Maple Grove Fox Report

We are so excited to welcome you to the 2025–2026 school year! Thank you for choosing Maple Grove and for trusting us with your child’s learning journey. This year, we’re thrilled to have 130 learners filling our classrooms, hallways, and outdoor spaces with curiosity, energy, and joy.

Over the summer, we’ve been busy making some exciting updates to our school, thanks to the incredible support of our district, grants, and PTO:

• 🌳 New Naturescape Playground – Funded by our Charter School Implementation Grant, this space was designed for exploration, creativity, and outdoor play.

• 🏫 Revamped School Entryway – Made possible by the dedication and generosity of our MGCS PTO, creating a warm welcome for every visitor.

• 🏀 New Gym Floor – Also funded through the Charter School Implementation Grant, giving our learners a refreshed space to move, play, and grow.

• 🪜 New Stairs Between the Chicken Coop and the School – Provided by the School District of Athens, making it safer and easier for our learners to move between the building and our outdoor learning spaces.

These changes are just the beginning of what promises to be another incredible year of growth and learning at MGCS. We can’t wait to see our learners challenge themselves, support one another, and shine as CRISP leaders.

Thank you again for being an essential part of our Maple Grove family. Together, we’re building a place where children thrive.

With gratitude and excitement,
Robin Hanson
Teaching Principal

Happy Fall, Maple Grove Families!

We know this is long….but it’s SO important and will set us up for ALL year! So bear with us!

Your PTO is excited to work with you on all the different ways our kids and teachers are supported this school year. We understand that fundraising can be exhausting sometimes.

Our fundraisers are a crucial way we raise money for experiences like attending trips to the school forest, family nights, field day and countless other ways that the individual classrooms and teachers are supported. We understand that juggling multiple fundraisers for school along with the other activities you likely have (sports or other extracurriculars) can be difficult.

We are again starting the Year off with a Calendar Sponsorship which is super easy for you and fun for your friends and family.

Here’s how it works:

• You’ll be given a paper calendar for tracking as well as access to a digital version to be able to advertise on social media.

• You’ll encourage friends and family to sponsor their tax-deductible donation to Maple Grove based on the day or days they want to sponsor.
  If they want to sponsor the 1st, they’ll donate $1. If they want to sponsor the 14th, they’ll donate $14. (And yes they can sponsor multiple days!)
  
  

• Collect Payment and turn in your complete calendar by October 3.

• All families who complete their calendar ($465 total collected) will automatically earn a gift card. All Students from that family will get to pick a prize.
  
  

• In addition to rewarding you for your hard work, your friends and family who sponsored a day will be entered into a drawing at the conclusion of the month. We will give out 30 prizes (one for each day sponsored), with the higher donation days receiving larger prizes.

*****Even if you don’t get your entire calendar sponsored, it is still a huge help to our school and your people will still be entered into the daily prize drawings.

Please contact Trina Lutzke (918) 557-0746 if you have any questions about this event.

If every family participates, the needs that our PTO typically finances for your students will be fully funded for the YEAR with this ONE event. This includes being able to keep the School Forest Field Trips that are so loved but now need to be financed by the PTO.

SMILE! You should be receiving an email from Jostens telling you picture day is coming up with picture day to-dos. Remember to

• mark your calendar
• plan your learners outfit
• do NOT wear green
• plan your hairstyle

About a week after Picture Day, look for an email from Jostens with a link to your pictures.

View and order at https://shop.jostenspix.com/login

Our Kwik Trip Fundraiser is a year long fundraiser to help support our Maple Grove Foundation and our school. If you are in need of another order form, please contact Mrs. Plisch in the office.

Cindy Artus is the contact person for questions 715-551-3808.

Just a few reminders for parent pick up...

1. Pull all the way to the end of the building when trying driving up to door #1.

2. If your child needs help getting buckled in please pull around to the side of the building to the playground where you can park on the blacktop and get out to help buckle them in.

4. If you are sitting idle in your car please shut off your vehicle to lessen the emissions from the vehicle that come into the school.

3. Please be here to pick up your child between 3:00-3:15. If you are running late please call the office to let us know.

Thank you for helping make pick up the most efficient that it can be!

At Maple Grove, we believe that kids still need to be kids when they go home at night. That’s why we keep homework to a minimum. However, reading is always a priority. We ask that all learners either be read to, read on their own, or read with someone else each night. Seeing you read at home is also one of the best ways to spark and sustain their love of reading.

