December 2021 Meadowbrook Pride Press - School District of ...
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December 2021
Meadowbrook Pride Press
We A re G row i n g L e a r n e r s & I n s p i r i n g Po s s i b i l i t i e s
Notes From Mrs. Barr y
Dear Meadowbrook Families, Inside this Issue:
As we prepare for the magic of the holiday season, we may find ourselves overwhelmed with all Notes From Mrs. Barry 1
of the tasks we need to complete. In addition to the busy nature of this time of year, many of you Mission & Vision 2
and your children are grieving due to the violence that our community experienced on November
21st. Please remember that it is critical for you to take care of yourselves emotionally and Attendance Letters 2
physically. Give yourself grace- maybe not everything on your holiday list will get done this year
and that is perfectly okay. Mrs. Gahan, our School Psychologist, and I have been working with Grading Update 3
several families and students who have been impacted and we would like to offer our assistance
Counseling Connection 4-5
to you if needed. For resources to navigate these challenges at home, please see Mrs. Gahan’s
December Newsletter which is attached to this publication and linked on our website. Mrs. Gahan/Psychologist
6-7
An extension of gratitude needs to be given to Danielle Adams, Megan Braatz, Lisa Bruening,
Roarin’ Reminders 8
Melissa Cruikshank, Ashley Luick, Kelly McDonald, and Heidi Schrader for assisting with the
Elegant Farmer pick-up! And of course- thank you to all of you who supported this fundraiser! 4K Enrollment
What a wonderfully delicious way to support our school! Information 9
Trimester One Report Cards will be visible to you within Infinite Campus at 4pm on Friday, In District Transfers 10
December 10th. If you require assistance using Infinite Campus, please do not hesitate to Cookies From Santa 11
contact us. Grading and reporting can be difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the
School District of Waukesha’s Standards-Based Grading Philosophy. Educators within our Winter Weather/School
system believe that students learn best through a system of clear learning targets, formative and Closings 12
summative assessments, purposeful and engaging instruction, developmental feedback, and the
December Lunch Menu 13
opportunity to respond to that specific feedback. Therefore, all Meadowbrook students are
provided with Learning Targets in each of their classes, have multiple opportunities to practice December Birthdays 14
their skills, receive meaningful feedback from their teachers, and demonstrate what they know
and are able to do. If you have any questions or concerns, we would be happy to discuss those December Calendar 15
with you- just reach out!
January Calendar 16
If you LOVE your Meadowbrook experience, please tell your family and friends that the SDW Kids Fun Page 17-21
Intra-District Transfer/School Choice window opened on December 1st and will close at 4:30pm
on January 7th. We are always looking to work with more wonderful students and their families
like yourselves! The online application for this can be found at: https://sdw.waukesha.k12.wi.us/
Page/114. Likewise, the 4K Enrollment window opened on December 1st and closes on January
28th. Meadowbrook will continue to have a half-day 4K program for the 2022-2023 school year
from 8:40am until 11:25am. We have 20 open seats and there will be a lottery on February 11th.
If there are any questions, please contact Mrs. Nader in the office.
On behalf of the entire Meadowbrook staff, we hope you have a very beautiful, safe, and blessed
holiday. May the warmth of this incredible season bring you peace, love, good health, and
happiness to you and your loved ones. We look forward to seeing you in 2022!
Warmly,
Jessica N. Barry
Principal
1
Meadowbrook Mission:
Growing Learners and Inspiring Possibilities!
Meadowbrook’s Vision:
We foster a safe community where students feel nurtured and show empathy for others.
We create authentic and rigorous learning experiences for all students.
We empower students to take ownership of their learning and reflect on their progress.
We partner with families and organizations to develop students who positively contribute
to their home, community, and world.
Attendance Letters
It is important to remember that your child’s attendance is important to his/her development and success.
The School District of Waukesha requires each school within our system to send letters of concern to par-
ents/guardians once a child misses five days of school, ten days of school, and/or has accrued multiple tar-
dies. Understand that these letters are generated within Infinite Campus using a district template. If you are
the recipient of one of these letters and have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Barry. Re-
member that it is best practice to obtain medical excuses for your child each time they have to attend an ap-
pointment during school hours.
2
Fall 2021 SDW Elementary Grading Letter
The School District of Waukesha elementary report card is a standards-based report card, meaning that progress in literacy and
mathematics is reported on the knowledge and skills your child is expected to demonstrate proficiency at each grade level. Learning
is communicated on the report card around current progress - where the student is at this moment in time of reporting. This is shown
on the report card through the following descriptors:
4 Advanced
Demonstrates evidence that significantly exceeds proficiency in learning target/standard; applies evidence of high-
level thinking of concepts/skills.
