Waubesa Weekly

School Principal: Corey Shefchik

Associate Principal: Kelly Vetter

Building Administrative Assistant: Angie TeBeest

Phone: (608) 838-7667

Website and McFarland Facebook Page
Phone: 608-838-7667

• January 15th- No School
• January 26th- No School--PD day

Hello Waubesa Families,

We hope you enjoyed the winter break with your family! Transitioning back into the routines and expectations of school can be challenging for all of us. Please support your student during this transition by reviewing with them their school routines and getting plenty of rest. This may also include setting some evening technology limits as students have reported to staff that they stay up well after their parents/guardians thought they had gone to bed.

As we move into 2024, we wanted to provide some brief updates on some areas of focus that we committed to for the 23-24 school year. One area is consistency in our weekly communication to families both at Waubesa and for all families throughout the school district. Thus, we have now been sending this Smores weekly newsletter each Friday and if you have a student(s) in another building, you’ll also see a similar weekly newsletter. We hope this consistency of when and how the communication is sent is beneficial.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

All the best!

Corey Shefchik - Principal

Kelly Vetter - Associate Principal

WIS is currently looking for...

• Mittens- water proof- new or gently used
• Gently used clothing for our students--leggings, sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts and sweatpants.
• Extra clothing will be used in the health office for spills, etc.
• Bulk snacks for the office (nut free)
• Sleds for recess

If you are able to donate this item please drop them off at the office. Thank you!

As a reminder please make sure your students have proper gear for outside. This would include but not limited to a coat, boots, mittens, hat, etc. It is suggested to have a back up pair of socks and/or shoes in their cubby if needed. An additional pair of pants could also be helpful if needed. The office can not provide gear or additional clothes for students who occasionally forget the essential items or dirty them during recess. If you are in need of gear for winter please email Emily Gierl our School Social Worker at Gierle@mcfsd.org.

An activity/field trip fee has been added to each students Infinite Campus account. The amount differs per grade. Please check your email for more information about the fees. If you need assistance or you are unable to pay please email Angie TeBeest at tebeesa1@mcfsd.org.

Directions on how to pay in IC:

• Fees section in IC
• student drop down menu
• pick your student (if you have more than one student in the district
• pick Activity Fee
• Go to Cart
• Pay activity fee

At Waubesa we are teaching students to practice solving small "kid sized" problems on their own. The three main strategies that we are focusing on are:

1. Talk it Out (Use a calm body & voice, Use an “I message”, Accept the outcome)

2. Rock it out (Play Rock, Paper, Scissors. 1 and done, unless we tie)

3. Walk Away (Assume positive intentions, Use a calm body and voice, Accept the outcome)

Updates to Attendance Reporting:

• 8:00-8:05 am- student is not marked absent or tardy, "free pass"
  
• 8:05-8:25 am- student is marked tardy excused or tardy unexcused
• 8:25 am- student will be marked according to their reason for absence, ex:) parent request, ill, medical, etc. Without parent/guardian communication the student will be marked unexcused.

Arrival times:

• We have made the decision to keep the main doors of the school closed until 7:20 am. Prior to this we opened them at 7:00 am. This change is being made due to behavior issues in the vestibule. Breakfast will continue to be served at 7:25. Please contact the office if you have any concerns. Thank you for understanding.

Departure:

• Supervision for students will end at 3:15pm. If a student is still on school grounds without transportation home the office staff will begin calling the student's emergency contacts.

ATTENDANCE

BEVERAGES AT SCHOOL

BIRTHDAY/CLASSROOM TREATS

DELIVERIES

Phone use and Personal Communication Devices

SNACKS

VISITOR INFORMATION

VOLUNTEERS

December 2023 marked 1 year since the District 5 year strategic plan was approved by the school board. We were able to accomplish so much together over the past year and have a significant amount of important work ahead of us. To learn about the progress so far you can:

• Read this document

• Watch this board presentation from December 18

Thank you for your partnership as we continue to improve and better serve our students, families, and community!

We appreciate everyone’s efforts to avoid taking extra time off before and after the winter break. As long as your child is healthy, please encourage their attendance in all classes when school is in session.

Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn as well as to connect to their peers and teachers.

• Missing school even 10% of the time has a significant impact on reading and math achievement as children progress through school.

