Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
February 2nd, 2024
Dear Muskego Lakes Families,
Here at Muskego Lakes, our vision is “Connecting hearts and minds through acceptance, empowerment, and achievement", and that means our staff invests in students both academically and socially. Our goal is simple that students learn but also know they belong here at Muskego Lakes. And as principals, we hold ourselves responsible for creating a safe and supportive environment for that to happen at all times.
We know that our students have a range of personalities, emotions, strengths, dispositions, interests, and dreams here at Muskego Lakes. We understand that our students are faced with navigating the challenges of investing more in their passion areas, growing friendships, making academic gains, and exploring new interests or opportunities they are presented with.
One way that we invest in our students is through our Community Days. At Muskego Lakes, community days focus on investing in our vision and building the culture of respect we have at Muskego Lakes. We offer students various activities tailored to learning, passions, interests, and more! These activities are designed to help foster new friendships for students with similar interests, build on existing connections between students, and give back to the community.
Our students will be having an upcoming community day on February 23rd. This upcoming community day will have time for students to participate in culture-building activities, service learning opportunities, and academic and career planning.
To make our community day a success, we are again partnering with our PTO, but we are also looking for your support! Please consider helping us make this day happen by visiting our wishlist HERE or by sending in any fabric, old sheets (clean), or fleece for a project we are planning for students. If you have items, they can be dropped off in the main office. In addition, if you are interested in helping the day of our community day as a volunteer, please reach out to one of us; we would love to have you join!
Rachel Rydzewski: rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org
Nancy Pasch: nancy.pasch@muskegonorway.org
In partnership,
Rachel and Nancy
Muskego Lakes Principals
Important Dates Ahead
February 7: Group/Co-Curricular Photo Day
February 8: High School Counselor’s coming to MLMS to meet with 8th grade students
- February 15: Family Conference Night 4-8pm
- February 23: 8th Grade Career Fair
February 26:No School Professional Day
March 25-29: Spring Break
May 30: 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony 6pm
Executive Function Series: Organization
Think of the last time you needed to be somewhere, but couldn’t find your keys. Did your stress level go from 0 to 100 as you frantically searched for them? That is often how the teen brain feels when it comes to organization and how that impacts time. In an earlier newsletter, we talked about how teens tend to overestimate the amount of time they have to do tasks or meet deadlines. Combine that with a deficit in being able to find needed materials and it’s no wonder teens can feel stress about schoolwork.
The good news is that unlike some of the other skills we’ve talked about. Organization is one area that teens are usually more open to accepting help for because it’s more clear to them how improving in this area will ultimately benefit their best interest.
Here are some things that can help:
Let them be the one to physically handle or manipulate their personal belongings, particularly in their room-
Create a “launch pad” - a space where needed materials are automatically placed when done with them for ease to grab on the way out
Try color coding and use labels
Use photos of what a space looks like when it is organized
Help them get into a groove with using their planner (for long-term assignments/projects, help them break down when parts are due)
Model by using a calendar for upcoming events (can use color coding for categories)
For other ideas or talk through specifics for your teen, reach out to student services for support.
Your Input Matters: Consider Taking Taher Food Service Survey
Our goal is to have a food service partnership that provides an opportunity for you to give input and insight into your experience. Please consider taking their survey.
Attendance Check-In
Conferences Options and Sign-Up Information
Our second semester conferences will be held on Thursday, February 15th, 2024. We will again be hosting both Virtual and In-Person options that day between 4-8pm. If the night of our upcoming conferences does not work for you please reach out to your child’s teacher. They will be happy to find an alternative time to connect with you about your child’s progress.
At fall conferences, the goal is to meet as many families as possible in order to build strong partnerships on behalf of students. However, the purpose of spring conferences is to connect with families whose students would benefit from an additional conference. These are students who we want to make sure are on track to have a successful semester ahead.
Just as we did in the fall, we will once again be using the platform "Meet the Teacher" to schedule these conferences, and each conference will be 10 minutes long with 2-minute transitions in between. As we communicated, the sign-up opened on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:00 am, and will be closed for booking on Wednesday, February 14th at 3:00 pm. If you have more than one child at MLMS, you will be able to book conferences for all with the same login.