3 Proficient
Demonstrates full comprehension of learning target/standard; shows evidence of proficiency of concepts/skills. 2
Developing
Developing comprehension in learning targets with limited understanding; inconsistent demonstration of concepts/
skills; is dependent upon support.
1 Beginning
Beginning to demonstrate comprehension in the learning target or not enough evidence that the learning target/
standard has been met.
NA Not Assessed
The learning target-standard has not been assessed at this time.
Please note the Report Card timeline for the 2021-2022 school year. Report cards are to be accessed through Infinite Campus.
Directions on how to access your child’s(ren) report card in Infinite Campus are included on the second page of this letter.
Trimester End Date Report Card Available in IC by 4pm on Date
Trimester 1 November 30, 2021 December 10, 2021
Trimester 2 March 7, 2022 March 18, 2022
Trimester 3 June 9, 2022 June 10, 2022
Each student progresses with their learning at different rates and speed, regardless of grade level and age. The best under-
standing of progress starts in conversation with the student and/or the child’s classroom teacher.
Additionally, on the School District of Waukesha website, parents / guardians can access our PARENT ROADMAPS and Contin-
uums of Learning for literacy and mathematics curriculum. These resources explain in more detail the learning at each grade
level as well as examples and resources to help the student.
The report card is one tool for communication between home and school. We encourage you to contact your child’s teacher at
any time during the school year to ask about his/her academic progress. The School District of Waukesha firmly believes that
with parents as our partners, each student will have the opportunity for a rich elementary school experience.
Sincerely,
Melissa Yow
Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning
3
Social & Emotional Learning
Provided by Dr. Amanda DeSua, Heidi Edwards & Jodi Callies SDW Elementary School Counselor
Each month, the School Counselor delivers lessons around social and emotional thinking. These
supplement PBIS, Second Step Curriculum and classroom efforts. Please see the School Counsel-
ing Lesson Scope & Sequence linked here. Feel free to contact Heidi Edwards at hed-
wards@waukesha.k12.wi.us or Amanda DeSua adesua@waukesha.k12.wi.us with any questions.
December Focus: School Counselors are providing
supportive lessons based on classroom needs
The counselor works with your building administration, school social worker, psychologist
or classroom teacher to create responsive lessons this month.
Parent/Child lesson on Digital Safety during Virtual Learning
Child Mind Website- parent resources on a variety of topics
Support at Home: SPECIAL EDITION ON INTERNET SAFETY
Please see below for links around the importance of healthy online habits and how to
support these with your children.
Sleep and screen-time: New report on impact of blue light on falling asleep and deep sleep
patterns. Did you know the blue light on your device prevents your brain from releasing
melatonin (a hormone that helps us fall asleep). This makes it harder to fall asleep and stay
asleep to reach the REM cycle. They suggest putting away devices 1-2 hours before
bedtime, or at least 30 minutes to help your body relax before bed.
Research on internet usage and youth: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen
time for infants and toddlers other than video chatting with relatives, an hour per day of total media screen
time for elementary school children, and two hours for kids in secondary school. American children currently
average more than six hours of screen time per day.
Social media, sleep and depression: Sleep is often identified as a likely factor connecting internet use and
depression symptoms. Adolescents who used social media more — both overall and at night — and those
who were more emotionally invested in social media experienced poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem and
higher levels of depression.
*Adolescents face a sleep-deficiency epidemic that is exacerbated by always-on smartphone and
social media culture. While adolescents should get nine hours of sleep per night, most get about seven.
* Lack of sleep can lead to difficulty paying attention, lower grades, increased stress and interpersonal
tension.
More severe effects include harmful behaviors such as abusing prescription drugs, smoking or
drinking to try to get a good night’s rest.
Cited:. Anderson, M. & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology. Retrieved from Pew Research Center website: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/
teens-social-media-technology-2018/ 2. Orben, A. & Przybylski, A.K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Hu-
man Behaviour. 3, 173–182. 3. Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M. & Ohannessian, C. M. (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective
Disorders, 207, 163–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040 4. Woods, H. C. & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence. Journal of
Adolescence, 51, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008 5. Christensen, H., et al. (2019). Towards a consensus around standards for smartphone
apps and digital mental health. World Psychiatry, 18(1), 97–98. doi:10.1002/wps.20592
4
Research on internet usage and youth: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen
time for infants and toddlers other than video chatting with relatives, an hour per day of total media screen
time for elementary school children, and two hours for kids in secondary school. American children currently
average more than six hours of screen time per day.
