WINTER - 2016
A SCHOOL HARD AT WORK 2________________________ Keeping Busy - Mrs. Schulz
PAGE
3_______________________ More Than A Game - Mr. Zanotelli
PAGE
PAGE 4______________________ RRCC & Kindergarten News PAGE 5______________________ 1st Grade News PAGE
6_____________________
2nd, & 3rd Grade News PAGE 7____________________ 4th Grade News PAGE
8___________________
5th Grade News
9__________________ Mrs. Schweiger’s Art Room
PAGE
PAGE 10_________________ Middle School Literacy Groups
11_________________ Middle School Bowling Fun!
PAGE
PAGE 12________________ Music Department Update PAGE 13________________ Spanish Club News PAGE 14________________
Notice of Educational Options for Resident Children & Accountability
PAGE 15_________________ Stratford Continuing Education PAGE 16__________________ Winter/Spring Sports Schedules
Here we are at the midpoint of yet another school year and like always wondering where the time has gone. I think this year especially is going fast due to the extended fall sports season. It was wonderful experiencing the outstanding community support for our football team in its first appearance at the State football championship in 33 years. I was on that team and can’t tell you how great it was to relive those memories. As proud as I am in their achievements I think it is noteworthy that success for our kids is not only coming in the sports arena but I must say I will hold our band, choral, FFA with any district in the state. We have always been proud of the fact that we encourage kids to be well rounded and participate in as many activities that they want. We have great kids that do get involved which is directly related to success. I am also very happy to say that our 1:1 technology in our high school has proven to be very beneficial for our students and teachers. This initiative has allowed us to focus learning based on an individual student’s needs. I am proud of the work of our teachers in making this a priority and taking this opportunity and running with it in their classrooms. Speaking of staff, as a state there is more and more requirements that are being placed on them. I am proud of the roll your sleeves up and get to work attitude they have established. They are truly here for kids and education and it is very evident in working with them on a daily basis. We have accomplished a great deal this first semester but there is much more to do. At the board level we are going to referendum on April 5, 2016 to ask the voters of our district to allow us to exceed the revenue cap by $975,000. This is $300,000 more than our previous vote 5 years ago. I am proud of the fiscal responsibility our School Board has put forth in making Spencer Schools and outstanding academic institution for our kids. Please be on the lookout for more information and opportunities to come in and discuss this further. Thank you for all you do for our students and school. I encourage you to contact us at school if you have any concerns or questions. I have always found the strong communication goes a long way in solving problems or preempting them. Mike Endreas, - District Administrator
The Rocket News is now online! Check it out and share with family and friends today!
www.therocket.news
WE ARE KEEPING BUSY AT SPENCER ELEMENTARY! Every year Spencer Elementary has a reading incentive program to encourage our students to read. This year’s theme is, “Catch a Dragon by the Tale”. If you visit our hallways you will many medieval shields filled with dragons, each dragon labeled with the student’s name. As the students meet their monthly reading goals they earn a sticker to put on their shield. This year’s theme was kicked off with a school wide assembly in the Lucille Tack Center for the Arts. During this assembly “Paige” Turner (aka Jill Schulz) was captured by the evil Sir “Knightmare”. The only way Paige Turner will be able to escape from Sir Knightmare is for the students at Spencer Elementary to read books; many, many books! We continued this theme in November during the Principal’s Reading challenge. At this time the children came to the castle where Paige Turner shared medieval books with them and they read books to meet their reading goal. This is just one of the many ways we are working together to inspire reading growth for our students. We also continue to focus on providing a learning environment that is designed for each individual learner to grow. Our goal is for each and every student to develop academic, social and problem solving skills that will prepare them for middle/high school and beyond. This year teachers have spent countless hours embracing the content of our new reading resource Reading Wonders. The students are utilizing materials that are “just right” for them. The students report that they really like the new stories and teachers are reporting that the students are highly engaged in the materials. Within this series the students have the option of using both online and print versions of reading selections. We also continue to investigate the most effective practices for math education. We had a group of teachers attend a week long math training in June of 2015. These teachers continue to meet to assess our current practices and to identify areas for growth. This study will lead to possible recommendations for the 20162017 school year. Spencer Elementary is very fortunate to have a staff that is reflective and continually working to do what is best for each and every child of our school.
