Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
May 10, 2024
Dear Muskego Lakes Families,
It's hard to believe that the end of the school year is quickly approaching! We couldn't be more proud of how students have approached this school year, set goals for themselves, taken on challenges, and worked daily to learn, grow, and succeed!
With it being the end of the year and quarter, this is the perfect time to:
- Have your child double-check Infinite Campus to ensure all work is turned in and they are caught up for the end of the year.
- Have your child check their rooms, lockers, or homes for school materials such as library books, textbooks, etc., and return to school.
- Have your child check the lost and found for any items that may be theirs.
- Have your child bring home any extra coats, sweatshirts, hats, etc, that are in their locker. You'd be surprised how much one locker accumulates in a year!
It's important that students finish the year strong with grades they are proud of and reflect their abilities. Don't hesitate to get in touch with your child's teacher if you have any questions about a particular class, assignment, etc.
In partnership,
Rachel and Nancy
Muskego Lakes Principals
Important Dates Ahead
May 22: Tailgate at the Lakes 3:30-6:00pm
May 28: Community Day Trips 5-7th Grade
May 29: 8th Grade Great America Trip
May 30: Last Day of School - Noon Dismissal
May 30: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony 6pm
Aug 27: Back to School Night
End of Year Community Day Trips & Permission Slips
We are looking forward to having our students celebrate their year with the last commnunity day field trip. Our hope for this day is that whatever location kids end up in, they try new things, take positive risks, and spend time connecting with peers.
We know that cost, especially transportion, have skyrocketed. We want every student to attend these days, so please reach out to Rachel Rydzewski if your family is experiencing financial hardship or fill out this form HERE for financial assistance. We will make sure every child can go, please don’t keep your child home due to financial strains.
Trips are planned for Tuesday, May 28th for students in 5-7th grade students at Muskego Lakes. Permission slips for 5-7th grades were due today, but we will still accept them next week. If you need an extra copy of the permission slip we have them linked below or students can stop in student services to get one.
On Wednesday, May 29th 8th grade students at Muskego Lakes will be going to Great America. Information has already been sent home regarding this trip to 8th grade families.
Student Lockers
Students will be cleaning out lockers the week of May 27th. In order to avoid having a lot to bring home all at once, encourage your child to bring home any extra coats, sweatshirts, shoes, etc. now. In addition, sending your child with an extra plastic bag to carry these items is helpful for those riding the bus will help.
5-7 End of Year Chromebook Information
We are reaching out to all Middle School families with students participating in the Chromebook 1:1 initiative. The reason for this message is to inform you that all current students in grades 5 – 7 will be keeping their Chromebooks over the summer.
During the school year, students have been supported through the work of our Library to repair and troubleshoot devices. We will continue to have support available at the Muskego High School on Tuesdays (during summer school and by appointment).
Chromebook Technical Support- Please see the attached flyer about location, availability, contact information, and FAQs.
MNS Chromebook Troubleshooting Guide - Please see the attached flyer to help your student resolve problems at home.
If you elected to have your Chromebook covered through the district insurance program, we will be extending that coverage through summer to provide the same levels of service, at no additional cost to families.
While summer means time away from school, students will still be held to the same level of expectations for use and adherence to the student acceptable use policy, as they are during the school year.
8th Grade End of Year Chromebook Information
If your student has participated in the Chromebook 1:1 program for three or more years, he/she is eligible to keep his/her Chromebook.
Further instructions on removing the device from our system will come on July 18th, regardless of Summer School enrollment.
How do I know if my student needs to return their device? If your student needs to return his/her device, you will be contacted directly.
Repair Fees: All outstanding repair fees must be in prior to May 30th. Please refer to the Infinite Campus Portal or view the Outstanding Fees report sent home from the school office for more details.
Summer School: Their current device may be required for Summer School courses.
New Devices in Fall: Please be aware, your student will be receiving a new district issued device at the start of 9th grade.
If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please contact our Director of Technology, Ryan Busack at 262-971-1800 x2104.
If you have specific school or repair fee questions or concerns prior to June 8th, please contact Technical Support Aides, Julie Flasch or Jennifer Wied at tsa_mlms@muskegonorway.org .
Do you have a 5th, 6th, or 7th grader? We are looking for help.
The end of the year is an exciting time for all students. In order to ensure we are able to make it a great celebration for the eighth grade students and their families, we are bringing back the tradition of asking any family in grades 5-7th grade to help support this event.
If you are a 5-7th grade family, and are willing to volunteer or donate please sign up HERE. Any items should be dropped off at MLMS by May 28th. If you'd rather, there is an option monetary donation, using Venmo. These cash donations will help support donuts, pizza, and filling in any items that are not purchased.
Yearbook Signing Expectations
Students that ordered yearbooks will receive them in their first-hour class on Thursday, May 30th. We know how much time our yearbook club has put into making this product and how much our students treasure them. We will be reviewing expectations for yearbook signing with students , but we ask that you remind your child of the expectations listed below and have a converstation at home about them.
Students need to...
- Put their first and last name on the inside cover of your book immediately after they receive it.
- Write positive, appropriate messages and drawings only.
- Not write on or draw over photos.
- Be mindful of how much space is being used. Individuals should not take up an entire page for their name or message. Leave enough room for others.
- Only write a message about you and the yearbook owner (leave others' names out of it).
- Be aware of and know who is signing their yearbook. Students should not let anyone sign their yearbook if they don't know them. Also, owners should stay with their yearbook the entire time.
