Sand Lake Elementary Newsletter - December 2025

 

From the Principal: Mr. Meyers

Sand Lake Families:

This time of year allows us to reflect on the wonderful things that we have accomplished so far at Sand Lake. Therefore, we wanted to highlight the amazing achievements of our students, staff, and families with our recent Wisconsin DPI School Report Card. Our school received a 73.8, formally classified as Exceeds Expectations. This is the result of our teams reviewing data, implementing universal and intervention plans, and our students rising to the occasion. Notably, our 5.4 point growth was exceptional from one year to the next and the result of tons of hard work! Thank you for all that you do to support your children.

Over the course of the next month, there will be several celebrations and events happening within our school. We kick off the festivities this week with our 2nd and 4th grade concerts taking place on Thursday, December 4th. It is always a great way for friends and families to come together and enjoy the hard work our students put into these performances!

While December is a busy time for everyone, we hope that you each find time to enjoy the season. On behalf of the office staff at Sand Lake, we send you warm holiday wishes!

In Partnership,

Matt Meyers

Keep up with all of our happenings by following us on Facebook!

Like us @ Sand Lake Elementary

From the Music Teacher: Mrs. Heerts

Our holiday programs are quickly approaching. Here are the details:

Second Grade Program - Forty Winks: December 4th at 6:00 p.m. in the Sand Lake Cafeteria. Concert dress is nice clothes. Students will meet in their classrooms at 5:45 p.m. and be picked up after the concert in their classrooms.

Fourth Grade Program - Jingle Bell Jukebox: December 4th at 7:00 p.m. in the Sand Lake Cafeteria. Concert dress is nice clothes. Students will meet in their classrooms at 6:45 p.m. and be picked up there after the concert.

Since we are hosting two concerts this year on December 4th, please be aware of your arrival time and that there may be parking constraints. Additional parking is available at Coulee Life Church, which is located next to Sand Lake Elementary.

We can’t wait to share our holiday spirit with all of you!

From the Sand Lake PTG:

Sand Lake PTG is busy taking in applications from teachers and staff for mini-grants - these are ways that we can directly impact and support the needs your classrooms have as a result of your fundraising efforts! We will share all those amazing experiences in the coming months. 

Additionally, we'll be looking to build more community with a McDonald's night in January. More information will be heading your way soon! 

If anyone would like to help with this or anything we do, please join us at our next meeting on January 5, 2026, at 5:30 pm in the Sand Lake Elementary conference room.

What's for lunch at Sand Lake? 

Find our December menu here! 

Our menus can always be found on the Holmen School District website 

by clicking the "Lunch Menu" icon on the landing page.

Have you ordered your yearbook yet? Use the QR code below or visit https://shop.yearbookmarket.com/sandlakeelementaryschool

Sand Lake Elementary Newsletter - November 2025

From the Principal: Mr. Meyers

Sand Lake Families:


As we approach the season of gratitude, we thank you for all that you are doing to support your child’s learning. We are grateful to partner with each of you in service of our students and our community. As we enter the month of November, we wanted to highlight some past and present events that continue to build our school community.

On behalf of our students, staff, and the Sand Lake PTG, thank you for your efforts to raise money and help your student(s) participate in the Sand Lake Scamper. Our students had a great time!


Our Related Arts team has been working hard to develop and enhance various opportunities for families to visit our school. As such, we’ll have our first Trio of Treats, Books, Bites, and a Gallery Walk for our 2nd and 3rd grade families in November. These events will continue for each grade level throughout the school year.


Many students had the opportunity to participate in the Walking School Bus, which was the first of its kind at Sand Lake! We thank Ms. Franzen for her leadership of this event, the many staff who volunteered to participate and walk, and for the creativity in rewarding students who wanted to participate but were not able to, such as our bus riders.


Finally, we encourage your child to continue to read at home. Taking part in our Kwik Books program led by Ms. Englerth, Ms. Peterson, and the Sand Lake PTG is a great way to reinforce good reading habits at home! If you’re ever interested in learning more about the Sand Lake PTG, please reach out to SandLakePTG@gmail.com


We’ll keep things rolling here at Sand Lake in November with a month packed full of new learning, fun experiences, and shared memories!


