East School Panther Press #3

November 1st, 2024

Message from the Principal

Welcome to November!

Dear Families,

We’re stepping into November after an exciting October that brought our school community together with the Book Fair, our annual Pumpkin Walk, and Family Conferences. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make these events a success! As we look forward to the upcoming three weeks, we’re excited about all the opportunities to continue growing academically, socially, and as a community before our well-deserved Fall Break from November 27 through November 29.

Honoring Veterans and Heritage:

This month, we observe Veterans Day on November 11, a day dedicated to honoring all the brave individuals who have served in the U.S. military. As a school community, we’ll be reflecting on the importance of their service, with classroom discussions and activities designed to recognize and express our gratitude for their contributions.

November is also Native American Heritage Month, an important time to celebrate and learn about the rich histories, diverse cultures, and significant contributions of Native American communities.

Spreading Kindness:

We’re thrilled to participate in National Kindness Week from November 11 to 17! During this week, we’ll focus on small acts of kindness and encourage students to spread positivity in their classrooms, at home, and in the broader community. Look for daily kindness challenges, stories of kindness from students and staff, and tips on building a culture of empathy and support.

Principal Prize: During the week, staff write out Panther Prides for students. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I read the Panther Prides on the announcements. On Friday, I have a Principal Prize Drawing from the Panther Prides! Students love coming to the principal's office to claim their prizes! Every student will be called at least once during the year to get their principal prize. We have awesome students at EAST!

Attendance Celebrations: We love having students at East School! This year we are trying something unique :) When our school wide daily attendance is 96% or more, we will have a short school wide celebration. On Wednesday, November 30, our attendance was 96% and today we had lights low and music on during lunch. According to one 5th grader, “it was so slay” which I think means, it was AWESOME! :) Ask your student about it!

Let’s make November a month filled with respect, learning, and kindness as we work together to build an inclusive and welcoming school community.

Warm regards,

Jori Ruff, East Elementary Principal

Contacts

Jori Ruff

Principal

608-355-3920 ext. 4010

jruff@barabooschools.net

Andrea Schroeder

Administrative Assistant

608-355-3920

aschroeder@barabooschools.net

815 6th Street

Baraboo, WI 53913

Attendance

Please call the office to report an absence or if your student will be late to school

or leave early.

Call 608-355-3920

and leave a voicemail

or send an email to aschroeder@barabooschools.net

Rebecca Christensen

School Nurse

(608)355-3920, Ext. 4160

rchristensen@barabooschools.net

Fax: 608-355-3975

Pat Gavin

Kidstop

(608)355-3925, ext. 7150

pgavin@barabooschools.net

Important East Elementary Routines including drop off and pick up information

Click Here!

ELECTRONIC ONLINE PAYMENTS

Parents/guardians can pay fees and add funds to the child's lunch account from a phone or computer without having to send cash or check. If parents/guardians wish to make payments in person, each school has a credit/debit card reader available.

Pay with a checking account online to avoid service fees.

East Elementary Staff

Click here for our staff list and their contact information

Reaching the Office

The school office can ge be busy at times. If you're unable to reach someone by phone, please leave a voicemail. All voicemails are forwarded directly to our email and are checked promptly. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Vacations

It's important that you inform your child's teacher and and the office in regards to vacations.

From the Student Handbook: Parent requests for their child to be absent for more than two days in a row must be made in writing at least one week in advance to the building principal. Please email Ms. Andrea in the office with any vacation plans.

Field Trip Chaperones and Classroom Volunteers

Please complete a Raptor Background Check if you plan to chaperone this year. Don't wait until the last minute, sometimes they can take anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks to be returned. They are good for 2 years and if you are unsure if you have one on file, you can login here to check.

EAST SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Mrs. Peterson's first graders and Mr. Mohr's fourth grade buddies got creative this October! Together, they designed and decorated a vibrant pumpkin patch that brightened up our hallway.

Last week, East Elementary was transformed into a pumpkin paradise! Our students had a blast picking out their perfect pumpkin, designing spooky faces, and even scooping out the insides with the help of our high school volunteers. Our parent volunteers then brought the pumpkins to life with some incredible carving skills.

On Friday, October 25th, the community gathered to admire the glowing pumpkins. A huge thank you to the East School Parent Group and our generous community donors for making this event possible. We couldn't have done it without you!

East School Community Cupboard

We're excited to share some wonderful news! The East Community Cupboard is flourishing thanks to the generosity of our community partners.

