Caddie Woodlawn August Newsletter

• Aug 28- Open House: Noon to 6pm
  
• Aug 29- School starts!
• Sept 2- Labor Day- no school
  
• Sept 3- Early Childhood starts
• Sept 4- M/W Junior Kindergarten first day of school
• Sept 5- T/Th Junior Kindergarten first day of school
• Sept 9- Picture Day for M/W Junior Kindergarten, Early Childhood, and grades K thru 2
• Sept 10- Picture Day for T/Th Junior Kindergarten, Early Childhood, and grades 3 thru 5
• Oct 9- Picture retakes
• Oct 11- No school PT Conferences
• Oct 14- No school
• Nov 25 thru 29- Thanksgiving Break
• Dec 12- Christmas Concert
• Dec 23 thru Jan 1- Christmas Break
• Jan 20 & 21- No school
• Feb 10- No school
• March 14- No school PT Conferences
• April 18- No school
• May 26- Memorial Day- no school

Dear families of Caddie Woodlawn,

I hope this letter finds you enjoying the beautiful summer weather with family and friends! My name is Taylor Semingson, and I’d like to introduce myself as the new principal of Caddie Woodlawn. I am truly humbled and honored to accept this role and join you and the amazing staff at Caddie in providing the education and care your children deserve. I look forward to partnering with you to help every child achieve success.

This year will mark my 16th year in education. I began my career as a middle school social studies teacher in Tomah and then Eau Claire. Over the last five years, I have served as a middle school dean of students and assistant principal as well as an elementary assistant principal, all in the Eau Claire Area School District.

My wife, Kesha, and I have three young boys, Calvin (9), Soren (4), and Miles (2). Our boys keep us busy and make life exciting (and at times exhausting!). I enjoy coaching Calvin in basketball and baseball through our community youth association but we also love spending our time swimming, biking, camping, enjoying a family movie night, and cheering on the Packers!

Growing up in the town of Strum, WI, I know the importance of community and small town values in educating children. The values instilled in me from a young age of working hard, caring for others, and serving your community have guided me in my personal and professional life. I am grateful for the opportunity to join the dedicated Durand-Arkansaw community in educating the whole child as we prepare them for a successful future.

As the principal of Caddie Woodlawn, I am committed to ensuring each child receives not only a great education that prepares them for the future, but also the care and support necessary to nurture their whole development. I know the experienced staff at Caddie share this commitment and truly lead with love in all that they do. I am eager to see the great things our children will accomplish over the next year and beyond!

I look forward to meeting all of you and your children over the coming months. Thank you for the warm welcome and this tremendous opportunity. Please feel free to reach out with questions, concerns, or ideas about how we can best serve the students, families and community of Caddie Woodlawn Elementary School.

Sincerely,

Taylor Semingson

Caddie Woodlawn Elementary Principal

tsemingson@durand.k12.wi.us

715-672-8977

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As the calendar turns to August I hope this communication finds everyone having a great summer!

We are writing to inform you of a change to the schedule for our Family Open House, originally planned for the end of the month on August 26. There are two reasons for this change. First, there is some necessary staff training that will take place during our in-service days on August 21, 22, and 26 which presents some obstacles from us delivering the quality open house experience for families that we want. Additionally, we want to provide a longer window of time for families to make it more accommodating to your schedules in hopes of ensuring that the event is as successful and positive an experience as possible as we start the new school year.

To better accommodate everyone’s needs and provide a more flexible schedule, we have made the following adjustment:

• Monday, August 26: There will be no open house on this day.

• Wednesday, August 28: Instead of being a full school day for students, this day will now be dedicated to our Family Open House. The buildings will be open for students and families from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. This change aims to offer a more flexible window for attendance, making it easier for families to visit.

We understand that this change may require adjustments to your original plans, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope that providing this notice in advance will give you ample time to make any necessary arrangements. Should this new schedule not work for you, please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate your needs and schedules.

Transportation Note: Please note that buses will not run for students that attend Caddie Woodlawn, D-A Middle School, or D-A High School on Wednesday, August 28. Rather, the first day for bussing for students attending these schools will be Thursday, August 29. If you are not able to attend the Family Open House on August 28 please contact Pape Bus Service or complete the transportation form that was sent out to confirm your child's pick-up and/or drop-off information. Pape's Bus Service can be contacted at 715-672-3636.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me or to your child’s building principal. We will provide additional details about the open house in the coming weeks, but wanted to ensure you were informed of this change as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility.

Warm regards,

Ryan Nelson

District Administrator

Stocking up on calculators, book bags and notebooks may seem like an annual rite of autumn for

students heading back to school, but as many parents know, equipping a child for school is not

cheap and often times isn’t possible.

The Durand Woman’s Club is sponsoring the Fill-a-Book Bag program for children who attend

school in Pepin County and whose families are in need of financial help. We would like to make

sure that all school age children have the tools they need for success in the classroom. We will

supply book bags and the materials required at the child’s grade level for children of families in

need.

