February 28, 2008

A Few Short Notes from Ms. Heffron, February 28, 2008

Spirit Day: Tomorrow (Friday the 29th) is a Spirit Day. The theme is Cumberland pride - so proudly wear your Cougarwear or green and white!!

• Student Interest Day: Do you have a career, hobby or an interest you could share with Cumberland students? Planning is now underway for the PTO's Student Interest Day. 25-30 speakers are needed for this event which will be held on the afternoon of May 8. Please consider participating. Contact Beth Matkom with topic suggestions or questions. 967-9770 or ematkom@wi.rr.com
• WHITEFISH BAY HS 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FORTHCOMING: Whitefish Bay High School will be celebrating its 75th Anniversary on Saturday, May 10, 2008, at WFB High school. The day will begin at 9:00 AM with the Run/Walk the Bay sponsored by the Whitefish Bay Education Foundation. Throughout the afternoon, building tours will be conducted and exhibits will be on display in the high school field house where visitors may also enjoy musical entertainment. At 5:00 PM, a barbecue dinner will be served at cost, featuring food provided by Pandl's Whitefish Bay and Kopp's Frozen Custard. Dinner will be followed by a general program and additional entertainment, including the closing performance of Whitefish Bay High School's spring play, The Odd Couple, beginning at 8:00 PM. All are welcome to attend, especially those who have a connection, past or present, with the Whitefish Bay school community. More specific details will be advertised as the anniversary celebration draws near. Questions regarding this gala event may be addressed to Mr. Bill Henkle, Whitefish Bay High School Principal, at (414) 963-3873 or bhenk.hs.wfb@wfbschools.com.
• Late Start Collaboration Day: Wednesday, March 5^th, all students start school at 9:15.

February 21, 2008

Notes from Ms. Heffron February 21, 2008

I am really looking forward to the PTO outing to the Admiral's game tomorrow night, especially since Maestra Abts has agreed to be the human hockey puck this year, relieving me of that opportunity. It will make it easier for me to enjoy some sweets or nachos at the game if I am not ramping up to be flung across the ice at high speed. Thanks to Maestra and I hope to see you there!

The students have been extremely well behaved during our endless inside recesses. The days can seem long when there is no outside time, and because of scheduling complications in the gym and room four, the inside recesses are being held in the regular classrooms, in the hallway common areas, or in the library playing chess. The change in routine presents challenges as we ask students to transition to places and in ways that are not routine. Please take a minute to complement your child(ren) on their contributions to the smooth community operation of the school.

Fevers: According to the Health Department protocol, a student must be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. This means that if your child is sent home from school with a fever one day, s/he should not be returning the next day. Please help us prevent the spread of diseases by complying with this policy.

Other health notes: Several Cumberland students have recently been diagnosed with strep throat and while this is not uncommon, the circumstances have been. The students did not have sore throats, yet they developed other related things such as the scarlet fever rash. According to the Mayo Clinic web site, signs and symptoms of strep throat can include:

• Throat pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
• Swollen, tender lymph glands (nodes) in your neck
• Fever
• Headache
• Rash
• Stomachache and sometimes vomiting, especially in younger children

It's possible for you or your child to have many of these signs and symptoms, but not have strep throat. The cause of these signs and symptoms could be a virus, tonsillitis or other illnesses. That's why your doctor generally tests specifically for strep throat. It's also possible to have the bacteria that cause strep in your throat without having a sore throat. Some people are carriers of strep, which means they can pass the bacteria on to others, but the bacteria no longer make them sick.

Notes:

• The PTO Family Dinner is next Tuesday, February 26^th, from 5:00-7:00. Please note the corrected ending time of 7:00. Cougar Wear will be available for immediate purchase.
• NEW THIS YEAR - Our 5th Grade Community Service Club is holding a Silent Auction Bake Sale the night of Family Dinner (Tuesday, February 26) to help raise funds for their year-long campaign to support Second Harvest's Back-Pack Buddies program. The club is trying to raise $3,000 to provide school supplies and backpacks for kids in a needy inner city school. They have formed teams and solicited local businesses to donate "sweet treat" packages (bagels, cakes and desserts from your favorite local places) and will be auctioning off packages in the lobby the night of family dinner. Also look for some special "teacher features" - our teachers have put together some fun items to support this cause. It's going to be a really fun night!

