News from Mrs. Mould
Dear Creekside Families,
In this season of gratefulness, we want to express how thankful we are for the strong partnership between home and school. We are honored to educate your amazing children and take this important responsibility to heart.
As the weather gets colder, please remember to send your child to school with warm clothes, including a coat, mittens, hat, and boots. If your family needs assistance with winter gear, please reach out to our community school site coordinator, Ms. Emily, at ejvesel@sunprairieschools.org.
Creekside will be hosting are first concert of the year on December 18th. A combined Orchestra and Choir concert at 2pm.
Thank you for your ongoing support, and we hope you stay warm and safe as winter approaches!
Warm regards,
Katie Mould
Principal, Creekside Elementary
Cold and Flu Season is here! Calling in your student
TO REPORT AN ABSENCE
Call 608-834-7700 #3102 or my direct line 608-834-7702
Please be sure to leave the below information in your voicemail. Sending info to a teacher is wonderful, but I don't always get the message resulting in making unnecessary calls.
Please be sure to leave this information in your voicemail.
- Students first and last name
- The students teacher and grade level
- The reason for the absence,( illness, appointment, personal reasons etc. as we have many attendance codes) and if they will return to school
- Let us know if you would like the nurse to call you with any questions you may have
SAFE ARRIVAL CALLS
Please call the attendance line before 8:30 AM any morning your child will NOT be in school. If we don’t hear from you by this time, we will contact you at home or work. We want to make certain of every child’s safe arrival. We will call every number on your child’s emergency contact list until we can reach someone. Please make sure these contacts stay up to date.
CAFE News (Community and Family Group)
Our next CAFE Meeting is scheduled for December 10 @ 6:30 in the Creekside LGI. We would love to see you there! Please sign up via the link here: Monthly CAFE Meeting Sign Up
CAFE Share Nights
Share nights are an important part of fundraising for CAFE! We would love to see you if you are able. If you have a business that is willing to host a share night, please reach out to elise.regula@gmail.com.
December Share Nights/Fundraising Opportunities
INFORMATION COMING SOON for fundraising opportunities!
Stay tuned for Marcus Theatre Tickets! More information to come. Great gift idea and your purchase gives back a portion to CAFE!
Texas Roadhouse Giftcard order forms should be coming home with your kids! Please have these returned to Creekside by December 5, 2024 so we can ensure you receive the gift cards in time for the holiday giving season. Great gift idea and your purchase gives back a portion to CAFE!
Kalahari Resort School’s Out Discount Weekend: Book a room on Sunday, January 26 and Monday, January 27, 2025 for just $119 with a waived resort fee! A portion of EACH room booked benefits Creekside. What a fun way to beat those cold winter temperatures! Please see the flier below for more details. Reach out directly to Kalahari resort with questions. Rooms MUST be booked by December 27, 2024 for discount.
Save the date for December Community Fun Night
Skating Night December 17, 2024 from 5-7 PM
More information forthcoming, but mark your calendars for skating night December 17.
We will need additional volunteers!
Concession Sales (30 minute shifts so we can all participate in the community FUN): Concession Sign Up
Thank you for considering serving to help make our community fun night events a success!
Specials Class are Essential
Physical Education with Mr. Falk & Mrs. Anderson
Bring Your Caregiver to PE Week 1.0 was a huge success and we thank all the families that were able to swing by and join a class. If you didn’t get in on the fun, no worries, our doors are always open! You are always welcome to stop in and check us out! CLICK HERE to access your scholar’s PE Schedule. Check below for more specifics on how to volunteer at Creekside. Our next Bring Your Caregiver to PE Week 2.0 will occur during our December Skating Unit, Monday, December 16th-Friday, December 20th.
Volunteering at Creekside: All you have to do is make sure you have your ID to check in the front office and a current background check completed with our district. Click English & Spanish to complete a background check. Background checks are good for 3 years. If you are unsure of your background check status, please contact Kirsten Janssen (kajanss1@sunprairieschools.org/608.834.7702).
As always, please let us know if you ever have any questions! Mrs. Alison Anderson (ajander@sunprairieschools.org) teaches 4th & 5th Grade Health, ALL 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade PE, as well as 2nd Grade Wangelin, 2nd Grade Thao, 1st Grade Brimmer and Kindergarten Vang! Mr. Michael Falk (mcfalk@sunprairieschools.org) teaches 2nd Grade Langum, 1st Grade Kramer, 1st Grade Lakatos, Kindergarten Ramos, Kindergarten Garvey and Kindergarten Pierce.
Music with Ms. Wisz
So much has been happening in the music room! A few weeks ago 4th and 5th grade got to meet Marcus Porter, a local Hip Hop artist and the recording studio facilitator at all the Sun Prairie High Schools. He started out by introducing himself and giving us a brief history of Hip Hop, and by the next week we were diving deeper into how songs and raps are written. Over the month of November, we are writing, revising and collaborating on our own school song!
In addition to this, the older grades will be starting to learn and explore melody and harmony, first on barred instruments, then on piano. 4th graders will begin learning the recorder after Thanksgiving Break.
Kindergarteners and 1st graders have been exploring rhythm and steady beat through, stories, movement, and instruments, while 2nd and 3rd graders have built on their knowledge to start composing and sharing rhythms with the class. We will continue to learn and engage with music, incorporating and exploring new pitched instruments throughout the winter.
Choir Club and Orchestra families, keep an eye out for communication about a winter concert in the works, and everyone mark your calendars for May 21, 2025. On that day (Wednesday) we will spend the day making and sharing music. Each grade will have a performance during the day, and everyone is invited to attend. Specific concert times will be announced as Spring approaches.
Art LAB with Mrs. Kudrle
Announcement #1:
As the holidays approach, it is a great time to order customized gifts for your family with your child’s artwork on it! Read more below.
In the Art LAB, we use http://www.artsonia.com, a website that serves 3 purposes.
It is an online portfolio of your child’s progress from Kindergarten-5th grade.
You can share photos with friends & family. It is a safe way for your child to get compliments from these people.
It is an optional fundraiser for our art program. You can have your child’s art printed on t-shirts, coffee mugs, posters, mouse pads, and more. These make beautiful gifts and keepsakes and can be ordered year-round! A portion of the proceeds are donated to Creekside.
You should have received either an email notification and/or a printed slip of paper with directions on how to set up your account. If you have set up an account in previous years, that login/password information remains the same during your years at Creekside.
In the event that you decline permission to have artwork publicly posted, artwork will remain visible only to me. This allows me to keep digital portfolios for assessment purposes. After you create your account, be sure to check your Spam Folder and add Artsonia to your list of safe senders. Please contact Mrs. Kudrle if you need assistance in setting up an account.
Announcement #2:
2nd Graders in Sun Prairie were invited by volunteers at the historic Crosse House to display their artwork. This group of students was chosen because of their study of local history, and they are invited to visit the Crosse House during the School Tours each Spring. Students designed ornaments (hangable artworks) using the theme “What Brings You Joy?”.
Artwork may be viewed at 133 W. Main Street in downtown Sun Prairie on the following dates and times:
Nov. 30. 5-7pm during the Fire & Lights Parade
Dec. 7. 9 am-1pm during the Crosse House cookie sale
Dec. 14. 10-12 noon during visitation with Santa
Ornaments will be returned to our school the week of Dec 16 and I will get them sent home before Winter Break.
Library Lab with Mr. Brandt
Library Book Returns As a reminder, please ensure your child returns their library books each week. Returning books on time allows every scholar the opportunity to check out new books and keep their reading journey going strong!
Exciting Coding Opportunities in Lab Class! In our lab classes for December and January, we’re thrilled to launch our Coding Unit! Students will get hands-on coding experience through a variety of platforms and tools. Our program includes:
Web-Based Coding Program (Coding.org): Scholars will explore interactive coding activities designed for all levels.
Robotics Coding: Students will dive into programming real-world robots like Sphero and Dash! This offers an exciting, hands-on experience in bringing code to life.
Our Younger Coders will also utilize Sphero Indi. These do not require devices to code their robotics.
Coming soon… After winter break, we will be starting our yearbook front cover and back cover contest! Hope you will give it a try! More information to come in January.
Thank you for your continued support, and let’s make this a December to remember!
Go Coyotes!
PBIS News
Save the Date for our December Community Fun Night on Tuesday, 12/17 from 5:00pm-7:00pm! As always we have SO MUCH fun planned for our evening together! There will be a free pizza dinner while it lasts, concessions for purchase, crafts, inline skating in the gym and SO MUCH FUN.
