The ELC/PC Viking View

Attendance at our Kindergarten and PC Drop-In events were outstanding. It was absolutely wonderful to see you all. Thank you for your partnership and support. Here are a few tidbits to ensure a great start to the school year for your child:

• Water Bottle - Although drinking fountains are available, it will be helpful for your child to have a water bottle. There will not be milk offered during snack time so having a water bottle at school will be important!

• Friendly Reminder: Daily Snacks Needed!
  Speaking of snack time, please remember to send a healthy nut-free snack with your child each day. A nutritious snack helps keep their energy up and their focus sharp for learning. Thank you for your support in keeping our students fueled and ready to learn! If you need assistance providing a daily snack, please reach out to Sophia Langkamp, K-2 Social Worker, langkampsophia@mounthorebschools.org ; 608-437-7567.

• Going Home Plan - If the going home plan for your child is different than their typical daily dismissal plan, this must be put in writing by the caregiver to the teacher OR please directly contact our school office to share this information. The office will notify the classroom teacher of the going-home change. For your child's safety, we cannot take the verbal word of your student. We MUST have verification from a caregiver of the official going-home plan.

• We welcome volunteers and lunchtime visitors! Classroom teachers will communicate the need for or request classroom volunteers for classroom support and/or field trips. If you plan to eat school lunch with your child, you must contact our school office by 8:30AM on the day of your visit to ensure we have a meal prepared for you. Please verify meal times with your child's teacher. Parents/Guardians must provide permission for a non-parent/guardian (neighbor, non-household relative, family friend) to join a child for lunch. Please plan to arrive for lunch a few minutes early to ensure you can complete Visitor Aware steps prior to entry into the building.
• School Nutrition (Breakfast/Lunch) - Need to find the breakfast or lunch menu, add money to your child's account, or apply for free or reduced-priced meals? The School Nutrition webpage is the place to go.
  
• ELC/PC Picture Day is Tuesday, September 9 - An email will be arriving to parent/guardian inboxes from VIP, with picture day information and ordering details, soon!
• Need student insurance? - If you are interested in voluntary student insurance coverage for the school year, please go to the 1st Agency website here. The brochure will provide options and prices associated with their coverage.
  

Only five more sleeps until the start of the 2025-2026 school year!

Sincerely,

Rachael Johnson, Principal

Hello.

We are so excited to have students back in our buildings!

That being said, if your child needs to be gone, will be coming in late, or leaving early, you should notify the ELC or PC office. Your child's teacher will be busy with students and may not be checking emails. Also, if your child's teacher has a sub, they will not have access to your child's teacher's email. Please email the ELC office at elcattendance@mounthorebschools.org or the PC Office at pcattendace@mounthorebschools.org. You can also use the Absence Request form in the Parent Portal. We will notify your child's Teacher of any attendance changes.

ELC and PC Administrative Assistants

Please take the time to review this information carefully and make a family school attendance plan.

State law requires that all absences be recorded as excused or unexcused, and it permits up to 10 days of student absences.

Why School Attendance Matters

Research shows that students who miss 9 or fewer days of school in one academic year in Kindergarten and 1st grade are more likely to be reading on grade level by 3rd grade. Building the habit of good attendance early on is key to academic and social-emotional success long-term. Said another way, by letting your child miss today, you give them permission to ditch later. Missing school in the early grades teaches them it's okay to miss school when they are older.

Here is a resource to help your family build healthy school attendance habits.

Absences

Excused absences may include, but are not restricted to: illness, family emergency, medical appointments, and family vacation. School Board Policy 431 and School Board Policy #431.1 further spells out the conditions of the school attendance policy.

Parents and guardians may excuse their child for up to 10 days per year without a medical excuse. These days may be taken in ½ day increments according to the Full Day Attendance Policy #431.1 and will be calculated as follows:

• Students who receive at least 90% of district-supervised educational services will have been considered in attendance a full day;

• Students who receive 33-89% of instruction will accrue 0.5 of attendance; and

• Students who receive less than 33% of instruction receive no attendance accrual for the day

Said another way:

• Students reporting to school after 8:15 a.m. will be marked tardy.

