East School Panther Press #8

April 1st, 2025

Message from the Principal

Spring is an exciting time in Wisconsin as the weather warms and flowers bloom! It’s also a busy time at East Elementary, filled with learning, activities, and celebrations.

FORWARD Exam (Grades 3-5)

Students in grades 3-5 will be taking the FORWARD exam this month. Please help set your child up for success by ensuring they get plenty of rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive at school on time. We appreciate your support in making this a smooth testing experience!

Celebrating Our Paraprofessionals – Wednesday, April 2

We want to give a huge shout-out to our incredible paraprofessionals! Their dedication and hard work are invaluable to our school community. Please join us in celebrating and thanking them for all they do!

Upcoming No School Days

Wednesday, April 9 – No school for students (Professional Development Day for staff).

Friday, April 18 – No school for all students and staff.

Music, Art, and Phy Ed Night – Friday, April 11

Join us for a special evening showcasing student talents in Music, Art, and Physical Education! We look forward to celebrating the creativity and hard work of our students.

Middle School Transition Visit – Monday, April 21

Our 5th-grade students will get an exciting opportunity to meet middle school counselors and teachers to learn about what to expect in middle school. This visit is a great way to help ease the transition to a new learning environment!

Music Performances (K-4th Grade)

Students in Kindergarten through 4th grade will be showcasing their musical abilities this month! Stay tuned for specific performance dates and details.

Yearbook sale ends April 21st!

Yearbooks for the 24/25 school year are on sale now for $15!

All 5th graders will receive a yearbook as a graduation gift.

Warm regards,

Mrs. Jori Ruff

East Elementary Principal

Ask Your Child...

What module are you working on in Wit and Wisdom?
What did you do in Number Corner this week?
What did you do with your classroom buddies this month?

Forward Test excitement is building for our 3rd-5th graders! This week's assembly focused on test prep tips like sleep and breakfast, and students energized the room with a positive affirmation song about doing their best during the test.

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.

Voicemail: 608-355-3920

Text: 608-621-2248

Email: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 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. You can also send a text message to (608) 621-2248, this will reach Ms. Andrea directly and you will receive a confirmation text response. Thank you for your understanding.

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.

Upcoming Field Trips:

Raptor Background Checks

Click here to view all field trip dates and chaperone needs.

Permission slips will be sent home in Friday Folders closer to field trip dates.

Order Your Student's Yearbook Today!

Yearbooks for the 24/25 school year are on sale now for $15!

Yearbooks will be sent home with students the last week of school. Sale ends April 21st.

All 5th graders will receive a yearbook as a graduation gift.

Click here to order!

EAST SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Young Authors Winners Announced!

Congratulations to our talented Young Author Conference winners who received ribbons and will have their work published in an anthology! The winners will attend a writing conference on April 4th in Westfield, WI.

Drop Everything and Read!

What a wonderful way to kick off Read Across America Week! Our entire school participated in a special "Drop Everything and Read" (DEAR) event as a fun attendance celebration. For the first 20 minutes of the day, students and staff alike put everything aside and dove into their favorite books. It was inspiring to see our hallways and classrooms filled with the quiet focus of everyone enjoying a good read.

SAVE THE DATE

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

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:

April 8th

May 6th

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

IMPORTANT SUMMER KID STOP

Enrollment for the Summer Kid Stop program began on Monday, February 3, 2025.

Information and registration forms will be available on the District website to print off or paper copies will be available at all elementary school offices and the East, GLW and West Kid Stop sites.

Completed enrollment forms may be

submitted by scanning to the Kid Stop Coordinator’s email address at pgavin@barabooschools.net or dropping your form off at the Gordon L. Willson Elementary School office during business or Kid Stop hours.

Any questions, please contact Pat Gavin at the above email address.

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.