Happy February
As I write this piece it appears that winter has certainly arrived and is making up for lost time with the heavier snowfalls and cold weather. Drive careful and keep yourself warm.
One of the many things I am proud about at River View is that we are consistently working to find ways for students to feel safe and welcome at school. With the constant changes in our society, this can be a challenge at times, but we are willing to take on that challenge to better connect kids to each other as well as the community and the surrounding area. This year alone River View has added the Random Act of Kindness, Alliance and Kindness Committees to give our students more ways to be a part of their school and community. These groups coupled with those already at River View are great opportunities for kids to show their leadership skills, give back to others and learn life long skills.
To further enhance this work I am excited to share that this month we will also be training about 60 students and adults to be Peer Influencers and Adult Advisors for the Sources of Strength program River View has joined. The mission of Sources of Strength is to provide the highest quality evidence-based prevention for suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse by training, supporting, and empowering both peer leaders and caring adults to impact their world through the power of connection, hope, help, and strength. To learn more about Sources of Strength I invite you to visit https://sourcesofstrength.org/ and spend a few minutes reading the various literature about the program. I truly believe that once you have had an opportunity to learn more about Sources of Strength you will fully understand why River View has made the decision to include this program in our pool of resources to further strengthen our school culture.
Should you have questions regarding the program please feel free to contact me at 766-6111 or josephd@kaukaunasd.org. Once we have our students and adults trained I will provide more information on the different activities that will be put in place to make River View an even better place for all.
Thank you for your continued support.
Enjoy the moments,
Dan
Parent Teacher Conferences February 28th, March 6th, and March 8th
We are using “Sign-Up Genius” online system to schedule our Spring Parent-Teacher-Student conferences that will be taking place on February 28th, March 6th, and 8th. If you are familiar with the system, we encourage you to sign up from the convenience of your home or office. If you have not used Sign-Up Genius before, you will need to create a login before you can sign-up. The directions to create a login are at (www.signupgenius.com). If you need assistance signing up for a conference, please call the school office.
The Parent Teacher Conference sign up site is now open so you are encouraged to click on the link below to schedule a time that works best for you. Please follow the instructions below to set a time for your child’s conference.
Go to the River View School Website to find the Sign-Up Genius link…
www.signupgenius.com/tabs/13576D70FA0CCEE2-parent OR click on the link in the e-mail you received an email from the Infinite Campus Messenger.
To sign up click the tab at the top of the page for the teacher(s)/classroom you are wishing to schedule a conference. Use the directional areas by the tabs to move left or right to find teacher names.
EXAMPLE: 
Once you have chosen the tab for the teacher(s) you would like, click 
next to the time you prefer from the available slots and then click 
at the bottom of the page. As you complete the signup process please remember the following:
next to the time you prefer from the available slots and then click at the bottom of the page. As you complete the signup process please remember the following:
a. You can sign up for one teacher per time slot. Signing up for more than one will schedule you with two teachers at the same time. You will be limited in the number of slots you can sign up for and Signup Genius will inform you when you have reached your limit.
b. To talk with each of your child’s teachers you will need to book a conference time with each of their core and or encore teacher
c. When you select your time please also include your child’s name in the box entitled Student name. To complete the signup process you will need to enter your child’s name. If you are uncomfortable doing that, please place your name in this box. Entering your child’s name will assist teachers with being better prepared for your conference.
d. You are not required to enter your email address or sign up for an account with Sign-Up Genius. If you already have a Sign-Up Genius account, make that choice and enter your login information.
e. Once you are finished, click 
and the process is complete.
and the process is complete.
The following teachers will be holding conferences as a team so when you signup you will be meeting with all your child’s core teachers at the same time. If you have one of these teams, only sign up for one slot.
i. Bestul/Beversdorf
ii. Janssen/Tilkens
iii. Harris/Abel
iv. Reider/Swedberg/Weast/Mecikalski
v. Boehme/Peotter
vi. Thiel/VandeHey
If you any questions or are unable to access the internet to sign-up, please contact your child’s classroom teacher or the River View office at 766-6111.
Spotify
Spotify is a free streaming music service that serves millions of songs over the Internet to subscribers. To create an account, users must use an email address or sign in with Facebook. Spotify is the most popular streaming video service that students use with their Chromebooks. In fact, Spotify consumes more bandwidth on our network than any other site (including YouTube), is the #1 non-educational extension installed with 969 installations, and is the 6th most visited site on our Chromebooks.
Since it is so popular, our District takes precautions so that Spotify use doesn’t interfere with student learning. We have restricted the amount of Internet bandwidth streaming music services can use. We ask that students only use Spotify during work time as permitted by their teachers.
We would like parents to know that Spotify does not allow students under 13 to use their service. For users between the ages of 13 and 18, Spotify requires parental permission for students to set up an account. This is because Spotify does collect and sell usage information from its users and because Spotify music includes explicit content.
You may wish to talk with your child about their use of Spotify to ensure that they are following the guidelines you set for their technology use.
