February 2015 - Suring Public School District

Eagle News
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Early Release
Dates:
 April 15
Parent
Teacher
Conference
Dates:


February 25
1 ,
I S S U E
3
F E B R U A R Y
2 3 ,
2 0 1 5
Dear Parents, Community Members, and Business Owners:
On April 7, 2015 you will have the opportunity to vote on a referendum for the Suring
Public School District to exceed the revenue cap. The question on the ballot will ask
permission to levy $700,000 each year, for five consecutive years, beginning with the
2015-2016 year and ending in the 2019-2020 year.
April 29
Upcoming
Vacations:

V O L U M E
March 30—
April 3
Upcoming
State Tests:
Grade 11
ACT -March 3rd
and 4th
Grades 3-8
Badger Exam
(Reading/Math/
Writing)
March 30-May 22
(Exact dates will be
sent at a later date.)
Grades 9 and 10
Week of May 4ACT ASPIRE
These state tests are
important!
Please encourage your
child(ren) to do
well!
What is the purpose of the referendum?
 To stay current with trends in education by providing students and staff the
resources (textbooks, eBooks, assessment tools) and training necessary to meet the
state requirements in academic proficiencies and performance.
 To maintain current educational programs and extracurricular opportunities for
students.
 To upgrade wireless infrastructure and provide students access to an electronic
device as a means of academic enrichment and/or a tool of intervention when in
school.
Why now?
 The district continues to lose 15% state aid each year.
 Student enrollment continues to drop.
 Property values continue to increase.
 Fund balance has been used to offset the budget deficit for the 2013-2014 and
2014-2015 school years.
 We need to avoid short-term borrowing (because of interest costs).
What has the district done in the past to prevent the community from
having to go to a referendum?
 Reduced teaching staff.
 Reduced costs for outside services.
 Reduced post-retirement benefits.
 All staff contributing more to insurance.
 All staff contributing more to retirement.
 Reduced administrative staff costs.
 Staff “frozen” on salary schedule.
 Hiring support staff as part-time employees.
 Shared services with other schools.
Where can I get more information on the referendum?
 See page 2 of this newsletter
 School website
http://www.suring.k12.wi.us/
 School Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suring-Public-School-District/
 Informational meetings: see last page of this newsletter
What would the
2015/2016 tax impact
be?
An education
isn't how much
you have
committed to
memory, or even
how much you
know. It's being
able to
differentiate
between what
you do know and
what you don't.
Property
Value
Annual
Increase
Increase
per month
$50,000
$28.00
$2.33
$75,000
$42.00
$3.50
$100,000
$56.00
$4.67
$150,000
$84.00
$7.00
$200,000
$112.00
$9.33
There would be a mill/equalized
rate increase of 56 cents per
$1,000 of property value.
What will it cost you…
How does our mill/equalized rate compare with area districts?
District
Mill/Equalized
Rate
Did You Know?
(Fall 2014)
Anatole France
Thanks to those
who continue to
support our school
district by
providing
generous
donations.
Lena
$11.66
White Lake
$11.30
Niagara
$10.57
Gillett
$10.49
Coleman
$9.45
Peshtigo
$8.85
Crivitz
$8.61
Wausaukee
$8.59
Suring
$6.87
Wabeno
$6.35
The mill rate increase
would not change where
we stand as a district
compared to our
neighboring schools….
2nd lowest.
Fall 2
3
4
.
7
$
015
What will happen if the referendum does not pass?

Make decisions in April/May 2015 about budget cuts for the 2015-2016 school year.
 Try in November 2015 to pass a referendum.
If the referendum does not pass in November :
The school will continue to make cuts that take away opportunities. Eventually, the lack of funds
could lead to the district closing its doors to our staff, children, businesses, and community
members. If the school closed, the state could intervene and develop new school district
boundaries. These boundaries would provide each community member access to an education
within a different school district. The taxpayer would then pay the school tax of that new district.
In addition, Suring School’s debt would be assumed by those districts that absorb our student
population.
