April 20-24, 2020

This week's video announcement...

• Please take a moment to click on and view the video announcement above with your child!  We watch video announcements each day as classroom communities and a school community to start our day.  Enjoy this rendition featuring previously recorded snippets from earlier this year and some videos sent in especially for you from EQ staff.

Monday, April 20

Happy Birthday: Damien M., Ava T. - from Mrs. McKinnon

• Movement Monday - Participate in a physical activity.  You could get active with something as simple as a balloon.  Mrs. Stratton and her boys show us how...

Tuesday, April 21

• Terrific Tuesday - Be a bucket filler today!  We challenge you to share a bucket slip or hand written note with a kind thought with someone at home, with your teacher or another classmate through Google Classroom or SeeSaw.  Here are some bucket slips shared earlier this year by some of our fourth grade students...

Wednesday, April 22

Happy Birthday: Cadin M. - Mrs. Owen, Nevaeh B. - Mrs. Forster, Levi G. - Mrs. Ponte

• What Went Well Wednesday - 
• What has been going well for you?   Take a selfie of you doing your work at home this week and email it to Mrs. Knapp at knapps@kaukaunasd.org.  Then watch for it on Facebook and Instagram.

Thursday, April 23

Happy Birthday: Cooper L. - Mrs. Baranczyk/Mrs. Wiese, Mrs. Durrant

• Things That Make You Go Hmm... Thursday!
• Here one from earlier in the year from the fourth graders..

Friday, April 24

Happy Birthday: Isaac S. - Mrs. Jozwiak 

Weekend: Hayden S. - Ms. Gill, Lucia H. - Mr. Kieckhafer, Aeron S. - Mrs. Baranczyk/Mrs. Wiese, Mrs. Jozwiak

• Funny Friday-  Here are a few jokes for Funny Friday from Mrs. Koenig and her son Cole!  Post a joke on your Google Classroom or SeeSaw page for your class. 

Have a story to share or a picture of your child or family doing the themes listed above?  

Send them to Mrs. Knapp at knapps@kaukaunasd.org and we'll share them with our school family on Facebook and Instagram!  One way to have fun together even though we are socially distanced!

Note from Mrs. Knapp...

I hope your first week with the updated Flexible Learning our teachers have been providing went as well as can be expected!!!   Thank you for braving the unknown with us all and helping the teachers feel comfortable as well with the platform of sharing learning options digitally with you!  

Again, we know each family is coming at this from a very different perspective.  We have asked teachers to maintain contact with students and families from a relationship and connection standpoint.  With this you have experienced classroom meeting opportunities through Google Hangout or video recordings of the teachers.  The meetings and the other reading, writing, math, and extension activities are a resource or reference for students and families to use as you see fit.  Please know that the meetings or items provided from teachers are not a requirement by any means.  There are some families that are not able to do any of this, and we are ok with that, and there are families that are able to do parts and other families finding more to do beyond this.  We understand and accept whatever extent you wish or are able to use any of the items sent.

We now received the news last week that we will no longer return to our school buildings for learning for the remainder of the school year.  Families should have received district level communication via mail and there were various posts on social media sites.  District leadership and staff will continue to meet and within time will have more updates for the things you may be wondering such as how to get remaining personal materials, supplies and etc.  We want to assure we have things in order to meet needs and assure safety for all and once things are set in place they will be shared out.  

Thank you for keeping in touch with us and all the hard work you are doing!  We know each of our families are doing the best we can. The time you spend with your children with even everyday tasks such as making and eating meals together, going on walks, getting creative with a cardboard box, and more can mean more than anything.  

Stay safe and be well!

Stacy Knapp, Principal

knapps@kaukaunasd.org

WATCH FOR REFUNDS!

We are in the process of reimbursing field trip money that was collected. We will be returning checks that were not deposited. If your funds were deposited, we will issue a check. IF you have children in different grades (different trips) we will try to send one check with any/all trips accounted for on the check. 

