School District of Howards Grove

Dear Parents & Guardians:

Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year! All three of our schools are off to a great start and are filled with smiling faces of students and staff.

I am thrilled to be starting my second year in the School District of Howards Grove. To continue building on the open communication that I established last year, I am committed to sending out monthly communication newsletters to all parents and guardians the 3rd Thursday of every month. These monthly newsletters will be emailed to each home via Skyward message center, but will also be linked to the homepage on our new website and posted on facebook.

If you're interested in photos and celebrations, consider following us on facebook. All 3 schools post updates on a regular basis and include great pictures of our students and activities.

Please take a moment to read today's newsletter, as many updates are being shared. Scroll down to see the newsletters for each school, as well.

Finally, please help us continue building a positive school district climate and culture by following the communication chain. An easy rule of thumb is to always go directly to the person involved in a situation or conflict to try and resolve it at the closest level as possible. The full communication chain is detailed at the end of this newsletter.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Looking forward to another great year in Howards Grove!

Sincerely,

Shannon L. Kilton

Superintendent of Schools

School District of Howards Grove

403 Audubon Road

Howards Grove, WI 53083

(920) 565-5462- Office

(414) 350-6207- Cell

We are proud to welcome 8 new teachers to our team.

Josie Duening- 1st Grade at Northview

Julianna Kuzulka- 3rd Grade at Northview

Amber Schwerin- 6th Grade English Language Arts

Dawson Wilterdink- 6th Grade Science & Social Studies

Holly Hoerth- 7th Grade English Language Arts

Marty Ryan- 8th Grade Science & Social Studies

Ally Wasmer- Middle School Chorus & General Music

Hannah Hendrikse- Middle School Art

I am certain we are all looking forward to November 8th so the nonstop political advertisements can be removed from our television stations. The School District of Howards Grove is also looking forward to a November vote to improve our district wide-facilities and build a new Middle School addition to the High School.

In case you still have questions, we have 3 remaining informational meetings to be held at 6:00 PM in the Howards Grove Center for the Arts on the following days:

Monday, September 26

Thursday, October 13

Tuesday, October 25

As a school district, our mission is to embrace the ever changing world and provide a safe, inclusive, and high quality learning experience where ALL students learn at high levels and become productive and resilient members of our community and the world.

To ensure we are addressing the needs of ALL students, we have implemented a universal diagnostic screening tool in reading and math for students in kindergarten through 8th grade, called i-Ready.

i-Ready is an online program for reading and mathematics that will help your child’s teacher determine your child’s needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. i-Ready allows the teacher to meet your child exactly where they are and provides data to increase your child’s learning gains. i-Ready consists of two parts: Diagnostic and Personalized Instruction.

Learn more about i-Ready by watching this video designed specifically for parents.

Students at Northview and the Middle School are taking this diagnostic assessment this month. Your child's results along with an explanation will be sent home for you to review. Families can get access to i-Ready at home as well.

Please note: i-Ready does NOT replace the teacher nor does it replace our current curriculum in reading, writing, and math. It is simply another resource to help our teachers provide targeted instruction to the variety of student needs within a classroom.

Starting the 2022-2023 school year, the school board approved a new curriculum that supports not only the academic needs of our students, but the social emotional ones as well. This program, called Second Step, is being implemented JK-8th Grade.

Why is SEL (Social Emotional Learning) important?

• 27% improve their academic performance at the end of a SEL program
• 57% gain in their skill levels
• 24% have improved social behaviors and lower levels of distress
• 23% have improved attitudes
• 22% show fewer conduct problems

Summary of Statistics from CASEL linked here.

Check out the graphics below to show the descriptions of the units being taught at each school. Please reach out to the school counselors with any additional questions.

Continuing with the tradition, each school will also do a monthly newsletter with the latest and greatest updates at each school. These newsletter links will always be embedded in the district newsletter for your convenience.

High School

Middle School

Northview

The PTO is hosting a Culver's Night Fundraiser on Tuesday, September 20th, 2022 at the Culver’s on 4225 State HWY 42, 641 S. Taylor Dr. and 2510 Washington Ave. Portions of the sales will go to our PTO. Some of our staff members are kindly donating their time to serve/deliver food. Please stop in to support the PTO and see some favorite teachers.