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SOAR
(Be Safe, Be Outstanding, Be Accountable, Be Respectful)
This semester, the school is focusing on RESPECT school wide. We have started a “Student of the Week” initiative recognizing
students who are respectful and model good SOAR (safe, outstanding, accountable, and respectful) behaviors at school and in the
community. So far, the Student of the Week initiative has been a great success. Each week, teachers nominate one student for
Student of the Week. A winner from each level is then drawn to receive great prizes. The following students have been recognized
so far:
Week 1:
High School – Greta Sleeter
Middle School – Neil Koral
Elementary School – Mariah Stage
Great Job
Students!
Week 2:
High School - Hailey Thompson
Middle School - Camilla Doherty
Elementary School – Elijah Harris
Week 3:
High School - Amber Sperberg
Middle School - Caleb Lally
Elementary School - Mason Konop
Stop in to check out the nominees on the display board by the gym entrance.
We collect ...
1.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
www.boxtops4ducation.com
2.
CAMPBELL SOUP LABLES
www.labelsforeducation.com
3.
MILK MOOLA
www.milkmoola.com
4.
“One Person’s
USED PRINTER CARTRIDGES
Trash is Another
5.
TYSON PROJECT A+ cut off It’s as easy as 1-2-3
6.
LOAVES 4 LEARNING
Person’ s
Treasure.”
Loaves 4learning.com
A Note from the Kitchen...
The Suring School Kitchen will be celebrating National Breakfast Week on March 2-6, 2015.
The National theme is “Make the Grade with School Breakfast.”
We are promoting the importance of eating breakfast to better ourselves in the classroom, our school,
and community.
The Wisconsin Dairy Council is also encouraging us to “Change your SPOTS with Milk” that week. The kitchen will be making
samples of milk products for the students to try during National Breakfast Week. Come and sample a treat and check out our
dairy display of spots.
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100 Days of School
The first graders in Mrs. Runge's and Mrs. Stegeman's classes
celebrated the 100th day of school on Monday, February 9th. The
kids have been counting to this day all year. The entire day was
spent doing activities that related to the number 100. They made
necklaces from 100 Fruit Loops, listed 100 words they can spell
without help, wrote about how they would spend $100, worked
cooperatively to put together 100 piece puzzles, and estimated how
many balloons they could pop in 100 seconds. Students enjoyed a
fun-filled day.
Seventh grade science students put their
creative talents to use making a threedimensional cell from materials found around
the house. This hands-on project encouraged
students to strive for learning using their
organizational, artistic and communication
skills. Student presented their finished cells
to the entire class explaining cell parts and
the materials used to represent each part.
The Suring 5th grade class would like to thank the
Suring Lions and Lionesses and the Crooked Lake/
Mountain Lions Clubs for their very generous
donations. This money was used to help fund the
5th grade annual trip to Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya.
In Mrs. Finger’s second grade class, the students chose one of the 13
original colonies to research. They found information on the
internet, took notes and then typed the important final information.
Once the students completed their final project, they presented their
colonies in front of the class. They had a lot of fun with the 13 colonies
project!
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MILITARY NIGHT
Hosted by the SURING BOYS BASKETBALL PROGRAM
$3,000 TO BE DONATED TO “OLD GLORY HONOR FLIGHT”
On January 30, the Suring Boys Basketball team conducted its 5 th Annual Military Night against the Niagara
Badgers. That night, veterans were honored with special recognition given to Vietnam Veterans and, specifically,
former Suring student Russell Bahrke Jr. who was killed in action in Vietnam on August 13, 1970.
Military Night started in 2011 and has become an annual service project for our Boys Basketball program.
Past programs have featured many inspirational speakers including: John Maino, Captain Jerry Gerndt (Suring
Grad 1960, POW for 5.5 years), Sergeant B.J. Ganem (Captain of Wounded Warrior Amputee Football team), and
Steve Trinkner (Old Glory Honor Flight). This year’s ceremony featured Colonel Dan Johnston, U.S. Army Retiree
who was Russell Bahrke’s platoon leader during the patrol in which Russell Bahrke was killed.