UPDATE from Mrs. Jersett**
Yes, unfortunately we ran out of checks...We are waiting for our order of checks to arrive to continue the refunds. As soon as the checks arrive we will complete the rest of the payments. Thank you for your patience in advance!

April 13-17, 2020

This week's video announcement...

• Please take a moment to click on and view the video announcement above with your child!  We watch video announcements each day as classroom communities and a school community to start our day.  Enjoy this rendition featuring previously recorded snippets from earlier this year and some videos sent in especially for you from EQ staff.

EXTRA, EXTRA...Here is some more fun...

Monday, April 13

Happy Birthday: Anna A. - 4Forster

• Movement Monday - Participate in a physical activity.  Try a plank challenge with your family this week.  Mr. Halloran shows us how...

Tuesday, April 14

Happy Birthday: Mrs. Olson

• Terrific Tuesday - Be a bucket filler today!  Share a virtual bucket slip by sharing a kind thought with someone at home, with your teacher or another classmate through Google Classroom or SeeSaw.  You could make your own Bucket Filling Family Chart like this...

Wednesday, April 15

• What Went Well Wednesday - 
• What has been going well for you?   Take a selfie of you doing your work at home this week and email it to Mrs. Knapp at knapps@kaukaunasd.org.  Then watch for it on Facebook and Instagram.

Thursday, April 16

Happy Birthday: Greyson S. - 3Gaines

• Things That Make You Go Hmm... Thursday!
• When you blink one eye, you move over 200 muscles.

Friday, April 17

Happy Birthday: Gage D. -2Ritzke, Jacob S. - 3Dercks, 

Weekend: Raven S. - 3Haehlke

• Funny Friday-  Tell someone in your family a joke.  Post a joke on your Google Classroom or SeeSaw page for your class.  Or watch the end of the  video announcements again with the jokes from Mrs. Baranczyk and Mrs. Durrant.

Have a story to share or a picture of your child or family doing the themes listed above?  

Send them to Mrs. Knapp at knapps@kaukaunasd.org and we'll share them with our school family on Facebook and Instagram!  One way to have fun together even though we are socially distanced!

Note from Mrs. Knapp...

Dear Families, 

We recognize  that learning at home can’t be a “one-size-fits-all” approach.  Some of us are juggling working from home while trying to continue student learning, some of us have grandparents or other caregivers watching our kids during the day.  Some of us have older children watching younger children...  And all of that is okay.  We are all doing the best we can. 

Mr. Maki, Director of Elementary Education, sent an email on Friday afternoon with the additional flexible learning options we are now offering to continue your child’s education while at home. As a way to help keep you informed we have created a new Google folder for you to access the themes for each week as well as some ongoing resources. This folder can be accessed through our Flexible Learning website under the Continued Learning Weekly Guides link.  This folder is a reference for families, your child’s teacher will use these resources to provide learning opportunities each day. Expect more daily contacts from your child's teacher with the learning opportunities that are taken from the Weekly Guides.  These contacts will come via email, Google Classroom, SeeSaw, and etc.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is that, if possible, have your child read, write and practice math every day.  Don’t worry about introducing new learning.  They already know how to write in all of the genres and how to read different types of books. Simply by keeping them reading and writing, they will grow.  Try not to stress - brain research tells us that a child under stress cannot learn from an adult under stress.  

We know that so many resources and ideas have been shared. We will try to help streamline which resources we are using from the school. 

Lastly, we will welcome them back with open arms when it is safe to do so.  We will do what we do best- meet your child’s needs, wherever they are. 

Stay safe and be well!

Stacy Knapp, Principal

knapps@kaukaunasd.org

WATCH FOR REFUNDS!

We are in the process of reimbursing field trip money that was collected. We will be returning checks that were not deposited. If your funds were deposited, we will issue a check. IF you have children in different grades (different trips) we will try to send one check with any/all trips accounted for on the check. Thank you for your patience in advance!

Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week

Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness week is this week.  When in session at school we always take this time to review our safety plans in severe weather and tornado warnings.  There will not be that same drill this year.  ReadyWisconsin and its partners will be having a "Virtual" Tornado Drill on Thursday, April 16th, however, there will be no alerts on NOAA Weather Radios or on TV. Instead, there may be messages on social media from ReadyWisconsin, the National Weather Service, and Wisconsin Broadcasters across the state reminding you about tornado safety.  Governor Evers encourages everyone this spring to talk about weather safety during this Awareness Week.  As a family, take a moment this week to talk about your plans at home for taking shelter when severe weather or a tornado warning is issued. 

Resources for parents:  https://readywisconsin.wi.gov/be-informed/tornado/
For students:  https://www.weather.gov/media/grb/outreach/kids.pdf

https://dma.wi.gov/DMA/wemnews/2020wemnews/20050

March 30-April 10, 2020

This week's video announcement...

• Please take a moment to click on and view the video announcement above with your child!  We watch video announcements each day as classroom communities and a school community to start our day.  Each classroom helps record the announcements for a week long opportunity during the school year.  Enjoy this rendition featuring previously recorded snippets from earlier this year and some videos sent in especially for you from EQ staff.

Monday, March 30

• Movement Monday - Participate in a physical activity.  If you are unsure what physical activity to have your child do, try 10 burpees.

Tuesday, March 31

• Terrific Tuesday - We read aloud bucket slips that students have filled out for others in their class or the school.  Share a virtual bucket slip with someone at home, with your teacher or another classmate through Google Classroom or SeeSaw. 
• Based off of the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? 

Wednesday, April 1

• What Went Well Wednesday - 
• What has been going well for you?   Take a selfie of you doing your work at home!

Thursday, April 2

• Things That Make You Go Hmm... Thursday!
• What color is a mirror?

Friday, April 3

• Funny Friday-  Tell someone in your family a joke.  Post a joke on your Google Classroom or SeeSaw page for your class.

The activities listed above on each day of the week follow our normal announcement activities that the recording classroom helps with.  Have some fun and try these when/if time allows for your family.  

Have a story to share or a picture of your child or family doing the themes listed above?  

Send them to Mrs. Knapp at knapps@kaukaunasd.org and we'll share them with our school family on Facebook and Instagram!  One way to have fun together even though we are socially distanced!

Student E-mails

Students in grades 1-4 now have their KASD email addresses active.  Students can only email within the KASD Google email system.  Mrs. Wolf, our Library Media Specialist, will be putting information on our school LMC website to assist students in understanding the next steps of digital citizenship with email.  This unique time is a good opportunity to continue to provide modeling and teaching of digital citizenship overall as we are using technology even more than we did in school.  The use of email while we are distanced and not seeing students on a daily basis will give your child and the teacher the option for individual conversation/support needs in a safe and archived manner.  

Have you had a chance to check it out?  

Have you had a chance to see the variety of links, and resources on our Library Media webpage. Thank you to Mrs. Wolf for maintaining and adding to this webpage and continuing to collaborate with our specialists in Music, Art, and PE.   As you continue to navigate through the concept of Continued Learning at home, please keep this site in mind and use it as often as needed.  Thank you Mrs. Wolf and EQ Staff!

Note from Mrs. Knapp...

I hope as we head into week three that you and your family are finding more and more comfort in a balance in this school closure/"Stay at Home" order.  We have a week of distance learning and then a week of Spring Break!  Our teaching staff will continue to reach out to you through email, Google Classroom, or SeeSaw at least three times a week as they have since March 18.  lease continue to read the school district emails, the COVID-19 Resource page and our Flexible Learning page of our KASD website to stay up to date.  And as always, please feel free to email your child's classroom teacher or myself with any questions you have.

As a staff we have multiple virtual collaboration meetings set this week in preparation for continued learning for our students after Spring Break.   I continued to be amazed by the hardworking team of staff we have!

