Message from the Principal
I have been impressed with the iReady work that I am seeing from students and our building is having an incentive in December for the class at each grade level with the highest percentage of lesson completion and time on task for the month. Please encourage your student to work on his/her/their skills carefully in iReady. The class will earn pizza at lunch on Wed., Dec. 20th.
I am so thankful for the hard work of all of our staff members and grateful to them for all they do for students. Thank you as well to all our parents, relatives, and community members for all the support they provide our students. Thank you for sending in items, volunteering, visiting classrooms, and helping your student(s) find success by reinforcing the importance of learning at home. I wish all of you the best of health and happiness as we head into 2024!
Principal,
Angie Gulrud
Contact Information-
Email : gulruda@portage.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-742-5531, ext. 2001
Behavior Tips : Common Language at School and Home
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING -
The first month of school will be focused on helping students feel welcome, safe, and confident at school. Staff will run morning meeting activities in which students get to know each others' names, connect through common interests, and build community within their classroom and grade level. This year at Muir in addition to our Warrior Way that we pledge in announcements daily (We are respectful, responsible individuals on task, ready to learn, and safe.), we will be working on routines and procedures in all settings that follow these ideals - take care of yourself, take care of others, and take care of this place.
Sometimes words like responsible and respectful can be confusing for students as they aren't concrete terms, so breaking down what being responsible and respectful look like will help students understand.
Each grade level will use these rules and you can use the following rules at home as well so students have common language between home and school:
1. We listen to each other.
2. Hands are for helping, not hurting.
3. We use I-Care Language.
4. We care about each other's feelings.
5. We are responsible for what we say and do.
EMOTIONAL REGULATION-
Helping students identify and voice their feelings is really important to emotional regulation. We will work on this as well. When students identify or name their feeling, then they can use a strategy (if needed) to regulate that feeling. For example - I feel "angry" when you try to budge in line in front of me. Adult can prompt, what are your strategies when you feel angry? Student can share the strategies and adult can urge the student to use a strategy to cope with anger.
This takes patience and practice. It is also something all people (children and adults) need as a life skill. It is really great for adults to model for their children as well. Talk out loud about the thinking process going on within your mind (which teachers call a "think aloud") and this will provide modeling for your student.
"I am really angry that that car just pulled so close right in front of us. In the moment it really made me feel scared and worried for our safety. I am going to do some deep breathing right now and turn down the radio for a few miles to calm my body and keep driving safely."
Mrs. Jahn, Dean of Students
Did You Know?
Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Attending School regularly helps children feel better about school-and themselves. Building these habits early on so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is importance. Eventually good attendance will be a skills that will help them succeed in high school and college.
What You Can Do
Set a regular bedtime and morning routine
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Develop backup plans for getting to school it something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
Try to schedule medial appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.
If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and exited about learning.
*Adapted from AttendanceWorks.org: Help Your Child Succeed in School: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early
Contact information ~
Karissa Jahn
Email: jahnk@portage.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-742-5531, Ext. 2002
Who Doesn't Love Christmas Cookies?
The Woodridge PTO will be selling Christmas cookies and baked goods at the John Muir's Holiday Concert, December 18. If you would like to donate cookies to sell, here's the link to sign up - Holiday Concert Cookie Sale
Whether you will be buying or donating, thank you for your support of the Woodridge PTO!!
Candy Cane Sale is Back by Popular Demand!
To spread some holiday cheer, the student council will be selling candy canes December 11-15. Students can purchase the candy at dismissal each day to raise money for the student council fund. We will use this money to go towards a new water filling station in the 4th grade hallway!
* All candy canes will be priced at 50 cents.
* Students will be limited to purchasing up to 2 pieces per day so that there is enough candy for all students to purchase.
Thank you for supporting the John Muir Student Council!
