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Terrapin News
February 2024
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Hello Terrapin Families,
This February we will be dedicating teaching and learning around the topic of kindness. Here at Token Springs we define kindness as the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate towards others. It is through empathy, acceptance and thoughtfulness where kindness shows up.
Good for the body and mind, kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels. People who give of themselves in a balanced way also tend to be healthier and live longer.
Kindness goes beyond merely being nice. Being kind is doing intentional, voluntary acts of kindness. Not only when it’s easy to be kind, but when it’s hard to be. Kindness is a movement with a chain reaction. It’s a wave that keeps rolling, and all it needs is one person to start it. One small, kind act can cause a ripple effect that impacts an entire community. Kind is love; love is kind. Kindness is selfless, caring, compassionate and unconditional. It takes practice to understand and feel it. We can share kindness with others through acts such as a smile, a nice word, an unexpected deed or a planned surprise. When we offer these acts to others, we make people feel good; we pass along hope; we promote peace; we show the power of kindness. Kindness is grace - we are all humans, and therefore, we make mistakes. We can be kind in our response to ourselves and others when those mistakes occur. This means thinking before speaking, forgiving before seeking revenge, and thinking about long-term relationships instead of short-term pride. If we could all remember that none of us are perfect, we would be a lot kinder to each other. Offer grace, be kind!
Here are some stats on the benefits of being kind.
Reflective Questions to Talk about as a family:
When you think of what kindness means to you, what words or actions come to mind?
What was the last act of kindness that you saw? How did it make you feel?
What was the last act of kindness that you received? How did it make you feel?
Now, can you think of the last act of kindness you completed? How were you kind to someone else? How did it make you feel?
What would happen if you committed to performing at least one act of kindness every day?
Make sure to leap for joy as we get an extra day in February!
Michael Marincic, Principal
608-478-5101
Bus Driver Recognition Week
February 12 - 16, 2024
SCOTS Meeting
Tuesday, February 13
6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
In person in the LGI or virtual on Zoom
Teacher Caregiver Conferences
Thursday, February 15 (4:00 - 8:00 p.m.) and Friday, February 16
*Watch for communication from your student's teacher
No School
Friday, February 16
Kindness Week at Token Springs
February 19 - 23
TS Orchestra Concert @ SP East HS
Tuesday, February 20
MOD Pizza Share Event
Wednesday, February 21
SCOTS Family Movie Night
Friday, February 23
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Helpful Links
- Please visit the Token Springs website for 2023-2024 Recess & Lunch Schedules
- For further details about days off this school year, please visit the School Year Calendar At a Glance 2023-2024
- SPASD Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Stay Connected with the SPASD App
This app allows students, staff and caregivers to access information quickly and easily. It provides access to school blackboard connect notifications, school menus, calendar, District news, Peachjar flyers and more. Students and caregivers can also access Infinite Campus via the app, which provides information regarding attendance, grades and more. To download the app, visit either the iPhone App Store or the Google Play Store.
New Student Registration - 5K thru 12th Grade
Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year will be open on February 1st! New students to SPASD are able to enroll online HERE after February 1.
Please note that as a 4K student, your child is already enrolled in kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year. You will begin receiving information from your elementary school in the month of January.
Your kindergarten enrollment is based on the address we currently have on file for 4K. If you have moved during the 2023-2024 school year please make sure that the 4K office has your new address! If you have any questions or need to share a new address call the 4K office 834-6672
4K Registration
Enrollment into SP4K 2024-2025 will be open on February 1st! New students to SP4K can follow the two-step enrollment process HERE after February 1st. Please contact the SP4K office at (608)834-6672 with any questions.
Time to Order Yearbooks!
Please visit the Empire Photography Yearbook Ordering website to place your 2023-2024 Token Springs Yearbook(s). Soft cover yearbooks are $16.00 and Hard cover yearbooks are $29.00. Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of school. The deadline to order your yearbook is Friday, March 22nd.
It's Inline Skating Time at Token Springs!
Starting Monday, February 19th, all students will be participating in the inline skating unit during gym class. Students will be required to wear helmets and wrist guards to participate. We highly encourage students to bring these items from home when possible. Due to indoor use all students will need to wear school district provided skates. Please make sure your student(s) have a completed in-line skating form on file with our PE teachers (make sure that shoe size is included).
