Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter

Dear Muskego Lakes Families,

We are incredibly fortunate at Muskego Lakes to have guest teachers who step in seamlessly whenever our regular teachers are away. Their commitment to maintaining a positive and productive learning environment is something we deeply value.

What makes us even prouder is the feedback we consistently receive from these guest teachers at the end of each day. Time and again, they highlight the many positives about our school community, but most importantly, they sing the praises of our amazing students.

Here are just a few of the wonderful comments we've heard recently:

• “The students showed respect to me- a stranger- and that is refreshing in today’s day and age.”

• “Beautiful building filled with positive energy and lots of smiles.”

• “The students here are a dream for guest teachers.”

• “Students at this school seem to know and follow expectations, and everyone holds students to the same expectations- classroom by classroom. That makes it easy on a substitute teacher and the kids too I imagine.”

• “I witnessed excellence today, from the moment I arrived to the time I checked out.”

• “Great classroom environments where students treat one another with respect and seem to be really interested in learning. “

• “Students sure know the routine here- from school rules and expectations to the classroom procedures- they were helpful, engaged in their learning, and honestly just so nice to one another and me.”

• “Staff and students were amazing.”

• “Students at this school value learning and respect and hold each other to high standards. Very rare to be honest and I’m out and about at a lot of schools around.”

• “This school is a special place. The kids are so respectful and hardworking.”

• “Please have me back, I had the best time guest teaching here. The students and staff were out of this world amazing.”

• “You can tell this school and the students care about one another. I was greeted by all.”

• "The students were so welcoming and respectful; it made my day a joy."

• "The engagement and enthusiasm in the classrooms were truly impressive."

• "Your students are not only polite but also eager to learn and participate."

• "The sense of community and support among the students was evident throughout the day."

These affirmations are a testament to the character and spirit of our students and the supportive environment we strive to create here at Muskego Lakes. Thank you for your continued partnership in fostering such a remarkable school community. We are beyond fortunate!

In partnership,

Rachel Rydzewski and Nancy Pasch

MLMS Principals

• 1/16: Group Photo Day

• 1/23: End of Quarter 2

• 1/24: No School - Professional Development Day

• 1/29: D.A.R.E. Graduation 12:30pm

• 2/2: Bandorama

Group photos are happening next week on Thursday, January 16th. In order to accomodate all student groups during the day, we will be calling students throughout the day. This will result in students being out of class for the time of their photo.

Is there a member of the Muskego Lakes staff who has been especially kind? helpful? Went out of their way to help you or their child? Help us celebrate and recognize them!

To do so, you can complete the form HERE. We will be taking nominations until January 23rd, 2025. Thank you for helping us honor our staff here at Muskego Lakes!

Please save the date for the 5th Grade DARE Graduation on Wednesday, January 29th at 12:30pm. More information coming home with your 5th grader early next week and in next week's newsletter.

Next year current 5th graders will get to choose between band and choir as part of their registration choice. The music teachers wanted to share some information with families about their classes so you and your child can make an informed decision.

Below are videos that introduce us, the music teachers, what instruments are available to choose from in 6th grade band, and what kind of songs are sung in 6th grade choir. Please watch them, explore the links in the instrument doc and let the teachers know if you have any questions!

Sarah Milton, Choir, sarah.milton@muskegonorway.org

Andi Staber, Band, andrea.staber@muskegonorway.org

• Video #1- All About Band and Choir
• Band Video #2- The instruments you can play in 6th grade
• Instrument Doc that goes along with the video
• Choir Video #2- 6th Grade Winter Songs

At Muskego Lakes, our hope is that over lunches, our students get time to relax, unwind, and have fun. It's a time for them to soak in the fresh air if they choose to get outside and/or stay inside and visit with friends.

Huge thanks to PTO and our Amazon wishlist, we’ve recently secured some games and activities for students to use over lunches- especially during these winter months. That being said, we do still have quite a few students who still like to get out and move around- even in these cold temperatures. So as the snow and cold settles in, thanks for helping us make sure students have what they need to stay warm should they decide to head outside after eating their lunch.

Thanks for continuing to get your student here at school! We know how much of an impact high attendance rates have for students socially and academically. We are here to partner with students and families around attendance should you have concerns or your student is having trouble getting to school. So, if you have attendance questions or concerns, please reach out to Stacy Pawlak, school social worker, at stacy.pawlak@muskegonorway.org

Course Registration for 5-7th Graders

Students in 5-7th grade have been meeting with their school counselors this past week and next week to go through course options for the 2025-2026 school year with their school counselor. All course information can be found in the middle school academic guidebook HERE to reference and learn more about courses your child has to choose from.

All registration forms are due on January 23rd and should be entered on Infinite Campus. All students will be given a printed copy of the course registration sheet, however if your child lost their registration sheet and is need of another copy, please have them stop in student services. We have also linked them below for you to review as well. These include the instructions for submitting on Infinite Campus.