• Students arriving after 8:45 a.m. will be marked absent for a ½ day increment.

• Students leaving school before 2:45 p.m. will be marked as absent for a ½ day increment.

• Students leaving after 2:45 p.m. will be marked tardy.

• Students gone for more than five hours of the day will be marked absent for the entire day.

Absences due to illness or appointments beyond a total of 10 days are considered unexcused. These absences may only be excused if a medical provider’s note is provided. Absences that are medically excused do not accrue towards the 10 allowable absent days. Families are encouraged to seek and provide a professional note in order for an absence to be marked as medically excused.

Unexcused absences occur when a parent does not contact school to report the absence or a student exceeds their 10 allowable absent days without a medical excuse.

Family Vacations

Please keep in mind that much of the work completed during the school day will not be able to be duplicated. It is recommended that families take trips that match the vacation schedule within the school calendar. Students are expected to bring a note from their parents/guardians a minimum of one week before a family vacation. It is the student and parents’ responsibility to see his/her teacher to inquire in advance about missed schoolwork.

Excessive Absences

It is widely recognized that any pattern of excessive absences (excused, unexcused or a combination) has an adverse effect on the learning process. The Mount Horeb Area School District believes early intervention is most successful in making a positive difference in a child’s school experience. Because of this philosophy, all schools in our district make formal responses to situations involving excessive or unexcused absences. If problems are suspected, a parent meeting will be held to discuss reasons for the absences and to determine an action plan designed to improve school attendance and the child’s educational program.

Truancy

Truant and habitual truant are two classifications used by the Early Learning and Primary Centers when Wisconsin State Law (S.118.16) maximum days of excusable absences are passed. Absences that are not called in and/or not excused for any of the above reasons are considered unexcused. The Intermediate Center is obligated to refer truant and habitual truant students to local, county and state agencies.

If your child's bus badge accidentally came home with them at the end of the school year or after summer school ended, please send it with your child on the first day of school and have them turn it into the main office or their classroom teacher. Your bus rider will be issued a new bus badge for the school year. Old badges are no longer active and need to be collected to avoid confusion. Thanks for your help!

• Each family received a traffic safety trifold at their child's sitting spot during Kick-off or Drop-In. Please carefully review this information and share it with your child's daycare provider, grandparents or other caregivers that will be dropping off or picking up your child to ensure a safe, positive, and successful arrival/dismissal experience for all.
• K-2 students can be dropped off as early as 7:45 AM. At the PC, unless a student is eating breakfast, they will wait outside for the school day to start each morning until Thanksgiving. Between Thanksgiving and March 1, first and second graders will wait inside the building for the school day to begin. Kindergarten students will always report to the ELC gymnasium to start their day.
• Nutrition Break - K-2 students participating in the district's nutrition break program will eat breakfast before school begins. Nutrition break is available 7:45-8:05 AM, daily. Participation in the nutrition break is a daily decision for your family. If your child intends to have school breakfast and you intend to drop your child off at school, please make sure they arrive no later than 7:50 AM to allow enough time for your child to eat before school begins.
• School begins at 8:05 AM. We recommend you drop off your child no later than 8:00 AM. Students are marked tardy if they arrive after 8:15 AM. Students are considered a half-day absent if they arrive after 8:45 AM.

• The official school day dismissal time is 3:15 PM, however, we begin dismissing our kindergartners around 3:12-ish in order to ensure a smooth and supported transition to the buses.
• If your child's going home plans change, please contact our school office to notify them of this change. The school office will get an official form to the classroom teacher noting the plan. The attendance email for the ELC office is ELCAttendance@mounthorebschools.org and the attendance email for the PC office is PCAttendance@mounthorebschools.org.

