THIS WEEK
Family Camp Information Meeting • March 7th
Concert "We Built This City" for Grades 3, 4 & 5 • March 9th
NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, MARCH 10TH (Staff Development)
WIEA Youth Art Contest Submission Due • March 10th
Student Art Exhibit at Milwaukee Art Museum • March 12th
Registrations Due: Braiding Sweetgrass for Yount Adults • March 13th
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Forensics Family Showcase • March 16th
FRC Crafting Circle • March 18th, April 15th & May 20th
SPRING BREAK IS MARCH 27TH - 31ST
ICS Family Digital Safety Night • April 20th
FRC Movie Night • April 28th
Please scroll down to learn more about our exciting events!
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Attendance is Key
A MESSAGE FROM MR. DROPIK
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I wanted to take some time to discuss attendance. Through COVID, we had to adapt to the need for cautious attendance protocols. We had to do our part to keep everyone safe. Prior to COVID, ICS had pretty good attendance as a school. We averaged around 94% daily attendance, which is good. During COVID, like other schools, we had significantly lower attendance rates. This was expected, and we sent many messages about keeping your student home. Now that we are in a different place, we need to get back to the strong attendance that we had previously. Our attendance rates have dropped to around 89% daily attendance. This is a significant decrease and has created some challenges for students and staff.
So why is attendance important?
There are many reasons, some obvious and some not so obvious. The biggest reason is when students are out they miss learning. When students are out it takes time for them and our staff to get them caught up. That effort and time takes away from other interactions supporting students who need support; it takes away from extending opportunities for those ready for those extensions; it takes time away from the students, as they have to work even harder to catch up. Perhaps equally as important is that missed days impact students' confidence, can increase negative emotions such as anxiety or worry, and disrupts students' creation of strong learning routines. When students miss, they miss more than just assignments. They miss practice on successful habits; miss out on discussions in class; and miss out on opportunities to interact and build stronger bonds with their peers. It starts in the early grades when students develop poor attendance habits, and when that happens, they tend to continue to struggle with attendance throughout their school years. Attendance struggles can lead to struggling socially and academically, which increases the probability of not graduating high school, and that creates greater challenges for future success.
A closer look at the numbers.
I was formerly a math teacher, so numbers fascinate me. Here are some numbers to think about. Take a student that misses 5 days a year. That does not seem too bad right? That could be a sickness or two or a trip to Florida. If that student averaged 5 days a year for 10 years at ICS, that is 50 days of missed instructional time. Time missed in learning, time missed from cultural opportunities, and time missed from building relationships. Those 50 days mean they missed more than 412 hours of instruction time. That is more than an entire quarter of school.
What if they missed 10 days a year? That is 100 days, more than a half of a year of school. That can lead to gaps in knowledge that create issues for future success. What about the example for students that have missed 20 days a year (yes we have quite a few of our students that miss this much school). They will have missed 200 days of school, more than an entire school year.
We need students at school whenever they are able to.
I know that might lead to more sicknesses at times. We need to continue with good hygiene, hand washing, and sanitizing well before eating. We need to eat good meals to keep ourselves healthy. Please note: Students should stay home if they have a fever or are vomiting; outside of those issues, they should be at school. Let's see if we can average 94% attendance for the months of March, April, and May. I know we can do it!
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ICS families, students, alumni, and staff are invited to learn about maple sugar collection, boiling sap, carving wooden taps, and listen to storytelling from our friends at Bizhikii Dance and Culture Company. A light meal with be served — all are encouraged to bring their feast bundles if they have them. We will have paper products available for our guests and look forward to seeing everyone there! |
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Please remember there is NO SCHOOL this Friday, March 10th |
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You're Invited to Attend the ICS Student Exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum on March 12th! |
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Family Sundays: Celebrating Native Art and Artists
Sunday, Mar. 12th
10 am - 4 pm
Featuring an ICS Student Art Exhibit plus the Earth Dance
Singers!