Warm Clothing Necessary
Lost and Found
Yikes! So many winter coats, lunch bags and sweatshirts! While we always try to get items back to their owners, without names in items, we are at a loss. We are planning to make a St. Vincent de Paul donation run the afternoon of December 15. We are hoping some of these lovely winter coats are claimed before that so kiddos will have them for winter break. Someone is in the office every day until 4pm to assist you. Thank you for helping get unclaimed items back to their owners!
Greetings from your Math Team!
This year, the Portage School District has put a lot of effort in helping students reach their full potential in both math and reading. As a math department, we feel there are things that all families can do to help their student(s) in math. Start playing number games with your kids when they are young and keep playing them! It's great to play other fun games with your kids, but be mindful to offer them games with dice that have dots, cards that have numbers on them, money to count, and spaces to move around and count on an actual board. Offer to play a game with your child and their friend, or with Christmas coming up, consider gifting one of these games to your child or other family members to help build a strong foundation in math!
Card games like War, Spoons, Go Fish, and Uno are great games to connect with your child while helping them to learn what numbers look like, the relationship between numbers (which are greater than or less than others), plus these are games they can play with friends or siblings that don't require a computer or tablet. Board games like Monopoly Junior, Sorry, Trouble, are great games for building one to one counting and number recognition. For older children, you might want to try Sums in Space, Shut the Box, and regular Monopoly.
Good luck and have fun playing! Please feel free to contact us with any questions about your child's mathematical development.
Happy Holidays!
Matt Dietzenbach, District Math Specialist
Kathy Tofson, Elementary Math Coach
Market Box Sign Up
We are excited to offer this great opportunity to our PCSD families and need to see how many families would like to participate!
The MARKET BOX will contain both perishable & non-perishable food. There is NO COST to participate and this program is open to all PCSD families. Here's the link: 2023-24 Market Day Box Sign-Up.
MARKET BOXES may include:
Eggs
Bread
Fresh Fruit
Fresh Vegetables
Frozen Meat
Boxed dry goods (Breakfast items/snacks/lunch options)
MARKET BOXES will normally be available for pick up on the THIRD WEDNESDAY of each month. The December MARKET BOX pick up is scheduled for December 20 from 4:30-5:30.
Families will need to pick them up from JOHN MUIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
If there is a change in the day or time for pick-up, we will notify families of the change.
Please fill out this form. Only submit ONE response per family/household per school year, even if you have multiple children attending the district.
School Counselor
Jennifer Shier is designated Grades 2 & 3
Contact Information
Email: shierj@portage.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-742-5531, ext. 2454
School Counselor
Mike Meyers is designated Grades 4 & 5
Contact Information
Email: meyersm@portage.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-742-5531, ext. 2454
Community Resources
Resources for Families within the Portage Community:
River Haven Shelter: 108 East Pleasant Street, Portage, WI (608)742-7687
St. Vincent de Paul Society Thrift Store: 1311 W. Wisconsin Street, Portage, WI (608) 742-5513
Aspen Family Counseling: 2639 New Pinery Road, Suite 1 Portage, WI (608) 742-5020
McKinney-Vento Act: https://dpi.wi.gov/homeless
Portage Food Pantry: 405 East Howard Street Portage, WI (608)742-3774 Hours vary, open Wednesday through Friday
Family Resource Center: 2946 Red Fox Run Portage, WI (608)742-8482
Shelby Glasgow, Social Worker
Contact Information
Email: glasgows@portage.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-742-5531, ext. 2107
5th Grade Geography Bee
There were 230 students in Grades 5-8 from 12 schools that competed at the Adams-Friendship Middle School Geography Bee on Tuesday, December 5.
Our teams did great this year! Individual awards are as follows:
5th grade - Individual competition
1st place- Leo Rogers
2nd place - Andrew Lane
3rd place - Maddelynne Boyd
5th grade team competition
1st place - Portage - they swept the competition and won every award they could!
6th grade - individual competition
1st place - Jameson Graham
8th grade - individual competition
3rd place - Jackson Bergman
2nd place - David Maier
Overall a great showing for us. We are so proud of our 5th grade competitors. Job well done!
