Friday, November 1, 2019

November 2019 Family Newsletter

From the Principal

It is hard to believe that we have already reached the end of the first quarter (November 1). It has been wonderful watching the students settle into their daily schedules and routines and dig into the learning.

Now that we have reached this point in the year, it would be a great time to sit down with your child(ren) and do a check up on how things have been going in school. The check up should include discussions about effort, motivation, attitude and checks on how well your child if following through with their work responsibilities. If you have not done so already, I would encourage you to establish an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account so you can use the information you learn there to keep the academic conversation going.

I would also encourage you to do an emotional check in with your child(ren). With the very busy lives we all live, it is important to push pause once in awhile and have a heart to heart, so to speak, with the kids. All students face a host of different pressures each day, and a check in is a great way to help you reinforce that no matter what they are facing, you will always be there for them. We call these people Trusted Adults, and indeed, everyone needs to have a Trusted Adult, especially a child who is facing struggles in and or out of school.

November is here and each day I continue to be thankful for your continued support for your child(ren), River View Middle School and the Kaukauna District. I look forward to seeing you at Parent Teacher Conferences later this month.

Dan Joseph

Principal





Parent Teacher Conferences -- November 14th, 18th and 22nd

With the end of the first quarter occurring this Friday, November 1, I am happy to share with you the link to sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences. We will be using a new online program this year (PTCfast.com), so I do ask for your patience in learning the new system for registering for conferences.

Directions for how to work through the registration process can be found on the River View website in the grey Quick link box on the first page so please refer to them as you need to to help you register. Here is the link:

https://ptcfast.com/SWP_overview.htm



Below is the link to PTCfast.

https://ptcfast.com/schools/River_View_Middle_School_1

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at conferences.

If you have 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.





Yearbook Orders

Don't forget to purchase a 2019 - 2020 River View yearbook, designed and created by our very own students!

Order online at www.jostens.com for just $14! Include your student's name, grade, and spring homeroom teacher for easy delivery.

Please contact Mr. Mecikalski at mecikalskib@kaukaunasd.org with any yearbook-related questions.

Every school year is special, so cherish all the memories from 2019 - 2020 with a copy of our River View Yearbook!"





River View Spirit Wear Sale

Do you need ideas for birthday or holiday gifts? Well, your worries are over!! The River View School Spirit Wear Sale is coming back to RVMS!

New designs! A lot of clothing options will be available...hoodies, joggers, ¼ zips, t-shirts, winter wear. Multiple sizes are available, so there could be a gift for others in the family.

River View students and their families will look fashionable in their new RVMS clothing, just like Mr. Hacker! Items are available in the Office for sizing purposes.



https://riverviewmsspirit19.itemorder.com/sale





District-Wide Food Drive Competition
October 28-November 8

Kaukauna High School's National Honor Society is again sponsoring their annual District-wide fall food drive. The food drive will run from October 28th through November 8th, and all food and monetary donations will benefit Kaukauna's Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry.

National Honor Society will also be sponsoring "Peter Pan's Cans" ... a chance for the community to get involved this year, with a donation spot as patrons enter the auditorium during KHS's Peter Pan Performances.

Let's get collecting, KASD! Bring in your non-perishable food items and let's see which school can collect the most food to benefit Loaves and Fishes of the Fox Valley! Good luck and THANK YOU to all those who participate!





Student Council

Congratulations to our Student Council Representatives for 2019-20!

5th Grade: Landon Fietzer, Alysia Furman, Nora Hennes, McKinley Isaacs, Alexis LaBrec, Coraline Megna, Aubryn Nord, Ava Reader, Zachary Vanderloop, Norah Verhagen

6th Grade: Iris Bass, Taylor Federwitz, Anna Hahn, Sarah Kolb, Asha LyBoualong, Evelyn Mursau, Anna Niles, Annabel Patschke, Mackenzie Scalf, Andrew Specht, Cole VanDeLoo, Peyton VanDeLoo

7th Grade: Nora Boucher, Sarah Elliott, Kaci Franzen, Lillianne Heller, Rhianna Krouse, Nolan Laflen, Matthew Mielke, Michaela Peeters, Olivia Planert, Sameeksha Srinivasan

8th Grade: Norah Bowers, Reese Brooks, Ella Cronin, Victoria Fischer, Kaylen George, Maitea Gerrits, Arianna Jensen, McKaleigh Pahl, Colin Sanderfoot





**Ski Club**

RVMS Ski Club is open to all students Grades 5-8, who want the chance to ski or snowboard this Winter at Nordic Mountain.

