Creekside Elementary

Creekside Families,

Thank you for making time to join us for caregiver conferences! This is always one of my favorite times of the year because it gives us the chance to connect with our amazing families, celebrate your child’s growth, and set meaningful goals for the future. I continue to be so grateful for our teachers, they are truly incredible and take such thoughtful care of our Creekside Coyotes each and every day.

March is a busy month at Creekside! We will begin FORWARD state testing soon, and we’ll share more details and dates as we get closer. We also have Spring Break on the horizon, an exciting opportunity for everyone to rest, reset, and recharge.

As the weather gets nicer, we are looking forward to more time spent outside and continuing our strong focus on meeting both academic and behavior goals. Recently, I shared a message at Coyote Connection with all students and staff about the importance of using kind words. We are practicing asking ourselves three questions before we speak: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? We are learning that our brains need to “think first,” because once words are out, we can’t take them back, even if we wish we could afterward. Could you help our Coyotes also practice this at home?

Students are also continuing to work on SMART behavior goals in their classrooms. Ask your child what their class is currently working on, we love when families join in celebrating the progress! We are looking forward to recognizing classrooms as they meet their goals.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support. We’re proud to be on this journey with you!

Warmly,
Katie Mould
Principal, Creekside Elementary

Extended Deadline! Orders due by April 17th

Hello Creekside families!

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring and sunshine!

With that comes mud, so if you can please be sure your student has a change of clothing in their backpack or locker for those accidental slips.

We're excited to have Celebrate Smiles return to Creekside this spring for preventative dental care. To have your student participate in this service, please check out the flyer which has a QR code that takes you to an online consent form.

It's still cold and flu season, and I get questions wondering when should my student stay home and when they can come back to school. We follow the Wisconsin Health Department guidelines for illnesses. You can review that information here https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p44397.pdf

For fevers (100.4 and over), your student can return to school when they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.

You can always reach me at 608-834-7706, and at jabakke@sunprairieschools.org with any questions or concerns. Take care!

There is so much happening in the Creekside music room!

All grade levels have begun learning songs for our annual Day of Music, scheduled for May 27. Fourth graders have been working especially hard learning to play recorders and preparing music for their May field trip to the Overture Center to participate in the MSO Link Up program.

Students in every grade have also been composing and creating their own rhythms and music to add to our concert repertoire. First and second graders are enjoying two remaining visits from the Hunt String Quartet as part of the Up Close & Musical program, one in early March and one in April, before their field trip to see the Madison Symphony Orchestra perform the final concert in May. First and second graders are also learning about melody and pitch through hands-on experiences with xylophones. Kindergarten students have been exploring musical opposites, while third and fifth graders are building ensemble skills by learning to sing and play music together.

Our Coyote Choir/Music Club has been busy as well! Last week, students partnered with Horizon Elementary to sing The Star-Spangled Banner at a Capitols hockey game. On March 3, they will join singers from across the district for the annual All-City Choir Concert.

This spring, older students will learn (or revisit) ukuleles, and second graders will get to try bucket drumming. Above all, our biggest goal in music at Creekside is helping students learn to work together, be respectful, and keep trying—even when something feels challenging.

And finally, everyone’s favorite activity returns this month: March Music Madness! Each class listens to and votes on songs in a March Madness–style bracket, culminating in the announcement of Creekside’s Favorite Song of 2026

It's HERE! Our Educational Gymnastics Unit is HERE! This is by far a favorite in PE and we are so very excited to practice all our fantastic gymnastics skills all month long!

Take Your Caregiver to PE Week 3.0 is coming up Monday, 3/30 through Friday, 4/3. This is a tie for favorite unit…Educational Gymnastics. You are welcome to pop in any of our other PE classes. CLICK HERE to access your scholar’s PE Schedule. Check below for more specifics on how to volunteer/attend an event at Creekside. You do not need to sign-up or contact us for this PE event (unless you have questions!). We’d love to see you!

