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GRAND AVENUE NEWSLETTER

April 2025

GRAND AVENUENEWSLETTERApril 2025

Grand Avenue Elementary

Principal - Craig Trautsch

craig.trautsch@saukprairieschools.org


Dean of Students- Erin Smith

erin.smith@saukprairieschools.org


Email: contact@saukprairieschools.org
Website: www.saukprairieschools.org
Location: 225 Grand Ave, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
Phone: (608) 643-1900

Grand Avenue Web Site
Grand Avenue Email/Attendance
Sauk Prairie School District Web Site
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From the Principal From the Principal

April 2025

Important Dates Important Dates

April:

Monday, April 14- School Board Mtg.- District Office 7:00 PM

Monday, April 14- DPI Observance Day- American's Creed Day

Tuesday, April 15- GSPie Mtg.- Bridges 6:30 PM

Wednesday, April 16- Early Release 1:30

Thursday, April 17- Above the Line

Thursday, April 17 -DPI Observance Day- Patriots' Day

Friday, April 18- NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, April 22- DPI Observance Day - Environmental Awareness Day

Wednesday, April 23- Classrooms of Sauer, Backeberg & Coy- Field Trip to Bank of P.D.S.

Thursday, April 24- Classrooms of Ruhland, Markley, Schell, & Trachsler- Field Trip to Bank of P.D.S.

Friday, April 25- DPI Observance Day- Arbor Day

Monday, April 28- School Board Mtg.-District Office 7:00 PM


May:

Friday, May 2- Bridges Bolt

Friday, May 2- 4th Grade Field Trip through FFA

Tuesday, May 6- Grade 3 Concert 6:00 PM- Grand Avenue

Thursday, May 8- Band Concert Grades 5-12 HS Gym -6:30 PM

Monday, May 12- School Board Meeting- District Office- 7:00 PM

Monday, May 19- Grade 6 Orientation for 5th graders (MS) 5:00 PM

Tuesday, May 20-GSPie meeting at Grand Avenue-6:30 PM

Wednesday, May 21- Early Release 1:30 dismissal

Monday, May 26- No School- Memorial Day

Band Band

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BAND

Band (for 4th Grade Families)

Attention all 4th grade parents/guardians. It is almost time to sign your child up for band for 5th grade! We welcome everyone into this program in 5th grade and hope your child will take advantage of this fun and enriching opportunity. During the month of April we will be talking to your child about band and introducing the specific band instruments they can choose from. We will also be trying the various mouthpieces with them to see which one/s are the best fit. The mouthpiece trials will happen at school on April 24th and 25th and shortly thereafter a letter will come home explaining options and a bit more about the program. I will be sending out more details very soon but if you’d like to start the process and sign your child up early you can do so now. You can use the following link to register your child.


English Spanish



Band (for 5th Grade Families)

If your child is in 5th grade but not currently in band and has plans to be in band next year as a new student please complete the following form. I will reach out with some details about the program, including our beginning summer camp July 28 - August 1st. Even if you have registered with the school already, completing the form will help me get your child on the right track and will ensure that I schedule them for a mouthpiece trial on April 25th. We hope your child will consider this fun and enriching opportunity!


English Spanish


There is no reason to do the above form if your child already plays. Students already in band just need to select band as one of their music choices for next year. All students can easily do both band and choir in 6th grade and both happen during the normal school day, not before school.

Lost and Found Lost and Found

We have an overabundance of items in our lost & found! Please view the photos to see if you recognize any of the items. If so, remind your child to stop by the lost and found to get those items, or feel free to stop in at the Grand Avenue office during the school day.

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Chess Club Chess Club

Congratulations to the following students who competed in the Chess Club Tournament.


3rd Grade Class Champions include: Sebastian Lovick, Brecken Craig, Paxon Koenig, Owen Considine, and Roman Judd.

Third Grade Champion: Sebastian Lovick


4th Grade Class Champions include: Philip Buckingham, Mason Pusel, Jameson Haugh, and Ben Baker.

Fourth Grade Champion: Mason Pusel


5th Grade Class Champions include: Milo Lueck, Quinn Considine, Deklan Koenig, Wade Liegel, Tate Berahn, and Treyden Sherman.

Fifth Grade Champion: Milo Lueck


School Champion: Mason Pusel


Thank you to Mr. Hussien for leading the Chess Club.

4th Grade Field Trip 4th Grade Field Trip

Below are photos from the classrooms of Mrs. Backeberg, Mrs. Sauer, and Mrs. Markley. They visited the MacKenzie Center in Poynette and learned about making maple syrup.

