Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter

Dear Muskego Lakes Families,

Every year, we ask our students at Muskego Lakes to take a survey about their experiences here at school. The purpose of the survey is to make sure we understand what’s going well as well as opportunities for improvement from the perspective of our students.

We love that the student survey gives them an opportunity to have a voice and share their feedback here at school. Their insight matters to us. And we work really hard to make changes as a result of what we learn from them.

We recently received the results of this year’s 24-25 Student Experience Survey, and we wanted to be transparent with you with the results.

Some strengths of our school community that emerged within the survey this year are (survey items are rated on a five point scale):

• “I have at least one friend at this school.” (4.78)

• “Learning is important at my school.” (4.46)

• “ My teachers challenge me to think.” (4.38)

• “My teachers care about me.” (4.36)

• “ My principal is a good leader.” (4.28)

That being said, a few survey items that were lower than we expected were:

• “I am provided some options for what I learn, how I learn, and what evidence I use to demonstrate my learning.” (3.89)

• “I feel like the learning I am doing is meaningful and relevant.” (3.88)

Every year, we are grateful that our students let us know about their experiences here at school. Going forward, we will reflect on these results as a staff, learn even more from our students when it comes to our growth opportunities, and engage in continuous improvement efforts in order to do even better for our students.

If you have any questions about our Student Experience Survey or if you have any feedback for how we can continue to improve the student experience here at school, please reach out. We are so very grateful for the partnership we have with you all, and we recognize that it takes a village to rally around the students we serve.

In partnership,

Rachel Rydzewski and Nancy Pasch

MLMS Principals

• 3/10-3/14: MLMS PTO Penny Wars

• 3/24-3/28: No School Spring Break

• 4/5-4/6: MLMS Musical Newsie's Jr. Performance

• 4/8: End of Quarter Three

• 4/14-4/17: Forward Testing Week

• 4/18: No School

• 4/21: No School

The Muskego Lions Club will be conducting vision screening for 5th grade students on Monday, March 17, 2025. Please make sure your student wears their glasses/contacts on the date of the vision screening. If you do not want your student to participate please contact the health office at 262-971-1860 ext.5003 or email at ml-health-office@muskegonorway.org.

The parents of any student that does not pass this screening will be notified by email. If your student does pass this screening you will not be notified directly, but you may certainly call the health office at your students school to confirm. Please allow a reasonable amount of time for processing results before contacting the health office.

The MLMS PTO is gearing up for Penny Wars next week, and we need your help to make it a success! Volunteers are needed to assist during lunch from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Your support will help keep the competition fun and running smoothly! If you’re available to lend a hand, please sign up today HERE—we truly appreciate it

The Muskego Lakes PTO is thrilled to kick off a brand-new spirit wear sale! With a variety of styles and options available, there’s something for everyone to show off their school pride. Check out all the choices HERE!

In addition you can order Muskego Spirit Wear Earrings made by JD Jewelry Design, a local small business and member of the Muskego Norway School District Community. Earrings are made of light weight polymer clay and hypoallergenic, nickel free materials. Check out all the choices HERE. Order and payment must be received by 03/21/25. Delivery will be in April. Purchases will be sent home with your student.

Don’t miss out—orders can be placed through midnight on Sunday, March 23rd, and all items will be delivered the week of April 7th. Get your gear and show your Muskego Lakes spirit!

Muskego Lakes students will take the WI Forward Assessment and the spring diagnostic iReady Exam in a few short months. We ask that families check the dates of these assessments below and communicate with us if you know your child has a pre-planned reason/vacation to be out during those times, so we can plan accordingly to ensure testing can be completed.

Wisconsin Forward Testing Dates: April 14-17, 2025

Spring iReady Dates:

• Literacy: May 12-14, 2025
• Math: May 19-21, 2025

If you do have a pre-planned absence during these dates, please reach out nancy.pasch@muskegonorway.org

Please be advised that the 7th & 8th graders are not to report to Muskego High School for their classes on Tuesday, March 11th, as they will be hosting ACT testing for the Juniors only. All 7th & 8th graders who typically start their day at the high school should report to Muskego Lakes at the start of the school day.

Muskego Lakes Middle School production of Newsies Jr. are open to the public now! We will have four fantastic performances for you to come and see all our talented middle schoolers! Mark your calendars for the following show performances:

• Friday, April 4th at 7pm (Brooklyn Cast)
• Saturday, April 5th at 1pm (Brooklyn Cast)

• Sunday, April 5th at 7pm (Bronx Cast)
• Sunday, April 6th at 1pm (Bronx Cast)

You can check out the cast list HERE! Tickets are available for purchase by clicking HERE.

We would like to remind you that bus behavior is an extension of the school day and riding on the bus is a privilege afforded to our students. Just as we expect respectful and responsible behavior in the classroom, we also expect the same standards to be upheld while traveling to and from school. It's crucial for the safety and well-being of all students that good behavior is maintained on the bus. We kindly request your support in reinforcing this message with your child, emphasizing the importance of respectful conduct during their bus rides. Together, we can ensure a positive and safe environment for all students. Thank you for your cooperation.

Is there a member of the Muskego Lakes staff who has been especially kind? helpful? Is there someone at Muskego Lakes who goes above and beyond for you and/or your child?

If so, consider nominating any member of the Muskego Lakes staff for a Musky Award!!! To do so, you can complete the form here. Thank you for helping us honor our staff here at Muskego

Common items we find are:

• water bottles
• school supplies
• assignment notebooks
• lunch bags
• sweatshirts

Please encourage your child if they are missing sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, pencil cases, hats, headbands, etc. to stop by student services to check for their missing items.

Want to get involved and support our amazing school community? The PTO is always looking for extra hands, and we’d love to have you—no big commitment required! Whether you can make a few phone calls, help at events, donate resources, or even consider a leadership role, there’s a place for you. We currently have an open board seat for next year as a much-needed Secretary position. If serving on the board isn’t your thing, we still welcome any support you can offer!

Interested in learning more? Reach out to us at muskegolakespto@gmail.com—we’d love to connect!

The MLMS PTO is looking to continue the traditon to have snacks for staff each Wednesday. We need your help though by signing up to donate snacks each week. This greatly helps them make it through the week. 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 HERE for a date below if you can. Drop off will be in the front office by 8am on the Wednesday you sign up.

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 24-25 School Year are:

• April 7
• April 28

In an effort to ensure students can move through the lunch lines efficently, 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 you ease, we have linked the September menu below with other helpful resources. You can always find the link to updated lunch menus, at the end of this newsletter.

• Lunch Menu
• Guide to Making a Complete Meal
• Top Ten Reasons For School Meals

2024-25 Lunch Prices:

• Elementary School $2.55
• MS Diner meal $2.95
• MS Pizza meal $3.50
• MS Grab n Go $3.50
• MS Creation meal $3.90
• Adult $4.65
• Milk Carton $0.50
  
  

Questions related to the food service program can be directed to Benny D’Epiro, Food Service Director at 262-971-1790 x4522.

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.

Please make note of days off and important events on the 24-25 calendar. It is ideal to make dentist and doctor appointments on days we do not have school whenever possible.

The 2025-2026 school calendar is now available for you to review and use for planning purposes.

Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muskegolakesmuskies

To view current support staff job vacancies, click HERE