I want to wish all of our families a happy, healthy, and productive 2025. In 2025, we will continue to make our efforts to make Montello School District an excellent educational environment for all learners. As such, we will be continuing to seek creative ways to engage our family and community partners through focused activities such as student-led conferences, parent-student meetings, outreach activities, and course registration orientations. Additionally, we will continue our deep dive into classroom-level data across all classrooms using clear data protocols and maintaining and sustaining universal expectations. Finally, as we head into the early months of 2025, the secondary staff will continuing their study and use of Authentic Intellectual Work and a core team will start researching elementary science curricula.

No doubt, the first portion of the 2024-25 school year has flown by, and the end of the first semester is coming quickly. As has been mentioned in previous newsletters, the District is emphasizing and encouraging all students to demonstrate regular attendance and more importantly being engaged each day in their learning.

Finally, just a friendly reminder to please have contingency plans in place if we should need to delay the start of the day, let out early at the end of the day or cancel an entire day. We are certainly aware the burden this can put on families, however; sometimes not having school is the safest option available to us.

Here's to a strong start to semester two and continued great work throughout the school year!

Liz Calnin

We appreciate the feedback, thoughts and comments shared on the calendar survey.

Our summer school programming weeks have been set. Summer school 2025, upon Board approval, will run Monday through Thursday from 8:00am to 1:00pm starting on June 9 through June 26 and July 7 through July 24. There is more information coming but wanted to share the dates with families as summer planning gets underway.

Similar to most school districts in the state of Wisconsin, we need additional substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians and more! I encourage individuals who have interest in becoming a substitute to reach out to the District office or school office to learn more about the process and the requirements.

The open enrollment application period for the 2025-26 school year is February 3, 2025 - April 30, 2025 at 4:00pm. The best way to apply is online (a link to the online application will be available on the DPI website during the application period). Any Wisconsin resident in 4K to grade 12 may apply to attend a nonresident school district under the open enrollment program. However, a child may transfer to a nonresident school district for early childhood education or 4K only if the child’s resident school district offers the same type of program and only if the child is eligible for that program in the resident school district.

January 17: Semester Ends

January 20: No School (Professional learning day)

February 10: No School (Professional learning day)

March 6-7: Parent Teacher Conferences

March 7: No School

March 10-14: Spring Break

January: January 13

February: February 10

Any parents/relatives of MSD students who wish to chaperone field trips, attend class parties or volunteer on site must complete and pass a background check. For more information, please call the District office at 297-7617.

Documents required to run in the next Montello School Board election are available in the District Office or on our website. A Campaign Registration Statement and a Declaration of Candidacy must be filed no later than 5:00pm on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in the office of the school district at 222 Forest Lane, Montello Wisconsin.

Please note that the District Office will be closed on December 24, December 25, December 31 and January 1 in observance of holidays. On December 23, 26-27, 30 and January 2-3, the hours of business will be 9:00am to 3:00pm.

If anyone has questions about running for the board, please contact Liz Calnin at 608-297-7617 or ecalnin@montelloschools.org.

As we embrace the chilly season, it's crucial to keep our students warm and safe during their daily commute to school. With temperatures dropping, we kindly remind all parents and guardians to make sure your student is well-prepared to face the cold. Here's a checklist of essential items to consider:

• Hat: A warm hat is essential to protect against cold winds and frosty mornings.
• Gloves: Keep those little hands toasty with a good pair of gloves.
• Boots: Sturdy, waterproof boots will keep their feet dry and warm in the snow.
• Snowpants: For added insulation and protection during snowy playtime.
• Coat: A heavy, insulated coat is a must to shield against the winter chill.

If you find that you need assistance in acquiring cold-weather gear for your child, don't hesitate to reach out to your student's school. We're here to support you and ensure every child has a comfortable and safe winter experience. Stay warm and enjoy the season!

Pursuant to Wisconsin State Statutes 118.57, 115.384(4) and 985.02(2), the current school and school district accountability report along with a list of educational options can be found on the district website at www.montelloschools.org.

Below contains information on the District’s most recent school accountability report cards, as issued by the Wisconsin Department of Instruction under Wis. Stat. 115.385(4), The Montello School District had a report card rating of 69.2 which Meets Expectations.

