Maple Grove Fox Report

Dear Maple Grove Families,

I can’t believe we are already in our final month of school—what an exciting time of year! May is filled with special events, field trips, hands-on learning experiences, and opportunities to celebrate all the growth our students have made.

With the warmer weather and changes in routine, it’s natural for energy levels to rise. This makes it more important than ever for us to stay grounded in our CRISP values: Craftsmanship, Respect, Integrity, Stewardship, and Perseverance. By continuing to model and practice these traits each day—at school, at home, and in our community—our students can finish the year strong and make the most of every moment.

At the same time, we are continuing to implement our district’s Student Code of Classroom Conduct (AG 5500) to ensure every classroom remains a safe, respectful, and productive learning environment. This guideline helps create consistency across classrooms so that all students can learn and teachers can teach effectively.

Our approach is rooted in teaching and reinforcing positive behavior. We work with students to understand what it means to:

• Take pride in their work (Craftsmanship)
• Treat others with kindness and respect (Respect)
• Make responsible choices and take ownership of actions(Integrity)
• Care for our school and one another (Stewardship)
• Keep trying, even when things feel challenging (Perseverance)
• 
  

While most students consistently meet these expectations, there may be times when behavior disrupts learning. In those situations, the Code of Classroom Conduct provides clear steps to support students, which may include a temporary removal from the classroom. This allows time for reflection, helps maintain a positive learning environment for others, and provides an opportunity for students to reset and return ready to learn. Families are always notified and included as partners in this process.

Another important part of this month is our upcoming FASTBridge testing, which will take place during the first full week of May. Our 4th and 5th grade students will complete both Reading and Math assessments, while our K–3 learners will focus on Math. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to show the growth they’ve made throughout the year and take pride in their progress—an excellent example of craftsmanship and perseverance in action.

We encourage families to support their children by ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and come to school ready to do their best. A little encouragement at home goes a long way in helping students feel confident, prepared, and successful.

Let’s make this last month one to remember—full of learning, growth, celebration, and continued commitment to the values that make Maple Grove such a special place.

Thank you for your continued support and for being such an important part of our school family.

Robin Hanson
Principal, Maple Grove

At this week's board meeting, the school board endorsed moving forward with a community survey that will be sent out in the coming weeks. The district has important decisions ahead, and before any direction is chosen, we want to hear from you.

The survey focuses on three areas that will shape the future of our schools:

• Maintaining strong educational programs and services for Athens students. Our current operating referendum, approved by the community in 2023, expires in 2027. It has supported our educational programs, staffing, and financial stability over the past few years, and the board is considering what comes next.
  
  

• Repairing and maintaining our school facilities. All of our buildings are aging, and independent facility studies have identified significant needs that cannot be addressed solely by the annual operating budget.
  
  

• Planning for the long-term future of our district. The most significant question facing the district is deciding whether to continue maintaining and investing in all current school buildings – or to explore a different long-term approach to how our schools are structured. The board is weighing two options. One is to continue operating all existing schools and complete the repairs needed at each. Another option is to consider a single-campus model serving students in 4K through grade 12 in one location. This scenario could relocate Athens Elementary to a dedicated space added to the existing middle school/high school campus. Each option has real tradeoffs, and the board wants to hear from you before making such a big decision.

These are big questions, and they belong to all of us. Athens Schools have been part of this community for generations. The decisions we make now will shape what our schools look like for the next generation of Athens children, and that's why your voice matters so much.

When to Expect this Survey: Mid-May

In the coming weeks, you’ll receive a survey in the mail from School Perceptions, the independent firm supporting this work. The survey will remain open until June 8, and results will be shared with the School Board on June 15. This survey takes just a few minutes, and your responses will help guide the board in making these important decisions.

To learn more about this process, please visit our website here. I also invite you to please reach out to me directly at asheridan@athens1.org if you have any questions about this process.

Every day, meaningful work is happening in the School District of Athens. Our teachers support students, our students support each other, and our community supports them all. I'm proud to serve as superintendent of the School District of Athens, and I'm proud of what we build here, together. Thank you for being part of the Athens Schools community.

