September 3, 2024

Dear Country Dale Family,

WOW, what an amazing Open House we had last week! Excitement was in the air, and smiles were everywhere! Thank you for visiting and preparing your child(ren) for a wonderful school year. It was a very busy night and I apologize if we did not have time to talk, but I do want to extend a warm welcome to all of you. Whether you are returning or joining us for the first time, I am thrilled to have you as part of our school community.

To our students, I encourage you to embrace the new opportunities and challenges that this year will bring. Remember that every day is a chance to learn something new and to make a positive impact in our school and community.

To our parents and guardians, your partnership is vital to our success. We look forward to working closely with you to ensure that our students have the best possible educational experience.

To our staff, thank you for your dedication and hard work. Together, we will continue to inspire and educate the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.

Let’s make this year one to remember, filled with achievements, growth, and lasting memories.

Welcome back, and I can’t wait until Tuesday!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Nickel

As a reminder, the 2024-25 District Calendar can be found in PDF format here and linked into our district calendars on our website here. All of our calendars are able to be subscribed to! Follow the steps at the top of the District Calendar webpage for how to subscribe.

Click for the Country Dale School supply list.

If you plan on dropping off or picking up your child from Country Dale, please read this important information regarding our procedure. Please pick up your Family NUMBER card during Open House or it will be sent home with your child on the first day of school. Click for Country Dale Parent Drop Off and Pick Up Procedure.

Please click here for important information about Country Dale Elementary.

This year, Franklin Public Schools is partnering with various other organizations to put together a “Parent Series” of topics that may be of interest for parents in our community to learn about. The first event focuses on “Artificial Intelligence” and will take place on Thursday, September 19th from 5pm-8pm in partnership with the Indian Community School. You can see the flyer below and click here or on the flyer to pre-register. Dinner is provided by That’s Amore for anyone who pre-registers. Childcare will be available for non-school aged children and a supervised Open Gym is available for students in 4K-2nd Grade. Keep an eye out in future newsletters for our October and later events!

Over the summer, Franklin Public Schools communicated a few times about the Franklin School Board’s decision to move forward with putting a referendum question on the November 5th general election ballot. The recent Summer District Newsletter here has lots of information and updates to review including results from the spring Community Survey, the adjusted scope of the $145M referendum, project focus, October community sharing sessions and tours at FHS, financial information including tax impact, voting information and a phasing video of the projects planned for FHS if the referendum passes.

As we shared in our final newsletters in June, going into the 2024-25 School Year, our Food Service platform has transitioned to a new platform called SchoolCafe. Please note that all remaining balances from last school year have been moved over to SchoolCafe for this year! $$$

Below are (2) handouts that explain the following:

1. Handout 1 (1 page) - Get the App for your smartphone so you can deposit money in your child(ren)'s account(s)

2. Handout 2 (2 pages) Directions on how to create accounts for your students so you can add money, set up automatic payments, and set up low balance alerts.

You can get started with creating your account by going to https://family.schoolcafe.com/FPS and utilize the directions linked above or pictured below.

If after following the directions above, you have any questions, please contact:

Jessica Christensen, Food Service Manager

jessica.christensen@franklin.k12.wi.us

(414)-423-4656

As shared above, Franklin Public Schools now utilizes School Cafe for lunch purchases, menu planning and free/reduced applications. We have updated our website HERE with all of the Free & Reduced Lunch information for the 2024-25 details and that information is also below and this specific spot on our Lunch page explains what to do for Free & Reduced Lunch

4K & Kindergarten students will be picked up and dropped off with other elementary students at a designated stop. A parent or designee must assume responsibility for the child at the stop when dropped off.

If parents would like to designate a person other than themselves, they can send an email to heidi.engel@franklin.k12.wi.us

In regards to same day notification (this should only be done for emergencies), please call GoRiteway Busing at 414-571-9001 so they can pass along the information to the bus driver.

When: Tuesday, September 17th

Time: during the school day

School Pics is no longer sending home order forms for parents to fill out and return with their students. All orders will only be placed online.

If you are unable to make it this day, our Make-Up/Retake Day is scheduled for Thursday, October 15th. If you are unable to make it on either of these days, please contact the School and Sport Pic New Berlin office at 262-780-2901 to set up an appointment.

Pictures can be ordered online. School & Sports Pics order link.

Use the drop-down menu to select "Country Dale". NO ACCESS KEY IS REQUIRED

Please remember to pack a snack each day for your child. Snacks allowed must follow the District Wellness Policy, meaning that your child may choose to bring in fruits, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, meat, pretzels, popcorn, and goldfish crackers unless nursing services and/or building administrator discretion warrants further limitations.

Additionally, It is highly suggested that children wanting to celebrate their birthdays and holidays do so with non-food items. Please consider sending non-food items to school such as pencils, stickers, slinky, trading cards, donating a book to your child’s classroom library, or talking to your child’s teacher about ideas you might have to make your child feel special.

Thank you for helping us to prevent unfavorable medical outcomes for students with food allergies and other chronic illnesses impacted by food consumption.

If your child will require ANY (over the counter or prescription) medication for the upcoming school year, please fill out the Request to Administer Medication form found on our district website and have it signed by your healthcare provider.

This form can either be:

1. scanned and emailed to nurses@franklin.k12.wi.us

2. This form can be turned into your school's main office.

In addition, all medication can be dropped off at school in its original container.

Please see the chart below for the state required immunizations for your child(ren) as they enter the grade levels listed.

The Student Immunization Law requires that all students through grade 12 meet a minimum number of required immunizations prior to school entrance. To remain compliant with the law, the student immunization record must be completed by either claiming a waiver (Step 1, Step 4, and Step 5) or providing the dates of the required immunizations (Step 1, Step 2, and Step 5). Please email, fax, or drop off the completed waiver/record to your school's front office. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to nurses@franklin.k12.wi.us

CLICK HERE for all 2024-25 Kids Club Information.

• April 1-30: $35/Single; $45/Family non-refundable & guaranteed a spot.
• May 1-June 30: $50/Single; $60/Family non-refundable. Spots based on staffing projections.
• June 30-Aug 19: $70/Single; $80/Family non-refundable. Spots based on staffing projections.
• If questions, contact Shana Gagliardo at shana.gagliardo@franklin.k12.wi.us

Our first PTO Meeting is Tuesday, September 10th at 5:30 pm in the Art Room (Room 1)

PTO CALENDAR: SAVE THE DATES! Please add these dates to your calendar(s) now so you don’t miss out on the fun this year! We encourage all families to attend PTO meetings so that your voice is heard and appreciated!

BACKGROUND CHECK: We have a lot of amazing events, and all of them require volunteers in order for us to be able to host them. We are very thankful for any amount of time that you are able to donate. Even an hour or two of your time is a huge help! For the safety of all of our students and staff, you must complete a background check before being able to volunteer. (FPS Visitors and Volunteers page)

UPCOMING VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES:

• Bulletin Board team - Sign up here!

• We could use a handful of parents to join the Bulletin Board team for the year. The team is responsible for changing out the PTO bulletin board once a month. Depending on your availability, team members typically do 1-2 boards a year. Some supplies are provided, just bring your creativity!
• Family Olympics (9/20) - more details soon
• Cougar Chase (10/4) - more details soon
• Book Fair (10/21-10/24) - more details soon

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY: Sign up to receive monthly emails and connect with other Country Dale families. Our directory is secure and safe, as only those who join are able to see your information. All submissions must be approved by a board member. Only you can decide what information you want shared.

Please log in to A to Z Connect (called Membership Toolkit in your app store) and update the following information for each child:

Click on “Your Family Information”

1. Update each child’s grade and teacher

2. Or, remove student if they no longer attend Country Dale

Also, check your “Directory Publish Preferences” if needed.

PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP: Be in the know about upcoming events and important updates. This is a great way to stay connected! Again, all members must be approved by a board member.

Come explore the wonderful world of theater with Character Kids! This fun-filled after school class takes place at Country Dale on Wednesdays, 4-5 pm, September 18th-December 4th (11 weeks, no class 11/27). Students will play theater games, learn stage skills and explore popular Broadway musicals while developing imagination, social skills and confidence. Parents are invited to a special performance on the last day of class! Visit our website for more info or to register.

The 4th Annual Franklin Educational Foundations Family Fun Run was so popular last year that the event has moved to Froemming Park for this coming Saturday 9/7 and the run will begin at 9am! Come help celebrate the end of the first week of school! Enjoy treats, music, games and more and enjoy quality time with your Franklin neighbors. All registrations and donations benefit the Franklin Educational Foundation. Sign up today!

AND! As if all that’s not enough, the Elementary PE teachers from all the schools are hosting a little competition! The school with the MOST student attendees will be able to SLIME their PE teacher at an upcoming school event! So come on out and have some fun and earn a chance to have your PE teacher SLIMED! :)

Looking to clean out those kids' closets and earn a little cash? Register today to be a seller at our semi-annual children's consignment sale at Forest Park Middle School. This past Spring we had a record amount of sellers and buyers and are expecting similar turnouts this Fall. For more information on SELLING or VOLUNTEERING for this event, check out our website.

Email: terese.tubbs@franklin.k12.wi.us
Website: https://www.franklin.k12.wi.us/country-dale-elementary-school
Location: 7380 South North Cape Road, Franklin, Wisconsin 53132, USA
Phone: 414-529-8240
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/CountryDaleElementary/posts/