From the principal’s desk…
Sand Lake Families:
I hope that you have been able to enjoy this preview of spring weather we’ve gotten to start February! Having this nice weather has afforded us much time outside during recesses and class special events, and helps in the midst of what sometimes can be a long winter!
There are also many special events and opportunities happening for our students throughout February. I wanted to highlight a few of our important dates:
· February
7th: Global School Play Day!
o
The
goal of GSPD is to let children explore their creativity, problem-solving
skills, and social interactions in an unstructured and spontaneous environment.
o
Our
teachers will be facilitating environments where students will have an
opportunity to let their talents shine!
·
February
8th: 100th Day of School!
o
Different
classrooms may mark this occasion with celebrations and events.
o
Congratulations
to all of our students for making it to this point in the school year!
·
February
14th: Early Release Day
·
February
19th: No School for Staff and Students
· Throughout the month of February, our Drama Club is also gearing up for their play. The final production will be in March!
With these and other special events taking place throughout the rest of the school year, I hope that you have an opportunity to be at our school celebrating alongside your child. We value your partnership in your child’s education. If you are ever interested in volunteering, please pursue approval through our Volunteer Application Process.
Finally, I close with a note of gratitude. As I’ve been fortunate enough to be at Sand Lake for a full year now, I’ve gotten to meet and talk with so many of you. The culture at Sand Lake is one of a kind and a testament to the students, families, and staff. If you ever have any questions or would like to connect, please don’t hesitate to email (meymat@holmen.k12.wi.us) or call 608.781.0974 ext. 3110.
Matt Meyers
Principal
Art Room News from Mrs. Staige
Students will continue to create 3-dimensional art this month. Clay, paper sculpture, paper mache and so much more! Students are learning about form and how to create length, width and height. Students are studying form by looking all around us and learning how to view art from all sides.
Early Release Reminder
As a friendly reminder, there will be an early release day on Wednesday, February 14, in order to provide professional development opportunities for staff. School will be dismissed at 1:40 p.m.
Educational Assistants EXTRA
Although the snow is melting, the playgrounds are still wet so we want to remind you that
students will need to wear boots and snow pants to help keep them dry.
Students who are not wearing boots and snow pants will remain on
the blacktop during recess. With this, please remind your child to pack a
pair of shoes to wear inside during the day. Your child is also welcome to keep
a pair of shoes at school.
Farm 2 School
The La Crosse County Farm2School program is a collaboration between public school districts
in La Crosse County and the La Crosse County Health Department. The Farm2School
program provides student opportunities for health and nutrition education. Each
month, one locally grown produce item is selected as the Farm2School
"Harvest of the Month".
February’s “Harvest of the Month ” is chili.
Four-Year Old Kindergarten (4K) Registration
The School District of Holmen will begin accepting enrollment for
the 2024-25 Four-Year-Old Kindergarten (4K) Program soon. Any child who
is four-years-old on or before September 1, 2024 and lives in the school
district boundaries is eligible to participate. We encourage early registration
in order to help us plan accordingly for the 2024-25 school year.
Note: All enrollment is done online– www.holmen.k12.wi.us
Important 4K Information:
· 4K classes are currently
held at Viking Elementary School
· AM Session: 8:15 a.m.—11:00
a.m.
· PM Session: 11:45 a.m.—2:30
p.m.
· Placement in AM or PM
session is based upon transportation needs. We notify families of class
placements during the first week of August.
Health Office News
Nurse: Emily Hanes, RN, BSNHealth Aide: Annette Hundt
With hat season upon us,
I would like to bring to your attention the possible spreading of head lice.
Good head hygiene habits are essential. If your child complains of an itchy
scalp, we encourage you to check your children’s heads for the presence of any
lice or nits. Head to head contact is the most common form of transmission.
Lice do not jump or fly from head to head, but crawl. Articles such as combs,
brushes, helmets, towels, pillowcases, hats, or other head coverings also aid
in the spread of head lice. Please discourage your child from sharing these
personal items. There is a rumor that “Super Lice” are present. This is due to
lice being resistant to head lice brands that have been around for many years.
Just like how some antibiotics aren’t as effective due to over use, the same
thing is happening with head lice treatments. Prescription shampoo treatments
are also available from your doctor. Other alternative treatments include
mayonnaises, olive oil, and coconut oil to the head, covered with a shower cap
or cling wrap for 8 hours to suffocate the lice. We do not recommend putting
your child to bed with this on their head due to the risk of suffocation. Nits
(eggs) have to be either combed or picked out of the hair. Also deep cleaning
of the home and the classroom is required to prevent re-infestation, or
infestation of others. All couches, car seats, mattresses, and flooring needs
to be vacuumed. The vacuum bag must be thrown out after vacuuming or they may
crawl out. Sheets must be washed daily and placed in the dryer for drying for
at least 30 minutes. Anything that cannot be laundered must be placed in
plastic garbage bags and let to sit for two weeks or longer if lice and nits
are still present. When checking for nits, if it removes easily from the
hair, it is not a nit. Nits are attached by a strong glue to the hair shaft,
about one to two inches from the scalp. Lice can live 1-2 days on
a surface without a human host. They live about a month on the scalp, and
the female louse can lay 6 eggs (nits) a day.
If
you believe your child has head lice, PLEASE contact the health office for
assistance in treatment. Your child will need to be checked for the
presence of lice and nits before returning to class. The school
district currently has a no lice or nit policy. A student should only miss one
day of school due to the presence of head lice and nits.
