BRMS September Family Newsletter

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Hello Badger Ridge Families,

Happy Fall! We are almost one month into the 24-25 school year, and it’s been refreshing and exciting to witness our middle school scholars be rejuvenated and ready to showcase their brilliance in the classroom. It is a very busy time of year at Badger Ridge, so this newsletter contains a ton of information with a wide range of topics that includes our upcoming school wide assessments, extracurricular activities, information about student-led conferences, important information from our nurse, and more. So sit back, cozy up, and get ready to take all of the information in. As always, feel free to reach out should you have any questions about the content of this newsletter.

Sincerely,

The Badger Ridge Principal Team

• September 30 - NO SCHOOL (Professional Learning Day for staff)

• October 1 - Mid-1st Quarter

• October 2-4 - 6th Grade Field Trip to Upham Woods

• October 2 - 10 - STAR Testing

• October 14 - 17 - Parent Teacher Conferences (more on this below)

• October 17 - 18 - NO SCHOOL

• October 29 - Picture Retake Day

• At least one graded assignment per week with feedback

• At least one summative assessment (project, test, essay, narrative, etc.) per quarter

• Updated Canvas Modules and PowerSchool grade book every three weeks

• Direct communication if your child is missing 3 or more assignments in a course.

• All assignments, projects, and tests are due 3 days before the end of quarter date. First quarter ends on November 1st, so all assignments are due on Tuesday, October 29th.

Star Testing

Students will be taking our districtwide universal screener again this year. All students will take Star Reading and Math, and our students in the TWI program will also take Star Reading Spanish. The assessment dates are as follows:

• October 2nd: 7th & 8th Graders take STAR Math
• October 7th: 6th Graders take STAR Math
• October 8th: All students take STAR Reading
  
• October 9th: All students in TWI take STAR Reading Spanish
  

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming student-led conferences:

6th- grade Conferences - Monday- Oct. 14th from 3:45pm-7:00pm

7th- grade Conferences - Tuesday- Oct. 15th from 3:45pm-7:00pm

8th-grade Conferences - Wednesday- Oct. 16th from 3:45pm-7:00pm

All grades Conferences - Thursday Oct 17th from 8:00am-12:00pm

Conferences will be held with your child’s advisory teacher. Your child’s advisory teacher will be sending out emails and/or phone calls within the next couple of weeks to sign up for conferences. Please be on the lookout for this communication. If you are a family who requires interpreted conferences, a representative from our multilingual department will reach out to you directly to schedule your child's conference.

Like previous school years, the parent-teacher conference format this year will be student-led. We are firm believers that middle school is the opportunity for students to build healthy skills to independently understand the meaning of their grades and assessment data. With this format, students take an active leadership role over their learning as they share honest progress on grade level standards and assessment data. Advisors will support your child’s leadership during this time, and there will be opportunities for dialogue and questions you may have about your child’s academic and social-emotional development based on what they share.

Over the next few weeks, students will take time during their classes to prepare their conference presentations. Students will need to bring a charged Chromebook to the conference.

This year, we will host a ‘library card’ opportunity at parent/teacher conferences. Our librarian, Melanie Galdes, will help families sign up their child to receive a library card from the Verona Public Library. This library card will work at any South Central public library, including all Madison Public Libraries and the Fitchburg Public Library.

In addition to our library card opportunity, we will have free books available for families and students. All books are new and purchased or donated in honor of Mary Greenlaw Meyer. The Mary Greenlaw Meyer Memorial Fund was established after Mary passed away. Mary was a remarkable Language Arts teacher at BRMS who retired in 2017. She was an avid reader who was passionate about every student finding the perfect book to read. Please stop by the library table at your child’s conference and pick up a free book to share with your child.

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Badger Ridge is participating in the following activities:

• Weekly slides and videos during advisory on Fridays that aim to provide a snapshot of the significance of Hispanic Heritage Month and highlight some key figures and cultural elements.

• The staff multilingual department and Latinx students are hosting a Family Bingo Night on October 9th from 5pm-6:30pm! The event will feature music, prizes, and a lot of fun! See the fliers for more details!

6th Grade families! Please review the school message that was shared on Friday September 13, 2024 and September 20, 2024 regarding the upcoming Upham Woods field trip. You may review these communications here as well.