GAME CLUB- GRADES 4 & 5- After School GAME CLUB- GRADES 4 & 5- After School

Online Game Club Form
For 4th and 5th Graders. Paper copies are available in the school office.
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Traffic Safety

To improve traffic flow, please pull up toward Marion Park instead of stopping directly in front of the main entrance. You can also drop your child off near the crossing guards, who are there to assist. Additionally, please have your child exit the vehicle closest to the sidewalk rather than onto the street. We appreciate your cooperation in helping keep everyone safe!

National Theatre for Children National Theatre for Children

The photos below are from Friday, April 4th when the National Theatre for Children came to present their performance, Project Energy. Thank you to WPPI Energy for sponsoring this.

Above the Line Above the Line

March- Above the Line

The March Above The Line theme was “Cooperation.” The Grand Avenue students listed below received awards on Friday, March 14th from their classroom teacher or staff member who felt that they are an especially cooperative individual. Congratulations to these students!

Front Row (L-R): Sebastian Bermeduz, Waylon White, John Skoraczewski, Hayden Ballweg, Otis Johnson, Noah Wiedmeyer, Cael Schoeneberg, Iris Brereton, Stella Kruser, Mia Vieyra, Emma Naggs & Blakeley Halweg


Middle Row (L-R): Ben Baker, Lincoln Ott, Miles Wipperfurth, Tucker Lewis, Alison Colon Santos, Hanorah Wishart, Olive Nelson, Clare Kaderavek, Haylee Williams, Juniper Franciskovich & Sofia Scardina


Top Row (L-R): Wade Liegel, Chase Nelson, Xavier Ashley, Harper Wasserberg, Nash Krumenauer, Treyden Sherman, Bennett Ganser, Dalton Slaney, Addison Barta, Avery Jorgenson, Pria Steinmetz, Christian Solt & Henry Homar


Not Pictured: Stella Litscher, Dex Wilhelm, Lincoln Raunio, & Ellis Arndt

From our Library From our Library

Grand Avenue students continue to be amazing readers as they have checked out 14,540 books so far this year! Remember the elementary library webpage is available 24/7 where your student(s) can access many great resources such as: Destiny Library Catalog, Sora (ebooks), PebbleGo/PebbleNext (research database), and much more!


New books added to the library collection….

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Tumble Book Library
Click Here

Counselor Connection Counselor Connection

All grade levels are discussing or have recently discussed personal safety. We encourage everyone to recognize when and why they feel unsafe or uncomfortable, refuse to participate or be present in unsafe situations, and report safety concerns to trusted adults, even when they are a bystander. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and we would like to give caretakers some alternatives to lashing out at a child physically or verbally. Adults can model ways to stay safe and be assertive too. The following is a list of twelve alternatives from the National Child Abuse Prevention website:


Twelve Alternatives to Lashing Out at A Child


The next time everyday pressures build up to the point where you feel like lashing out -- STOP!

Try any of these simple alternatives. You'll feel better... and so will the child.


• Take a deep breath... and another. Then remember you are the adult.

• Close your eyes and imagine you're hearing what your child is about to hear.

• Press your lips together and count to 10... or better yet, to 20.

• Put the child in a time-out chair. (Rule: one minute for each year of age; i.e. 3 min. for 3

yrs old)

• Put yourself in a time-out chair (walk away). Think about why you are angry: is it the

child, or is the child simply a convenient target for your anger?

• Phone a friend to vent.

• If someone can watch the child, go outside and take a walk.

• Take a hot bath or splash cold water on your face.

• Squeeze a pillow

• Turn on some music. Maybe even sing/dance along!

• Pick up a pencil and write down as many helpful words as you can think of.

• Call for prevention information: 1-800-CHILDREN


If you think that a child you know might be being abused or neglected, please call your local human services department at (608) 355-4200 and ask for a Child Welfare Access Worker. Together we can all help prevent child abuse and neglect, and keep our children SAFE!

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Miss Sadie

School Counselor

(608) 643-1969

sadie.sutter@saukprairieschools.org



GSPie GSPie

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GSPie

Grade School Partners in Education
(GSPie, said “G - S - Pie”)
Your Parent/Caregiver TeacherStaff Organization (PTO)

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Snack Drive

The GSPie Staff Appreciation team is hard at work planning this year's teacher & staff appreciation week activities for May 5-9. One event will be a snack bar day, similar to the new year's essential bar we did in January. It was a huge hit - thank you again to all who participated. If you wish to contribute a snack, you can do so via our Amazon wishlists, linked below or by purchasing a snack pack/variety pack of individually wrapped snacks wherever you shop - Costco, local grocery stores, etc - and dropping them off at the school offices, clearly labeled 'APPRECIATION WEEK SNACKS'. All Amazon purchases will be delivered directly to the schools and stored until appreciation week (May 5-9). All snacks need to be received in the offices by Friday, May 2. Thanks in advance for your support!

