East Elementary

Dear East Elementary Families,

February is here, and we’re looking forward to a month filled with learning, connection, and fun! Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students each day. 💙

📅 Important Dates to Remember

• Tuesday, February 10 – Waterpark Night at the Kalahari!
  Join us for a fun family night at the Kalahari Waterpark. This is a great opportunity to connect with other East families and enjoy some mid-winter fun together.

• Wednesday, February 11 – PD Day
  There will be no school for students as staff participate in professional development.

⭐ Attendance Matters
As we move through winter and into the spring months, regular attendance continues to be incredibly important. Being at school every day helps students stay connected, build routines, and grow academically and socially. Thank you for helping your child arrive on time and ready to learn whenever possible.

🌦️ Weather & Clothing Reminder
While we may start to see warmer temperatures, winter weather can still be unpredictable. Please continue to send students dressed appropriately for outdoor recess, including coats, hats, gloves, and boots as needed.

💖 Friendship & Valentine’s Parties
Classroom teachers will be sharing specific details about their individual Friendship or Valentine’s Day celebrations. Please watch for communication from your child’s teacher with information about dates, times, and any needs.

☀️ Sign Up for Summer Kid Stop! Be on the lookout for SUMMER SCHOOL SIGN UP!
Planning ahead for summer? Be sure to sign up for Summer Kid Stop! This program fills quickly, so we encourage families to register as soon as possible to secure a spot. Summer school information will be sent out mid February through Infinite Campus.

Thank you for being such an important part of our East Elementary community. We appreciate your support and look forward to a great February together!

Warm regards,
Jori Ruff
Principal, East Elementary

East Elementary Calendar

Tuesday, February 10, 2026 - East Family Waterpark Night at Kalahari 4-8PM

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 - No School - Staff PD Day

Thursday, February 12, 2026 - 4K Family Night at West School 5-6PM

Friday, February 27, 2026 - ESPG Benefactor Bingo at Balanced Rock Winery 6-8PM

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 - Asynchronous Day for Students- Parent/Teacher Conferences

March 30 - April 3, 2026 - No School - Spring Break

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 - No School - Staff Professional Development Day

Monday, May 25, 2026 - No School - Memorial Day

Wednesday, May 27, 2026 - Full Day of School

Friday, June 5, 2026 - Last day of School for 4K students

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 - Last Day of School Kindergarten - 5th Grade

This year, Summer School will run from June 15 - July 9 for elementary and middle school students and June 15 - July 23 for high school students. Summer School is a great opportunity to continue keeping students engaged socially and academically! More information, including the registration link, will be sent to families through Infinite Campus on February 16.

Now is a great time to log in to Infinite Campus and make sure your contact information is up to date so you don’t miss any notifications.

You can purchase yearbooks online! Yearbooks will be delivered directly to students during the last week of the school year. Click Here to order today.

5th Grader Students will receive a yearbook as a graduation gift.

In guidance this month we are covering Empathy and the importance of paying attention to the feelings of those around us. We can usually read body language or facial expressions to see how someone else is feeling. Empathy and compassion are important friendship building skills to have. School is a great place to practice building and learning these strategies.

In some of our lessons, we get to hear songs related to the topic we're learning about. Here's a fun upbeat song our 4th graders heard about how to Boost Empathy. Click on the link to hear the song: https://users.quavered.com/QR/EN47VY

Next time you're riding in the car together or sitting down for a meal, share ways that you can, or have, boosted your empathy skills. See how many different ideas you were able to come up with together!

This week (Feb. 2–6), we are celebrating our amazing school counselor, Mr. Davies! We are so grateful for his dedication to our students’ social and emotional growth. Helping our students thrive is a true team effort, and we love seeing the positive impact he has on our school community every day.

Thank you for all you do, Mr. Davies!

You may have noticed your student bringing home a brand-new book every month this school year. We wanted to share that these are part of Thunderbird Reads, a district-wide literacy initiative launched this past September. Thanks to this program, every elementary student (4K–5th Grade) receives nine books throughout the year to keep and build their very own home library. We are incredibly grateful to the Topham Family Foundation, whose $25,000 matching gift helped make this wonderful tradition possible for our Panthers.

The impact of this program is already showing in our classrooms! Mrs. Rundio’s 4th-grade class recently wrote heartfelt thank-you notes to Mr. Considine and the donors to show their appreciation. Mrs. Rundio shared that her students are overjoyed each month when the books arrive, with one student even remarking that "This is like Christmas, but better because they get a present every month!"

We are so proud to see our students growing their personal libraries and their love for reading.

We had an incredible first week back from Winter Break at East Elementary! Our halls were filled with pajamas, retro gear, and Olympic spirit as we kicked off the new year with our Attendance Matters Challenge. We are so proud of all our Panthers for showing up ready to learn!

Here are the winners of our first-week challenge:

🐶 K9 Ty Visit Winners

A huge congratulations to Mrs. Klitzke’s 3rd Grade and Mrs. Harman’s 1st Grade! Because of their outstanding attendance rates, these classes have earned a special visit from SRO Giese and our favorite furry friend, K9 Ty on January 12th.

🛝Extra Recess Winners

Shout out to our 4th Grade! Your commitment to being at school every day this week has earned the entire grade level extra recess time on January 13th. They enjoyed some extra fresh air and sunshine!

