Rocket News

Royal Oaks Families,

Welcome Back and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a restful Winter Break. If this week has been any indicator, it appears our Rockets are ready to get back into the flow and routine of school. Down deep we know they love it!

Repetition is the Key to Learning:

If you have spent any time with me either as a teacher (back in the day), a principal, or coach, you know I have a tag line that I use often. That tag line is “Repetition is the Key to Learning.” You don’t read one book and become a proficient reader; nor do you do one math problem and become a proficient mathematician. If one wants to be a proficient pianist, they don’t just play the piano one time. Same with all sports–Michael Jordan shot thousands of free throws. Becoming proficient at anything takes practice and perseverance. We talk to our Rockets about practice, setting goals, being assertive and most importantly showing the Rocket Way!

As we kickoff 2026, we re-launched the Rocket Way in our classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, cafeteria and bathrooms. Communicating what Cooperation, Assertiveness, Responsibility, Empathy and Self Control looks like, feels like and sounds like is how we re-launch the Rocket Way. We would greatly appreciate it if you ask your Rocket about what the Rocket Way is all about in those areas. Several of the pictures below this article are teachers re-launching the Rocket Way this past Wednesday during our Rocket Way Wednesday time in our morning meetings. These habits and practices help students stay regulated and ready to learn. Repetition is the key to learning.

It is hard to believe that we are coming up on the halfway point of this school year. I can’t think of a better time to reground ourselves in the habits and expectations that will help every Rocket reach their potential and beyond.

As always, please take some time to read through this newsletter as there is a lot of important information in it.

Reach out with any questions.

Go Rockets!

Love,

Mr. Ackley

We are very excited to announce that Royal Oaks will be participating in the Read Your Heart Out event in celebration of National African American Parent Involvement Day! The event will take place on Friday, February 20, 2026 from 8:30 am until 11:30 am.

The purpose of Read Your Heart Out is for family members, community members and volunteers who identify as African American/Black to read books, recite poetry and connect with students in the classrooms. All books read this day will feature African American and Black protagonists, authors and/or illustrators.

In order to make this event a success, we need African American/Black family and community members to volunteer to be readers. We will have a variety of books for you to choose from, and we are hopeful that you will be willing to read in at least two classrooms on the morning of February 20. If you have a child attending Royal Oaks, we want you to be able to read to their class. If the slots are full in your child's class, please reach out to their teacher to arrange an additional time to come and read.

We want this to be a day of celebration. We will have a hospitality room available for you to connect with other readers and to enjoy some refreshments. This event, toward the end of Black History Month, will be a celebration of Black culture through the love of reading! Please mark the date on your calendar, join us to read with a class, and be a part of making this a beautiful experience for our school community!

Parent(s)/Caregiver(s) are responsible for reporting your student's absence to Royal Oaks by calling our Attendance Line at 608-834-7200, press 1 to report a student absence. Please do not leave a message on the attendance line after 8:00 a.m. You can call Ms. Zoe directly at 608-834-7210 anytime after 8:00 AM to report any absence or your student leaving early. If we don’t hear from you by this time, we will contact you at home or work. We want to make certain of every child’s safe arrival. We will call every number on your child’s emergency contact list until we can reach someone. Please make sure these contacts stay up to date. Please leave a short message with the following information:

· Child’s name

· Teacher’s Name or Grade

· Reason for Absence

· Who is calling

Please do NOT call your child’s teacher.

If your family is planning an absence, please indicate the dates that your child will be gone. Send or give this to the main office PRIOR to the day of absence.

We need YOU!

As we have in years past, we started our Rocket Booster (formerly known as Watch DOGS & MOMS) program today…the first day of the 2nd Quarter. Rocket Booster is meant to provide parents and caregivers an opportunity to spend a half day or full day volunteering at Royal Oaks in our classrooms, on the playground and in the cafeteria. Though you will spend some time with your son(s) and/or daughter(s) it is not an exclusive day in your child’s classroom. It is a day of service to ALL Rockets! If you are interested in volunteering just in your child’s classroom, please reach out to your child’s teacher and arrange a time.

Classroom activities include:

• Reading to students

• Listening to students read

• Playing math games

• Helping with projects and activities

• Joining in activities in the classroom

Playground activities include:

• Supervising activities

• Joining in and playing games with kids

• Pushing students on the swings

• Playing with your child and their friends

Cafeteria activities include:

• Supervising students

• Eating with your Rocket

You will not be asked to discipline students if they are not listening. We have staff for that. It is meant to be a fun day for you to spend some time with your child and see what a “day in the life” of a Royal Oaks Rocket is all about.

If you are interested in signing up, please contact Zoe Horant at (608) 834-7210 or click on the link below to find a half day or full day that works best for you.

Thank in advance for spending some time with us and helping us Launch our Rockets!

Extra set of clothes: Please make sure to have an extra set of clothes for your student in their locker, classroom, or backpack. Many things happen where students need an extra shirt or pants, bloody noses, milk spills, puddles etc. Students usually are more comfortable in their own clothes, rather than the ones available at school. If you have clothes you'd like to donate to our nurse's closet we would appreciate the extra items.