Ski Club Dates are:
Thursday January 2
Thursday January 16
Thursday January 23
Thursday February 6

Packets are available for students to pick up in the RVMS Office!  

The following items need to be returned to the Office by December 6th:
*Printed email conformation from Nordic Mountain (package selection will be done online this year. Please use the link and code in the packet)
*Completed Permission/Chaperone interest form
*Payment in FULL (Checks payable to RVMS Ski Club)

Contact Information:
Please contact your volunteer advisor with any questions or concerns
Brandon Sanderfoot at rvmsskiclub@gmail.com or text/call (920)540-4161
Get updates via Remind by texting @rvmsski to 81010
Like our Facebook Page at River View Middle School Ski/Snowboard Club

See you on the Slopes!






Absence Procedures

Each student has the responsibility to attend school regularly and to report to school and scheduled classes on time. Students who attend class regularly not only do better in class but also reinforce lifelong work skills by arriving each day on time. Wisconsin Statutes 118.15 and 118.16 establish the ultimate responsibility for regular school attendance with each student’s parents. The parent of a student is responsible for reporting any absences, the cause, and if required, for sending information upon the student’s return.

It is the parent's responsibility to call the attendance office by 8:30 am to report the absence and state the reason. Call the attendance line at 759-6159, and then press 6. Messages can be left 24 hours a day. Prompt notification to the school is necessary. Students who are not called in by 8:30 am will be marked as unexcused. Prearranged absences can be made by calling the attendance office at 759-6159 (press 6) for the attendance recorder. Prearranged makeup of missed class work may be arranged by notifying the attendance office of any anticipated absences.

Students appearing as unexcused from class or study hall will be ineligible to practice, perform, attend, or compete in any co-curricular activity on the day of the unexcused absence. Students who miss class or study hall due to illness, will be ineligible to practice, perform, attend, or compete in any co-curricular activity on the day of the illness.

Protocol for Tardiness

1. If a student arrives Tardy, without a pass, during the first 5 minutes of class, the student will be marked tardy unexcused.

a. The teacher will inform students of his/her attendance procedures including responses to tardiness on the first day of each semester.
Three to four tardies and students will receive warning and opportunity to correct

b. Five tardies and students will receive a detention and opportunity to correct

c. Repeat step b for additional tardies

Protocol for Excused Absence

As the school year gets underway we want to remind you of a few things regarding our attendance policy. Please refer to our complete attendance policy in the family handbook (page 14-16) for a more detailed description of this policy. In short, a few reminders we would like you to be aware of:

1. Parents/Guardians are allowed to excuse their student for up to 10 days in a school year. A day is considered all or part of a day a student may be absent.

2. If your student leaves during the school day and attends an appointment, they must bring back a note from the provider to be given to the attendance kiosk. This note can and should be turned in immediately the following day should the student not return to school that same day. This note is critical in helping us appropriately code the students absence.

3. We do send out letters throughout the year regarding students attendance to make sure we are all on the same page. These letters are meant as a communication tool and while we appreciate guardians keeping up on their students attendance through Infinite Campus our goal is to avoid any discrepancies in an attendance record.

4. Please take a look at our family handbook located here: River View Family Handbook to see specifics about calling your student in for an absence. When possible, please call our attendance phone line ahead of time if your student will be leaving for an appointment. This allows us to better help your child transition to and from class and be waiting by door 1 for your pick up.
As always, if you have further questions about attendance please feel free to reach out to us for any clarifications.

Protocol for Unexcused Absence

1. If a student arrives without a pass or is unaccounted for, the student will be marked unexcused.
a. Each one period to a whole day unexcused absence- detention and opportunity to correct

b. Three to four days with one period to whole day unexcused- detention, letter of concern and opportunity to correct

c. Five or more days with one period to whole day unexcused(same semester)


Detention, first truancy letter and meeting if no social worker

If student has a social worker, detention, letter of concern, truancy court and sanctions from social worker.

Truancy

Truancy means a student is absent from school without an acceptable excuse. "Habitual Truant" is defined by Wisconsin State Statute, section 118.16(1) (a) and (c) as a pupil who is absent without an acceptable excuse for part or all of five or more days on which school is held during a trimester. Once a student is habitually truant, a letter will be sent for a parent(s) meeting to be held regarding the truancy, prior to referring the student to the Municipal Court of the City of Kaukauna or the Juvenile Intake of the county in which the student resides. A municipal citation may be issued to any student who is truant subject to Municipal Statute 9.27. Truancy Court is held on campus monthly.