Milwaukee Art Museum is located at 700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI
ICS students, families, alumni, and staff are invited to the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) to celebrate our student’s Art Exhibit and the ICS Earth Dance Singers, who will share songs that day! Attendees can also enjoy a number of Native artists, cultural craft-making, storytelling, exhibitions, and dancers. Free entry for ICS students, alumni, staff, and families! ICS families who attend may also sign up for a free pass to use on a future visit! Please note that free parking is available on the street, and paid parking is available in the parking structure across from the MAM.
Schedule for the Day
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Hands-on Activities
- Learn and employ the techniques used by guest artist, Jennifer M. Stevens to embellish clay tiles.
- Create collaged landscapes inspired by the artworks in Native America: In Translation.
- Make corn husk dolls with guest educator, Kahuhyak^le Stephenie Muscavitch VanEvery.
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In the Kohl’s Art Studio, make beaded bracelets with guest educator, Benjamin Grignon.
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Student Art Exhibition
- See creations by students from Indian Community School and Menominee Indian High School in the Kohl’s Art Studio.
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Guest Artists
- Meet artists from across the region, and learn how their heritage inspires what they create.
Performances and More (Main Stage)
10:30 AM Words of Gratitude by Indian Community School Alumni Laila King
11:00 AM Indian Community School’s Earth Dance Singers
12:30 PM Storytelling with Kahuhyak^le Stephenie Muscavitch VanEvery
1:00 PM 30-minute Family Tour
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Native America: In Translation with Ariel Pate, assistant curator of photography (Meet by the admissions desk)
2:00 PM American Indian Center of Milwaukee Dance Troupe
For more information, please call Our Ways at (414) 525-6100.
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392 Bags Collected the First Day!
Collecting Plastic Bags for Mercy Mats During the Month of March
ICS students are encouraged to bring plastic bags to their classroom, as acts of love and kindness for Mother Earth and for homeless people in our community. ICS will begin a school-wide collection on behalf of Mercy Mats, which hand-crochets mats out of plastic bags for homeless people and shelters. These handmade mats can be used as sleeping mats or as blankets.
Single-use plastic bags pollute the land and water. They litter parks, forests, neighborhoods, and cities, and they float down our waterways, causing harm to fish and wildlife. Because they are lightweight, they can travel for miles in the wind. Often, they end up in our oceans, causing great harm to fish wildlife, and ecosystems. Some countries and communities have banned single-use plastic bags for these reasons.
Collecting plastic bags for Mercy Mats is one way that we can show our love and kindness for Mother Earth and all of creation, and also a way that we can help those less fortunate. The classroom that collects the most plastic bags will receive a special prize. Since Spring Break begins on March 27th, the collection of plastic bags will end on Friday, March 24th. The winning classroom will be announced on Monday, April 3rd.
For more information on the Mercy Mats organization, please click here: LINK Please contact Ms. Langen, School Counselor, with any questions you may have at llangen@ics-edu.org or by calling (414) 525-6175.
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Join us for a hands-on evening of learning together to help keep our students safer online.
The evening will include a workshop to set up parental controls on your child’s cell phone or tablet, a talk by a cybersecurity expert, information from the Franklin Police Department, and a student-focused session on digital well-being. For more information contact Mrs. Morales at pmorales@ics-edu.org
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Words of the Week: "good night" |
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Our 5th-grade students and the ICS Exclusive News Team help us to learn the language words for "good night" in Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe and Oneida. They encourage everyone to learn along with us and to practice using our languages every chance we can.
Our speakers were Elisianna, Kaden, Oliviayanna, and King. Our News Team crew filming our Words of the Week were Drew, Mallory, Carmen, Kelsey, Julian, Rilynn, and Izzabella. Tessa did the opening and closing.