Link to Sign Up: https://MLMSconferences.meettheteacher.com/
Directions for Scheduling Conferences: HERE
Important Notes When Scheduling Conferences
Please add a message for the teacher!
In order for the conference to meet your needs, please indicate outcomes that would make the conference a success. When booking your appointment with a teacher on the booking grid, you will have the option to “Add a message for (teacher name).”
For 5th and 6th grade students
The 5th and 6th grade teachers teach either science/social studies, math/science or literacy/social studies. You will be able to sign up for those teachers only once, but will be able to talk about both classes during your conference.
For 7th and 8th grade students
If your account shows that your child has the same teacher for more than one class, PLEASE ONLY SIGN UP WITH THAT TEACHER ONCE. You will be able to talk about both classes during your conference.
How to book conferences with your child’s high school world language or math teacher (if applicable)
If your child attends Muskego High School for a world language or math class, please look for separate communication from the high school regarding setting up a conference with their teacher
Need an interpreter?
Contact Mary Amaya with your request at mary.amaya@muskegonorway.org or 262-971-1860.
How to invite a 2nd parent/guardian to the conference
Once you have made your bookings (or when you later log in and go to My Bookings) click on the Invite Parent/Guardian link at the top of the list of your bookings. If you have already sent an invitation this link will show as Manage Invites instead. A maximum of two guests can attend the conference at the same time.
Need more time with a teacher?
Meet the Teacher holds firm to the start and end time of each scheduled 10 minute conference. The conference timer begins at the scheduled start time, not when the family joins the conference. When the 10 minutes are up, the conference ends automatically. This is a feature of Meet the Teacher that our teachers cannot manipulate. The benefit of this feature is that teachers will not get backed up causing conference start times to move back. Families can count on every scheduled conference starting on time. If your conference ends and you need more time, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule another time.
If you weren’t able to sign up for a teacher you’d like to meet with.
If you’d like to schedule a conference after booking has closed, or if you cannot attend conferences during the designated dates and times, please contact the teacher directly to set up an appointment.
Group Photo Day Schedule
Group photos are happening next week on February 7th. In order to accomodate all student groups during the day, we will be calling students throughout the day. This will result in students being out of class for the time of their photo.
Willy Wonka Jr. Tickets On Sale Now!
Muskego Lakes Middle School production of Willy Wonka Jr. will have four fantastic performances for you to come and see all our talented middle schoolers! Mark your calendars for the following show performances:
- Saturday, April 6th at 1pm (Flavor Shifters Cast)
- Saturday, April 6th at 5pm (Mallows Cast)
- Sunday, April 7th at 1pm (Mallows Cast)
- Sunday, April 7th at 5pm (Flavor Shifters Cast)
Tickets are available for purchase by clicking HERE.
Help Us Celebrate Our Staff, Give A Staff Shout-Out!
Is there a member of the Muskego Lakes staff who has been especially kind? helpful? Went out of their way to help you or their child? Help us celebrate and recognize them!
To do so, you can complete the form HERE. We will be taking nominations until February 16th, 2024. Thank you for helping us honor our staff here at Muskego Lakes!
Don't Forget To Buy A Yearbook!
You may order a middle school yearbook through Jostens, as yearbook sales are not handled through the school. In order to order a year book please visit: http://jostensyearbooks.com?ref=A09369100 . The deadline to place an order is March 1st, 2024. Additional copies of yearbooks will not be available at school for purchase.
If you're not certain if you've already ordered a yearbook, please search your email for "Jostens" and look for a confirmation of sale. Or, if you created an account when ordering, you may login to Jostens.com, and view your purchase history.
To inquire about financial assistance, please reach out to Stacy Pawlak, Social Worker.
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.
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.
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
- 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!
Lake Denoon Presents Wizard of Oz Jr.
Friday, March 1st at 7 pm and Saturday, March 2nd at 2 pm at the MHS PAC.
- Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for adults
- CLICK HERE for Friday Tickets
- CLICK HERE for Saturday Tickets
Muskego Lakes Middle School
Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies