Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter
January 19th, 2023
Dear Muskego Lakes Families,
Our second semester conferences are coming up soon on Thursday, February 15th! We are once again using Meet the Teacher for conference sign up. You may sign up for in-person or virtual conferences- whichever is most convenient for you.
We always encourage our students to be part of conferences, but we understand that they have busy lives and may not always be able to make it.
We also know that conferences this year likely feel a little early. That being said, our hope is to proactively partner with you to ensure students are on track for the remainder of the school year.
Please note that when signing up on Meet the Teacher, it is important to us that you indicate what you are hoping to get out of the conference. That way, our teachers can make sure they are meeting your needs for the time you have together. As an example, some parents want to know how they can help their child learn math facts. Others want to know how their child can improve their grades. And still others are more concerns about how they are connecting socially or how they are staying organized.
Please also note that some students have just recently begun their second semester encore classes. So, feel free to sign up for conferences for those particular classes (but know that there likely won’t yet be an update on how well your child is progressing in the class).
And finally, 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.
In partnership,
Rachel and Nancy
Muskego Lakes Principals
Important Dates Ahead
February 7- Rescheduled Group 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
Conferences Options and Sign-Up Information
Our staff is looking forward to being able to connect with families at our upcoming conferences! Please mark your calendar for the Thursday, February 15th, 2024. We will again be hosting both Virtual and In-Person options between 4-8pm.
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. This sign-up will open 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.
**Important to note! When signing up, you will be able to choose from one of these two options:
- An entire virtual conference night
- An entire in-person conference night
We hope this flexibility is helpful to you and your family!
Link to Sign Up: https://MLMSconferences.meettheteacher.com/
How to Schedule Your Conference on Meet the Teacher Platform
Step 1: Login
Fill out the details on the page then click the Log In button.
You must enter information as it is in Infinite Campus.
Use Samantha not Sam, if Infinite Campus uses your daughter's full name
When entering an email address, ensure it is one associated with the Infinite Campus profile
If you have multiple children, you can decide which child's information to use. They will all give you family access!
A confirmation of your appointments will be sent to the email address you provide.
Step 2: Select Parent Teacher Conference
Click on the date you wish to book.
Unable to make all of the dates listed? Click I'm unable to attend.
Step 3: Select In-Person or Virtual
When you choose a date that has both in-person and virtual appointment sessions available, you can choose which you want to book. Then press Next.
Step 4: Choose How To Book Appointment
You need to pick if you'd like the program to automatically sign you up for the teachers you wish to see or if you'd like to manually select those teachers. You can only choose one way to sign up.
- Step 4a (Automatic): Book Appointments - Select the earliest and latest times you'd like to book appointments with first. Then select the teachers you’d like to book appointments with. A green tick indicates they’re selected. To de-select, click on their name.
OR
- Step 4b (Manual): Book Appointments - Select the teachers you’d like to book appointments with. A green tick indicates they’re selected. To de-select, click on their name. Blue cells signify where you already have an appointment. Grey cells are unavailable.
To change an appointment, delete the original by hovering over the blue box and clicking Delete. Then choose an alternate time.
Leave a message for the teacher to say what you’d like to discuss or raise anything beforehand.
Once you’re finished booking all appointments, at the top of the page in a green box, you can press Click Here to view and print your appointments or invite another parent/guardian to the video call if you chose a virtual option during the booking process.
Step 5: Finished
All your bookings now appear on the My Bookings page. An email confirmation has been sent and you can also print appointments by pressing Print. Click Subscribe to Calendar to add these and any future bookings to your calendar. To change your appointments, click on Amend Bookings.
Important Notes When Scheduling Conferences
Important Notes When Scheduling
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.
Getting Ready for Your Conference or Troubleshooting
Getting ready for your in-person conference
So that you are on time for all of your appointments, consider coming early to get a map of the school or print one HERE.
Getting ready for your virtual conference and troubleshooting
Check out the guide HERE
Technology isn’t your thing?
Call the Muskego Lakes office and ask for Sarah Bauhs. She can help walk you through the process to get you signed up!
Need to speak with a principal or someone in student services? Please email to arrange a time that works best for you.
Rachel Rydzewski (Principal) rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org
Nancy Pasch (Associate Principal) nancy.pasch@muskegonorway.org
Stacey Malek (School Psychologist)- stacey.malek@muskegonorway.org
Janine Hake (School Counselor- Grades 5,6)- janine.hake@muskegonorway.org
Jim Brickweg (School Counselor- Grades 7,8)- james.brickweg@muskegonorway.org
Stacy Pawlak (School Social Worker)- stacy.pawlak@muskegonorway.org
Jared Sandretti (School Resource Officer)- jared.sandretti@muskegonorway.org
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!
