Neenah Joint School District
Connections
Community and Staff Newsletter - October 2013
Some of our students’
greatest memories occur
during homecoming week
and this year’s homecoming provided some
of the most unforgettable
moments we’ve seen in
Neenah in a long time.
What a special week it was! Extraordinary school
pride was shown throughout our District and
the support for freshman student Zavier Sims
was simply overwhelming. Much of the credit
goes to our students themselves. Not only the
student-led groups who organized the various
activities, but also the incredible number of students who participated in homecoming week at
all levels. Whether it was being in the parade,
attending the football game, or assisting in the
fundraising efforts, our students were actively involved in homecoming. This was truly a special
week to be a Neenah Rocket!
A big thank you to our staff as well. Our staff was
flexible with student schedules to allow them to
participate in activities and seeing everyone in
their red “Neenah With Pride” t-shirts on homecoming day was quite a sight!
We transition into an important month with
WKCE testing in November. Parents are reminded to make sure their children get adequate
sleep and nutrition during the next several weeks
as these tests are important for establishing our
District’s benchmarks and curriculum. Good luck
to our students taking these exams.
Our staff is reminded about the new insurance
options that are being offered during the next few
weeks. Please take time to attend one of the informational meetings. This is exciting for us to be
able to offer plans that save both the employees
and the District money – something that is almost
unprecedented these days!
Keep up the great work Neenah. It’s hard to believe we’re already almost a quarter of the way
through the school year!
.
Dr. Mary Pfeiffer
Superintendent of Schools
School Spirit on Full Display at
Homecoming
Homecoming took on a different look in 2013 as students
around the District teamed to
raise over $13,000 for freshman
Zavier Sims, who is battling a
bacterial brain infection.
The week began with a
drive-in movie on Monday.
On Tuesday, Cherry on Top
in downtown Neenah donated 10 percent of sales and a
powder-puff football game was
played on Wednesday. On Friday, a “Miracle Minute”
was held at the pep assembly and students donated $2,585. Another $1,598 was
raised in the same way at halftime of the football game Friday night and $1,400
was collected at a pre-game tailgate party.
In addition to Neenah High School,
students at other schools in the district also
contributed to the effort. Horace Mann’s student council raised $1,056, while Lakeview,
Hoover and Taft combined to collect $350
in pennies. District staff purchased “Neenah
With Pride” t-shirts that raised $1,400.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans will
also be donating at least $2,500 through its
matching funds program.
The Neenah football team capped the
week with a dominating 35-9 homecoming
victory over Wisconsin Rapids.
Around the District
Cull Honored With Sibling
Support Network Award
Clayton special education teacher
Stephanie Cull has been awarded the
Professional Service Provider of the Year
Award by the Fox Valley Sibling Support
Network.
Cull was honored at the annual Celebrate Sisterhood Luncheon on Oct. 22
at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. The
award is presented to an individual who
makes an impact on the life of a disabled
individual with exemplary dedication and service.
Cull was nominated by Clayton student Brennan Verboomen
on behalf of his brother, Morgen, who is one of Cull’s students at
Clayton. Cull has worked with Morgen for the past seven years.
“Mrs. Cull loves Morgen and he loves her like she’s part of our
family,” Brennan wrote. “Mrs. Cull has a super special ability to help
people like my brother. She is serious about helping Morgen, but
she is also silly and makes learning and school fun!”
Cull helped arrange a “Spread the Word to End the Word” event
at Clayton and organized a game with the Neenah High School
Special Olympics basketball team.
“Mrs. Cull goes way over what normal teachers do,” Brennan
added. “She is always helping my brother to be more accepted,
social and independent.”
Spring Road staff
and students have
been enjoying the
great fall weather
by participating in
“Walk to School
Wednesdays.”
Coordinated by
RoxAnn Barrow,
Spring Road’s
Wellness teacher,
staff met up
with students
at designated
areas and walked
with students to
school for the first
six Wednesday
mornings.
Shattuck Staff Rewarded
The Neenah Wal-Mart Store recognized Shattuck Middle
School teachers with $1,000 worth of gift cards to be used
towards nutritious snacks or school supplies for their classrooms.
Administrators from WalMart visited Shattuck’s staff
in-service on Oct. 16 and
presented them with the awards, which were $50 Wal-Mart
gift cards given to 20 randomly-chosen teachers.
Wal-Mart’s release with the accompanying gift cards
thanked the staff for their dedication: “Thank you, Shattuck
staff, for your commitment to educating the students of today, and building the leaders of tomorrow. We understand all
you do to support your students.”
families to learn
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Important Note to Parents
Immunization Tip - Parents, whenever you have any of
your child’s immunizations updated by a medical provider,
please ASK for a paper copy of that update and get a copy
of it to your child’s school (they will not offer one to you).
