Stoner Prairie News
6th Edition, October 30th, 2023
Principal Connection
Let's do this!
This weekend as I raked leaves and enjoyed a fall fire, I remembered that the week ahead includes Halloween (Tuesday, 10/31) and Daylight Savings (Sunday 11/5). This can be a bit challenging as we all adjust to shifts in diet and time! Please have fun and be safe but try to maintain routines and schedules as much as possible. Shifts like these can be challenging for our scholars - we appreciate your support.
Teacher Newsletters: Click here to see your child's newsletter
Stoner Prairie Elementary PTO News
Coming soon! Kick start your holiday shopping with the Rusty Dog Coffee and Tea Sale. Online sales will run from Friday, November 3rd through Sunday, November 19. Pick up dates in December to come. And this year we have cocoa!
Stoner Prairie PTO is excited to invite you to our Gratitude Glow Night on November 10th from 5-7pm. Join us at the school for a heartwarming evening of creativity and community spirit! Stoner Prairie scholars will be decorating luminaries in art class with the things they are grateful for, showcasing their creativity and thankfulness, and families are invited to take a stroll through their lighted path. After enjoying the luminary walk, head to the gym for a glow dance with glow sticks and music! Please note that this is a chance for our families to come together and celebrate our scholars and is not a drop off event. We hope to see you there!
Mark your calendars! The next PTO meeting is 11/14 from 6-7 pm. All are welcome! Reach out to stonerprairiepto@gmail.com with any questions, concerns, or suggestions or to be added to our email list.
Important Updates & Upcoming Dates
Attendance reminders:
Please call 608-845-4203 (English attendance line) or 608-845-4200 (Main line with Spanish option) or email sp-attendance@verona.k12.wi.us (English and Spanish) with all attendance changes. Contacting the attendance office directly is important!
What can parents do to help with scholar attendance?
Provide nutritious food and adequate sleep.
- Did you know that children aged 6 to 12 should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. This means that if your scholar gets up at 6:30 AM for school, they should be sleeping between 6:30 and 9:30 nightly.
Picture Retake Day: November 2nd
Please note that picture re-take day will be Thursday, November 2nd.
Please see the October Digital Citizenship Letter
An important from our Nurse - Please read
We are seeing an increase in the unsafe practice of pills being sent in lunch boxes/backpacks.
Reminder that Stoner Prairie students may not carry their own medication (except inhalers/Epi pens with parent/nurse consent)
If your child needs any over-the-counter or prescription medication while at school, please complete this form: Consent Form
The completed form needs to be returned to the school nurse wilfere@verona.k12.wi.us or to the front greeter station.
After the form is completed, parents should bring in the medication to the front greeter station. Meds need to be in their original package and with the original label.
Welcome Theodore Jeffrey Fahl
We are happy to announce the birth of Theodore Jeffrey, arriving October 17th at 3:11 pm. Theodore weighed 7 lbs., 10 ounces and was 22 inches long. We are thrilled for first grade teacher Ms. Fahl and her family - big sister Kinsley is ready to welcome this newest family member. Congratulations.
Child Protection Unit Lessons begin next week (11/6 through 11/17)
Laura Confer, our School Social Worker, will teach Protective Behaviors lessons to all students this year.
These are the themes taught in the protective behaviors lesson:
Ways to Stay Safe: The three R’s: Recognize (Is it safe?), Refuse (Say words that mean no) and Report (Tell an adult).
The Always Ask First Rule: Always ask a parent or the person in charge first before going somewhere, doing something or accepting something from someone.
Safe touches: Touches that help us feel safe and loved such as hi-fives, handshakes, hugs.
Unsafe touches: Touches that hurt our bodies such as kicks, punches, hitting, biting. These are not okay touches to use.
Unwanted touches: Touches that we do not want, including safe touches. It's okay to refuse even a safe touch. We can use our words to refuse a touch we do not want.
The Touching Rule: Another person should never touch your private body parts except to keep you healthy. The curriculum calls it this, but it is also referred to as the private body parts rule.
The Never Keep Secrets Rule: Never keep secrets if someone breaks the touching rule.
At the end of every lesson, Ms. Confer has the kids review and go through some hypothetical scenarios to ensure they're understanding the material and are able to differentiate between all the rules and when or not to report.
You may find it helpful to use this information as you talk to your child(ren) about personal safety.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Ms. Confer or Ms. Seidl. Thank you!
conferl@verona.k12.wi.usWelcome First Grade Long Term Substitute, Sally Gerlach
As Ms. Fahl welcomes Baby Theodore, we welcome her long-term substitute, Ms. Sally Gerlach. Here is a little note from Ms. Gerlach: I am excited to be joining the Verona Area School District as a long-term substitute teacher at Stoner Prairie Elementary. I received my Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Pacific University in 1995 and after discovering Montessori education through our children, returned to school in 2014 to pursue and obtain my Montessori Teaching Credential from The Montessori Education Center of the Rockies.
I have spent 20 years teaching in a variety of school settings and am eager to be joining the Stoner Prairie Team. I am eager to meet all of you and am honored to work with you and your children.
My husband, Andy, two children, Felix and Liesl, and I relocated to Madison in the summer of 2018. When I’m not in the classroom you will find me enjoying time with my family, coaching youth sports or planning my next outdoor adventure.
I look forward to a fabulous experience as a member of the Stoner Prairie team and community.
What is Reading Intervention?
