Fox Report
April 4th, 2025
Principal's Corner
It’s hard to believe it’s already April—the school year is flying by! 📚🌿 Our 3rd-5th graders are in the full swing of Wisconsin Forward testing, and we are so proud of their perseverance and focus during this important assessment. Our K-3 learners will also be taking the district screener, AimsWeb Plus, from April 7-11. Please help set them up for success with a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast on testing days!
Meanwhile, our students have been hard at work collecting sap! 🍁 Some classes are measuring their daily collection totals, while others are testing the sugar content from their trees—it’s even turned into a friendly competition! In the next week or two, we hope to have a school-wide boiling day, where all learners can see the process of turning sap into delicious maple syrup in our outdoor pan cooker. This is always a highlight of the season!
As the mud and puddles are in full swing, please continue sending boots with your child(ren) to keep them comfortable during outdoor adventures.
Thank you for your continued support—we’re looking forward to an exciting spring ahead! 🌷🐾
Applications and Open Enrollment Now Being Accepted
We have started taking applications for new learners for next year! Our charter school application and open enrollment application are open through April 30, 2025 at 4:00 pm. Please feel free to spread the word to any new families thinking of enrolling.
*If your child currently attends Maple Grove Charter School you DO NOT need to fill out either of these forms again, as you are automatically accepted for next year.
KEEP Program Grant
🌟 Shoutout to Mrs. Szutkowski & Our 5th Graders! 🌟
Big news—Maple Grove’s 5th graders have been awarded a KEEP Program Grant to help reduce our school's carbon footprint! 🌎💡 Check us out in this month's Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) newsletter!
So, what’s the project? Our students are on a mission to save energy at school! 🏫⚡ First, they'll investigate how much electricity our classrooms use—including those sneaky "energy vampires" 🧛♂️🔌. Then, they’ll take action with smart power strips and schoolwide education to reduce waste. The result? Lower electric bills, a greener school, and a smaller carbon footprint!
Every switch flipped and every plug unplugged makes a difference. Stay tuned to see our students in action! 💚♻️
Kwik Trip Fundraiser
Our year round Kwik Trip fundraiser is still going on. Please contact Mrs. Diels in the office if you need an order form!
🐝 BeeHives Coming This Spring! 🌸🍯
Exciting news—Maple Grove is buzzing with a new hands-on learning opportunity! 🐝 This spring, we’ll be welcoming beehives to our school community, thanks to the dedication of our BeeKeeper Apprentice volunteers:
🌿 Shahn & Brittney Kariger
🌿 Jennifer Rymarz
🌿 Jenny Kearns
🌿 Bettina Rinard
These volunteers will be learning through a weekly mentorship program with Dr. Carla Prahl, a veterinarian in Athens.
A huge thank you to the Neske family for generously allowing us to house the bees on their property just across the road. Shoutout to Maureen and Gary Belenger of Sunny Maple Farms for donating:
🐝 Two new brood boxes (hive boxes, frames, stand, cover board, entrance reducer, and lid)
🐝 Two packages of bees—each with a queen! 👑
How Our Learners Will Be Involved:
🎨 Decorate the bee boxes
📊 Analyze and interpret hive activity reports
🌸 Observe pollinators in action (native plants, vegetables, and the pollinator patch)
🍯 Participate in extracting and bottling honey (indoors, without bees present)
🍯 Enjoy local honey and use hive products (honey, wax, and propolis) for food and everyday purposes
Stay tuned for updates as we bring this sweet project to life in the coming months! 🐝💛
Pancake Breakfast
🥞Our Annual Pancake Breakfast was a success!🥞
Thank you to our volunteers who took admissions, cooked, served, made raffle baskets, and helped clean up! Our parents, PTO members, and staff work hard to provide this annual event each year.
Thank you to the families who continue to support the little red school house and our students education through fundraisers and events!
We are so blessed and lucky to have a great student body and their supportive families.
New Playground - June 2025!
Maple Grove Charter School is excited to unveil our new nature playground, designed and build by Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds (https://www.bienenstockplaygrounds.com/)! The innovative outdoor space encourages children to connect with nature while fostering creativity, exploration, and physical activity.
The project was made possible through the Maple Grove Charter School Implementation Grant, which help fund the creation of this enriching, natural play area for students to enjoy for years to come.
Thank you to the following committee members!
- Robin Hanson
- Sabrina Riehle
- Kerri Zamzow
- Jamey Handschke
- Sandy Benton
- Annette Neske
- Rebecca Primm
*More images of the future plans are located on a poster outside of the office!
Upcoming Events
April 21: No School
April 21: Athens School Board Meeting 5:00
April 23: Safety Drill
April 23: Fox Dens
April 24: Birthday Lunches
April 24: School Store
April 25: Popcorn Friday
April 30: Kindergarten to Mead Wildlife Center
May 2: Sock Hop-School Dance 3:30-5:00
May 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 6: 2nd Grade Council Grounds
May 6: Athens 5th Grade to MS
May 7: Fox Dens
May 8: 1st Grade Mother’s Day Pancake Breakfast
May 8: School Store
May 9: Bioblitz Day
May 12: PTO Meeting
May 12: Governance Board Meeting
May 16: 3&4 to Militrim Farm
May 16: 5th to School Forest
May 19: Athens School Board Meeting
May 21: Fox Dens
May 22: School Store
May 22: KG & 5th Graduation
May 23: Popcorn Friday
May 26: No School
May 27: 5th Grade Trip to Kalahari
May 29: Birthday Lunches
May 30: Last Day of School ½ Day
June 5-7: MGCS Community Garage Sale