• Current 5th Grader Registration Sheet

• Current 6th Grader Registration Sheet

• Current 7th Grader Registration Sheet

MHS Registration information for 8th Grade Students

Your child will recieve this course selection sheet next week with Mr. Brickweg to preview their option for the 25-26 school year. More information about when and how to register and submit course selections will be available in an upcoming newsletter. In the mean time, please review the important upcoming dates regarding the registration process for MHS as follows as there are some important nights hosted by MHS staff regarding the transition to high school and specifics about course options:

• January 15th - 9th Grade Orientation at Muskego High School

• February 5th - Course Information Night at Muskego High School

• February 12th - High School Counselor’s coming to meet with 8th grade students

  February 12 (8:00am) through 29th (3:00pm) MHS Summer School Registration Open (Summer School courses and descriptions available here)

• February 14th - Registration deadline for fall classes (Note: There will be no honoring of course change requests made after February 14th)
  
  

Do you have questions about registration?

Please reach out should you have any questions related to your child's registration? We are here to answer questions and support you and your child through the process.

• 5-6th Grade School Counselor: Leigh Grall (leigh.grall@muskegonorway.org)

• 7-8th Grade School Counselor: Jim Brickweg (james.brickweg@muskegonorway.org)

Is your student interested in trying out for volleyball? 8th grade try-outs will be held on Jan 27 and 28th from 3:15-4:45pm. 7th grade try-outs will be held on 29th and 30th from 3:15-4:45pm. Students should have a ride home at the end of try-outs.

If you have more questions, please contact Allie Tome alexandra.tome@muskegonorway.org.

As part of our comprehensive Academic and Career Planning at the middle level, we are hosting a Career & Community Fair for our 8th graders on the morning of February 14th.

We are looking for a wide range of speakers in order to ensure we have representation across the U.S. Department of Education's 16 clusters:

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
• Architecture & Construction
• Arts, Audio/Video Technology & Communications
• Business, Management & Administration
• Education & Training
• Finance
• Government & Public Administration
• Health Science
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security
• Manufacturing
• Marketing, Sales & Service
• Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

If you or someone you know might be interested, please reach out to Jim Brickweg, 7-8 School Counselor, who can provide more information. Thank you for considering!

Our goal is to help you and your child reunite with items they have lost or misplaced. This means that our staff checks items turned into Lost and Found for names, and when possible call students down to reunite them with their belongings. One way that would help us do this, is to ensure that you label items as much as possible with first and last names.

Common items we find are:

• water bottles
• school supplies
• assignment notebooks
• lunch bags
• sweatshirts

Please encourage your child if they are missing sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, pencil cases, hats, headbands, etc. to stop by student services to check for their missing items.

Shown below are the upcoming co-curricular events at Muskego Lakes.

If a change occurs from the date of this newsletter, we post on Infinite Campus in the announcement section. We commit to letting students/families know about changes and updating Infinite Campus announcements as soon as possible once we've been notified of a change.

For more detailed information about MLMS events, click here.

Did you know that shopping at Walmart can help our MLMS PTO earn money? A huge thank you to everyone that has linked their accounts for Box Tops! You've helped PTO bring in nearly $60 just by doing your everyday shopping. If you want to help out please follow the directions to get signed up!

Looking for a way to get involved and support our amazing school community? The PTO is always looking for helping hands, and we’d love to have you on board—no commitment necessary! Whether you can spare a little time to make phone calls, lend a hand at events, donate resources, or even consider serving on the board, there’s a place for you. We do have a few open board seats for next year, but even if that’s not your thing, any support is welcome. Interested in learning more? Drop us a line at muskegolakespto@gmail.com . We can’t wait to hear from you!

The MLMS PTO is looking to continue the traditon to have snacks for staff each Wednesday. We need your help though by signing up to donate snacks each week. This greatly helps them make it through the week. You can donate snacks or a group of families can donate. We have roughly 100 staff members. Snacks can be anything you'd like.

Please sign up HERE for a date below if you can. Drop off will be in the front office by 8am on the Wednesday you sign up.

Please consider joining the Muskego Lakes PTO. We meet monthly in the MLMS library at 6:30pm. We always welcome new faces and would love to hear your ideas on how we can make this an amazing school year ahead!!

Our last meeting Dates for the 24-25 School Year are:

• January 6
• February 3
• March 3
• April 7
• April 28

In an effort to ensure students can move through the lunch lines efficently, we ask that you remind your student to ensure that they bring their school ID card with them to lunch daily or ensure that they have gotten their finger scanned.

For you ease, we have linked the September menu below with other helpful resources. You can always find the link to updated lunch menus, at the end of this newsletter.

• Lunch Menu
• Guide to Making a Complete Meal
• Top Ten Reasons For School Meals

2024-25 Lunch Prices:

• Elementary School $2.55
• MS Diner meal $2.95
• MS Pizza meal $3.50
• MS Grab n Go $3.50
• MS Creation meal $3.90
• Adult $4.65
• Milk Carton $0.50
  
  

Questions related to the food service program can be directed to Benny D’Epiro, Food Service Director at 262-971-1790 x4522.

We are proud to continue to partner with Clinical Psychology Associates (CPA) to offer on-site counseling services for students enrolled in Lakeview Elementary, Mill Valley Elementary, Bay Lane Elementary, Lake Denoon Middle, Muskego Lakes Middle, and Muskego High School. For information about CPA’s services and therapists or to get started with an appointment, please visit our website.

Please make note of days off and important events on the 24-25 calendar. It is ideal to make dentist and doctor appointments on days we do not have school whenever possible.

The 2025-2026 school calendar is now available for you to review and use for planning purposes.

We encourage you to follow us on Facebook.

Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muskegolakesmuskies

To view current support staff job vacancies, click HERE