The School District of Holmen has implemented a “green” approach for distributing flyers from community organizations and has discontinued the process of sending paper flyers in your student's backpack, unless they are school related. The information is divided into three sections, by grade levels, and updated on a regular basis. Click on this link: https://www.holmen.k12.wi.us/community/virtual-backpack.cfm to be directed to the actual web page which is housed in the COMMUNITY tab of the homepage. Note that most of these advertisements are not district publications (unless marked). The District enables their online distribution as a community service to inform you of educational opportunities, activities and events available in our area.
Moving this summer?
Are you planning to move this summer or do you know that your children will not be attending a Holmen Elementary School for the 2019-2020 school year?
If so, please take a moment to complete and return the following information to the Sand Lake Elementary school office. This information will help us to maintain current and accurate records. If you have any questions pertaining to this request, please contact the school office at (608) 781-0974. Thank you for your assistance.
Please return this information to the school office by Friday, March 8, 2019, ONLY if your child(ren) will not be attending elementary school in the School District of Holmen for the 2019-2020 school year.
Parent (s)/Guardian (s) name(s): ______
Child (ren)’s name(s):
Name:______Present grade:______
Name:______Present grade:______
Our new address will be: ______
New telephone number: ______
New school name/address: ______
______