Thank you for continuing taking care of yourselves and your children — both physically and emotionally.  We will continue to share more in the weeks to come!

Stay safe and be well,
Stacy Knapp
knapps@kaukaunasd.org

March 23-27, 2020

Check out this video announcement...

• Please take a moment to click on and view the video announcement above with your child sometime on Monday!  We watch video announcements each day as classroom communities and a school community to start our day.  Each classroom helps record the announcements for a week long opportunity during the school year.  Thank you to Mrs. Luedeke, Mrs. Rosenbeck and Owen L. for helping create an announcement for us to start the week.

• The activities listed below on each day of the week follow our normal announcement activities that the recording classroom helps with.  Have some fun and try these when/if time allows for your family.  

• Have a story to share or a picture of you doing the themes listed below?  Send them to Mrs. Knapp at knapps@kaukaunasd.org and we'll share them with our school family on Facebook and Instagram!  One way to have fun together even though we are socially distanced!

Monday, March 23

• Movement Monday - Participate in a physical activity.  If you are unsure what physical activity to do, try 10 sit-ups.

Tuesday, March 24

• Terrific Tuesday - We read aloud bucket slips that students have filled out for others in their class or the school.  Share a virtual bucket slip with someone at home, with your teacher or another classmate through Google Classroom or SeeSaw. 
• Based off of the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? 

Wednesday, March 25

• What Went Well Wednesday - 
• What has been going well for you?   Take a selfie of you doing your work at home!

Thursday, March 26

• Things That Make You Go Hmm... Thursday!
• Snails take the longest naps, some lasting as long as three years.
• How many seconds are in a year?

Friday, March 27

• Funny Friday- Tell someone in your family a joke.

WOW, Have you visited our EQ Library Media page recently?

Our Libary Media Specialist, Mrs. Wolf, has been busy continuing to add opportunities, links, and resources to our Library Media webpage.   In an effort to temper the amount of email communication you receive, Mrs. Wolf also collaborates with our specialists in Music, Art, and PE so you can continue to connect with resources they suggest.  You will find this resources and links on the various blue tabs at the top of the webpage.  As you continue to navigate through the concept of Continued Learning at home, please keep this site in mind and use it as often as needed.  Thank you Mrs. Wolf and EQ Staff!

Note from Mrs. Knapp...

As a school community, the staff and I think daily of all our Quinney Cougars and your families!  I hope the contacts teachers have made with you via email, Google Classroom, SeeSaw and more have helped you and your child in being able to adjust to this new experience of Continued Learning in a distance format.  The caring hearts of the EQ staff has always been apparent, but even more so since these unexpected changes begin just over a week ago.  Quinney Cougar Superheroes indeed!  We know this new virus and the continuous developments can cause anxiety and stress.  The staff and I thank you for all your patience, support, and understanding during the start of this unique school closure.   It will likely be a time in we will all remember for the rest of our lives.

The school and district leadership team continues to collaborate with our coaches/specialists and teaching staff to monitor and adjust to continued learning needs. Please continue to read the school district emails, the COVID-19 Resource page and our Flexible Learning page of our KASD website to stay up to date.  Thank you.  It is amazing to be a part of a hardworking team, a dedicated school, and such a strong community!

Thank you for continuing taking care of yourselves and your children — both physically and emotionally. As a parent you may find this video about managing stress in this challenging time helpful.  For your children, I encourage you to click here and watch this video from our School Counselor Miss Duda with your son/daughter.  We will continue to share more in the weeks to come!