This is a friendly reminder that if you choose to pick your child up from school using the West Lawn Street Entrance after school, please do not block off driveways as you are waiting to pull into the pick up zone to allow for residents of the neighborhood to leave their homes. Badger Ridge pick up area after school is the upper loop closest to the big parking lot near the PAC. Feel free to park in the lot to wait for school to end, and then drive into the loop to pick up your child.

Is your student bringing ibuprofen or Tylenol to school in their backpack? If so, please make sure to review the Verona Area School District’s medication policy and complete the parent medication consent form. Medication that is not reported to the nurse will be held until a parent picks it up or the medication consent form is completed.

• VASD Medication Policy and Procedure

• Parent Medication Consent Form English / Español

• Prescriber Form for Prescription Medication

Verona Area School District is partnering with Verona Smiles to provide free dental x-rays and diagnostic services at school! If you have not registered your student for Verona Smiles this school year, you still can by completing this Google Form: Verona Smiles enrollment.

Verona Area School District continues to partner with Bridging Brighter Smiles to provide preventative dental care at school. Registration remains active for 2-3 years. If you have not registered or re-registered recently on the Bridging Brighter Smiles website, your student may no longer be registered. You can still register or re-register your student to receive preventative dental care for this school year here: Bridging Brighter Smiles enrollment. If you have questions about the program or your student’s enrollment status, contact Bridging Brighter Smiles at wecare@bbsmiles.org.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has implemented an update to the school immunization requirements. Please review this memo. If your student is in need of immunizations there will be two Vaccine clinics October 15th and October 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Annie Brandt brandtm@verona.12.wi.us (BRMS School Nurse).

When deciding if your student is well enough to be at school during an illness, please reference this document, that can also be found on our website.

Hello families! We are pleased to announce our final offerings for extracurricular activities this school year! All clubs and extracurricular activities will begin the first week and second weeks of October. By clicking either link (English/Español), you will find all of the extracurriculars and affinity groups that we will offer this school year. This document contains details regarding how to sign up, where students will meet for the club, when each club will begin and meet, and the advisor of the club. This information will also be updated on our school website by the 1st week of October. Please note that this document may be updated throughout the school year, and any changes will be communicated to families via a school message. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Associate Principal Shayla Glass-Thompson at glassths@verona.k12.wi.us.

Winter sports will be starting soon! If your child is interested in participating in Boys Basketball (7th and 8th grade only) or Wrestling (Grades 6-8 ), you can register them online at the athletics website. The first practice for Boys Basketball and Wrestling will be on Monday, October 21st. Basketball practice site BRMS Gym. Wrestling Practice site Sugar Creek small gym.

8th grade boys coaches

Mark Happel- happelm@verona.k12.wi.us

Dave Nelson- nelsond@verona.k12.wi.us

7 grade boys coaches

Vernon Brown- brownv@verona.k12.wi.us

Connor Sisel- siselc@verona.k12.wi.us

Wrestling Coaches

Mark Premo- mpremo@uwalumni.com

Jordan Sand- jordanmarshallsand@gmail.com

Please be sure your child has an updated physical that can be uploaded to their registration. Physicals before April 1st 2023 are not VALID and will not be accepted. Due to nationwide bus shortages there will be NO BUSES for away games. Parents are responsible for transporting their child to and from all away games. Carpooling is encouraged!

Any Questions about BRMS/CKMS Athletics please contact us.

Athletic Director Curtrel Robinson- Robinsoc@verona.k12.wi.us

Athletic Secretary Brenda Covarrubias- covarrub@verona.k12.wi.us

In September, our students have been competing against one another to be “In Class, On Time, All the Time”. Our teachers have been giving students “Paws Up” when they see students demonstrating positive attendance habits, and we are reinforcing this work with a reward for the Advisory class at each grade-level that has the fewest tardies! In October, our challenge will be related to the expectation of “Keep it Kind or Keep it Silent”.

One of our “Power 6” behavioral expectations is that students engage in “Appropriate Use of Technology”. During the school day, this means students should have their personal devices off and away. We support students with meeting this expectation by explaining the why behind it, providing reminders, and implementing phone plans as necessary. We ask that you support your students with meeting this expectation by refraining from contacting them via their personal devices during the day. If you need to reach out to your student you could send them an email, or you can always call the Badger Ridge main office and we will connect you with your scholar.

We have had an uptick of students reporting engaging in video and photo roulette. This is an extremely concerning practice in which you are paired with a stranger to either chat or get on a video with. One common site used for this purpose is called Omegle. If you are interested in learning more, this YouTube video shows the platform.

