WMS Weekly Wauna Connect
02/23/2023
What's Happening Next Week
Monday 02/27/2023 - Day A3
Tuesday 02/28/2023 - Day B4
Skills USA - 7:30 am - 8:15 am
Creative Coders - 3:35 pm HS
Wednesday 03/01/2023 - Day A5
Art Club 3:35 pm
Year Book 7:35 am
Thursday 03/02/2023 - Day B6
Optimist MS Ski Trip 3:45
Friday 03/04/2023 - Day A1
Dear Staff and Families:
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have received questions about the decision making process for calling a snow day, timing of those decisions, and how many snow days we are allowed prior to needing to make up time. We are connecting with you today on this topic as there is another storm tracking for this week that we are watching closely.
Currently, we have had three snow days this school year. We have four snow days built into the school calendar before we need to start making up days. If we were to have five cancellations because of inclement weather, we will need to make-up a day on Friday, June 9, 2023. This is articulated on the school district calendar on our website. If this situation were to occur, we will communicate with you immediately to let you know of that decision.
We understand that calling inclement weather days can cause disruptions for our families and staff. The decisions we make take into consideration the safety of ALL of our students, families, and staff within the Waunakee Community School District attendance areas. Our team will strive to make the safest, most prudent weather related decisions relying on weather experts from the National Weather Service, their forecasts, and information from our other partners in Waunakee and Dane County.
Our default stance is that we want to operate school as normal. However, when a weather event is on the horizon, there are many considerations and procedures that we follow when making a decision regarding the cancellation of school:
Work in consultation with meteorologists from the National Weather Service. They partner with school districts, municipal entities, and highway departments when inclement weather is in the forecast. Communication begins several days before a potential weather event and leads up to the early morning hours of the event.l
Collaborate with Lamers Bus Company to assess safety and timing of bus travel. We also need to ensure that we have enough bus drivers as we are operating with few to no substitute drivers, on any given day.
Discuss local observations with other school superintendents in Dane County.
Consider the timing of the storm – this factor has been important the last few weeks.
Review the prediction of snow accumulations, type of snow, mixed precipitation, and ice.
Realize that many of our High School students drive to and from school.
In the event of school and activity cancellations, the district will use all available media to communicate effectively to you. It’s important that your email/phone numbers are up-to-date and included in Infinite Campus.
Our School Messenger service will be used to send an email to all staff and the family members of each student listed in Infinite Campus.
A text message will be sent via Messenger. Please note that you have to opt-in to receive a text message. Sign-up for district text alerts by sending a text message with the word “YES” or “Y” to the code 67587.
Information will be shared on local television stations.
An update will be available on our district website as a pop-up.
The announcement will be posted on the district Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram.
For additional information, please see the District’s website for School Closings/Weather.
Your support, patience, and understanding is much appreciated. Thank you for your partnership.
Sincerely,
Anne Blackburn
Communications & Engagement Specialist
Cold and Flu Season
Winter Weather Snow Removal
With winter weather and accumulation of snow, our Waunakee Community School District is asking for your cooperation as maintenance and custodial staff maintain the parking lots, sidewalks, etc. when school is not in session. For the safety of students, we are asking that students not play on the school grounds/snow mounds when there is significant accumulation of snow and maintenance crews are on site cleaning up the school grounds. The safety of our drivers/staff and students is our top priority. Thank you for your help!
Immunization Update for 2023-2024 School Year
Dear Families:
There are new/revised Wisconsin School Immunization Requirements for the 2023-2024 school year. All students will need the following immunizations or an appropriate waiver according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The asterisk notes a change from previous school years.
4 doses of polio
4 doses of DtaP/DT/Td
3 doses of hepatitis B
2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) or history of disease documented* by a qualified healthcare professional
2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
All the previously required vaccines, plus:
1 dose of Tdap*
1 MenACWY-containing vaccine*
All the previously required vaccines, plus a booster dose of a MenACYW-containing vaccine.* Those students who have not received their first dose by age 16 should only receive one dose.