For more information please refer to the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html
Kidz Klozet
We have plenty of clothing items for all seasons.
Please contact us if you have any questions. Also, we are taking donations for
waterproof gloves or mittens! Thank you.
Any questions, please contact us at:
kobamy@holmen.k12.wi.us yassar@holmen.k12.wi.us
Musical Notes from Mrs. Heerts
This February 2024 in Music we will be focusing on the following musical elements:
Kindergarten: Introduction to instruments of the orchestra; matching pitch; melodic direction; concert preparation
1st: Concert preparation; seasonal songs and activities; instruments of the orchestra
2nd: Instruments of the orchestra, reads and creates rhythm patterns
3rd: Concert preparation and Symphony Orchestra preparation, note reading
4th: Beginning recorder, note reading/note values/terminology
5th: Concert preparation, note reading/note values/terminology
Upcoming Concert Dates:
March 7 - 1st grade 6 p.m. and 5th grade 7 p.m.
March 19 - Kindergarten 6 p.m. and 3rd grade 7 p.m.
Thank you for supporting music education!
No School
On Monday, February 19, 2024, there will be no school for students in the School District of Holmen.
Physical Education - Sneaker News from Mr. Fredrick
What a weird month of weather this past month and the impact it had on PE for our
4th-5th grade students. Unfortunately, we were not able to utilize the
snow we got for cross country skiing due to cold temperatures, a quick
warm up, and rain. Two classes were able to explore cross country
skiing for one day, but we hope that we will get snow towards the end of
February to get back out again and enjoy the Wisconsin winters! Starting on February 8th, all K-5
students will be participating in a gymnastics unit that will run for the
remainder of the month. Students will get a chance to experience using the climbing rope, cargo net, balance beams, parallel bars, wedge mats, and
more. Make sure to ask your student(s) what the enjoyed most about this unit! I highly encourage you to take advantage of
this unseasonably warm
weather and challenge your student(s) to get outside after school and play!
School District Open Enrollment
Wisconsin’s inter-district public school open enrollment program allows parents to apply
for their children to attend school districts other than the one in which they
live. Students in 5-year old kindergarten to grade 12 may apply
to participate in open enrollment. Open enrollment for pre-kindergarten,
4-year old kindergarten and early childhood education is limited. Parents
should call their resident school districts to find out if their preschool-aged
children qualify for open enrollment. The Open Enrollment application period
for the 2024-2025 School year is from February 5 -
April 30, 2024.
Parents must apply to the
nonresident district. A nonresident district is defined as the district
you do not live in, but where you want your child to attend.
It is recommended that you apply for open enrollment through the
on-line application process at http://dpi.wi.gov/oe. The open enrollment
application period closes at 4:00 p.m. on April 30, 2024. Late
applications will not be accepted for any reason.
If you have any questions regarding open enrollment, please
contact Courtney Wilson, Open Enrollment Coordinator for the School District of
Holmen, and Student Services Department at 608-526-1309.
2024
Elementary Summer School
July 8 – 25, 2024
Evergreen Elementary
New this year:
➔ Families determine
whether to register for summer school. There will be no staff recommendations to attend Summer School.
➔ Registration for ALL students will occur on the same date for Incoming Kindergarten (Ready, Set, Let’s Learn Class) through Grade 5 students.
➔ The Registration Date is April 9, 2024. Mark your calendars now!
◆ The Registration link will be emailed to
families who are within our student information system, Infinite Campus, as well as those
in our Census School.
◆ The Registration link will also be available on
the School District of Holmen website
under Families - Summer School - Elementary Summer School - Registration Link.
➔ Parents will
register their children online for the grade level they will be going into during the upcoming fall.
Friendly Reminders about Registration:
➔ All ENROLLMENT occurs on a first-come,
first-served basis for each grade level.
◆ There are NO summer classes available for
students going into 4K during the fall of 2024.
➔ We have limited
space and staff availability, so even if you register your child for summer school, they are not considered
ENROLLED until you receive notification from us that they receive one of the spots in their grade level.
➔ Once spaces are
filled, we place students on a waiting list for their grade level.
➔ By April 30th, we will notify all families whether their child is enrolled
or if they have been placed on the waiting list for their grade
level.
➔ If a space becomes
available in a grade level, we contact the first person on the waiting list. There is not a space available
if you do not hear from us.
Additional Information regarding Elementary
Summer School classes, transportation, and
breakfast, etc. will be included in the March Newsletter.
Contact Information:
Sue Eitland,
Elementary Summer School Principal 608.526.3316
Kim Edwards,
Executive Director of Instructional Services 608.526.1311
Jill Mason,
Executive Director of Student Services 608.526.1308
School District of
Holmen ~ Belong. Serve. Succeed.
Virtual Backpack
The School District of Holmen has implemented a “green” approach for distributing
flyers from community organizations, and has discontinued the process of
sending paper flyers in your student's backpack, unless they are school
related. The information is divided into three sections, by grade levels, and
updated on a regular basis.
Click
on this link: https://www.holmen.k12.wi.us/community/virtual-backpack.cfm
to be directed to the actual webpage which is housed in the COMMUNITY tab of
the homepage.
Note that most of these advertisements
are not district publications (unless marked). The District enables their
online distribution as a community service to inform you of educational
opportunities, activities and events available in our area.
Winter Recess Guidelines (in effect every day)
o Students will go outside when the temperature is 1 degree or above
o Students will stay indoors when the
temperature is 0 degrees
