MacArthur Messenger

Monday 1/8 - Friday 1/12: Snowflakes Week!

Thursday 1/11: PTA Meeting, 7pm

Monday 1/15: No School

Friday 1/19: End of Semester 1

Monday 1/22: No School

Friday 1/26: PTA's General MacArthur's Birthday Event

Monday 1/29: Report Cards Available for Viewing on Skyward

Wednesday 1/31: 2024-25 4K Open House, 6-7pm

Friday 2/2: Yearbook Order Deadline

Thursday 2/8: PTA Meeting, 7pm

Monday 2/12-2/23: PTA Silent Auction

Tuesday 2/13: 1st Grade Concert, 6:30pm

Friday 2/16: No School

Tuesday 2/20: Group Photo Day (Girl Scouts, DI, etc.) at MAC

Friday 2/23: PTA's MacCarnival in the evening

Welcome to the New Year! The only major PTA event this month is General MacArthur’s Birthday. We will be serving the kids ice cream on the 26th. If you are interested in assisting with this event, please reach out to Collen McGinty or the PTA email.

Next month, however, our MacCarnival will take place on February 23rd. We will have more information in the February newsletter but we are asking for help with the following now:

1. Please take a look at our volunteer positions for the night (listed below). They are designed so you can have fun with the family for part of the carnival and help out with another part of it.

• High School Volunteer list
• Adult/5-th-8th Grade volunteer list
• Cake Walk

2. If you or your company want to sponsor the Trinket room where carnival goers can exchange their prize tickets for prizes, please email the PTA.

3. If you or your company want to make a donation to the Silent Auction, please email me at the PTA address.

4. We need classroom parents to help with the basket raffle. Each classroom has a theme. We need a parent volunteer from each classroom to organize the donations from the other parents. The volunteer will create an Amazon wish list, communicate with parents, and organize the donations the classroom parents will send to the school. What we ask is this:

• Create an Amazon wish list (we can help with this)
• Send out the list to all room parents (the teacher can assist with this)
• Parents will send in items (either from the wish list or any item they want to donate on theme) to the classroom
• Get a basket (PTA can help with this)
• Place all items in the basket
• Wrap the basket in cellophane or plastic
• Below is a list of the existing themes and volunteers:

If you are interested in volunteering to help with baskets, please let your teacher know ASAP! Thank you for your help in making our MacCarnival an outstanding event!!

Next, please see the below information on how to order a yearbook.

Finally, our PTA meeting will take place next week on Thursday, 1/11 at 7PM in the school library. Child care will be provided and you can always join the meeting online here.

Thank you!

Robert Sanchez: President - robkiana@gmail.com - 858-663-8819

Nicole Christensen: VP - nicoleriege@gmail.com - 414-379-1600

Coral Kline: Secretary - coralrae.kline@gmail.com - 608-658-0475

Alexis Melby: Treasurer - leximelby0110@gmail.com - 414-331-4102

Our ordering period for the 23/24 MacArthur Yearbooks has begun. This year, there is not a personalization option (doing this allows production to go further into the school year, and more spring photos will be included in the yearbook). The cost of each book is $15.75.

Ordering will close Friday, February 2nd. Please CLICK HERE or click the button below to put your order in!

Please reach out to the MacArthur PTA at ptamacarthur@gmail.com with any questions.

Please make sure your children are dressed to go out to recess. Unless it is raining, or the temperature/wind chill is too cold (below zero), the students will go out every day for two recesses. Please be sure to write your student's last name on a tag in their outerwear (hats, gloves, boots, snowpants, coats), so we can find the owner when things end up in our lost and found. If your scholar does not have snow pants AND boots, they will not be able to play off the blacktop when there is snow on the ground.

The Health Room is looking for gently used donations of boys athletic pants or sweatpants in all elementary sizes. If you have any to donate, please send them to school with your child or bring them into the front office. Thank you for your consideration!

When possible, please launder and send back clothing from the health room that comes home on your child.

There is no school Monday 1/15 and Monday 1/22. The office will be closed.

The end of Semester 1 is on January 19th. Report cards will be viewable on Skyward on Monday, 1/29. At that time, you will be able to log into your family account, and click Report Cards/Portfolio on the left hand side, and you will see the report card listed there.

As a friendly reminder, if you have outstanding registration fees, they can be paid in the office with cash or check. Credit card payment is available online, via Skyward.

The enrollment period for both incoming 4K and 5K* students has begun. If you live outside the attendance boundaries, the open enrollment period is February 5th - April 30th (at 4pm). Please click the button below for more information.

*Registration is just for new families entering the district. If you currently have a 4K student at MacArthur, you do not need to go through the entire online registration process for them to enter 5K in the 24/25 school year. You will need to "verify" their attendance for 5K during the summer months (an email will be sent via Skyward in July). Please note that proof of residency and immunization documents can be uploaded online, but birth certificates need to come into our office at MacArthur to be verified in person. For more information on GSD's 4K program, please click here.

Germantown School District offers half-day four year old kindergarten five days per week at each of our elementary schools (tuition-free). Parents of prospective 2024-25 4K students are invited to learn more about what a typical day of 4K looks like and the philosophy behind play-based learning. Principals will start with a introductory presentation. Following the presentation, parents will have the opportunity to meet some of our 4K staff, take a school tour, and ask questions.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM

WHERE: Elementary Cafetorium's - Amy Belle, County Line, MacArthur, Rockfield

ENROLLMENT: See the enrollment information in the section above.

Our Lost and Found is overflowing! If you are missing something, please remind your scholar to visit the Lost and Found to retrieve their items.

You can help by labeling hats, gloves, boots, snow pants, and lunch boxes with your scholar's name.

Unclaimed items are donated.

Please be advised of the following changes/updates from Riteway Bus Company.

• ADDING/REMOVING A STUDENT TO A ROUTE:
• If a family wants their student to begin or stop taking the bus they must notify Riteway (262)677-3282. Please also notify the classroom teacher and front office so we know how your child is getting to and from school.
• STUDENT DROP OFF CHANGE:
• If a family needs to change the drop off location to somewhere other than the home (i.e. student now going to daycare) a special transportation form needs to be completed, returned to the school office, and signed by Mr. Gonzalez. The signed form will be emailed to Riteway and the company will let us know if the request is approved or denied. If approved, Riteway will notify the school and family on when the route change can begin.
• STUDENT GOING HOME ON SAME BUS BUT GETTING OFF AT A DIFFERENT STOP:
• Students going home on the same bus but getting off at a different stop need a note signed by their parent/guardian so the school and the driver are aware of the change. Mr. Gonzalez needs to approve the request and both families (the family receiving the child and the family who will not be receiving the child that evening) need to let the school know of this change.
• STUDENT GOING HOME ON A DIFFERENT BUS:
• This is ONLY allowed in the event of a family emergency and will ONLY be on an as needed basis. A note/email/phone call should be sent by the parent regarding the emergency so that the school and Riteway are aware of the situation and can convey what route and classmate the student will go home with for that evening. The request needs to be approved by Mr. Gonzalez.

Please click below for January menus! If your child will be late to school and would like to purchase lunch that day, please remember to let the front office know the lunch choice before school begins.

Our Destination Imagination team for 2nd graders has begun! Below are the members of our RISING STARS:

• Cecelia B.
• Grace D.
• Andi M.
• Christian S.
• Jameson S.
• Juliana S.
• Reid T.

These scholars will be competing in the challenge, "Make a Splash." They will present their solution at the Regional Tournament at Kennedy Middle School on March 16th.

Home-School Connection

Every month, we will have a new "value word" that our scholars at MacArthur are working on as part of our Character Strong program. We talk about this during assembly time and as part of the Monday videos that are shared school-wide. The students continue learning about the value word within their classrooms. MacArthur focuses on specific areas in the school as we teach the students how to practice the value word in their lives. So far, we have focused on Kindness, Respect, Responsibility, Gratitude, and Empathy.

This month is all about Perseverance. One way to think about Perseverance is “pushing yourself through challenges and obstacles.” We all experience challenges in our lives. We all have moments when we feel like we can’t do it or that we want to give up on a big task. It is important to develop tools that help us work through those challenges in order to grow in those moments instead of giving up.

Perseverance is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Strong. Throughout the school, students will be developing skills like focusing, organizing, and goal-setting. How might you practice Perseverance as a family this month?

Here are 2 “PurposeFull Pursuits” for you to complete together.

Pursuit 1:

Consistency is hard. Have each person in the family commit to 1 thing they will do each

day this week. Maybe it is flossing, drinking a certain amount of water, getting to bed at

a certain time, limiting screen time, or exercising. Create a place where each person

can tally their progress and see who can keep their streak going the longest!

Pursuit 2:

We have all demonstrated Perseverance in our lives. Many of us have seen people practice Perseverance in ways that have inspired us. Stories are powerful tools for connecting as a family. Protect time this week to share stories about Perseverance with each other (you can use the story prompts to get started). At the end of the conversation, think of 1 way you can practice Perseverance this week.

Story Prompts:

• A time when I (or someone else) showed Perseverance was _____.

• An act of Perseverance that changed/challenged me was _____.

The Germantown Park and Rec. Department’s Winter/Spring Recreation Brochure can be viewed online here.

Upcoming Programs to register for include:

Night Tball

Gymnastics

Afterschool Volleyball, Legos Classes

Indoor Tennis Instruction

Kalahari Waterpark Field Trip

Snowman/creature Contest

Schools Out – Stream Sampler

Babysitters Classes

Sewing & Art Classes

Check out this link for program specifics!

Please complete the DISTRICT VOLUNTEER APPLICATION using the button above if you are interested in volunteering at school or chaperoning a field trip with MacArthur. This form MUST be filled out and the background check needs to be cleared (it can take up to two weeks to clear) if you would like to help. The background checks are good for 3 years, after which they must be renewed.

If you are visiting the school and have an appointment, please bring your I.D. with you so you are able to get a visitor's badge to enter the school.

We plan to post many updates and school happenings on Facebook. Please be sure to follow us so that you can celebrate the student learning and school happenings with us!

Website: gsdwi.org/o/macarthur
Location: W154N11492 Fond Du Lac Ave, Germantown, WI, USA
Phone: 262-253-3468
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MacArthurGSDWI