Kaukauna Community Activity Fair
Sponsored by: Kaukauna Area School District
Purpose: Provide a night for families to come to one location and gain information on the community activities available for their elementary or middle school students (grades 4k-8).
When: Thursday, February 7th, 2019 from 5 – 7 pm
Where: River View Middle School commons and cafeteria -101 Oak St., Kaukauna, WI
Who: Any community activity (club, sport, organization) that involves students from Kaukauna Area School District
Contact: To reserve a table for your group, please email Chris McDaniel – mcdanielc@kaukaunasd.org . Each group will be provided a space including a six-foot table. If you need special accommodations (such as power or more space), please share in email. The event will be promoted on school social media, announcements, and via mass email messenger to students.
Youth Risk Behavior SurveyPASSIVE Permission Form
Our school is taking part in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction. The survey will ask about health behaviors that keep young people healthy, as well as behaviors that result in unintentional and intentional injuries, tobacco use, and alcohol and other drug use. It will also ask about bullying, sexual risk behaviors (mostly for high school students), online risk behaviors, stress and anxiety, self-harm, dietary behavior, and physical activity. It also focuses on positive things like strong connections to the school and to other people.
Students will be asked to fill out an anonymous, online questionnaire that takes about 25-35 minutes to complete. They will take the survey during regular class time.
Completing this anonymous survey will cause little or no risk to your child. The only potential risk is that some students might find certain questions to be sensitive. The survey has been designed to protect your child’s privacy. Students will not put their names on the survey and it does not ask for student IDs or any other individual identifiers. The classroom setting will be set up like a test so that students’ answers remain private. The school will not have access to individual students’ answers and no class or student will ever be mentioned by name in a report of the results. Your child will get no benefit right away from taking part in the survey. However, the results of this survey do help students by providing schools and the community with information that is used to improve health and safety programs. We would like all selected students to take part in the survey, but the survey is voluntary. No action will be taken against you, or your child, if your child does not take part. Students can skip any question that they do not wish to answer. In addition, students may stop participating in the survey at any point without penalty. If you have questions about the survey, you may contact Karen Wirth, School Social Worker at 766-6111 ext. 4206. If she cannot answer your questions, she can direct you to the proper person to assist you.
If you do not want your child to take part in the survey, check the box, sign and date the form and return the form to the school office no later than February 8th 2019. Signing and returning this form will dismiss your child from taking the survey. If you have no objection to your child taking part in the survey, you should do nothing with this form. Thank you.
Child’s name: _____________________________ Grade: ___________
I have read this form and know what the survey is about.
[ ] My child MAY NOT take part in this survey.
Parent’s signature:___________________________________ Date:_________________
One School, One Book
We have a wonderful opportunity to participate in a One School, One Book program this school year designed to create a shared reading experience across an entire school community. The book chosen this year at River View is The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Adaptation) by Tom Rinaldi. As a school, we are implementing a variety of activities to heighten interest in reading The Red Bandanna and experience the story with our friends, family, and community.
We were very fortunate to have enough money donated to our One School, One Book program this year to fully fund it. That means that every student at River View Middle School received a copy of The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Adaptation). We want to thank everyone who donated including our River View Parent Advisory Council, River View families, Kaukauna Elks #962, the Kaukauna Educators’ Legacy Fund, and East Wisconsin Savings Bank.
Our desire is to build a community of readers at our school, and we encourage you to read along with your child. The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Adaptation) chronicles the life of Welles Crowther and his September 11th legacy. It is filled with lessons about character and celebrates the difference one person can make.
Spelling Bee
The winning word was..."sumptuous." Leah McElhaney (Gr. 8) took first place in this year's spelling bee. There were 53 contestants, and the bee went 8 rounds!
Taking second place was Norah Bowers (Gr. 7). Third place went to Will Ryan (Gr. 7). Fourth place went to Samee Srinivasan (Gr. 6). Our alternate speller is Marty Cmejla (Gr. 6). The top four will compete at the Regional Spelling Bee on February 7 at Lawrence University. This will be Leah's fourth consecutive trip to the regional bee! Way to go, Leah, Norah, Samee, Will, and Marty!
Women's History Month Essay Contest
Students in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in an essay contest for Women’s History Month sponsored by AAUW-Appleton and the Appleton Public Library. Students are asked to write about a woman who made a difference in science, technology, engineering and/or math and tell why the woman is significant to you. Cash prizes will be awarded and winners will be invited to read their essay at a special reception at the Appleton Public Library on March 19, 2019. All entries are due by February 28th. The application and guidelines can be obtained from the school office and are available online at the AAUW Appleton website at https://appleton-wi.aauw.net/essay-contest/Yearbooks
Yearbooks are on sale until March 1st - $13.50. You may order them online or pick up a form in the office. Make checks out to River View Middle School or RVMS. Or you may order online at www.jostens.com.
