Greetings SFMS Families,
Thank you for your continued support and flexibility as we navigate this unique school year. We, the SFMS staff, appreciate your participation in this year’s parent/teacher conferences. Many families reported that they enjoyed having the flexibility of attending via phone conversation or Google Meet.
This was a new format for all. Thank you for giving it a try. We are constantly learning and growing. We learned that although we miss seeing families face-to-face, there may be many who prefer to have the flexibility of time and be able to join from wherever their family schedule takes them.
Sincerely,
SFMS Principal
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School Calendar Changes for November and December
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The Board of Education met this week and made changes to the school calendar to allow our staff additional in-service days and time as they balance in-person, virtual and hybrid learning. Please adjust your family calendars accordingly. Your child(ren) have been working hard and hopefully enjoy the time. As always, reading is one of the fundamental stepping stones to learning. Encourage your child to spend time with a favorite book on these days. The District will seek feedback about additional days, if needed, for the second semester.
November 13 – in-service for staff, no school for students
November 25 – no school for staff or students
December 21 – in-service for staff, no school for students
December 22 – no school for staff or students
Click here for the revised A/B day schedule for SFMS.
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Reminders to our Bus Riders
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Our bus drivers would like to remind students to:
- have a facial covering on before boarding the bus;
- keep the facial covering on for the entire ride;
- stay in the assigned seat.
Thanks for doing your part to keep the bus safe!
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Whether to isolate or quarantine can be confusing, the below assists in explaining the differences.
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Sheboygan Country School Superintendent and Health Department Communication
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The Sheboygan County school superintendents, in conjunction with the health department, recently sent a communication to all school families imploring them to follow health and safety guidelines in order to maintain in-person instruction in our schools. As we contact trace, we have found that the cases enter our schools and are contracted outside of our buildings. We have been able to move swiftly and accurately to minimize spread, and are asking for our family and community help. We are all in this together and want our current learning model of in-person learning to be sustained. The letter is shared again here.
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At the middle school, we have implemented morning meetings this year as another way to build community. Our students want to feel safe, supported and known well in our classrooms and morning meetings help us to do that. All cohorts start the day with a greeting, time to share, a short activity, announcements and a mindful moment to transition into learning. These constructive conversations help to prepare our students for their day. Morning meetings give our students and staff the opportunity to build & practice many important skills, such as SEL skills, that are needed for academic, emotional & social success.
Why Morning Meetings Matter:
- Strengthen Connections and Relationship Skills: Students practice communication skills during their time to share. They also learn how to listen, cooperate with others, and form rewarding relationships with teachers and peers.
- Increase Self-Confidence: Sharing personal stories can be scary. Morning meetings provide a safe and caring environment that encourages students to open up and build trust in others, which increases their confidence.
- Promote Social Awareness: According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the four central areas of social awareness include perspective-taking, empathy, appreciating diversity, and respect for others. Morning meetings teach all of these skills and also give students opportunities to practice them in real-life situations.
- Encourage Positive Behavior Toward Others: Morning meetings promote a positive school culture where everyone’s voice and opinions matter. This in turn creates a norm around the need to respect others.
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Enjoy our photos purple and gold Falcon pride!
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As of this week, we will no longer send the Case in School letters via Infinite Campus, as our families have indicated “letter fatigue.” We have instead started a “tracker” on our website. This is updated weekly so that families can be informed of positive cases as well as the number of quarantined students each week. The tracker can be found in the right navigation area on this page: https://www.sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us/district/covid-19 .
This tracker will be updated each Friday by our district nurses. Note that close contacts will continue to receive communication directly from the school and county health department.
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Band might look a bit different right now, but our students still play on! Mrs. Winkler is focusing on personalize band labs. Students meet in small groups with Mrs. Winkler and focus on personalized instruction around SF music department goals of being artful, tuneful and beatful.
6th Grade Beginning Band students have been “getting to know” their instruments as well as working on reading both rhythm and notes. 7th & 8th Grade Band students explored the Tuneful and Beatful aspects of music this week in labs working on “Theme from The Avengers” (8th Grade) and a variety of spooky tunes (7th Grade).
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GREAT NEWS! Free Breakfast and Lunch
for the rest of the school year!
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We notified our families in September that free meals for ALL students were available until the end of December for both virtual and in-person students.
We have recently been notified that this has been extended until the end of the school year, unless federal funding runs out. Please watch the video to learn more. Students’ accounts will reflect that students received the meals with a no charged indicated. The only exception is when students choose ala carte items.
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Seeking Substitute Teachers
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The School District of Sheboygan Falls is actively seeking substitute teachers for immediate placement in classrooms.
In order to keep schools open for face to face learning, the District is seeking anyone with a teaching license or a bachelor’s degree to assist in filling open positions. Emergency licenses or permits may be granted to qualified applicants. You do not need a teaching license to substitute, as a bachelor’s degree qualifies you to be a substitute teacher.
Click here for more information on our website.
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