This year’s Military Night included a spaghetti dinner that served over 250 people, a raffle drawing for
professional jerseys and donated items, a 50/50 raffle, and the students’ Freedom Friday money. The Boys
Basketball program will be presenting a check for $3,000 to “Old Glory Honor Flight” on February 23 during the
game against Lena.
The Suring Boys’ Basketball team would like to thank everyone who help make Military Night possible. We
would also like to thank the Suring and Niagara communities for their support. We would like to especially thank
the following area businesses for their contributions: American Legion Post#283, Dimensions Lumber Company,
Dollar Value Store, First Merit Bank, Great Lakes Manufacturing, Green Bay Packers, Hischke Trucking, Laona State
Bank, Milwaukee Bucks, Mountain Lumber and Hardware, NEW Credit Union, Regal Insurance, School Service and
Repair, Sunrise Dairy, Vets for Vets, and Woodland Village Nursing Home.
Most of all, we thank all the men and women from the past and present for their military service.
5
The 2nd graders in Mr. Schroeder’s classroom
recently started to learn to write in cursive! They are
very excited and ambitious to learn this new writing
skill!
In science class, they
learned about the
different phases of the
moon.
Wrestlers
Junior Dante Carlson and
Senior Grant Fischer
Individual Sectionals… Shawano H.S. on February 21st
Individual State … Madison on February 26-28
Seniors and Parents:
Have you started to review scholarship opportunities yet? Seniors have
access to many scholarship opportunities this year. A binder of
information/applications is available in Mrs. Stocki’s classroom.
Applications can be copied, and new scholarship opportunities can be
viewed weekly.
Questions about scholarships can be directed to Mrs. Jahnke, guidance counselor,
(920) 842-2182 or [email protected].
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Growing Readers!
Parent tips for raising strong readers and writers
Brought to you by Reading Rockets, Colorín Colorado and LD Online
Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension
By: Judith Gold, Akimi Gibson
Children learn when they make connections between what they hear and what they know. One method parents can use to help
make these connections is called a think aloud, where you talk through your thoughts as you read.
When you share books with your children, they are learning to think and act like good readers – without even knowing it! You can
help them get even more from reading time when you talk to them as you read.
Children learn when they make connections between what they hear and what they know. One method parents can use to help
make these connections is called a think aloud, where you talk through your thoughts as you read. Here are three ways to use
think alouds, with examples from some of our favorite kids’ books. Try this idea to expand learning and to improve reading
comprehension:
Think Alouds
1. Connect the book to your child’s own life experience
Example: A River Dream by Allen Say
"This book reminds me of the time my father took me fishing. Do you remember the time we went fishing?"
2. Connect the book to other books they have read
Example: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
“This story reminds me of Cinderella. Both stories are about sisters. Do you know any other stories about nice and mean
sisters? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar."
3. Connect the book to big ideas/lessons
Example: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
“This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special."
In these examples, you are “thinking aloud” many of the connections that good readers make naturally as they read. Modeling
these types of connections will help young readers know how to do it when they read alone.
Check out Reading Rockets’ Books and Authors section for great read-aloud books: www.readingrockets.org.
Adapted from Reading Aloud to Build Comprehension by Judith Gold and Akimi Gibson (2001).
While studying the different Native American tribes of the past in North America, students made
"Winter Counts.” Winter Counts were some of the first calendars used in North America. Students
used brown paper bags instead of hides of animals and colored pencils instead of animal blood
and dye from plants.
e
rad
G
th
5
Mr. Breed’s 5th grade class has
just finished a unit on
ecosystems and the variables
that have to work together for
the ecosystems to be successful.
Pictured are students who are
using their Chrome books and
creating PowerPoints on chosen
ecosystems from around the
world.
After reading Hatchet and Brian's Winter in reading
class, students participated in a “fire starting" activity.
Students brought in "natural" resources and were given
only two matches to try and start their fires. Some, were
successful and others weren't. What a fun activity!