Family Engagement Night - Gymnastics in the Gym: You’ll also get the opportunity to check out our gymnastics space during our Family Engagement Night on Thursday, April 2nd! To ensure participant safety and comfort in the gym you must sign up for a session with your family in order to participate. If you do not sign up, you may not be guaranteed a spot. CLICK HERE to sign up for a family session.

Volunteering/Attending an Event During the School Day at Creekside: All you have to do is make sure you have your ID to check in the front office and a current background check completed with our district. Click English & Spanish to complete a background check. Background checks are good for 3 years. If you are unsure of your background check status, please contact Kirsten Janssen (kajanss1@sunprairieschools.org/608.834.7702).

As always, please let us know if you ever have any questions! Mrs. Alison Anderson (ajander@sunprairieschools.org) teaches 4th & 5th Grade Health, ALL 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade PE, as well as 2nd Grade Wangelin, 2nd Grade Thao, 1st Grade Mitchell and Kindergarten Garvey! Mr. Michael Falk (mcfalk@sunprairieschools.org ) teaches 2nd Grade Langum, 1st Grade Kramer, 1st Grade Lakatos, 1st Grade Brimmer, Kindergarten Vang and Kindergarten Pierce.

The District Food Drive to support Sunshine Place is starting soon!

March 2-20 Creekside will be accepting donations for the Bank of Sun Prairie

Food Pantry School Challenge. Each school will have three weeks to collect food and donations for the Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry, housed inside Sunshine Place.

At the end of the challenge, the winning school will be rewarded with a $1,000 cash

prize for their school!

You can send the food to school with your student at any time throughout these weeks, and your student will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred prize by placing the donations in the bin labeled with their choice of a school wide snack.

See the flyer below and reach out to Emily with any questions!
Flyer in Spanish HERE

Emily Veselsky

Community Schools Site Coordinator: ejvesel@sunprairieschools.org

Our clothing closet is in need of some donations! THANK YOU to everyone who helped with winter gear; we are now looking for more clothes to help our students as we enter (hopefully) more warm weather! Specifically we are looking for:

*Pants (non jeans) in sizes 8-16

*Long Sleeve Shirts (non sweatshirts) in sizes Small, Medium and Large (8-14)

*New packages of underwear in any/all kids sizes

*New socks in any/all kids sizes

March is Women’s History Month and we are hosting an EMPOWERED self defense class from Touchstone Karate.

*This class is for identifying women 16 years old and older.

Kids Class: We don't want this to be a burden for parents to find childcare so they can attend the class, so we also provide a fun, engaging class for the kids to participate in! Our certified staff will provide an hour of team games, martial arts training, and confidence boosting while our women's class is going on. The kids will have fun in a safe & educational environment - free of charge!

Session dates & times: March 3rd and 5th from 6:30 - 7:30 at Creekside Elementary (Enter through door 10)

*See the flyer below to sign up

As always, please reach out with any questions, or resource needs

Thank you for all you do

~Emily Veselsky

Community Schools Site Coordinator: ejvesel@sunprairieschools.org

See flyer in Spanish HERE

Creekside Continues to Focus on Bullying Prevention

Information about Bullying Prevention was originally shared with caregivers in the November newsletter but we are sharing it again because of the importance and relevance of the topic. All K-5 Creekside students spent time this past fall learning about what bullying is and how we can prevent and stop it. Since then, students have received monthly boosters in their classrooms.

Our district uses the Second Step curriculum to teach about this important topic. You can re-read our Caregiver Letter from the November newsletter to learn more and access the “Home Links.” These links allow you to review what your student has learned and how you can further support them at home: Second Step Caregiver Link

Throughout the year, Creekside focuses on using PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) to support our social and behavioral learning. Our Coyotes work hard to practice ARROW and the Coyote Way! They are Accepting of others, Resilient when faced with set-backs, being Risk-Takers in their learning, showing Ownership, and Working Collaboratively.

