MacArthur Messenger

Dear MacArthur Families,

As summer will be winding down, we are excited to welcome back our scholars for the 2024-2025 school year. I hope our learners had a rejuvenating summer and are looking forward to the school year ahead. Spend time over the next few weeks talking about MacArthur, preparing backpacks, and reminding learners that every year is a new beginning. This can help support a positive and successful back to school transition.

Our staff members have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming year, and I personally thank them. We cannot wait to roll up our sleeves and begin the masterful craft of teaching and growing with our learners. Speaking of teachers and staff, we have been welcoming some new faces this year, and we look forward to introducing them all in our first official newsletter of the school year in September.

Our MacArthur staff is excited to have our scholars' energy, excitement, and smiling faces back in the halls of our school. There are a lot of details for families regarding the start of the school year below, including opening days with scholars, upcoming events, and information regarding routines and procedures at MacArthur. I want to especially highlight our New Family Social Night and Open House. For our 4K, 5K, and new families to the district, our wonderful PTA is hosting a social gathering at MacArthur's playground on Wednesday, August 28th from 5:30-6:30pm. As a parent, I know some nervousness always exists when scholars transition into elementary school. This is a very instrumental time in their educational journey. Knowing this, we want to alleviate some of those feelings by having you to our school playground as a smaller group before Open House Night happening the following evening. You will have a chance to meet other new families while grabbing a bite to eat. Our PTA has graciously made this event happen and we hope you can make it. We are excited to kick off this school year and welcome you to the MacArthur family.

I look forward to teaming together with you as we launch into another school year full of growth, learning, laughter, and active engagement as an entire school community. Enjoy these last moments of summer, and we look forward to all the fun to begin in less than 2 weeks! Go Eagles!

Sincerely,

Mr. Gonzalez

MacArthur Principal

Wednesday 8/28: PTA's 4K/5K New Family Social Night, 5:30-6:30pm, MacArthur Playground

Thursday 8/29: Open House (4pm-6pm) and School Photos (4pm-7pm)

Tuesday 9/3: First Day of School for 5K-5th Graders

9/3, 9/4, 9/5: Conferences for 4K families (a sign up will be sent out to families)

Wednesday 9/4: ALL Picture Orders DUE

Friday 9/6: First Day of School for 4K

Monday 9/9: PTA's Online Spirit Wear Sale Begins

Thursday 9/12: PTA Meeting, 7pm

Friday 9/13: PTA's Kickin' Pizza Party, 5:30-8pm

Friday 9/20: Last Day to Order Spirit Wear

Friday 9/27: NO SCHOOL (Professional Development Day)

Friday 10/4: PTA's Fall Festival/Trunk or Treat (time and details to come!)

School Day Hours:

5K - 5th Grade: 9:06 - 4:06 (drop off begins at 8:50am)

4K AM: 9:06 - 11:51 (drop off begins at 8:50am)

4K PM: 1:21 - 4:06 (drop off begins at 1:15pm)

Office Hours:

August 19th - 23rd: 8:00am - 2:00pm

August 26th - 30th: 8:00am - 2:00pm

Starting Sept 3rd: 7:45am - 4:15pm

Office Phone:

262-253-3468

Attendance line, press 1

Health room, press 2

General mailbox, press 3

Classes will resume for 5K - 5th grade scholars on Tuesday, September 3rd at 9:06am. Our 4K scholars will start on Friday, September 6th at either 9:06am or 1:21pm. Scholars should bring the following items with them on the first day:

• Backpack
• Packed lunch bag OR plans to buy a lunch at school for our 5K-5th graders
• Water Bottle
• A Snack
• Excitement for an amazing year!!

Specials classes, including gym class, will begin the first day of school. Please make sure your art smocks and gym shoes are ready for the first day if your scholar has those classes in their schedule.

All car riders' and walkers' arrival and dismissal occur in the parking lot along Gettysburg Drive, and scholars enter the school through door 12. Bus riders will continue to be dropped off and picked up on the other side of the school, and enter/leave through doors 1 and 5.

• Arrival begins at 8:50 am. School begins at 9:06 am

• Buses will arrive between 8:50 and 8:55 am.

• Scholars who are not taking the bus should be dropped off by door 12. Safety is our top priority. Click here for the map and procedures. Do not block driveways or intersections when forming and moving through the vehicle dismissal line.

• Any scholars who arrive at 9:06am or after will need to enter the building at the main entrance (door 1) by the office and must be accompanied by an adult to sign the scholar in for the day. This procedure is in place to maintain the safety of our scholars and ensure that all scholars are accounted for in our daily attendance.
  

• Dismissal begins at 4:04pm. School ends at 4:06 pm

• No scholars will be dismissed from the office after 3:55pm. If you need to pick up your scholar before the end of the school day, pick ups need to happen before 3:55pm and be accompanied with an eagle note. If you arrive after 3:55pm, you will be directed to use the vehicle line that begins dismissing at 4:06pm.

• Buses will depart around 4:12pm.

• The guardian pick-up location and traffic pattern are the same as the drop-off at door 12 (see map above). Do not block driveways or intersections when forming and moving through the vehicle dismissal line. All families picking up scholars should have a sign with the scholar’s first and last name, and grade level. Scholars can get picked up by car if they can independently get in the vehicle or they can be picked up by foot. If you are parking and walking to get your scholar, please form a line on the south end of the building by the parent pick up area and please remember to have a sign. This will allow staff to efficiently get scholars called out and dismissed.

• Scholars who walk home will be released through the second grade doors near the playground.

• Scholars must be picked up no later than 4:15pm as our assigned staff is dismissed at that time.

• If your scholar is attending AM 4K, arrival time and location is the same as the scholars who attend a full day (starting at 8:50, Door 12) . Pick up time is at 11:51 am at Door 12.

• If your scholar is attending PM 4K, drop-off time starts at 1:15pm at Door 12. The pick-up location is the same as scholars who attend a full day (4:06pm, at Door 12).

We request that guardians communicate with their scholars in the morning before leaving for school with any changes to scholars’ plans for going home. Your scholar should bring an Eagle Note to school, noted with the change in plans (see Eagle Notes section below). Should a last minute change arise for how a scholar will get home, guardians should communicate the change by calling the main office to ensure that the message is received and can be communicated to classroom teachers and children, as classroom teachers may not see an email message in time.

Please do NOT drive up to the Door 1 entrance and park along the sidewalk when you are coming to quickly drop off or pick up your scholar during school hours/arrival/dismissal. This lane is reserved for emergency vehicles and buses. You must park in a space when stopping your vehicle at our main entrance.

Cell Phones:

Please do not use your cell phone while driving in school zones. Your undivided attention will contribute to the safety of scholars and staff.

Pets:

For the safety of the scholars and staff, please do not bring your pet when dropping off or picking up your scholar. Even the friendliest of pets will protect their owner if they feel they are in danger, many young children are afraid of them, and scholars may be affected by allergies. The presence of an animal can create an uncomfortable situation for parents and staff. Thank you for your cooperation.

It is critical that all parents or caregivers follow these procedures in order to ensure a smooth drop off or pick up process and to keep all scholars and adults safe. Please share these procedures with individuals who will be aiding in transporting scholars to and from school.

Your scholar’s homeroom teacher will be available for you to view on Skyward at 8:00 am on Thursday, August 29th. Guardians who have not completed school year verification may not receive classroom teacher assignments until the process has been completed.

Open House for all scholars will be held Thursday, August 29th:

• Classrooms will be staffed and open from 4:00 until 6:00 pm ONLY

• Bring your backpack full of school supplies to drop off

• If you ordered supplies through School ToolBox, these supplies can be picked up in the cafeteria at the PTA table

• Find your classroom and meet your teacher!

• Pay your registration fees & get your questions answered at the office

• Drop off your doctor-prescribed scholar’s medications at the office table – Forms can be found online.

• Deposit lunch money with Food Service

• Join the PTA and sign up for the directory!

• Pictures in the cafeteria – 4:00 to 7:00 pm.

There are two ways to order photos (all orders are due by 9/4*), online or in person:

1) Here is the MacArthur Elem Prepay Link that families can use to order their pictures and pre-pay online. This option is the best as it alleviates having more physical contact and lets families order directly from their homes.

2) Here is the Order Form PDF for families to be able to print a physical copy of the order form and bring it with payment when your scholar has their picture taken.

*Please note that in order to have pictures shipped directly to the school (even if you are not able to attend open house, and plan on getting the photo taken at re-take day in the fall), you need to order by September 4th. There will not be an option to receive free shipping to the school after September 4th, no matter when the photo is taken.