Extended Absences/Vacation Guidelines:

We understand that time spent together as a family and that vacations can be an important part of family life. However, the instructional process does not stop when students are not at school, and lost instructional time cannot be recovered or recreated. Therefore, we strongly encourage families to schedule vacations around the existing school vacation days. If you must schedule a trip or other extended absence that will occur during scheduled school days, please follow these guidelines:

The student must have a pre-arranged absence form signed by his/her teachers and parent(s) and returned to the office secretary before the absence occurs. Pre-arranged absence forms are available in the school office and on our website. This will allow us to excuse your child from school and keep accurate attendance records.

Homework often cannot be prepared in advance, because the purpose of homework is to provide practice and review of skills taught in the classroom. Your child’s teacher may be able to prepare some work in advance with ample advance notice of the absence. However, additional work may be assigned when your child returns. (See Make-Up Work During or Following an Absence below for more information.)

Try to minimize the pre-vacation excitement for your child to reduce the instructional time lost due to distraction and excitement.

Make-Up Work During or Following an Absence:

If parents anticipate their child will be out of school for more than two days, they are encouraged to phone the school office (766-6111) and request homework which may be picked up at the end of the day or brought home by a family member. Students can also sign into Google Classroom to see any assignments they need to complete. Students should make up work missed as a result of an absence and will be responsible to arrange for make-up work. The amount of make-up work will be reasonable and commensurate with the situation, with emphasis on quality rather than quantity. Consideration for make-up work will be made for students absent from classes as a result of field trips or special in-school arrangements since they are involved in an educational experience.

-River View Attendance Committee-





6th Grade Camp Reminder

6th Grade Camp information went home the last week of September. The sixth grade students have the option of going to Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya each Spring.

**Plan A --- Total payment of $100.00 is due by February 14th.
This payment can be made a variety of ways: 
Send PAYMENTS in amounts and at times that are convenient for you or 
Pay the TOTAL BALANCE at once. 

**Payments can be made at conferences or sent to school at any time with your child.** 

**Plan B --- Financial Aid - FORM WAS DUE OCTOBER 18th: You may apply for assistance from Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya by completing and returning the financial aid form. This potential discount is offered through the YMCA based on the $100 camp fee (lodging/meals/instruction) to help cover camp fees but not the transportation cost. Applying for financial assistance could award your student up to 75% of the camp fee. **Please return the completed Scholarship(YMCA Strong Kid) form to your child’s homeroom teacher or the office by Friday, October 18th. This financial aid is funded by the YMCA’s Strong Kids Campaign.

**The remaining balance that you are responsible for will be due by February 14th.

**In order to reserve a spot for your child for camp, a contribution to your balance must be made by February 14th.**

All checks should be made out to River View Middle School. You may also pay on-line through Parent Portal on Infinite Campus. There is a $1.75 fee for each on-line service.






**Fall Conferences**

November 14 & 18 4:00-7:30 pm

November 22 12:30-4:00 pm






Travel Releases

For the purpose of building strong team connections it is the school’s preference all students participating in co-curricular activities ride the bus to and from games. With that being said, we understand there are times families have other obligations after co-curricular events. If you plan to have your child ride home with you from any co-curricular event, please be sure to complete and submit a travel release form at least 24 hours prior to the event. This will provide us with ample time to get the information to our coaches so they can make sure everyone is accounted for on the return trip. Here is the link to print one from home: https://www.kaukauna.k12.wi.us/family/forms/travel-release.pdf





Prepared For Winter Sports?

Is your child planning to go out for a winter sport? River View Middle School offers boys basketball, wrestling, and girls basketball during the winter months. If your child is planning to participate we want to remind you that prior to practice starting your child must have an alternate year card or a physical form filled out by a doctor in order to participate. If you are not sure which form your child needs please call the main office at River View and we will help you. Please have your child pick up these forms in the main office at River View or feel free to download them for yourself at the following link:

https://www.kaukauna.k12.wi.us/schools/riverview/activities/cocurricularinformation.cfm





Wrestling Sign Up

Wrestling practice for grades 5-8 starts in December. If you wish to sign-up, you may do so in the office. Please make sure that your physical/alternate card and the activity fee of $20.00 is paid. Students cannot practice until all this important information is handed in.





Ski Club

Winter is right around the corner and it's time to start thinking about Ski Club at River View! Whether you're an experienced skier/ snowboarder or have never set foot on the slopes, Ski Club is a great way to join your friends in getting outdoors for some winter fun.

