Howards Grove Middle School
Parent/Guardian Newsletter Vol. VIII
At Howards Grove Middle School We Believe In:
Respect
Responsibility
Integrity
Appreciation
Important Events
3/19- Home VB game 4-6 PM, Wrestling at Cedar Grove 4-6 PM
3/21- VB Game @ Oostburg 4-6 PM
3/22- Assembly @1:30-2:30 PM, End of 3rd Quarter
3/24-3/29- Spring Break, NO SCHOOL
4/1- Cheerios 4H Meeting
4/3- Student Council Meeting 3-3:30 PM
4/5- Book Swap! 7-8 AM
4/8- PTO Meeting 5 PM, Cub Scouts Meeting 6:30-8:30 PM
4/15- Track Meet @ Cadar Grove, School Board Meeting 6 PM
4/22- Professional Development Day, Cub Scout meeting 6:30-8:30 PM
Principal's Message
Hello everyone and welcome to the March edition of our Parent/Guardian Newsletter from the Middle School! Students and staff alike are ready for Spring Break. After Spring Break we start our 4th Quarter and it will be April. The school year is flying by!
Students have completed two of the three writing sections of the State Forward Exam. Please take time for a conversation with your student(s) about the importance of giving their best effort. While it is one snapshot of student performance it is data that we use as a staff, along with other data, to drive our instructional practices. It surely gives us information on how to best support students academically. The accuracy of this assessment is important. I appreciate your help in having this conversation.
Thank you for taking the time to read our newletter. As always, if there is anything needed please feel free to reach out at any time.
Enjoy your break,
Angie Houston
Intervention
Tools & Resources to help promote literacy at home
https://www.npr.org/podcasts-and-shows
National Public Radio (NPR) broadcasts a number of excellent podcasts featuring topics ranging from economics (Planet Money) and politics (The NPR Politics Podcast) to science (Hidden Brain) and technology (Augmented Humanity).
Achieve the Core’s Reading Fluency Packet offers 40 passages to help students practice their reading fluency.
https://achievethecore.org/page/1022/fluency-packet-for-the-9-10-grade-band
https://achievethecore.org/page/887/fluency-packet-for-the-6-8-grade-band
https://achievethecore.org/page/886/fluency-packet-for-the-4-5-grade-band
In addition to reading, keeping a reading journal helps students fully engage with what they are reading. They can include personal observations, questions, research notes, and/or observations about broader themes to help them build their comprehension. Thoughtful writing prompts support students in developing their writing skills and help them to deepen their critical thinking and reflection about a given topic. https://www.immerse.education/study-tips/creative-writing/middle-school-prompts/
https://www.weareteachers.com/question-of-the-day-ideas/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/learning/over-1000-writing-prompts-for-students.html
i-Ready
i-Ready Diagnostic Testing Results: i-ReadyConnect.com For Families report, District’s Report: Code H5W2PF
i-Ready Goal/Week: 2 passed lessons/45 minutes in each subject area(math & reading). Students that have 50 lessons in each subject by the end of the school year have been proven to show growth in math and reading. Please have your student show you their progress towards this goal. You can help by making sure they have access to a computer at home to work on lessons if needed. Students are allowed to take home chromebooks for this purpose.
i-Ready Helpful Links for Families:
Understanding diagnostic results from i-Ready
Howards Grove Middle School Book Swap!
Howards Grove Middle School Library will once again be hosting a Book Swap. Do you have books that you are no longer reading? Then the “Book Swap” is for you! Bring your gently-used, middle school age appropriate book(s) to the library from 7:00-8:00 am on Friday, April 5, 2024 and swap them for other gently-used books. If you bring a book to swap, you may also enjoy some free breakfast treats! Bring 1 book, take 1 book...bring 5 books, take 5 books! What better way to get some new reading material!
Have your parents/grandparents come too and bring their own gently-used books to participate in the ADULT BOOK SWAP! (Yes, we will even provide breakfast treats for them!). Bring your books with you to the Book Swap, or drop them off in the library before or after school starting on Monday, April 1st. If you have any questions or concerns, please stop in the IMC or contact Mrs. Halle or Mrs. Henschel.
Read Across America!
Howards Grove Middle School celebrated Read Across America Week March 4th-8th. Students and staff participated in dress up days to celebrate reading. Students passed i-Ready and Ready Theory reading lessons for the chance to win donuts for their homeroom. Students won prizes for reading during Drop Everything and Read.
Kerri Eilers
Middle School Interventionist
Wisconsin State Forward Exam
Counselor's Corner
Hello parents and guardians!
This month brings the excitement of spring break, busy times of Forward testing, and looking toward making end of school year plans! We are also still going strong in our Social Emotional Learning in the classrooms through our Second Step Curriculum. Our 5th grade students will wrap up their SEL Lessons with their final unit focus on problem-solving. Our 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students will also be working on their final SEL unit on Managing Relationships & Social Conflict. This unit looks at conflict resolution skills, perspective taking, personal values, and decision making.
Jess Luecke
School Counselor
Student Council
Our student council is growing! This past week we invited any interested sixth graders to join the council to see what it’s all about and to see if this is something they would be interested in joining. We were so excited to see so many new faces and to hear so many new ideas! We are happy to have you on the team!
The Middle School Student Council is just wrapping up their events with the American Heart Association and are really excited to plan their next events for the month of March. The council is gearing up for March Madness by hosting a Lightning Competition between the homerooms. Starting next week, homerooms will be placed into a lightning tournament bracket and will be competing to make it to the final four. Winning homerooms will compete at the Middle School Assembly the Friday before Spring Break. At the assembly students will also have the opportunity to be drawn to compete in our shooting contest. Students will try to beat the clock to see if they can make it all the way to the half-court shot.
As we get closer to Spring Break, the student council is planning a door decorating contest between homerooms to help motivate students and get them ready for the Forward Exam. Homerooms will be challenged to design and create an inspirational door that includes a positive, motivational message. We can’t wait to see what each homeroom comes up with. Bring on the positive vibes!
Summer School
Summer School information and registration forms will be available online at the district website (www.hgtigers.org). You can find it in the top right hand corner labeled Summer School 2024. If there are any questions, please contact Angie Houston, Summer School Principal: (920) 565-4452 or ahouston@hgsd.k12.wi.us
March 22 – Registration closes
April 1 – Fees for classes will be posted to the student's account
April 15 – All fees need to be paid
Session 1-June 10 – June 28 Summer School classes in session Classes held Monday – Friday 8 am - 12 pm unless otherwise indicated
Session 2-July 29 – August 9 Summer School classes in session Classes held Monday – Friday 8 am - 12 pm unless otherwise indicated
Middle School Summer Musical
Zombies! The Musical!
June 10th-June 28
12:30-3:30 PM
Northview Summer Musical
Cookies! The Musical
July 10-July 26
9 AM to Noon
PTO
Thank You!
- Family Food Night: Thank you to everyone who joined us at our two March Family Food Nights at the Log Cabin and Culvers, where over $700 was raised in support of ongoing student programming. We appreciate your support of not only the PTO, but of our local businesses as well!
- PJs, Pancakes, & Books: Thank you to all who joined us for an exciting evening of reading, face painting, and eating a yummy pancake dinner. We had a great turnout and even had a surprise visit from Pete the Cat and the Cat in the Hat!
The Book Fair had over $10,500 in sales this year, which means our amazing Howards Grove Teachers will receive approximately $5,300 in Scholastic Dollars to allocate toward books for their classroom and the library. Because of the absolutely incredible support of our local families, the teachers were able to get everything on their wish lists, and the library was able to fulfill their entire request list too!
Open Position - Book Fair Co-Chair: If you are looking to get more involved and would like to play a key role in this highly successful annual event, please consider volunteering as Co-Chair of the Book Fair! As Co-Chair, you will work alongside the event Chair to coordinate all aspects of the Book Fair, including PJs, Pancakes, & Books and Books & Breakfast. If interested, please contact Jenna Albrecht at mcrjenplath@gmail.com.
- Wisconsin Herd Family Night: On Friday, March 15, dozens of families joined us for Family Night with the Wisconsin Herd. A portion of all the ticket sales were donated back to the PTO in support of our students and teachers. It was a fun time for a great cause – a true slam dunk!
Save the Date
- Monday, April 1, 2024: Don’t be fooled and miss out on a delicious meal! Stop by our next Family Food Night at Log Cabin, where 10% of all sales will be donated back to the PTO for ongoing student programming. Join us for great food and another easy night of meal prep!
- Monday, April 8, 2024: Join us for our monthly PTO Meeting at 5:00pm in the Northview Library. Everyone is welcome! Free babysitting is provided if requested within 72 hours of the meeting. Please contact hgpto@yahoo.com for more information.
- Tuesday, April 23: Join us for Family Food Night at Jersey Mike’s Subs! (4017 State HWY 28, Sheboygan)
- Friday, May 17: Spring Carnival: On Friday, May 17, the PTO will be hosting its annual Spring Carnival with the kitchen opening at 5:00pm for an easy and affordable night of dinner for the whole family. The Carnival will be open from 5:00-8:00pm and will have activities for the entire family, including a 50/50 Raffle, Silent Auction, Dunk Tank, Face Painting, Balloon Animals, Carnival Games, Bake Sale, and a chance to win a highly coveted classroom basket! All district families are welcome to attend! Check out our Facebook page often for updates and more detailed event information.
Get Involved!
· 50/50 Raffle: Stop by Piggly Wiggly the week of May 13 to purchase a 50/50 Raffle Ticket as well as a ticket for our highly coveted classroom baskets! This is a great way to support your local PTO as we work to give back to our wonderful students and teachers.
· Silent Auction: The PTO is looking for silent auction items for the upcoming Spring Carnival. If you or a local business you are affiliated with would like to provide a silent auction item, please sign up by clicking here. Items must be received no later than May 10. Questions regarding the Silent Auction? Email Sara Dassow, PTO President, at saradassow@gmail.com.
Learn More About the PTO!
- Email: Reach out to Sara Dassow, PTO President, at hgpto@yahoo.com for any questions you may have.
- Facebook: Follow us on Facebook (Howards Grove PTO) for all of the latest information!
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)