Cumberland Family News
March 17, 2025
There are many out of school distractions for students at this time of year, what with March Madness, spring training, concerts and recitals, the upcoming Spring Break, the beginning of spring sports for students and then to top it off, temps in the 60s on Saturday. I was almost relieved to have snow again, helping students bring their focus back to school learning. Of course, some students carried over that belief in spring weather and came to school in shorts today!
If you have signed up for a Virtual Parent/Teacher conference for Thursday, you will get a link from the teacher by Wednesday morning. If you do not receive this link, please email the teacher on Wednesday so they can resend it. It can be challenging for teachers to look at email on Thursday during conferences. The online sign up for conferences closes today, providing teachers enough time to prepare for all scheduled conferences.
Students have school only through Wednesday this week with Spring Break for students lasting through March 30th. After Spring Break, students in 3rd-5th will take the required Forward state assessments. K-3rd grade students will do Spring Aimsweb literacy assessments. We use data from these assessments in a variety of ways to review overall curriculum, to assess student progress, and to design next step learning for students. No specific preparation is needed from home. We strive for a balance between helping our students take the assessments seriously to show their best learning and not creating pressure for students to perform. At home, you can best support by making sure students are well rested and have breakfast, not just on testing days but all days. Thanks.
Safety concern: Every day, many students at Cumberland are at risk of significant injury. You can help reduce the likelihood that something happens by doing two simple things:
Do not walk through the parking lots with children. There are sidewalks at the east and west side of the Hampton parking lot. Take the extra 30 seconds to go to one of these sidewalks instead of walking through the parking lot.
Do not pull into either parking lot to drop off or pick up children. These lots are to be used for staff parking only.
The WFB Police Department is also getting frequent calls that vehicles without handicapped plates/or hang tags are using the handicapped spots on Marlborough to wait for students coming or going. In the south parking lot, parents/guardians of students in Connects often use these spots for a ‘quick drop off or pick up.’ Please know that we have many students and families who need these spots because of a disability and that it is illegal to use the spot without the proper vehicle designation. The WFB PD are actively monitoring these spots and issuing citations to cars without handicapped plates or hang tags.
I wish you a relaxing or renewing Spring Break, if your life circumstances provide for this. If not, I at least wish you all good health!
Meas le Mise (Kind regards!)
Jayne Heffron
Spring Parent/Guardian Teacher Conferences:
Spring conferences are held on an as-needed basis. They can be scheduled by either family or teacher request. . This conference signup window is March 7-17.
Conferences will be held for grades 4K through 5th grade on Thursday, March 20:
12:30–4:00pm In-Person
5:00–8:00pm Virtual
Teachers prepare extensively for conferences, and March 20 is the date allocated for Spring conferences when teachers are not teaching. Teachers are not allowed to schedule conferences outside of this window. If your child’s teacher has any concerns and you are not able to attend on March 20 (in person or virtually), the teacher will send an email with a summary.
Two-household parents/guardians sometimes request separate conferences. This is problematic as the dialogue, discussion, and conclusions in each conference may vary. Therefore, parents/ guardians are asked to attend one conference together and to sign up accordingly. Thank you ahead of time for cooperating with this structure.
Upcoming Events
March 18: PTO meeting 7pm-8pm
March 20- 21: No School
March 24th-28th: Spring Break- No School
Wisconsin Forward Exam: Students in grades 3-5 will be participating in the Wisconsin Forward Exam testing in April. More detailed information can be found in this brochure. All testing will take place in the morning. Your help in not making morning appointments on these dates is much appreciated!
In addition, please ensure that fifth graders come to school with their fully charged Chromebook.
Third Grade: April 1-2 and April 8-11
- Fourth Grade: April 1-2, 4 and April 8-11
- Fifth Grade: April 1-2 and April 8-15
Class Placement 2025-26: We will soon begin creating tentative class groupings for next year. Classroom groupings are created with the input of multiple Cumberland staff members and adjusted throughout the summer as enrollments change. All student placements are carefully considered whether you submit this form or not and it is important to note that teachers do not select the students who are in their classes. You are invited to provide us with information that you feel will be helpful in the class placement process for your child for the 2025-26 school year, using this form. The form will be available online through April 1, 2025. Requests for specific teachers are not honored.
2025-2026 School Year Enrollment
2025-2026 School Year NEW Student Enrollment: 4K - 5th Grade new student enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is now open.
Visit our website for more information about the enrollment process.
Currently Enrolled Students: Current students are not required to re-enroll. Families of current students will complete Online Registration in August prior to the upcoming school year.
Students Not Returning: If for any reason, your child(ren) will not be returning to Cumberland next year, please contact our office at 414-963-3943 or by email at: john.levek@wfbschools.com
Enrollment Questions? Contact the Cumberland's Office at 414-963-3943.
March PTO Meeting: Are you interested in helping with a PTO event or just curious to
see what the PTO is all about?! Please come join us on Tuesday, March 18th at 7 pm in
the Great Room.
Staff Appreciation Week: Calling all volunteers! We need your help in creating and
executing the most exceptional Staff Appreciation Week! Please email
mooney.christiana@gmail.com with interest!
Cumberland Yearbook: The deadline to order yearbooks is Wednesday, April 16.
Make sure to double check your account on Membership Toolkit and view your receipts
to make sure you ordered. Every year there are many parents who believe they ordered
but did not. We don’t want anyone who desires a yearbook to go without. For questions
regarding yearbook issues, please reach out to Jillian
Cooper: jillian.gs.cooper@gmail.com or 816.589.1143.
Lunch Composting: Volunteers Needed! We are looking for volunteers to help with
composting during lunch from 11-1:05pm. Opportunities available daily. Signup for one
day, or many! The time commitment is small, and kids tend to love the surprise of
seeing their adult mid-day :-)
Sign up here for April through June:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DAAA82BAAFAC07-55652508-daily
Friday Spirit Days: A reminder to wear your Cumberland Cougar spirit wear on Fridays
to show your school spirit! Let’s go Cumby Cougars!
LIKE, Follow, and Update your Family Information!
Be sure to LIKE our Facebook page- Cumberland PTO
Please visit the PTO website for all PTO updates at www.cumberlandpto.com
Student Attendance FAQ
The linked document includes answers to frequently asked questions related to student attendance, excused and unexcused absences, make-up work, and more. Please carefully review the linked information. 2024-25 Student Attendance FAQ
School Board Meeting Takeaways: Curious about what is discussed at School Board Meetings? Linked below, you'll find key takeaways from the most recent School Board Meeting. Additional information can be found on the Board of Education website.
Next School Board Meeting: Wednesday, March 18 at 7:00pm, at Whitefish Bay High School Auditorium. Click here to view the 2024-2025 School Board Meeting dates.
The community is welcome to attend School Board meetings to gain a better understanding of School District business and the role of the School Board. The public is also invited to address the Board during the public comment portion as indicated in Board meetings. Meeting agendas are posted within BoardDocs two days preceding each meeting.
