BRMS August Family Newsletter
August 14th, 2024
A Word from the Principal Team
Nota: Puede acceder a este Boletín Informativo en diferentes idiomas haciendo click en el botón 'Translate'
Badger Ridge Families,
As summer winds down, and maybe too soon for some, we are filled with excitement to welcome our students back for another fantastic year of learning and growth. It has been a busy few months of planning and preparing our teachers and building to ensure everything is ready for the return of our students.
This year, the spirit of the Olympic Games inspires us! We are committed to excellence in every aspect of our school community and as such we are embracing the theme: "Going for Great - Every person, every resource, every minute in service of students!"
To help actualize this goal and our dedication to providing high-quality instruction, we are thrilled to introduce two new curricula that will support grade-level, standards-aligned teaching and learning in language arts and social studies. In addition, we have extended our instructional blocks, allowing for a focused skills time within the school day to ensure every student has the opportunity to advance in their learning journey.
We have also listened to our students' requests for more meaningful social-emotional learning (SEL) experiences. As a result, we have revised our advisory period to create an intentional and dedicated time for SEL, using the 7 Mindsets curricular resource to guide us. You can read more about this in the PBIS section below.
This issue of our monthly newsletter is filled with helpful information. So kick back and take it all in.
We can't wait to see our hallways filled with energy and enthusiasm as we all "Go for Great" this school year!
Here's to an incredible year ahead!
Sincerely,
Badger Ridge Principal Team
Back to School Night is August 28th from 5pm - 7pm. For families that do not require special accommodations, we kindly ask that you do not arrive to Back to School Night until 5pm. Our staff have a full day of professional learning before the night begins and will need adequate time to set up so that each family has a smooth and enjoyable experience. You can expect several activities to engage with at Back to School Night this year:
- Visit extracurricular and athletic tables
- Pick up and walk through student schedule
- Visit with administration, student services, and teaching staff
- Scavenger Hunt with prizes
- Joel Porter is excited to join Badger Ridge as our new school psychologist. Joel is coming from West High School and formerly Toki Middle School in MMSD. He is originally from the Madison area and has family that lives in the Verona community. Joel loves to spend time outdoors with his wife Alex and daughter Freya. He graduated in 2011 with a Masters and Education Specialist Degree in School Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He focuses on building strong relationships with students, staff and families and is thrilled to be coming back to the middle school level.
- We want to send a warm congratulations to Olivia Berch-Radloff for her new role as the PBIS Coach at Badger Ridge! While Ms. Berch is no longer the school psych, she will still serve in the capacity of deeply supporting our students in addition to developing systems that create a safe and inclusive environment for each and every student.
Our Badger Ridge community values a strong culture accounting for safety and security. As part of this emphasis, we are pleased to announce that we will begin using SmartPass - a digital hall pass system. SmartPass will replace traditional hall passes such as sign-out sheets, wooden blocks, passbooks, and lanyards.
The use of SmartPass will allow us to increase instructional time for staff and students by not needing to manage physical passes and papers. Support staff will also be able to check students out of class or schedule appointments for medical reasons, counseling, or other needs.
A key benefit of SmartPass is real-time insights on student movement based on approved passes, which is essential to student safety during emergencies. (SmartPass does not utilize or support GPS tracking; there is no ability to pinpoint a student location.)
AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a schoolwide college and career readiness system that is designed to increase the number of students who enroll and succeed in higher education and in their lives beyond high school. AVID instructional practices are current research-based college and career readiness practices, and when implemented well, ensure schools meet AVID’s mission “to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college and career readiness and success in a global society.”
In the spring, BRMS went through the intensive yearly process of AVID Certification. This process allows us to reflect on how well we are implementing AVID, and we are so excited to share that we achieved AVID Schoolwide status which means we have “A strong AVID system that transforms the Instruction, Systems, Leadership, and Culture of a school, ensuring college and career readiness for all AVID Elective students and improved academic performance for all students based on increased opportunities.” We will continue to support your student(s) through AVID systems and strategies this year. Look for more information in future newsletters.
6th grade students will receive their chromebooks and passwords on September 3rd during their advisory class. 7th and 8th grade students will receive their chromebooks and passwords September 4th during their advisory class.
Student coursework can be found in Canvas, our learning management system.
Families can become observers of their students’ Canvas courses by following these directions.
If you have questions regarding Canvas or your student devices, please contact Sarah Urben (urbens@verona.k12.wi.us or 608-845-4413)
Our school is participating in Wisconsin Harvest of the Month! Harvest of the Month is a statewide campaign that encourages students to eat more fruits and vegetables. Each month, our school will feature one Wisconsin-grown fruit or vegetable that is seasonally available. We will encourage students to taste, explore, and learn about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables in the classroom and cafeteria. Watch the school menu, for more information about the Harvest of the Month fruits and vegetables. We will feature fruits and veggies from the foods listed in the picture. Ask your child about Harvest of the Month foods and prepare these foods at home. Providing many opportunities for your child to try new foods is important for building healthy eating habits and adventurous eaters. We hope you join us in this opportunity to promote eating fruits and vegetables!