• Students with good attendance performed better in math and reading. Children who had good attendance in Kindergarten through Grade 2 were more than twice as likely to score proficient on state math tests by the time they reached Grade 8 as their peers who missed more school. In reading, there were similar results.

• Good attendance starts early. Research has shown that the attendance habits established Kindergarten through Grade 2 have lasting effects on students throughout their education: children with high attendance in the early grades continue to have good attendance; and students with low attendance in the early grades are more likely to have low attendance—and lower academic performance—throughout their elementary and middle school years.

If your family or your child needs support, please reach out to the social worker at your child’s school

CEPS Grades PK-2: Lily Hlavacek (608)-838-4610 or hlavacl@mcfsd.org

WIS Grades 3-5: Emily Gierl (608)-838-4646 or gierle@mcfsd.org

IMMS Grades 6-8: Lauren Noriega 608-838-4578 or noriegl@mcfsd.org

MHS Grades 9-12: Zak Sprenger (608)-838-4541 or sprengz@mcfsd.org

The community is invited to join the McFarland Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Coordinator (DEIB), Brittany Brazzel, for a learning session about the District’s Speak Up tool and commitments to addressing and interrupting harmful language and hate speech. Come learn what we are doing as a district and how you can contribute. Students in grades 5-12 are welcome to join.

January 24, 2024

6:30 - 7:30 pm

High School PAC

Summary from the 12/18/23 School Board Meeting:

In addition to their regular duties of approving minutes, staffing, and expenses, here are some highlights from the meeting:

• MHS students Joey Lewis and Valery Vayserberg from the MHS Connect Club provided a report from the MHS student body.

• Superintendent Aaron Tarnutzer and MHS Student Ryli Brown provided a historical presentation on Conrad Elvehjem as part of the process for considering renaming CEPS.

• Superintendent Aaron Tarnutzer gave an update on the strategic planning process.

• Director of Business, Jeff Mahoney reviewed the 2023-23 District audit.

• Action items that were acted upon included:

• The Board approved requests for early graduation at MHS.

• The Board approved a resolution calling for a referendum question to appear on the April 2, 2024 Spring Election ballot. More information can be found HERE.

COMING UP:

The next School District of McFarland School Board meeting is scheduled for January 8, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Click HERE for a link to the McFarland School Board agendas and minutes.

Click HERE for a link to the McFarland School Board meeting recordings and upcoming YouTube live streams.

Watch for Health Services information here.

Bridging Brighter Smiles will be back at WIS on Tuesday, January 9th. It's not too late to enroll! Must re-enroll every 2 years. See flyer information for more details and how to enroll.

* Wisconsin Public School Observance Days

The following flyers are NOT all school-sponsored activities and the McFarland School District does not provide support or endorsement of the program/flyer. It has neither reviewed nor approved the program, personnel, or activities announced in the brochure/flyer. Permission to distribute this material must not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by the School District.

Spartan Flashback Sale Alert! Save the Date: January 26th, 4-7:15 PM!

Hey Spartans! Get ready to dive into a blast from the past at our Spartan Flashback Sale! Join us on January 26th from 4:00 to 7:15 PM in the Marketing and Business Collaboration Space for a shopping extravaganza like no other!

What to Expect:

• Vintage treasures and modern finds!
• Prices that won't break the bank – items ranging from $2 to $10!
• Unleash your shopping spirit with goodies that take you down memory lane!

And here's the best part: Half of the profits go directly to support the McFarland Food Pantry! Let's shop with a purpose and make a positive impact in our community!

Where: Marketing and Business Collaboration Space When: January 26th, 4:00 - 7:15 PM

Mark your calendars, spread the word, and let's make this sale one for the books! Remember, every purchase contributes to a good cause. See you there, Spartans! #SpartanFlashbackSale #ShopWithPurpose #CommunitySupport

The 2023-2024 WINTER McFarland Recreation & Aquatics Program Guide is HERE!!! And registration is OPEN!!!

The 2023-2024 MRAP Winter Recreation & Aquatics Program Guide is now available! Check out all the fun things we have to offer! Registration is now OPEN for ALL recreation activities.

View the guide here: https://rb.gy/ktqrka

Register for any of our activities at MRAPNews.activityreg.com

Questions? Don't hesitate to reach out!

• For recreation activities: please contact Alisha Fix at fixa@mcfsd.org
• For aquatic activities: please contact Stu Schaefer at schaefs@mcfsd.org