United South Central Elementary

Dear USC Elementary Families,

Happy Spring!

As April comes to a close and we step into May, the arrival of spring brings renewed energy and a reminder that the end of the 2024–25 school year is near. This season of growth mirrors the remarkable academic and personal development we have seen in our students throughout the year. It has truly been a year filled with meaningful learning, perseverance, and progress, and we are excited to celebrate our students’ accomplishments as we head into the final stretch.

With MCA testing complete as of Friday, May 2, I sincerely thank our students, staff, and families for their hard work and perseverance. The dedication shown by both our teachers and students during this testing period has been inspiring. While assessments provide essential insights into academic progress, they are only one part of the learning journey. What matters most is the curiosity, resilience, and enthusiasm our students demonstrate each day.

May also brings Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to recognize and celebrate the incredible dedication of our educators. The teachers at USC Elementary consistently go above and beyond during the school day, evenings, and weekends, preparing lessons, planning meaningful experiences like field trips and literacy nights, coaching, and providing extra support to students. Their commitment to building strong relationships with students and families and meeting the diverse needs of every learner is exceptional. In a time when the teaching profession faces many challenges, our staff stands out as a group of passionate, innovative, and deeply caring individuals. We are fortunate to have such an exceptional team shaping the future of our students. Please take a moment to thank a teacher this week!

As we approach the final weeks of school, many exciting opportunities remain. Our students will participate in engaging activities, field trips, track and field day, and end-of-year celebrations that reflect the joy and success of the year. Looking ahead to summer, we encourage families to continue nurturing a love for learning at home through reading, math, exploring the outdoors, or spending quality time together.

Thank you for your continued support and for being a vital part of our USC school community. We look forward to celebrating a successful conclusion to the school year with you and your children!

Warm regards,
Jennifer Kaczrowski-Taylor
Principal, USC Elementary

Let’s show appreciation for our incredible USC teachers! Take a moment to thank them today and every day for their dedication to shaping our students’ futures and creating a positive learning environment!

With the arrival of spring comes the busy season of after-school sports, clubs, and various activities. While our students need to stay active and engage in these social opportunities, we also want to emphasize the continued importance of reading each night. Whether they read independently or enjoy a story read aloud by a family member or friend, nightly reading plays a vital role in their development. Reading aloud to your children helps stimulate their imagination, expand their worldview, and enhance their language and listening skills. Let’s continue to support their love of reading as they grow and learn!

In the world’s largest study of K-12 students' reading habits, which included 9.9 million students across more than 30,000 schools in the United States, researchers found a striking difference between students who met grade-level benchmarks and those who did not. On average, third graders who failed to meet the end-of-year benchmarks spent just 14.6 minutes a day engaged in reading. In contrast, third graders who met college and career readiness benchmarks read for 20 minutes a day, just a difference of under 6 minutes. This small daily commitment translated into students reading an average of 100,448 more words and achieving 11% higher comprehension than their peers who didn’t meet the benchmarks.

– Renaissance

Is your contact information current in JMC? As we prepare for the upcoming school year, it’s essential that we can reach you with important back-to-school information, health updates, and classroom communication. Please take a moment to log into JMC and update any changes to phone numbers, addresses, or emergency contacts. If you’ve selected “call first” for a specific contact, that person will be the primary one contacted by the health office or elementary office regarding illness, concerns, or questions. Accurate information ensures we can connect with you quickly and efficiently when it matters most. Thank you for helping us keep the lines of communication strong!

May 20 – 5th–8th Grade Band Concert 🎶
May 20 – School Board Meeting at 5:30 PM in the Community Education Room at USC 🏫
May 21 – 4th Grade Field Trip to Fort Snelling Base Camp 🏕️
May 23 – 3rd & 4th Grade Track & Field Day – Parents Welcome! 🏃‍♀️🏅
May 23 – 2nd Grade Field Trip to Como Zoo 🐒🦓
May 23 – 5th Grade Field Trip to Laura Ingalls/Niagara Cave 🚌🕳️
May 23 – Preschool Graduation in the Auditorium at 1:15 PM 🎓✨
May 23 – Pops and Pie Choir/Band Concert for Grades 9–12 at 7:00 PM 🥧🎼
May 26 – No School – Memorial Day 🇺🇸
May 27 – K–2 Music Program at 2:00 PM 🎵
May 27 – Animal Fair – Second Grade 🐾
May 28 – 3rd, 4th & 6th Grade Music Program at 2:00 PM 🎶
May 30 – Last Day of School – High School Graduation at 7:00 PM 🎓

🌞 Enjoy Your Summer!

