Huskies Have HEART Newsletter

March 17, 2024

Greetings Central Heights Students and Families,

Monday, March 18th is a A-day. Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter! If there is ever anything you would like to see in our newsletter or questions you have about school that may help other families learn more about school, please be sure to reach out and ask!

Please remind your student to bring their chromebook home each night after school AND charge it. Students are struggling to keep their chromebooks charged, which creates a lot of distractions in learning. As a reminder, here is the Digital Device Agreement that students signed at the beginning of the year: Student Digital Device Agreement

Your child is scheduled to take the Forward Assessment this Spring. The Forward Exam is administered online in the Spring of each school year in grades 3-8 in the subject areas of English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics; grades 4 and 8 in Science; and grades 4, 8, and 10 in Social Studies. Click on the link below to learn more about Forward testing:

Summer School Information (for students and families):

When will registration take place? April 1, 2024, starting at 8:00 a.m. Registration is open until midnight of April 19, 2024
Course Guides for PK-8 (English/Spanish)

Spring Break Office Hours: During the week of Spring Break, school offices will be closed to the public. The District Support Center office will be open Monday through Thursday to the public and closed on Friday of Spring Break.

International Cuisine Explorers meets every other Wednesday in room 515 after school from 3:40pm-4:40pm. Students must be signed up in Infinite Campus in order to participate.

Wednesday, April 3rd: Pita Pizzas (Middle Eastern & Mediterranean)
Wednesday, April 17th: Flammkuchen (Germany & France)
Wednesday, April 24th *March 13th make-up date*: Gallo pinto (Costa Rica and Nicaragua)
Wednesday, May 1st *Final meeting date of the year*: Rabanada (Brazil)
All recipes will be nut free, but may include wheat, eggs, and/or dairy.
Please reach out to Ms. Towey with any questions - estowey@sunprairieschools.org

Hi Husky Families! Student Services and our Academic and Career Planning Team at Central Heights is planning to sponsor a Career and College Readiness Month in May. We are looking for volunteers who would be willing to join us virtually or in person to talk to our students about career paths. Please fill out this form if you are interested in volunteering your time. LINKED HERE

Please reach out with questions to either Kelsey Aleckson at kaaleck@sunprairieschools.org, Kayley Tibbits at krtibbi@sunprairieschools.org, or Elizabeth Hardy at ekhardy@sunprairieschools.org
If you participated in this event last year and would be interested in doing it again, 100% submit your days! We would love to have you back.

Bus Evacuation Drills: April 23 & 24, 2024 The district is required to practice bus evacuations twice a year per state law. Bus evacuation drills will be held April 23rd at the middle and high schools and April 24th at the elementary schools. Please note that buses could be delayed on these days.

Sometimes it could become necessary to exit the school bus by the back door. Please talk with you children about doing these steps safely:

Keep calm
Listen to the driver’s instructions
Beginning with the last seats, move to the back door
Do not push or shove
When you get to the back door, sit on your bottom and scoot to the edge
Slide off the edge slightly pushing yourself out away from the bus
Keep your knees bent
Walk quickly away to the safe spot designated by your driver
Wait for further instructions from your driver

Parents, please remember that if your child’s bus is evacuated for any reason (bus breakdown, emergency, etc.) students are not allowed to leave the scene. Students must stay with the driver and wait for further instructions. If another bus is dispatched, students are to ride that bus and only get off at their assigned stop.

There are many summer opportunities available to students. Here is a list from the Greater Dane County Advanced Learning Network. Feel free to reach out to Renea Boguszewski with any questions, rjbogus@sunprairieschools.org.

Morning Drop-Off Reminders:

If you are someone who drops off students at the main entrance in the morning, please be sure that you follow our procedures:

Pull all the way up to the blue arrow below (there is a sign here in the actual drop off lane). After 8:00 am, there is no parking and waiting in the drop-off lane; your students should get out of the car and wait near the main entrance. We cannot have cars sitting and waiting in the red drop-off area below. We need to ensure that drop-offs are efficient and that we aren’t causing a delay in the system.
Students should only be dropped off at the curb closest to the school; please do not drop them off in the curb/lane that is closer to Ashley Stadium. We do not want students walking in between cars.
Cars should not weave around one another once you are in the red curve below as this is dangerous for students.
As we have staff available, we will be out to remind people of these expectations.

