Maple Grove Family Newsletter

Maple Grove Family Newsletter
March 2015
Please mark your calendars with these important dates:
Principal’s Message
3/16/15

No School
3/18/15

STP meeting (6:00 p.m.)
3/20/15

Spring Concert (see pg 4 for details)
3/18/15

STP meeting (6:00 p.m.)
3/26/15

Schlitz Audubon at MG for 2
4/1/15

3rd grade field trip to Discovery World
4/3/15 – 4/12/15

Spring Break (no school)
Dear Maple Grove Families,
nd
grade
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Important Dates to Remember / Principal’s Message
2
Guidance at a Glance
3-5
Dr. Seuss Week Recap
6
Maple Grove Coin Drive
7
Youth Art Month
8
Spring Concert news, New Staff, K5 Presentations &
Congratulations Corner
9
STP News
10
10 Free Learning Websites for Kids
Summer School
Summer school will be offered as 2 two week
sessions.
Session 1- July 6- July 17
Session 2- July 20-July 31
@Glenwood
K4 8:30-10:30 am
K5 8:30-11:30
@ Maple Grove
1-6th 8:00-12:00
Detailed information about the sessions will be sent
home before spring break.
1|P age
Spring is near and it is so wonderful that our students are able to go
outside and run off some of their energy. Hopefully in March, we
will have all days above zero degrees so we consistently have
outdoor recess. Please continue to send your students in their
winter gear, wearing pants, boots for outside, jackets, hats and
mittens until our temps are above 55. We do have morning recess
before school when our temps are still a bit lower. Also, it is a great
idea to send your student along with an extra pair of socks.
As we wind down the year, we are in need of your feedback and
some additional volunteers. Please check our website to complete a
brief survey about what you love about Maple Grove and 3 wishes
you have for our school. Additionally, if you are interested and
available to be on our PBIS committee as a parent rep, we are in
need of 2-3 parents who can commit to 2 hours per month of
meeting and planning time. This volunteer position would serve as
a voice of other parents and will provide our school with valuable
insight from a parent perspective. Please let me know if you want
to help our PBIS committee through this journey.
We have entered into our spring testing season. MAP testing began
this week. This year, since we are now taking the State Assessment,
the Badger Exam, we bumped up our MAP testing window to begin
in March. All K5-5th grade MAP assessments will be complete before
spring break. Then, when we return from spring break, our 3-5th
graders will begin the Badger Exam. The Badger Exam takes 5
hours to complete, therefore, students will take parts of it over the
course of 4 days. The exam includes a computer test for both math
and English/language arts, and a classroom activity for math
followed by performance tests. Students are taking practice tests
this month and reviewing the website that is used so they are
familiar with the expectations of the computerized test prior to their
testing sessions. If you are interested in taking the practice test,
you may also do so.
The web address for the Badger Exam is:
http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/assessment/Smarter
The direct link to the practice exam page is:
http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/assessment/Smarter/sampleitems
If you have any questions about our testing or any other specific
needs, please feel free to email or call me.
Have a wonderful day,
Dana Croatt
Principal
[email protected]
414-541-0600 x 1702
Guidance at a Glance – March
First Grade introduced our new character trait, Positive
Attitude, at our Hawk Pride Assembly on March 11th.
We are encouraging students to show enthusiasm, be
optimistic, cheerful and encouraging of themselves and
others. Each staff member will have the opportunity to
give a student a Character Education Award for
students who are consistently showing a positive
attitude throughout the months of March and April.
During classroom guidance lessons this month, students
in all grades will continue to learn about protective
behaviors and personal safety. Students in all grade
levels have been practicing the three basic rules of selfprotection: Say No, Get Away, and Tell A Trusted
Grown-up. We have also brainstormed responsible
adults in each child’s support network that could help
in an emergency. Students will continue to learn about
safety with strangers and how to keep their body safe