Dates to keep in mind: February 8th -12th: Random Acts of Kindness Week at Spencer Elementary February 29 (Leap Day!): Parent-Teacher Conferences from 4:00-8:00 pm March 3rd: ½ day for students Parent-Teacher Conferences from 1:00-4:00 pm March 4th No school for students If you haven’t had a chance to check-out our Facebook page please do so. This is a great place to keep up-to-date on all that is happening at Spencer Elementary. We currently have over 500 followers! The easiest way to get to our page is to go to the Spencer Public School page and click on the link for Spencer Elementary. About half way down the elementary page you will see “Facebook” if you click on this link it will take you directly to the page even if you don’t have a Facebook account. If you do have a Facebook account “like” us and then you will see updates posted on your timeline from Spencer Elementary. Spencer Fifth Grade and Spencer Elementary School Counseling also have pages with great information.
Jill Schulz - Elementary Principal/Curriculum and Assessment Coordinator
Random Acts of Kindness
Spencer Elementary students will be celebrating “Random Acts of Kindness Week” beginning Feb. 8th. The purpose is for each child to look for special ways to show kindness towards others. A “Tree of Kindness” will grow as students place hearts with positive and encouraging messages on it. Each classroom will focus on special ways to encourage and show kindness to one another. We are hopeful that by bringing attention to and practicing random acts of kindness that our students will continue this positive behavior as a part of their daily lives. The deadline to submit items for the next issue is tentatively May 13, 2016. You may drop off items in newsletter mailbox in the Elementary Office, or you may e-mail them to newsletter@spencer.k12.wi.us. It will then take 2-3 weeks to get it put together and mailed out. If you have any questions, you may e-mail that same address or leave a message by calling school and asking for extension 100.
2
Thank you!!
Advisors, coaches, faculty, and staff of the Spencer Public Schools have submitted the articles printed in this Publication. Announcements are a community service. Mike Endreas, Editor in Chief
The School District of Spencer shall not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, political affiliation, sex or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, color, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, physical, mental, emotional or learning disability. To report an alleged violation regarding discrimination, contact Mike Endreas, District Administrator, Spencer School District, 715-659-5347
WINTER - 2016
MORE THAN JUST A GAME This past spring we had the pleasure of some very successful sport seasons. Our girls’ volleyball team went undefeated in conference again for the fourth straight year and were regional champions and our football players advanced the farthest in playoffs since 1982 and were State Champion runner-up. Being in the education profession since 1983 I have had the opportunity to see some very successful and some not so successful programs. When you are blessed to have the opportunity to work in schools that have successful activities it is very apparent to see how they affect the entire school itself. The fall of this year in Spencer was an example of how successful programs can not only bring the students together but also an entire community. It was fun watching so many community members at the sporting events, listening to some people reminisce about that last run the school made at a state title, and seeing the pride that people showed because they were part of the Spencer community. I know extra-curricular activities are just that, extra and that the major focus of any school is the academics that they produce, however, those extra-curricular programs do so much more than simply provide an activity for the students. When I have been involved with schools that have strong athletic programs, music programs, and clubs or organizations the environment, student
pride, overall discipline is so much better it truly is amazing how strong extra-curricular activities positively affects the academic portion of a school. I wanted to thank the entire Spencer community for your overwhelming support of Spencer Schools and maintaining a high standard of programing for all students here. Giving students the ability to participate in first rate extracurricular activities does more than you can imagine for the entire school and community. I hope that the community of Spencer continues with their amazing support to keep Spencer Schools second to none in Central Wisconsin. Jerry Zanotelli - MS/HS Principal
SAVE THE DATES for these Spring Music Performances: Band Festival Thurs, April 14 @ STRATFORD HS - 4-9pm Choral Festival Thurs, April 21 @ STRATFORD HS - 4-9pm State Solo-Ensemble Festival Sat, May 7 - All Day High School Spring Concert Mon, May 16 - 7pm Awards & 8pm Concert Middle School Spring Concert Thurs, May 26 - 7:30pm
SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS Everyone is welcome to attend the Spencer School Board meetings. They are held the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the HS Library. If there is a change in the date or time it will be posted on the doors outside the HS Office, at the Heritage Bank and at the Village Hall. Information regarding the meetings is also printed in the TRG Newspaper and archived meetings are available for viewing at www.spencer.k12.wi.us under the District links tab. Dawn Reckner, President • Jim Krasselt, Vice President Jerry Wienke, Clerk • Eric Zenner, Treasurer • Dave Post, Director Check out the school website (www.spencer.k12.wi.us) for school contact information.
3
ROOKIE ROCKET CHILD CARE Well the snow arrived at just the perfect time……..over our Christmas break. Being open for business, the children arriving to the RRCC were full of excitement eager to go outside and play. We had a blast breaking in the snow pile in front of school with sliding paths and little caves. Of course playing in the snow isn’t quite complete without making snow angels. We had so much fun!! The Rookie Rocket Child Care is open from 6:30am-6:00pm Monday through Friday for your needs. Please call us for information if you are needing care for your children ages 3 years through 6th grade.
after school that has a welcoming, quiet atmosphere where the children enthusiastically choose to do their homework, study spelling words and read with the help of our staff. After which they work on their social skills through play; choosing games, making crafts or projects, or just playing creatively. We are always working hard to make the RRCC a great place for your child/children to develop and learn to be well rounded children as they grow. If you have any questions about our program please call Sheri at 715-659-2409 ext. 156.
