Lodi Elementary School & Ouisconsing School of Collaboration
Website: lodi.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-592-3842
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LodiSchoolsWI/
Dear LES/OSC Families,
On behalf of all of the LES/OSC staff, Happy New Year! I hope you had a great Winter Break and wish you all health and happiness in the new year. Thank you for taking the time to look through our newsletter. I hope you find the information we include helpful.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is required by state statute to generate school and district report cards for every publicly funded school and district in the state. The report cards are intended to help schools and districts use performance data to celebrate success and improve their efforts to prepare students for their futures. These report cards include data on multiple indicators for multiple years. Once again, the School District of Lodi has earned a rating of Exceeds Expectations from the state and received its highest score to date. (Ranking: 46th out of 420 public districts receiving scores in the state! Also, ranking as the top district in CESA 5 and Columbia County.) Impressively, every school in the district also received the same designation. These achievements further solidify Lodi’s reputation as one of the top-performing districts in Dane and Columbia counties. We continue to be very proud of the student outcomes here in the School District of Lodi, which is reflected in these school accountability report cards. Mr. Vince Breunig shared a special video message with students and staff, acknowledging their efforts. In addition, all the students received a special Lodi pencil.
These accomplishments reflect the incredible efforts and collaboration of our entire school community. It truly is a team effort. Collectively each student, staff member, parent and community member contributes to our success. Personally, I am extremely proud of our LES/OSC students and staff. I get the privilege to witness their hard work daily, but I am also very grateful for your continued support and partnership. Here are links to the LES and OSC official school report cards from the 2023-2024 school year.
It is great to have everyone back together! Ask your child about the assembly we had today and what it means to be "Determined to Be Your Best".
Sincerely,
Eric Scheunemann
Lodi Elementary School/OSC Charter School Principal
(608) 592-3842 ext. 2102
"No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship." ~ James Comer
We want to inform you that report cards will be sent home in your student’s take-home folder on Friday, February 14th. You will also be able to view them in Infinite Campus.
In January, teachers will continue collecting additional data to ensure we provide the most accurate representation of your student’s skills at this point in the school year.
As in previous years, students will receive a numerical score tied to a detailed rubric for each reporting category. This year, the rubric has been updated to include three scoring options instead of the four previously used at the Elementary School/OSC. This change aligns our 4K-5 system and is intended to make the report card easier to understand and use for families.
Undoubtedly, your child will have areas where they are meeting current benchmarks as well as areas in need of continued growth. We look forward to supporting them in these areas during the second semester.
We are excited to celebrate the great progress students have made with you soon!
With winter around the corner, school may be canceled due to inclement weather. In most situations, the district plans to use two days of school as regular days off. If the district has additional inclement weather days, we will provide students with virtual instruction on those days to meet our state required hours of instruction. As always, the district will prioritize in-person learning experiences for our students whenever possible.
If we decide a virtual learning day is needed we will notify you. We will also send Chromebooks home with students and will have reviewed our virtual learning expectations with students so they know what to expect. If you indicated that you have no internet access or inconsistent internet access we will be sending a virtual learning packet of materials home as well. Below are the virtual learning letters for each grade level/team that we will be sending home in preparation soon.
- LES 3rd Grade Virtual Learning Plan
- LES 4th Grade Virtual Learning Plan
- LES 5th Grade Virtual Learning Plan
- OSC Virtual Learning Plan
If you have any questions please reach out to me or to your child's teacher.
This is a reminder of the importance of reporting an absence if a student is going to be missing from school. Families can complete the Absence Form (button below) instead of calling school or emailing the office; however, if you have questions or are unable to complete this form you can still call the attendance line: (608) 592-3842 ext 2100 or email the school office: lesoscoffice@lodischoolswi.org.
The form is also accessible through the Lodi Elementary School page and the Ouisconsing School of Collaboration page with a link that says “Report an Absence” on the main page.
My name is Keri Bahr, and I am the school counselor at LES/OSC. I want to remind you that I am available to meet with you and/or your children if you have any behavioral, social, or emotional concerns. Additionally, I visit each classroom once every six days to teach Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons. Here’s a quick glimpse of what’s going on in SEL:
December Highlights: Growth Mindset
This past month, our Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) focus was on developing a Growth Mindset. Students have been exploring the power of "yet,” and remembering that practice makes progress and mistakes are OK!
Key Components:
Goal Setting
Growth Mindset Snowflakes - stop by the school after break to see all our unique snowflakes up in the hallways!
Looking Ahead to January: Emotion Management
As we return from Winter Break, our SEL lessons will focus on Emotion Management. We'll be exploring various strategies to help our students identify, understand, and regulate their feelings.
Key Components:
Identifying emotions - review of Zones of Regulation
Emotion vocabulary building
Ways to calm down when we are feeling big emotions.
I am thankful for your support and so grateful for the opportunity to work with your children everyday! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything you or your child needs.
Phone - (608)592-3842 X2111 or email - bahrke@lodischoolswi.org
Frostbite:
Frostbite is an injury to the body that is caused by freezing. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and color in affected areas. It most often affects the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers, or toes. Frostbite can permanently damage the body, and severe cases can lead to amputation.
Warning signs of frostbite include:
Numbness and a white or grayish‐ yellow color to the affected skin, which may feel unusually firm or waxy.
