Section School Newsletter

Dear Section Families,

I hope this message finds you well and rejuvenated after a delightful summer. As we stand on the threshold of a new school year, I am filled with excitement and anticipation for the journey ahead. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you back to Section for what promises to be an exceptional year of learning, growth, and community.

Our dedicated team has been hard at work preparing for the new school year, ensuring that our classrooms are ready, our programs are updated, and our school environment is inviting and safe. We are committed to creating a supportive and dynamic atmosphere where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

We understand that a successful school year is built on the strong partnership between home and school. We value your support and communication, and we are here to address any questions or concerns you may have. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office or your child’s teacher if you need assistance.

Let’s make this year a memorable one, filled with new achievements, enriching experiences, and the joy of learning. Welcome back to Section—let’s get started on another fantastic year!

Sincerely,

Rachel Crockford

Principal

Please join me in welcoming the new Section staff members

• Shirley Struve

  • Recess Monitor

• Shanon Newby
• Kindergarten Instructional Para
• Brynn Devine
• Playworks Coach

2nd - No School - Labor Day

3rd - First Day of School Grades 1-6 and 5K with last names A-K

4th - First Day of School for 5K with last names L-Z

11th - PTG Meeting in Library at 6:00pm

24th - Picture Day (orders must be placed online only)

26th - Early Release 1:35pm

30th - Section 60 (read more about it in the PTG News below)

Morning Arrival K-6 First Bell for Buses - 8:20 a.m.

• There is no student supervision prior to 8:20.
• Student may not be dropped off prior to 8:20

Afternoon Departure

• Parent Pick-up & Kids Connection at 3:30 p.m.
• Parents must pick-up students under the vestibule
• For safety purposes, students may not walk in the parking lot unsupervised
• Please access the parking lot via the crosswalk at the north end of the parking lot.

Afternoon Departure for Bus Riders

• K-6 Students- 3:35 p.m.
• Busses depart at 3:40

Please review the car drop-off traffic flow map below. We will be utilizing 2 lanes with a zipper merge as you approach the student drop-off zone. Students should not exit cars outside of the designated drop-off zone. Staff will be directing traffic through the drop-off line. Please follow their directions to help the process run smoothly.

In order to ensure student safety, the parking spaces at the south end of the lot are not to be used for daily drop-off or to bypass the car rider line. These spaces are for students who need additional assistance due to medical needs or help carrying a project, etc. Thank you for your support and understanding - student safety is ALWAYS our #1 priority!

Attendance Requests through IC There is a new feature in IC that allows parents to enter their students absences through their parent portal, rather than calling the school attendance line. Click here for step by step information on how to do this.

or

Section School Attendance Line offers 24 hour voice mail messaging. Please call the main office numbers 262-363-6260 and listen for the prompts. All absences and tardies should be called in by 8:30 a.m. on the day of the absence or tardy. When calling in, please state clearly your child's name, grade, homeroom teacher, reason for absence and if you want to leave a homework request. If it is a late arrival, please leave your lunch choice if taking hot lunch and an approximate arrival time if known. It is important that you call in your child by 8:30 a.m. as the number of lunches needs to be called into the central kitchen by 9:00 a.m. for delivery to our school and we will start making calls to parents for absences not called in. We appreciate your help with this process.

The Mukwonago Area School District has changed the enrollment process to a Yearly Online Registration Process (a verification of enrolled students) through the parent/guardian Infinite Campus Portal.

This is an annual process that must be completed prior to the start of the school year. All families are required to complete this process to ensure your students enrollment is complete for the 24-25 school year. This information should be completed by August 31. If you do not complete this annual update in the appropriate timeframe, the building administrative assistants will be contacting you. If you do not have a portal account, email helpdesk@masd.k12.wi.us and provide the parent name, student name, school, and grade level. Do not use the student's account!

Once you are in the portal, please select the link in the lower left hand corner of the parent portal: Select More > 2025 Online Registration > 24-25 School Year Existing Student Registration (do not select New Student Registration). If you select this link and "Not Primary Household" is listed next to your student, this means you are not required to complete this update because another household is listed as the "Primary Household" for census purposes only in our database.

Here is the link to order your students school picture. Click on "Section"

Student pictures will be taken by Network Photography during the school day on September 24th. Picture packets can be ordered and paid for online only, directly to Network Photography.

Yearbook orders are not taken until the spring of 2025. Information regarding this will be communicated via future Parent Newsletters.

A note from the Orchestra

Students in 4th grade are eligible to join the orchestra and learn to play a stringed instrument (violin, viola, or cello). If you didn’t get a chance to sign up last spring and would like to join before our first lesson, it’s not too late! Please reach out to Mr. Wimer at wimerda@masd.k12.wi.us to get the information you need and to get enrolled into the orchestra. Mr. Wimer

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Please check you parent portal on Infinite Campus for all fees

assessed for the 2024-2025 school year.

You can pay your Registration and Lunch fees through your Infinite Campus Portal. The District is waiving the credit card payment fee through 9/30/24 to encourage families to pay online. This is the easiest way to make your payments however, we also accept payment in the school office by cash, check or credit card. Remember if you are paying by check it should be made out to MASD. If you are sending payments with your child it must be in a sealed envelope addressed to the school office and clearly marked with what is inside.

The safety of our students and staff is the top priority of the Mukwonago Area School District. Each year, district schools practice the Standard Response Protocol which include hold, secure, shelter, lockdown, and evacuate.

In the past, many of these safety drills were announced in advance to students and staff. However, knowing that these drills are coming limits their effectiveness.

Starting this year, the Mukwonago Area School District will treat September as School Safety Month. During the month, schools will run an evacuation (fire) drill, a shelter (tornado) drill, a lockdown drill and a hold drill. We will provide information to teachers, students, and our families on the meaning of each drill and information following each drill to let you know that it has been conducted.

After September, in order to help everyone practice the Standard Response Protocol as effectively as possible, our safety drills – including holds and lockdowns – will not be announced in advance. However, you will always receive communication from your school after a safety drill – including a lockdown, hold, or secure – is held.

Please talk to your child about the importance of safety drills and being prepared for an emergency. The district is confident this will help our students and staff be as ready as possible for any situation that may occur.

We hope everyone had a relaxing summer and is refreshed for the new school year. Our next meeting is September 11 at 6pm in the Section Library and we will be discussing everything for the year. This is a great meeting to attend for new and established families to check in with all our events and activities. We welcome Kate Kim to the board as the new Volunteer Coordinator and several new chair members to help run all the activities that your kids love. We are always looking for volunteers, so please check to see if there is an opportunity that fits you. bit.ly/sectionvolunteer

Spiritwear

The Section Spiritwear Sale is live! Did someone say snow gear bags? Order now through 9/15!

https://distinktivemerchco.chipply.com/Section/

Section 60

Everyone’s favorite fundraiser is back! This is our biggest fundraiser to support all the activities the PTG runs as well as save towards a new playmod and an outdoor classroom space. The older playmod has less than a 3 year lifespan at this time and has been well-loved through the years. Look for flyers coming home soon for more details and set up your family account now at http://mybooster.com

Visitor Week & Book Fair

Save the date for our Fall Visitor Week and Book Fair: October 7-11. Watch for more information coming home soon!

Mukwonago Area School District has various options available to Parents/Guardians related to Internet Safety and monitoring student activity. Parental controls for Chromebooks are also available via Aristotle Internet Referee. For more information on how parents/guardians can take advantage of available options, please click this link.

Hot lunch (including milk) is available daily for $3.20. The cost of ala carte milk is $.50. Funds should be deposited to your child's Infinite Campus food service account. You may check the balance at any time by accessing the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. You will receive an automatic low balance or negative balance phone call when your child needs money added to his/her account. Payments may be made online through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, or paid by check made out to MASD and sent to the school office. Our free/reduced-price lunch application is also available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal for families wishing to apply for assistance. The hot lunch calendar is available on the MASD Webpage.

The Mukwonago Area School District understands that it takes students, staff, and the community to build better schools. One way the community can support our schools is through their time. We are grateful for the help of volunteers at each of our schools.

In order to provide for the safety and well-being of our students the Board of Education requires a background check for all volunteers. Background checks will be conducted prior to the individual’s first assignment in the district. Approval of volunteer applications are subject to District review.

If you are interested in volunteering, you will need to complete the online volunteer application no later than five school days prior to your first volunteer assignment in our schools. Your approved volunteer application will remain active for two years and is good for any school in the District.

It is natural for children to be excited about sharing birthdays with friends. All birthday treats sent to school must be pre-packaged or packaged into easy to serve individual servings. All treats must be nut free and sensitive to any allergies within the classroom. The treats should not require being placed in the refrigerator or freezer.The teacher will determine an appropriate time and manner for items to be distributed so as not to disrupt the classroom learning.

Also, if you want to come to school to eat lunch with your student you will need to check in the main office. Please do not bring food from an outside vendor to eat. We are able to accommodate any adults who would like to enjoy a school lunch with their student. Please let the office know before 9:00 a.m. the choice of lunch you will be having with your child.

Lastly, keep in mind gifts, balloons and decorations should be kept at home to celebrate with your family. Deliveries to the classroom will not be allowed. It is not acceptable for parents to bring in balloons, flowers or deliveries.

Drivers are instructed to pick up students at assigned stops only. This prevents students from dangerously walking or running along town and subdivision roads to another location. Students have ample time to socialize with friends at scheduled recesses and after school hours. Thank you for following your assigned scheduled bus stop.