Badger Middle School Newsletter

August 28, 2024

Principal's Welcome

Dear Badger Middle School Students and Families,

Badger Staff are SO excited to welcome you back to school! We hope to see you at tonight’s Open House, scheduled from 5:30-7:30.

We are focused on growth for all here at Badger, and are excited for the learning to begin! This newsletter contains any "need to know" logistics for the 1st day of school. We want all our students feel comfortable and know what to expect. You'll find information about the construction, where to go on the first day, and some expectations to review to prepare for the new year.

Thanks for your continued support,

Patrick O’Connor

Principal

Badger Middle School

Drop-off/Pick-up at School

Badger has three parking lots, but only two are available for drop-off and pick-up.

The “main entrance” parking lot is off of 6th street and available for parents before and after school.
The “staff” parking lot is located off of Main St. This lot is available before and after school. Please enter from the Main St entrance and leave using the Decorah Rd exit.
The “bus” parking lot is off of 6th street and closest to our track. This parking lot is for buses only. Please do not use this lot at any time.

Construction Update

There is currently road construction at Main Street and Decorah Road. Our Facilities team is working closely with the project managers and we have the following information directly from the City Engineer:

WBPD will have a crossing guard at this corner as they have in past years along with extra staffing on site to help.
The south crosswalk (corner where Kwik Trip is located) will be closed until for several weeks. Pedestrians can reach and go through all sides of the streets by using the north, east, and west crosswalks.
Traffic capacity will be reduced traveling northbound and southbound on Main Street, and traveling westbound on Decorah Road for approximately one more month. Please consider taking alternative routes to get to Badger Middle school to drop off/pick up students.

We will continue to encourage students to use crosswalks, but want you to be aware of this construction, which will impact traffic flow during pick up/drop off.

Upon Arrival at School

Students, please watch the video below to make sure you know your options when you enter the building on Tuesday!

Open House/Meet and Greet

We hope you'll pop in August 28th between 5:30-7:30 for Open House/Meet and Greet!

Printed schedules will be available for pick-up at Open House, however you will avoid standing in line if you opt to view/print your child's schedule from Skyward and bring it with you.

First Day of School

Badger students will attend the classes as listed on their schedule. ” We are running a normal bell schedule beginning the first day of school, so students should report to their 1st period class. We'll review how to read the rest of the schedule there.

We will of course spend some time outlining expectations. Reminding returning students and informing new-to-Badger students what is expected to be successful in the Badger environment was an important part of the activities. Of course, we will continuously remind students of these expectations and teach/reteach them as appropriate. A few expectations to ensure success are highlighted below. For example, we will run through Cafeteria expectations. Parents can preview the cafeteria expectations below:

Please note, there will be temporary seat assignments in the beginning of the year to ensure a clear understanding of cafeteria expectations and the safety and comfort of all students. We want to emphasize that this is not permanent, and students will eventually have the option to choose their own seats.

Students will:

Be walked down to the cafeteria for lunch as well as to and from recess.
Remain seated in the cafeteria unless given permission from a staff member.
Not have the option to return to lockers once in the cafeteria. Please be sure to bring anything you may need with you before you enter the cafeteria.
Not have access to microwaves. Please keep this in mind when packing lunches, as this is a change from Silverbrook.
Have the option to stay inside or go outside for recess; however, once they commit to one option, that is where they will remain for the remainder of the lunch period.

Busing

If your student takes the bus, please remember that on the first couple days, the drivers are learning new routes and students and it often takes longer for students to get home than is typical. Thank you for your patience.

Families are reminded that there may be some slight timing changes next week, so please make a final check in Skyward on Monday, September 2.

Riteway's Number is 262-429-1334.

Badger Apparel Available!

Order your Badger apparel!

Family Store Link:

https://alphacustomapparel.chipply.com/BTSBadgerSchoolStore-FamiliesBTS2024/

A couple of things to keep in mind....

1. The Link is LIVE now!!!

2. The link closes on September 9th at 11:59pm.

3. Once the link is closed we CANNOT re-open it. We can do another store later in the year (second semester-ish) if need be.

4. Please be sure to look at the descriptions. Some items are women-specific, child-specific, etc.

6. There is an anticipated delivery date which is mid-October. Please be patient!!

7. Online payments only!

Counseling Information

School Counselor Contact Information

7th Grade- Allison Mayer (262) 335-6244 amayer@wbsd-schools.org

8th Grade-Diane Pearce (262) 335-5449 dpearce@wbsd-schools.org

When should I contact my child’s school counselor?

Please contact us if you have concerns about your child’s:

Behavior patterns at home or school
Anger and frustration management skills
Anxiety or stress level
Relationships with others
Friendship skills
Self-esteem
Coping skills related to family stress or changes
Academic concerns or homework habits
Transitioning to middle school and/or high school

Counselors will be checking in with students individually. This allows us to make sure the transition to the school year is going smoothly.

Locker Rooms

At Badger, students may choose to change in the locker room for physical education after first checking in with their teacher in the gym. Physical education teachers will share clear locker room behavior expectations with students during their classes. As a reminder, students utilizing the locker room should lock their belongings in a locker.

Badger Menus

Badger Breakfast Menu

Badger Lunch Menu

District Nutrition Page

Information below has already been communicated but is here for your reference

Complete Back-to-School Registration

If you have not already completed back-to-school registration, please go to Skyward Family Access now to do this important step. This will help the start of the school year run more smoothly for the schools.

Here is the Registration Information.

Click here for more WBSD Back to School 24/25 Information.

A Note on Communication from the Principal

Thank you for taking the time to review this newsletter. Below are details of how I will communicate with Badger families:

I will use the Badger Middle School Facebook page to communicate highlights of the awesome things our students and staff are doing.
The Badger Middle School Newsletter will be used as needed to share important dates, “big picture” messaging, and announcements of upcoming events.
To prevent sending you numerous emails, I will try to wait on some announcements until a newsletter is ready. If there is something that families should be aware of earlier, I will send a separate email (i.e. Communications about events that significantly disrupt normal operations).
I will call you back if you call me and leave a message.
I will make contact through a phone call or email if you email me.
I do not monitor any Facebook pages other than Badger’s and the West Bend School District’s. Please contact me or another member of the staff with questions or concerns.
My goal is to be in the classrooms supporting staff, or in the halls/cafeteria supporting students as much as possible, so I am not typically available immediately during the day. I am happy to set up an appointment to meet with you to ensure my availability.

My contact information:

Patrick O'Connor

poconnor@wbsd-schools.org

Direct line: (262) 335-5456

Badger main office: (262) 335-5455

Cell Phone Policy

Badger's cell phone policy is stated in the district handbook that was acknowledged when registering your child for this school year. As a review, the handbook states the expectations for phones as: Keep in lockers. They are not to be used during the school day and are subject to confiscation. If your child violates the cell phone policy we use a progressive policy to address the issue.

1st Offense: The student can pick up their phone from the main office at the end of the school day.

2nd Offense: The phone will stay in the main office until a parent/guardian can pick it up.

3rd Offense: The phone will stay in the main office until a parent/guardian can pick it up. The student will also begin a “check-in/check-out process with their phone in the main office.

You can contact the office if you need to get in touch with your student during school hours. Thanks for helping us focus on learning during school hours!