If you haven’t done so already, please take the time to register your child(ren) for this coming school year. If your child is enrolled, but want to check to see if you have completed School Year Verification, please login to your Family Access Skyward account and look on the left hand side - if you see School Year Verification above Online Forms, you have not verified your child's attendance for this school year. The deadline for completing School Year Verification has been extended to 8/21. The information you give us during the registration process, including current contact information* and emergency contact information, is essential for us to have. Guardians who have not registered may not receive classroom teacher assignments until the process has been completed. Registration is required to receive bussing information from the district as well. Please call the MacArthur front office if you have questions about the registration process at 262-253-3468, as we are happy to help.

Please make sure that emergency contacts are current in your family access account. We always call the guardians first, so reserve the "emergency contact" section for individuals we can contact in the event we cannot reach you.

*Please contact the front office if your phone number has changed. This was a field that could not be changed during school year verification.

Registration Payments and Food Service Payments:

• Registration fees ($35 for 4K scholars, $65 for 5K-4th grade scholars, and $75 for 5th grade scholars) and food service payments can be made by check or cash at the MacArthur office. They can also be paid online via credit card, through your Skyward Family Access, with a service fee applied.

  • Please come in any time during our office hours or stop in during open house to pay your fees if you would like to avoid paying for them online and paying the extra digital fee.

• Families should write the check to the order of "Germantown School District". We need to avoid checks made to the order of another name, such as MacArthur Elementary School or School Nutrition/Food Service.

• Your registration fee balance is found by clicking "Fee Management" and your food service balance can be found by clicking "Food Service" on the left hand side of your Family Access Skyward Account.

• Registration fees are due by September 3rd.

Fee Waiver Requests:

• Reminder: All fee waiver requests will be processed in our Business Office, instead of the individual schools, and families will be notified via email of their waiver status.

• Please go to Skyward Family Access to complete the fee waiver application. Once logged into Skyward, go to ONLINE FORMS, FEE WAIVER. Please fill out one form per family.

• Families that want to complete a paper copy or do not have online access, a printable form can be found below.

• GSD encourages families to complete the form electronically. If a paper form is completed, below are the submitting options:

• Mail directly to: Mrs. Brittany Altendorf, Director of Business & Auxiliary Service, Germantown School District, N104 W13840 Donges Bay Road, Germantown, WI 53022

• Email directly to: baltendorf@gsdwi.org

Breakfast is $2.00 and lunch is $2.75. Milk is available for $.50.

Families can find answers to many Food and Nutrition questions by looking at our Germantown School District webpage, by clicking on INFORMATION, then under DEPARTMENTS (in the center of the page), you will see Food and Nutrition.

• Breakfast will be served from 8:50 am until 9:06 am for all scholars. (Please do not drop your scholar off at door 12 before 8:50am; food service will not accept scholars in the cafeteria earlier than this designated time)

• Information regarding lunch menus, pricing, and forms is located here. There is a milk only option for those who bring their lunch from home and want milk.

• Please help your scholar memorize their unique key pad/PIN number**. This is a 4-digit number they will use for lunch program purchases and will remain the same from year-to-year. This number is available on Skyward - please login to Skyward Family Access, click the Food Service tab in the column on the left side of the screen. Once the Food Service screen appears, the number will be listed on the top right hand side of the screen. As you help your scholar remember this number, also stress that it is to be kept confidential.**Our 5K and 1st grade scholars will be given extra help with memorizing their pin and communicating it with the lunch staff.

• This is a very important form we use for communication purposes. It is extremely helpful to your scholar's classroom teacher and the office when these forms are used to communicate planned absences, late arrivals, early dismissals, or changes in dismissal plans. It is imperative to fill out the form completely and accurately.

• After filling out the form, send it to school with your scholar. Your scholar will hand it in to his/her teacher, and then it is sent to the front office. This process informs all that need to know the change of plans, and limits the disruptions of calls into the classroom when changes are called in during the day of the change. We understand that things come up unexpectedly, but please use these forms whenever possible.

• For unplanned absences/sicknesses, please call the front office by 8am.

• Blue Eagle Notes will be available to pick up during Open House if needed. At any time you may need more throughout the year, they are available in the office or from your scholar’s teacher. Please reach out when you are in need. There is also a printable link below if you need some in a pinch. We appreciate your partnership as we work to make our days as efficient and safe as possible.