This will allow us to keep our records more up to date and
remain in compliance with the state’s requirements for
school districts regarding immunization compliance rates.
School-by-School
Alliance parents are invited to come to school for the afternoon of Oct. 25 for Alliance Parents in the
Classroom. Parents can spend some time in their child’s classroom for Work Time any time between the
hours of 1 and 3 p.m. Students will select one or two works to demonstrate during that time. Parents will be
able to get a great sense for their child’s Work Time procedures.
Clayton held an activity day as part of its “Red Ribbon Week” on Oct. 16. In the morning hours, students
rotated among a variety of activities throughout the building, including bullying prevention and learning
about active lifestyles. Clayton’s PTA also recently held a Coin-a-Day challenge where each classroom collected various coins throughout the week with all of the money collected being used to buy books for the school.
Using the mentor text of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go,” as inspiration, fifth grade students in
Maria Biebel’s classroom wrote a paragraph describing what their plans might be for the future. First graders
recently wrote a persuasive piece on the topic of “Should the ant get squished?” after reading the “Hey Little
Ant” story. Tying reading into writing is a curriculum goal for all grade levels.
Neenah is competing against other area high schools in the American Red Cross Soup’s On Challenge.
The Culinary Club will be preparing Pumpkin Soup with Rocket Relish with Chef Mike Balistrieri from
Cannova’s. The group is also competing to raise funds for the Red Cross and donations can be made by going
to www.crowdrise.com/northeasternwisconsinsoupson and clicking on the Neenah logo.
“Red Ribbon Week” was celebrated at Hoover during the week of Oct. 21-25. As part of the week, gently
used tennis shoes are being collected for children who need shoes to participate in Physical Education and
Wellness classes. There is a collection bin near the main entrance. Socks will also be accepted and shoes should
be sized 10 kids through 8 adult.
Students were invited to create an iMovie trailer for the inaugural Horace Mann Film Festival to be held in
November. The iMovies were created during Teen Read Week Oct. 14-18 with the theme of the week being
“Seek the Unknown.” The trailers centered around the theme, an author, a book, or other ideas promoting
reading.
Lakeview welcomed illusionist Joshua Jordan to school on Oct. 18. Jordan spoke to all grades about
making the right choices in life. He also spoke to the students about bullying topics. Jordan incorporates wit
and comedy into his shows, which are combination of psychology, sleight of hand, and misdirection. The
Lakeview PTO funded Jordan’s appearance.
Sue Ruthven’s third grade class studied the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly firsthand this
year. The class had an aquarium in the classroom and was able to watch each step of the changing process.
They celebrated on Oct. 14 along with their first grade reading buddies from Susan Michlig’s class by releasing the monarch butterfly at Roosevelt’s very own student-tended butterfly garden.
On Oct. 16, Shattuck celebrated Literacy Day as part of Teen Read Week. The day focused on literacy
lessons in every class every hour created by Shattuck’s Literacy Team. The students participated in reader’s
theatre, read-ins, a viewing and discussion of a movie clip, a library website scavenger hunt, a bookmark creating contest, and word games. The day showed that literacy is fun and skills are used in everything we do.
The PTO at Spring Road coordinated several fun activities promoting the Book Fair. Special dress days
were held, including favorite sports team wear, wacky hair day, inside out/backwards day and dress like an
Egyptian. They also held a two penny drives to see which teacher would dress up like a mummy with proceeds going for books in the library. Kim Hooyman was the mummy winner as over $80 was raised.
Taft students may see a new “friend” at Taft: the school’s new mascot, “Timmy” the timberwolf. Kindergarten students began a “training camp” to learn what is expected when walking in the hallway, going to
lunch, waiting outside of the bathrooms and playing outside. Students who are caught being a Taft Pack Member will receive a card to place in their classroom dog dish to see who will be the top dog class of the week.
The Tullar Halloween Bash will be held on Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. Students and families are encouraged
to wear costumes. All students must come with an adult. The event features a DJ, dancing, costume contest,
food, games and fun. Also, a tradition at Tullar is the Giving Gobbler, which has feathers that have different
Thanksgiving dinner necessities on them. The goal is to provide 15 Tullar families with a Thanksgiving meal.
Wilson students had the opportunity to duct tape their principal to the wall for money they raised
during their recent Chip Shoppe fundraiser to build a new playground. Principal Ryan Hammerschmidt was
covered in tape at a school assembly on Oct. 10 and construction on the playground will start in the spring.
Each student who raised the goal amount placed a piece of duct tape on Mr. Hammerschmidt.
What’s Happening
Helping Hands Craft Fair
Neenah High School’s Annual Helping Hands Art & Craft
Fair is set for Sat., Nov. 2 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Ron Einerson Fieldhouse. Admission is $2.