If your family would like to participate in this program complete the application form and return

it by August 9, 2024 to:

Durand Woman’s Club

W7048 County Rd D

Arkansaw, WI. 54721

All book bags will be ready for pick up on THURS. August 22, 2024 from 8a.m. until noon,

just in time for school.

Distribution of School Supplies will be at the DURAND MASONIC HALL, 203 W. Main St.,

DURAND, WI. or in PEPIN, WI.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO THE FILL-A-BOOK BAG PROGRAM:

Money Donations can be mailed to:

Durand Woman’s Club, W7048 County Rd D, Arkansaw, WI. 54721

School supply drop off boxes will be located at Durand Fresh Market beginning in July or can be dropped off at the Masonic Hall on August 19, 2024 between 8-11am.

If anyone has questions about the Fill-a-Book Bag Program, Please contact

Jan at 715-672-8448.

THE DURAND WOMAN’S CLUB APPRECIATES EVERYONE’S SUPPORT OF THIS WORTHWHILE

PROGRAM.

Forms are attached below.

Please feel free to call the office, or stop in to claim!

Report Cards can be viewed in Skyward Family Access

Instructions: Log in to Skyward Family Access and select “Portfolio”. Select Quarter 4, 2023-2024 from the list.

https://skyward.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsedudurandarkansawwi/seplog01.w

Please reach out to the office if you need assistance.

Instructions: Log in to Skyward Family Access and select “Food Service" from the menu.

• Make a Payment
• Update Payment Amount
• Pay with Vendor

https://skyward.iscorp.com/scripts/wsisa.dll/WService=wsedudurandarkansawwi/seplog01.w

All members of a family share a lunch account.

ABOUT US

Bridging Brighter Smiles, Inc. is a school-based preventative dental care program. Founded in Wisconsin in 2012, we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization bringing essential dental services to students in the comfort of their school. Our mission is to bridge the gap in dental care by offering access to services, building wellness relationships within communities, and educating students to instill life-long healthy habits.

Professional Dental Services Provided Right at School Include:

• Oral Screening
• Dental Cleaning
• Fluoride Varnish Application
• Dental Sealant Placement
• Silver Diamine Fluoride Application
• Oral Health Education
• Referral Assistance

Enroll now!

https://bridgingbrightersmiles.org/

All districts in Wisconsin are currently reviewing their policies and practices around pupil nondiscrimination. If you would like to provide input in this process, please contact Michelle Zagozen, Director of Pupil Services, at 715-672-8921 or mzagozen@durand.k12.wi.us.

School safety continues to be a top priority for our school district. At morning drop off, you may walk your child into the commons to say goodbye, but access beyond the commons will not be granted at any time during the day. It is best if you drop your child off in the loop, exiting on the passenger side only, and let them walk inside on their own, as we will have staff on duty to help. Signs for bus and parent entrances are marked. Breakfast and drop off begin at 7:45am, please do not drop off any earlier than 7:45am as our doors are locked until then, and staff begin their supervising duties. Our school day starts at 8:10am.

Dismissal Times for bussing & parent pick-up will be as follows:

Students will be brought outside for parent pick-up

• 3:05pm: JK, Kdg, 1st grade, and all older siblings to these parent pick-up students
• 3:10pm: JK, Kdg, 1st grade are dismissed to the bus
  

• 3:15pm: 2nd Grade thru 5th Grade dismissed for bus and parent pick up

Walkers will be dismissed after the buses have departed

End of the day pick-up is incredibly busy and requires patience. We will bring all parent pick-up students outside the main doors at their scheduled dismissal time. Please do not come before your child/ren’s scheduled dismissal time, we need to keep the flow of the line/loop moving. We strongly encourage those who are able to ride the bus, to please do so. We need everyone to be patient and follow these safety guidelines at pick-up to ensure a smooth process for everyone.

• We do not dismiss students by themselves to the parking lot, you must park in a spot and come and get them from their line.

• Please drive with caution in the parking lot. Drive slow, stay off your cell phone, eyes on the road, & music turned down.

• Please do not park in the street, the buses need to get through.

• Reminder we are a tobacco free zone, this includes the parking lot.

• We will have staff on duty the entire time, if you aren’t able to get your child at 3:05pm- no worries, we will still have them with us at 3:15pm

It is important that your child/children know how they are getting home each day. It is incredibly challenging for us to be pulling students off the bus, from the parent pick-up line, making calls, etc. during dismissal time. If there are any changes to the way your child will be getting home please send a note or call the office before 2:30pm so we can plan accordingly.

The School Board has approved the calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. Families will notice two differences in the calendar from previous years. The first is that after the survey of the families there will not be a Spring Break. The survey data was overwhelmingly in favor of ending school earlier without a Spring Break. The second change is that we will be starting school closer to September 1st this year. The state is no longer granting waivers allowing us to start as early as we have the past couple of years.

As in years past we will have three "Orientation Days" the end of August that will look and feel like the first three days of school. In the past we have found great value in these days for all students and staff.

Email: cwsoffice@durand.k12.wi.us
Website: durand.k12.wi.us
Location: 650 Auth Street, Durand, WI, USA
Phone: 715-672-8977
Facebook: facebook.com/durandschool
Twitter: @durandschool