Token Springs Reminders
Door Buzzer
When visiting the school, please continue to use our door buzzer system (located at the far right of the main entrance with a red sign). This is a district-wide protocol that will continue to help ensure the right people are in our building for the right reasons. Thank you for helping to keep our students safe!
Wellness Policy
Baked goods that are served or provided in the classrooms must be purchased, not homemade, and be in a wrapper which contains nutrition information and expiration date. For more information on the Sun Prairie Area School District's wellness policy, please click on the following links: Policy JHK, JHK-R
Planning on Chaperoning or Volunteering?
Are you planning on chaperoning field trips or volunteering at Token Springs this year? Criminal background checks are now completed online. If you have not had a criminal background check completed in the last 3 years, please take a moment to fill out the online criminal background check.
It can take up to two weeks for your background check to be approved. If you are planning on chaperoning any upcoming field trips or volunteering in the school, please take a moment to fill out the online criminal background check so that you are ready to go when these events occur.
Volunteer Terrapin Program
We are excited to bring back our highly successful Volunteer Terrapin program for the 2023-24 school year! Our educators will continue to populate opportunities as they settle into the school year, in the meantime, take a look at our sign-up and check out our current volunteering opportunities starting Monday, September 11th. You must have an approved criminal background check on file prior to being a volunteer terrapin.
Advanced Learner Program Updates
Click here to see upcoming events for ALPS including:
- Greater Dane Anthology Project
- Math 24
- Greater Dane County Regional Math Meet
Please feel free to reach out with any questions!
Emily Miller, Advanced Learner Teacher
Phone: 608-478-5167
Donation Request
The health office is in need of new boys underwear size 6, girls socks and plastic bags. Please drop any donations at the front desk. Thank you for supporting our students!
Barb deVenecia, School Nurse
Bullying Prevention
As part of the Sun Prairie School District Bullying Prevention Initiative, it is our goal to educate all caretakers around bullying prevention. Below you will find several resources including a brief presentation focused on bullying prevention, the Sun Prairie Area School District Bullying Report Form and the Electronic Safety Tip Line. Please take a few minutes to review these resources and educate yourself around the policies and procedures utilized in Sun Prairie to help keep ALL students feeling safe and valued in our community.
- Bullying Prevention Presentation for ALL caretakers
- Bullying Presentation Google Slides
- Bullying Report Form
- Electronic Safety Tip Line
Please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Mrs. Zweifel, School Counselor
What is SCOTS?
SCOTS or the School Community Organization of Token Springs is the Parent Group here at Token Springs. PTA... PTO... SCO... Same thing. Parents coming together to build a sense of community around our school. We organize events for afterschool, help show our appreciation to our dedicated staff, and can help facilitate things the school can't (like connecting parents via a voluntary directory).
We are a 501(3)(c) non profit. We are run by volunteers. We have a 5 member board this year (most in Sun Prairie, woot woot!), we have amazing volunteers that run Book Fairs, design Spirit Wear, create haunted houses, organize a Terrapin Trot, put together the Yearbook and so much more.
So if you have an event idea, email us at tokenspringssco@gmail.com and we will help make it happen. A Ga Ga Ball Tournament? A sidewalk chalk contest? A snowball fight? Bring the idea and we'll bring the resources and manpower to make the event happen. Our meetings happen the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 at Token Springs AND via zoom. You can also check out our SCOTS linktree for upcoming events and links.
2023-2024 Officers
President - Amy Knock
Vice President - Kayla Degnan
Treasurer - Corine Friday
Secretary - Christy Tubbs
Parent Liaison - Tiffany Black
SCOTS Meeting - February 13
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
This meeting will be held in person in the LGI as well virtually via Token Springs/Zoom
MOD Pizza Share Event - February 21
SCOTS Family Movie Night - February 23
Join us on Friday, February 23rd from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. for a showing of The Super Marios Bros. Movie. This is a great opportunity to connect with the whole family and have fun outside of school hours! Refreshments will be available for purchase. Bring blankets, dinner, or your own snacks and drinks. The movie will be shown in the gym and cafeteria. We hope you can make it, and enjoy the night out with us.