We have a homelike setting with caring and loving staff and we would love to share that with your children. We continue to provide a room
KINDERGARTEN NEWS Looking at our students now, it is amazing to see how their skills have developed and grown since the beginning of school. It is hard to believe we are halfway done with the school year. The kindergarteners were fortunate to see two awesome plays in the LTCA. We enjoyed Dog Loves Books and Junie B. Jones. We had a cozy December singing in the music concert, making gingerbread houses, and having pajama day watching the Polar Express. During January we have been completing several assessments and impressed by how many of the scores are climbing. Mrs. Bezlyk’s class was busy learning about penguins and Antarctica and enjoyed a “Penguin Day” and When it was Martin King Jr.’s birthday, we learned about some important African American people including Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, and Harriet Tubman. Next we were mystified with the magic skills of Curtis Hed. The kindergarten classes will be sliding right into February down the tubing slope at Bruce Mound! Hopefully, the temperature will be just right for having outdoor fun and learning about gravity, resistance, and friction. The 100th day party will be exciting with fantastic projects done by the students and dressing
4
up as 100 year olds. During February we will be working hard on our writing skills addressing letters to our families. We will visit the post office and learned how our mail is sorted. In the coming months we will continue to read books for our Dragon Tale Reading incentive program. In between our adventures we are reading and sounding out more words to write sentences and stories. We are learning about beginning, ending, and middle sounds. Our work with word families has moved us into making rhymes as well as making books and reading to each other. We are counting to higher numbers and learning about ten frames and measurement. - Submitted by the Kindergarten teachers: Mrs. Bezlyk, Mrs. Tomke, Mrs. Zuelke
WINTER - 2016
FIRST GRADE NEWS The first graders are learning a lot this year! Thank you parents, for helping your child with reading, word cards, spelling, and math home links. Your child will continue to progress well when you spend time with him/her. We have been involved in many fun winter activities! All of the first graders made snowflakes to decorate their classroom. They learned that each snowflake is as unique and special as each of us. We enjoy reading winter stories with people and animals in them. First graders love to learn about people from our country’s past. We will read stories and do some projects to honor and learn about Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington. We will make hats to wear to lunch on each of the presidents’ birthdays! February also brings us fun things to do for Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, and the 100th Day of School. The first graders will be using skip counting skills that they have learned in math to complete our 100th Day activities. A favorite is the Fruit Loop Necklace we make with 100 Fruit Loops ---YUMMY! - Submitted by the First Grade teachers: Mrs. Pankratz, Mrs. Aerts, Mrs. Kolstad
FAMILY FUN FEST A SUCCESS! Spencer’s 2015 Family Fun Fest sponsored by our Schoolwide Title I program was another success this year! There were additional games to play and a variety of prizes to choose from. Everyone in attendance appeared to have a good time. A special prize was added this year thanks to the Lucille Tack Center for the Performing Arts director, Deb Janz. The winners of four tickets to see ‘Rupunzel’ were the VOGEL family for the 3 p.m. show and the WALLACE family for the 7 p.m. performance. Congratulations to all our winners and a special ‘Thank You’ to Ms. Janz. Mark your calendar for next year’s event slated for Thursday November 3, 2016 from 5 – 6:30 p.m. in the High School Gym. Information regarding this event will distributed next Fall. Connie M. Schroedel, Title I Reading Teacher Janet Wolf, Co-Chair
MORE TITLE I NEWS: Please be sure to check the WEBPAGE for the monthly list of Reading Incentive winners!
Contact Us Today!