4-Year-Old Kindergarten:

• Forest Lane Community School - Significantly Exceeds Expectations

Kindergarten to Grade 5:

• Forest Lane Community School - Significantly Exceeds Expectations

• Montello Virtual Charter School - Alternative Accountability (Satisfactory Progress)

Grades 6-8:

• Forest Lane Community School (Grade 6) - Significantly Exceeds Expectations

• Montello Junior/Senior High (Grades 7-8) - Meets Expectations

• High Marq Environmental Charter - Meets Expectations

• Montello Virtual Charter School - Alternative Accountability (Satisfactory Progress)

Grades 9-12:

• Montello Junior/Senior High - Meets Expectations

• High Marq Environmental Charter - Meets Expectations

• Montello Virtual Charter School - Alternative Accountability (Satisfactory Progress)

*Complete reports, including the most recent school accountability report cards from 2023-2024, can be found online https://apps2.dpi.wi.gov/reportcards/ and on the Montello School District website.

The state of Wisconsin requires all students to be evaluated using state or nationally normed assessments. The assessments will be given this spring. The following provides some information about these assessments. More information will be sent home as the time for the assessments draws near.

The Wisconsin Forward Exam was developed to assess English language arts and mathematics skills for students in grades 3-8, science knowledge and skills for students in grades 4 and 8 and social studies knowledge and skills for students in grades 4, 8 and 10 The testing window for all students in Wisconsin to be evaluated using the Wisconsin Forward Exam is March 17 through April 25. We will establish an assessment schedule for students based on several factors, such as optimal testing times of the day, comfortable settings for testing, adequate breaks between assessments, minimal impact on instruction, and individual student needs. Once the schedule is set, we will send information home, so that you can help prepare your child to do their best.

The PreACT Secure replaces the former ACT Aspire assessment and is given to ninth and tenth grade students to assess their knowledge and skills in the areas of English, reading, math, science, and writing. A student’s performance on this assessment will help predict how they will perform on the ACT when the student reaches 11th grade. These early high school assessments will help identify students who need extra help to learn skills they will need for the ACT and, more importantly, for career and college experiences after graduating. The PreACT Secure test will be given to MSD Freshmen and Sophomores on April 8.

The ACT Plus Writing exam is given to all eleventh grade students in Wisconsin to assess reading, math, English, science, and writing. The ACT can be used by students for a variety of purposes including college admission, scholarships, course placement, and more. The online ACT Plus Writing will be given to MSD Juniors on March 25.

As soon as we confirm additional dates and times for assessments we will let you know, so that you may plan appointments, events, etc. around those days. It is very important that students are in attendance on the days of assessment so that they do not need to miss other days for make-up testing. Please reach out with any questions you may have.

Please visit www.montelloschools.org or more information or contact Bernie VanRossum, Montello Athletic Director, bvanrossum@montelloschools.org or 608-297-7617.

Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball and Boys Wrestling- we wish you all the best of luck in the second half of your season and into the post-season!

Season athletic passes for students & adults may be purchased at the High School office. Investing in a pass is both convenient and economical for those sports fans who regularly attend high school games. Passes are only valid for the name listed on the pass. For more information, contact Bernie VanRossum, ext. 281

We want to provide accurate sports information, but many times there are last minute cancellations or rescheduled games. You can now access and print all up-to-date high school athletic schedules through our school website at www.montelloschools.org.

Our breakfast and lunch menus are posted to our website, school newsletters and Facebook. You can also request a hard copy to be sent home.

Winter is here and so is RSV, Influenza, Covid-19, and along with many other winter-related illnesses. It is strongly encouraged to test when having symptoms to rule out which illness your child has and see if there are any treatments available.

Please encourage all family members to take these actions to fight the spread of our winter illnesses both at school/daycare and at home:

• Wash your hands. Encourage everyone to wash their hands with warm, soapy water after toileting and after any coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose. Hand sanitizer can be used if hand-washing is not readily available.
• Encourage everyone to cover their cough with a tissue or cough into their elbow and, of course, wash their hands.
• Stay home if ill to reduce the spread.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces at home.

The Marquette County Health Department is offering free Tdap doses for any student, regardless of insurance/VFC qualification. They were provided by the state of Wisconsin to get school-aged kids up to date on vaccines so anyone age 7 and over who needs one could get one.

They also still have some flu vaccines left for any age school-aged children, which are also free to anyone regardless of insurance/VFC qualification.

Please contact the Marquette County Health Department if you are interested in your child(ren) receiving these vaccines.

Children with suspected disabilities can be referred for a comprehensive evaluation by contacting the school psychologist, Ms. Mikayla Mlsna. For more information, please contact your child's building principal and/or school psychologist by calling 608-297-7617. Additional written information is available upon request.

If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs regardless of the circumstance. Care Solace is a complementary and confidential service provided to students, staff, and their families by Montello School District. Care Solace's team is available 24/7/365 and can support you in your language. If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 1 888-515-0595 available 24/7/365
• Visit www.caresolace.com/montello and either search on your own OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

Website: www.montelloschools.org
Location: 222 Forest Lane, Montello, WI, USA
Phone: 608-297-7617