The Cardinal Feeder May 2026
Family Support & Resources with Ms. Reilly
Serving the Chippewa Falls Elementary Schools
Ellen Reilly, Family Support and Resource Coordinator
Office: 715-720-3750 ext. 4576Email: reillyeb@chipfalls.org
Ellen Reilly, Family Support Coordinator
Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin
Created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Speak Up Speak Out Wisconsin is a one-stop place to turn with school safety concerns.
Students, parents, school staff, or community members can submit a school safety concern or threat via the Speak Up Speak Out WI website, mobile phone app, or toll-free number.
Resource Center staff work 24/7 to respond to tips and to deploy a response locally by communicating directly with school administrators, counselors, and law enforcement.
For more information click this link: https://speakup.widoj.gov/
School Based Mental Health Services
Chippewa Falls School District offers mental health resources within our school buildings such as screening, interventions, and access to school staff members. Our self-care resources focus on mental health and resiliency for staff and students. For more information, please click this link-https://cardinalcare.info/
Newsletters from the District and Beyond!
PARENTS! If your student/s or family have any of the following needs, please complete this form and I will respond to you asap!
Please watch for the Family Resource Form that is sent home from Halmstad, Parkview and Southview at the beginning of each school year, or contact your students school counselor!
- Thanksgiving meal
- Christmas meal
- Christmas gifts-Spirit of Christmas link: https://www.thespiritofchristmasofchippewacounty.com/
- Hygiene items
- School supplies
- Clothing for school
- Shoes
- Winter outer wear
- Food Assistance
Why Every Day Matters: The Importance of School Attendance
School attendance has the second greatest impact on student achievement, followed only by the quality of teacher; the best teacher in the world cannot teach someone who isn't there.
School attendance is the first key to success for your student/s. Having them arrive to school on time and ready to learn is an important routine that can help them build lifelong good habits and lead them on to a happy and productive life!
Research shows:
- Students who are frequently absent in Kindergarten tend to gradually increase their absences in subsequent years, and demonstrate lower achievement in reading, math, and general knowledge.
- Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well. High school dropouts have been found to exhibit a history of negative behaviors, including high levels of absenteeism throughout their childhood, at higher rates than high school graduates.
- Students who eventually dropped out of high school missed significantly more days of school in first grade than their peers who graduated from high school. In eighth grade, this pattern was even more apparent and, by ninth grade, attendance was shown to be a key indicator significantly correlated with high school graduation.
If you are struggling to get your child/children/student/s to school, please reach out for support. Chippewa Elementary Schools are working together to increase attendance and improve your child's academic and social outcomes! Contact your child's school counselor (listed below) or Ellen Reilly, the Family Support & Resource Coordinator to see how we may be able to help!
Family Support Coordinator
Ellen Reilly: 715-726-3750 ext. 4576 or reillyeb@chipfalls.org
Halmstad Elementary:
Katie Hull: (715) 726-2405 or email at hullkj@chipfalls.org
Hillcrest Elementary:
Jamie Koss: 715-726-2405 or email at kossjl@chipfalls.org
Parkview Elementary:
Bill Grimes : 715-720-3750 or email at grimeswg@chipfalls.org
Jim Falls Elementary
Chad Siverling: 715-720-3750 or email at siverlcw@chipfalls.org
Stillson Elementary:
Emily Seavecki (715) 726-2412 or email at seavecef@chipfalls.org
Southview Elementary:
Sara David: (715) 726-2411 or email at @chipfalls.org
Chippewa County Outreach Services (CDC)
(715) 861-5002
The L.E. Phillips CDC Chippewa County Outreach Office is located in downtown Chippewa Falls. This office specializes in homelessness prevention and helping those who may be in crisis. The services offered at the Chippewa County Outreach Office provide a valuable resource to those in need within the community. During operating hours Outreach staff is available to provide help in accessing local support resources like housing, food, and needed items. We provide a safe space for those experiencing crisis by offering a listening ear as well as support and resources within their local Chippewa Falls Community.
Chippewa Falls Events and Activities
Stay connected with your kids and family and check out all the cool things you can do it Chippewa Falls! Many of them are free!
https://www.tripbuzz.com/things-to-do-with-kids/chippewa-falls-wi
https://volumeone.org/sites/chippewafalls/events/calendarhttps://www.familydaysout.com/kids-things-to-do-usa/chippewa-falls/wi
Chippewa Falls Elementary Schools Parent/Student Handbook 25-26
It's always a good idea to have access to the current Parent/Student Handbook!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1phEQVUwx9gyqEyOazQB8vf0LhDHKKcfC/view?usp=sharing
Clothing and Winter Gear
https://www.thechurchofnotredame.org/st-francesca-resource-center/
Winter Gear
Chippewa Falls Schools receives MANY donations throughout the school year including gloves, mittens, hats, coats, boots, snow-pants, socks, underwear, shoes and clothing. If your child is in need of winter gear or clothing, please contact their school counselor our complete the form for resources and someone will contact you asap. If you are not able to reach them, please complete the Cardinal Support & Resource Form at the beginning of this newsletter or contact Ellen Reilly at:
(office) 715-720-3750 ext. 4576
(text) 218-464-6654, or
(email) reillyeb@chipfalls.org
Chippewa Falls Elementary Schools Support and Resource Request Form
Some schools also have "borrow lockers" with winter gear to be able to play outside in the cold weather during recess. Ask your child if they know about the borrow lockers or borrow station in their school.
