Winter 2023 Newsletter
Welcome from Mr. Brunner
Welcome to our first Winter Family Newsletter (following our first Autumn Family Newsletter a few months ago.) Before now, families received many more emails from school with just a single topic. While this gave families more "in the moment" information, it also meant many more email messages and a greater chance that important information was getting lost. It's our goal to keep you as informed as possible about happenings at Sugar Creek.
Anytime you are seeking more information about upcoming news and events, lunch menus, bus information, contact information, or ways to get any other questions answered, please see Sugar Creek's new website at: https://sces.verona.k12.wi.us/
Sugar Creek Family Events & Involvement
The Imagination Fair is coming...save the date!
Save the date: The Sugar Creek Imagination Fair (a student-lead Science Fair and Author Fair as well as a Scholastic Book Fair) is coming! Registration opens in January, and the event will be the evening of Friday, March 8th.
Hoping to mark your calendar for this more of this year's school events? A great place to look for times and dates for many Sugar Creek events is on our PTO page on our website, and then go to 2023-24 Sugar Creek Events calendar. Do keep in mind that on occasion additional events might occur (such as our Math Night, Reading Night, etc.) so separate messages about those are sent out.
Keeping Our Parking Lot Safe
We have noticed several safety worries in our student parking lot which lead us to share these important reminders:
1. If you choose to drop off your child in the parking lot, please park in a parking spot and do so. Do not block the parking lot lanes and have your child run through the lot as this is unsafe.
2. If your child needs a moment to get ready before you drop them off, please park in a parking spot. Do not stop in the drop off lane as this is unsafe and causes traffic to back up behind you.
3. Handicapped parking spots are society's way of helping those who are in need. Unless you are legally entitled to use one, do not - even briefly - pull into one. Verona's Code of Ordinances Sec. 10-1-23 - Parking Reserved for Vehicles of Disabled forbids this, and is enforced by the Verona Police Department. They can be reached at 608-845-7623.
4. Please carefully follow Ms. Maria's hand-held sign as she guides students and families across our parking lot crosswalk.
Thank you for your partnership to keep everyone safe!
Community Gatherings
Each month, Sugar Creek has a Community Gathering. To keep the audience smaller and the experience more meaningful, we typically have one just for
Kindergartners, Second and Fourth Graders; and another just for First, Third and Fifth Graders. Topics may include special announcements, school behavioral goals, special performances (as seen in this exciting picture from a December Community Gathering), special guests, and more.
Families are welcome to attend. These run from 7:30 - 7:50 a.m. on the dates listed below, so you can park and enter the gym with your child (no need to sign into the office as there are lots of staff present to guide and supervise). Students sit by their teachers and families can sit on the bleachers.
On Wednesday January 10th, Sugar Creek will have our first K-5 Community Gathering!
The dates are as follows:
K / 2nd / 4th:
Feb. 7, Mar. 13, Apr. 10, May 22.
1st / 3rd / 5th:
Feb. 8, Mar. 14, Apr. 11, May 23.
Family Handbook
Have you ever been curious about being a volunteer for a field trip and what that entails? What guidelines are there for birthdays and or special days? Wanted more information about attendance and if your child needs to come to school late or leave early? All this information and more can be found in the VASD Elementary Family Handbook. All elementary schools within VASD use this handbook to ensure that families are receiving the same information and experiences at all of our schools. The Family Handbook can be found on our Sugar Creek Website under Families and Students or by clicking this link. If you have questions about anything you read in our handbook don’t hesitate to reach out to either Mr. Brunner or Ms. Marquardt.
Great news! Support grows for Field Trips
Last month, you read how we have created the Sugar Creek Elementary Field Trip and Enrichment Fund for donations we receive for field trips or other exciting learning opportunities. We have already raised OVER $5,100! This is a wonderful start, and this newsletter is featuring several of the field trips that donations like these are providing to your children. Due to the costs of the buses and bus drivers, this money is going fast, so to help us provide such experiences please follow this link https://www.classmunity.com/vasd/view-fundraiser.php?fundraiser_id=2337 or, scanning/clicking this QR code:
Have you signed up for PowerSchool Family?
You can gain access to all of your children's information in one spot!
- View grades
- View attendance
- 6-12 grade schedules and assignments
- Summer School sign up!
Sign up at https://vasd.powerschool.com or scan/click the QR code below.
Family Survey: Coming Soon
Each winter we send out our annual Sugar Creek Family Survey. It’s an important chance to hear from our families, celebrate what is going well at our school, and look for ways to improve our service to our students. Look for an email in the coming few weeks.
Sugar Creek PTO Parent Teacher Organization
Below is the link to the Sugar Creek PTO newsletter. It's the same link each week, and every week important information, events, and ways families can be involved at school are shared:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ruo9aznJeNn7BFkkRjWVeaNny1vIuBR-6xuTI8cYgow/edit?usp=sharing
VASD’s Incoming Kindergarten Information Night
If you have a child who will be in Kindergarten next year, 2024-25, you should put the VASD Kindergarten Information Night on your calendar. It will be Thursday, January 11, from 6 - 7 pm right here in the Sugar Creek gym.
VASD Podcasts
Our Superintendent, Dr. Clardy, is the host of periodic podcasts that can give families some insights into VASD. They are archived here, should you wish to listen.
Family Learning Resources
The Power of Reading TO your Child:
The Power of Intentionally Supporting Oral Language for your Child:
“If children have strong oral language, they have most of what they need to learn to read.”
-Burkins & Yates “Shifting the Balance”
Supporting students in becoming successful readers requires careful attention to both decoding/word reading and understanding spoken language (listening comprehension).
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As you read with your child, stop to talk about vocabulary words.
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As you are “out and about” with your child, talk about things you see/notice in the environment around you.
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Have conversations with your child that require more than a “yes” or “no” response.
Read together! Don’t forget to check out books from our Verona Public Library!
From our two amazing reading teachers, Ms. Hoffman & Ms. Doberstein.
Sugar Creek Library News
Sugar Creek Library News:
We work hard to create and foster opportunities for ALL kids to learn, grow, meet new friends, and have fun! One we offer is an optional opportunity for our Fourth and Fifth Graders to participate in Wisconsin’s Battle of the Books! Battle of the Books is a statewide reading challenge organized by WEMTA (Wisconsin Educational Media and Technology Association) at three levels (elementary 4-6, middle 6-8, and high school 9-12.) To prepare, students read books deeply so that they retain information about plot, character, theme, setting, and other elements.
Last year, Sugar Creek had 57 participants. This year we have over 100! A huge thank you to Ms. Vitela, our school librarian, for fostering a love of reading in our students while overseeing our school Battle of the Books teams, and a thank you as well to Kismet Books of Verona for supporting our book ordering needs.
Check out these awesome digital library resources for reading and research in English and Spanish at home: Sugar Creek 23-24 Library Databases and Passwords If you have any questions or need help accessing these resources, please feel free to email Sugar Creek's librarian, Ms. Vitela: vitelaj@verona.k12.wi.us
Do you have a child in the Two Way Immersion program?
Be sure to check out our Two Way Immersion page to see tips for supporting your child at home in their participation in this unique program.
Digital Citizenship
We continue to address digital citizenship in our classrooms as it grounds us in our belief in teaching the whole child. Keeping our kids safe and happy, both offline and online, is so important! Last month your child learned about Relationships and Communication online using the Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Curriculum.
In January your student(s) in Grades 3-5 will learn about Cyberbullying. As a family, you can continue the conversation at home using these Family Activities (en Español).
In March, your student(s) in Grades 3-5 will learn about News and Media Literacy. As a family, you can continue the conversation at home using these Family Activities (en Español) activities. If you have any questions or are looking for additional resources, please reach out.
Thank you!
Melissa Ruder
Educational Technology Coach
PBIS at School & Home
At Sugar Creek, we use strategies from PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) to encourage and promote positive behaviors from both students and staff. We spend a lot of time talking about and teaching the behavior expectations we desire to see from learners. We believe that teaching behavior expectations is just as important as teaching reading or math. Throughout the first months of school every classroom worked on completing a Passport for Learning. This activity was completed as part of classroom morning meetings and helped establish positive behavior expectations throughout Sugar Creek. Throughout the school year, if problems arise, teachers refer back to these passports to reteach expectations and refresh student learning.
Sugar Creek also works very hard to acknowledge children for doing the right thing. We do this daily by talking with children about our appreciation for how they are following our expectations. We create school and classroom goals throughout the year when we see areas that could use improvement to help motivate students to work through harder expectations.
