|
|
Family Newsletter for Monona Grove High School
~ April 2020
|
|
|
A Message From Dr. Brost
|
Dear Parents:
If your student has not already connected with teachers through email and Google Classroom, it is crucial that this be done immediately. Teachers began sending out information regarding classes last week. Classes that have not already assigned work will be doing so April 6.
We hope that your family is managing through the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 public health emergency. All of the significant changes in day-to-day routines can be stressful. Please don't hesitate to reach out to our student services staff for support. We know that students will not engage successfully in school work when other needs are not being met.
All of the information that is being communicated from the various government entities can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, the seriousness of the situation and the constant need to respond to new circumstances necessitates regular updates. Thank you for your patience as we adjust plans when needed.
We know that it is difficult for students, especially seniors, to not be able to participate in athletics, musical performances, and other co-curriculars. Until a final decision regarding the length of school closings is made by the State, we have no idea if some of these experiences can be salvaged. We anticipate graduation staying on track as the Governor has ensured a waiver process with DPI for required hours of instruction. The College Board is working to develop modified on-line AP assessments. Teachers will keep students in these classes updated. State standardized assessments have been cancelled. These include the Forward social studies assessment for sophomores and the Aspire test for freshmen and sophomores.
Although most Spring Break plans were altered, we hope that you had some time to enjoy family and friends. Spring Break always gives us notice that there is about one quarter of school left. When second semester began, we did not imagine that life would look like this when spring arrived. As teachers work to deliver lessons online, please make sure that your students' technology is functioning and a schedule is developed to do class work.
Take care and let us know what you need.
Paul Brost, Ph.D.
Principal
|
| Grab-n-Go Breakfast and Lunch |
 The School Nutrition Department is providing "Grab & Go" lunch and breakfast meals for children during the school closure. The pre-packaged meals are provided free for children age 18 and under. Families can visit https://www.mononagrove.org/welcome/coronavirus.cfm for details and distribution sites. The link will be updated, so families should revisit the link for any changes in the coming weeks. |
|
News from the Student Services Department
|
Talking to Your Family About Coronavirus
As we continue to navigate the days ahead, we encourage you to continue talking with your student(s) as a family. Some suggestions include:
-
Stick to the facts. It can be scary to hear about a disease outbreak, but learning the facts can help ease your mind.
-
Help your student remain calm, and assure them their risk is low.
-
Remind your family that when we are prepared for difficult situations, we make informed decisions and have more control.
-
It's important that we avoid assumptions or stereotypes about who you think may be sick. Viruses cannot target people from specific populations, ethnicities, or racial backgrounds. A person's race does not make them more or less likely to be sick or to get sick.
Additional resources for talking with your family:
-
-
-
-
-
-
The National Association of School Psychologists have an entire page of resources on this topic
here
.
ASPIRE and Forward Testing
Due to school closures and the evolving COVID-19 situation, there will be
no further
state assessments this school year
. ASPIRE and Forward testing are cancelled.
ACT Results and Score Reports
Students who have questions about how and when they will receive their ACT score reports from state testing in March are asked to see page 3 of their
"Taking the ACT Test"
booklet that was distributed during pre-administration bubbling. Most score reports are received between 5-8 weeks after the test date. Score reports are mailed from ACT directly to the homes of students.
If students already have an ACT web account,
they should wait at least 1 week after receiving their paper score report to check for their State testing scores.
If students do not
have an ACT web account, they must wait until
after they receive their mailed score report before creating an account.
ACT with writing score reports are mailed 5-8 weeks after the test date. To create their account, students will need to enter the ACT ID from their paper score report.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams 2020
Please be sure that your student is checking their email and on-line class platforms regularly as teachers are corresponding with their students about updates as well as continued learning and content review. Additionally, The College Board has been sending updates to students directly. These are very important to read for students and families to stay current. A few highlights about what is known at this time (note that things are still changing and plans being set by The College Board):
-
For the 2019-2020 AP Exams only, students will be able to take a 45-minute, online exam at home. These streamlined exams can be taken on any device: smartphones, tablets, computers
-
The College Board has not yet released the exam dates, but it is likely that there will be two options for students
-
AP teachers have received guidance from The College Board to assist in preparing students for the revised exam content and format (again, be sure students are reading email and logging into google classrooms)
-
Students receive messages from The College Board with updates as well, including helpful resources for exam preparation to be used in conjunction with what the classroom teachers are supplying
Senior News
Scholarship Information
Scholarship information can be found on the
MG website
in the student services tab under "Post-Secondary Planning". It's up to the students to check this regularly for updates. Most colleges/universities also offer their own annual scholarship opportunities to incoming freshmen. Students are highly encouraged to explore these by contacting their future school(s) of choice or by visiting school websites.
