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Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
November 21st. 2023
Dear Muskego Lakes Families,
As we all gear up for this Thanksgiving break, we are even more grateful for the incredible Muskego Lakes community. We know that without our families and caregivers unwavering support, our school would not be the amazing place it is. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for investing in our school and partnering with us to support all the students here at Muskego Lakes.
We view our school community as more than just a collection of students, parents, and educators; it's a family, and one that we are thankful for every single day. We spent some time the last few days talking with students about what they were thankful for here at MLMS, and after reviewing their answers, it's apparent that they view Muskego Lakes as a great place to be as well.
Students were asked, "What are you thankful for here at Muskego Lakes?" and this is just a sample of what they had to say:
I am thankful for how nice all the teachers are.
We have resources that we can go to or use if we have if something is wrong, bothering us, or we need support.
I am thankful that we have a chance to make things right when we make mistakes, and we have adults who help us.
All of the things that the staff does for the community in our school to make our atmosphere better is awesome.
Teachers give me an education and make it enjoyable.
Teachers, because they are willing to do what it takes to help me learn. I know that they believe in me.
Friends, because they cheer me on.
Our well-built building! The classrooms with sliding glass doors and learning lounge are awesome to learn in.
Teachers spend a lot of time making learning fun and challenging you to do your best. I am thankful for all the kind people.
The variety of books we have in the library.
The opportunity to all do the musical and other clubs, there is a lot to choose from!
The ability to have voice and freedom here at school. I know my teachers care about me.
All the good food we have at lunch.
You are given lots of opportunities to speak your mind about situations that happen both in school and out of school and know you are supported through them.
While we have so much to be thankful for, we also recognize that the holiday season can be challenging for some. If you find this season to be a tough one for your family or student, please know that we are here for you. Our doors are open, whether it's a friendly conversation or extra support, we will support in anyway we can. Our school is not just a place of learning; it's a community that cares deeply for one another and extends beyond the walls of the school - and we truly mean that.
We wish you all a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Thanksgiving.
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
Parent/Caregiver Experience Survey
The Muskego-Norway School District is dedicated to creating a positive experience for our students, staff, parents, and community. We are committed to listening and responding to your experiences and continuously work to improve our service to you. Our partners at Studer Education are providing an opportunity for you to provide feedback anonymously, at the link below.
Please take a few minutes to complete the Parent / Caregiver Experience Survey at this link: Muskego-Norway – Parent / Caregiver Experience Survey
The survey will remain open until Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Your feedback will be used to celebrate our successes and to create action plans for improvement. Your input is valuable; please take a few minutes to complete the survey. Thank you for your commitment to our success!
Muskego Lakes State Report Card
We are very proud of our state report card! As we shared we are ranked #2 in the state for middle schools and have plenty more reasons to celebrate. For those interested you can check out the full report card HERE.
What does my Chromebook insurance cover?
Chromebook insurance covers accidental damage, everyday wear, and tear on a device that may happen after a period of use, or device malfunction. For example, a touchpad wearing out over time, a hinge breaking over time, or a screen cracking for an unknown reason.
Intentional damage is not covered; this is damage incurred to a device by the user that is purposeful, excessive, and/or unnecessary. For example, a screen cracked from being punched, a key being picked off a keyboard, or a bezel pulled off a computer by a student. The person responsible for the intentional damage is responsible for the cost of fixing the device.
If a student needs something fixed on their Chromebook, they should stop in the library to check the device out and make a plan for it to be fixed, let families know the cost, and get the student a device to use.
What are Executive Functioning skills?
As we mentioned last week, our student services team will be sharing information for the next few weeks about executive functioning skills. 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.
This week, we want to take time to share the developmental progression of executive function skills that are listed in the order that they emerge in development.
Source: Smart but Scattered Teens, by Guare, Dawson & Guare, 2013
- Inhibit (Response Inhibition) - The capacity to think before you act - the ability to resist the urge to say or do something allows children the time to evaluate a situation and how their behavior may impact it.
- Working Memory - The ability to hold information in memory while performing complex tasks.
- Emotional Control - The ability to manage emotions to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct behavior.
- Flexibility - The ability to revise plans in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information or mistakes. It relates to an adaptability to changing conditions.
- Sustained Attention - The capacity to keep paying attention to a situation or task in spite of distractibility, fatigue or boredom.
- Task Initiation - The ability to begin projects without undue procrastination in an efficient manner.
- Planning/Prioritization - The ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or to complete a task. Involves the ability to decide what’s important to focus on and what’s not important.
- Organization - The ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information and materials.
- Time Management - The capacity to estimate how much time one has, how to allocate it and how to stay within limits and deadlines.
- Goal-directed Persistence - The capacity to have a goal, follow through to completion of the goal, and not be put off by or distracted by competing interests.
- Metacognition - The ability to stand back and take a bird’s-eye view of yourself in a situation, to observe how you problem solve. It also includes self-monitoring and self-evaluative skills.
Culture of Respect Part Two
As you know, we have returned to the lesson taught at the beginning of the year about Muskego Lakes' expectations around ensuring a culture of respect. Next week, when students return, we will present a lesson focusing on the importance of upholding that culture. Specifically, we will talk with students about how acting with integrity preserves that culture of respect, while retaliating is a dangerous behavior that breaks down our community and positive school culture.
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)
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!
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.
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.
No Fuss Raffle Seat Fundraiser Winners
Thank you to everyone that supported the No Fuss Raffle Seat fundraiser! Winners of the raffle will be emailed by the end of the week by one of the Muskego Lakes administrators. Congratulations!
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