In Partnership,


Matt Meyers

Keep up with all of our happenings by following us on Facebook!

Like us @ Sand Lake Elementary

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

From the Art Teacher: Mrs. Staige

Congratulations Sand Lake Elementary Pump House Participants!

The Pump House Regional Art Center hosts our annual Elementary Art Show this year from October 14th – November 8th. The show features students' artwork from Sand Lake, Viking, Evergreen, and Prairie View. All are welcome to view their work during the Pump House operating hours. 

Congratulations to the following Sand Lake artists who were selected for the art show!

5th Grade: Leila V., Piper N., Lauden O., Richard M., Margaret D., Dawson D., Landon E., Deacon P., Ryker T., Keirah B., Elliott W.

4th Grade: Owen G., Emma D., Veda K., Evelyn J., Ripley K., Blaire P., Abby H., Margo D., Jaxon D., Sean H., Sofia B.

3rd Grade: Weston L., Jackson C., Laney S.

2nd Grade: Rylee M., Aspen T., Kyra L., Riley D.

1st Grade: Henry S.

Kindergarten: Eli D.

What's for lunch at Sand Lake? 

Find our November menu here! 

Our menus can always be found on the Holmen School District website 

by clicking the "Lunch Menu" icon on the landing page.

The Salvation Army Angel Tree Application for Christmas Assistance

The Salvation Army Angel Tree program helps provide Christmas gifts for hundreds of children around the country each year. Once a child has been registered and accepted as an Angel, their Christmas wish list is shared with donors in your community who purchase gifts of new clothing and toys. 

For more information and to register for assistance, please visit  https://saangeltree.org/ .

Sand Lake Elementary Newsletter - October 2025

From the Principal: Mr. Meyers

Sand Lake Families:

We hope that you have found the rhythm of the school year and your student and family are settling into a routine. We’ve been busy establishing both academic and social-emotional routines, learning about our students' academic performance, and developing plans to support all of our learners in the spirit of our mission: Every Student, Every Day.

As we transition to October, we’re excited about upcoming events. We’ll host our first-ever schoolwide Fun Run for students on Thursday, October 16th. Thanks to our amazing Sand Lake PTG for planning this event. In addition, we have parent/teacher conferences on October 21st and October 30th.

Students are also getting a chance to show off their skills in being Sand Lake Proud. Ask your child what it means to be Safe, Respectful, and Responsible in different areas of the school, like the hallways and lunchroom. We build on these expectations throughout the year and celebrate student achievements. You can also ask your child if they’ve earned any Sand Dollars. Students can earn these Sand Dollars if a staff member “catches” them doing the right jobs. All of our classrooms set a Sand Dollar goal to work towards, which culminates in some sort of classroom celebration!

In Partnership

Matt Meyers

Handbook Link

The Elementary Family & Student Handbook is always available at the following link. Should you ever need a paper copy of the handbook, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office staff. If you have any questions, you can also contact the office.

Title I Annual Notice

Sand Lake receives federal funds through Title I. One requirement of that program is to provide certain information to families. Here are a couple of annual notices that were not included in our K-5 Elementary Family Handbook, but are important for you to know about Sand Lake:

• Families may request information regarding state or local district policy regarding student participation in mandated assessments.

• Families may request information regarding the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers.

Keep up with all of our happenings by following us on Facebook!

Like us @ Sand Lake Elementary

From the Health Office: Mrs. Kokott, BSN, RN

We will have a vision screening for grades 4K, Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, and 5th mid-October or the beginning of November. The Lions Club will assist in the vision screening and will be using a machine called the Spot Vision Screener. This machine is slightly larger than a professional camera and basically takes a picture of the eyes. The screening is very quick and only requires the child to look at the vision screener. If a referral is recommended, a letter will come in the mail or with your student.

Please note: A vision screening does not replace a complete and professional eye examination.

From the Sand Lake PTG:

With parent/teacher conferences (Oct 21 & 30) coming up, it's our first opportunity to show the staff at Sand Lake Elementary how much we appreciate them! We have multiple ways you can help at parent-teacher conferences: donate treats for our trail mix activity in the cafeteria, make your famous treat for their desserts each day, or help us WITH our trail mix activity by being a scooper at the table! Each way helps us build community and support. 