Other Information:
We understand that there is a great deal of uncertainty among high school seniors regarding changes that are being made to accommodate remote instruction. Colleges recognize that there has been some suspension in instruction, that grading may be altered and that there are many unknowns. While we cannot speak to all universities, many have reached out to counselors to assure us that they are there to support you during this time as well (contact them directly with any questions or concerns that you may have). Colleges are sharing that it is unlikely that offers for admission will be revoked as long as students complete all graduation requirements, so please work hard to finish the year strong, regardless of the new circumstances.
|
| Office Hours |
All MGSD buildings will be closed for the duration of the public health emergency.
When school is in session, the MGHS Main Office and
Student Services Office are open from
7:30 a.m - 4:00 p.m.
|
|
2019-2020 Calendars and Schedules
|
|
District Student Calendars:
Click
HERE to view the English version.
Click
HERE to view the Spanish version.
District Events Calendar Link:
Athletics Calendar Link:
MGHS CALENDARS MAIN PAGE IS
HERE
|
| Breakfast and Lunch Menus |
SEE THE "GRAB-N-GO" SECTION ABOVE FOR INFORMATION ON FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCHES MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY DURING THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY FOR CHILDREN AGES 1-18
April Menus (switch between breakfast and lunch in the upper left hand corner)
Students may leave the school campus for lunch, but each student is expected to be back to school in time for their next class. If students stay at school for lunch, they may bring their own lunch or purchase lunch in the cafeteria. Students are expected to eat only in the designated lunch area unless permission is granted for a specific reason.
|
| Have you moved out of the district? |
Families who move out of district boundaries
must contact the Open Enrollment Coordinator for information on what is needed for your student(s) to remain enrolled in the Monona Grove School District. Please email
|
| Madison Public Library Access |
Want to use the public library's free ebooks when they're closed, but you don't have a library card? The Madison Public Library staff has set up a virtual library card to meet the needs of the community during the public health emergency. Fill out this
short online form to get your virtual library card. Within 48 hours of submitting your form, you will have instant access to over 71,000 ebooks and audiobooks, over 50 online magazines and many more free online resources.
|
| DECA State Career Development Conference |
The following students qualified for the State Competition that was held March 10-12 at the Grand Geneva Resort and Conference Center in Lake Geneva:
Wurie Bah (11) - Entrepreneurship Series Event
Abby Ellingson (12) - Buying and Merchandising Team Event
Allison Gibbons (12) - Buying and Merchandising Team Event
Tommy Gibbons (9) - Principles of Hospitality Event
Ayden Gnewuch (11) - Hotel and Lodging Management Series Event
Ethan Meulemans (11) - Sports and Entertainment Marketing Series Event
Congratulations Silver Eagles! Additional congratulations to Ethan who took 7th place in his event at SCDC! |
| Bowling Team |
District 4 High School Bowling Banquet
Monday February 17 was the District 4 High School Bowling Banquet. This includes teams from most of the schools in the area. It was held at Bowl-a-Vard Lanes in Madison. Congratulation to the following members of the Monona Grove Bowling Teams for winning awards at the banquet:
- Marissa Anderson: 1st place JV Girls Singles Tournament
- Riley Allen: 7th place Varsity Boys Singles Tournament, Varsity Boys 2nd Team All-District, State Singles Qualifier
- Mya Frank: JV Girls 1st Team All-District
- Lucy Stebbins: JV Girls 1st Team All-District, JV Girls Freshman Player of the Year
- Rito Evans: Varsity Boys 2nd Team All-District
- Pierce Evans: Varsity Boys 2nd Team All-District
- Anneeshya Perkins: Varsity Girls 1st Team All-District, earned a spot on the District 4 Wisconsin All Star Challenge Team
- Zoey Darwin: 1st place Varsity Girls Singles Tournament, Varsity Girls 1st Team All-District, State Singles Qualifier, earned a spot on the District 4 Wisconsin All Star Challenge Team
- Girls Varsity team took 2nd place in the league
- Boys Varsity team took 3rd place in the league
Wisconsin State High School Bowling Tournament
Congratulations to the Monona Grove Boys Bowling team for taking 4th place at the State Bowling Tournament at Dale's Weston Lanes in Weston, WI on March 6-8. It was their 5th year in a row qualifying for State. The Girls team qualified for the 7th year in a row and took 7th place. Riley Allen took 6th place in boys singles.
Below are the rosters with name and grade for the 2019-2020 team.