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“SOLARWISE”
Suring School has been selected to join the national award winning “SolarWise” for Schools, an
educational program from the WPS Community Foundation, Inc. “SolarWise” is the only program in the
country that provides selected schools with a functioning 2.5kW photovoltaic system, a complete science
-based renewable energy curriculum, training for teachers in the program, and an opportunity for
students to participate in the annual Solar Olympics competition. Installation will take place this
upcoming. Funds for the “SolarWise” program come primarily from voluntary donations made by
customers of WPS to the WPS Community Foundation.
Teaching the curriculum will be Karen Goerlinger and Shaun Wagner, science teachers in our High/Middle School. They also plan to
introduce the program to elementary students by displaying their “SolarWise” projects at the Elementary Science Fair and to the
Community at an Open House event. “SolarWise” is a perfect fit for their science and technology class. Anyone can track real-time
power generation and energy savings on the Suring School home page.
We care about our children, and want them to have a good life today and in the future. By teaching today’s students about renewable
energy, we can help them shape their future and be part of a brighter energy outlook.
Students from grades 5-8 participated in the local spelling bee held at Suring on Tuesday,
January 27th. The winner was Paige Krueger from the 6th grade, and the runner-up was
Katherine Mahoney from Mr. Breed's 5th grade classroom.
Paige Krueger advanced to CESA 8 Regional Spelling Bee hosted at Peshtigo Elementary
Learning Center on Tuesday, February 10.
Congratulations to the students who participated in this event.
Suring FBLA Attends Regional Conference
Suring FBLA attended the Wisconsin FBLA Region III Leadership Conference held on Saturday, February 7, at Two Rivers High
School. The members took part in two general sessions, competitive events, workshops, and a talent competition.
The chapter placed in 11th place out of the 29 chapters that took part in competition. Eight members from the chapter qualified for
state competition. These members include: Trent Lechleitner, Hailey Thompson, and Felicia Wachtendonk, 1st place, Business
Ethics; Victoria Hull, 1st place, Future Business Leader; Blake Seppel, 2nd place, Introduction to Business; Joshua Vollmar, 3rd
place, Future Business Leader; Faith Buhrandt, 3rd place, Agribusiness; and Jadyn Stuart, 3rd place, FBLA Principles and
Procedures. The state competition will be held at the Wisconsin FBLA State Leadership Conference on April 13-14 in La Crosse.
Pictured are the Suring FBLA members who
qualifyied for state competition:
Front Row - Felicia Wachtendonk, Blake
Seppel, and Jadyn Stuart
Back Row - Faith Buhrandt, Victoria Hull,
Trent Lechleitner, Joshua Vollmar, and
Hailey Thompson.
Several members also placed in their events. They include: Breanna Tienor, 5th place, Job Interview; William Vollmar, 5th place,
Introduction to Information Technology; Jazmine Chesterfield, 5th place, FBLA Principles and Procedures; Rylee Holub, 5th place,
Business Communication; Brooke Gauthier and Hailey Baldwin, 5th place, Business Presentation; and Scout Gerndt and Katie
Stegeman, 7th place, Sports & Entertainment Marketing. Members also attending and competing were Brianna Manecke, Amber
Trudell, Rachel Ritter, Courtney Heimerl, and Greta Sleeter. Advisors for the chapter are Becky Dickson and Tammy Steffeck.
8
The Center of Disease Control has reported an outbreak of measles in the U.S. currently involving eleven states. The Suring Public
School District would like to take this opportunity to provide some information about measles and how to prevent their outbreak.
Measles is the most deadly of all childhood rash/fever illnesses. It is a serious infection that causes fever, cough, a rash, sore eyes,
and occasionally dangerous complications. Measles spreads easily, so it is important to protect against infection. Getting vaccinated
is the best way to prevent measles.
It is important for parents to check their child's immunization records to make sure he/she has received two
doses of the MMR vaccine. See the facts below...
WISCONSIN DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Department of Health Services
Measles (Rubeola)
Disease Fact Sheet Series
What is measles?
Measles is a disease cause by measles virus and sometimes referred to as "hard", "red" or "10-day measles".
Who can get measles?