715.613.4045
107 West Cedar St. Spencer, WI 54479 info@allarservices.com www.allarservices.com
Start Here. Finish Here. Earn your Associate Degree or Bachelor’s Degree
VEHICLE SALES AND SERVICE • SNOW PLOWING • SAND BLASTING • LAWN CARE
5
SECOND GRADE NEWS Winter break was great but now we are back to work. The beginning of the school year was spent on a lot of review from last year and setting a base for the upcoming second grade expectations. Now that we are about half way through the school year, we are building on those skills. We are using what we already know to increase the knowledge and understanding of our learning. Rather than just doing work, the students know what their learning targets are each day and work toward mastery of them. Soon we will be doing some testing again. The tests are no fun, but the students enjoy seeing their scores rise. They know that they are achieving their goals. We have a new reading series this year. There are a lot of nonfiction stories, which the students love. The stories spark interesting questions and the curiosity of learning. The past story was about weather and storms. They had a lot to share. In our next math unit we will be adding and subtracting larger numbers. The students will be doing some regrouping and carrying
of the place values as they understand numbers and how they work together. Having their basic math facts memorized will be important at this level of skillwork. We will be connecting with our 5th grade reading buddies for the second half of the school year. This gives them another person to read with and interact with literature. For the past several weeks our Rocket Time has been spent on dividing our words into syllables. They are done with naming and matching the kinds of syllables and are now applying that to 2 syllable words. This will be a valuable strategy for them to use when they come to an unfamiliar word when they are reading. The second graders are enjoying the snow making snow forts and snow men. Have a great winter! - Submitted by the Second Grade teachers: Mrs. Bissonette, Mrs. Guenther, Mrs. Anderson
THIRD GRADE NEWS The third grade classes have been very busy. In math we are studying place values from millions to thousandths. We are also learning our basic multiplication math facts, so you may hearing us singing our multiplication facts songs which help us to remember the skip counting patterns. Becoming better readers has been a goal of ours, and we are now reading for longer amounts of time. We have been setting reading goals and taking Accelerated Reading test online, to see how well we understood the books that we read. In science, we have been studying vertebrates and invertebrates. In social studies,
6
we’re beginning a unit on the various types of communities across America, and we will talk about the type of community in which we live. We are working on learning the letters of the cursive alphabet, and now we’re beginning to learn the uppercase letters. We will soon be completing our second round of MAPS testing and hope to show what academic gains we have made thus far. - Submitted by the Third Grade teachers: Mrs. Farrell, Mrs. Reckner, Mrs. Payant
WINTER - 2016
FOURTH GRADE NEWS We are having a fantastic year. The students are working hard and are making great progress. We want to thank all the parents for their help and support in making this possible. Student learning is a team approach that includes not just the teacher, but the students, the parents, and the community. In math, we are working hard to master our basic multiplication facts. As an incentive for this learning, we will be having a Multiplication Movie Celebration on April 22, 2016, so please continue to work with your child on their facts!
lumberjacks and bring in their handmade tools. When we have completed the Lumberjack unit, we will need to get busy learning about how our government works before our trip to Madison to visit our State Capitol building and the State Historical Society Museum on May 5th. Please remember to keep donating your cans to our can cage in the Elementary Teacher Parking lot on the south end of the building. We still need more money in order to go on this trip. - Submitted by the Fourth Grade teachers: Mrs. Fischer, Mrs. Szymanski, Mrs. Miller
We soon will be starting our Lumberjack unit which culminates with our annual Lumberjack breakfast. The students will dress like
I would like to thank Spencer Schools for allowing us to use the cafeteria gym for our practices and fundraiser! And a special note, our team made it to the State tournament and came away with a SILVER medal, losing our championship game by 1 point... A wonderful season, because of being allowed to use the Spencer School facilities. Once again, Thank You very much for supporting Spencer Special Olympics and specifically the Spencer Sparks! Mark Larson (Coach, Spencer Sparks)
VALUE MENU
1
$ 29
2209 W. Spencer Street Marshfield, WI 54449 715.387.8600 www.centercityonline.org
Open Daily at 10:30am - Drive Thru
715-384-7600
1409 S. Central Ave. - Marshfield
715-423-8820
1330 W. Grand - Wisconsin Rapids
www.chipshamburgers.com
each!