For more information, please talk with your child’s doctor or visit the DHS website.
What should I do?
Make sure your child is up to date on their vaccinations by checking your child’s immunization record. To get your child up to date on their vaccinations:
Make a vaccine appointment with your doctor or Public Health Madison Dane County if you do not have a medical provider.
Ask the health care provider to complete the Student Immunization Record form. Return the form to the school office.
You can also visit the Wisconsin Immunization Registry to see if your child is missing or coming due for any immunizations.
Immunizations are covered by most health insurance plans. If you do not have health insurance, or your health insurance does not cover immunizations, the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program may be able to help with the cost of immunizations.
If you have additional questions, please contact Ashley Weier (4K-4 School Nurse) via email ashleyweier@waunakee.k12.wi.us or Jenny Sydow (5-12 School Nurse) via email jennifersydow@waunakee.k12.wi.us.
Thank you!
Solo Ensemble
Volunteers Needed
Greetings!
As you know, Waunakee Community High School is hosting the WSMA Solo & Ensemble Festival this year. The event date is Saturday, March 4. My name is Tim Christian, Volunteer Coordinator for the event.
As you know, many volunteers are needed to make this big event successful for our students! Please consider helping out. See the instructions below to check out the slots we need to fill for both Friday 3/3 and Saturday 3/4.
Keep in mind, most volunteer slots you can do with your child. So, you can bring them along to help!
Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:
1) Click this link to see our SignUp page: https://signup.com/go/pkjEhNg
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.
Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone.
You can also email me directly if you have questions about volunteering: tim.christianj@gmail.com
Thank you for donating your time to help make the event a success.
Tim
Thanks!
Referendum Update
7th and 8th Singers and 8th grade Orchestra to perform at the Capitol
WMS Mission Moments
Committed to Children. Committed to Community. Committed to Excellence.
Take a Great Picture? We'd love to use it in our Yearbook!
If you are attending school events and take a great picture, please use this QR Code to submit them to us for review and possibly use in our yearbook! We'd greatly appreciate it!
Community Events
Community Education
The Waunakee Community Cares Coalition (WCCC) is dedicated to keeping Waunakee healthy and resilient. To receive updates of all of the trends, resources available, and community initiatives in the spaces of alcohol/drug prevention and mental health, please sign up for their monthly newsletter.
Link to sign up to receive newsletter: https://www.waunakeecares.org/contact
Link to our resource pages: https://www.waunakeecares.org/resources-1
Clubs and Co-Curricular Activities
Important Dates at a Glance
March 20 - March 24 - Spring Break
May 17th (5pm) - 8th Grade Honor Roll Ceremony
June 8th - Last Day of school for 7th Grade
June 9th - Last Day of school for 8th Grade and 8th Grade Recognition (9 am)
Planning an extended Absence?
wms_attendance@waunakee.k12.wi.us
attendance line at (608)849-2060 ext. 1
School Lunch Menu
Click HERE to see the school lunch menu.
Attendance
For your convenience, our attendance line has a 24/7 voicemail and an email address that you may use anytime. You may call the attendance line at (608)849-2060 ext. 1 or email at wms_attendance@waunakee.k12.wi.us to leave a message with your child's name, reason for absence and your name & phone number in case we need to reach you..
If you'll be seeing a medical provider, please obtain a note and forward it to the attendance email and we'll be happy to code the absence as medically excused.
School Transportation Information
WMS Contact Information
Jeffrey Kenas, Principal,
jeffreykenas@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Michael Zibell, Associate Principal,
michaelzibell@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Patricia Coffren, Administrative Assistant,
patriciacoffren@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Melanie Hass, Administrative Assistant Attendance,
melaniehass@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Attendance 608-849-2060, Select language, then press1 for wms_attendance@waunakee.k12.wi.us
Tammy Willborn, Health Assistant, tammywillborn@waunakee.k12.wi.us