February 14, 2008

Notes from Ms. Heffron February 14, 2008

As many of us are experiencing at home, here at school we are running out of places to put or plow snow. Our terrific Building and Grounds crew is carefully plowing out front so as not to injure the redone seating area, benches and new concrete. Unfortunately, because of the scope of our area and the constancy of new snow and ice, our sidewalks are getting narrower. Then, earlier this week, the district ran out of salt, because there was simply none available in our part of the state! Somehow, this is also related in my mind to the growing lost and found collection. Please check the items on the tables in the front entryway during the next week. After that, all remaining things will be donated.

Another note on the winter conditions and temperatures: If the wind chill is

-15 degrees or below, the crossing guards will leave their designated area at 8:25. They will not be there for the arrival of the kindergartners who start at 9:15.

With Parent Teacher conferences, the February 22^nd Admirals game and the February 26^th Family Dinner, there are many chances to get together with the Cumberland community. I hope to see you at one or more of these events.

Other notes:

• NEW THIS YEAR - Our 5th Grade Community Service Club is holding a Silent Auction Bake Sale the night of Family Dinner (Tuesday, February 26) to help raise funds for their year-long campaign to support Second Harvest's Back-Pack Buddies program. The club is trying to raise $3,000 to provide school supplies and backpacks for kids in a needy inner city school. They have formed teams and solicited local businesses to donate "sweet treat" packages (bagels, cakes and desserts from your favorite local places) and will be auctioning off packages in the lobby the night of family dinner. Also look for some special "teacher features" - our teachers have put together some fun items to support this cause. It's going to be a really fun night!

• Each year the Director of Instruction seeks parent/guardian representation for various committees. Please see the flyer on the back of today's letter for more information on these opportunities along with curricular updates.

NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS, FRIDAY, FEB. 15TH OR

MONDAY, FEB. 18TH

Notes From the Office of the Director of Instruction

February 7, 2008

Notes from Ms. Heffron February 7, 2008

I am writing this in a very quiet building on Wednesday. While it did not look so bad in the morning, clearly from the number of closings that took place in the community, everyone took the severe weather warnings seriously. Anticipating the challenges of getting students safely here and then home, especially if there really ends up being 14-20 inches of snow as predicted, all schools in the area chose to avoid this situation by not bringing students in at all. For your notification, school closings are posted on the Whitefish Bay Schools website homepage at wfbschools.com. You will not see the closing if you have the Cumberland page as your link, even if you go from there to the district homepage. I am not sure why this is the case. So, if you are looking for information about school closings, log in directly to the wfbschools.com site and any changes are posted on the first page. Of course, we will continue to publicize through television and radio, too. There may be other stations who offer the service but I know for sure that you can sign up with WISN for email alerts to be sent to you in the event of closings. We will not know any implications for school calendar adjustments from being closed on Wednesday until well into the springtime as this involves the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. As soon as I have any information about make up days, I will let you know.

Looking ahead to next year, I am projecting the number of classes and hence staff that we will need. If you know that your child/ren will not be returning to Cumberland next year, please let us know here in the office. (Call the office at 963-3943 or email Debby at dkwon.cu.wfb@wfbschools.com) The more accurate our information is, the more well- positioned we are to plan effectively. Based on previous years, we know that there will be changes in these numbers between now and next August. The numbers we have right now for 2008-09 are:

K4: 96 students

K5: 81 all day requests and 19 half day.

1^st: 90 students.

2^nd: 84 students.

3^rd: 104 students.

4^th: 81 students.

5^th: 84 students.

Notes:

• Admirals Hockey Game ticket deadline: Tomorrow, Friday Feb. 8^th, is the deadline to buy tickets to attend the PTO outing to the Admirals game. Remember, you will have a chance to see Maestra Abts as the human hockey puck!
• Fun Lunch rescheduled for Wednesday, February 13th
• February 12, 14, & 21 Conferences (4:30-7:30pm)
• February 15^th, no school for students. Parent Teacher conferences are held in the morning (8:00-10:00am).
• February 18^th, no school for students. Winter Break Day

Rock and Roll to 2nd Thought is a Whitefish Bay Band made up of middle school and high school kids. Tonight, Friday night, 2nd Thought will be doing a benefit concert for Children's Hospital at the WFB High School Auditorium. The concert will be video taped by Cartoon Network and will begin at 7:00 pm.