Corn Dog • Junior Chicken Regular French Fry 5 Piece Mini Tacos 3 Piece Chicken Strips Small Soft Drink Junior Shake • 2 Pies (Apple or Chery)
7
FIFTH GRADE NEWS We are enjoying a fun-filled year in the fifth grade. So many great things are happening and the students are learning so much. You may want to check out the Spencer Elementary Fifth Grade Facebook page to see what goes on in our world!! One of the moments we are most proud of is the fact that we helped out the Spencer community this past November during the annual Food Drive. We traveled to Gordy’s one morning to shop for the local food pantry. We enjoyed the company of good friends while practicing our math skills while shopping. Our fifth graders did an excellent job representing our school. We then led the elementary children in gathering, sorting, and packing all the food for the entire student body. It was quite the job and we were successful! Our fifth graders took charge and showed great leadership in our elementary school. In math class we are challenged with long division and soon we will encounter the world of fractions. The kids are practicing basic math facts using the web-based program called Xtramath. We are building and maintaining our fact speed. Please encourage your child to practice basic facts as it will help them so much if they have fact power. The kids are loving the online math game called Prodigy. We strongly encourage your child to utilize IXL- this is an online math resource to help increase skill levels. Media class brings the challenges of keyboarding and creating photo collages of our big events. We recently completed a collage from our holiday skating party at Melody Gardens. The kids are learning valuable computer skills. Soon we will be making slideshow presentations. We will be utilizing an Iditarod website to learn about the race and explore all it has to offer. It has been fun creating videos using the Animoto Program as well. The kids are enjoying emailing them to each other and to parents! There is so much more to look forward to. In reading class we continue to work on our reading skills. Much of our focus has been on reading to learn, re-reading to check, and becoming accurate readers. We are working on becoming very independent. Students are reading about the Iditarod and the state of Alaska. While learning about the race, we are reading Woodsong by Gary Paulsen. Paulsen actually competed in the Iditarod one year and wrote of his adventures. Students will participate in a miniIditarod at the Spencer School Forest. Please consider helping us
Proudly supporting Spencer Schools since 1908
ON THE WEB AT WWW.HERITAGEBANKWI.COM Member FDIC
8
out that afternoon. We cannot make this event happen without parental support. It will take place on Thursday, February 18th with a make-up date of Friday, February 19th. Your child may be a “dog”, musher, or cargo. In social studies class we just finished up learning about early explorers. We wrote our own stories in which we created fictional explorers, places, dates, etc. Our next unit is on early American history. Communications class continues with the parts of speech. We have been concentrating on the different kinds of nouns and the different pronouns that can replace them. Prepositional phrases are also in the mix. We have also been stressing proper writing techniques with small activities and larger writing projects. In science class our focus is on biomes and ecosystems. We are learning how animal and plant interactions affect ecosystems. We look forward to the second semester and upcoming activities. Please note that there will be a change beginning second semester regarding how we monitor the use of the assignment notebook. Up until this time we have always verified at the end of each class that the kids have completed the assignment section to help keep track of duties. However, it is time to prepare them to do this on their own. During the second semester we will no longer check books. We encourage them to use this tool to stay organized but we will not monitor so closely. We wish them luck!!! - Submitted by the Fifth Grade teachers: Mrs. Buss, Miss Sauer, and Mr. Toufar
Insurance Collision • Rust Repair • Loaner Cars With Repairs Ask if you need work on deductible adjustments!
715-384-8809 • 9251 Heritage Drive • Marshfield
WINTER - 2016
MRS. SCHWEIGER’S ART ROOM UPDATE! One of my goals for the year has been to find ways to display student art work all over the school. I am very proud of the work the fourth grade class put into these amazing “stained glass” windows. The students learned about Wisconsin architect and designer, Frank Lloyd Wright, and more specifically, about his stained glass window designs. You can check out their displayed work in the window to the Elementary Library!
B.L.A.S.T. Empowerment Week Kick-off Chrisjones…one word is a young hypnotist who travels the United States and Canada performing for college and high school audiences.
Like us on Facebook! (search “Spencer Art Class”) Also on Twitter (Mrs. Schweiger@MrsSchweigerArt)
As seen on America’s Got Talent and Steve Harvey… Empowerment week schedule for high school students: Monday February 8th – Wall of Hearts Tuesday February 9th – Chris Jones & Wear Blue Day Friday February 12th – Wear Red Day and Taking Down the Wall of Hearts
Your hometown source for flooring, furniture, mattresses and more!
312 S.Pacific St. (Hwy 13 S.) Spencer, WI 54479 715-659-5880 flooringandmattress.com 9
TAKING READING TO NEW HEIGHTS THE ROCKET WAY: MIDDLE SCHOOL LITERACY GROUPS One of the main focuses of our school district is honing the literacy skills of our students. With a great deal of emphasis on testing at the state and federal levels, and especially testing for Reading and Math, this is probably no surprise to anyone. Obviously, it has always been the goal of teachers to make sure students are learning to be better readers and writers. At the Spencer Middle School, teachers have been working closely to develop a system for improving all students’ abilities in literacy. The neat part with the Rocket Way of doing this is that our system also shows the students that every teacher at their school cares about literacy education. Teachers from all subject areas in our school have each designed close reading mini-units focused around a topic of the teacher’s choice. During weekly staff meetings, teachers take time to share information from their experiences in the group. Students have also been surveyed to see what topics they want to be able to read about and teachers have started planning new sessions from their ideas.
