School District of Howards Grove
Parent & Guardian Newsletter January 2025
Greetings Parents & Guardians-
Happy New Year! We are officially in the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year. At this time of the year we actually begin transitioning our focus to planning for the 2025-2026 school year, with our high school and middle school students going through course selections to help us build our schedules for the next year.
Currently, our elementary students at Northview are knee deep in AIMSWeb testing as part of the ACT 20 mandates and our high school and middle school students are gearing up for the ACT and Forward testing this spring. All of this data helps us focus on our improvement efforts.
Check out the updates to our construction project pictured below! We are making great progress in the new building and continue to be on track for opening the new school in late August.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership to make The School District of Howards Grove the best it can be.
Sincerely,
Shannon Kilton
Superintendent
There has been some chatter out in the community and on social media regarding the district's proposal for Tiger Den Childcare. The district presented information to the Board of Education regarding Tiger Den Childcare at the December Board Meeting. This presentation was informational only and no action has been taken by the Board. Here is a LINK to the informational presentation that was shared in December. Since this is only a proposal, there may be some changes or recommendations moving forward, if our plan is approved.
Here are the facts and some answers to frequently asked questions:
What is Tiger Den?
Tiger Den is a daycare option for our families held at Northview Elementary School, serving as "wraparound" care for our students attending our school that need before & after school care as well as our Junior Kindergarten students that need a place to go after or before the half-day program. Students that attend the morning session of JK, would then be able to have lunch at school and spend the afternoon at Northview in the Tiger Den. Students that attend the afternoon session of JK would be able to start their day in the Tiger Den, have lunch and then transition to JK for the afternoon.
What other area districts provide wraparound care?
Elkhart Lake
Random Lake
Ozaukee
Oostburg
Plymouth
Sheboygan Falls
Kohler
Kiel
New Holstein
What are the proposed hours for Tiger Den?
Before School: 6:30am-8:30am (all elementary age students welcome)
After School: 4:00pm-6:00pm (all elementary age students welcome)
Junior Kindergarten Morning Care 8:30am-12:45pm
Junior Kindergarten Afternoon Care 11:30am-4:00pm
What is the estimated cost for Tiger Den?
Registration Fee: $75.00 per Child and $100 per family
Hourly Tuition: $4.00 per hour per child
Late Fee: If your child is picked up after 6:00pm, there will be a $10 late fee charge added to your bill.
What about Morning Grovers?
The Tiger Den will begin at 6:30am in place of Morning Grovers. It will be open to all families just like Morning Grovers in years past.
What about Summer Options and School Breaks?
Our current proposal includes childcare over the summer AND will allow child care before and after our School District Summer School Program. In addition, Tiger Den will be open during staff professional development days and school breaks, except for federal holidays.
If approved, when will Tiger Den start?
The current proposal is to start Tiger Den this upcoming summer 2025.
Why is the district proposing Tiger Den?
We have been talking about this idea for over a year specifically because we saw a drastic decline in our JK enrollment after a local private school opened full-day JK. We've already had to reduce teaching staff in JK at Northview due to decreased enrollment. The goal is to keep our students and families enrolled at Northview instead of having them leave our district due to childcare. In addition, having this affordable option at Northview is convenient for our families.
What is the financial impact to the District by offering Tiger Den?
The goal of Tiger Den is to provide wraparound child care for families, offering a much-needed service that will help retain and grow our enrollment. By offering Tiger Den, we believe we can operate the program at a net-neutral cost, meaning it will cover its own expenses without a financial burden on the district. Additionally, we anticipate that providing this service will help retain students and attract new families, ultimately increasing General Fund revenue. Conversely, not offering Tiger Den and losing our JK enrollment would negatively affect the district's budget.
When will a decision be made about Tiger Den?
This item is on the agenda for potential action at the Board Meeting on Monday, January 20th at 4:00 PM in the high school library.
If there are additional questions or you would like to provide feedback regarding the Tiger Den, please email Shannon Kilton- skilton@hgtigers.com
Thank You!
- Family Skate Day: A big thank-you to everyone who joined us for Family Skate Day at the Sheboygan Lakers Ice Center this past Monday! We were thrilled to see nearly 150 participants lace up their skates and enjoy a morning of fun and community.
Save the Date
- Monday, January 27 – Spring Carnival Planning Meeting: Join us on Monday, January 27 at 5:00pm in the Northview Library for our Spring Carnival Planning Meeting. This kick-off meeting is your chance to help plan our biggest annual fundraiser. Be part of something truly impactful –the funds raised at the Spring Carnival enable us to give back to our amazing teachers and students each year. Let’s make this year’s event the best one yet! We hope to see you there!
- Tuesday, February 4, 2024: PJs, Pancakes, & Books at Northview Elementary. There’s just something extra special about pancakes for dinner! Put on your favorite PJs and join us for a fun evening of reading and a yummy pancake dinner at Northview Elementary.
- Monday, February 10 - PTO Meeting: 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.
Learn More About the PTO!
Take advantage of the opportunity to give back and support your school community by joining the PTO.
Interested in learning more, reach out anytime via email or check us out on Facebook!
- Email: Reach out to Stacey Yager, PTO President, at hgpto@yahoo.com for any questions you may have.
- Facebook: Follow us on Facebook (Howards Grove PTO) for all the latest information!