Starting on Friday, September 6th, you will receive a monthly newsletter from the school via Skyward. Each subsequent newsletter will be sent out on the first Friday of the month. This newsletter may include any calendar items, school updates or happenings, and/or information from our PTA. We also will include some community updates when they are available. This information will be sent electronically to all families that have provided an email address to the school. The information is also posted on our website.

When something needs to be communicated due to urgency or timing, a Skyward message will be sent via email. These messages will often entail special reminders or PTA announcements. Other examples of communicating this way would be if a bus leaves MacArthur more than 15 minutes late at the end of the day, if a drill (aside from monthly fire drills) was practiced at school, a deadline approaching, or if there is an event cancellation/change.

The district sends out monthly newsletters and updates on special events or staff highlights. Information regarding the Board of Education, including minutes and agendas, can be found here. The meeting schedule for the 2023-24 school year is available here.

Many important dates are found in our newsletter. Classroom teachers will also communicate for class/grade level specific dates. Many other dates into the future can be found on our MacArthur website. Our goal is to keep you in the know and we hope these are helpful resources during the school year.

Safety and providing valuable educational time are our top priorities at MacArthur. During the school year, scholars and staff will be participating in drills to help prepare for emergencies. We have monthly fire drills, two annual school safety (lockdown/evacuation) drills, and severe weather drills. You may occasionally see Germantown Police parked in our lot. This is expected and normal and should not cause alarm. D.A.R.E. programs occur at MacArthur and they also make their presence in the community known by stopping by all of the schools regularly.

We love having visitors at our school. However, visitors are not permitted to come into the classroom during instructional time unless an appointment is coordinated with the teacher prior to the day of the visit. If you would like to come to the class, please work with your scholar's teacher to set up a time to come in to visit. Pop in visits and disruptions during the school day will not be allowed. If a scholar is bringing a birthday treat and the scholar will need assistance bringing it to the classroom, help will be provided by personnel within the school.

All visitors MUST come through the front office. Please note that a valid I.D. is needed in order to enter our school during school hours. You will be signed into our Raptor system and given a visitor's badge or a sticker. The badge/lanyard must be worn and visible the whole time you are in the school.

• If you requested bus transportation during the registration process, the bus route information will be mailed out by Riteway Bus Company a few days before school starts. Please note that selecting bus for after school plans during school year verification DID NOT sign your scholar up to put on a bus route. The Transportation Survey on Skyward that has already closed is how Riteway added scholars to routes. If you did not fill out that transportation survey, you did not sign your scholar up to take the bus.

• If you have not signed up for bussing and you would like your scholar to be picked up or dropped off by bus at the home location that is in our school boundaries listed on Skyward, please call us during office hours as soon as possible. The front office will contact Riteway for you to see when bussing can begin. You can also email Mrs. Balk at mbalk@gsdwi.org to make sure you can be added to a route.

• If bus transportation is needed to or from an address OTHER than the family address noted in Skyward, a Special Transportation Form must be completed and turned into the MacArthur office ASAP for the principal's approval and signature. Click here for the form (or click the button below). This needs to be done well before the start of school to ensure the correct bussing needs are met for your scholar. This form is also located on the Germantown School District website under Information / Documents / Forms & Handbook. Once filled out, please hand this into the front office, or email it to mbalk@gsdwi.org.

• If buses are running more than 15 minutes late, we will email all families to inform you of the delays. We will work together to be as efficient as possible, but please be prepared for potential delays. We appreciate your patience. In the event you do receive an email, please still be prepared for your scholar to arrive at any time.
  

• Kids Klub is offered for 4K - 5th grade scholars from 6:00am to the start of school, and after school until 6:00pm at MacArthur. If you would like to sign up, registration is handled directly with the Germantown Park and Recreation office at (262) 250-4710.

• Scholars attending AM 4K can sign up for before-school Kids Klub and those attending the PM 4K can sign up for after-school Kids Klub.

• Be sure to check out the Welcome Packet for important program info here.

• More registration information and Kids Klub forms and flyers are found on the village website here.

• If you have questions, contact the Germantown Park & Recreation office at (262) 250-4710.

Absences

• Please see the above section on Eagle Notes - please use these whenever possible.

• If your scholar is going to be absent from school, please call the school office prior to 8:00 am. For your convenience, our attendance line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During non-school hours, please leave a message in the absence mailbox (262-253-3468, option 1). If leaving a message, give your scholar’s name, grade, classroom teacher, and a specific reason for the absence.

• We will contact the guardian of a scholar absent from school if the school has not been notified in advance that the scholar will be absent. The telephone numbers you provide on Skyward will be used for this purpose.
  

• Germantown schools have four standard letters we send home regarding student attendance. Those letters are sent home when a student has:

1) Excessive Tardies (10 or more),

2) 5 Absent Days,

3) 10 Absent Days, or is

4) Habitually Truant (5 unexcused absences).

Click here for attendance guidelines.

• We encourage you to schedule appointments outside of school as much as possible. If an appointment is made during school hours, please bring a doctor/dentist excuse to the office. We are required to send a formal, written notice upon 10 days of accumulated absences. COVID-19 will be handled like any other communicable disease for all students. Ill and symptomatic students may return to school once they are fever/vomiting/diarrhea free for 24 hours without medication and with an improvement of symptoms. If your child must leave school for any purpose, please send in an Eagle Note indicating the time they are to be excused and the reason for the excuse. If your student will be missing school unexpectedly, please contact the office at (262) 253- 3468. Please let the office or your classroom teacher know if you are in need of more Eagle Notes and they will be sent home with your student.

Late Arrival/Tardy

• A scholar is considered tardy at 9:07 am.

• As noted above, late arrivals/tardies must enter through the main entrance, Door 1, and the parent/guardian must accompany the scholar inside to sign them in with a reason.

• If your scholar will be late to school, please notify the office. Alternatively, for planned late arrivals, an Eagle Note can be filled out and submitted to the front office or your scholar’s teacher prior to the date.

• If your scholar plans to eat school lunch on the day of their late arrival, please let the office know that information when you call in the absence. All lunch choices for scholars must be called in by 9:00am (lunch options are needed first thing in the morning, due to the food being delivered from the high school kitchen).

• If you do not call your lunch option in, please plan to send a bag lunch with your scholar.

• In order for medication to be administered to your scholar, medication forms must be filled out and brought into the office, along with the medication. The forms are located here.

• Scholars cannot bring or keep any medication to school in backpacks.

• Parents/Guardians (not the scholar) should be dropping off the scholar’s medication(s) to the office.

We are fortunate to have a close relationship with our Parent Teacher Association (PTA). They have been hard at work planning for the upcoming school year and figuring out ways to strengthen our school community. Please see below for updates to start the school year!

If you would like to have some fun at the end of the summer break and help raise money for the PTA while you do it, please join us for a Milwaukee Milkmen game! If you haven't been to a Milkmen game, you get to see some awesome baseball while enjoying the fun of a minor league baseball park! You can purchase tickets to the 6:35 PM game on Tuesday 8/20 here. The PTA gets $5 for each ticket sold!

There was a little mix up on links for the registration. We want to give everyone a chance to put their info into the MacArthur Directory. This directory will go out to all parents and staff at Macarthur. This directory can be used to reach out to other parents in your class or your grade and can be used for things like birthday parties, getting info about school, etc. We are asking everyone to please fill out this directory form ASAP so that we can publish the directory by the end of September.

As always, we will be celebrating our scholars on the 1st day of school by laying out a red carpet so they can strut their stuff. The kids love to walk the carpet and give us their best poses. We ask for parents and guardians to attend school the first morning for about an hour to cheer on the scholars and take pictures of our little stars.

Your PTA Representatives:

Robert Sanchez: President - robkiana@gmail.com - 858-663-8819

Lauren Beverung: VP - lauren4phd@gmail.com - 614-312-4890

Coral Kline: Secretary - coralrae.kline@gmail.com - 608-658-0475

Jackie Jubert: Treasurer - jackiejubert@gmail.com - 414-659-8631

Please complete the DISTRICT VOLUNTEER APPLICATION using the button above if you are interested in volunteering at school or chaperoning a field trip with MacArthur. This form MUST be filled out and the background check needs to be cleared (it can take up to two weeks to clear) if you would like to help. The background checks are good for 3 years, after which they must be renewed.

If you are visiting the school and have an appointment, please bring your I.D. with you so you are able to get a visitor's badge to enter the school.

See the below information for a new program to MacArthur that will begin this fall! Sign up begins this coming Monday, 8/19. Use the registration link by clicking the button below.

We post many updates and school happenings on Facebook. Please be sure to follow us so that you can celebrate the scholar learning and school happenings with us!

Website: gsdwi.org/o/macarthur
Location: W154N11492 Fond Du Lac Ave, Germantown, WI, USA
Phone: 262-253-3468
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MacArthurGSDWI