Stay safe and be well,
Stacy Knapp
knapps@kaukaunasd.org

March 9-13, 2020

Week at a Glance:

Monday, Mar. 9:  Day 6

Lunch:
#1 - Chicken Nuggets w/Waffle
#2 - Tater Tot Casserole

Tuesday, Mar. 10:  Day 1

Lunch:
#1 - Taco Tuesday
#2 - Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla

Wednesday, Mar. 11:  Day 2

Lunch:
#1 - Rotini & Cheese
#2 - Turkey & Bheese on a Bun

Thursday, Mar. 12: Day 3

Lunch:
#1 - Roasted Turkey w/Mashed Potatoes
#2 - Pizza Roll Up

Friday, Mar. 13:  Day 4

Lunch:

#1 - Pizza Dippers

#2 - BBQ Shredded Pork Sandwich

Upcoming Events:

March 17 - Green/Leprechaun Day!
March 19 - Unos Dough Raiser Fundraiser
March 22 - Summer School Registration Begins
March 23 - 6:00-7:00 PAC Meeting
March 26 - Hat Day!

March 27 - No School

UNO's Family Restaurant Fundraiser - March 19!

March 19 we will have a fundraiser at Uno's Pizzeria & Grill near Festival Foods. A form will go home before the fundraiser. That form will need to be handed in at the time of your purchase. This can be used for pick up or dine in any time of the day on March 19th (not delivery). We will receive up to 20% of the check! Thank you for supporting our fundraiser at UNO's!

Wisconsin Forward Spring State Assessment

The Wisconsin Forward Exam will be given in schools between March 23 and May 1, 2020. The Forward Exam is a state mandated summative assessment which provides information about what students know and can do in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards. Students receive a score based on their performance in each content area.

There are sample or practice test questions available for students. An Online Tools Training (OTT) is available for students at https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/forward/sample-items .  The OTT is intended to give students the opportunity to practice with tools available on the Forward Exam, as well as allow them to familiarize themselves with the testing platform. The OTT is not scored, nor is it intended to provide practice on the test content. Students will be exploring these tools and training at school prior to testing.

The Forward Exam will be administered online and be given to:

• Grades 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics,
• Grades 4 and 8 in Science and,
• Grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies

The Forward Exam includes several question types:

• Multiple-Choice (MC): Question that has four answer choices, including three distractors and one correct answer.
• Enhanced Selected Response (ESR): Question which may contain combinations of MC, short-answer, and technology-enhanced.
• Evidence-Based Selected Response (ESBR): Question which has two parts. The student answers Part A, then provides evidence in Part B to support answer in Part A.
• Text-Dependent Analysis (TDA): Question used on the ELA test. The TDA is a text-based analysis, based on a passage that is read by the student during the assessment. Students must draw on basic writing skills while inferring and synthesizing information from the passage in order to develop a comprehensive, holistic essay response. Students have up to 5000 characters to formulate their response.
• Technology-Enhanced (TE): TE questions allow for a more engaging, interactive assessment.

Accommodations and supports for students with disabilities and/or English language learners are built into the system so that the progress of students can be accurately measured.

The estimated time for the test administration in each grade is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes for ELA, 1 hour and 45 minutes for Mathematics, 1 hour and 40 minutes for Science, and 1 hour and 30 minutes for Social Studies. These are estimated times, as the WI Forward Exam is not a timed test so students work at their own pace.

If you have any questions or concerns about the new assessment, please contact the office.

Summer School Registration starts March 22

Summer School registration begins March 22nd.  Take a moment to view the Summer School Website and offerings so you are up-to-date:

Click here for 2020 Summer School Information

Attention 4th Grade Students -- 

Junior Dance Team at RV for '20-21

Junior dance team tryouts will be in May at River View Middle School for 4th grade students.  What you will need is a physical (doctor signs and clears student) and a concussion form filled out by each family that are interested.  Please see the link for the forms for you will need to print and take with you to the doctor. Need more info? Call 766-6100 ext. 4401 or ext. 4001.

Community Events and Activity Flyers

There are a great many worthy undertakings in the Kaukauna Area School District that understandably deserve public support. The Board of Education/School District assist with this process in providing notice to students and/or families of certain non-school-related community activities/programs that are for public school-age students (that apply and meet policy conditions). Click here or visit the school district website to view the up to date list of events and flyers.