Close reading involves analyzing details within a story or article to determine the main idea and to point out the evidence that supports the main idea. In close reading, students are also required to monitor the information and indicate when a difficult word or idea stops them from understanding the text. By practicing these steps side-by-side with a teacher, the process becomes a habit. Eventually, this will become the natural way our students approach all reading. The units are offered as literacy workshops for any student in grades 6-8 to choose from when they sign up for our enrichment reading sessions. The sessions last six weeks per cycle and they meet three times per week. From Physical Education to Chemistry, everyone is teaching literacy skills during three class periods each week! Kids love it because they can pick a topic that is interesting to them, such as sharks or driverless cars, and use that material to become a stronger reader. Teachers love it because it gives them a chance to get to know kids in a new way and it provides an arena to share a topic they enjoy with students.
Spencer District Spelling Bee
Classrooms have been buzzing with excitement, and it’s all about spelling! This year the Spencer District Spelling Bee was held on Tuesday, January 26 at 1:00 p.m. in the Lucille Tack Center for the Arts at the school. Students in grades 5-8 are eligible to participate. Each grade level decides how to determine the six representative who will participate at the district level, and that means there have been lots of classroom spelling bees. Twenty-four students from grades 5-8 will participate in the District Bee and the first place winner will advance to the CESA 10 Regional Spelling Bee in Thorp on Thursday, February 18.
MIDWAY AUTO Since 1995
H3985 Highway 13 - Colby Wisconsin
WE BUY SALVAGE VEHICLES
855-PRINT81
premierprintinginc.com
WE ALSO BUY: ALUMINUM CANS, ALL METALS WE ALSO SELL: QUALITY USED VEHICLES & AUTO PARTS
855-774-6881 | Local: 715-486-0603
phone:
715-223-2444
cell:
715-573-4624
HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 7:00-5:00
10
CALL FOR SNOWPLOWING!
WINTER - 2016
MIDDLE SCHOOL BOWLING FUN STRIKES AGAIN! This year the 7th and 8th grade winter celebration was once again a bowling trip to Rosebowl Lanes in Marshfield. The students were able to enjoy a fun morning of bowling, have lunch at a fastfood restaurant of their choice, and then head back to school for
an afternoon movie. This has become something of a tradition in the middle school. Kids are able to sign up for bowling teams with their friends spend time together with teachers for some lighthearted fun.
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES EDUCATION The school year is in full swing and so is our kitchen! With the incorporation of our new technology this year, we were able to shave off a week of our safety unit by flipping lessons. This allows us to engage in hands on learning activities even more than before while sharpening our problem solving skills and addressing real life questions in discussion. We are excited to keep up with fun things we’ve done before like culinary competition and take and bake meals for staff while
Registration is open for the 2016 Spencer Youth Recreations Alumni Tournaments!
Basketball Tourney
SAVE THE DATE!
A LU M N I
You can save a little money and help us plan for the weekend by pre-registering. Please use the links to the right to register today! Or contact Ben Bauer at 715-223-7968 or benjaminjbauer@outlook.com
incorporating new things like a weekly bar sale called “Raising the Bar” where we prepare a different flavor of bar each week to excel in food safety and measurement skills while tackling issues like cost control. We also look forward to doing a mock restaurant experience second semester. More details to come. The room is going through a bit of a makeover this year so please check us out on facebook to see the updates! https:// www.facebook.com/shsfcs
Volleyball Tourney
TOURNAMENTS
MARCH 26, 2016 Join the Facebook event: facebook.com/events/1690070981276601/
11
MUSICIANS PERFORM AT WSMA STATE HONORS CONCERT IN MADISON Spencer High School musicians Elijah Schuh (tenor), Tiffany Raatz (soprano) and Casey Shaw (clarinet) performed with the Wisconsin School Music Association’s (WSMA) State Honors Choirs and Orchestra October 29 at the Overture Center in Madison. The WSMA State Honors Music Project brings Wisconsin’s top young musicians to work together with nationally known conductors in a highly disciplined, professional setting. This year, the 426 participating students were selected from nearly 1,600 who auditioned. “The High School State Honors Music Project is more than just a concert that occurs in October. It is the culmination of efforts by teachers and students to prepare for the musical experience of a lifetime,” said Tim Wurgler, WSMA program director. When students come together for the first time in June, they meet their conductor, section coaches and each other for the very first
time. Through the rehearsals with these nationally recognized conductors students become unified in one common musical goal. After camp students remain in contact with their section coaches, conductors and each other as they continue to hone that common goal. “The result is concerts that are more than inspired but truly inspiring to everyone involved as well as the audience,” said Wurgler.
THIRTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL CABARET PERFORMANCE SET Spencer High School Music Department will present its 38th Annual Cabaret, Sunday, February 7 beginning at 1 pm in the LuCille Tack Center for the Arts. This year, you’ll enjoy music from a wide spectrum of genres and styles, from country to rock and movies to musicals. Featuring music performed by soloists, bands, choir and handbells, as well as the zany antics of the Class of 2016’s musicians, FORWARD to the PAST will leave you feeling both nostalgic and energized! There is no admission charge for the concert, and the two-hour performance will have you home in plenty of time to watch the Super Bowl!