Social media, sleep and depression: Sleep is often identified as a likely factor connecting internet use and
depression symptoms. Adolescents who used social media more — both overall and at night — and those
who were more emotionally invested in social media experienced poorer sleep quality, lower self-esteem and
higher levels of depression.
*Adolescents face a sleep-deficiency epidemic that is exacerbated by always-on smartphone and
social media culture. While adolescents should get nine hours of sleep per night, most get
about seven.
*Lack of sleep can lead to difficulty paying attention, lower grades, increased stress and inter-
personal tension.
*More severe effects include harmful behaviors such as abusing prescription drugs, smoking or
drinking to try to get a good night’s rest.
Cited:. Anderson, M. & Jiang, J. (2018). Teens, social media & technology. Retrieved from Pew Research Center website: https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-
social-media-technology-2018/ 2. Orben, A. & Przybylski, A.K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behav-
iour. 3, 173–182. 3. Vannucci, A., Flannery, K. M. & Ohannessian, C. M. (2017). Social media use and anxiety in emerging adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 207, 163–
166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040 4. Woods, H. C. & Scott, H. (2016). #Sleepyteens: Social media use in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 51, 41–49.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.05.008 5. Christensen, H., et al. (2019). Towards a consensus around standards for smartphone apps and digital mental health.
World Psychiatry, 18(1), 97–98. doi:10.1002/wps.20592
Support for older students: How much screen time
is ok & how to support this? (video)
Parent Teen Connect- screen time videos
If/then screen time plan
5
Mrs. Gahan’s December 2021 Newsletter
Hello Meadowbrook Families,
For this month’s newsletter, I wanted to include some helpful information for students or families that may
be struggling after the Waukesha Parade incident. We are finding that some of our students are not
aware of the specifics of the incident and other families may have been at the parade and have a higher
awareness about what happened. We have found some very helpful information that we have been shar-
ing with students and parents.
All students exhibit very different reactions to stress. Children should understand that it is ok to
feel sad or scared because those are normal feelings related to what they may have witnessed or
heard. Adults will continue to reinforce that they are safe and there are many helpers in situations like
this.
Be present in your conversations with children. Allow for wait time and make sure you are really
listening and not talking too much or multitasking during those conversations.
Be mindful of watching the news. Students may think the event is happening again or may be-
come upset hearing additional details about what happened.
Routines are helpful for children so it is possible that more behaviors may be seen at home since
school is very structured. If you are seeing things at home, reach out to your teachers or other school
staff to see what they are seeing.
If some students are not ready to talk about their feelings, they may feel more comfortable talking
while coloring, playing with play dough, or engaging in things that they enjoy. Ask children what they
know about the incident and what questions they may have. Ask about what feelings they have and
discuss how those feelings may change. It’s ok for children to know that adults have feelings also and
work through modeling appropriate coping strategies.
Don’t be afraid to revisit a topic even if a student tells you they are fine. They are not upset about
the conversation, but at the topic and talking through their feelings will give them a sense of control
over the situation.
Situations like this give us an opportunity to talk to students about coping strategies. The follow-
ing ideas have been generated by staff/students while meeting this week
Draw and make pictures
Eat a snack or ice cream
Listen to music
Go to the pool
Take some breathes
Ride my bike or play outside
Read books and relax
Think about family trips (like Disney)
Think about something you are looking forward to
Think happy thoughts
Talk to Mom or Dad or another adult
Give yourself some time off from worrying (I will talk to an adult about my worries from 5:30-6:00)
Create a worry box to put my worries into (draw or write worries down)
Grounding techniques- name 5 things that I can see
Talk back to my worries
6
Big feelings are expected in situations like this. Students may show a regression in behaviors such
as asking to sleep with Mom and Dad or have difficulties eating or sleeping. Feelings may also come
out in their pretend play. If after a month, you continue to have concerns or you do not see progress to-
ward normal routines, please reach out and consider outside counseling. We check in with students at
school and offer strategies, but it is possible that outside counseling may be beneficial.
See the Parents United offerings below. You may be interested in attending one or both sessions.
Carrie Gahan
Meadowbrook School Psychologist
PARENTS UNITED
Parents United is an organization that offers presentations to parents and school staff and
Waukesha School District employees/staff are able to attend. Below is a link to the presentations
offered for the 2021-2022 School year. You will need to register for any of the presentations that
you would like to attend on the link below. Please let me know if you have any questions.