Bridges Appreciation Week Wishlist

Grand Ave Appreciation Week Wishlist


School Supply Kits

Mark your calendars! School supply kits will be available for purchase between April 25-May 18, 2025 for the next school year. When you order through The Write Stuff, your child's school supplies are delivered directly to school prior to supply drop-off in August. You get a discount on school supplies with free shipping AND a portion of sales goes back to GSPie and our schools. Look for more information when the link to order goes live!


Bridges Bolt

Mark your calendars for Friday, May 2!


Join the Team

The next GSPie meeting is Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30pm at Bridges. Everyone in the Bridges and Grand Avenue communities are welcome to attend - to hear what’s new or get involved and make new connections (and friends!) within our grade school community. We would love to see you there!


THANK YOU!

Your Parent-Caregiver Organization

Thank you for continuing to support your children and our schools!

GSPie (said G - S - Pie)

The PTO/PTA at Bridges and Grand Ave

More GSPie info
Click here for more info & to sign-up!
Health and Medication Information
Medication Forms
I Need to Stay Home When.....
Click on this link for a clearer view of the charts below

Attendance Information Attendance Information

If your child is ill, going to an appointment, or will be late to school, please call the attendance line before 8:15 am (608-643-1991). This phone line is available 24 hours a day. If you e-mail or call the teacher, you still need to contact the office. It is essential that the school is aware of your child's absence. If a child misses more than an hour in the morning or afternoon, they will be marked absent for half a day. Students leaving early will be marked with a Q code, which is similar to a tardy.


If you call your child in with an illness, we would like you to, please let us know the symptoms, i.e., a fever, sore throat, headache, cough, etc., that your child may have.


In addition, if your child usually rides the bus, please call Lamers to let them know if your child will not be riding the bus. They can be contacted at 608-460-7050.

Dismissal Changes Dismissal Changes

Temporary Dismissal Changes

To ensure the safety of students and allow for adjustments in bus routes, a parent/guardian must complete this form prior to their child riding a bus route that is different from the child's regular dismissal plan documented in Skyward.


The district strongly encourages all requests to be submitted prior to 11:00 AM on the day the change is needed. This form applies to all students in all grades (4K - Grade 12).


CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE FORM​​​​​​​

Food Service Food Service

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Eligibility for free and reduced-price meals is based on Federal income eligibility guidelines

or participation in other programs including Food Share, W-2 Cash Benefits, Food

Distribution on Indian Reservations, and some Medicaid programs. Households are

encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits before the start of the school

year.


Free & Reduced Food Service Applications


To apply for free or reduced meals, the Food Service application must be completed every

year. Applications may be completed at any point during the school year as income may

change. You can choose to print the forms and complete or complete the forms online.


For the 2023-24 school year, the price of reduced and paid lunches are as follows:

If you have questions, are unsure of your child(ren)s eligibility for free or reduced-price

meals, or would like to request an application, please contact Tammy Smith at 608-643-

5983 or tammy.smith@saukprairieschools.org

Menu
click here to see the breakfast and lunch menu for Grand Avenue
Make a Payment
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SPSD Future Student Form

The Sauk Prairie School District wants to make sure your child/family is included in mailing lists and communications once your child is old enough to register for 4K or Kindergarten classes. If you have a child who is age 5 or under and have not previously completed a SPSD Future Student Form, please complete one today! Use the link below to access the form or pick up a form at the SPSD District Office (440 13th Street, Prairie du Sac, WI). If you have any questions, please email the District Registrar or call 608-643-5984. Thank you!


Future SPSD Student Form - English


Future SPSD Student Form - Spanish

Community Center Info Community Center Info

Looking for summer activities for your children to keep them active and engaged learners! Sauk Prairie Schools Community Education and the Sauk Prairie Recreation Department offer enrichment and lifelong learning opportunities for all ages. Some of our programs are just good old fun while others offer the opportunity to improve a skill, discover a new hobby or improve wellness.


If you have questions about Community Ed and Recreation programs, please use the link below to contact us at the Sauk Prairie Community Center.



https://cc.saukprairieschools.org/o/cc/page/contact-community-center

Sporting Events Sporting Events

Eagle Athletics Website

Safety First Safety First

Speak Up, Speak Out Tipline
SPSD Safety Website
Employment Opportunities
SPSD Elementary Handbook (English)
Download for Android here.


Download for iPhone here.

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Elizabeth is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters

secretary at Grand Ave. Elementary

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