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Stoner Prairie News
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13th Edition, January 8th, 2024
Principal Connection
Welcome 2024!
We welcomed 2024 on Tuesday with some frosty morning air! The break was a great time for me and I hope you enjoyed the time as well. A couple of personal highlights...zoo lights with my daughters! Cleo, my recent UW graduate, joined me in returning to elementary school on Tuesday as she began a long-term substitute teacher job and my older daughter, Maizie, returned to her home in Fort Wayne, Indiana but not before driving through an ice storm. I may have a few more grey hairs...but I sincerely love time with my family!
Teacher Newsletters: Click here to see your child's newsletter
School Start Times Reminder: MONDAYS 9:20 (drop off at 9:05)
School Start Times Reminder: TUES-FRI 7:30 (drop off at 7:15)
Thank you for remembering these times. Staff supervision is not available prior to drop off times, so if your child is dropped off prior to 7:15 (or prior to 9:05 on Mondays), they will need to wait outside in line unsupervised.
Attendance reminders:
Please, please, please call us when your scholar is unable to be at school. To report an absence, you may:
- Call 608-845-4203 (English attendance line) or 608-845-4200 (main line with Spanish option) or
- Email sp-attendance@verona.k12.wi.us (English and Spanish) with all attendance changes.
Contacting the attendance office directly is important!
STAR Testing This week
Here are three recommendations for you to consider as we support our scholars to show us their best thinking this week:
1. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep and eating a good breakfast.
2. Relax and remain positive. There is no need to mention this assessment unless your scholar brings it up. We sincerely assess children every day when they walk in the door as we determine if a scholar may need a little extra support for the day. This test is no different and we value your help in scholars showing us their best work this week as well as all year long!
3. If your child says they don't like testing and/or are nervous, reassure them that there are many types of tests that we all have to take (for example, you take a driving test to get your license, you do a blood pressure test when going to the doctor, etc.). Tests help give us information that supports our getting what we need. The STAR test is just one tool that teachers use to help teach them better and we want to them to show us their best thinking.
STAR data along with other assessment results will be used to inform scholar report cards. A reminder that report cards will be completed by January 26th.
Stoner Prairie Elementary PTO News
NOTE: IF we have a snow day tomorrow, we will still meet via zoom (see below).
Save the Date! Treat your family to MOD Pizza on Thursday, 1/25. Use the code MODGIVES20 and 20% will be given to Stoner Prairie.
Support Staff Gifts were a huge success!!
Thank you to everyone that donated money for the Support Staff Holiday gifts! The gifts were distributed to 40 staff members on 12/21 with each recipient getting a $25 gift card and around $10 in other gift cards, sweets, drinks and snacks! 43 families donated a total of $1,620! We were also able to purchase a medical backpack for our school nurse! A huge thank you to Tricia Gulmen and her team for organizing, purchasing, and delivering the gifts!
All Staff Mocktails and Supplies
The Stoner Prairie staff received mocktails and also markers (Expo, Sharpie and Papermate) as a gift from the Stoner Prairie PTO on 12/19. The spread was truly amazing thanks to Lauren Cuplin! We hope our staff went into the winter break knowing how appreciated they are!
The next PTO meeting is this Tuesday 1/9 from 6-7 pm in the Stoner Prairie Library. We will meet via zoom if there is a snow day. If you can’t join in person, join via zoom! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84559089919?pwd=amZUclJyUy82cEhON1h4Q1JIdUFkQT09 All are welcome! Reach out to stonerprairiepto@gmail.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions or to be added to our email list. Keep up to date with events on our website: https://stonerprairiepto.wixsite.com/website/
Yum! Staff gifts from our PTO
Mr. Brown LOVED his PTO Gift
All staff love hot chocolate
Important Updates & Upcoming Dates
Need a bike?
If you or your child(ren) need a bike this Spring, please contact our school social worker, Ms. Confer by January 31.
We will be completing an application and plan to distribute bikes in the Spring. Bikes are available for both kids and adults.
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A reminder about snow day notification...just in case!
Last week, information about snow days was shared by Dr. Clardy. As a reminder...
How do families and staff know if school is closed or delayed due to the weather?
Weather related school delay and/or closure information will be shared as follows:
Families will receive an email and text message to your contact information on file in PowerSchool.
Staff will receive an email to your VASD email address and a text message to your contact information on file in Skyward.
broadcast on local TV stations
VASD’s social media
We will meet as a PTO via zoom in the event of a snow day.
Over 29,000 pounds of donated items!
Thank you to everyone who donated food and healthcare items for our Badger Needs Network drive. Our collection contributed to a whopping collection on behalf our school district this year. Gratitude for our High School Food Drive students who came to collect items from our school.
Social Emotional Learning Screener Coming Later this Month
Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children develop awareness and management of their emotions, set and achieve important personal and academic goals, use social-awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships, and demonstrate decision making and responsible behaviors to achieve school and life success. The VASD has implemented social emotional learning standards based on Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s social emotional learning competencies.
Universal screening helps school staff to determine which students may be “at risk” of not adequately achieving identified SEL standards. Your child’s teacher will be completing the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS) for all students this winter on January 24th. The use of SAEBRS refines and strengthens our efforts to help all of our students be successful by allowing us to take positive and preventative measures as early as possible. Because this screener is completed by teachers, your child’s learning will not be disrupted.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of SAEBRS, or if you do not want your child to be included in this assessment, please contact your child’s school psychologist (Ms. Thompson at thompsonk@verona.k12.wi.us) or myself (seidlm@verona.k12.wi.us) by January 19, 2024.
Please click here for the full letter in English and Spanish.
Winter Concert Videos
Please see this folder with the wonderful performances from the Winter Concert!