December sessions include
Stress and Anxiety in Youth
Presenter: David M. Jacobi, Ph.D., Lead Psychologist: Child and Adolescent CBT Services, Rogers Behav-
ioral Health
Tuesday, December 7, 2021 9:00 - 11:30 am
This presentation will offer a comparison between the stress experienced by children and teens and clinically
significant anxiety disorders. Further, interventions to manage each of these types of issues will be offered
including a discussion of cognitive behavior therapy-based interventions such as thought challenging and
exposure. We will discuss the role of family accommodation, how it impacts treatment interventions, and
how families and others can pull back these accommodations to improve treatment outcomes.
Regulation for Students through Stress and Trauma
Presenter: Sara Daniel, SaintA
Wednesday, January 12, 2022 9:00 - 11:30 am
All people experience stress from time to time. However, when that stress is significant and persistent, it can
overwhelm our capacity to respond. This is sometimes called toxic stress or trauma. In this session we will
learn how overwhelming stress can impact the developing brain and stress response system in a child and
how the body adapts to this exposure. We will review the stages of escalation and dysregulation that a child
may experience in an upsetting event. Strategies that promote regulation and resilience will be shared.
Parents United Presentation Description
Registration for Presentations
WE THINKERS KINDERGARTEN
We have completed The Group Plan and started reading Thinking with your eyes. Here are parent
letters that go with those lessons.
The Group Plan Family Letter
Thinking With Your Eyes Family Letter
7
Roarin’ Reminders
HOW TO ACCESS YOUR CHILD’S MEADOWBROOK
SPECIALIST GRADES
CONCERT SCHEDULE
*Go to the district homepage at
www.waukesha.k12.wi.us ♪ Thursday, December 16th, 2021
*Click on Infinite Campus Parent 3rd and 4th Grade Classes
(under Parent section)
Concert – 6:30 p.m.
*Click on Reports
*Click on Report Card. ♪ Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022
1st and 2nd Grade Classes
Concert – 6:30 p.m.
♪ Thursday, May 5th, 2022
LOST & FOUND Kindergarten Classes
Concert – 2:45 p.m.
Please have your child check the Lost and Found.
Anything remaining over holiday break will be
♪ June 2022—TBD
donated. Meadowbrook is not responsible for lost
items. Also, please make sure your child takes home 5th Grade Classes
their boots, snow pants, or other items they may have TBD—Concert Rehearsal
on their coat hooks. Concert & Celebration
6:00-8:00 p.m.
AFTER-SCHOOL PICK-UP
If there is an occasion when you are going to be a few
DRESSING FOR WINTER
minutes late picking up your child after school, please Winter is here! Please have your children dress for the
contact the office at 970-2005 to let us know. School cold weather. It is always a little colder up here on the
lets out at 3:40 p.m. and students are expected hill so make sure your kids dress in layers.
to be picked up at that time. Also, if your child
will be going home with someone other than yourself, When there is snow on the ground, students must
please let the office know. We will not send a stu- wear boots and snow pants to participate in playground
dent home with another family unless we hear games.
from you in a phone call, note, or email.
Also, please write your child’s name in their snow pants
so that they do not get mixed up with other’s items.
You might want to put some extra gloves in
their backpacks as well!
8
9
10
11
WINTER WEATHER
SCHOOL CLOSINGS
We are approaching winter in Wisconsin and wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with
some guidance on how inclement weather decisions occur in the School District of Waukesha.
Our standard for closing when facing extreme cold is a Wind Chill Warning, which is -35. Our stand-
ard for closing for snow or ice is a Winter Storm Warning. When we anticipate bad weather that
does not cause us to close schools, we will communicate the following:
1. Doors will be open at 8:30 so students can come directly into the building.
2. Dropping students off a bit later than school start is a secondary option for parents, as opposed
to keeping students home all day. We would love to see our kids as much as possible!
When weather is severe, parents certainly have the option to keep students at home if they feel
travel to school presents a dangerous situation.
The decision to close schools will be made prior to 5:00 a.m. on any given day. Any later than this
impacts buses, media notices, employees driving to school and students coming to schools. The
general rule is with anything less than a ‘Winter Storm Warning’ or ‘Wind Chill Warning’ [-35 de-
grees], we will keep our schools open.
These early morning decisions are generally difficult to make. The weather forecast at 4:30 a.m.
may not always be the same as the actual weather at 7:30 am. We also want you to know that we
do not have the ability for an early release should the heavy snow decide to come after we are in
session. Finding enough bus drivers prior to normal route times and the potential hazard of sending
young children to locked homes always creates concern.
Finally, there has been enhanced discussion since March regarding snow days being a thing of the
past due to virtual and distance learning. In the SDW, we have four inclement weather days built
into our school calendar and they are generally rare in being used each year. Accordingly, we in-
tend to allow kids and staff to take a deep breath on these days during this unique period in our his-
tory and pause learning as we have traditionally. We hope you will get outside, play and relax.
Winter in Wisconsin can be challenging but can also be beautiful. We will work together to keep
kids and staff safe while also offering high quality teaching and learning opportunities throughout
the upcoming winter months.
12DECEMBER ELEMENTARY LUNCH MENU
1 2 3
Sausage Pizza Chicken Nugget Cheesy Pull
Bowl Apart
Turkey &
Cheese Scooby Snacks, Sun Butter &
Sandwich String Cheese & Jelly Sandwich
Apple Slices
Green Beans, Mixed Veggie,
Cupped Mashed Fresh Broccoli,
Blueberries, Potatoes, Fresh Fruit Juice,
Baby Carrots, Orange, Mixed Diced Peaches
Applesauce Fruit, Corn
6 7 8 9 10
Pizza Sticks Cocoa Puff Sausage Pizza Mini Corn Dogs Cheesy Pull
w/Marinara Pastry Apart
Turkey & Scooby Snacks
w/Sausage
Muffin w/String Cheese & String Cheese Sun Butter &
Cheese & Apple Ham & Cheese Sandwich w/Apple Slices Jelly Sandwich
Slices Sandwich
Side Salad, Baby Carrots, Diced Peaches,
Green Beans, Sliced Carrots, Mixed Veggie, Kickn’ Pinto Orange Juice,
Fruit Juice, Baby Diced Peaches, Cupped Fruit, Beans, Mixed Fresh
Carrots, Pears Broccoli, Fresh Fresh Orange Fruit, Juice Cucumbers,
Apple Corn
13 14 15 16 17
Hot Dog French Toast Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Nugget Cheese Pizza
Sticks w/Roll
Turkey & Sun Butter & Muffin w/String
w/Sausage
Cheese Jelly Sandwich Scooby Snacks, Cheese & Apple
Sandwich Ham & Cheese String Cheese & Slices
Corn, Celery
Sandwich Apple Slices
Campfire Pinto sticks, Apple, Baby Carrots,
Beans, Fruit Juice, Fruit Juice Mixed Veggies, Green Beans,
Applesauce, Mixed Fruit, Fresh Orange, Diced Pears,
Baby Carrots, Fresh Zucchini, Applesauce, Fruit Juice
Craisins Sliced Carrots Broccoli
20 21 22
Chicken Tenders Confetti Pepperoni Pizza
w/Roll Pancakes
Sun Butter &
w/Sausage
Muffin w/String Jelly Sandwich
Cheese & Apple Turkey &
Sliced Carrots,
Slices Cheese
Cupped
Sandwich
Peas, Blueberries,
Applesauce, Tater Tots, Side Salad,
Baby Carrots, Diced Peaches, Apple Juice
Fresh Orange Applesauce,
Fresh
Cucumbers
13December Birthdays!
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3 4
Zakory Gi Gi
Redlin Heinz
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Kameron Madison Claire Sophie Brody
Leix Hensgen Berklund Smolko Koerner
Adelyn William
Adams Swanson
12 13 14 5 16 17 18
Brinna Austin
Voigtlander Schulpius
Evelina
Elieff-Williams
Jocelyn
McDonald
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Angel Nicholas Ethan
Ramirez Slomski Hilgemann
26 27 28 29 30 31
Molly Quentyn
Van Dreser DePriest
Gabriella
Burek
14December 2021
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3 4
Meadowbrook
Spirit Day
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Last Day of Picture Holiday Sweater Meadowbrook
Hanukkah Re-take Day Day Spirit Day
For New
Students
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
4:00PM PTA Lou 6:30pm Meadowbrook
PTA MEETING 3rd & 4th Grade Spirit Day
Malnati’s Evening Concert
Pizza
Fundraiser
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Culver’s Night 1st Day of Holiday Spirit Merry
Kwanzaa Day Christmas
26 27 28 29 30 31 Jan 1.
Last Day of
Kwanzaa
Happy New
Year
15January 2022
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Meadowbrook
Spirit Day
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Crazy Hair Meadowbrook
Day! Spirit Day
4:00pm
PTA
MEETING
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Culver’s Meadowbrook
Spirit Day
Night
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Sports Meadowbrook
Team Spirit Day
Spirit Day
30 31
16Bring your finished puzzles to Mrs. Nader for a prize!!!
17Bring your finished puzzle to Mrs. Nader for a prize.
18Bring your finished puzzle to Mrs. Nader for a prize!
19Bring your finished puzzle to Mrs. Nader for a prize!
20Here’s a puzzle for those of you who like a challenge! I love Sudoku, see how you
do. Bring your finished puzzle to Mrs. Nader for a prize.
Good Luck!
21You can also read
