Volume 5 | Issue 5 | September 11, 2020 |
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Dear Whitnall Families:
With our first official week of the 2020-21 school year nearly complete, I am feeling beyond grateful for and impressed with the Whitnall community. This past week, I have been able to spend time in each of our buildings, and I have also been able to experience a few distance learning classrooms. I wish you all could have been witness to the joy I observed among our teachers and students; everyone seemed so happy to be back to school. Thank you to our families for the extra time you took this summer to watch board meetings, participate in parent sessions, send feedback, or ask questions about our reopening plan. Families have expressed their gratitude for the plan. Specifically, we have heard lots of appreciation for the element of parent choice. We know that some families still have reservations and concerns, and we are open to hearing them and finding resolutions. My continued hope is that we give each other grace as we work through our reopening plan and all of the uncertainty we still face. Given what I have seen from staff, students, and families this summer and these first couple of weeks, I have full confidence that we can work through these uncertainties together.
Dr. Lisa L. Olson
Superintendent
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Board Agenda | September 14 |
Interested in the items being considered at the next board meeting? Check out the agenda for September 14 on our Agendas & Minutes page.
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Please review all of our annual notices for the 2020-2021 school year. They can be found on our district website under Families or you can follow this direct link: WSD Annual Notices.
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Budget Hearing & Annual Meeting | September 28 |
On Monday, September 28, we will hold our budget hearing and annual meeting starting at 6:30 PM in the Whitnall High School Auditorium. Check out our website page for more documents for the annual meeting.
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Canvas Parent Observer Accounts |
Parents are encouraged to create a Canvas Parent Observer account to view course content, weekly plans, and academic feedback. Parents will require a Student Pairing Code to connect their Observer account to their student's. Students can generate their own Pairing Codes from their Canvas account; however, elementary students will have a Pairing Code emailed home. If your student's elementary teacher has not already emailed, you should be receiving an email soon. For more information and tutorials, please visit our Canvas Information page.
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Meal Program Information | September 14-18 |
The high school offers a breakfast program each year. As part of the USDA waiver, breakfast meals are free for the high school and distance learners. This is a program that is in addition to the free lunch meals that are offered across the district on a daily basis. This program is slated to end either December 31, 2020 or when USDA funds are depleted, whichever comes first.
Please remember to still complete a free/reduced application for the 2020-2021 school year. This will allow you to keep receiving free or reduced price meals once the USDA waiver ends. If you have any questions, please reach out to Karen Stichart, School Nutrition Manager, at [email protected].
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Bus Transportation | September 14-18 |
We are continuing to update routes and ridership data with First Student on a daily basis. Beginning September 14, some students may find themselves on different routes in order to provide more efficiency in our routes. We are asking families to continue to check the Transportation tab in Infinite Campus on a daily basis, at least through next week. We hope that after next week, the times will be more consistent as the routes become more routine for our drivers and changes diminish.
Elementary
The afternoon drop off times that you will see in Infinite Campus are based on buses departing from the elementary schools at 3:40 PM. This is currently not happening for several reasons. Bus departures may occur as late as 3:55 - 4:00 PM as routes transition from the HS/MS to Elementary. After next week, we will adjust elementary departure times to better match what is happening in practice.
High School & Middle School
Our high school/middle school routes complete their routes and then immediately begin the elementary routes. A few items are imperative in order to give our buses the best chance to be as timely as possible:
- After buses drop off high school students in the morning, they must cross 116th St. in order to get to the middle school as quickly as possible. We are working to get coverage to stop traffic on 116th St. in the morning at the bus exit. Please be cognizant to allow our buses onto 116th St. to head southbound towards the middle school as they exit the high school. This will help in allowing our buses to start the elementary routes as quickly as possible.
- In the afternoon, we will be treating getting on the buses at Door 15 much like any other passing period. High school buses will depart the high school at 2:53 PM to cross 116th St. towards the middle school. Buses will then depart the middle school by 3:05 PM.
Ridership Counts
We are finding the number of our students who are routed to be very high compared to the actual ridership. If your student(s) will not be riding the bus for a period of time, we’d like to remove those students and bus stops from the current route. When you are ready to ride the bus again, you can contact Kay Larson at 414-525-8526. We would need a 48-hour lead time in order to provide you with timely route information.