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MONDAY
6
Breakfast Pizza, Whole Grain Cereal, Hard Boiled Egg, Banana, Fresh Fruit, Milk
Ham and Cheese Panini, Tomato Soup, Mini Pretzels, Cucumber Sticks, Strawberries, Fresh Fruit, Local Green Salad, Milk
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TUESDAY
7
Nutrigrain Bar, Assorted WG Cereal, Hard Boiled Egg, Fresh Orange Juice, Grapes, Milk
Lasagna Roll w/ Marinara Sauce, Garlic Knot, Green Beans, Red Peppers, Orange Wedges, Local Green Salad, Fresh Fruit, Milk
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WEDNESDAY
8
WG Cereal Bar, Asst WG Cereal, Hard Boiled Egg, Peaches, Fresh Fruit, Milk
Chicken Fajitas, Enchilada Lentils, Carrot Sticks, Mango, Local Green Salad, Fresh Fruit, Milk, Treat
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THURSDAY
9
Egg, Cheese & Sausage on Flatbread,
WG Cereal, Hard Boiled Egg, Fresh Fruit, Milk
Pizza Sticks, Pasta Salad, California Mix Vegetables, Celery Sticks with Chickpea Hummus, Melon Chunks, Local Green Salad, Milk
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FRIDAY
10
NO SCHOOL
Professional Development for Staff
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It's National School Breakfast Week
March 6-10, 2023
Now that the school year is about halfway, we are as committed as ever to the academic success of all of our students. The first and best tool that we can use to make sure all of our students are successful in school is to guarantee that each child begins the day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast – at home or at school.
We want to remind you that ICS served school breakfast every school day from 7:15 am - 7:50 am. You don't need to do any advanced registration. These supervised meals are nutritionally balanced and vary daily.
School Breakfast is an ideal solution on busy mornings when kids are running late or parents have early work schedules. Often, kids are not hungry when they first wake up but are ready to eat when school begins. Whatever the reason, if breakfast at home is not convenient, please take advantage of breakfast here at school. Studies have shown that children who eat a nutritious breakfast have better behavior, better attendance, and improved test scores.
Thank you for helping us ensure that all of our students start the school day alert, well-fed, and ready to learn.
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We have noticed an increased amount of students bringing snack/lunch items and sugary, carbonated or flavored beverages that are not recommended. Please DO NOT send these items to school:
- Takis
- Hot Cheetos
- Other fried chips
- Fruit roll-ups, etc.
- Sugary, carbonated, or flavored beverages.
While these are "once-in-a-while" treats for some children, they lack nutritional value because they are highly processed. Doctors have warned us that spicey, processed, and fried foods can cause stomach pains in growing bodies. While they may be enjoyed in moderation outside of school, we strongly recommend that you do not send them to school with your child. If you have any questions or need other ideas for snacks, please feel free to reach out to me.
Wa'įniginąp šąną / Wāēwāēnen / Miigwech / Yawʌɂkó / Thank You for working with us on helping our students acquire healthier eating habits!
Natalia Woehl, M.ed, RD.
Food Services Manager
414-525-6188
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Forensics Showcase
for ICS Families
March 16th
Our 2023 Forensics Team has bravery in abundance! They have been working hard, and we know that our families and teachers would love to see them
in action and celebrate with them!
Please join us to celebrate another successful season!
Thursday, March 16, 2023
4:30 pm in the ICS Drum
Dinner and Dessert will follow the Forensics Family Showcase.
For planning purposes, please RSVP by clicking on the button below.
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We Built This City
Spring Concert
March 9th
3rd, 4th & 5th Grades
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Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade musicians are busily preparing for our Spring concert, “We Built This City,” which will take place at the school on Thursday, March 9th. We invite you and your family to join us!
The concert will take place inside the Drum from 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm.
Our students are very excited to perform and cannot wait to share what they have learned with you!
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K4 Enrollment is Open!
Online Applications Must be Submitted Before Screenings Can Be Scheduled
Our pre-kindergarten K4 prepares children for a smooth
transition into kindergarten. We teach age-level skills, early
coordination skills, and early math and reading concepts that
help children succeed.
Please contact FRC at (414) 525-6117 for more information.
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Family Camp Information Meeting
Tuesday, March 7th
at 6:00 pm
If you are interested in attending or learning more about this year’s ICS Family Camp, please attend the information meeting on March 7th.