Prior to the performance, Spencer Music Parents will host a Souper Bowl Luncheon in the school cafeteria from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Three hearty soups, salad smorgasbord, beverage and desserts will be served. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children 12 years and younger. Profits support scholarships, accompanists and music equipment. Come enjoy a yummy meal and then skip down the hallway to be entertained by the outstanding talents of Spencer Musicians.
2016 SOLO-ENSEMBLE SEASON IN HIGH GEAR When we flipped the calendar page into 2016, we began preparations for this year’s solo-ensemble festival. More than 100 events are rehearsing for their performances at this year’s Wisconsin Music Association’s District Solo-Ensemble Festival to be held at HOME, Monday, March 21. Parents and adult family members are warmly welcomed to share the day with musicians from Spencer and Stratford. A schedule will be available the week before the festival and the day begins at 8AM, ending around 4PM. Join us for this free event!! And if you’re interested in being right there in the thick of the day, let the Veales know you’re available to help staff the festival!
12
Spencer High School musicians recently participated in the Marawood All-Conference Music Festival held at Pittsville High School November 3. Pictured from left to right are: Courtney Buss (horn), Jessica Meinders (soprano), Tiffany Raatz (soprano), Katelyn Zimmerman (trumpet); Ellayna Lyon (sax), Elijah Schuh (trombone), Andrew Seefeldt (tuba), Casey Shaw (clarinet).
WINTER - 2016
SPANISH CLUB NEWS There’s a new club in town: El Club de Español. Students in this group are exploring ideas for cultural experiences, and some of them are planning on going to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico in June, 2017, with their advisor, Sra. Pickett. The group, along with other students in high school Spanish classes, will also be attending the Festival of Nations in Minnesota on May 5th of this year. Parents of students interested in the Mexico trip will receive further information soon. To get the club off the ground and start funding the trip to Mexico, we have held one small fundraiser to date and will soon be holding another: the sale of Seroogy’s chocolate bars. These are tremendously good, made fresh in DePere, WI, when we place our order. The club also will be manning the concession stand on Feb. 2nd and 5th to raise funds. Look for an expanded concession stand menu on those two dates.
Cinnamon Harwood, Courtney Bauer, McKenna Brecht, Kathy Zamarripa. Back l-r: Felicia Bauer, Olivia Caldwell, Leigh Ann Sieracki, Maggie Riordan, Morgan Burt, Kathryn Hall, Kayla Hopperdietzel, Liz Endreas. Absent: Karla Garcia, Hadley Koula, and Johanna Ellefson.
13
NOTICE OF EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR RESIDENT CHILDREN & ACCOUNTABILITY State Statute Section 3224(m) 119.57(1): Annually, by January 31st, each public school shall provide public notice and post on its Internet site a description of available educational options, including: public schools, private choice schools, charter schools, virtual schools, full-time open enrollment, youth options and course options within its boundaries. Public Schools: http://www.spencer.k12.wi.us/
Spencer Elementary School (Grads PK-5) Spencer Middle School (Grades 6-8) Spencer High School (Grades 9-12)
Virtual Charter Schools
Rural Virtual Academy (PK-10th Grade) http://ruralvirtual.org/site/index.php *The Rural Virtual Academy is comprised of a consortium of 18 schools including Spencer. Resident students who attend the Rural Virtual Academy are enrolled in the School District of Spencer. DPI Website: http://sms.dpi.wi.gov/charter-schools/current
Public School Full-Time Open Enrollment
DPI Website: https://oe.dpi.wi.gov/
Youth Options Board Policy: 343.4 Youth Options http://www.spencer.k12.wi.us/District/Policies/343.4%20Youth%20Options%20Program.pdf Course Options Board Policy: 343.3 Course Options http://www.spencer.k12.wi.us/District/Policies/343-3%20Course%20Options%20Program.pdf Home-Based Private Educational Program
DPI Website: https://sms.dpi.wi.gov/sms_homeb
State Statute Section 3312, s.118.57 states that the School Board’s Notice of Education Options must include the most recent school accountability performance category assigned to each school within the district’s boundaries, including public, independent charter and private choice schools; and inform parents that the full school district accountability report is available on the district website. School Report Card: 2013-2014
Spencer Elementary School Report Card-
72.4
Meets Expectations
Spencer Middle/Senior High School Report Card-
68.0
Meets Expectations
District Report-
70.8
Meets Expectations
https://apps2.dpi.wi.gov/reportcards/ The school wide accountability performance report can be found at Spencer School District Link: https://apps2.dpi.wi.gov/sdpr/spr.action
14
WINTER - 2016
STRATFORD CONTINUING EDUCATION: WINTER/SPRING 2016 CLASS SCHEDULE COURSE TITLE
1/14/16
INSTRUCTOR
DAY
TIME
WEEKS
FEE
START/END
NOTES
Ann D.