We are asking all families to check the Transportation tab in Infinite Campus. If you are not riding the bus yet have a route listed for you, please fill out this short information form with Household Last Name, Student Names, and whether we can remove your student(s) from the route permanently or for a period of time.
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Attention Senior Students and Families: ACT retake dates are September 12, 13, 19 and October 10, 17, 24, 25 and December 12. If you are looking for test prep prior, Method Test Prep is now available in the student Xello account. For more information about these test dates and how to sign up for a test, please contact the school counseling office: (414) 525-8524 |
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Class t-shirts are available for sale from now until September 17. Click this link to access the online store. All shirts are $15. This year's spirit week will be October 12-16 with Class Color Day on Wednesday, October 14.
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Daily announcements are sent to student emails and also posted on our school website. Check them out here.
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Please check this link for an explanation of new procedures for physical education at WMS. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s physical education teacher.
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Student Council Meeting Update |
Any WMS students interested in participating in Student Council this year should attend an informational meeting after school next week Wednesday, September 16th. The meeting will be held virtually through Google Meet 4:00-4:30 PM. Student Council is a student leadership group involved in planning events for students at school, such as school dances, spirit days, as well as supporting charities, causes, and community events. Student Council will be open to both in-person learning and distance learning students. Any student who feels they have the qualities to be a positive leader and is interested in attending the informational meeting should e-mail Mr. Seavert at [email protected] to receive the invite to the Google Meet.
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Noon Hour Supervisors Needed |
Whitnall Middle School has vacancies for two noon hour supervisors with no current applicants. This position involves daily supervision in the lunchroom and on the playground from 10:30 AM until 1:30 PM. Pay is competitive. Please log into WECAN at this LINK to create an account and apply. Look for posting #89084 or contact Mr. D’Acquisto at 414-525-8652 or [email protected].
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Noon Hour Supervisor Needed |
Edgerton Elementary has one opening for a noon hour supervisor. Interested candidates should apply on WECAN (Wisconsin Education Career Access) Position # 77575 or contact Ms. Zei at 414-525-8900 for more information. |
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The Edgerton Elementary PTO is a group of parents and teachers striving to enhance learning in our school. Participating in the PTO through meetings or other activities is a great way to:
• Meet other Edgerton parents
• Find out about school activities
• Understand more about the school and its educational offerings
Click here to access the online PTO membership form. Families can also print the form here and send it back to school with payment.
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Drinking fountains are not available for use this year. However, we have water bottle filling stations that are available around the school. Students are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle each day to keep hydrated. |
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The EES PTO spirit wear sale is on! Click on this link to order. Orders must be submitted by September 13th.
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Safety vests are worn by staff members that assist with student drop off and pick up. Please follow the directions of these staff members to ensure the safety of our students. |
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Drop off and pick up procedures need to be followed for a smooth operation. Drop off procedures are linked HERE. Pick up procedures are linked HERE.
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Please label all of your child’s belongings. We can’t return misplaced clothing, water bottles, or lunch boxes without your help. |
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Crossing Guards are located at S. 116th and Janesville Road and at S. 113th and Godsell Avenue. Please cross with the guard. We are viewing adults crossing with children in the middle of the street and across traffic. While it may be a few extra steps to the crossing guard, we want to model the safest behavior for our students to learn from. |
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The first PTO meeting of the school year will be held Tuesday, September 15 at 6:30 PM, following the Principal Chat at 6:00 PM. The meeting will be held outside of the main entrance on Janesville Road. We will have chairs set up but please wear a mask. We will also be practicing social distancing. |
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Student Directory forms are due Friday, September 18th. For a $5 contribution, you will receive a digital copy of the directory. Payment can be made by Venmo @HCE-PTO or cash. If sending cash, PLEASE be sure to mark the envelope PTO directory. Also include your child’s first and last name on the envelope.
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Last chance for fall spirit wear orders! Items will be available for sale through Sunday, September 13. Click this link to order. Spirit wear days are held once per month.
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