Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter

Dear Muskego Lakes Families,

As your child grows and develops, they will need to learn essential skills that help them navigate the complexities of everyday life. We call these executive functioning skills. These skills are like the "boss" of the brain and help your child make decisions, set goals, plan, organize, manage time, and practice self-control.

At Muskego Lakes, we often infuse strategies to help students grow these skills as often as possible. For example, teachers support students' use of planners to keep track of their responsibilities and help with time management. Another example our teachers often use is graphic organizers to help students plan and organize their thoughts, ideas, and information.

We get asked frequently by families for ideas on how they can help to support, develop, and strengthen their child's executive functioning skills, so we wanted to share some strategies with you all.

1. Establish a daily routine: Create consistent routines and schedules for your child that include time for homework, activities, and relaxation. This will help them develop good habits and reduce the need for constant decision-making.
2. Provide structure and clear expectations: Give your child clear guidelines for tasks and activities and help them break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
3. Encourage self-reflection: Encourage your child to think about their thinking and reflect on what they could have done differently to improve their performance.
4. Teach problem-solving strategies: Help your child develop problem-solving skills by encouraging them to identify the problem, brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate the pros and cons of each solution, and select the best one.
5. Use visual aids: Visual aids like calendars, checklists, and reminders can help your teen stay organized and on track.
6. Provide positive feedback: Recognize and praise your child's efforts and accomplishments, which can boost their self-esteem and motivation.
7. Encourage healthy habits: Exercise, sleep, and good nutrition can all positively impact executive functioning skills.
8. Manage distractions: Help your teen learn to manage distractions by creating a quiet workspace, turning off notifications on their devices during study time, or setting time limits for online social media or games.
9. Teach time-management skills: Help your child learn to prioritize tasks and manage their time effectively by breaking down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
10. Foster independence: Encourage your child to take responsibility for their executive functioning skills by letting them make decisions and problem-solve independently.

Building executive functioning skills takes time and effort. We recommend reminding your child that growing their skills takes time so they don't become frustrated. In addition, the more you can encourage your child to goal-set and celebrate successes alongside them, helps build their intrinsic motivation to continue growing these skills. If you are looking for more ideas to support your child, know we are here to listen and brainstorm with you, so please reach out.

In partnership,

Rachel Rydzewski and Nancy Pasch

MLMS Principals

• 3/3: MLMS PTO Meeting

• 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

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.

Regular and consistent school attendance is imperative to student success. It's important to us that students and families know just how impactful being at school is for them now and in the future.

Do you know how you can make school attendance a priority?

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
• If you child expresses anxiety about coming to school, express to them that not going wil make it worse, and that school staff are here to help.
• Help your student maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and doctor appointments during the school day or if you have to, have your student come before or after their appointment.
• If your teens must stay home because they are sick, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom.

Do you know how to help your student stay engaged?

• Find out if your children feel engaged by their classes, and feel safe at school. Ask them about who they are spending time with, what they are doing in class and more.
• Monitor you student's academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary.
• Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage your teen to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
• Reach out for support if your student is showing signs of anxiety.

If your child is struggling with attendance please know we are here to support and work with you. Please reach out to Stacy Pawlak (Stacy.pawlak@muskegonorway.org).

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

Our goal is to help you and your child reunite with items they have lost or misplaced. This means that our staff checks items turned into Lost and Found for names, and when possible call students down to reunite them with their belongings. One way that would help us do this, is to ensure that you label items as much as possible with first and last names.

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.

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 and double-click the calendar item you are interested in.

Thank you for starting to save any loose change for your child to particpate with! All procceeds directly benefit experiences PTO sponsors for students.

Looking for a way to get involved and support our amazing school community? The PTO is always looking for helping hands, and we’d love to have you on board—no commitment necessary! Whether you can spare a little time to make phone calls, lend a hand at events, donate resources, or even consider serving on the board, there’s a place for you. We do have a few open board seats for next year, but even if that’s not your thing, any support is welcome. Interested in learning more? Drop us a line at muskegolakespto@gmail.com . We can’t wait to hear from you!

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:

• March 3
• 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.

We encourage you to follow us on Facebook.

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