Measles virus can infect any person of any age who has not previously had the disease or measles vaccine.
How is measles spread?
Airborne droplets, from coughing or sneezing, spread the virus. It spreads easily and rapidly.
How soon do symptoms appear after exposure?
It takes from 8-12 days for the cold-like symptoms to appear and 14 days for the rash.
What are the signs and symptoms of measles?
The disease begins with cold like signs and symptoms including a cough, runny nose, high temperature and red watery eyes. By the
second day after onset, a red blotchy rash appears at the hairline and spreads down the body to the arms and legs. The rash disappears in the same order of appearance (head to foot) in about 5-6 days.
How can parents be sure that their child’s illness is measles?
The only sure way to determine if an illness is indeed measles is through a blood test.
When and for how long is a person able to spread measles?
Measles can be spread from one day before the onset of cold-like symptoms, through the fourth day of the rash.
What are the complications associated with measles?
Among children with measles, about 10% develop ear infections, about 5% develop pneumonia, about 0.1% (1 per 1000 cases) develop encephalitis (inflammation of the brain that can result in deafness or mental retardation), and about 0.1% to 0.2% (1 to 2 per
1000 cases) die from it.
Is there a treatment for measles?
There is no specific treatment for measles.
Can measles be prevented?
Yes. Measles vaccine (usually given in combination with rubella and mumps vaccine, called measles mumps-rubella or MMR vaccine) is recommended for all children at 12-15 months of age and again at
4-6 years of age. The 2-doses of vaccine normally provide life long immunity.
Does a past infection with measles make a person immune for life?
Yes
DEVELOPED BY THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH, BUREAU OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY SECTION
P-42174(Rev. 05/04)
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Ways to Stay Connected with School
Family Access
Get instant information on your
child’s attendance, lunch
account, discipline record and
grades by contacting the
secretaries in the student office
for your Family Access
username and password.
How to sign up for Suring School’s messages:
To receive messages
via text, text @suri to
(920)933-1900. You
can opt-out of
messages at anytime
by replying,
‘unsubscribe @ suri’.
Together we can
make a difference!
Or to receive messages via
e-mail, send an email to
[email protected].
To unsubscribe, reply with
‘unsubscribe’ in the subject
line.
Check us out on the web!
http://www.suring.k12.wi.us/
Career Exploration
Students (grades 9-12) enrolled in Mrs. Steffeck’s Career Exploration class first semester had the opportunity to participate in a
mock interview with members of the community. Throughout the semester, the students have taken assessments, explored
possible careers of interest, and learned the various aspects of what to do to seek employment in their “chosen” career. In
preparation for their mock interview, students had to complete an application form, letter of application, and a resume to present to
their interviewer. Special thanks go to the following people who gave their time to interview the students: Jesse School from
Dimension Lumber, Norma Cheslock and Roger Firgens from Diversified Wood Crafts, Kim VanHandel from FirstMerit Bank, Lisa
Gilligan from NEW Credit Union, and Kelly Casper, Superintendent at Suring Public School. The whole interview process was a
learning experience for the students in the class.
Middle School Forensics
Pictured is the middle school forensics team. Top row: Cher
Whiting, Kelsey Smith, Jaden Bubolz, Ava Hill, and Sasha
Bayer. Middle row: Savannah Wichman, Isabelle Derouin,
Brynna Schindel, Jada Sepulveda, Carrie Griffin. Bottom
row: Grace Fischer, Kylee Stelzer, Maddy School, and Duncan
Breed. Not pictured: Stephanie Huth.
This years, middle school forensic team completed Level 1 in
Wabeno. Each group earned a blue ribbon and will advance to
Level 2 on February 17. Cher, Carrie, and Grace participated
in play acting. Savannah and Sasha each had a prose
piece. Participating in reader's theater were two
groups. Group one was Jaden, Ava, Kylee, Maddy, and
Stephanie. The second group was Kelsey, Isabelle, Brynna,
and Jada. Duncan performed in the oratory category.