Kindergarten and 5th grade will have their graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 21st starting with Kindergarten at 5:00 and 5th grade at 6:00 in the MGCS gym. Invitations have gone out to the learners' families.

Please register your child(ren) for the 2026-2027 school year to guarantee your spot at Maple Grove Charter School.

https://www.athens1.org/page/online-registration

Thank you to Mrs. Garvin and our other volunteers for helping clean trash from Wausau roadways!

Our learners worked together to do some spring cleaning of the school grounds.

Thank you to our amazing staff, learners and families for helping strengthen our Stewardship trait and for all you do to keep our school looking clean, welcoming, and inviting!

We are excited to see all of our talented learners perform at our Traditional School-Wide Talent show on Monday, May 18th starting at 8:15am! Thank you Mrs. Garvin for bringing this to Maple Grove Charter School again this year! Families are welcome to attend!

Permission slips including performance info are DUE BY MONDAY, MAY 11TH!

Reminder: Our last day of school is Thursday, May 28th - this is a full day of instruction. We will be having a Family Picnic that day starting at 11am. We will be cooking up brats and hotdogs for our families and learners.

Please return the bottom half of this RVSP ASAP so we can plan lunch details! The RSVPs went home with learners this week, so be on the lookout for them in your child's take home folder.

Have a safe and wonderful summer! 💛

We’re excited for a fun-filled afternoon packed with games, laughter, and exciting activities for all our learners! This is a student-only event during the school day, and we’re looking forward to a great time together.

We had such a great time at Maple Grove Charter School’s Community Pancake Breakfast!🥞☀️ We served over 420 people!

Thank you to all the families and community members who came out to support our Little Red School. It was a beautiful day, and it means so much to see so many people come together. We’re so grateful to the Maple Grove PTO and all of our volunteers—from parents to grandparents—who helped make the event run so smoothly. We truly couldn’t do it without you. A big thank you as well to our behind-the-scenes crew for all the hard work cooking, and to our generous donors for everything from coffee and cheese curds to the raffle baskets. It all came together to make the day a success. We appreciate this amazing community so much! ❤️

Dear Parents,

The safety of students and staff is vitally important. Per state requirements, all students and staff will be participating in various drills throughout the school year and each subsequent school year. We will be practicing a Lockdown/Safety Drill throughout the district during the week of May 4th.

As we head into the last month of school, we would ask that all food service

accounts end with a positive balance. If your child is graduating this year, it

is important to bring your account to a positive balance before May 24th .

Any family who has their last child graduating from this district and has a

remaining balance on their food service account can request a refund or

ask to have the balance donated to a food service account in need. Please

also note that we will email past due letters to the address on the Infinite

Campus system. Any questions or concerns, please contact Tammy

Schreiner at 715/257-7511 ext. 101 or email tschreiner@athens1.org.

The school day begins promptly at 8:00 a.m., and students who are dropped off must be in their classrooms by 8:00 a.m. Attendance is taken shortly after the start of the day.

If you are driving your learner(s) to school, please plan for them to arrive with enough time to eat breakfast (if they choose) and settle into their classroom before 8:00 a.m. Arriving after 8:00 a.m. will result in your child being marked tardy.

Our bus arrives at approximately 8:10 a.m. Students who ride the bus will not be marked tardy due to the bus schedule.

We have seen an increase in tardy arrivals for students who are being dropped off. Being on time is essential to a strong start to the day and minimizes disruptions to learning. We appreciate your partnership in making punctuality a priority.

Please continue to pull ahead during pick-up (and drop-off) to avoid traffic issues on Schoolhouse Lane and Hwy L. If your child needs help buckling in please pull around to the side of the building on the playground to buckle them so you don't hold up the pick up line.

Also, please remember that parent pick-up runs from 3:00–3:15 PM each afternoon. To help our end-of-day routine run smoothly—and to ensure our staff can get to their scheduled meetings—please make sure your learner is picked up no later than 3:15 PM.

Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep dismissal safe and efficient! 💙

Fired Up to Read will continue this month!. Learners from all grades will have the opportunity to read with the Hamburg/Corning volunteers as the year progresses. At the end of the year, learners have the opportunity to win a bike, pizza party, and a ride in the fire truck.

Please help support your child's goal in reading!

We continue to support and encourage all students to learn TOGETHER! Every other week learners go to their assigned fox den, which is a culmination of K-5th grade learners intermixed, to create relationships and support each other in teamwork activities.

Just a reminder about after school pickup: Please remain in your vehicle when loading your child. If you are waiting and your car is idling, please turn off your vehicle to reduce emissions entering the environment and our building as part of our environmental focus. If your child needs help opening their door, a supervisor will assist. If your child needs help buckling in, please pull ahead into the playground area around the corner of the building to do so safely and to help keep the pick-up line moving efficiently. 10 minutes of idling equals a gallon of gas.

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!

If students bring personal toys to school, they may be used only at recess and must stay in their backpack during all other times. Toys are the student’s responsibility, and if they are lost, taken, or damaged, staff will not be able to search for or investigate these situations. Thank you for your understanding.

To avoid take-backs, unfair trades, and situations families may not be aware of, students should not trade items or give “gifts” during the school day. Thank you for your support!

If your learner will be absent, late, or leaving early for an appointment, please contact Mrs. Plisch in the office. You can:

✉️ Send a Seesaw message
📧 Email Mrs. Plisch at bplisch@athens1.org
📱 Or call 715-257-2199 (Option 1) to leave a message on our absent reporting voicemail.

Thank you for helping keep our attendance records accurate!

Learners will have off on:

• Monday, May 25th

The finish line is near!

With only weeks left in the school year, you can feel the excitement in the air.

Thank you to the community for coming out to support our annual Pancake Breakfast. Thank you to our generous donors whose support made our fundraiser a success. Thank you to our volunteers for the success of our pancake breakfast every year.

We are excited to treat our Teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week. Without giving away any fun details, the behind-the-scenes work of our PTO members will not leave the staff at our beloved Maple Grove disappointed.

The PTO would like to take this moment to invite anyone to come and join us for our last meeting, which will be held at Green Table Market. Drinks will be on us! We would like to celebrate another successful year and vote on board positions. Our President and Treasurer positions are up for vote. Anyone is welcome to learn about each role and see who is the best fit.

Thank you to the families and community for their continued support of the Maple Grove Charter School PTO.

For those interested in volunteering, sharing ideas, and participating in meetings, please join us on Saturday, May 9th 2026, 9am, at Green Table Market in Marathon.

Maple Grove Charter School Needs You!

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

Our Kwik Trip Card order 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.

The School Store will be open on the following days during your learner’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.

The next PTO meeting will be 5/9/26 at 9am held at the Green Table Market & Coffeehouse in Marathon City.

The next Governance Board meeting is scheduled for 5/11/26 at 5:30pm.

• May 1: Bioblitz, End of Year Dance 3-5p

• May 5: 5th Grade Athens Middle School Visit 8:30a

• May 06: 2nd Grade School Forest Field Trip

• May 08: 1st Grade Mother's Day Pancake Breakfast and 4th Grade UWSP Field Trip

• May 09: PTO Meeting 9am @ the Green Table, Marathon City

• May 11: Governance Board Meeting 5:30pm

• May 15: 3rd Grade Food For America Field Trip

• May 20: 3rd Grade Fromm Farm Field Trip, 5th Grade Kalahari Trip

• May 21: School Store, Kindergarten Graduation 5pm, 5th Grade Graduation 6pm

• May 22: Fox Dens, Popcorn Friday

• May 25: No School- Memorial Day

• May 26: 5th Grade School Forest Field Trip

• May 27: Birthday Lunches, Field Day, Safety Patrol Overnight

• May 28: Last Day of School/Family Picnic

• May 29: Professional Learning Day

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