Community First Bank, Nautical Coffee Co, and the East School Parent Group have generously offered to donate to our cause. This incredible support will help us ensure that our students have access to nutritious snacks throughout the school year when teachers run out of classroom snacks.

We're so grateful for their commitment to our community. Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of our students.

Fourth Grade Wit and Wisdom

The 4th grade students in Mrs. Rundio’s Wit and Wisdom literacy lessons have been studying how authors use figurative language to help readers understand the heart. Collaborative groups read different sections of The Circulatory Story and identified the main idea. Then, they recorded the main idea on a poster and created a “Graffiti Wall”, or a drawing, to show the figurative language used in that section of text. For example, on one poster the students identified white blood cells acting like an army in the body to attack an infection. When the posters were completed, the students participated in a “Gallery Walk”. In a gallery walk students circulate in new groups to visit each poster. A student who participated in the poster creation acts as a docent, explaining what their group learned in the reading. Students have learned so much about the hard working heart muscle!

A NOTE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE

Illness Management

We continue to require that students and staff who are ill stay home if they have a fever (100.4 or higher), are vomiting, or have diarrhea.
Students will need a medical note to return to school after five (5) consecutive illness absences, per the Student Handbook.
We will also continue to follow the District’s Communicable Disease Policy 453.3

If you have questions regarding current illness guidelines or have a positive test to report, please email or call the East Health Office.

rchristensen@barabooschools.net

bhelton@barabooschools.net

or 608-355-3920 x4160

Seal A Smile Visits at East

Visits will be November 4th-6th during school hours.

Please register online for Sauk County’s award-winning oral health program by October 28 for East’s program. Click here to sign up. https://sealasmile.wisconsin.gov/Consent/Home/About

This free program is designed to build a strong foundation of positive oral health experiences and knowledge for ALL students—whether your student regularly visits a dentist or has yet to have their first dental visit.

Together Seal-A-Smile partners with families and their dentists to strengthen oral health wherever your learner may be through education, skill-building, decay-preventing fluoride and sealant treatments, as needed. Every child goes home with an after-visit letter and oral health kit to inspire their brushing and flossing routine.

Contact Seal-A-Smile Coordinator Katie if you have questions katie.homar@saukcountywi.gov or (608) 963-925. Seal-A-Smile will be visiting East in November.

Calling All Volunteers

The Baraboo School District will use Raptor Background Check moving forward to streamline the process and provide further protection to volunteer information. All applications will be completed online no longer requiring volunteers to bring information into the buildings for application. Click the link above to access the form.

This is needed if you plan to volunteer for any upcoming field trips with your child.

EAST SCHOOL PARENT GROUP

The East School Parent Group (ESPG) has many plans underway for ways to support the students and staff at East. The funds we raise throughout the year are used by classroom teachers and to support special school projects and events, such as the Pumpkin Walk and school Carnival!

There are a couple of easy ways to support the ESPG with things you're probably already doing. Follow our facebook page for volunteer opportunities, donate to our Venmo account for special events, and you can even earn money for the school by scanning eligible receipts with the Box Tops for Education app.

We would love to see you at our meetings, held the first Tuesday of each month in the Library at East from 6pm-7pm. Can’t attend? No problem! Visit our Facebook page to just learn more about ways you can help out. If you have any questions about ESPG, send us an email espgbaraboo@gmail.com or a Facebook message.

Future meetings:

Nov 12th

Dec 3rd

CLASSROOM SNACKS

CLICK HERE FOR THE APPROVED SNACK LIST

Home baked community/classroom treats are no longer allowed to be distributed in classrooms. This would include shareable items such as cupcakes, cake, brownies, fruit, vegetables, etc. Only pre- packaged, factory sealed, individual snack items are allowed to be shared in a classroom. Please make sure the ingredients list is on the box or package as well.

A NOTE ABOUT ATTENDANCE

Families with students entering All-Day 4K-Grade 5 may enroll their students in the Fall 2024-2025 Kid Stop Program. Enrollment forms and information may be viewed on the district website or paper copies will be available at all elementary school offices and the East and GLW Kid Stop sites. Online registration is not an option. You may complete the registration form and schedule and either turn in to Gordon L. Willson Elementary School office or scan to the coordinator’s email at pgavin@barabooschools.net Once your enrollment form has been processed you will receive an email from the coordinator regarding whether your child is enrolled or on the waitlist.

Registration is on a first come first serve basis.

With questions, please contact Pat Gavin, Kid Stop Coordinator, at pgavin@barabooschools.net or phone (608) 355-3925 ext. 7150.