Dear SAGES' Families,
Welcome back from winter break, and welcome to 2020! We are so thrilled and excited to get back into learning! I hope you all had a blessed holiday season and were able to enjoy your time together with family and friends.
A few friendly reminders:
- If you know your child is going to be gone, please fill out a pre-absence form. If you are unable to do so, or if the absence is unexpected please be sure to call the office or email Mrs. Stiteley, not just the classroom teacher. The office is in charge of all attendances and it is much appreciated if we are informed. We appreciate your help with this!
- We WILL go outside and on field experiences if the weather is above zero degrees. Please make sure to send along appropriate winter gear to school every day. If you need help with these items, please contact the office.
- Breakfast is served starting at 7:40 a.m. and is served until 7:55 a.m. Students need to be in their classrooms ready to learn at 8:00 a.m. If you are a family that drops their child off and your child eats breakfast, 7:40 a.m. would be a great time to drop off so they have plenty of time to eat.
Thank you:
- SAGES' staff thanks all those families who anonymously gifted items from our giving tree. We were overwhelmed with the amount of items that were purchased for our teachers and their classroom use. We are so grateful to be part of this community!
- To Ms. Godshall for putting on such a wonderful Winter Music program and for all the support from the parents and families that attended. It was beautiful!
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Note
: If you couldn't make the concert or wish to share with family or friends, recordings of each class performance can be viewed on our website
News Page
.
Mrs. Julie Schmidt, Principal
(920) 928-3136 ext. 2600
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--- Counselor's Corner: January 2020 ---
Mrs. Darian Schmitz
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Greetings!
The month of December really flew by! Our focus during December was kindness. Students were encouraged to engage in kind acts, such as helping peers with a project, playing with friends at recess, eating lunch together, and using proper manners toward teachers. Each time a staff member witnessed an act of kindness on behalf of a student they recorded it on a strip of paper. We then strung the pieces of paper together to create a chain of kindness to display in the hallway. I am humbled by all of our kind students at SAGES. Take a look at our AWESOME kindness chain!
Beginning in January there will be guest teacher, Ellen Garner, taking over for me as school counselor. I am expecting my first child and will be taking some time to acclimate to becoming a new mom. I plan to return in April. Until then, SAGES will be in great hands with Ms. Garner! She will be visiting classrooms to cover Second Step’s Bullying Prevention unit, meeting with students one-on-one and in small group settings, as well as assisting classroom teachers when necessary.
To contact Ellen Garner with questions or concerns about your child in a school counseling capacity, please call 920-928-3136 extension 2208. She will be available at SAGES on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Enjoy this wonderful holiday season,
Darian Schmitz
SAGES School Counselor & WASD Family Advocate
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SAGES' Governance Board,
SAGES Foundation, & PTO Updates
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Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO)
By: Casey Siewart & Becky Katzenberger
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Mark your calendars for our next PTO meeting held on Monday, January 13th at 5:00 pm in the SAGES Media Center. Come and see what upcoming events we have planned for the year and how you can help. We are always looking to welcome more parents and volunteers into our SAGES PTO. Our next meeting starts the planning for upcoming spring and summer events, and we would love to have more people join us in the process.
We had lots of fun building a float for SAGES and walking in Fox Lake's
"December to Remember"
parade. Thank you to all the families that helped build. We were also so happy to see so many smiling faces join us for the parade. We have big plans for this next year as well!
And finally, a big thank you to everyone who joined us during our holiday concert. Your support for the Bake Sale as baking or buying goods was so greatly appreciated! It’s amazing to see the love, kindness and generosity that our SAGES' families share.
Happy New Year to you all!
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Important Upcoming Dates/Events
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School Events/Dates
- Tuesday, January 2: WELCOME BACK!!!
- Monday, January 6th: 6th grade Scheduling for the 2020/2021 school year at the Junior/Senior High School at 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, January 8-22: Winter i-Ready Assessments and Fountas & Pinnell Assessments
- Thursday, January 8: Governance Board Meeting at 6:30 pm in SAGES' Media Center
- Monday, January 13: PTO Meeting at 5:00 pm in SAGES' Media Center
- Monday, January 20: NO SCHOOL, Teacher Inservice
- Friday, January 24: Progress Reports sent home
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Events at SAGES
- Thursday, February 6: Parent/Teacher Conferences (request only)
- Friday, February 14 and Monday, February 17: NO SCHOOL, Teacher Inservice
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Prior to Winter Break, 4K students made Grinch fruit kabobs for snack. There was a lot of excitement in our classroom in December!
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Kindergartners were challenged by an escape room to “save” the gingerbread man from being eaten in the lunchroom. They succeeded in their mission, saved the gingerbread man, and practiced important math skills at the same time! What fun!
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First graders learned about German Christmas traditions. They discussed how many of these traditions are done in their home, and how traditions started in other countries came to be part of ours here in our own communities. To conclude learning of traditions, students made their own gingerbread house.
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Second graders
worked on a "Wonder Project." The learners asked, " I wonder, do animals freeze in the winter?" The project was called, How animals adapt to the cold.
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Third graders learned about different holidays celebrated around the world. This is a picture of them holding Kwanzaa candles and wearing kufis. We learned about Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Three King's Day, and the Korean New Year.
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In science this past month, fourth graders explored how solid rocks break apart into smaller pieces through a process called weathering. Lily and Jamie are shaking a container of sugar cubes to demonstrate how jagged rocks become rounded.
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A Salute to Supporters of our School
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Meet SAGES' Learning Partner
is a special monthly segment showcasing the valuable people, businesses, and groups who contribute to the success of our school. As we enter the New Year, we’re excited to be embarking on a new “real world” learning opportunity with our district’s Food Service Management company —
A’viands!
SAGES was contacted in early-September 2019 by Gil Shaw, Fork Farms LLC of Appleton, Wisconsin about a gift for growing and learning. Mr. Shaw explained Fork Farms was working in partnership with A’viands to place a number of their Flex Farm hydroponic systems at A’viands contracted schools. Waupun Area School District was among the locations A’viands wanted to place a Flex Farm at no cost to the district. The idea was to have this innovative, self-contained system in a classroom where learners could interact with it and grow greens or herbs to be utilized in the food service.
Appreciative, yet cautious of this offer to acquire a Flex Farm 288, standing 6’ tall, and capable of holding 288 plants and over 300 pounds of produce in a year, we paused taking time to consider various logistics that would accompany this gift. Where would it be located? What class(es) would be involved in managing, growing, and harvesting? How much time does it take to maintain? How much does it cost to operate? Energy needed to run? Many of our questions were quickly answered on Fork Farm’s website
“Frequently Asked Questions”
page. Our research also included conversations with other schools already using Flex Farm systems, as well as, further dialogue with A’viands and Fork Farms.
Satisfied with our findings, during the October 28, 2019 WASD Business Meeting, SAGES officially informed the School Board of our interest and excitement of accepting such an amazing gift with endless “real world” learning potential. The board agreed and in December three large boxes arrived at the school. With guidance from our Agricultural Educator, Mrs. Hicken, SAGES’ 5th grade learners enthusiastically took on the challenge of putting the Flex Farm together and are anxious to get “growing” in January!
A’viands prides themselves on being a scratch base company. “We begin every day from scratch,” noted Matt Mastrangelo, A’viands District Manager for Wisconsin. He is passionate about the partnership with Fork Farms and integrating Nutrition Education into the food service for their clients, such as schools. In his vision, the Flex Farm will not only provide produce, but also serve as a “Field Trip” without leaving the school’s building. With a warm smile, Mastrangelo shared, “I’m delighted to bring our fresh values into schools.”
SAGES will be A’viands first K-12 building with a Flex Farm installment. To start, we’ll be growing basil for A’viands to use to enhance the flavor and freshness of school district menu items without adding salt. Cheryl Elsner, WASD Food Service Director, is excited to integrate the fresh herbs into their recipes and continue building on A’viands use of local, student-grown produce. She already works with the High School Agriculture Department using produce like green onions and sunflower sprouts grown by ag students in the high school’s greenhouses.
A’viands,
THANK YOU
for selecting SAGES for this unique learning opportunity through your gift of a Flex Farm hydroponic system. We look forward to
“growing together”
with you and Fork Farms!
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S
chool for
Ag
ricultural &
E
nvironmental
S
tudies (
S
AG
E
S
)
PHONE: (920) 928-3136 | FAX: (920) 928-2284
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Cultivating Inquiry. Growing Minds.
Walls Optional.
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