We encourage you to speak with your scholar about internet safety and the dangers associated with talking to strangers online. We will continue to reach out to families when students report this type of behavior and will continue to provide Digital Citizenship lessons throughout the year.

During advisory this month. Students along with their teachers learned about Restorative Practices in VASD. Students were able to learn about the origins of Restorative Practices as a way of being, experience community building through the circle process, and the key components of a circle like the talking piece.

As a reminder, we have changed the process for outfitting our Schoolwide Classrooms with supplies this year. Attached below, you will find the supply lists for Schoolwide Classes. If you have not yet sent supplies for your student’s 1st Quarter Schoolwides, now is the time to do so! In order to spread the cost burden, families are only responsible for purchasing supplies for the classes in which their child is enrolled during the 1st Quarter at this time. Students should deliver their supplies directly to their Schoolwide teachers. Thank you for your help making this school year a success!

6th Grade List 7th Grade List 8th Grade List

The 24/25 school year has started! We know that raising a teenager can bring some challenges. One thing that helps parents stay connected to their children is keeping open communication. Here are some tips for parents to communicate with their kids away from cell phones:

• Schedule time for face-to-face communication: Even in busy times, keep up with a personal check-in to learn how your child is doing. Even a brief connection builds a close relationship.

• Keep communication open and honest: Talk to your child about the internet, social networking sites, and other online content.

• Encourage playtime and games: Put your phone away and spend time playing and listening to your child.

• Establish a routine: Create a schedule for regular check-ins with your child

Actively listen to your child. Ask them what is on their mind, a highlight of their day, and one thing they enjoyed at school.

We are so excited to share that we have school-wide planners for all BRMS students this year! Students received them in the first week of school, and the expectation is that they are filling out their planner for each class every day. They must write about the topic of the class and the task they are working on that day. Soon, students will be bringing their planners home weekly to have you review it and bring them back to school with your signature. This signature from home will be an entry into a drawing for a prize or other individual or class rewards.

• The “O” in AVID’s WICOR stands for Organization; it is an essential skill for college and career readiness.

• Organization is not just about the ability to organize and manage “stuff”; it is also the ability to organize and manage learning and self.

• Students who organize…

• Self-direct, self-evaluate, self-monitor, and self-advocate to reach academic goals

• Develop and use tools to organize thinking, resources, and time

• Develop and use processes, procedures, and tools to study effectively

• Prepare for rigorous courses and engage fully in instruction

We are pleased to inform you that we have created pairing codes for Canvas, our learning management system, to enable you to observe your student’s coursework. Your student’s unique pairing code will be emailed to both Guardian 1 and Guardian 2 from PowerSchool. This code is for one-time use and will expire on Thursday, September 26th.

Once you have received your code, you will follow the instructions (instrucciones) to set up your Canvas Observer account.

Please note, only one user will be able to use the code from the email. The instructions include the steps for your student to create pairing codes if you are wanting more than one guardian as an observer.

If you already had access to your students' Canvas courses from last year, you do not need to complete these instructions. You should be able to see their courses this year.

We are looking for volunteers to support students and staff in various capacities throughout the school year! If you are interested in volunteering, please explore our volunteer opportunities and complete a volunteer application and background check. If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Hall, School Social Worker, at halls@verona.k12.wi.us or (608)845-4408.

It’s not too late to request support with school supplies! If your child needs supplies, please email Sarah Hall, School Social Worker, at halls@verona.k12.wi.us.

JFF Website and JFF Information Card JFF Information Card (Spanish)

What is JFF?

JFF is an organization of Dane County Social Workers who support people and communities from neighborhood-based offices across Dane County, including Verona. Our JFF office is located inside the Badger Prairie Needs Network at 1200 East Verona Ave., Verona, WI 53593.

What does JFF do?

They listen to understand what is happening to you and help come up with a plan based on your unique situation. They identify and connect you to available resources. They advocate with systems and services to support these connections.

How can I get help?

Badger Ridge families can be referred by connecting with Sarah Hall, School Social Worker, at halls@verona.k12.wi.us or 608-618-2628. Families can also reach out directly to Joining Forces for Families Social Workers.

Lisa Hemauer • hemauer@countyofdane.com 608-575-1064

Ryan Estrella • estrella@countyofdane.com 608-225-9871 (Spanish)