M
5:45 - 6:30pm
12
$38.25*
1/18 - 4/4
Chestnut Center Ballroom
Jen
T
5:30 - 6:15pm
13
$38.00*
1/19 - 4/12
Good Shepherd Church
Zumba®
Kristen
SU
5:15 - 6:15pm
12
$51.00
1/24 - 4/17
First Presbyterian Gym
Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Melissa
M
8:15 - 9:30am
13
$57.00
1/25 - 4/18
Good Shepherd Church
Zumba®
Maria
M
5:30 - 6:30pm
13
$55.00
1/25 - 4/18
First Presbyterian Gym
Paint Away Workshop
Kimi
TH
7:15 - 9:15pm
1
$40.00
2/18
Good Shepherd Church
Hannah
TH
7:15 - 8:00pm
10
$35.00*
3/3 - 5/5
Town of Day Hall
20/20/20
Heather
SU
4:00 - 5:00pm
12
$45.00*
1/24 - 4/17
St. John’s Fellowship Hall
Yoga 4 Everybody
Melissa
TH
9:00 - 10:15am
11
$48.50*
2/4 - 4/14
St. John’s Fellowship Hall
Kimi
TH
7:00 - 9:00pm
1
$40.00
2/25
Nutz Deep
Kathy R.
M
6:00 - 7:00pm
11
$41.50*
3/7 - 5/16
St. John’s Fellowship Hall
Melissa.
W
6:30 - 7:45pm
12
$55.50*
1/27 - 4/13
Stratford HS Commons
Kimi
TH
7:00 - 9:00pm
1
$40.00
2/11
Zion Family Center
20/20/20
Tanner
SU
5:15 - 6:15pm
9
$31.50*
2/21 - 4/24
SHS Commons
Zumba
Kristen
M
6:15 - 7:15pm
9
$31.50
4/25 - 6/27
SHS Commons & Gym
MARSHFIELD Short Circuit ‘NEW’ RELAX with Yoga Nidra
ROZELLVILLE Yoga Body Bootcamp SPENCER
Paint Away Workshop Yoga 4 Everybody STRATFORD Yoga 4 Everybody Paint Away Workshop
TO SIGN UP FOR A CLASS: Marshfield: www.mysignup.com/winterspring2016-marshfield Athens, Green Valley, Halder, Rozellville, Spencer, Stratford: www.mysignup.com/winterspring2016-athn-grnvly-haldr-rozell-spencr-strat Questions: Email Linda at stratfordclasses@gmail.com • Course descriptions: www.stratfordclasses.com
Reserve your spot in the next edition of
SPENCER
THE ROCKET Newsletter!
715.659.5159 302 • S. Pacific Street LOYAL
MARSHFIELD
400 N. Main St.
103 W. McMillan Street, Suite 1
715.255.8526
Deadline for the next issue:
May 13, 2016 - limited space available
• Facebook: facebook.com/StratfordContinuingEducation
715.486.8151
Loan Decisions Made Locally
NEILLSVILLE GRANTON 715.743.7494
2 Boon Boulevard
715.238.7169
110 Maple Street
Visit us online at www.csbloyal.com
15
Boxholder Spencer, WI 54479
ROCKETS WRESTLING
SPENCER BOYS
basketball Feb 2 7:30PM vs. Loyal
Feb 2 7:30PM @ Loyal
Feb 6
10:00AM
Feb 4 7:30PM vs. Gilman
Feb 5 7:30PM vs. Granton
Feb 13 10:00AM
Feb 8 7:30PM vs. Pittsville
Feb 11 7:30PM vs. Neillsville
Feb 9 7:30PM vs. Abbotsford
Feb 16 7:30PM vs. Gilman
Feb 12 7:30PM @ Neillsville
Feb 19 7:30PM @ Colby
Feb 15 7:30PM @ Greenwood
Feb 22 7:30PM @Columbus
Feb 18 7:30PM Crossover (TBD)
Feb 25 7:30PM Crossover (TBD)
Cadott Tourney Regionals
SPENCER ROCKETS ATHLETICS
Current middle/high school schedules can be viewed anytime on our website homepage www.spencer.k12.wi.us - Athletic Calendar link
Be comfortable in every season! www.centralstateservice.net 24 Hour Service • Residential • Commercial