Falls Schools Family News | November 4, 2021

Falls Schools News | November 4, 2021

You're receiving this newsletter because you are a part of our school district community and we just plain like you. Thanks for keeping up to date with SDMF!

Congratulations to MFHS senior Siya Mahajan, who earned a spot as National Merit Semifinalist among 16,000 semifinalists from across the country. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $30 million offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

Read More!

Curriculum Spotlight:

by Sumeera Mansukhani, Elementary School Studies Chair

I think back to the days when I learned social studies from one perspective, sitting quietly at my desk, and memorizing facts from a textbook. These days, teachers are finding interactive ways to encourage students to listen to multiple perspectives, think like a historian, and draw their own conclusions. In the elementary social studies curriculum, the goal is to create informed, safe, and curious classroom spaces that allow for multiple viewpoints and critical thinking. Families can support their child in their learning at home. Harvey Daniels (2017) provides some ideas to help students stay curious and informed:

Demonstrate Your Own Curiosity. When your child sees you reading, watching, or learning about a topic that interests you, you can model to your child how to be a learner. Share with your child your favorite book that you are reading, bring them along for a different cultural event, or talk to them about a current event that you would like to further investigate.

Capture and Honor Kids’ Questions. Encourage your child to keep a list of questions or topics they are wondering about. Your child can journal about topics that interest them and then revisit them when they discover more information about their curiosities.

Check Our News Feed. Have your child explore kid-appropriate newspapers, magazines, media, or online sources to stay informed.

Hang Out with an Expert. Expose your child to real-life experts that can teach them about their specific field. Have your child join a virtual interview with a children’s book author, listen to a historian at a museum, or connect with someone who works in a local business or organization. All elementary students in the School District of Menomonee Falls engage in the Junior Achievement USA program which allows students to connect with professionals in the community to learn financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Giving students the opportunity to connect with experts in their field helps prepare them for the real world.

References

Daniels, H. (2017). The Curious Classroom: 10 Structures for Teaching with Student-Directed

Inquiry. Heinemann.

Families received an email on Monday, October 18, 2021, from their school principal with a link to a Parent Satisfaction Survey. The survey will remain open through November 12, 2021.

The School District of Menomonee Falls continues to work each day to provide a great place for students to learn, teachers to teach, employees to work, and parents to send their children for an excellent education. We are committed to listening and responding to your experiences as a parent. Our partners at Huron | Studer Education are providing an opportunity for you to provide feedback anonymously on a Parent Satisfaction survey. This survey will help us recognize what we do well as well as areas that may need our attention.

The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete. Your feedback will be used to celebrate our successes and to create action plans for improvement. Your input is valuable; please take a few minutes to complete the survey.

If you have children attending multiple schools, you will be prompted to complete an additional survey at the end of the first survey.

Ben Franklin Elementary

Menomonee Falls High School

North Middle School

Riverside Elementary

Shady Lane Elementary

Valley View Elementary

It's winter again in Wisconsin which means it could be 65 degrees today, and then we could get 6' 5" of snow the next day. When deciding to cancel or delay the school day, our primary concern is student and staff safety.

When our local weather authorities begin discussing the possibility of severe weather, Superintendent of Schools, Corey Golla, will consult with various sources including area superintendents, Johnson Bus Company, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts, Village of Menomonee Falls administrators, and road reports. Closure decisions are typically made by 5:30 a.m. as weather forecasts often change as a storm or cold weather approaches.

It is our practice that if schools are closed, all after-school activities, including athletic competitions and practices, and CE&Rec activities will be canceled unless otherwise communicated.

Closing or delaying school because of inclement weather involves several factors:

Weather conditions that are both current and predicted to occur during the coming day
Road conditions and closures
The ability of our schools to prepare for students to arrive

If the school district decides to remain open, but as a parent or guardian, you feel the weather conditions are not safe, your child will be excused as long as you notify your child's school. When temperatures do not warrant closing, families can help their children prepare for the cold by dressing them warmly, in layers, with a hat, scarf, gloves, and appropriate footwear.

The School District of Menomonee Falls uses School Messenger to send automated phone calls, text messages and emails to parents and guardians about school-related safety, weather-related closings, reminders and absences. Please make sure your contact information is up to date in Skyward to ensure that you receive important messages.

In the case of a weather-related closing, delay, or early dismissal, the SDMF website will include a pop-up alert on the home page of each school. This is the first and fastest mode of communication. Other communication channels will be updated as quickly as possible including email, text, website, other social media, and news stations.

Falls Schools provides information about closings and delays through the following platforms:

Posted to the SDMF Twitter and Facebook pages.
Posted to www.fallsschools.org
Email and text messages sent to parents using the parent contact information listed in Skyward
Email sent to employees using the employee's SDMF email address
Area radio and television stations.

Please know the safety of our students and staff is our priority. We will always make decisions out of caution and, at the same time, communicate with you as early as possible.

Menomonee Falls High School 2021 alum and current University of Wisconsin-La Crosse swimmer, Autumn Seebach is one of two women athletes who have been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Kwik Trip Women's Swimming & Diving Athletes of the Week for the week of Oct. 25 - 31.