Attendance is a top priority in the Baraboo School District. This year, we are helping families keep track of their student's attendance with these attendance cards, given out during Open House. 

When students miss school, they miss the opportunity to learn from their teachers. The more students  miss, the harder it is for them to keep up with those who attend school regularly. 

While some absences are  unavoidable for health reasons or other important family matters, we also know that even when children have
missed school for good reasons, too many absences can cause them to fall behind.

Missing two days a month, or 18 days in a school year, can harm your student's progress. We call missing 18  days in a school year "chronic absence." These absences may seem small as they happen, but your student  is less likely to succeed if they are chronically absent. Research shows that:
● Students chronically absent in kindergarten and 1 st grade tend not to read at grade level by the end of  3 rd grade.
● By middle and high school, chronic absence is a proven early sign that a student is likely to fail  academic courses and be at risk of eventually dropping out. 

Going to school regularly matters for your student's success and achievement! Let's work together to  make sure that your student does not fall behind in school this school year. Please ensure that your student  attends school every day and also arrives on time so they benefit as much as possible from what is taught in  the classroom. 

Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:
● Make sure your student keeps a regular bedtime.
● Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
● Establish a morning routine.
● Ensure your students go to school every day unless they are truly sick (e.g child has a fever, is  throwing up or has diarrhea versus a minor stomach ache or runny nose.)
● Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor's appointments when school is in session.
● Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your student feels anxious about going to school.
● Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member,  neighbor, or another parent to take your student to school.

Please let us know how we can work with you and your family to ensure your student shows up for school on  time, every day. Like you, we want your student to be successful! If you have any questions or need more  information please contact us. If you did not receive an attendance card, please contact your school's main office to request one.

The Baraboo School District is up and running with our NEW social media and the NEW District hashtag #AlwaysOnwardBSD!

Be the first to get weather delays and cancellations! View events LIVE! See our community partnerships in action! Be in-the-know about picture day, yearbooks, events and the great things happening at our schools each and every day!  Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to make sure you stay up-to-date on everything happening at your students' schools!

Click here to LIKE our new Facebook account!

Our goal is to get to 2,000 likes/followers on Facebook by Dec. 31, 2019! At the start of this week we had 150. We are up to 400. Let's keep going!

Click here to FOLLOW us on Twitter!

Click here for Instagram Updates!

People Helping People of South Central Wisconsin generously provided school supplies to ABE, West, GLW, North Freedom, East and Jack Young Middle School.  

These resources will greatly support and help many of our Baraboo School District families. Our staff greatly appreciates the support from Bill Harris and the People Helping People organization. Thank you again for thinking of our schools and families!

We have been BUSY over the summer solidifying our 2019-2022 District Strategic Plan (DSP), and with the new DSP comes a fresh look and a new hashtag!

Starting in January of 2019, the District began meeting with a diverse group of community and staff stakeholders to create the 2019-2022 District Strategic Plan. The DSP serves as a guidepost for action to guarantee continuous school improvement in all of our seven school buildings. The priorities of the plan drive decision-making and allocation of resources for success.

Why #AlwaysOnwardBSD? Because we are committed to our ongoing effort to move the district forward by investing in the future, maintaining a safe environment for all students, engaging collaboratively, providing equitable access to opportunities, responding to each student's individual needs, and working together with students for positive growth.

For more information on the 2019-20 District Strategic Plan, please click here.

Angela Hanley presented a check to Baraboo High School Principal Glenn Bildsten in the amount of $5,312.58 to support the Baraboo High School Food Pantry.  

An anonymous source donated $5,200.00 to Angela's nonprofit Children's Health Advocacy International Inc. earmarked for the BHS Food Pantry, and Angela conducted a Facebook Fundraiser that generated the balance of the donation. 

Children's Health Advocacy International has partnered with the BHS Food Pantry so that the Food Pantry can receive regular shipments of food from Second Harvest Foodbank this coming school year. The Baraboo High School launched its food pantry during the 2018-2019 school year to help support students who are in need.  

Are you interested in a part-time position that makes a positive contribution to the community by helping students learn and grow?  We have several  Kid   Stop  Assistant positions available. 

Kid   Stop  is a childcare program designed for elementary school students entering grades K-5.  Weekly hours for these part-time positions vary, but may be up to 25 hours a week. The starting rate for these positions begins at $11.75/hour. Any early child education is preferred, but not required

View more details about the position and application instructions at  baraboo.k12.wi.us/district/jobs.cfm

For a printable version, click here.

Thunderbirds,

If you see a rainbow T-Bird displayed on the glass of a classroom door or window this year, it is to let students and peers know that the teacher is open to offering a listening ear and that their space is a safe space for our LGBTQ community. #AlwaysOnwardBSD

For information on rates, class times and dates, please click the links below.

Aqua Zumba

Aqua Barre 

Water Aerobics

AM Aqua Jog

Masters

For information on Fall Pool Passes (September - December), please click here!

A Message from the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce:

It's impossible to sum up all that's special about Baraboo in a logo and a three-word slogan, but we gave it a shot. And we love the result.

Five partners - the City, the Village of West Baraboo, the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Baraboo Inc. and the Business Improvement District - joined forces this year to create a brand for the Baraboo Area. The goal was to develop a consistent message all stakeholders could use to promote the community. The result was the "Discover Real Baraboo" brand.

The House United, a consulting firm, was hired to help develop the brand, in tandem with a committee of local leaders. While it was challenging to fit all of Baraboo's wonders - breathtaking natural areas, fascinating historical sites, ground-breaking conservation groups and unique shopping opportunities - into a single slogan, the theme of authenticity leapt to the forefront again and again. Hence the "Discover Real Baraboo" slogan.

A logo depicting that slogan, as well as an accompanying color scheme and secondary logos, were developed and now rest in stakeholders' hands. Baraboo Area businesses can now incorporate the brand into their own marketing, creating cohesive messaging. Soon every event poster, parade banner and roadside sign will carry elements of the brand, creating an unmistakable trademark. You'll know it's from Baraboo when you see the "Discover Real Baraboo" slogan and the signature "B."

For information about the brand, contact Ben Bromley, the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce's Marketing and Tourism Coordinator, at  memberrelations@baraboochamber.com .