People with frostbite are often unaware until someone else points it out because the frozen tissues are numb.
At the first signs of redness or pain in any skin area, get out of the cold or protect any exposed skin—frostbite may be beginning.
Treatment for frostbite:
If you detect symptoms of frostbite, seek medical care.
Frostbite and hypothermia both result from exposure to cold. If you suspect someone has frostbite, also check if the affected person shows signs of hypothermia.
Symptoms of hypothermia may include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss and slurred speech.
Hypothermia is a more serious medical condition and requires emergency medical assistance.
If there is frostbite but no sign of hypothermia and immediate medical care is not available: Get to a warm place as soon as possible. Unless absolutely necessary, do not walk on frostbitten feet or toes as this increases the damage. Immerse the affected area in warm—not hot—water (the temperature should be comfortable to the touch for unaffected parts of the body).
Or, warm the affected area using body heat. For example, the heat of an armpit can be used to warm frostbitten fingers. Do not rub the frostbitten area with snow or massage it at all. This can cause more damage. Don’t use a heating pad, heat lamp, or the heat of a stove, fireplace, or radiator for warming. Affected areas are numb and can be easily burned.
Prevention:
Adults and children should wear:
A hat, scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth
Sleeves that are snug at the wrist
Mittens (they are warmer than gloves)
Water‐resistant coat waterproof and insulated boots or shoes.
Illness:
Keeping students home when they are ill helps to reduce the spread of illness. The link from CDC is a quick guide of what you can do to help reduce the spread.
Resource(s):
Wisconsin Wayfinder: Children’s Resource Network helps assist families, caregivers, professionals, and organizations in finding a wide array of supports and services.
Link to Wisconsin Wayfinder webpage or toll-free number 877-947-2929
Janelle Sivam RN, BSN
School Nurse
ES/OSC: 608-592-3842 ext: 2103
The cold winter months are the perfect time to continue to nurture a love for reading in your young learners. It’s essential to create an engaging and supportive environment at home. Here are some effective strategies to help your K-5th grade students flourish in their reading journey:
Set an Example
Let your child see you reading! Share your favorite books and discuss what you’re reading. This demonstrates that reading is a valuable and enjoyable activity.
Visit the Library
Regular trips to the library can be exciting! Many libraries offer reading programs, story times, and events that foster a love for books. Let your child explore and choose books on their own, or explore a topic of interest together!
Read the Book! See the Movie!
There are many great children's books that have been made into movies! Read the book together as a family, then watch the movie together! What was the same in each? What was different? Here is a list to get you started...and a quick Google search will give you many more options!
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Matilda
- The BFG
- Charlotte's Web
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Stuart Little
- The Tale of Despereaux
- Because of Winn Dixie
- The Boxcar Children
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
We are excited to share that we have hired a long term substitute as the Primary School and OSC Music Teacher, replacing Mrs. Weber! Mrs. Weber will be assisting Ms. Sayeg in the transition into this position after break. The permanent position will be posted these spring. Below is some information about Ms. Sayeg:
My name is Emma Sayeg. I am from Milwaukee, WI. I graduated from Lawrence University with a degree in Choral & General Music Education. I decided to pursue elementary music in particular, because I believe music teachers at this level have a unique opportunity to help students learn to connect to the world around and beyond them through music! I love to see the ways students find to be creative and make magical musical moments as they sing, dance, play instruments, or compose. When I am not teaching or making music, I like to spend time cooking, crocheting, or doing puzzles. I am excited to join the team here in Lodi, because I was struck by this special student-centered community that the Lodi community and staff have created!
During the month of December within LES/OSC Physical Education classes we worked on a large range of skills depending upon the unit we were in! We wrapped up working on our Scooters as we played a variety of games on the Scooters. It was enjoyable to take classic games such as Tag, Kickball, and Dodgeball and turn them into games that can be played on Scooters!
We also spent time in the LES/OSC Wrestling Room and Stage working on some basic wrestling skills such as stance and motion. These skills correlate across many of the sports and activities we do throughout class.
Students also were able to learn some basic offensive maneuvers such as shooting and some basic defensive maneuvers such as sprawling. Students were able to engage in some skills, drills, and games that mimicked what real wrestling would be like.
We spent a few days working on our Ultimate Frisbee skills focusing on the basics of throwing and catching a frisbee. When we return from Christmas Break we will have several more days of Ultimate Frisbee before we end the unit in mini games and a large class game.
Question to ask your student: What game that you played on the Scooter did you enjoy the most?
Question to ask your student: What wrestling game that you played (Attack Bandz, Fox Tail, Knee Tag) did you enjoy most?
Question to ask your student: What Ultimate Frisbee skill do you need the most practice on when you return from Christmas Break?
Happy New Year Everyone!
I hope everyone has a great holiday break!
January we will be featuring grapefruit, cabbage and winter savory (a type of leaf vegetable). Please watch for them on the menu and give them a try. I know grapefruit was a favorite the last time we did it so please try it again! We will have a grapefruit coleslaw and white beans with savory -yum! If there is something you would like to see on the menu please let me know and I would be happy to get it on. We will be doing Kids in the Kitchen sometime in the new year also. Please watch for more information next month.
Taher Food Service Director