Family Support Center
The Family Support Center Mission & Value Statement
Family Support Center empowers all individuals, families, and communities to live free from domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and interpersonal violence through education, prevention and intervention. We welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ individuals, families and communities.
Please click this link to learn more and for contact information:
Ruby's Pantry Schedule ---------------------------------->
FoodPantries.org not only provides listings of pantries, but also information on: food closets, food banks, soup kitchens, congregate meal locations, food boxes, vouchers, etc. Our comprehensive list of food assistance programs provides full descriptions, pictures, hours, volunteer information, etc. Food locations provided are faith based, government and non profit. We list them all. Click on the link below to learn more about what is available in Chippewa Falls.
https://www.foodpantries.org/ci/wi-chippewa_falls
Weekend Kids Meals through Feed My People
(Includes Weekend Kids Meals at Chippewa Falls Schools) If you are interested in Weekend Kinds Meals please call your students school for information!
Feed My People Food Pantry Locations and Community Meals
Click on the link below, and the click on Find Food (far right on top)
Homelessness (McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act)
The Homeless Liaison for the Chippewa Falls School District is Ann Zenner. Parents, school staff, or community members with questions regarding homelessness should contact Mrs. Zenner (contact information is given below).
Ann Zenner - CFAUSD Homeless Liaison
Mailing Address: 140 W Elm St, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
e-mail Address: zennerak@chipfalls.org
Office Phone:715-726-2588
Please click on the link below to learn more about the McKinney Vento Homeless act and the educational rights of homeless students and youth.
Homeless Shelters
Beacon House 309 E. Lake Street, Eau Claire, WI 715-834-4357
Sojourner House 618 South Barstow Street, Eau Claire, WI 715-514-5556
Mental Health Services and Supports in Chippewa County
Northwest Connections(NWC) provides Emergency Mental Health Services to contracted counties in WI. This program is a collaborative effort between those county partners, service providers and law enforcement. NWC’s goal is to provide the least restrictive response to all crisis situations. Each county contracts for its specific service needs.
If you or someone you know is in crisis please call 888-552-6642 to reach the crisis line.
https://nwcgc.com/northwest-connections/
Chippewa County Mental Health Resources for Children and Adolescents
Navigating the Resource Roadmap for Mental Health may feel like a maze or a minefield. We can help! If you are looking for resources to help your child, you may find some practical directions here.
Parent Coaching Now Available for Free!
The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District has partnered with REALiving and Group Health Cooperative to offer a Student and Family Assistance Program (SFAP) to help students, parents/caregivers. and their families to be their very BEST both at school and at home! This program, offered at no cost to you, will provide up to 4 parent coaching sessions AND 4 counseling sessions to each family in the school district. Parent coaching is an additional support for families interested in implementing positive changes in their home. Parent coaches provide tools, ideas, and support; they are not providing therapy. This service provides parents/caregivers with hands-on strategies for improving their child’s behavior and is customized to each family. Some of the topics include:
- Aggression
- Defiance
- Sibling relationships
- Self-Care for the parent
- Setting boundaries
- Parenting practices
- Grief and Loss
- Devices or gaming
- Diet and exercise
- Divorce
- Supporting your child’s physical, emotional, and social development
Counseling services are designed to be short-term, solution-focused, and are provided by an affiliate network of mental health agencies in our community. Some of the topics this program can help you with include:
- Academic Struggles
- Discipline Issues
- Household stressors
- Stress, depression, and anxiety
- Anger management
- Drugs and alcohol
- Grief
- Marital issues
- Divorce
- Relationship troubles
- Bullying
- Eating Disorders
- Unplanned pregnancy
Both services are confidential and free. Students and/or parents may contact the REALiving Call Center to seek authorization or ask questions about these services 24 hours per day, 7 days per week! School administrators, teachers, social workers, therapists and/or counselors may also recommend this support to students, parents, and their families.
HOW DO I GET STARTED: Please call REALiving at 855-838-7170 OR contact our Mental Health Navigator at mentalhealthnav@chipfalls.org for assistance in setting up the 4 free sessions.
https://cardinalcare.info/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Parent-Coaching-Counseling-Flyer-1.pdf
River Source Family Center 715-720-1841
The Mission of River Source Family Center is to embrace and strengthen families with young children by promoting growth through
education, information, referral, and opportunities to share experiences.
____________________________________
River Source Family Center supports, educates, and celebrates families with young children prenatal to 5 years.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP)-No child should sleep on the floor!
We are a volunteer organization that builds beds for kids who are sleeping on the floor and there are multiple ways to get involved right here on our WI-Chippewa Co page.
These are the links to the webpage and Facebook page. If you would like to volunteer, or if you need a bed, please check out the sites below!
Transportation Options (fees and charges will apply per the company policy)
Chippewa Falls Shared Ride cab: 715-723-3000
Limo Cab: 715-835-1413 (24 hours)
Mr. Cab: 715-271-1000 (24 hours)
Town & County: 715-563-7272 (24 hours)
United Way 211
Chat is available M-F 9am to 5pm
Text your zip code to 898211/Standard message and data rates may apply. You can always text STOP to stop receiving messages from us. Text HELP for help with the texting service.