🏅Individual Superstars

We are thrilled to announce that 293 students had perfect attendance for the week. 7 of those individual students were selected in our drawing to receive a special prize! These students showed us exactly what it means to be a dedicated East Panther.

Thank you to all our families for helping your students get back into their school routines. While the challenge week is over, remember that every day in the classroom counts toward your child's success!

We are excited to offer all 3rd-5th grade students a chance to participate in a terrific writing contest through the Baraboo School District. We hope that it will provide new opportunities for many of our talented students.

The Baraboo Young Authors (BYA) is a writing competition that includes four separate categories:

• Poetry: Write a poem about anything. Must be at least 8 lines long
• Creative Writing: Choose one of the pictures and write a story. Your story HAS to be about the picture in some way, don’t just choose a random topic!
• Personal Narratives: A story about an event in YOUR life!
• Argumentative Writing: Choose a prompt and write an essay to support your side of the argument.

Unfortunately, there will not be time available at school to type the entries. Students are required to write and edit their own work. Completed writing is deadline extended to Friday, February 2/6

Click here for more information!

Please remember that it is important to report an absence or if your student will be late to school or leave early.

Andrea Schroeder, Administrative Assistant

Email: aschroeder@barabooschools.net

Text: (608) 621-2248

Voicemail: (608) 355-3920

✈️ Planned Absences & Family Vacations

We understand that family time is important. If you plan an extended absence for a family vacation or other reason:

• Action Required: For absences of three or more days, such as a family vacation, please notify the office a week in advance.

Thank you!

🤒 When to Keep Your Child Home (Too Sick for School)

Please keep your child home if they are experiencing any of the following symptoms. They should remain home until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

• Fever: A temperature of 100.4°F or higher.

• Vomiting or Diarrhea: Keep your child home if they have had two or more episodes in the previous 24 hours.

🤧 When They Can Still Come (Mild Symptoms)

A simple runny nose, mild congestion, or an occasional cough are usually fine for school, provided your child is fever-free, without medication. We ask that you teach them good hygiene habits like coughing into their elbow and regular handwashing to prevent the spread of germs.

If you have questions regarding current illness guidelines or have a positive test to report, please email or call the East Health Office.

rchristensen@barabooschools.net

bhelton@barabooschools.net

Direct Line to the East Health Office: (608) 893-6262

Nurse Fax: (608) 355-3975

What is ESPG?

ESPG is the East School Parent Group. ESPG acts upon the belief that parent involvement in the schools enhances the education that our children receive. In monthly meetings we learn about current topics and discuss ways we can have a positive impact on our schools. Meetings are on the first Monday of the month at 6pm in the school library. All are welcome!

Top 5 Reasons To Join ESPG

1. Your child benefits - When parents get connected to the school, children do better. Research shows children whose parents are involved get better grades, do better on tests, and have fewer discipline problems at school.

2. We make a difference - Our mission is to create the kind of school community where teachers and staff can do their best work - and so can our children. We provide support for teachers in and out of the classroom. We provide resources they need. We help create learning opportunities for our children.

3. We make school fun - With school fun nights, all school programs, and field trips, we add a little something extra special for kids and families to look forward to during the school year.

4. There's a lot to be done - These days, schools are asked to do more with less. Our help is needed more than ever to fill the gaps. We rely solely on fundraisers and donations. All so that we can continue to enrich our children's educational experience.

5. It's rewarding! - It's seeing the bright light of learning sparkle in a child's eye. It's seeing the smile that shows we're making school a little more fun - and a child feel a little more comfortable in a learning environment. It's learning that test scores have risen and knowing we played a role. There are lots of rewards, both big and small, for those that get involved.

Enrollment for the Summer Kid Stop program begins on Monday, February 2, 2026. Information and

registration forms are available on the District website or paper copies are available at all elementary school offices and the East, GLW and West Kid Stop sites. Completed enrollment forms may be submitted by scanning to the Kid Stop Coordinator’s email address at pgavin@barabooschools.net or dropping your form off at the Gordon L. Willson Elementary School office during business or Kid Stop hours. Please know that there is no online registration option for the Kid Stop program. Any questions, please contact Pat Gavin at the above email address.

EAST Kid Stop

• During the school day: 355-3920 ext. 4132
• After School: 608-393-6924

GLW Kid Stop

• During the school day: 355-3925 ext. 7150 or cell 608-393-6872
• After School: 608-393-6872

Kid Stop Coordinator

Pat Gavin - pgavin@barabooschools.net (Best way to communicate via email)

GLW Kid Stop Cell - 608-393-6872

Kid Stop Director

Jori Ruff, Kid Stop Director and East School Principal - jlruff@barabooschools.net

Phone - 608-355-3920, ext. 4010

Students should have their bus pass everyday. The Boys and Girls Club shuttle bus students must have their pass or they will not be able to ride.

If they need a replacement pass, a new one can be purchased for $5.00 through the school store located in your Infinite Campus Parent Portal. If you need assistance ordering a replacement or getting logged in, please contact our Tech Department at (608)355-3940 Option #3.

Download the MyRide K12 bus app to see your student's location once they have scanned onto the bus.