Halmstad Hawks

Welcome backs Hawks! Hello New Hawk Families! We're so glad you're here at Halmstad to start another year of learning! It was wonderful getting to see so many of you during our open house night. Our Hawk Happenings Newsletter comes to you monthly. In this this letter you will find important information about what is going on in our building. You probably noticed that August version was full of information for the first days of school. Please click on any of the blue tabs near the bottom if you have questions about policies.

I'm going to keep it short and sweet so you can read on to get to know about some of our new staff members and the fundraisers that the PTO is currently working on. Please know that I value honest communication and am willing to discuss issues with you. I've stated this may times, but you are your child's first teacher and advocate. Your input helps all of us. Don't hesitate to reach out. Let's have a great start to the 2024-25 year!

Contacting Halmstad

Halmstad’s office hours are from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm. Halmstad’s phone number is 715-726-2415. Your child’s teacher will provide you with their contact information as well.

Thank you for helping us start the school year off right! We appreciate your support!

Our school is a Schoolwide Title I building. In order to learn more about Schoolwide Title I, please click the following link: Title I Annual Information 2024-2025 (English) or Title I Annual Information 2024-2025 (Spanish)

Our pick up and drop off procedures will be the same as last year. This system is far from perfect, but with patience and attention we have been able to make it work the last two years. Please click on the bar below for information on this procedure.

Mum pick up (9/12 2:30-5:30 Halmstad playground)

Ice Cream Social (9/23 4:00-6:00pm Halmstad playground)

Fall Culvers Night (10/29 4:00-7:00 new Culvers by Festival)

We are looking for volunteers and would love for families to fill out this volunteer survey to see what they may be interested in.

Meetings are the first Monday of the month at 6pm at Halmstad. Here is a link to join virtually or view the minutes by clicking this link.

Liz Tice (president)

Alicia Bowe (vice president)

Jerrica Richel (treasure and social media coordinator)

Amber Vetch (fundraising coordinator)

Jamie Chavez (event coordinator).

PTO e-mails (halmstadptopresident@gmail.com and halmstadptotreasurer@gmail.com).

Tuesday 10/22/24- Halmstad Picture Retakes

Hello Halmstad families! My name is Jeremy Black, and I am the new 5th grade teacher at Halmstad Elementary. The last ten years I have taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. I have also coached multiple sports including golf, basketball, and football.

I live in Eau Claire with my wife and two kids. When I’m not in the classroom, I love to golf, spend time with friends/family, and watch movies! I also am a diehard Green Bay Packers fan!

I look forward to working with you all and thank you for welcoming me to Halmstad Elementary!

I am excited for my new opportunity at Halmstead ! I have worked in childcare for many years.

When I am not working, I love being on the water, traveling, and spending time with my family.

My family consists of my husband Mike, son Cody, daughters Tatjanna and Grace. I also have three grandchildren Charlie, Lennon and Jack. I'm the one in the center of the photo. :)

Hello!

My name is Courtney Raymond and I am so excited to be joining Halmstad as a Special Education Assistant!

For the past two years I have worked at Jim Falls Elementary and I just graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in psychology. When I am not working you can find me traveling, painting, or hanging out with friends and family. I look forward to working with the Hawks this school year!

Hello Halmstad families! My name is Jordan Gallion and I am the new third grade teacher at Halmstad! I am a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire for Elementary/Middle Education. I have also been an Assistant/Lead Teacher in a daycare center for the last three years.

In my time not working with children, I enjoy spending lots of time with my family, friends, and two dogs! I like to play many different card games, tennis, and go on hikes in my free time. When I am not outdoors, I am most likely reading a good book. I also like to travel and explore new places as much as I can!

I look forward to meeting all of the students and families here at Halmstad!

Welcome back to a new year! This is the time of year we tend to see an increase in illnesses in our student population. We would like to remind parents and guardians the guidelines the CFAUSD school nurses follow in regards to keeping your child home if they are not feeling well:

• Temperature over 100.4 degrees in the last 24 hours. If you suspect that they may be sick, please check their temperature with a thermometer before sending them to school. If they have a fever, it is not appropriate to send them to school, even if you give them acetaminophen or ibuprofen and their fever breaks. Your child will still be contagious to other children and will also not be feeling well enough to learn. Coming to school sick (and possibly contagious) not only exposes other children to the illness, but also delays your child’s healing time. Once the medicine wears off and the fever returns, your child must be picked up anyway, and valuable healing time has been lost. Children must be fever-free for 24 hours, without the use of medication, before returning to school.

• Vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours. If vomiting or diarrhea occur, you must keep your child home. Even if these things happen only one time before school starts and your child feels better immediately afterwards, it is still wise to watch for a few hours to see if it happens again before sending him or her on to class. Your child may not return to school until they have not had an episode of vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours. If your child is spending all his or her time at school feeling sick, then not much learning is taking place!

• An unexplained rash - Anytime a rash is associated with fever, the child may not come to school until that fever is gone for 24 hours without medication. Sometimes a rash is a sign of a contagious disease such as chickenpox. Sometimes, rashes are not contagious, but are uncomfortable and itchy from contact with something the child is allergic to.

• Any contagious disease that requires antibiotics (ie. strep throat) Students can return after they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours and are fever-free.

• Headache, cough, sore throat, or congestion severe enough to interfere with attention to school work.

• Flare ups from asthma that would make it difficult to work in school.

MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION AT SCHOOL: Over-the-counter medications (cough drops, Tylenol, etc.) require written permission from a parent/guardian. Any prescribed medication (ADHD medication, Inhalers, EpiPens, etc.) requires an order and signature from the physician as well as permission from the parent to administer. Medication forms are available on the district’s Nursing Services website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/district/NursingServices.cfm Forms are also available from the Health office. All medications must be non-expired in its original container and brought in by an adult. All prescription medications must have a pharmacy label in place.

DOCTOR NOTES FOR LIMITATIONS/RESTRICTIONS IN SCHOOL: If your child has an injury or a health issue that requires limitations or restrictions while in school, the district requires a note from the doctor with the listed restrictions. If the note does not have a date when normal activities can be restarted, a note will also be required that specifies when the student may return to normal participation in activities.

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS - 24/25 SCHOOL YEAR:

Summary of Changes to Wisconsin 2024-2025 School Immunization Requirements

CLOTHING: The health office is in need of children’s clothing, especially pants, both boys and girls. We are also looking for gently worn tennis shoes to have available for students if they forget to bring in their own shoes. If you have any you can donate, please send them in to the health office. Thank you.

VISION SCREENINGS: Vision screenings will be done at the elementary schools at the end of September-beginning of October. The Jim Falls and Lake Wissota Lions Club will be assisting with screening all grade levels. Screenings will be done using a Spot vision screener. This device looks like a camera. The camera takes a picture of your child’s eyes and is able to detect certain vision problems including far-sightedness, near-sightedness, and astigmatism.

TREATS IN THE CLASSROOM:

• The health office requests that any treats brought in to school for birthdays, parties, or any other special occasions be prepackaged with a clear nutrition label.

• There are students with health conditions that may require certain dietary accommodations, and it's important that they are able to review a food's nutrition label before choosing to omit or consume certain foods.

• It is also recommended to stray away from bringing in snacks that contain peanuts/tree nuts when possible to accommodate our students with peanut/tree nut allergies.

If you would like to volunteer to help out in the classroom or go on any field trips, you must fill out the proper online form. Please click HERE to be taken to our Volunteer Information webpage. Please note that once the online form is submitted, it could take up to 2 weeks to fully process so please please allow ample time before you volunteer for the first time. The link is always open so feel free to fill it out at your earliest convenience.

The district adopted a new volunteer management system last spring so many parents are already on file and approved to volunteer for the 2024-25 school year. That approval is good for 1 year so for those parents that are already in the new system, you will get an email 30 days prior to its expiration date, reminding you to reapply. The email will come from RAPTOR TECHNOLOGIES and will go to the email address that they have on file for you.

Email: Principal Ryan Lowe lowerj@chipfalls.org

Secretary Heidi Olson olsonhj@chipfalls.org
Website: https://cfsd.chipfalls.k12.wi.us/halmstad/
Location: 565 East South Avenue, Chippewa Falls, WI, USA
Phone: 715-726-2454

Fax: 715-720-3756