Skin Care
The skin is the largest organ that we have. It is our defense from the outside world, but its care is often neglected. Skin health can be achieved with simple additions to our everyday routines.
Hydrate!
The first step in skin care is drinking enough water. Approximate recommendations for healthy hydration in children are four to six 8 oz. glasses and eight to twelve glasses for adults. Our skin gets its best hydration from inside the body. If your skin is overly dry it can crack/chap/peel, creating open areas where bacteria can get past your skin’s outside defenses.
Moisturize!
Applying a topical moisturizer can help your skin contain the hydration from inside your body and help improve moisture on the outer layer as well. Applying lotion after a shower, for example, helps your skin hold the moisture from the shower. Remember outside moisturizing like lotion only works if you exfoliate occasionally. You cannot moisturize through dead skin cells.
Protection!
Protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. This can be done with clothing, wide brim hats, umbrellas, sunglasses, and sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least 30 SPF (sun protection factor).
Lastly, know when to see a professional. If you have a family history of skin cancer/concerns you should probably see a dermatologist regularly, but it is also important for anyone to see a dermatologist for other issues related to skin: chronic rashes, irregular or fast-growing moles, skin infections, extreme skin dryness, etc. Hydrating, moisturizing, and protecting your skin are basic steps that anyone can accomplish to promote healthy skin. Healthy skin in turn helps to protect us from our environment.
Valerie Hon, MSN, RN, LSN, NCSN
Pronouns (she/her)
District Nurse & Safety Committee Chairperson
Portage Community School District
305 E. Slifer Street
Portage, WI 53901
608/742-4867, extension 4022 or
PHS 608/742-8545, extension 1156
Fax 608/742-3989
Volunteering at John Muir!
Volunteering to help at the school or go on field trips is a wonderful way parents can stay connected to their student's school activities. To become a volunteer, the district asks that a background check be completed prior to participating. Here's the link to the district web page. It will take about five working days to process. Please keep in mind, this process must be completed prior to getting involved in your student's school activities. It cannot be completed the day of the activity as we will not yet have the approved results. The background checks are required to be done annually, i.e. if one is done in December, 2023, it will be good until December, 2024! It can be completed at any time during the school year.
We hope to see you at school!
Bus ID's
Bus ID's are here! Students will be using their bus pass to ride the bus again this year (even students who normally don't ride a bus as we use these for field trips, too). The pass is scanned and allows the system to track who is on the bus.
The Here Comes the Bus App is a free app that enables the user to see the location of your child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. The app allows families to see real-time updates of where a bus is along its route, to create a custom notification for when the bus reaches a certain point in its route and to receive notifications if there has been a schedule change. If you wish to sign up for scanning notifications of when your child scanned on and off the bus, the district code is 29776.
The app is available from the App Store or Google Play. Download instructions and additional information can be found at www.herecomesthebus.com.
Lost and Found
The lost and found is located in the office space across from the school office. We have a lot sweatshirts/jackets and several lunch bags. Items either lost in or around the school or left on the bus can be hopefully found here. While Riteway does its best to ensure lost items from the bus are returned to the right school, if your lost item is not at John Muir, you might want to check with one of the other schools. They might have what you're looking for!
School Lunch and Breakfast 2023-24
The meal prices for students and adult visitors are as follows:
Milk: $.50/carton
Breakfast: $2.00
Lunch: $3.10
Reduced Breakfast: $0.30
Reduced Lunch: $0.40
Adult Breakfast: $2.75
Adult Lunch: $4.50
Please visit the PCSD Food Services webpage for additional information. Click the image below for the Free and Reduced Lunch Application.
Can't remember your lunch pin? Sign in to your Infinite Campus account, your lunch pin is the 5-digit number under your picture. Monthly breakfast/lunch menus are sent home with your student at the beginning of each month. You can also access the menu through our website by clicking on the lunch bag in the upper right corner.
