Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
November 17th. 2023
Dear Muskego Lakes Families,
At Muskego Lakes, we work really hard to connect hearts and minds, doing all we can as a school to care for the whole child. And so while grades are an important indicator of your child’s progress as a learner, we also care a great deal about how your child is doing as a person.
I don’t know what your middle school experience was like, but for many, the middle school years are tough.
During these middle school years, we see our students begin to crave independence. They start to compare themselves to others. They test boundaries. They wonder where they fit in. They often struggle to stay organized. They can be impulsive. They worry about what others think of them. All while their bodies and brains are changing at such a rapid pace.
And so, while we are incredibly proud of our school’s achievement on the DPI State Report Card, what gets us up in the morning is our mission of connecting hearts and minds here at school. We see it as our responsibility to reassure students that we believe in them. We walk alongside them on the days when they are not at their best. We help them learn from the decisions they wish they could take back. And we tell them- in so many ways- that they matter to us.
And while these middle school years can be quite hard as a young person, we also know that these years can be especially challenging as a parent as well.
Some of you, as parents, worry that your child comes home without homework. Others wonder why your child has so much. Some of you wish your child had a friend or two to spend time with outside of school. Others are navigating peer groups that you aren’t sure whether are the best for your child. Some of your children put a lot of pressure on themselves as star athletes. Others didn’t get a lead in the school musical. Some of your children get really stressed out about their grades. And yet for others, you continue to wrestle with how to help your child take more initiative when it comes to their academics.
Bottom line, no matter what you are going through, you are not alone.
We are here for you and will do just about anything we can to help your child. As a school, we are committed to doing whatever it takes to create a positive experience for our students, their families, and the community. So please don’t hesitate to reach out. No matter what your child is going through, we are here to listen, to problem solve together, and to figure out a next step. We are grateful anytime a parent or caregiver reaches out because it means that we have the opportunity to work even closer with our students’ support system- not only bridging but strengthening support between home and school.
And finally, as you know, it takes a village- especially throughout the middle school years. You can always count on us to listen and respond to your feedback to continuously improve our service to you. And we are grateful for all the ways you continue to partner with us here at school. We appreciate your support, the ideas you bring forward to help us improve, and that you trust us to spend our days with your children.
That being said, every year, our partners at Studer Education provide an opportunity for you to provide feedback anonymously at the link below:
Muskego-Norway – Parent / Caregiver Experience Survey
We would be so grateful if you’d take a few minutes to complete the survey. It will remain open until Wednesday, December 13th. We will use any and all feedback you provide to make sure we stay on track with what’s going well here as well as take action to improve.
We appreciate your commitment as families to our school as a school community.
In partnership,
Rachel and Nancy
Muskego Lakes Principals
Important Dates Ahead
- November 22- 24: No School Thanksgiving Break
- November 27: Lion's Club Peace Poster Contest Reception
- November 29: Choralfest at MHS in Salentine Gym
- November 30: Band Concert 6th Grade: 6pm & 7/8th Grade: 7pm at PAC
- December 5-7: Literacy iReady Testing
- December 11-13: Math iReady Testing
- December 14: Choir Concert 7pm at PAC
- December 15: 6th Grade Science Fair
- December 22- Jan 1: No School Winter Break
Executive Function Tips Ahead for Families Ahead
Our MLMS Student Services Team will be sharing information through various series for families the rest of the school year. They are going to kick-off their series with a focus on Executive Functioning. Specficially this series will include brief descriptions of what the main executive functioning skills are, when they develop, how to recognize challenges, as well as tips to help your child succeed with these skills at home and at school.
Executive functioning is a set of mental skills that help us manage our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. These skills are essential for success in school, work, and life. (from National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) Executive functioning skills become increasingly important during middle school as students face more complex academic demands and social challenges. (Understood.org) In next week's parent newsletter, we'll define the main executive functions.
Returning to Culture of Respect
Partnering with us to Promote Strong Attendance
As a reminder students can only be excused by parents each year up to 10 days. Any absence(part or whole day) after 10 days needs a doctor's excuse. With that being said, any day a student misses counts towards their total days of school missed for the year (doctor excused or not) and results in them missing out on the learning at school.
Did you know that if your child has missed...
- 3 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 94.8%
- 4 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 93%
- 5 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 91%
- 6 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 89.6%
- 7 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 89.4%
- 8 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 86.2%
- 9 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 84.4%
- 10 days so far this year their attendance rate at this point in the year is 82.7%
Remember that the goal is for your child to have the highest attendance rate possible and ideally over 90%. There is still time to help your child improve their overall attendance rate this year and set goals to minimize time out of class. Our goal is to have your student in school everyday! While we know that sometimes their absences can't be helped (i.e. sick, funeral leave, etc.), you can help keep students total days out of school low by:
- Scheduling appointments for after school hours or on breaks.
- Scheduling vacations or trips when possible over school breaks.
- Bringing students to school before/after an appointment when it falls on a school day.
- Talk about the importance of showing up everyday with your child.
- Help your child maintain daily routines.
In order to keep you updated about your child's attendance, we do mail out biweekly letters for any students who hit 5, 7, or 10 days out. The purpose of the letter is to serve as a reminder that we are here to support and partner with you. In addition, it is a reminder of the Compulsary Student Attendance requirements.