The next school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 19th at 6:00 PM in the high school library.

In person visitors are welcome, but we also have a virtual link each month.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/96296511830?pwd=QVhxNWpmSUNYbnlWbXdNNWZKdjgyQT09

As the world learns how to move on with covid-19 in our lives, the School District of Howards Grove must adapt as well. We are currently following the updated guidance of local public health, WI DHS, WI DPI, and the CDC. Please read and review our updated school guidance as follows:

Household close contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they are 100% symptom-free. Watch for signs or symptoms for 10 days after last exposure. Masking is highly recommended during these 10 days but is not mandatory. If symptoms develop, please arrange testing for your child.

If your child experiences any of the following symptoms please keep them home from school, they may return if symptoms improve and they are fever-free* for 24 hours.

• Fever greater than 100°F

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Headache (new or not typical)

• Fatigue (unusual)

• Muscle pain (unexplained)

If symptoms do not improve after two days or they experience a loss of taste or smell, covid testing is recommended. Please have your child remain home until results return. If results are negative, your child may return when symptoms have improved and they are fever-free* for 24 hours.

*Fever-free means without the help of any fever-reducing medications.

If your child tests positive for covid please contact your school office. Your child must remain isolated for at least 5 days with onset of symptoms counting as day zero. They must have significant symptom improvement and be fever-free* for 24 hours before returning. If symptoms persist longer than 5 days, your child may be asked to stay home from school longer. If your child was asymptomatic, but tested positive, they must remain isolated for 5 days with their testing date as day zero. A negative test is not required for returning to school. Masking for 5 days after isolation is highly recommended but not mandatory.

Please feel free to use this resource to help calculate isolation periods: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html#

Every Wisconsin household can place an order for a package of FIVE free COVID-19 self-tests. Order your tests online by securely submitting your name and address at https://www.sayyescovidhometest.org/#COVID19_WI. These are great to have on hand in advance, so when you may need them next you are covered!

Please feel free to contact the district school nurse, Lydia Pomeroy, with any questions at LPomeroy@hgsd.k12.wi.us or 920-418-4922.

Our school community is mourning the loss of long-time school board member Richard Hemb. We honor his commitment and years of service to the School District of Howards Grove and wish the best to his family and close friends.

Thank you Hemb Family!

As questions or concerns arise, please continue to follow this communication chain.

FIRST, Reach out directly to your child's teacher/team/coach.

In the event your concerns are not addressed or you need further support, NEXT reach out to the building principal or activities director.

Jon Hess- High School Principal: jhess@hgsd.k12.wi.us

Angie Houston- Middle School Principal: ahouston@hgsd.k12.wi.us

Sarah Ellinger- Northview Principal: sellinger@hgsd.k12.wi.us

Tracy Mueller- Athletic/Activities Director & Special Education Director: tmueller@hgsd.k12.wi.us

FINALLY, if you still need additional support, please reach out directly to me, Shannon Kilton, Superintendent: skilton@hgsd.k12.wi.us

In the event, we have all failed to help you navigate your questions & concerns, your last stop would be to reach out to the school board. Here is the actual board policy on navigating this process.

I am personally asking for this communication chain to help us all develop positive and trusting relationships, which are always grounded in open and honest conversations. Most often, concerns can be easily solved when we all talk directly to the person involved with the question or problem.

Thanks in advance for the support and understanding of this process.

Shannon L. Kilton

Superintendent of Schools

Email: skilton@hgsd.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.hgsd.k12.wi.us
Location: 403 Audubon Road, Howards Grove, WI, USA
Phone: (920) 565-5462

The School District of Howards Grove does not discriminate in the employment of staff on the basis of any characteristic protected under State or Federal law including, but not limited to, race, color, age, sex, creed or religion, handicap or disability, marital status, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status, military service (as defined in 111.32, Wis. Stats.), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, arrest record, conviction record, use or non-use of lawful products off the District’s premises during non-working hours, or any other characteristic protected by law in its employment practices. (Board Policy 4122)