Scholastic Book Fair
River View Middle School will be hosting the Scholastic Book Fair the week of March 4-8 in the Library. Students may purchase books and other items during their lunch recesses on those days. The Book Fair will also be open during Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 6th and 8th for River View families. This is a great opportunity to get books into the hands of students!
Gr. 5-12 Orchestra Concert
The River View Middle School Orchestras will preview their upcoming District Solo & Ensemble performances on Thursday, February 7 at 7pm in the River View Auditorium. Students in 5th-8th grade will perform solos and small ensembles, most of which will be entered in the Wisconsin School Music Association District Solo & Ensemble Festival on Saturday, March 2 at Appleton West High School. The concert is free and the public is invited to attend. The orchestras are directed by Katie Nesemann.
P.E. Force
It was an exciting second quarter in physical education at River View. We have just finished our volleyball activities. 5th and 6th graders focused on the skills of passing, setting, and serving. Our 7th and 8th graders competed in our annual volleyball tournament! The tournament will continue during our PIE time in February and the student body will get the opportunity to cheer their peers on during the championship.
New activities are ahead for all grade levels including tumbling, hockey, variety games, net games, and various challenges in the fitness lab.
Please remind your son/daughter to bring a change of clothes. Sweatpants and yoga pants are acceptable wear but they need to be a change of clothing.
P.E. FORCE
Mrs. Maurer, Mr. Sanderfoot, Mrs. Mursau, Mr. Bibow, Mr. Rykal, Ms. Ziegler
Solo Ensemble
River View vocalists and pianists will be participating in our regional Solo/Ensemble competition on Saturday, February 23 at Appleton West High School. The students will be performing selected pieces from the contest list for WSMA music judges to earn a rating and have a chance to work with these music specialists. We wish them the best on this exciting and challenging event. We know you’ll represent River View well!
5th Grade Running Club
If you like running or jogging this club is for you! We meet three times a week, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Our goal is to build our running endurance from a half mile to 3.5 miles in time to run the Cellcom 5K on May 18th. Parents will be expected to bring their own child to the Cellcom 5K if they choose. Students will need to have a physical form, medical form, and concussion form on file before the start of practice. Paperwork can be picked up in the office. We start the last week in March, March 25th and will go until May 16th with a pizza party on May 20th. More information to come in March.
Work Permits
River View will process work permits for our students. The following items are what we need to get a permit for a student:
- Letter from the employer
- Birth certificate, baptismal certificate, or green card
- Parent signature and student address
- Social Security CARD
- $10.00
***The student needs to be present to sign the permit.
7th Grade Field Trip
The 7th grade staff are planning to take seventh-grade students to the Milwaukee Public Museum on Wednesday, April 24th and Thursday, April 25th. Two 7th grade teams will be traveling to the museum on Wednesday, and two of the teams will be traveling to the museum on Thursday. More specifics will come as we near the trip dates.
The Milwaukee Public Museum is one of the largest and best-known museums of natural and human history in the United States. It is a rich educational resource with something to excite and challenge people of all ages and interests. Students attending this field trip will explore exhibits that relate closely to the science and social studies curriculum. Please watch for further information in the March newsletter!
Infinite Campus Parent Portal App
The Kaukauna Area School District provides a Parent Portal Account for guardians. The parent portal allows you the opportunity to view a calendar of events, schedules, attendance, grades, health, fees, reports, on-line payments and household information for students to whom you have been marked as guardian. Infinite Campus provides a Parent Portal App that you can add to your mobile device. Here are some resources to help you access Infinite Campus Parent Portal App on your mobile device:
January Student And Staff Of The Month
Students:
Jada Schiedermayer
Xander Biese
Addison Swedberg
Athena Xiong
Lillian Pingel
Nathan Spoehr
Abril Gasca-Ramirez
Taryn Christopher
Addison Baumgart
Tyler Duchow
Staff:
Jessica DeMoulin
Katie Davids
Kristin Wopat
Val Evers
Josh Iverson
Summer School 2019 - link
KASD is already busy planning for Summer School! Thank you to all the parents who responded to the survey following Summer School 2018. With the combination of parent and staff feedback, the following decisions have been made regarding Summer School 2019:
Location – Classes will continue to be held at Kaukauna High School
Dates – All courses will be offered in one session:
Tuesday, June 11 – Friday, June 28, Monday – Friday.
- Strength and Conditioning and Music Lessons/Band Camp will also be held in July.
Other valuable information:
- We will again offer an Open House prior to the start of Summer School for families to become familiar with the location and rooms that classes will be taking place in.
- Busing/transportation will continue to be an option for families for a fee
Community Flyers
Click Here to access information about any current flyers for this month.
- Kaukauna Dance Team Pom Clinic
- 2018 Kaukauna Softball Flyer
- Girl Scouts
- Tech Savvy Poster
- United Way Valentine's Day Festival
- 2018 Electric City Soccer Flyer
- AAUW Essay Contest
- Spike Club for Gr. 6-8 Boys Volleyball