Boys Team: Riley Allen (11), Garrett Bartley (12), Pierce Evans (10), Rito Evans (12), Ryan Knudtson (11) and Justin Renz (12)
Girls Team: Marissa Anderson (10), Zoey Darwin (10), Mya Frank (11), Aneeshya Perkins (11), Brooke Way (11) and Amalia Williams (12)
The Monona Grove Bowling Team is coached by Phil Dowling and Dave Gutenberg. They are assisted by Sadie Frank and Mark Allen.
|
|
| Coach Dowling, Rito, Riley, Justin, Garrett, Ryan, Pierce, Coach Allen |
|
|
| Marissa, Anneeshya, Zoey, Amalia, Brooke, Coach Frank, Coach Guenterberg (not pictured: Mya Frank) |
|
| French 4 and 5--Unspunnen à la Wisconsin |
During a recent unit addressing the theme of social and ecological responsibility and Switzerland, French 4-5 classes learned about Unspunnenfest, a 200+ year old festival celebrating traditional Swiss culture held in the city of Interlaken. The festival features parades, alphorn playing, dancing, yodeling, and competitions of traditional Swiss sports such as wrestling and the stone-throwing contest, Unspunnen, for which the festival draws its name and is a city close to Interlaken. Competitors must lift the 80 kilo (165 pound) stone and throw it as far as possible without crossing a board. Using some of the unit's language elements such as the subjunctive, expressions to prohibit, and the negative infinitive, students crafted a list of their own rules in French for Unspunnen à la Wisconsin
in which students lifted a "pierre de glace
", or, an icy chunk of snow from the parking lot piles, and throw as far as they could. Many personal records were made on throwing day and several students actively lobbied to initiate a team category. Winners of this year's contest wish to remain "anonyme
".
|
| Virtual Reality |
Virtual Reality walkthroughs of students' architectural designs are now possible at MGHS thanks to the forward thinking of Lora Cowell in the IMC. She recently brought an Oculus Rift S and a computer with the capabilities to process graphics generated from CAD models into the library. Students design many of their projects in Autodesk Revit, the industry standard CAD program in commercial design. When students design structures in the software, they must specify building materials, views, site locations, along with heights and widths. This can be a daunting task and easy mistakes are common when learning the software. Students can create walkthroughs of their models using an add-in software, Enscape, which allows them to immerse themselves in the design in a revolutionary way to get a better feel for their structures, find errors, or modify design flows. The VR walkthroughs also help students gain a deeper understanding of Revit software and why the program functions the way it does, which will help them in their pursuit of attaining industry recognized certification.
Please click this link to experience an Enscape Walkthrough.
|
| Winnequah Kindness Retreat 2020 |
MGHS volunteers had a great time with the 4th graders at the Winnequah Kindness Retreat
on Friday, February 28th! They worked alongside the Youth Frontier leaders to lead activities for a full-day retreat. Click here for a video!
|
| Post-Prom |
Post-Prom planning has begun!
Here are the details so far:
-
Oakstone Recreational, 304 Commerce Parkway, Cottage Grove
-
Midnight - 3 a.m. (the early morning of May 3, 2020)
-
Tasty food, caffeinated beverages, games, prizes, volleyball, a photo booth, and more!
-
$5 tickets will be sold during lunch hour during the same time you purchase your prom tickets
-
All juniors and seniors are invited, whether they attend prom or not. Guests who attend prom with a junior or senior are also invited.
-
Help fund this event! Watch for information regarding a share night at Culver's
-
Parents can donate! Checks payable to MG Post Prom, can be dropped off in the office or check out the Facebook fundraiser link for
MG Post Prom
.
-
*
Any funds not used for Post Prom (especially if the event cannot be held as planned on May 2) will be rolled over for future use by the Class of 2021
|
| Summer School 2020 |
Monday, June 22 -- Friday, July 17
(no class Friday, July 3)
Monona Grove High School provides summer school for additional academic
support for students who did not pass a specific course and need credit remediation. Registration for the credit recovery classes at MGHS summer school will continue to be done through our MGHS counselors in Student Services. Parents will receive a letter from the student services department stating that your child needs to sign up for summer school and how to register.
In addition to credit recovery classes, MGHS will offer an ACT prep class. Registration for this course will occur through our Student Services department, please call (608) 316-1373 to register.
Our Speed, Conditioning & Agility and Weight Training sessions will be offered but will
NOT
run through summer school. Registration for those sessions will be done through the MGHS Athletic Department. Please watch the
MGHS Athletics webpage
for more information on how to sign up for Speed, Conditioning & Agility and Weight Training.
|
| MG21 Liberal Arts Charter School |
 MG21 is a public charter school for students in grades 6 through 12. It is part of the Monona Grove School District. Applications are now being accepted for the 2020/21 school year. Learn more and apply online at:
www.mg21.org
The application deadline is Friday, May 22.
The 10th Anniversary Open House originally scheduled for April 7th has been postponed until September 2020.
|
Parent Educator Forum Meeting
|
THE APRIL MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELED.
All parents/guardians of MGHS students are welcome to attend the next Parent Educator Forum meeting on Monday, May 18.
Parent Educator Forum is an informal meeting in which Dr. Brost gives a brief overview of current issues in education and events occurring at the high school, occasionally followed by group discussion. There is no formal agenda, it's an opportunity for parents to have contact with high school staff, without dues or volunteering. Typically, we meet on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 in the IMC (library) for about an hour. This is a great opportunity to meet with Dr. Brost in a small group setting, hear what's going on at the high school level and discuss issues!! Parents interested in what is discussed can email Cathy Bernards at [email protected] to get notes from our most recent meeting. We'd love to see new faces!
|
Homework Help
|
THE OVERTIME PROGRAM WILL NOT RUN DURING THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY. IT WILL RESUME ONCE STUDENTS AND STAFF RETURN TO THE BUILDING.
The Overtime Program is a program for students who need a place to do homework after school and for students who need extra time to complete an assignment or get extra help in a class. Some students may be assigned to Overtime by their teachers if there is a need.
Overtime takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 in the IMC. Please encourage your student to take advantage of the Overtime Program if they need additional help with an assignment or in one of their classes.
|
Infinite Campus Information
|
Is your Infinite Campus Information Up to Date? Do you have a change of information such as a new doctor, a new e-mail address or phone number? It is very important that all of your information is up to date on Infinite Campus. Please log into your Parent Portal and enter the new information.
Infinite Campus Mobile App
Parents and students may access Infinite Campus on their mobile devices.
|
Reminders from the Attendance Office
|
 24 hour Attendance Line:
608-316-1393
The Attendance Office is open from 7:00-3:30. Parents may call before or after school and leave a message regarding their child's attendance.
Parents are required to call the Attendance Line prior to 10:00 A.M. on the day of the absence.
Please be sure to indicate the student's name, grade, date of absence and reason for absence when calling.
Students must have absences excused within 24 hours after they return or the absences will be considered unexcused.
The MGSD recognizes a positive relationship between good school attendance and success in school and employment.
A student's attendance in school becomes part of his/her permanent school record and is often the subject of inquiry by employers. Most importantly, however, is the need for students to be in school to interact with the teacher and with other students as they gain the knowledge that is necessary for successful completion of the course of studies Monona Grove High School provides.
Excused Absences
Parents may excuse, in writing, a student for any reason
PRIOR
to the day of the absence. (Wis. Stats. 118.15(3)(c). If an excuse is not given prior to an absence, the school, not a student's parent, excuses an absence. Monona Grove High School will excuse a student from school for the following reasons:
- personal illness;
- illness in the family for which the student is required at home;
- funerals and weddings;
- religious holidays;
- legal obligations;
- dental, medical, and orthodontic appointments;
- family vacations that cannot be scheduled during non-school times or other family approved vacations or school visits with prior approval; and
- an emergency situation which must be reviewed by the assistant principal.
Unexcused Absences
The school will not excuse an absence for any reason other than those listed above. Specifically:
- single period absences for illness when the student fails to report to the Nurse's Office
- absences related to vehicle problems during the school day
- oversleeping
- absences due to working on other school work will not be excused unless it's a school-sponsored field trip.
Parents will be notified of unexcused absences by phone or mail. Students with unexcused absences from classes or study halls will be assigned one, two-hour after school detention per period missed.
Leaving School Early
Monona Grove High School is a closed campus except for the following occasions: lunch, cooperative education programs, medical/dental appointments, sudden illness, or open campus students. During passing times, students must remain on school grounds. All students wishing to leave school must obtain permission from their parent, the assistant principal, or the school nurse in case of illness. Students will not be allowed out of class for illness unless they are going home. At that time, the student must sign out in the Attendance Office and receive an out pass. If he/she plans to return to school, he/she must sign in upon returning. Students are not allowed to have other students drive them anywhere during the school day.
Planned Absences and Vacations
Occasionally a student will know in advance that he/she will be absent from school. This can be excused if, and only if, a planned absence form is completed prior to the absence. This requires that the student notify his/her teachers of the planned absence so that school work missed during the absence can be given to the student.
This must be done at least three days prior to the planned absence. Planned absence forms are available in the Attendance Office and are
required for absences of 2 or more days. If forms are not completed and returned before the student leaves, the absences will be unexcused.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