Listen to the announcements and look for flyers in LATE NOVEMBER for more information on Ski Club sign up!





From the Art Department

We're calling on any and all 8th graders who would like to help design and paint River View's Christmas Card throughout the month of November. They can come visit Mr. Hansel in room 115 if they are interested in helping out. Thanks!





From the Library

Did you know your child has access to a number of databases through our library? Check out our Information Zone found on our library website. This is a great place for students to start the research process.

Some databases to highlight:

*Gale: Research in Context (multidisciplinary database; off-campus passcode: 54130)

*Gale: Biography in Context (biographies, articles, images, videos, audio; off-campus passcode: 54130)

*Gale Opposing Viewpoints (current issues from multiples perspectives; off-campus passcode: 54130)

*Science Flix (videos, articles, activities, related web resources, careers; off-campus username: kasd, password: eagles)

*Freedom Flix (videos, ebooks, related web resources, project ideas; off-campus username: kasd, password: eagles)

*BrainPop (multidisciplinary video database; student Google sign-in)

Tech Tips for students this past month included many lessons about how to be a good digital citizen. Our big topics included: The Power of a Digital Footprint, How Social Media Affects Me, How I Can Respond When Cyberbullying Occurs, and Respecting Copyright. Check out the 6 Tips to Help Kids Fight Cyberbullying and Other Mean Online Behaviors from Common Sense Media.






Upcoming Musical Events

*JAZZ BAND plays at the Lawrence University Jazz Fest on Saturday November 9th

*6th and 7th grade BAND concert at 7:00 on December 5th at River View

*6-8th grade ORCHESTRA concert is at 6:30pm on December 10 at River View

*Grade 7 CHOIR Concert December 12 at 6:00 PM at KHS

*Grade 8 CHOIR Concert December 12 at 7:00 PM at KHS

*8th grade BAND and JAZZ BAND concert at 7:00 on December 17th at River View


*We have 6th, 7th and 8th Grade choir students participating in Singing In Wisconsin on Saturday, November 9, 2019. The students are: Colton Busse, Lynzee Gelhausen, Katelyn Haseman, Hope Hietpas, Alexander Huettl, Mason Kaltenbrun, Emma Knapp, Kyla Laabs, Kennedy Millard, Anna Niles, Leylah Osborn, Tyler Ott, Molly Paffenroth, Savannah Potter, Dayle Riley, Addison Rodd, Cassidy VandenHeuvel, Devilan Winkers, and Linnea Wolfe. They will work all day with clinicians and then perform a concert at 4:00 PM. 



Thank you to these amazing musicians!




World Languages
Students in World Languages classes learned about and celebrated Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)








Update on school expectations…

As we head into even cooler temperatures and wet weather conditions, the following expectations become even more important for students to remember...
**Dress for Winter weather

           **Coats and hats/mittens.


           **Boots if going in the snow.


           **Snow pants if wanting to play in the snow.

**Rainy Mornings

           **Come inside your grade level entrance when it is raining before school.

**Recess reminders

           **Playing safely and appropriately when playing kickball, football, on playground equipment                 or other organized games.





Inclement Weather/Cancellation

Please remind your son/daughter to dress appropriately for the cold weather. In the event of a snowstorm and school cancellations, we will communicate over the following radio and television stations. Additionally, the district has been using the capabilities of a messenger that sends e-mail notification to families with up-to-date e-mail addresses in our student management system. Please refrain from calling school about school cancellations.

Radio: 
WAPL (105.7 FM) WIXX (101.1 FM) WGEE (1360 AM)

WEMI (91.9 FM) WNCY (100.3 FM) WHBY (1150 AM)
WGEE (99.7 FM) WPCK (104.9 FM) WNFL (1440 AM) WPKR (99.5 FM) WSGC (1050 AM)

Television:
WBAY-TV (Channel 2) WGBA-TV (Channel 26)
WHBY-TV (Channel 5)    WLUK-TV (Channel 11)





Parent Resources

*Infinite Campus for Families - 
       *Click here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fT8bn70FhJcQKTfV_VFaL2o7qRkhfH_7/view?usp=sharing

*Google Classroom for Families - 
         *https://kaukauna.nutrislice.com/

*Community Flyers
          *Click Here to access information about any current flyers for this month

*2019-20 Parent Calendar - 



Work Permits

River View will process work permits for our students. We need the following items from you in order to process it--
*Letter from the employer

*Parent signature and student address

*Birth certificate, baptismal certificate, or green card

*Social Security CARD
*$10.00

***The student needs to be present to sign the permit.