7-8th Grade Girls Volleyball Tryouts Next Week!
Is your student interested in trying out for volleyball? If so try-outs are next week!
- 8th graders will have try-outs on Monday Jan 22 and Tues Jan 23.
- 7th graders will have try-outs on Wed Jan 24 and Thurs Jan 25
Tickets On Sale Soon For Willy Wonka Jr.
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
- Saturday, April 6th at 5pm
- Sunday, April 7th at 1pm
- Sunday, April 7th at 5pm
Tickets will be available to the public for purchase starting Monday, January 29! More information to come and link to purchase tickets will be available in next week's newsletter.
Outdoor Recess Reminders
At Muskego Lakes, our hope is that over lunches, our students get time to relax, unwind, and have fun. It's a time for them to soak in the fresh air if they choose to get outside and/or stay inside and visit with friends.
Huge thanks to PTO and our Amazon wishlist, we’ve recently secured some games and activities for students to use over lunches- especially during these winter months. That being said, we do still have quite a few students who still like to get out and move around- even in these cold temperatures. So as the snow and cold settles in, thanks for helping us make sure students have what they need to stay warm should they decide to head outside after eating their lunch.
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.
Last Chance to Support Student Council Hygiene Product Drive
The Muskego Lakes Student Council's hygeine product drive ends on January 31st for the Muskego Food Pantry. They are asking students to bring in items to their homeroom teachers. They are hoping they are able to help stock the shelves and give back to those in our community. On behalf of our student leaders, we thank you for considering in sending in these products.
Some items that they are looking to collect are:
- Tooth Brushes
- Floss
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- Face Wash
- Body Wash
- Deodorant
- Toilet paper
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Lotions
*please do not send in any spray type items (i.e. Axe, Spray Deodrant, Body Spray, etc.)*
Attention 8th Grade Families: High School Registration Info
High school registration is right around the corner!
- Wednesday, January 24, 2024 6:00 pm - High School Orientation
- Wednesday, January 31, 2024 5:00-8:00 pm Course Information Evening
Please review this LINK for detailed information.
Executive Function Series: Task Initiation
Task initiation is starting projects or activities in an efficient manner (opposite of procrastination). Teens tend to overestimate the time that a nonpreferred task will take and underestimate the amount of time that a preferred task will take. This can lead to putting off long-term assignments until the night before they are due or taking a ‘twenty minute break’ to play a video game and then realizing they’ve been playing for two hours.
Here are some tips to help your teen get started more easily:
Help them to resist the urge for immediate fun by giving some context to how working on the “non-fun” task now will benefit them. What is a long-term goal of theirs (earning an A, earning money, time with friends)? Use a “first/then” approach - “first you do…, then you get…“
Encourage them to break the task into smaller parts. Maybe cleaning the garage feels overwhelming - that’s the overall goal, but there are lots of little steps along the way. Help them identify the first step and make it manageable (ie., collect all the sports equipment and put it in one spot - to be organized later).
If there’s a long-term project for school, contact your teen’s teacher to help break it down into smaller steps.
If there are many assignments past due that have built up, reach out to your teen’s teacher to learn more about use of time in class and priority for completing the tasks.
Ask your teen what works best for them regarding reminders to get started - for some a visual timer is helpful. For others, that induces another distraction so a verbal prompt is better.
This is a great time to collaborate with your teen; to listen and help them feel like they have a voice in future steps or things to try. Any plan will go better when they feel they have had at least half of the input.
8th Grade Career & Community Fair Ahead at Muskego Lakes
As part of our comprehensive Academic and Career Planning at the middle level, we are hosting a Career & Community Fair for our 8th graders on the morning of February 23rd.
We are looking for a wide range of speakers in order to ensure we have representation across the U.S. Department of Education's 16 clusters:
- Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
- Architecture & Construction
- Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications
- Business, Management & Administration
- Education & Training
- Finance
- Government & Public Administration
- Health Science
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Human Services
- Information Technology
- Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
- Manufacturing
- Marketing, Sales & Service
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
- Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
If you or someone you know might be interested, please reach out to Rachel Rydzewski, Principal, who can provide more information. Thank you for considering!
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!
Muskego Lakes Middle School
Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies