It is hard to believe we are already into the 4th quarter of another school year, which has made me anxious for longer days and warmer weather. I hope you all had an opportunity to enjoy some extra time with your children during their time off for spring break. I have also been thinking about all of the important things that we need to accomplish before the end of the school year. The first that comes to mind is state testing, which begins next week. Students in all grades will be taking portions of the Wisconsin Forward Exam. These exams provide information outlining our students' performance in relation to Wisconsin Academic Standards. Please encourage your son or daughter to put forth his/her best effort! The last nine weeks are filled with a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities that round out the 2017-2018 educational experience for our children. Let's finish together on a strong note!

~ Casey Campbell, Principal

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Now that spring has arrived, the thought of warmer weather and the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors is on our minds. Our eighth grade math students they will have that chance in May when they complete their year end project of building a kite and flying it in Webb Park. The kite unit is a cooperative project in which the students will choose to build one of three types of kites. Significant factors of this project that affect their results are staying on task, following directions carefully, and measuring accurately. Most of the materials will be provided in class; however, each pair of students will be asked to supply a few household items. Such items include two clear, tall kitchen bags or larger, a paper grocery bag, and string. After a week of building, the students will conduct test flights of their kites with a piece of advice...watch out for the trees!

~ Mrs. Penkwitz, 8th Grade

Forward Exam Preparation

Spring has sprung and that means we will soon be seeing green grass, colorful flowers, beautiful birds, baseball, and standardized tests. Tests are a way for educators to gauge what our students have learned. In 7th grade we will dedicate two days in April to the Wisconsin FORWARD exam. As a class we will practice and prepare our students for these tests here at Webb, so they are unafraid or surprised by anything on the test. As their parents and guardians you can also help them at home to do their best this spring. 

#1  Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep consecutive days before the test. This will allow your child to be refreshed and reloaded to do his/her best on test days.

#2  Make sure your child eats a decent breakfast. It is a always a good idea to have a good breakfast in the morning to help prepare yourself for the day ahead, but it’s especially important during the week of testing. Please encourage your child to eat a good breakfast, whether your child eats breakfast at home or here at school.

#3  Remind your child to read and listen carefully to test directions. Sometimes directions, written and verbal, may seem redundant, but they are always important to listen to in order to assure that all questions are answered appropriately.

#4  The FORWARD exam gives students unlimited time to complete their tests. Sometimes this can cause students to spend too much time on questions that may confuse them at the time. Please encourage your child to try his/her best. If he runs into a question that is especially difficult, he is able to flag it, move onto another question and go back to flagged questions later with fresher eyes. Often times when students return to a question, the question is no longer as confusing as it was initially.

#5  Talk positively about the test at home with your child. Let’s face it, it is never anyone’s favorite activity, but it is a very important part of your child’s academic career. Encourage your child to his/her best in order to showcase all that he/she has learned.

~ Mrs. Sukup, 7th Grade

Super-Charged Greeting Cards

To wrap up our electricity unit each sixth grader made a spring greeting card using LED lights and a circuit made with copper tape and a battery.

Students had to use their knowledge of how to create a closed circuit that would communicate with the positive and negative sides of the battery. Students had to use problem solving skills to manipulate the parts of the circuit so that the card would work.

The sixth grade science teachers were impressed with the students’ patience and perseverance to make this project happen.

~ Mrs. Seep, 6th Grade

Wisconsin Forward Exam

We are sure you have received plenty of reminders for the upcoming Forward exam but we wanted to share the specific testing dates one more time. Please mark these dates on your calendars as it is important for your student to be present at school on their scheduled testing days. Our testing schedule will be slightly different this year than in the past as students will not have long blocks of testing but will complete the majority of the subtests in their content area classrooms. We plan to administer the assessment on the following dates:

8th Grade

7th Grade

6th Grade

Cathy Mindham

(608) 768-8930 ext. 2105

cmindham@rsd.k12.wi.us

Tracy Anderson

(608) 768-8930 ext. 2158

tanderson@rsd.k12.wi.us

Last month I had the opportunity to chaperone a trip with 90 Webb Middle School students to the Fireside Theater in Fort Atkinson. Students had the opportunity to spend some time in the theater with one of the actors before the show. There they had their questions answered and were provided a little backstage knowledge about the workings of the show. Students then gathered for a very nice meal followed by a wonderful performance of the Broadway Musical Newsies. As impressive as the show was, I was even more impressed by our students. They represented their families, their school, and their community with class!

The next opportunity for your child to take a school trip is coming up soon. On Sunday, April 22nd, we will be taking 150 students and parents to Miller Park to cheer on the Milwaukee Brewers. Tickets sell out fast for this trip, and at last check only 24 were remaining. If your son or daughter is interested, please have him/her check with Mr. Peyer as soon as possible. The cost of the trip is $40, which includes travel, a tailgate party, and a ticket to the game.

~ Matt Delkamp, Associate Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Monday, April 16 - Track Meet @ Sauk Prairie

Sunday, April 22 - Brewer Trip

Monday, April 23 - Track Meet @ RAHS

Stay "in the know" of what is going on throughout the school district with #ReedsburgPride on social media. We are on:  Facebook ,  Twitter ,  Instagram , and  YouTube . Setup the " See First " option so you don’t miss a post on Facebook!

The details of site development and building design for the new elementary school continue to be fine-tuned. In addition, the plans for the new Transportation Maintenance Facility and improvements for other schools are being worked on. Check out the latest news on ' Building the Future of Reedsburg Schools ".