To sign up and let us know what you plan to do, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/2025FallPTConferences to help contribute and dish out our trail mix on the day, or  visit: https://tinyurl.com/2025PTConfDesserts to commit to dessert! The Parent Teacher Group plans to provide a meal for all the staff as well. 

Interested in joining the PTG? We'd love your input, ideas, and talents! Our next meeting is at Sand Lake Elementary on Monday, Oct 6, 2025 at 5:30pm. We will be finalizing plans for the Sand Lake Scamper and Parent-Teacher Conferences. Have any questions? Email is at sandlakeptg@gmail.com. 

What's for lunch at Sand Lake? 

Find our October menu here! 

Our menus can always be found on the Holmen School District website 

by first clicking the Menus icon in the top bar of the home page, 

then clicking Sand Lake Elementary.

Yearbook order link HERE.

Sand Lake Elementary Newsletter - August 2025

 

From the Principal: Mr. Meyers

Sand Lake Families:

It was so great to see each of you and our students throughout August for Picture/Registration Day and Open House. We hope that you found Sand Lake to be a welcoming place and are so excited for our adventures ahead this school year!

Our schoolwide theme this year is “Wild About Learning at Sand Lake!” . This theme is set forth by our school's Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports team and is designed as a fun and exciting way to unite our school community. Our talented staff have already spent time decorating the school and their learning spaces with wildlife scenes as we get ready to get Wild About Learning this year!

We are also fortunate to begin the year anew with some exciting changes!

• We are grateful for the School District of Holmen community for their support with our November 2022 Capital Referendum. As a result of this project, last summer our playgrounds were updated and this summer our Discovery Centers were transformed into STEM Labs. We hope you had a chance to check them out at Open House!

• We are thrilled to welcome 4K students to our building for the first time. Emily Brekke is our 4K teacher, and she will be joined by Kaitlyn Forester as a 4K educational assistant in the classroom, along with other support staff. Sue Eitland is our District’s 4K principal, and I’ll be working with our 4K students, staff, and families as well.

• We have a few new additions to our Sand Lake Staff and will be highlighting their roles on our Sand Lake Facebook page throughout September!

Contained within this newsletter, you’ll find some updates, dates, and information needed to start the school year. Our school office will send this newsletter on a regular basis so that you are aware of key events and information happening at Sand Lake. As with past school years, timely information will still come through in individual email messages. The school district is moving towards a new messaging platform called Finalsite, so in the future, you will find the eblasts from our school coming from the email address sandlake@holmen.k12.wi.us. If at any point in the school year, you are concerned that you aren’t receiving this communication, please reach out to Melissa Lacasse at lacmel@holmen.k12.wi.us

In Partnership,

Matt Meyers


Pickup and Dropoff Safety
In the past three school years, we’ve seen significant changes in the volume of pickup and drop-off students, and students who walk to school. New this year, we’ll also have 4-year old students riding our buses to get to and from school. We’ve worked this summer to enhance our safety procedures for pickup/dropoff, within the parking lot, and for students getting off the buses. It is my expectation that our staff are actively working with any drivers in the parking lot to ensure they are being safe and following our procedures. We are confident that if we work together, we can meet our primary goal of keeping all students, staff, and family members safe.

4K and Kindergarten Families
Kindergarten families, please note that your child will have an introductory conference with their teacher on September 2nd. Your scheduled orientation time was given to you on picture day a reminder was provided at Open House. Please reach out to your teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

1st-5th Grade Students
The Board of Education for the School District of Holmen has officially established Tuesday, September 2nd, as the first day of school. The school day at Sand Lake is from 8:40-3:40. We are so excited to begin school next week!

Drop-Off/Pick-Up
Students can be dropped off at school as early as 8:10 AM when our staff is available to supervise. When students are dropped off, they can either go into school to eat breakfast or play outside with staff supervision.

The school day officially ends at 3:40 PM. Please know that we’ll take great care when dismissing students to ensure that everyone is on the right bus or following their designated after-school plan. We will only alter students’ after-school transportation plans if we hear directly from their primary caregivers listed in Infinite Campus. That means you should contact the office and your child’s teacher if the plan changes during the day. Also, as routines are being established and we take time to get students where they belong at the end of the day, it may take a few extra minutes to get our buses on the road at the beginning of the year.

Connection with Caregivers
Communication between home and school is essential for student success. In addition to newsletters, grade level communication, assignment notebooks, meetings, e-mails, and telephone conversations, the Sand Lake staff is extending to you a year-long invitation to visit the school. This may include attending student programs, eating lunch with your child(ren), and/or volunteering. Your partnership in the educational process is extremely valuable.

Support Available
There are a variety of opportunities through the Sand Lake Kidz Kloset or community programs in the event that you need assistance with school supplies, clothing, or other needs for your students. Please contact our school office, our school counselor, Haley Lamprecht (lamhal@holmen.k12.wi.us), or our school social worker, Erin Noll (noleri@holmen.k12.wi.us), if you need assistance at any time.

Transportation Updates
This summer, our transportation department emailed your child’s bus route and information to you. If you have any questions about your child’s transportation, we encourage you to contact the transportation department at 608-526-4752. If you have any questions about transportation safety procedures at Sand Lake, please contact the main office at 608-781-0974.

Keep up with all of our happenings by following us on Facebook!

Like us @ Sand Lake Elementary

From the 4K Principal: Ms. Eitland

Holmen Public Preschool staff are pleased to welcome you and your child to the School District of Holmen’s 4K Program!

Orientation sessions will be held on September 2nd, during which you and your child will meet with their classroom teacher for a 30-minute session. The first full day of 4K will be on September 3rd.

We look forward to partnering with you in providing a year filled with meaningful opportunities for your child to play, learn, and grow.

4K through 5th Grade School

This year marks an exciting change, as all 4K classes are now housed in each elementary school. As a result, Sand Lake Elementary is considered a 4K–Grade 5 school, and events taking place at Sand Lake are open to 4K students and families.

Family Outreach Events/Staff Collaboration - No School for Students 

In addition to scheduled Sand Lake events, the Holmen Public Preschool Program (4K and Early Childhood) will host several Family Outreach Events designed specifically for 4K children and their families.

Please refer to the Holmen Public Preschool Calendar for the dates of these Family Outreach and Staff Collaboration Days. You can find the calendar by visiting:
holmen.k12.wi.us → Schools → 4K and Early Childhood → Parents → 2025–26 School Year Calendar.

On the calendar, these days are highlighted in light blue with a line through them. Please note that on these dates, 4K and Early Childhood students do not have school. However, staff members will be working and will participate in the Family Outreach Events. All other School District of Holmen students will have school as usual on these days.

Additional details about each Family Outreach Event will be shared with families as the events approach.

September Family Outreach Event

On September 25, all Sand Lake 4K students and their families are invited to Ms. Brekke’s 4K classroom for our Sip and Sculpt Family Outreach Event.

During this event, you and your child will have the opportunity to spend time in the classroom, connect with staff, and create a clay sculpture together to take home. Beverages will be provided—coffee, juice, or water. We look forward to seeing you at this special event and hope you can join us for this informal and engaging time in 4K!

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us:

Ms. Brekke – 4K Teacher: breemi@holmen.k12.wi.us 
Ms. Kaitlyn – 4K Educational Assistant: forkai@holmen.k12.wi.us 

Ms. Vanessa – Early Childhood Teacher: jagvan@holmen.k12.wi.us 

Ms. Kelsey -  Early Childhood Educational Assistant: wilkel@holmen.k12.wi.us  

Ms. Katie – Early Childhood Educational Assistant: rutkat@holmen.k12.wi.us 

Ms. Eitland – 4K/EC Principal: eitsue@holmen.k12.wi.us

We are honored to be part of your child’s early learning journey and look forward to an outstanding school year together!

Introducing the Sand Lake Elementary Staff 

for the 2025-2026 School Year!

What's for lunch at Sand Lake? 

Find our September menu here! 

Our menus can always be found on the Holmen School District website 

by first clicking the Menus icon in the top bar of the home page, 

then clicking Sand Lake Elementary.