All personal communication devices brought to school need to be turned off and left in the student’s cubby until dismissal. Communication devices include:

• Cell phones

• Personal electronic devices such as electronic tablets and video games

• Airpods, earbuds, and Bluetooth connected headphones

• Smartwatches and fitness trackers that connect to the internet

Smartwatches and fitness trackers that connect to the internet will no longer be permitted during the school day. This will be consistent across grades K-8

How can caregivers communicate with their child? Our office staff will gladly share messages from you with your child and help your child make calls to you. Your child is also welcome to check their device at the end of the school day.

Why are we making this change? You may remember that the district has been in dialogue with the community regarding the book The Anxious Generation. The findings are clear: students are more successful, academically and socially, when they don't have access to communication devices during the school day. Want to learn more? Please review this presentation to the school board on April 7.

Tuesday, September 2 - First Day of School

Monday, September 8 - Early Release (12:30 PM)

Tuesday, September 9 - ELC/PC Picture Day

Friday, September 26 - MHASD Homecoming (8:40 AM Pep Assembly & Parade at 2:45 PM)

Thursday, October 9 - PC Open House - 6-7:15 PM

Monday, October 13 - Early Release (12:30 PM)

Hello Viking Fans!

On behalf of the Athletic/Activities Department, we want to thank our students and parents for their continued support of Mt Horeb Activities. The tremendous fan support that we receive from parents, students, and the community is recognized as some of the best around. Our students, coaches, and advisors appreciate the support that you show.

In order to ensure that our events are orderly, safe, and enjoyable for all spectators, large and small, the Activities Department would like to remind our fans of the following expectations:

• Admission is $5 or use of the student athletic pass.

• All K-5 students must arrive and sit with an adult.

• Students are not allowed to go into the visiting team section and are not allowed on the south hill.

• The south hill of the football stadium is reserved for younger ages and their families. Any students or kids sitting on that hill must be with an adult. Please respect this area so that families with small children can also enjoy the game. Bring a blanket and enjoy the game!

• No costumes or masks are allowed at sporting events. Students must follow all school dress-code.

• No footballs, soccer balls, kick balls, etc...allowed at sporting events.

• Bags are not allowed inside the stadium

• Pets/animals are not allowed past the ticket office.

• Exhibit good sportsmanship: be respectful during the National Anthem, schools songs, player introductions, and be positive at all times when cheering.

• Remember to represent Mt Horeb in a positive manner.

Thank you and GO VIKINGS!

Need social-emotional support for your child? Need to problem-solve or check-in with our Student Services team members? We have a team of highly qualified staff who stand on the ready to support you and your student. You can call the PC main office at 437-7506 or ELC main office 437-7606 to be connected to our team, or you can send them an email directly.

Dean of Students: Katie Hardyman, hardymankatie@mounthorebschools.org

Interim Dean of Students: Cortney Harlan, harlancortney@mounthorebschools.org

School Counselor: Jordyn Van Zeeland, vanzeelandjordyn@mounthorebschools.org

School Social Worker: Sophia Langkamp, langkampsophia@mounthorebschools.org

School Psychologist/4K Coordinator: Nicole Tepe, tepenicole@mounthorebschools.org

School Nurse: Christy Staats, staatschristy@mounthorebschools.org

ELC Website

PC Website

School Nutrition

Volunteer Background Check form

Blue Note Form for temporary bus riding changes

Bullying, Harrassment & Intimidation - How to Report It

ELC/PC Family Handbook

Secretary: Colleen Kittleson, kittlesoncolleen@mounthorebschools.org

Website: https://www.mounthorebschools.org/schools/elc/
Location: 300 Spellman Street, Mount Horeb, WI, USA
Phone: 608-437-7606

Secretary: Lyndsay Evans-Eder, evansederlyndsay@mounthorebschools.org

Website: https://www.mounthorebschools.org/schools/primary/
Location: 207 Academy Street, Mount Horeb, WI, USA
Phone: 608-437-7506