Kegonsa Family Newsletter

Happy Friday, Families!

I selected this picture for many reasons—the cold has returned this week, and, as you can see, sometimes our coats just don't come off after recess on these cold, blistery days. Also, we've officially kicked off the second semester of the 24-25 school year, and our 5th graders are more than halfway through their final year at Kegonsa (I’m not crying, you are). Time is flying, and there’s so much to look forward to!

Next week is a busy one! Here are a few important reminders:
📌 Tuesday – Kegonsa Working for Kids meeting at 6:15 (Child care is available).

📌 Wednesday – Kindergarten heads out on a field trip and the 100th day of school 🎉
📌 Thursday – Kegonsa Family Game Night from 5:30-7 PM! We hope to see you there!
📌 Friday – Valentine’s Day ❤️ and a 4th-grade field trip

Save the Date: 25-26 Registration Dates

Back to School Planning for 2025-26 has begun. Note the following key dates below:

• Grades 6-12 Onsite Registration will be Wednesday, August 13th and Tuesday, August 19th

• Grades K-5 Conferences will be Wednesday, August 27th

Thank you for your continued support—we love seeing our students grow and thrive every day! Stay warm, and we’ll see you back on Monday.

I hope you enjoy this video from recess on Thursday (brrrr) 💙 Erin

Next week is Bus Driver Appreciation Week! Our dedicated drivers play a crucial role in ensuring that our students travel to and from school safely every day. Their commitment, patience, and kindness positively impact the lives of our children and families.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our bus drivers for their exceptional service. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed, and we are truly thankful for everything you do. Your efforts are greatly valued and appreciated!

Kindergartens' most recent SEL lesson focused on knowing when to regulate our bodies. We learned the technique of Stop, Opt and Go. We use the visual of a traffic light to help us remember to recognize how our body is feeling and to Stop (red), think about our options/opt (yellow) and pick an appropriate response/go (green). An example would be you get upset because someone budges in line you need to stop, take a deep breath or ask for help, then go move on with the solution you picked.

This week first grade focused on learning about Anxiety. Anxiety is a major buzzword right now so the first thing we try to do is to normalize anxiety and let kids know that a certain amount of anxiety is okay and beneficial. Anxiety can help keep us safe in emergencies or motivate us to get better at certain tasks or skills. Anxiety can at times get to uncomfortable or unhealthy levels. When this happens it is important to use a strategy like talking with someone, taking a deep breath or doing something you enjoy. Each student practiced reflecting on what triggers their anxiety or worry. This is important because in order to manage our anxiety we first need to know what its cause may be.

This week second grade learned about various ways to help themselves feel better when they feel strong emotions. We focused on calming body strategies like muscle relaxation, deep breaths & stretching, calming thought strategies like positive self-talk, visualization or mediation. If these strategies do not work it is important to find a caring adult to talk to. Taking a break from whatever is causing the big emotion can also be very helpful.

Third grade continues to learn about how we learn and wire our brains. We continue to reinforce that the choices we make lead to habits and habits lead to networks being formed in our brains. We learned how neurons that fire together wire together, for example if we consistently focus on the teacher and complete work this creates a positive neural network in our brain. To make networks stronger we learned the importance of practice and asking for help when we get stuck. This is super important to help create optimism and limit learned helplessness in our kids.

Our fourth and fifth graders have been spending time learning about perspective taking and empathy. Empathy is a learned skill that needs to be practiced to grow. Empathy can be anything from an action of helping another person, asking if they're okay or simply having a compassionate thought. We learned that to enhance our Empathy for another person we need to understand their perspective. This is done by asking questions in a non-judgmental way. By taking the time to understand others’ perspective it leads to a reducing in stereotypes, discrimination and negative viewpoints thus leading to a more accepting society.

Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Donate blood at the Stoughton High School Auditorium on February 19th (8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.) and help our graduating seniors earn scholarships! Your contribution makes a difference in multiple lives. Sign up today at rcblood.org/flurry or come as a walk-in. Enjoy refreshments on us!

Founded in 1968, the Community Music Lessons program provides college students with valuable experience teaching applied music lessons. Lessons are provided by undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the School of Music who are overseen by individual faculty members, an experienced graduate coordinator, and a staff supervisor. Lessons are taught on campus in the Humanities Building on the UW–Madison campus.

We offer lessons for all instrumental and voice areas per instructor availability. We are currently only offering lessons for students ages 8 and up. Music instructors are matched with university and community learners interested in beginning or continuing study of an instrument or voice in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Flexible scheduling and performance opportunities with the CML program are an example of the Wisconsin Idea in practice. Click here to register for Spring 2025 lessons.

Please contact Community Music Lessons Coordinator Madison Barrett at cml@music.wisc.edu with any questions.

Get ready for a night of amazing music!🎶The 2025 SHS Pops Concert is happening Monday, February 10th at 7 pm in the SHS PAC! 🎼This showcase features the combined choirs and 21 solo acts accompanied by a professional house band. 🎟️Get your tickets now: https://cur8.com/23157/project/129119

Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 13th and join us at Kegonsa Elementary for Game Night from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM! Admission is free, and all family members are welcome to attend. Please note that students must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Enjoy a variety of activities including card and board games, bingo, and puzzles. We will also have raffle prizes to give away! Don't forget to bring cash for the WFK bake sale. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Shining Gilly Award recognizes students who go above and beyond to show exceptional care for others or our school. These students exemplify the qualities we strive to nurture in all of our little citizens—kindness, responsibility, and a positive impact on their community. Whether it's an individual or a group of students, those who receive this award truly reflect the values we hold dear at our school.

Congratulations to Greyson (3rd), Cole (4th), Addy (4th), and Logan (3rd) 🥳

For February, based on our Antiracist Media Resources Plan, we are highlighting Black History Month and Chinese New Year!

These are a few resources:

Virtual Library ~ Black History Month

PBS Wisconsin Resources

Chinese New Year Activities

Celebrate Lunar New Year: 3 Fun and Easy Crafts for Kids

Also, Kids Discover has made all Black History Month resources on Kids Discover Online entirely free for the month of February 2025. Everything on this page of their website is available to access, with no account required. However, these are login credentials to use:

URL: online.kidsdiscover.com

UN: wils2025

PW: wils2025

Families, our Lost and Found is overflowing, and we need your help! Before we donate everything to the Clothing Center after the February family conferences, please take a moment to come by and check if any items belong to your child. We've got everything from jackets to water bottles to mystery socks, and trust us, some of these clothes are definitely from students right here in the building! We need to make room for even more items after the conferences, so please swing by soon to claim anything that’s missing. We’ll be donating everything soon, and we’d love for these items to find their way back home first!

First Semester: August 5, August 23, September 1, September 6, September 13, September 20, September 29, October 4, October 13, October 18, October 24, November 1, November 8, November 17, November 22, November 26, December 6, December 13, January 5, January 10, January 17, January 31, February 7

Ms. Conrad, Principal (877-5201)

Mrs. Nelson, Dean of Students (877-5222)

Mrs. Southern, Front Office Admin Assistant (877-5202)

Mr. Schultz, School Counselor (877-5229)

Mrs. Menon, School Psychologist (877-5276)

Mrs. McDermot, School Social Worker (440-0270)

Mrs. Hart, Health Assistant (877-5204)

Email: erin.conrad@stoughton.k12.wi.us
Website: http://www.stoughton.k12.wi.us/page.cfm?p=619
Location: Kegonsa Elementary School, Vernon Street, Stoughton, WI, United States
Phone: 608-877-5202
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stoughtonschools/
Twitter: @WeAreStoughton