Bus Driver Recognition Week - February 12-16, 2024
We encourage families to go the extra mile to show appreciation to the men and women that work hard to get our students to and from school safely every day. Please take a moment to thank them or consider having your child make a token of appreciation. Your kind words, cards, etc., will surely make the driver’s week brighter!
Cafeteria Connection - February 2023
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) - March 4-8
We will have special breakfast menus and guest cooks in the kitchen March 4-8 to celebrate National School Breakfast Week - Stay Tuned!
Fun Fact:
Children who eat breakfast have improved moods and increased alertness throughout the morning. Children who eat a protein-rich breakfast report lower hunger for up to 4 hours. On average, students who participate in the School Breakfast Program eat a breakfast of higher nutritional quality than students who eat breakfast elsewhere.
We offer whole grain breakfast items every day that our students love! We also offer 100% juice and fruit with breakfast each morning along with cold Wisconsin milk. Students get their calorie needs met but we stay within the USDA requirements for fat and sodium. Kids need to start their morning ready to learn and they can’t do that without a proper breakfast. Remember that we have breakfast waiting at your child’s school every day!
On average the SPASD serves 1200 breakfast per day district wide!
If you have any questions regarding your students food service account please contact us at nutritiondepartment@sunprairieschools.org.
Wisconsin Wayfinder: Essential Children's Resources
A newly developed, statewide, user-friendly website and toll-free number, 877-WiscWay (877-947-2929), provides families with convenient, direct access to compassionate and knowledgeable children’s resource guides. Click here to access the Wisconsin Wayfinder webpage.
Sun Prairie Neighborhood Navigators
The Sun Prairie Neighborhood Navigators program serves as a connector in the community, ensuring that all members of the Sun Prairie Community have a support system, have a voice for change and have access to resources. Click here to learn more!
Child Find Notifications
The Sun Prairie Area School District is required by state and federal law to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services. This process is known as child find. The Sun Prairie Area School District is also required to provide annual notice of its child find activities. Please click on the documents below for more information.
Token Springs Elementary School
Website: https://www.sunprairieschools.org/token-springs-home
Location: 1435 North Thompson Road, Sun Prairie, WI, USA
Phone: (608) 478-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TokenSpringsElementary/
STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION
No student may be unlawfully discriminated against in any school programs, activities or in facilities usage because of the student’s sex (gender identity, gender expressions, and non-conformity to gender role stereotypes), color, religion, profession, or demonstration of belief or non-belief, race, national origin (including limited English proficiency), ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, homelessness status, sexual orientation, age, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability. Harassment is a form of discrimination and shall not be tolerated in the District. It is the responsibility of administrators, staff members and all students to ensure that student discrimination or harassment does not occur.
(SPASD District Policy JB
If a student or parent/guardian would prefer to have this information translated into Spanish, please contact us at 608-834-6620. Si un estudiante, padre ó guardian prefiere tener esta información traducida en Español, por favor contactenos en el 608-834-6620.
If a student or parent/guardian would prefer to have this information translated into Hmong, please contact us at 608-834-6630. Yog tus me nyuam lub xiv los yog niam thiab txiv/tus neeg muaj cai saib xyuas tus me nyuam xav tau qhov ntawv ntawm no ua lus Hmoob, thov hais rau peb paub rau ntawm 608-834-6630.
NEW NOTICE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICIES ON SEX DISCRIMINATION, THE DISTRICT’S TITLE IX COORDINATOR, AND PROCEDURES FOR REPORTING OR FILING A COMPLAINT OF SEX DISCRIMINATION
The Sun Prairie Area School District (“District”) does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that the District operates. Title IX’s requirement not to discriminate in any education program or activity extends to cover, but is not limited to, District students, certain admissions processes, and District employment. To access the relevant policy and procedures you can go to the District’s website. For inquiries regarding how Title IX and the federal Title IX regulations apply to the District please contact the District’s Title IX Coordinator, (the Director of Student Policy & School Operations, 501 S. Bird Street, Sun Prairie, WI 53590, 608-834-6624 or by email at titleixcoordinator@sunprairieschools.org.)