It may be very helpful for you as a family to establish your own expectations for learning at home. Please check out our website for more information about PBIS and to see how you can incorporate positive behavior strategies at home. On the website you will find information to assist you in creating your own expectations, help you link the behavior learning we have done at school to learning you can do at home, and help you establish a positive learning routine.
Futura Language Program Spanish classes resume in February
In our eight-week course, ¡Vamos por la ciudad! (Let’s go to the city!), students will learn about sports, health and pastimes along with useful conversational Spanish taught using dynamic songs and games. The class will also delve into learning about the bustling city of Madrid, Spain! Register today to reserve your student's spot! (Very limited spaces available) https://futuraadventures.com/wisconsin-region/
Please note: Students enrolled in the Full Year session, which started in the fall, do not need to re-enroll.
"Listening to our bodies" from Nurse Kelly
What does a school nurse do? Certainly, it's much more than just responding to the immediate health and wellness needs of children. At Sugar Creek, our incredible school nurse, Kelly Borell, started the year with detailed professional development sessions for our certified staff, and another for all of our lunchroom/recess supervisors and special education assistants.
In the first weeks of school, Nurse Kelly delivered presentations including to all Kindergarteners and First Graders where she taught students how to “listen to their bodies” and take care of themselves. These were informative, kid-friendly, and very well-received by the kids!
Concerned about your child’s hearing or vision?
Please email the School Nurse at borellik@verona.k12.wi.us, inform their teacher, or stop by the Sugar Creek office.
Health Services Updates
Your Child Is Ill?
If your child is ill, please email sc-attendance@verona.k12.wi.us or call the Sugar Creek office to report their illness. If you take your child to the doctor, please provide us with a medical note.
Is Your Child Well Enough To Be At School?
Please review this document.
Medication at School
Does your child need to take medication at school? If so, please make sure to review the Verona Area School District’s medication policy. Please complete the Parent Medication Consent Form, and provide the form and medication bottle to the Health Office. This includes any over-the-counter medications:
Upcoming FREE Dental Care Treatment available at Sugar Creek- REGISTER NOW!
New this school year, Verona Area School District is partnering with Verona Smiles to provide free dental services (x-rays, dental exams, and treatment) to eligible students at school! If you have not registered your student for Verona Smiles this school year, you still can by completing this Google Form: Verona Smiles enrollment.
Register for Low or No Cost Preventive Dental Care at Sugar Creek!
Verona Area School District continues to partner with Bridging Brighter Smiles to provide preventative dental care at school. Registration remains active for 2-3 years. If you have not registered or re-registered recently on the Bridging Brighter Smiles website, your student may no longer be registered. You can still register or re-register your student to receive preventative dental care for this school year here: Bridging Brighter Smiles enrollment. If you have questions about the program or your student’s enrollment status, contact Bridging Brighter Smiles at wecare@bbsmiles.org.
Looking for information about students taking medication at school, the latest illness guidance, or requesting dietary accommodations? Check out the updated Verona Area School District Health Services website: VASD Health Services.
Kelly Borelli, School Nurse
Cell Phone: (608)-354-1102
Health Office: (608)-845-4115
Email: borellik@verona.k12.wi.us
Heather Strang, Health Assistant
Health Office: (608)-845-4115
Email: strangh@verona.k12.wi.us
Sugar Creek Leadership
Sharing the learning with our educational colleagues
Principal Brunner, who with a Sugar Creek team attended October’s Wisconsin Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages WITESOL conference, presented at CESA 2’s Language and Culture Center on November 1, on the topic of “Family & Community Partnerships.”
Supporting our Students' Emotional Development
VASD K-5 families are participating in a social emotional universal screener this winter to strengthen our efforts to help all of our students be successful by allowing us to take positive and preventative measures as early as possible. Your child’s teacher will be completing the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS) for all students this winter. Please see this letter for more information.
Phonics and Literacy Instruction: a Presentation to Families
As advertised, at the December Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) meeting Ms. Houghan and Ms. Mohr presented (see picture) on how phonics is taught, what the feedback from teachers and students has been about our phonics instruction, what future changes to literacy instruction we are anticipating in VASD due to the recent passing to Act 20 by Wisconsin’s state legislature, and – perhaps most importantly – ways families can help their children learn to read. It was an excellent presentation!
Sugar Creek Community News
First Graders are Writers
Writing is “thinking on paper”. At Sugar Creek, writing is important, and starts in Kindergarten. Here you see a picture of Mr. Shrader’s First Graders writers very focused on editing. These were the edits to their final “small moment” stories which included reviewing for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation using a checklist.
Hmong New Year
Recently, Ms. Thao, her children, and Ms. Valdivia worked together to create an incredibly informative display celebrating
Hmong New Year. As the photo shows, Ms. Thao brought in many of her family’s books, clothing, pictures, and personal items to share with our school community.
Congratulations, Mr. Beirowksi
A representative from TDS recently presented Mr. Beirowski with a gift and letter, acknowledging that he was nominated for the TDS Most Valuable Educator Award! The photo here shows him with his Third Graders, student teacher Ms. Duff, and TDS staff member Ms. Grace Faulkner.
Books for Kids
At Sugar Creek we have several events each year where we give kids free books, including our popular Books for Kids event each November, when we give out some 1,400 new books to our students! See the picture for some of the happy recipients!
The Student Council has been busy
Sugar Creek offers many leadership opportunities and other activities for students. A selection of them can be found explained on our website. Student Council, which is comprised of two representatives from each of our six Fourth Grade classrooms, has been busy! They recently began our Mits and Zips program of daily help to Kindergarten students as they get ready for lunch recess, and they have written and helped deliver holiday cards to our crossing guards and bus drivers. They are an incredible group of young leaders.
Fifth Grade Announcements Club
At Sugar Creek, Fifth Graders are invited to participate in the Fifth Grade Announcements Club. This opportunity is open to all. Students get to be part of our school-wide morning announcements, which are read in Spanish and English each day from the main office. It is an excellent leadership opportunity, one of many we offer our students. See above for a recent team, Jennifer, Kylie, Bryn and Tito, with Mr. Brunner. One member, Adie, said she really likes being a part of this because, “I get to come here, find out everything, and tell the whole school what’s happening. It's really fun!”
VASD Technology Team Prize Winner: Ms. Lenzlinger
Ms. Lenzliniger and her Fifth Grade class had a surprise visit from Wildcat recently, to present her with an acknowledgement for winning a district-wide staff technology contest. Way to go, Ms. Lenzlinger!
Kindergarten Trip to Miller's Bakery
A long standing way our Kindergarten teachers have connected their curriculum
and literacy with our community has been a winter visit to Miller’s Bakery, as you can see here in this photo of Ms. Steiner and some of her students on their December walking field trip. In the store, Kindergartners got a look at the back room to see how deliveries come into the store, where extra groceries are stored and even a chance to step inside the giant freezer. After a fun behind-the-scenes tour Kindergartners each got to decorate their own frosted sugar cookie, learn about how bread is baked and sliced, and watch how bakers decorate cakes in the bakery. A big thank you to Miller’s for giving our Kindergartners this free experience each year!
Fourth Grade TWI trip to VAHS’ Latin American
Culture class
On Wednesday, December 13, students in Fourth Grade TWI (Two Way Immersion) had the opportunity to visit the Verona Area High School, to visit Mr. Simonini’s Latin American Cultures class. Students engaged in a variety of hands-on activities to learn more about the diverse cultures of Latin America. Students enjoyed a folkloric dance performance, crafts (see the attached picture), and danced merengue, salsa, and bachata! This experience helped students learn more about what culture is and gained an appreciation for Latin American countries.
Third Grade TWI trip to Verona Area International School (VAIS)
VAIS’s Fifth Grade recently hosted our Third Grade TWI classes for a fabulous Chinese Culture Showcase. Students learned about Chinese culture, language, dress, traditions, and more. Both programs - our Two Way Immersion program, and VAIS - are dedicated to creating bilingual, bicultural learners, so the students and teachers found many similarities in their experiences.
Third Grade trip to Verona Area High School Robotics Class
On Tuesday, December 12, Third Grade students from Mr. Beirowski's class teamed up
with Mr. Rick Boehm’s high school Robotics class to learn, play and have some fun. After watching the inspiring Discovery Education video “Build the Change”, students learned how creativity, learning, and imagination all intersect to solve challenges using the power of play and imagination. After learning how important play can be, the video showcased the U.S. Sea Turtle Conservationists, as they introduced some big challenges facing our planet. When the Third Grade students came to the high school, they were ready to be inspired as the high school students shared how they build robots, cars, rockets and more. Students definitely got creative and had some fun! The field trip was coordinated by Rita Mortenson and Melisa Ruder, VASD Educational Technology Coaches.