At Stoner Prairie we provide multiple interventions to help support our scholars achieve successful growth in reading. These include support from three interventionists: Ms. Blevins, Ms. Murphy, and Ms. Bender. These teachers are all licensed in reading and use a variety of tools to meet with students in small groups or individually. They monitor scholar growth weekly and use these results to collaborate with teachers in helping scholars grow. In addition to this intervention, Stoner Prairie also provides intervention to students through Mr. Luke and Reading Corp. This resource meets with students focusing on specific skills needed by our developing readers. Interventions are informed by Fall data collection including the FastBridge Reading assessment as well as STAR. We also use teacher formative assessments to support our intervention focus. Groups are monitored and reviewed quarterly. The purpose of intervention is to boost scholar learning so that they can access reading instruction full-time in their classroom and this is typically the course; however, there are times when a student does not demonstrate progress with intervention. If this happens, we invite families to join us for a problem-solving meeting to discuss next steps to meet student needs.
Ms. Murphy
Works primarily with our K-2 scholars and their teachers.
Ms. Blevins
Works afternoons only as she is also at another VASD elementary school. Ms. Blevins works with our 1st grade scholars.
Ms. Bender
Works primarily with our scholars in third, fourth and fifth grade and their teachers.
Welcome two new staff members to Stoner Prairie
Next week we will welcome two new staff members to our Stoner Prairie family.
Renee Argraves will be joining us as our education assistant. This position has been open since this summer and we are grateful that Renee will join our amazing team of EA's that take care of our scholars particularly at lunch and recess. Here is a little bit about Renee: I'm Renee Argraves. I live in Verona. My husband, Jason, and I have 3 kids: Jack (9th grade), Ellie (3rd grade), Asher (1st grade) and 2 dogs Gigi (Airedale Terrier) and Penny (Newfypoo). As a family, we enjoy camping, hiking and going to Buck and Brewer games. In my freetime, I like to read, go to yoga classes and watch my kids in sports and dance. I look forward to joining the team at Stoner Prairie.
We will also welcome Heidi Maurer, a special education assistant that is a new position at our school. Heidi will join our strong team of SEA's that support our students with individualized education plans and work closely with our cross categorical teachers. Here is a little bit about Heidi: Hello! I am Heidi Maurer, I have three boys who keep me very busy with all the activities they are part of. Mason is 9, Jack is 7, and Rhett is just shy of turning 1! I enjoy playing games, being outside, watching my boys play sports, and spending time with my family.
Gymnastics begins this week!
The gymnastics has been delivered. We are excited to begin this unit on Monday, October 30th. Students will have two weeks to participate in a variety of tumbling, jumping, balancing and climbing options. View pictures and GIFS of gymnastics moves here: Gymnastic Slides
Hold the date for Thursday, November 9th. We will host a gymnastics night. We will send out a sign-up genius next week with 3 different 40 minute time slots to sign up with between 3:45 and 6:45.
Repeated District Message As Halloween is Next Week
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope this message finds you well. We want to inform you of our school's approach to Halloween celebrations.
While Halloween is a holiday enjoyed by many, we acknowledge that it is not celebrated by all of our students or their families. In consideration of the diverse backgrounds and beliefs within our school community, we have made the decision not to observe Halloween at school or during the school day. As a result, we kindly request that students refrain from wearing Halloween costumes or masks to school. This measure is in place to ensure that all students feel included and comfortable, regardless of their cultural or personal preferences.
We appreciate your understanding and support in fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all of our students. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Queridos padres y guardianes,
Esperamos que este mensaje le encuentre bien. Queremos informarles del enfoque de nuestro colegio respecto a las celebraciones de Halloween.
Mientras Halloween es un día festivo que muchos disfrutan, reconocemos que no todos nuestros estudiantes o sus familias lo celebran. Teniendo en cuenta los diversos orígenes y creencias dentro de nuestra comunidad escolar, hemos tomado la decisión de no celebrar Halloween en la escuela o durante el día escolar.
Como resultado, solicitamos amablemente que los estudiantes se abstengan de usar disfraces o máscaras de Halloween en la escuela. Esta medida está implementada para garantizar que todos los estudiantes se sientan incluidos y cómodos, independientemente de sus preferencias culturales o personales.
Agradecemos su comprensión y apoyo para fomentar un ambiente inclusivo y respetuoso para todos nuestros estudiantes. Si tiene alguna pregunta o inquietud, no dude en contactarnos.
Gracias por su cooperación.
Breakfast and Lunch Available for November 3 (Asynchronous Day)
Stoner Prairie Families,
VASD is making breakfast and lunch available on our upcoming asynchronous learning day on Friday, November 3. Meals will be sent home with students on the afternoon of Thursday, November 2. If you are interested in a meal for one or more of your students please click this link and fill out the form accordingly. Menu items and prices are available using this link as well. Food Service account balances will be impacted the same as they would for in-person service like a typical day of school. Please contact child.nutrition@verona.k12.wi.us if you have any questions.
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Familias de Stoner Prairie,
VASD está ofreciendo el desayuno y el almuerzo en nuestro próximo día de aprendizaje asíncrono, el viernes 3 de noviembre. Las comidas se enviarán a casa con los/las estudiantes la tarde del jueves 2 de noviembre. Si está interesado(a) en una comida para uno(a) o más de sus estudiantes, por favor pulse este enlace y complete el formulario. Los artículos del menú y los precios está disponibles en el mismo enlace. Los saldos de las cuentas de servicios alimenticios serán impactados de la misma manera que cuando se utiliza el servicio en persona cualquier día normal de clases. Por favor contacte con child.nutrition@verona.k12.wi.us si tiene cualquier pregunta.