- Read all messages others write before walking away.
- Report a problem to an adult if anything is written that is inappropriate. Students are responsible for what is in their yearbook, so students must let someone know right away if there is anything written or drawn that should not be there.
Summer 10 Book Checkout
If you would like your child to check out 10-15 books from the library, please fill out the attached form. Students who have permission will visit the library the last week of school to select books for summer reading. We will work with teachers to schedule time for students to come to the library for their books. Please submit by May 20, 2024.
Muskego Public Library Visit
On May 22nd during lunches students in 6-8th grade will have the opportunity to learn about the Muskego Public Library's summer reading program. This is an optional visit for your student.
Muskego Lakes Cross Country Fall 2024
Are you ready to run and to have fun? Muskego Lakes Cross Country is open to all students in grades 5-8 for the Fall 2024 season! Please click 2024 Cross Country Practice and Meet Schedule to see if the tentative practice and meet times will fit with your child’s fall schedule. If so, follow the steps linked HERE to register by Monday, August 5th, 2024.
8th Grade Celebration Details
May 30th is just around the corner! The 8th grade celebration is sponsored by MLMS PTO + 8th grade contributions ($12 per student), details on the flyer shown below.
If you are interested in volunteering you can also sign-up HERE.
Summer Learning Academy Open House
Summer Learning Academy open house will be held on Tuesday, June 11th from 2-6pm at Bay Lane Elementary. Students and parents will be able to walk through their child’s schedule and locate their classrooms. You can also sign up for transportation drop off and pick up if you haven't done so already. The office will also be open to pay fees.
The administrative team is working through parents’ questions, concerns and request changes to student schedules.
What is NJHS?
Description: NJHS is a club for 8th graders that values academics, leadership, citizenship, service and character. Students participate in activities that help their school and community.. Students will be expected to attend monthly meetings and complete service hours throughout the school year.
Criteria for Membership: Students must meet the following criteria in order to receive an invitation to join:
GPA of 3.5 consistently all quarters in 6th grade and quarters 1-3 in 7th grade
Must Maintain a 3.5 GPA quarter 4 in 7th grade and all quarters of 8th grade
PBIS Data consideration - (Tardies, TAB outs, Office Referrals, Bus behavior, Guest Teacher write ups)
Meets School PRIDE (teacher evaluation)
Completion of an application - demonstrating how student shows the core values of NJHS
Scholarship - Honors and awards earned for academic excellence
Community/School Involvement - Activities in which you have participated in
Ex: school clubs, teams, scouts, musical groups, major accomplishments, etc.
Service - Voluntary contributions done without compensation
Leadership - Experiences drawn from school or community activities while working with or for others.
Any 7th grade student who meets the above criteria will be invited to apply for NJHS next week. Students given an invite will need to complete their application by May 23rd if they are interested in being a part of NJHS. Once accepted, students will be a part of NJHS during their 8th grade year.
Please Renew your Volunteer Application
Did you know that your Volunteer Applications expire every 2 years? 60 days before your registered volunteer status expires, you will receive an email to re-apply. We love having our parent/guardians in to volunteer for different events, so please renew your application if you are planning on being a classroom helper or chaperoning at Muskego Lakes. If you haven't completed the Volunteer Application, CLICK HERE to do so.
Tailgate at the Lakes Hosted By Student Council
Come join the MLMS Tailgate at the Lakes bags tournament on Wednesday, May 22 from 3:30-6:00pm. All students are welcome and it’s free to attend!
If students are wanting to enter the bags tournament, they must have a partner. If your child does not have a partner but wants to play, please contact us and we’ll make sure to get them partnered up. It is $5 per team or $2.50 per person. Students are welcome to team up with someone in a different grade level to create a team. Sign up forms are located in Student Services or linked HERE and needed to be turned in by Tuesday, May 14.
If students does not want to enter the tournament, they are still welcome to come watch, hang out with friends and play other yard games! There will be music and concessions available for purchase. In order to attend, please sign your child up by Today, Friday, May 17 HERE so we can plan for the appropriate amount of staffing.
Finally, if you are willing to lend the school your bags set for the evening, please sign up on this document HERE. We greatly appreciate you considering doing this so we can have many games happening at once.
If you have any questions regarding this event, please reach out to Rebecca Heimerl (rebecca.heimerl@muskegnorway.org) or Carolyn Koeller (carolyn.koeller@muskegnorway.org)
Lost & Found
Is your child missing something? We have quite the collection of lost and found here at school. Encourage your child to stop outside student services and check for their item.
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.
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!!
Our last meeting Dates for the 23-24 School Year is May 8th.
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.
Are you interested in working for Muskego-Norway?
To view current support staff job vacancies, click HERE
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!
Is your child interested in particpating in a Muskego Athletic Camp?
Check out all the various camps offered this summer by clicking here for more information!
Save the Dates for the Summer Movie Series
The FREE Summer Movie Series community movie night is back! Muskego community families and friends are invited to come enjoy a movie on Muskego High School’s Inpro Athletic Field on the video scoreboard! The first movie in the series is Cars 3 on May 10th starting at 7:00 pm, followed by The Super Mario Bros Movie on June 13th, and wrapping up the summer with our teen night viewing of Miracle on August 8th! Bring your family, friends, and a blanket to enjoy these free events! Muskego Food Pantry donations will be accepted at the entrance gate!
Muskego Lakes Middle School
Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies