Muskego Lakes Family Newsletter

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

Dear Muskego Lakes Families,

We are BEYOND excited to share that our Forward Exam results are in. We just received word that in comparison to all of the 20 middle schools in Waukesha County, Muskego Lakes Middle School ranked:

• 1st in Math on the Forward Exam
• 3rd in English Language Arts on the Forward Exam (Only .6 from being the top!!)

Just as exciting is that despite the last couple years and the impact of COVID-19, our median score for math increased by 5 points!! And still impressive is that our median score for ELA increased by 2.2 points!!

I've been in education for 15+ years, and I have never seen the staff work harder than they have these last couple years. They are so incredibly dedicated to loving and caring for your children. And as a staff, we all share a deeply rooted belief that every single student can achieve at high levels. So, we are relentless in empowering students.

And we are here to cheer them on until they too believe in themselves.

Huge shoutout to the teachers who have navigated in-person and virtual learning, quarantines and isolations, mitigation measures, mask cohorts, positing videos and daily agendas, and the list goes on. As principals, we are so lucky that these teachers choose to serve in this community. We have the best of the best at Muskego Lakes.

And finally, thank you for partnering with us to support students' academic success. We know that you play such an important role in helping students reach their potential, navigate challenges, and persevere.

Enjoy the sunshine and weekend ahead!

With love,

Rachel Rydzewski & Nancy Pasch

Muskego Lakes Principals

• 7/8th Grade Boys Basketball Informational Meeting: October 28th @3:15
• Muskego Lakes Community Day: October 29th
• No School: November 1st
• Picture Retake: November 2nd 8am-12

Our office areas (student services, front office, and administration) have been recently working through some phone and voicemail issues. We believe the problem to be fully resolved now but wanted to extend our apologies for any inconvenience or missed calls that might have occurred. If you have reached out and have not heard back, please reach out again so that we can assist you. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we worked through this issue.

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? If so, consider nominating any member of the Muskego Lakes staff for a Musky Award!!! To do so, you can complete the form here. We will be taking nominations until October 28th, 2021. Thank you for helping us honor our staff here at Muskego Lakes!

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 an 8th-grade special education instructional assistant. If interested, please reach out to Rachel Rydzewski (rachel.rydzewski@muskegonorway.org) for more information and the next steps in the application process.

The Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County promotes and coordinates giving to families in need during the Christmas season. We provide a clearinghouse that matches families with area groups, families, businesses, and individuals who wish to help families less fortunate. Applications are online this year and can be found at the following website:

https://www.christmasclearingcouncil.org/application

If you would like assistance completing the application, don't hesitate to contact Stacy Pawlak, School Social Worker, at (262) 971-1800 ext. 5403 or stacy.pawlak@muskegonorway.org

• Inflatable costumes are not allowed.

• Students should reach out to their homeroom teacher if concerned about a costume being appropriate prior to Halloween.

• All costume preparations are to be completed at home. (No dressing or applying of makeup or colored hairspray once students arrive at school.)

• No mask that covers your entire face can be worn.

• No costumes that promote the use of illegal substances or activities, or are derogatory, violent or disrespectful will be allowed.

• Any accessory that is used improperly or is considered inappropriate for school will be turned in and you will be able to collect it at the end of the day.

• School rules regarding the dress code must be followed with the exception of hats. Hats may be worn.

• Students wearing inappropriate costumes will be asked to call home (in the classroom) for a change of clothes.

We are excited to share that coming soon, all 8th grade students at Muskego Lakes will be given the PreACT assessment. Finalized dates will be share in upcoming newsletters.

PreACT provides:

• Early indication of progress and ideas for improvement—PreACT gives students an estimated ACT test score and can be used as an indicator of college and career readiness.

• Fast, robust reporting—Reports are ready quickly, so teachers and students can get to work turning PreACT insights into action. Reports include a predicted score in all tested areas (Math, Science, STEM, English, and Reading), an overall composite score, and an item response analysis.

• Career Map showing 26 career areas that are matched to students’ interests and predicted ACT score.

Please make sure you mark your calendar for our picture retake day! It will be held on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, from 8 am to Noon. Any students who missed the first picture day or need retakes, please plan to do so at this time.

For social distancing reasons, our bubbler/water fountains are only equipped to be used with a water bottle. It's because of this, that we strongly encourage students to bring a personal water bottle during the day to use to fill up and use throughout the day!

There is an informational meeting on October 28th for any boys interested in playing basketball this year. The meeting will be held in the gym from 3:15-3:30pm. All who are interested should attend. If you are unable to attend, please contact Mr. Thompson or Mr.Hendrix.

We are so excited to kick off a new season for Destination Imagination in the Muskego Norway School District! Destination Imagination will be back in person! Destination Imagination has never been more important for kids.

It's impossible to know what the COVID situation will be like at that point, but we are absolutely committed to providing safe in-person tournaments for kids, even if we have to institute some health protocols such as masking, physical distancing, etc.Meetings with team members will be in person or virtual depending on what works best for the team.

Students will continue to learn and practice the critical life skills our program was built upon: Creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication.

Planning for Global Finals 2022 will continue to evolve as we assess conditions. There will be updates involving Global Finals soon.

Start your creative journey today!

Sign-up link (due November 1st):

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedddyo4dSLEYQ2CTyI40PErIpN5RP1WnSUrfBqCtr_TAIujQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Interested in finding out more information or further questions, please email: denise.kral@muskego.norway.org 414-840-6015. We can set up a virtual or in person meeting!

Any questions about Destination Imagination please visit: Destination Imagination: Home

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.

This is the final weekend to donate to the Swim-A-Thon. All donations are due by midnight on the 24th. We have raised over $2000.....Great Job Muskies!!!! Can you help us reach the $3000 mark?

Donations can be made via Venmo @muskegolakespto or by using the Go Fund Me link below.

https://gofund.me/4dbe3318

So far Mrs. Schiessl's class is the top contender for the pizza party, but there is still time to beat them. We are also giving gift cards to the 3 top earners in each class.

Thank you to all who have donated thus far. And, as always, thank you for the support.

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

• November 17, 2021 @ 6:30pm
• 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

Webinar Subscription -

We are so excited to share with you that we have received a grant from Waukesha County Health and Human Services that will allow schools in Waukesha County access to our ever so popular substance abuse and mental health webinars at NO COST for all your parents in the school district. Parents will receive exclusive access to over 30 webinars on the topics of anxiety, depression, suicide, substance abuse, vaping and much more that they can watch on their own time and in the comfort of their own home.

Here is how it works – you share with parents that this service is now available to them for the 2021-2022 school year. Then parents register by

1. Going to https://www.yourchoiceprevention.org/webinars-members-school,

2. Clicking “join”

3. Create an account and enter code MUSWEB21-22 to remove the fee.

Then they can access these webinars whenever they wish. A flyer that you can share with parents is attached.

With busy schedules, and COVID-19 cases on the rise, it’s hard to hold in-person events. These webinars are a great way for parents to have information available whenever it’s most convenient for them.

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