10
SURING STUDENTS
FIND LONG LOST RING
By: Vicki Buettner
In a few short months, 50 years will have passed since the Suring class of 1965 graduated from high school. On that
graduation day, one of the graduates, Jay Tousey, was not wearing his class ring. Tousey received his class ring near the end of his
junior year with the anticipation of wearing it his senior year, but fate had other plans.
Fast forward to January 29, 2015, Suring High School agriculture teacher Ashley Johnson was having her students help take
inventory of shop supplies and equipment. As students Lily Leurquin and Tayelor Schroth looked in an old locker used for storage,
they spotted something gold and shiny. Upon a closer look, they discovered it was a 1965 Suring class ring. After looking at a
photograph of 1965 graduates, only one graduate shared the initials on the ring—Jay Tousey. A quick call to Tousey, a Suring
resident, confirmed that he had lost his ring during his senior year of high school.
Tousey came to school the next day to retrieve his ring. Upon seeing the locker where the ring was found, he recognized the
lockers as one of the student lockers that use to line the hall of Suring High. When the school was remodeled in the 1990s, these old
lockers were distributed to whoever wanted them for a variety of uses. Three of them ended up in the ag shop to be used for tool
storage.
When Tousey attended high school in the 1960s, the shop was located in the part of the school where the kindergarten rooms
are now located. The school only had one shop for both agriculture and industrial arts. The two teachers were Ivan Gruetzmacher and
Dave Ankley.
Visiting with Johnson’s class in the “new” shop in the newer part of the school, Tousey recalled, “We just had general ag and
shop classes back then, not the specialized classes of today. The boys took shop and the girls took home economics.”
When asked if he ever gave his ring to a girl, he laughed and quipped “I wasn’t one of the jocks. The girls came to me for
comfort when they broke up with their boyfriends. They wouldn’t go out with me, but they would cry on my shoulder.”
Tousey wore his ring upon leaving school. No, it didn’t fit on his ring finger, but he was able to put it on his little finger. For
being 50 years old, the ring was good as new.
UW Extension offers a….
Spirited Child Workshop
Go Eagles!
Is your child “more” intense, emotional, persistent, active,
moody, loud, anxious, frustrated, a perfectionist? If so, you
may have a Spirited Child.
Join other parents to share strategies that will help you and
your child thrive on Thursday, March 12, 2015 at Oconto
Elementary School from 5:30-8:00pm. Parents with children of
any age are invited to attend.
Free childcare will also be provided for children of participants.
Registration is limited, and due one week prior to the class. The
registration fee is $4.00 per family. Make checks payable to
UW-Extension.
For more information or a registration brochure, contact UWExtension at 920-834-6846, 301 Washington Street, Oconto WI
54153. You can also access the registration form at: http://
oconto.uwex.edu/, or pick one up at Oconto
Elementary School.
The girls on the basketball team supported their teammates who
participated in at the forensics competition held at Peshtigo.
11
Suring Public School District
PO Box 158
Suring, WI 54174
PRSRT STD
NON-PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO.2
SURING, WI 54174
***ECRWSSEDDM***
POSTAL CUSTOMER
SURING, WI 54174
Referendum Meeting Dates
DATE
PLACE
Monday
March 9
Bagley Town Hall (6pm)
Tuesday
March 10
Breed Town Hall (7pm)
Doty Town Hall (7pm)
How Town Hall (4pm)
Mountain Town Hall (7pm)
Riverview Town Hall (7pm)
Village of Suring Town Meeting (7pm)
Thursday
March 12
Maple Valley Town Hall (7pm)
Suring Business Association (5:30pm) at Learning Center in
Village Hall
Monday
March 16
Suring Lions and Lioness Meeting (7pm)
Tuesday
March 17
Donuts, Coffee, and Referendum (7:30-8:30am) Suring School
Room 300
Historical Society (6:30pm) at Learning Center in Village Hall
Thursday
March 19
2 Cents Worth (6-7pm) Bring your questions
March 10
Open House—Take a tour of our school (8:30-9:30pm)
March 11
Open House—Take a tour of our school 1:30-2:30pm)
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