Please sign-up for a family Skate Session below!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AA4A922A4F9C34-53196742-december
There are 4 sessions! Please only sign up for one skating session. The first skating session starts just before our Community Fun Night begins. PLEASE NOTE: All other Community Fun Night activities will begin at 5:00pm.
Session 1 - 4:30-5:00
Session 2 - 5:10-5:40
Session 3 - 5:50-6:20
Session 4 - 6:30-7:00
There are 3 more opportunities to join in on the fun! Add these dates to your calendar for this year’s upcoming events:
Thursday, 2/13 5-7 (Bowling)
Thursday, 4/3 5-7 (gymnastics)
Tuesday, 6/10 5-7 (Movie Night)
Email Mrs. Anderson if you have any questions! (ajander@sunprairieschools.org)
Lost and Found
The Creekside Lost n Found is growing! We have piles of beautiful, warm sweatshirts and winter coats. Please take a look to see if your child is missing something and encourage them to look for their lost items. The school is open for other family members/caregivers to come take a better peek anytime during school hours.
Our first donation, to a local community donation site, will be the week before Winter break. We will send out reminders hoping to find owners to the items before they are boxed up.
Cafeteria Corner-December
Nourishing Our Future: Enhancing School Meals
The Sun Prairie School Nutrition Department is committed to providing nutritious and delicious meals that fuel your child's growth and learning. We are excited to share some of the ways we are improving our school meals program:
1. Fresh, Local Ingredients:
Farm-to-School Partnerships: We are partnering with our distributors, Gordon Food Service and V. Marchese to bring fresh, seasonal produce to your child's plate. Every Middle School and High School in the district has a Hydroponic growing tower and supplies us with fresh Romaine lettuce for our entree salads and salad bars.
Reduced Processed Foods: We are minimizing the use of processed foods and artificial additives. Our homemade roasted vegetable recipes are well liked by the students and contain small amounts of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. These include roasted fresh broccoli, butternut squash and green beans.
2. Diverse and Flavorful Menu Options:
Cultural Cuisine: We are offering a variety of cultural dishes to introduce your child to new flavors and cuisines. New recipes this year include Asian seasoned rice, long grain and wild rice, taco meat made from scratch and more.
Vegetarian and Vegan Options: We are expanding our vegetarian and vegan menu options to cater to diverse dietary needs. This year at our High Schools and Middle Schools we have plant based chicken nuggets and buffalo wings, spicy black bean burgers, black eyed peas and rice, along with many cheese entrees and salad options.
3. Educational Initiatives:
Nutrition Education Programs: We are meeting with classes, student council groups and student clubs to share nutrition information and receive feedback from students as to what they would like to see offered for breakfast and lunch at their schools.
Taste Testing: We are involving students in taste-testing new menu items to encourage their input and preferences.
We believe that healthy eating is essential for a child's overall well-being. By providing nutritious and delicious meals, we are supporting your child's academic success and future health.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely, Barb Waara, Director of School Nutrition
bmwaara@sunprairieschools.org 608-834-6527
Kobussen Reminder to Caregivers
We hope you’re having a great school year! We wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of an important safety policy regarding our school buses. For the safety and well-being of all students, parents/caregivers are not permitted to board the school bus for any reason.
We understand that sometimes it might seem convenient, but keeping the bus environment
secure and on schedule is our top priority. If you need to speak with your child or address
something related to transportation, please contact your school principal or Brinda Thompson at
Kobussen Buses at (608) 825-8700, and they will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for your understanding and support in helping us maintain a safe and efficient ride for
all our students.
Open School Board Position
The district is seeking someone to fill an open School Board Position. If you are interested, please read more about the process.
December Calendar Dates
December 9- No School
December 10- CAFE Meeting, 6:30pm
December 16-20- Bring your Parent/Caregiver to PE week
December 18- Orchestra and Choir Concert, 2pm in the cafeteria
December 17- Community Fun Night
December 23 - January 3- Winter Break
Community Events
November 30- Fire Truck Parade, Tree Lighting and Santa Visit, 5:30pm-7:30pm
SPASD 2nd grade ornaments on display @ the Crosse House the following dates and times
Nov. 30 5-7pm during the Fire & Lights Parade
Dec. 7 9am-1pm during the Crosse House cookie sale
Dec. 14 10am-12 noon during visitation with Santa