Each month, learners will meet with their classroom teacher to set a reading goal that is both realistic and challenging. If the goal doesn’t feel like the right fit for your child, please reach out so we can adjust it together.

We ask parents to:

• Record the minutes read each day on the reading calendar.

• Sign the log weekly.

• Return it at the end of the month.

Learners who meet their goals every two months will take part in an all-school reading incentive. Those who do not will use that time in another classroom to catch up on their reading minutes.

Together, let’s make reading a joyful and daily habit for all our learners!

We are excited to introduce our new Administrative Assistant, Beth Plisch. Beth has already jumped right in and is quickly becoming an important part of our Maple Grove family. Please take a moment to stop in the office to say hello or reach out to her if you have any questions, updates, or need to share names for dismissal and pick-up. We’re so glad to have her on our team!

Learners will have off on

• September 22nd
• October 10th

Thank you to the Maple Grove Foundations for making this happen!

The School Store will be open on the following days during your child’s lunch hour. All items are priced reasonably—just a couple of dollars goes a long way!

You are welcome to send a small amount of money with your child, or place it in an envelope for their teacher to hold until lunch time.

Parents and guardians can add money to their child’s lunch account in two ways: via the Infinite Campus Food Service Balance or by sending cash or a check with your learner to school. Please make checks payable to School District of Athens. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Plisch.

If your child will be absent, please let us know by calling the office at 715-257-2199 (option 1) or by sending a message to Mrs. Plisch on Seesaw.. We just ask that you let us know before 8:30 a.m. Thanks so much for helping us stay in the loop!

As we jump into a new school year we’re adding a new level of communication about the Maple Grove Charter School Governance Board. The Governance Board is a volunteer organization here to ensure accountability to the mission and community by providing oversight, strategic direction, and financial guidance while working collaboratively with the community and school leaders. Every month we’ll keep you updated on our focus, things like whole child learning, maintaining our contract with the school District of Athens, and marketing for example. You can get a snapshot right here or, join us for a meeting at 5:30 the second Monday of each month.

As a valued partner in your child’s education, I’m committed to keeping you informed about the priorities that drive our efforts to support every student’s success. My goal is to ensure clear, consistent communication and to strengthen the relationship we share with families, because when schools and parents work together, students thrive.

The Superintendent Connection is designed to communicate important district updates, highlight key events, initiatives, and decisions that may impact our schools, students, staff, families, and the broader community.

This month, I want to highlight the upcoming Annual Meeting & Budget Hearing scheduled for September 15, 2025, at 5 PM. This important event offers an opportunity to learn more about current initiatives within our school district, and the proposed budget for the 2025–26 school year. Your attendance at this meeting is a valuable way to stay informed, engage in meaningful dialogue, and show your support for our students, staff, and the school district.

Thank you.
Andrea Sheridan, Superintendent

Sept. 5: 4th Grade Merrill School Forest Field Trip

Sept. 8: PTO Meeting 3:20 at Outdoor Classroom

Sept. 8: Governance Board Meeting 5:30pm

Sept. 10: Honey Extraction Demonstration

Sept. 12: Recess Rodeo

Sept. 15: Annual Meeting & Budget Hearing 5pm

Sept. 16: Picture Day

Sept. 18: 3rd Grade Food & Farm Exploration Center Field Trip

Sept. 22: Professional Learning- No School

Sept. 24: 3rd Grade Merrill School Forest Field Trip

Sept. 25: School Store

Sept. 25: 5th Grade Amco Park Field Trip

Sept. 26: Popcorn Friday

Sept. 30: 5th Grade Highgrounds Field Trip

Oct. 1: Kindergarten Merrill School Forest Field Trip

Oct. 7: Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 9: Parent Teacher Conferences

Oct. 10: No School

Oct. 13: Governance Board Meeting 5:30pm

Oct. 15: 3rd Grade Mead Wildlife Center Field Trip

Oct. 22: Picture Retake Day

Oct. 23: 2nd Grade Merrill School Forest Field Trip

Oct. 23: School Store

Oct. 24: Popcorn Friday

Email: rhanson@athens1.org
Website: www.athens1.org/o/mgcs
Location: 135594 County Road L Hamburg, WI 54411
Phone: (715) 257-2199
Facebook: facebook.com/AthensSchoolDistrictWisconsin