from unwanted touches. Letters went home to all
parents last month regarding the curriculum for this
topic.
Katy Teske
School Counselor
Maple Grove Elementary
[email protected]
2|P age
Dr. Seuss Week RECAP
During the week of March 2nd – March 6th, the students and staff at Maple
Grove celebrated literacy with Dr. Seuss Week. The week consisted of daily
Dr. Seuss trivia, various projects, and fun ways to dress. There were activities
with Buddy Classrooms, a food drive, and multiple guest readers.
On Monday, students celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday by wearing their favorite
hat. The classrooms and halls of Maple Grove were filled with hats of
different colors, shapes, and sizes. Guest readers included Greenfield
firefighters and Channel 12 News Anchor, Cathy Mykleby.
3|P age
To celebrate the Dr. Seuss text entitled, My Many Colored Days, students
wore many colors on Tuesday. Each student created a colorful “tie-dye” leaf
using a coffee filter and washable markers. Classes hung their colorful leaves
on a special maple tree in the atrium where they agreed to the Maple Grove
Reading Oath. Special thanks to the Maple Grove STP for donating the coffee
filters and washable markers.
Staff and students wore green in honor of Green Eggs and Ham on Wednesday.
Buddy Classrooms met to engage in a fun Dr. Seuss activity and comedic
performer, Pat McCurdy read to Miss Guenther’s class. There was a food
drive and over 200 items were collected for a local food pantry.
4|P age
Thursday’s Fox in Socks theme was truly a success with everyone
sporting mismatched, silly, or crazy socks. Radio Host Marilyn Mee of WKLH
did a great job reading tongue twisters to Mrs. Lorenz’s class.
The week concluded on Friday with students and staff wearing red and white
to resemble Dr. Seuss’s famous stovepipe hat. Dr. Croatt was the guest
reader in Miss Vander Heyden’s classroom and Mrs. Chay’s classroom, and from
2:00 to 2:30 the entire student body engaged in “Stop, Drop, Read, and Munch
on Popcorn.” Maple Grove was silent as everyone plopped down in a
comfortable spot to read a good book and enjoy some delicious popcorn. All in
all, Dr. Seuss Week was a big hit!
5|P age
MAPLE GROVE COIN DRIVE
Maple Grove is having a coin drive the week of March 17-20th. The first $500 will
be donated to the Wisconsin Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Any money after
the first $500 raised will go toward our “Wish List” here at Maple Grove. There is a
penny collecting box to build for the students to use for collecting “at home.”
These were sent home in Thursday folders!
Each class will be competing against each other to raise the most “points”. There
will be a prize for the top class! The class that has the most points will get a Pasta
Party sponsored by the Olive Garden!
The rules are:
Each class will receive 1 point for each penny and 100 points for each paper dollar.
Each class will receive negative points (subtracted) out of their point total for silver
coins according to their value (nickels -5, dimes -10 points, quarters -25 points).
The goal is to gain the most points by adding paper money and pennies to your
class’ jar and “sabotage” the leading classes so that they fall behind and your class
can jump ahead of them. The class with the most points at the end of the drive
(Friday March 20th) will win the prize.
The coin collection jars will be held in the atrium every morning for the week and
the money can be deposited before school until about 8:45. If you have students
that arrive a little later, they can hold onto it for the next day. The students will be
able to see the money in the jars grow (or shrink with silver coins).
Thanks for Your Support!
6|P age
Celebrate Art!!!
March is Youth Art Month! The Greenfield Public Library will host and
display student artwork from all of Greenfield’s schools for the entire
month of March!!
Congratulations to the following Maple Grove artists who have their
artwork on display!!
Mya Athy, Hannah Koier, Grace Mysliwy,
Max Eagan, Naomi Kleszczynski, Mia Bella
Eigenberger, Eva Krolikowski,
Sarah Mysliwy, Isabella Tremarello, Caleb Curry,
Parker Brossman, Luis Pimentel-Lopez, Faith Orta,
Jose Francia-Munoz, Mason Grafwallner,
and Sophia Alba
Please join us for the Opening Reception on Sunday, March 1st from 13p.m. at the Greenfield Public Library. There will be a free hands-on