March 2-6, 2020

Week at a Glance:

Monday, Mar. 2:  Day 1

Lunch:
#1 - Hot Dog
#2 - Ham & Turkey Chef Salad

• Dr. Seuss/Book Character Day! Dress like any of your favorite book character

Tuesday, Mar. 3:  Day 2

Lunch:
#1 - Muffin & Goldfish Fun Lunch
#2 - Philly Cheese Steak

• Oh, the Places You'll Go! Wear a shirt from a place/event you have been to or want to go!

Wednesday, Mar. 4:  Day 3

Lunch:
#1 - Rotini Tossed in Italian Meat Sauce
#2 - Cheeseburger

• Sleep Book - Wear Pajamas or Comfy clothing and cozy up to read a good book
  

Thursday, Mar. 5: Day 4

Lunch:
#1 - Nachos
#2 - Cheese Quesadilla

• Cat in the Hat or unpublished All Sorts of Sports - Wear your favorite hat and/or favorite sports team shirt/jersey
  

Friday, Mar. 6:  Day 5

Lunch:

#1 - Mini Corn Dogs

#2 - Cheese Pizza Bagels

• Fox in Socks - Wear crazy or mismatched socks

Upcoming Events:

March 17 - Green/Leprechaun Day!
March 19 - Unos Dough Raiser Fundraiser
March 22 - Summer School Registration Begins
March 23 - 6:00-7:00 PAC Meeting
March 26 - Hat Day!

March 27 - No School

Wisconsin Forward Spring State Assessment

The Wisconsin Forward Exam will be given in schools between March 23 and May 1, 2020. The Forward Exam is a state mandated summative assessment which provides information about what students know and can do in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards. Students receive a score based on their performance in each content area.

There are sample or practice test questions available for students. An Online Tools Training (OTT) is available for students at https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/forward/sample-items .  The OTT is intended to give students the opportunity to practice with tools available on the Forward Exam, as well as allow them to familiarize themselves with the testing platform. The OTT is not scored, nor is it intended to provide practice on the test content. Students will be exploring these tools and training at school prior to testing.

The Forward Exam will be administered online and be given to:

• Grades 3-8 in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics,
• Grades 4 and 8 in Science and,
• Grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies

The Forward Exam includes several question types:

• Multiple-Choice (MC): Question that has four answer choices, including three distractors and one correct answer.
• Enhanced Selected Response (ESR): Question which may contain combinations of MC, short-answer, and technology-enhanced.
• Evidence-Based Selected Response (ESBR): Question which has two parts. The student answers Part A, then provides evidence in Part B to support answer in Part A.
• Text-Dependent Analysis (TDA): Question used on the ELA test. The TDA is a text-based analysis, based on a passage that is read by the student during the assessment. Students must draw on basic writing skills while inferring and synthesizing information from the passage in order to develop a comprehensive, holistic essay response. Students have up to 5000 characters to formulate their response.
• Technology-Enhanced (TE): TE questions allow for a more engaging, interactive assessment.

Accommodations and supports for students with disabilities and/or English language learners are built into the system so that the progress of students can be accurately measured.

The estimated time for the test administration in each grade is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes for ELA, 1 hour and 45 minutes for Mathematics, 1 hour and 40 minutes for Science, and 1 hour and 30 minutes for Social Studies. These are estimated times, as the WI Forward Exam is not a timed test so students work at their own pace.

If you have any questions or concerns about the new assessment, please contact the office.

Summer School - 2020

Before we know it Summer School registration will be here.  Feel free to keep referring back to the Summer School Website to stay up-to-date:

Click here for 2020 Summer School Information

Community Events and Activity Flyers

There are a great many worthy undertakings in the Kaukauna Area School District that understandably deserve public support. The Board of Education/School District assist with this process in providing notice to students and/or families of certain non-school-related community activities/programs that are for public school-age students (that apply and meet policy conditions). Click here or visit the school district website to view the up to date list of events and flyers.