PBIS MONTHLY THEMES:

February’s theme was, “I am an advocate.” We spent time talking about diversity and all the ways we are different. We don’t have to have a lot in common, agree about everything, or be friends with someone to be respectful, look out for each other, and stand up for each other!

March’s theme is, “I am a risk-taker.” It is incredibly important that our students feel safe, comfortable, and vulnerable enough to really challenge themselves while at school. We don’t want our Creekside students to be so afraid of making mistakes that they don’t take a few smart risks. Raise your hand, try a new strategy, put your “all” into your writing assignment, meet a new person, join a new club, play a new game at recess, or do something else that you KNOW would be good for you but you are a little bit afraid of. Surround yourself with people who see and encourage smart risks and question foolish risks. Ms. Leah, our counselor, often talks about how scary and intimidating it was for her to try out for a soccer team when she was younger. Her friend encouraged her, went with her, and cheered her on throughout the tryouts. This POSITIVE peer pressure helped her take a risk and it paid off big-time! She says it was one of the best parts of her life!

PBIS DATA REVIEW - HOME CONNECTION!

A continued area of focus here at Creekside is using respectful language with peers. One thing that has been popping up lately is that students are calling peers nicknames that they do not like. While many are just trying to be funny and connect with peers, some students appear to be doing this to be intentionally mean, even after being repeatedly told to stop.

At home, you can support your student and their peers by reminding your student that each person gets to decide how they feel about a name or a nickname they are being called. If someone does not like it and asks the person to stop, the person must stop immediately...even if the person doing it thinks it is funny or harmless. Using a person's name is a sign of courtesy. It shows that you see and accept them and it fosters positive relationships. When someone alters another person's name without permission, this can be seen as a sign of disrespect. When in doubt, a person’s "given" name should be used.

Thank you for supporting these Creekside expectations and life skills at home!

Your Creekside CAFE team of parents and educators is staying busy as we all look forward to spring break in a few weeks, so we have plenty of opportunities to get involved to support our amazing school community!

We are also excited to welcome our new Secretary Stacey Thomas to our growing CAFE Board of Directors. If you ever have questions or you are interested in getting more involved, a complete list of current contacts is always available on this page.

Culver's Family Share Night

Join us on Monday, March 2 between 5-8 p.m. at Culver's (1501 W Main St. Sun Prairie, WI) for dinner and up to 20% of the proceeds of your meal will be donated to Creekside CAFE (our school community organization). Simply let them know you came for the Creekside Family Share Night when you order.

This helps us continue to support activities such as teacher appreciation, food for family fun nights, student activities, and more! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at creeksidesco@gmail.com.

Next CAFE Meeting on Tuesday, March 10

The next CAFE meeting will be held in-person in the LGI room from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10. The agenda will include future teacher appreciation events, community fun nights, Howlin Hustle and Celebrate Creekside.

Any Creekside parents and caregivers are welcome to attend. We will also serve pizza and drinks. Please RSVP to creeksidesco@gmail.com if you plan to join us. This helps us ensure we have enough pizza and can also contact you if meeting plans change.

Join in with our Kindergarten classrooms as they celebrate Read Across America!

3/17- Wear your green for St. Patrick's Day/Spring
3/20- Rock your socks for World Down Syndrome Day

March 2- CAFE Culvers Creekside Share Night, 5-8pm, W. Main location

March 2-6 - National School Breakfast Week
March 2-20 - Spring Challenge Food Drive

March 6 - Free breakfast for all Creekside students

March 10- CAFE Meeting, 6:30pm
March 16-1st Grade FT, Olbrich Gardens 8:30-11:00am

March 18- Cody's Golden Birthday

March 23-27- No SCHOOL/Spring Break
March 30- April 3- Bring Your Parent to P.E.
April 2- Family Engagement Night (Gymnastics in the Gym)

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