Mark your calendars, and thank you for staying informed! 🚀

Morning supervision at USC begins at 8:00 a.m., but we continue to notice students arriving as early as 7:15 a.m. Please remind your student to arrive as close to 8:00 a.m. as possible, whether they are dropped off, walk, or bike to school. Breakfast starts at 7:50 a.m., and before 8:00 a.m., staff members are involved in meetings and other duties, so we are unable to provide supervision prior to that time. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

An increase in various illnesses is typical for this time of year. Here are some important reminders about when to keep your children home from school. Your cooperation is crucial in maintaining a healthy environment for all students.

Please keep your child at home if they:

• Have had a fever of 100.0°F or higher within the past 24 hours.

• Have experienced vomiting or persistent diarrhea in the last 24 hours.

• Are diagnosed with strep throat (they can return after 12 hours on antibiotics and no fever for 24 hours).

• Have influenza or COVID-19 (they can return after being fever-free for 24 hours and once the cough has subsided).

• Exhibit a severe, frequent cough that would impede concentration and disturb others.

• Have a draining wound.

Your adherence to these guidelines helps us in our collective effort to keep our students healthy.

*When the nurse's office contacts you to pick up your sick child, please aim to do so as promptly as possible.

Elementary School Hours

Classes begin at 8:20 a.m. and are dismissed at 3:03 p.m. Students who are not in class by 8:20 a.m. will be marked tardy. If students arrive after 8:40 a.m., they will be marked absent.

Drop off and pick up at USC Elementary

• Students will enter the school by the main door by the elementary office

• Students can enter the building at 8:10 A.M. after they are lined up outside. Please be mindful to drop your students off as close to 8:10 A.M. as possible to alleviate a long wait before the start of the school day.

• Students who have breakfast can access the school building at 7:50 A.M. Upon arrival, they should proceed directly to the Commons Area. After breakfast, students will return outside and enter the elementary building at 8:10 A.M., when the official school day begins. It is important to note that students are not permitted to enter the elementary building until 8:10 A.M.

• Students will be dismissed from the main doors by the office.

Parking Notice: Make sure you are legally parked when dropping off and picking up students before and after school. Parking is off-limits in front of the school, where buses load and unload students. Do not park in any of the HANDICAP DESIGNATED AREAS.

Crosswalks: To prioritize students' safety, we request that everyone consistently use the designated crosswalks when dropping off or picking up students. We emphasize that our top priority is ensuring the safety of our students, and we discourage any attempts to walk between school buses, as it poses a significant safety risk. We want parents and students to use the designated crosswalks exclusively.

Entrance into the Building: For safety reasons, parents will drop off and pick up students outside the main doors. To encourage a smooth and organized school environment, parents are required to make an appointment when meeting with a teacher, counselor, or administrator. Additionally, parents and guardians have access to the front office but are not permitted in the school building during school hours without prior approval. Students are not permitted to bring visitors to school, and visitors are not allowed during breakfast or lunch. This policy helps maintain a focused and productive atmosphere for all students, and we appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Parent Contact Information: Please notify the elementary office if your email address, mailing address, or telephone number changes. It is imperative that we contact you in case of a school-wide emergency or your child becomes ill. Also, keeping your contact information current will make sure you receive notices and announcements from the school.

Outdoor Recess: As spring arrives, it is essential to remember that your child(ren) will have outdoor recess every day, weather permitting, unless it is below 0 degrees or if it is raining or wet outside. In such cases, recess will be held indoors. Your assistance in ensuring your students come to school adequately prepared for the weather is greatly appreciated. Unless the temperature is 60 degrees or higher, please ensure your child wears a jacket or coat. Additionally, during the winter months, students need to have the appropriate outdoor clothing such as layers, hats, mittens/gloves, scarves, boots, and snow pants when the snow is on the ground or mud on the playground.

