STEM Newsletter

03/31/2026

Dear Families,

We are back after a restful spring break. My wife and I visited Door County, enjoying the quiet while most people headed to warmer climates. Most shops were closed, but it was good to be surrounded by nature with fewer people around. It was very relaxing. There was still a lot of snow from the latest snowstorm; some sidewalks were still covered, and the ferry went through some ice on our way to Washington Island.

Yesterday, on our first day back, most students were a bit tired from traveling, going to bed late, and sleeping in. Several students shared that they read a lot, rode their bicycles, spent time with relatives and friends, and some traveled to warmer places. It is great to be back with the realization that we have only about 9 weeks left of this school year.

We are looking forward to Bingo Night on Friday, April 10th. Last year, it brought a very large number of families together for a community night. We are hoping this year we will have as many, or even more, families attend this event. We truly appreciate hearing that some of our families will be providing rides for other families and students, as you are still doing for regular school days.

Hopefully, the cold days will not last much longer and we will all be able to enjoy spring weather. As some of you are starting your plants inside for this year’s garden, I would like to encourage you to plant something with your children. Many people do window gardening because they do not have access to a plot for growing outside. One of our boys lives in Chicago, and he has been doing window gardening and using his small porch to grow tomatoes. So, please enjoy the incoming warmer, longer days to go outside and continue hands-on learning.

Thank you for your commitment to supporting your child's learning experience and the school.

Dr. Ronald Salazar

Ferry to Washington Island

Lake Michigan

State-mandated MCA testing begins in April. This testing is given to all 3rd through 5th graders.

Below are the testing dates:

MCA READING: April 13 & 14

MCA MATH: April 20 & 21

MCA SCIENCE (5th grade only): April 28-30

All testing happens in the morning hours. (4th and 5th will test 10:00-11:00, 3rd will test 10:45-11:45)

Please let you student's teacher know if your student has a planned absence on any of those testing dates and we will accommodate them to test at another time. All MCA testing for Reading and Math must be completed by April 30th, 2026. (Science must be completed by May 8th).

There is a new opt out online form this year. If you choose to opt out of state testing, please email Jess Weaver (Resource Manager and Weaver Lake Student Assessment Coordinator) at weaverj@district279.org.

Reminder that yearbooks are free to all students this year. Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of school.

Please make sure that you either park and walk your student to the main entrance using the crosswalk OR stop at the curb and let them out CURBSIDE ONLY. Our students are not super tall, so it is very easy for drivers to not be able to see them. This is why we ask them to walk with an adult.

Also, PLEASE NO CELL PHONE USE while driving in the parking lot.

As the weather is changing and getting warmer, the snow is melting and making puddles and mud for recess. We advised that students wear waterproof gear during recess. Please note that the health office does not have extra clothing for students to change into when bottoms/tops become wet from the water/mud. It is recommended that students have a spare set of clothing at all times in their backpack/locker for these types of situations.

Thank you for understanding.

We have received many donated items from our Weaver Lake community this year. If you would like to request for your student(s) to receive a donated Weaver Wear item, please reach out to Rebecca Schlegel, Weaver Lake Elementary School Social Worker, at SchlegelR@district279.org. Rebecca maintains the stock of donated items and makes sure every item can find a new home. She’ll work with you to find the right size and style so that your students can rock their new Weaver Wear around the halls!

Greetings Weaver Lake Volunteers!

Family BINGO Night returns on Friday, April 10. We need many volunteers to make this event a success, so please consider helping out where you can.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-62448928-weaver#/

Spring has sprung and with it comes the return of the Big Blue Blocks at recess! Volunteer to give students the chance to engineer and create during their regular recess times. We’d love it if you'd consider helping out with more than one grade on the day of your choice! Because recess times overlap, the Blue Blocks won’t be offered to each grade every week. Check out the sign-ups below and let us know when you’ll be here!

• Tuesday, April 7 (1,4,5)- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-59795099-blue#/

• Week 2 (1,4,5)-April 20-April 23 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-59795233-blue

• Week 3 (K,2,3)-April 28-May 1 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-59796809-blue#/

• Week 3 (1,4,5)-May 4-May 8 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-59796896-blue

• Week 4 (K,2,3)-May 11-May 15 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-59796888-blue#/

• Week 4 (1,4,5)-May 18-May 22 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-59796895-blue#/

Spring field trips are coming! Register to volunteer today so you don’t miss your chance to chaperone! https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT

Other upcoming events to watch your inbox for:

• 5th grade Dance

• Super Kids Day

• Weaver Family BBQ

• Grade-level end-of-year events

Stephanie Clark

Weaver Lake Elementary

Volunteer Coordinator/ESP

Office hours M-F 9:15am-2:15pm

763-391-8873 | Ext. 53341

https://bit.ly/WVRvolunteer

Please complete this survey while thinking about one student. Even if you have other students enrolled in our schools, please answer questions with only that student in mind. To access the survey you will need this student’s Student ID. If you do not have your student’s Student ID, it is available in ParentVue under the Student Info tab as “Perm ID”.

We expect the survey to take less than 10 minutes to complete. This survey will be open until Friday, April 17th.

A few additional details about this year’s survey:

• Expanded sample size: The survey sample has been increased this year. It is designed to represent both the overall district population and the demographics at individual school sites. This helps ensure we are hearing from families who reflect our district community as well as each school’s families.

• Multiple outreach methods: The survey will be shared through several channels, including newsletters, email, and text messages, to encourage broad and diverse participation.

• Survey timeline: The survey will remain open until Friday, April 17.

Thank you for considering this request!

Weaver Lake Road is under construction. Please click below for the most up-to-date information.

April 3rd: No school

April 10th: PTO Bingo Night

April 21st: Engineering Night

April 24th: Asynchronous (Remote) day

April 27th: No school; License staff workshop

MCA Testing:

April 13th - 17th: Reading

April 20th - 23rd: Math

April 27th - 30th: Science (5th grade only)