All vendors’ booth fees and admission proceeds are used to
support those students and families at Neenah High School
who find themselves in urgent financial need situations
throughout the year.
Concessions will be provided by Girls Athletics in Neenah
(GAIN). There will also be a
used book sale and over 100
fine arts & crafts vendors will display and sell creations such
as: painting, sculpture, prints, drawing, clothing, jewelry, metal work, glass, leather, fiber, wood, photography, handmade
paper, ceramics, and more.
Fall Sports Tourney Time
It’s tournament time for fall sports and
Neenah High School’s teams are primed
for another successful run with six stateranked teams among nine fall sports.
Check out the calendar below to follow
our teams in action. Each round listed is
dependent on the Rockets advancing through the preceding round.
Boys Soccer
Oct. 24 - Home, WIAA Sectional vs. Green Bay Preble, 7 p.m.
Oct. 26 - WIAA Sectional Final at Stevens Point, 5 p.m.
Nov. 1 - WIAA Semifinals at Uihlein Field, Milwaukee, 7 p.m
Nov. 2 - WIAA Finals at Uihlein Field, Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Girls Tennis
Oct. 25-26 - WIAA Team State at Nielsen Tennis Stadium, Madison
Boys and Girls Cross Country
Oct. 25 - WIAA Sectional at Lake Breeze G.C., Oshkosh, 4 p.m.
Nov. 2 - WIAA State at Wisconsin Rapids, 12:40 p.m./2:25 p.m.
Girls Volleyball
Oct. 26 - Home, WIAA Regional Final, 7 p.m.
Oct. 31 - Home, WIAA Sectional Semifinal, 6 & 8 p.m.
Nov. 2 - WIAA Sectional Final at Manitowoc, 7 p.m.
Nov. 7 - WIAA Quarterfinal at Resch Center, Green Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 8 - WIAA Semifinal at Resch Center, Green Bay, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9 - WIAA Final at Resch Center, Green Bay, 4:30 p.m.
Boys Volleyball
Nov. 1 - WIAA Regional, Away, 7 p.m.
Nov. 5 - WIAA Sectional Semifinal, Away, 7 p.m.
Nov. 7 - WIAA Sectional Final at Nicolet, 7 p.m.
Nov. 15-16 - WIAA State at Wis. Lutheran College, Milwaukee, time TBD
Girls Swimming and Diving
Nov. 8 - Home, WIAA Diving Sectional, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 - Home, WIAA Swimming Sectional, Noon
Nov. 16 - WIAA State at UW Natatorium, Madison, 10 a.m./3 p.m.
November 2013 School Calendar
1..................End of First Quarter - Early Dismissal Grades K-8
2..................Helping Hands Craft Fair (NHS Fieldhouse), 9 a.m.
5..................Board of Education Meeting, 6 p.m.
5..................Horace Mann Choir Concert (Pickard), 7 p.m.
7..................NHS Orchestra Concert (Pickard), 7:30 p.m.
8..................WIAA Girls Diving Sectional, 5:30 p.m.
9..................WIAA Girls Swimming Sectional, Noon
14................NHS Band Concert (Pickard), 7:30 p.m.
19................Board of Education Meeting, 6 p.m.
21................Shattuck Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m.
26................Vintage Opener/Touch of Class/Jazz Concert, 7:30 p.m.
27................Early Dismissal - All Levels (Professional Learning Day)
28-29...........No School - Thanksgiving Break
New Insurance Plan Approved
Neenah Joint School District employees will have a new option
for insurance benefits that will save both employees and the District money. The new plan will start Jan. 1, 2014 and employees
may enroll between Oct. 28-Nov. 15.
Meeetings to explain the new options will be offered on Tues.,
Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the Shattuck Auditorium. On
Wed., Nov. 6, meetings will be held in the District Administrative
Building Auditorium at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
All employees will be required to use Network Health and a
new HMO option is being offered with lower rates that require
employees to use only Network Health providers. A more flexible
option is also offered at a similar rate as this past year and a higher deductible option is available as well. Employees wishing to
opt out can continue to do so and earn up to $2,000.
Employees planning to continue their current policies with
no change do not have to complete any forms. Voluntary insurances are also available for enrollment at this time. These include
vision, short-term disability, optional life insurance and the 125c
flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care.
Welcome New School Nurses
The Neenah Joint School District is excited to welcome Amanda
Hatch and Michelle Kaczorowski as the new school nurses. They are
bringing educational and school nursing experience to the d
District, so we look forward to their contributions.
They will officially take over the school nursing duties from our
current nurses on Mon., Nov. 11. There will be some overlap time with
our current nurses to help make for a smooth transition.
The Neenah Joint School District would also like to extend a
sincere thank you to departing school nurses Kris LeCompte, Erin
Roberts, and Kathleen Sheridan for their past dedication and years of
service to Neenah students.