Camp information and registration packets will be available at this
meeting. If you are a new family to ICS Family Camp or a returning family, please plan to attend this meeting!
This year’s ICS Family Camp will take place on August 5-9, 2023, at Lake Lucerne in Wautoma, Wisconsin.
Seats are limited to a maximum of 20 participants and you must register to attend. Please contact FRC at (414) 525-6121 for more information.
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Virtual Support Group for parents, caregivers & guardians of young Native American children (birth to 5 years) |
Join us on March 20th to learn how you can:
• De-stress from your parenting challenges.
• Network with other parents who are experiencing the same power struggles.
• Recieve support and resources from a trained Parent Educator.
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The Family Resource Center is offering one last Friday movie night for ICS families to attend on April 28th!
Concessions will be available but payment is **Cash Only**
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE. PLEASE SEE THE LINK BELOW.
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APRIL 28TH
Movie Night: DC League of Super Pets
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Movie starts at 6:30 pm
Please click on the button below to register.
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Please note that COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed and
all updates will be posted on our website at www.ics-edu.org.
Please contact FRC for more information on our Family Movie Nights.
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WIEA Youth Art Contest
ENTRIES ARE DUE MARCH 10TH
In Beauty and Unity, We Walk the Healing Path
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The Wisconsin Indian Education Association (WIEA) will hold its annual conference in Madison on April 20-21, 2023. As part of the conference, WIEA is inviting all American Indian and Alaskan Native students in the State of Wisconsin, in grades 6-12, to participate in a Youth Art Contest! The winning entry will be awarded $150 and the runner up will be awarded $50.
All entries (with artwork), must be submitted by Friday, March 10th.
Please click on the images below for the contest guidelines and the entry form. For more information on the WIEA Conference, please CLICK HERE.
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Brought to you by the Our Ways Team:
Dr. Powless, Ms. Audra, Ms. Kal^na, and Ms. Cheyenne
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In collaboration with Wehr Nature Center and our relatives from Northern Wisconsin who helped us, Our Ways hosted our 2023 Maple Camp on the Wehr Campus. Included in this year's Maple Sugar Camp were different stations including measuring, collecting sap, boiling, tasting, and a buckeye game. Each grade level participated in different parts of the camp, depending on the weather and temperatures, which fluctuated from day to day.
Our 8th graders were able to open up the camp with a pipe ceremony that gave thanks to the Thunderbird Spirits for bringing us rain. With those thunders, comes the opening of the maple season in our area. We prayed for a successful season and let the Spirits know that we were only going to take what was needed for our community.
On the last day, several of our 8th-graders came back out to assist our 3rd-grade students, who were our youngest learners experiencing Maple Sugar Camp this year. Those 8th-graders also stayed to help clean up the Camp, which was greatly appreciated.
We also hosted an evening session for families and community members. We began with a meal of Oneida corn soup, manoomin (wild rice), ice cream with maple syrup, maple bread, and fry bread. Also included that night was a maple syrup-tasting contest in which the group determined that Mr. Dylan Jennings' syrup was the best with Mr. Mike Demain's syrup the runner-up! Families and community members learned about the process of collecting sap and carving wooden spiles (taps); listened to stories and enjoyed each other's company.
Overall, our Maple Sugar Camp was very successful! We want to acknowledge everyone who helped us — Bizhiki Dance and Culture Company, Wehr Nature Center, and our amazing students and staff! Wa'įniginąp šąną / wāēwāēnen / miigech / yawʌɂkó / thank you, everyone!
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To improve This Week @ICS! weekly newsletter, we're asking for your feedback.
We'd like to know if this newsletter was helpful to you and if there is other information we should include.
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Wa'įniginąp šąną • Wāēwāēnen • Miigwech • Yawʌɂkó for reading our school's newsletter.
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10405 W. St. Martins Rd. • Franklin, WI 53132
(414) 525-6100 • www.ics-edu.org
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