Here is our March Elective Newsletter - check it out to see what your student is up to in their elective classes!

Semester Grades & Summer School Information:

Summer School will run June 17th - July 18th 2024 (Mondays-Thursdays) from 8:00am-1:00pm
Location for students in grades 6-8 will be Central Heights Middle School
Semester grades should be posted for your student(s). On these grades, you’ll notice the comments: “Your child is recommended to participate in Summer School math. Please register them for grade level math during Summer School registration” and/or “Your child is recommended to participate in Summer School literacy. Please register them for grade level math during Summer School registration”.
If you see a number (like a 1) in that box, with a comment below it, then your child IS recommended for summer school in that area.
If you see N/A in that box or the box is blank, then your child is NOT recommended for summer school in that area.
Here is the link to our summer school webpage for more information.

Buy your yearbook through this link: https://shop.yearbookmarket.com/centralheightsmiddleschool

Calendar Check:

Spring Break is March 25-29th. There will be no school for students and the front office will be closed.

In order to call your student out absent/excuse them from school, please call our attendance line: 608-318-8020.

Please keep your child home if they have symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea. Let us know (by calling: 318-8020) if they test positive for any communicable disease, such as COVID, influenza, strep, or pertussis. Your school's health assistant can provide guidance on when your child can return to school after testing positive.

Free and Reduced Meals and Fee Waiver Information

If you would like to apply for Free or Reduced status, please fill out the application for free or reduced price school meals. Please see the links below for directions, the application, and frequently asked questions document. You only need to submit one application per household, even if your children attend more than one school in Sun Prairie. The application must be filled out completely to certify your children for free or reduced price school meals. Be sure to list each of your children on the application form. If at any time you are not sure what to do next, please contact the Sun Prairie School District, Nutrition Department, 501 S. Bird St., Sun Prairie WI 53590 or email nutritiondepartment@sunprairieschools.org or call (608) 834-6544.

If you want to share your Free and Reduced status with Central Heights in order to request fee waivers for things like athletic fees, activity and club fees, course fees, and or summer school fees, please contact our school social worker, Matt Jahnke at (608) 318-8009 or mtjahnk@sunprairieschools.org

Comidas gratis y a precio reducido e información sobre exención de tarifas

Si desea solicitar el estado Gratis o Reducido, complete la solicitud para comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido. Consulte los enlaces a continuación para obtener instrucciones, la solicitud y el documento de preguntas frecuentes. Solo necesita presentar una solicitud por hogar, incluso si sus hijos asisten a más de una escuela en Sun Prairie. La solicitud debe completarse en su totalidad para certificar que sus hijos reciban comidas escolares gratuitas o de precio reducido. Asegúrese de incluir a cada uno de sus hijos en el formulario de solicitud. Si en algún momento no está seguro de qué hacer a continuación, comuníquese con el Departamento de Nutrición del Distrito Escolar de Sun Prairie, 501 S. Bird St., Sun Prairie WI 53590 o envíe un correo electrónico nutritiondepartment@sunprairieschools.org o llame al (608) 834-6544.

Si desea compartir su estado Gratis o Reducido con Central Heights para solicitar exenciones de tarifas para cosas como tarifas deportivas, tarifas de actividades y clubes, tarifas de cursos o tarifas de la escuela de verano, comuníquese con nuestro trabajador social de la escuela, Matt Jahnke al ( 608) 318-8009 o mtjahnk@sunprairieschools.org

Here are some community resources we would like to share:

Wisconsin Wayfinder: Essential Children's Resources

A newly developed, statewide, user-friendly website and toll-free number, 877-WiscWay (877-947-2929), provides families with convenient, direct access to compassionate and knowledgeable children’s resource guides. Click here to access the Wisconsin Wayfinder webpage.