We know that unexpected situations sometimes arise and that you might need a partner in supporting your child being at school. So, If you are worried about your child's attendance, have a unique situation or want to partner together, reach out to Stacy Pawlak, School Social Worker at stacy.pawlak@muskegonorway.org.
Shown below are the upcoming co-curricular events at Muskego Lakes.
If a change occurs from the date of this newsletter, we post on Infinite Campus in the announcement section. We commit to letting students/families know about changes and updating Infinite Campus announcements as soon as possible once we've been notified of a change.
For more detailed information about MLMS events, click here.
Did your child misplace something? Check out the Muskego Lakes Lost & Found!
You can check out the items that are currently in our lost and found this week:
Winter Wonderland Dance
Lake Denoon will be hosting a dance/open gym night on Friday, December 8th from 5:00-7:00 pm. The event will be open to all 5-8 students from both Lake Denoon and Muskego Lakes and will include a DJ/dancing, open gym, and raffle prizes! A concession stand will also be available. Admission is $5 and sign-up is required ahead of time so that we can plan for staffing. We will also be looking for some parent volunteers to help out at this event! If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up here. Thanks for considering helping us out!
If you have any questions about the event, please contact Nikki Kamperschroer at nicole.kamperschroer@muskegonorway.org or Jack Thompson at jack.thompson@muskegonorway.org.
Winter Wonderland Sign-Up Form (sign-up closes Wednesday, December 6th)
MLMS PTO Kringle Sale Pick-Up November 18th
Thank you to everyone that supported our Kringle sale! Delivery/pick up will be Saturday, November 18th from 12-2pm at S76 W16150 Bridgeport Way in Muskego.
Important Payment Information
At pick up, we will need one check made out to MLPTO. We will hold your check for 1 week to give you time to collect. Payment must be made to pick-up kringles.
If you have any questions, please contact the the MLMS PTO at muskegolakespto@gmail.com
SIgn Up Today for Mid-Week Munchies
Every Wednesday the Muskego Lakes PTO is looking for volunteers to donate snacks to our teachers and staff. This greatly helps them make it through the week and brighten their day. You can donate snacks or a group of families can donate. We have roughly 100 staff members. Snacks can be anything you'd like. Please sign up for a date HERE if you can. Drop off will be in the front office by 8am on the Wednesday you sign up.
Thank you in advanced for helping spoil our staff.
8th Grade Promotion Committee Chair Needed!
It's that time of the year again when we start planning the 8th-grade promotion celebrations! We're looking for a parent chairperson (or two) who would love to join us in planning the magic of the 8th-grade promotion festivities. If you're as excited about making these moments unforgettable for our students as we are, we'd love to have you on board!
The parent committe will be critical in helping us create lasting memories for our 8th graders. If interested, please get in touch with Rachel Rydzewski, principal, at rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org. Your involvement means the world to us and, more importantly, to our students! Let's make this 8th-grade send-off the best one yet!
Help Support Building an Indoor Recess Cart
The Muskego Lakes PTO is looking to assemble a rainy-day activity cart for students to access for indoor recess. The hope is that when students have indoor recess, they will be able to choose from different options to occupy their time and make memories with one another. If you are willing and able to help, please check out our Muskego Lakes Amazon Wishlist HERE.
On behalf of the Muskego Lakes PTO, they thank you for considering supporting this endeavor, and want you to know that if you have ideas or would like to donate something not on the wishlist to please reach out to them at muskegolakespto@gmail.com.
Support the PTO through our No Fuss Raffle Seat Fundraiser
Support the PTO through our No Fuss Raffle Seat Fundraiser! Each tickets is $5 each, and payment can be made by cash or check(written to the MLMS PTO). Check out the details below!
Get Involved By Joining The Muskego Lakes PTO!
Please consider joining the Muskego Lakes PTO. We meet monthly in the MLMS library at 6:30pm. We always welcome new faces and would love to hear your ideas on how we can make this an amazing school year ahead!!
Meeting Dates for the 23-24 School Year
- January 10
- February 14
- March 13
- April 10
- May 8
Reminders for the Lunchroom
In an effort to ensure students can move through the lunch lines efficiently, we ask that you remind your student to ensure that they bring their school ID card with them to lunch daily or ensure that they have gotten their finger scanned.
For your convenience, we have linked helpful resources. You can always find the link to updated lunch menus, at the end of this newsletter.
2023-24 Lunch Prices:
- Elementary Lunch: $2.55
- MS Lunch 1: $2.95
- MS Lunch 2: $3.50
- MS Creation Station: $3.90
- Milk Carton: $.50
- MHS Ala carte meal rates as noted on the monthly menu will apply.
Questions related to the food service program can be directed to Benny D’Epiro, Food Service Director at 262-971-1790 x4522.
Clinical Psychology Associates Services
We are proud to continue to partner with Clinical Psychology Associates (CPA) to offer on-site counseling services for students enrolled in Lakeview Elementary, Mill Valley Elementary, Bay Lane Elementary, Lake Denoon Middle, Muskego Lakes Middle, and Muskego High School. For information about CPA’s services and therapists or to get started with an appointment, please visit our website.
Muskego Norway School District Calendar
Please make note of days off and important events on the 23-24 calendar. It is ideal to make dentist and doctor appointments on days we do not have school whenever possible.
Thank you!
Muskego Lakes Middle School
Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies