Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter

• Muskego Lakes Middle School Website
• Muskego Lakes Academic Guidebook for 2021-22
• Muskego Lakes Report a Concern

• Muskego High School Orientation Evening - Wednesday, January 12th

• Choir Dress Rehearsal during the day & Winter Choir Concert at the PAC- Jan. 13th

• End of Quarter 2 - Jan. 20th

• Muskego High School Course Information Night - Wednesday, January 26th

• 8th Grade Course Meetings with MHS Counselors- Jan. 28th at MLMS

• 8th Grade Pep Band Game with MHS Band- Jan. 28th at MHS

• Title I Parent Info & Feedback Meeting- Feb. 16th at 6pm

• MLMS Community Day- Feb. 18th

• Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences- Feb. 24th
  

• Lion King Musical - April 2-3rd

Dear Muskego Lakes Families,

Here at Muskego Lakes, we pride ourselves on working daily to ensure that we live out our vision of "Connecting Hearts & Minds through Acceptance, Empowerment, and Achievement." This means that our students have a voice, know they belong here, and know we care about them as people, not just as students.

Giving our students a voice is pivotal in ensuring that we can live out this vision, and so a few years ago, we launched Muskies United. This is a student group comprised of 15-20 students from each grade level. (The students on Muskies United self-identified as leaders on their learner profiles. In addition, they were nominated by students and staff for being positive influencers among their peers.)

The mission of Muskies United is to influence their peers by spreading hope, help, and strength to every corner of our school community. Students in Muskies United learn how to turn their strengths into supports for themselves and for others, serving as connectors within the student culture. Our students in Muskies United have great power to break the silence when someone is struggling. And, they are equipped to notice and reach out to those who need it.

We believe in empowering students at Muskego Lakes to create and sustain the kind of culture they want among their peers. And our students in Muskies United, as leaders among their peers, know that the most powerful thing they can do to positively impact culture is to be includers through their personal actions each day.

In addition, as a team of 80+ students, the Muskies United team at Muskego Lakes also relies on their strengths to create school-wide campaigns to positively impact student culture. They use music, art, writing, social media, and their voices as sources of strength across our school.

So while we work really hard as a staff to positively impact student culture, we are aware that by empowering students, we give them a voice and equip them to transform relationships and culture here at Muskego Lakes.

Huge thanks to the following staff members who were selected as leads for Muskies United:

• Stacey Malek, School Psychologist
• Sarah Bauhs, Teaching & Learning Coach
• Bob George, Custodian
• Cherine Montie, Instructional Aide
• Jenny Wied, Library Assistant
• John Geers, 6th Grade Teacher
• Janine Hake, School Counselor
• Andy Schaller, 5th Grade Teacher
• Stacy Pawlak, School Social Worker
• Brittany Michalski, 8th Grade Teacher
• Emily Pratt, Teaching & Learning Coach
• Julie Flash, Library Assistant
• Katie Schiessl, 7th Grade Teacher

We hope you were able to spend time with family and friends over break, and we can't wait to see what our students are capable of in this new year ahead!

With love,

Rachel Rydzewski & Nancy Pasch

Muskego Lakes Principals

Is there a member of the Muskego Lakes staff who has been especially kind? helpful? Is there someone at Muskego Lakes who goes above and beyond for you and/or your child?

We will once again be honoring members of staff nominated for Musky Awards. Please consider nominating a teacher, instructional aide, custodian, interventionist, general aide, instructional coach, SRO, building guest teacher, athletic coach, club lead, student teacher, intern, or member of the office staff, student services staff, library and technology staff, nurse aide team, and/or Taher team.

To nominate a staff member please complete the short nomination form here. We will be taking nominations until January, 19th 2022. Thank you for helping us honor our staff here at Muskego Lakes!

Students in grades 5 - 7 will be receiving their course registration forms next week for the 2022-2023 school year. Mrs. Hake, our school counselor, is presenting the information to our students about the electives and how to register for those elective choices. Please note that when students are selecting their elective classes, the online portion must be completed through the student's Infinite Campus account. While directions are being provided on how to register online, please know that some students have changed their Infinite Campus passwords and are not their original passwords as stated on the direction sheet. If a student does not remember their Infinite Campus password, please have them go to the Student Services office or the main office to have their accounts reset to their original passwords.

Online course registration for 5th, 6th and 7th graders is due by Wednesday January 19th. Course selection, (program) cards need to be completed and signed by a parent/guardian by Wednesday, January 19th as well. There is not a "save" button when online registration is complete and we do not want you to print the online information.

Eighth grade students will be receiving a second copy of the course registration worksheet on the 11th. Mrs. Hake gave them their first copy prior to Winter Break. High school counselors will be meeting with students in person this year, not virtual, on January 28th. Parents may also want to go with their student to Course Information Night on January 26th, from 5:00-8:00PM to meet with teachers and learn more about the courses being offered at Muskego High School.

Would you love working at Muskego Lakes or know someone who would be interested in joining our staff? You are in luck, as we are currently looking for a special education instructional assistant. No experience is necessary!

The hours are 11:15am-3:15pm.

If interested, please reach out to Rachel Rydzewski (rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org) for more information and the next steps in the application process.

On Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th, MLMS will be hosting a BB tournament. The PTO would like to sell concessions from 330pm to 6pm both days. Clean-up will be from 6pm to 630pm. Below is a sign-up if you can help during this time. We will also have students from the Junior National Honor Society there to help. Any time you can volunteer would be greatly appreciated and benefit the MLMS PTO!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d45aaa92ea6fe3-mlms1

Muskego High School invites all students and families to two important events intended to assist with the transition to high school and the course selection/registration process.

Our first event is the Muskego High School Orientation Evening on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. This night is intended to provide some insight as to what makes MHS such an amazing place and what it means to be a Muskego Warrior. Students and families will hear about important factors to a successful transition to high school and will get a chance to hear current high school students share stories about their experience with the transition. Families will be introduced to the many co-curricular options we offer, and also have the opportunity to meet coaches and club advisors, and take a self-guided tour. Presentations will be facilitated by the

administrative team, the athletic director, and our school counseling team.

In an effort to maintain two relatively equal size presentation groups and maximize the opportunity to engage in the learning, we ask that you follow the alphabetical schedule below. Our orientation event will begin promptly at 6:00 PM with the presentations described in the outline below.

Students - Last Names A-K

• 6:00-6:45 PM Attend “Keys to Successful Transition” presentation in the Performing Arts Center (PAC)
• 6:45-7:00 PM Walk to the Salentine Gymnasium
• 7:00-7:15 PM Brief Presentation on Co-Curricular Activities in the Salentine Gymnasium
• 7:15-7:45 PM Visit Co-Curricular Activities in Cafeteria and Self-guided Tour of MHS

Students – Last Names L-Z

• 6:00-6:15 PM Brief Presentation on Co-Curricular Activities in the Salentine Gymnasium
• 6:15-6:45 PM Visit Co-Curricular Activities in Cafeteria and Self-guided Tour of MHS
• 6:45-7:00 PM Walk to the Performing Arts Center (PAC)
• 7:00-7:45 PM Attend “Keys to Successful Transition” presentation in the Performing Arts Center (PAC)

For your convenience, you may park in either the east lot along Racine Avenue (nearest the PAC) or the west lot located off Woods Road (nearest the Salentine Gym) depending upon which presentation your night will begin with. The second event, Muskego High School Course Information Night, is open to all current and incoming students/families. The goal of this event is to provide students and families access to our entire teaching staff to ask questions about the specific details and expectations of the various courses we offer. This evening is

designed to help you make informed decisions about freshman course planning in the core academic and elective areas by speaking with the teachers who teach the courses. This event will take place on Wednesday, January 26th, and will be run in an open house format from 5:00-8:00 pm.

Muskego-Norway Schools invites you to participate in a three part parent education series on the prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Addictions in youth. Click HERE To learn more about this educational series. Featured presentations are as follows:

• Michelle Hampton: Therapist at Rogers Child and Adolescent Center - January 10th
• Your Choice, Wake Up Call: Learn to Spot the Signs of Alcohol and Drug Use - February 22nd
• Muskego Police Department: Community Impact of Substance Use- - March 17th

All presentations will be held at the Performing Arts Center, located on the south end of Muskego High School at 6pm. Additionally, presentations will be recorded and shared on the District’s website.

All ordering of yearbooks is done directly through Jostens. To check if you ordered a yearbook, you should create an account with Jostens. By creating an account, you can check anytime during the year to see if you have ordered one. Important to know is that after you successfully purchase the yearbook, you will receive a confirmation email.

You can still purchase a yearbook, and If you are interested in your student having a yearbook, you can order through this online link.

The MLMS PTO wants to thank the excellent staff for everything they do by providing midweek munchies. Every Wednesday, you have an opportunity to sign up to bring in munchies for the staff to help them make it through the week and brighten their day. If you are interested in supporting this, please sign up here.

Please consider joining the Muskego Lakes PTO. We meet monthly in the MLMS library. We always welcome new faces and would love to hear your ideas in how we can make this an amazing school year ahead!!

MLMS PTO Meeting Dates for 2021-2022

• January 19, 2022 @ 6:30pm
• February 16, 2022 @ 6:30pm
• March 16, 2022 @ 6:30pm
• April 20, 2022 @ 6:30pm
• May 18, 2022 @ 6:30pm

Our staff at Muskego Lakes take threats seriously. We are grateful for our partnership with students and parents as they continue to be invested in their school culture as we all work together to keep our schools safe. We encourage all families to talk about how a child should respond to any threat or concern, regardless of the source or legitimacy. If a student or parent is not comfortable going directly to a district staff member, they can use Wisconsin's Speak Up, Speak Out that will notify a school administrator and/or police authorities immediately. Speak Up, Speak Out! Speak Up, Speak Out is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety.

You may make a report by visiting the website, using your smartphone by downloading the SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT app from the Apple Store and Google Play, or by calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 to speak to a resource center analyst.

Family Weekly Test Kits

• To opt into this program, please complete our online form by clicking here.

COVID-19 Exposure Notification

• Please to submit the follow form if you, your child, or anyone in your household has been exposed to and/or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. (Form: COVID-19 SYMPTOM OR STATUS NOTIFICATION FORM. After completing the form, someone from Health Services will be in touch with you about next steps.

Parent COVID-19 FAQ

• You can find any and all information related to COVID-19 and our response in the PARENT COVID-19 FAQ. Please take a look there before reaching out to the Health Services team.

For all other questions related to COVID-19, please refer to the MNS Health Services website for the latest health information including but not limited to COVID-19 guidelines, Illness and Injury guidelines, Immunizations, Forms, and other useful information.

We encourage you to follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

Website: https://www.muskegonorway.org/schools/muskegolakes/
Location: W124 S8009 North Cape Rd.
Phone: 262-971-1860
Twitter: @MLMSmuskies