children’s art/craft activity sponsored by Kohl’s Color Wheel’s through
the Milwaukee Art Museum!
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Everyone is welcome!! If you cannot attend on March 1st, please
check out all of the amazing artwork anytime
throughout the month of March!! 
7|P age
Our school spring concert is just around the corner!
Join us in our celebration of heroes on Friday, March 20th. Morning K4, K5,
1st and 2nd grades will perform in the morning at 9:30. Afternoon K4, chorus,
3rd, 4th and 5th grades will perform in the afternoon at 1:30. Chorus members
should wear their chorus t-shirts and dark pants or skirts. All other grades,
except K4, should wear nice dress clothes of a darker color (preferably no
white or light pink). Any questions? Please contact Mrs. Staskunas at
[email protected]
Hope to see you all there!
__________________________________________________
WELCOME – Jessica
Boucha (K4 Aide)
Jessica is our new K4 Aide in the
mornings. She studied at UW Milwaukee
and has over 10 years of experience in
early childhood and special education.
She is excited to work with the dedicated
staff and fantastic families at Maple
Grove!
KINDERGARTEN Community
Helper Presentations
Kindergarten classes will be presenting on a
community helper that they have been studying for
the past 2 months. The presentations will be
happening on Wednesday March 18th with Mrs.
Stelzer’s class presenting from 1:45 – 2:15 pm,
Mrs. Chay’s class from 2:15 – 2:45, and Ms. Vander
Heyden’s class from 2:45 – 3:15 in the
cafeteria. Parents are welcome to come and find
out how much the Kindergarteners have learned
about people in our community!
8|P age
CONGRATULATIONS
goes out to…
Kira Goodbear (5th grade), a competitive
swimmer with SWAT, for qualifying for
the state team in the 100 yard
backstroke at the PX3 meet!
Elena Goodbear (2nd), also a competitive
swimmer with SWAT, for winning the
high point award at the J-Hawk swim
meet at UW-Whitewater.
Jose Francia-Munoz & Brent Munoz for
finishing with 1st place ribbons at the
Regional Basketball Skills competition
for Special Olympics!
STP Happenings!
McTeacher Night –
April 22nd! This a
day where teachers and staff of Maple Grove
will be working at McDonalds making food
and cashiering. A percentage of the proceeds
from this particular evening’s sales will go to
Maple Grove.
Your STP
Board
Members for
2014 - 15
Scholastic Book Fair – May 6th – 8th
Spring Dance –
th
May 8 from 6 – 8
p.m. 4 grade will be selling dinner! Hope to
see you all there!
th
Marcus Movie passes
– this is an
ongoing fundraiser for our school!
We
receive a portion of each ticket sale. Each
participant who sells $300 or more worth of
tickets, gift certificates and gift cards will
receive 2 free movies passes and 1 free snack
cash voucher!
Spirit Wear – We
have new spirit wear!
Please check out the STP bulletin board for
the order form or print one off from the Maple
Grove website!
We are currently taking
orders to be placed next week!
STP Meeting –
Our next meeting is
March 18th at 6:00 in the Maple Grove media
center. These are open to all Maple Grove
families. Childcare is provided if needed!
9|P age
President – open
Vice President –
Jessica Kuri-Kolp
Secretary – Lisa
Huebner
Treasurer – Christine
Addy
Member at Large –
Cari Armstrong
Teacher
Representatives –
Randi Chay & Jean
Kowalski
10 Free Learning Websites
for Kids
Here’s a list of some fun, educational, and safe websites for your child
to visit and explore at home!
Switcheroo Zoo
Fun Brain
www.switcheroozoo.com
www.funbrain.com
Watch, listen and play games to learn all
about amazing animals.
Play games while practicing math and
reading skills.
Nat Geo for Kids
PBS Kids
www.kidsnationalgeopgraphic.com
www.pbskids.org
Learn all about geography and
fascinating animals.
Hang out with your favorite characters
all while learning.
Into the Book
Star Fall
www.reading.ecb.org
www.starfall.com
Go “into the book” to play games that
practice reading strategies.
Practice your phonics skills with these
read-along stories.
Seussville
Storyline Online
www.seussville.com
www.storylineonline.net
Read, play games, and hang out with
Dr. Suess and his friends
Have some of your favorite stories read
to you by movie stars.
ABC YA
Highlights Kids
www.abcya.com
www.highlightskids.com
Practice math and reading skills all
while playing fun games!
Read, play games, and conduct cool
science experiments.
10 | P a g e