Contact information: Is your contact information on file current? It is important to have accurate phone numbers and emails on file with the school in case we need to reach you during the day.

Medications: If your child needs any medication during the school day, please click on and complete this medication form. Forms are also available in the Health Office. Students are not to carry medications with them in their pockets or lockers. Medications need to be kept in the health office and be labeled with the student's name.

When to keep your students home: If they are experiencing any of the following symptoms, please keep them at home:

• Fever of 100.4 or higher Your student's temperature should be below 100.4 without the assistance of medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

• Active vomiting and/or diarrhea

• Rashes along with fever and redness

• Please report any communicable diseases to the health office, (strep throat, pink eye, lice, mono, influenza, etc)

Lice can happen at any time. It is always a good idea to get in the habit of checking your student's head periodically for signs of lice or nits (eggs), especially after going to sleepovers, camps, or traveling. We no longer routinely check classrooms. Lice is a communicable disease that is spread by direct contact or contaminated objects. Should a student be found to have lice, they will be excluded at the end of the school day until after treatment or removal of live lice. If you would like more information about lice, check out the following sites: https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html or www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/common/head_lice.html. Also, please discourage your student's from sharing hats, combs, brushes, or other hairpieces.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Dan by email (dagopli@sunprairieschools.org) or by phone (608-834-7206). Thank you.

Welcome to the New Year Rockets! Down in the Gym we are getting back into the swing of things and getting our routines back in order! Our expectations in the gym are pretty easy to follow; Be safe with body and equipment, Be kind with words and actions, and Be active! We are working on some throwing this month along with Jump Rope and Volleyball skills. When we get into February we have a very popular unit coming back in gymnastics, it is always a crowd favorite in the gym and one of our longer units takes up the second half of the month and goes into March. We are excited to get back and have some fun down in the Gym!!!

We hope you can join us for the 2026 Winter Festival at Royal Oaks on Friday, January 30th from 6pm-8pm. The attached flier has more detailed information.

Please RSVP here to help us plan.

Welcome to the Royal Oaks Library Corner. This is a place to keep you up to date with what is going on in the library.

Our Rockets are reading up a storm! Half way through the school year, our Rocket Readers are at 10,484 books check out. Our third graders continue to lead the way with 2,294 check outs.. Wonderful work, Rockets!!

Our top books are:

Non-Fiction: Ostrich vs Cheetah by Nathan Sommer

Graphic Novel: Babysitter Club series

Fiction: Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey

Everybody: The Duckling Gets a Cookie by Mo Willems

In class this month, we are all reviewing library procedures as we come off of winter break. The library belongs to everybody, so we work as a group to keep it organized for all. Later in the month, Kindergarten and First grade will start working on book addresses and how we can find the books we want in the library. Second through fifth grades will begin units on the different databases we have at the library and how databases can help them find resources at their level that are much more reliable than Google. Third grade will also be having a short unit on the Caldecott Award for the Best Illustrated Children’s book of the year in anticipation of the 2026 ALA Youth Media Awards on January 26th.

Blizzard is based on John Rocco's childhood experience during the now infamous Blizzard of 1978 that brought fifty-three inches of snow to his town in Rhode Island. The book opens with a boy's excitement upon seeing the first snowflake fall outside his classroom window. It ends with the neighborhood's immense relief upon seeing the first snowplow break through on their street. In between the boy watches his familiar landscape transform into something alien, and readers watch him transform into a hero who puts the needs of others first. This book about the wonder of a winter storm is as delicious as a mug of hot cocoa by the fire on a snowy day.

The Royal Oaks Garden Club, led by Mr. Bencher and Ms. Morriss, is helping students learn about responsibility, teamwork, and sustainability—one plant at a time! Students in the Garden Club play an active role in caring for our hydroponic garden, where they grow fresh lettuce throughout the school year while building leadership skills. The lettuce they grow doesn’t just stay in the garden—it is harvested and used in salads served in our cafeteria, giving students the exciting opportunity to enjoy food they helped grow themselves.

The Garden Club provides hands-on learning experiences while promoting healthy eating, environmental awareness and social-emotional skills. We are proud of our students and grateful to Mr. Bencher and Ms. Morriss for guiding this meaningful program at Royal Oaks!

Congratulations to our four 5th-grade Rockets whose artwork is moving on to the Greater Dane Anthology Contest!

Building on the spirit of our Equity in Action: Community Conversations, the Department of Systemic Equity and Inclusion is hosting a first ever “Pizza with a Purpose”—, informal opportunity for community members to come together, share a slice or two, and share their voices.

Community members are invited to join Dr. Michael Morgan, Director of Systemic Equity & Inclusion and Community Liaison, Briana Kurlinkus, in a public, welcoming space for open dialogue about our schools and the experiences of our students. This gathering is designed to create meaningful conversation, listen to community perspectives, and strengthen partnerships as we continue working to improve outcomes for all learners.

Come for the pizza. Stay for the purpose. Your voice matters.

When?

Saturday, January 24th, 2026, 11:00 am–12:30 pm

Where?

Pizza Ranch | 682 S Grand Ave, Sun Prairie, WI 53590, USA