Cost of the event is $3.00. This is a great family event that benefits many beyond our community.

January 24, 2008

A Letter from Ms. Heffron
January 24, 2008

Pheeww! It has been a long very cold stretch and while we can see that the students need to be ale to get outside, inside recesses have gone well. The meteorologists are suggesting that by tomorrow it will warm up enough to go outside. As a reminder, it has to remain about zero with wind shill in order for us to gout for recesses.

Notes:

• Families that Read Together Succeed Together: If you have pre-registered for this, I look forward to seeing you tonight at Richards School for the event.
• Look for the Cool Stuff for Kids Fair flyer in today's folder.
• 4th grade Orchestra Concert, Wednesday, January 7:00pm in the GYM.
• K4 and K5 Kindergarten registration for the Fall continues. Please call the office for information.
• Friday, February 1st: Clerical Afternoon. No school PM for students. Dismissal at 11:50am.
• Wednesday, February 6th: Late Start Day. School begins at 9:15am.
  

January 31, 2008

Notes from the Cumberland Office where we hope it is going to get warmer soon! January 31, 2008

Yesterday's weather forced another indoor recess and while some children enjoy the novelty of being able to stay in and visit or build or play games or talk with friends, we all notice changing behaviors in the afternoon when students have not been able to go outside. I am sure you see this at home, too. One of my memories from growing up was my mother's command to us to, "Get outside!" when she had had enough of our indoor shenanigans. I have a feeling that way back then, say in the 50s and 60s, Mom was less concerned about the wind chill than we are now and growing up in mid Michigan there were some really cold times. We used to build snow forts both for the fun of it and to create a wind break! Anyway, as a reminder about our practice here, if the wind chill is zero or above we generally go outside for recess.

New in the Fall of 2008, The Lydell Preschool

As the Recreation and Community Education Department of WFB looks ahead at the future, we think about new ways to meet the changing needs of the community. In efforts to expand our services, the Recreation and Community Education Department is starting The Lydell Preschool.

This new addition to the School District of Whitefish Bay's outstanding educational opportunities will continue the tradition of exceptional academic excellence that has made our village one of the most desirable places to live and raise children. The program will welcome children 3-4 years of age. All children must be completely toilet trained.

For more information log onto www.wfbschools.com and enter the Recreation Department site for a downloadable program brochure, parent handbook and enrollment forms. Lydell Preschool is housed at 5205 North Lydell Avenue, Whitefish Bay, WI, 963-3947.

Priority Enrollment for Residents: February 1st through March 1st, 2008

Open Enrollment: March 1st-May 1^st

Notes:

• Thanks to the PTO who paid for a musician and an artist as part of the child care for last week's Family Literacy Night. Their generosity was greatly appreciated as these performers helped the child care run much more smoothly for the children.
• Dr. Mel Levine, a top learning expert and author of A Mind at a Time and All Kinds of Minds is coming to Milwaukee on February 22^nd, sponsored by Cardinal Stritch. His presentation topic is, "Why Differences in Learning Make a Difference: How We Can Understand and Mange Them Effectively." Tickets are available online at MilwaukeeMons.com
• 3^rd and 5^th graders will be taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills between February 4^th and 12^th. If you are in the building during these times, please note any testing signs to avoid disrupting classes while they are testing.
• Congratulations to 5^th grade spellers Jenna Davis, Asya Brukhovetsky, and Olivia Clancy along with alternates Sierra Caine and Mitch Rogers who will represent Cumberland at the WFB Village Spelling Bee.
• Kudos to the 4^th grade Orchestra students who performed marvelously at last night's concert.
• Friday, February 1^st: Clerical Afternoon. No school PM for students. Dismissal at 11:50am.
• Late Start for students on February 6^th. All students start at 9:15. The Recreation Department is again providing child care. Pre-registration and payment are required. There is a flyer in today's folder and it on the Cumberland website.