Extra Clothing: Please send an extra set of clothing with your child. It is important to have an additional set in case of spills, mud, accidents, and wet clothing from recess. Thank you.

Lost and Found: Lost and Found tables are located in the Commons area, near the vending machine. To prevent your child's items from ending up in Lost and Found, please ensure all clothing is labeled correctly with their name.

Fourth-grade students had the special opportunity to celebrate Arbor Day with a lesson on the benefits of trees and how to plant them, followed by a brief Q&A session. Students learned that trees are essential for our environment, providing oxygen, improving air quality, and offering habitat for wildlife. Each student received a Red Maple tree to plant, helping to contribute to a greener future. Thank you to Bill and Andy Groskreutz (photographer), Mark Schmitz, Tom Hansen, Rick Mueller, and Hadley Noss for the trees and for making this memorable experience possible!

In April, we had the pleasure of welcoming the incoming Class of 2038 to our Kindergarten Round-Up. During this event, our future students met USC staff members, learned valuable lessons on bus safety, and toured the community. They also enjoyed plenty of time for exploration and play. We are excited and eager to welcome them this fall!

On March 21st, USC students and staff celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by participating in Rock Your Socks Day. Everyone wore brightly colored, mismatched socks to raise awareness and show support for individuals with Down syndrome. It was a great way to promote inclusion and celebrate our differences as a school community.

At the March 18, 2025, School Board Meeting, the board proudly recognized the remarkable contributions of Nancy Bruckoff and Kim Stevermer to the success of the Reading Corps program at USC Elementary. Nancy works directly with kindergarten through third-grade students, delivering focused 20-minute reading interventions that total 100 minutes of personalized support each week. Her dedication, consistency, and compassionate approach ensure that struggling readers get the attention and instruction they need to grow in confidence and skill. Equally essential is the work of Kim Stevermer, whose behind-the-scenes leadership makes the entire program possible. Kim coordinates the Reading Corps efforts with precision—building schedules, aligning resources, and ensuring students and tutors have what they need to succeed. Her ability to manage the moving pieces with care and clarity amplifies the impact of the program across the building.

Together, Nancy and Kim exemplify the USC mission of putting students first. Their work changes lives, and USC is grateful for their unwavering commitment to literacy and learning.

Thank you, Nancy and Kim, for being champions of student success!

The third-quarter Rebel Pride Celebration was a memorable event. Students were recognized for demonstrating the core values of Respect, Responsibility, and Safety. Three students from each class were honored with the Rebel Rights Awards for consistently excelling at USC to exemplify these values. Following the awards ceremony, students enjoyed the much-anticipated Candy BINGO and a lively dance party in the auditorium. It was a fun and energetic way to celebrate their achievements and reinforce the importance of upholding USC's core values.

(L to R) Kyson Buendorf, Julian Hernandez, Colby Schrader, Audrey Voigt, and Payton Sichmeller

(L to R) Addilyn Obermeyer, Lilac Hander, Norie Leland, Taylin Leland, adn Cristopher Ocampo-Rodiguez

(L to R) Gavin Albers, Fletcher King, Jasmin Newbern, Kara Goette, and Ariana Ruiz (below)

The third and fourth graders recently celebrated their annual dance party in the auditorium, expertly organized by Mrs. Tammy Bullerman. Throughout the year, students have been learning a variety of dances, and this event allowed them to showcase their skills. Both classes performed country, line, swing, and square dances. The fourth graders wowed the crowd with a lively performance of the classic hit Footloose by Kenny Loggins, adding extra fun with a colorful parachute incorporated into their routine. The students’ energy, teamwork, and enthusiasm created a vibrant and memorable event. Thank you to Mrs. Bullerman for her dedication and for making this annual celebration a success!

Throughout the year, USC teachers engage students in dynamic, standards-based lessons designed to spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and foster critical thinking. With a commitment to continuous improvement, our educators collaborate regularly, analyze data, and adjust instruction to meet the diverse needs of every learner. At the heart of teaching and learning at USC is a shared belief that every student can grow, and our teachers work tirelessly to make that growth a reality.

Email: jtaylor@unitedsouthcentral.org
Location: 600 11th Street Southwest, Wells, MN, USA
Phone: 507-553-5810