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October/November 2018
December/ January
February / March

October/November 2018

Washington Wavelength

From the principal: Rob Connor

Greetings!
It’s been a great start to the new school year! We look forward to seeing you at parent/teacher conferences in a couple of weeks. Conferences are an excellent time to connect with your child’s teacher to discuss his or her progress and continue building the partnership between home and school. Keeping that line of communication open is important to us here at Washington, so anytime you have any questions, concerns, or compliments, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or me at 743 – 7205 or rconnor@janesville,k12.wi.us. Please make sure that you fill out our Parent Satisfaction Survey either before or after your child’s conference. We will have survey stations set up near the main entrances like we have done in past years.

On Monday, Oct. 1st, we had 24 students and 4 teachers arrive at Washington from Phoenix Garden City Primary School in Nanjing, China. The students will be spending two weeks at Washington learning about our American culture. It’s also a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about a different country. Pictures from our ceremony welcoming them to Washington are posted below.

As always, thanks for your help and support! We really appreciate it!

Sincerely,
Rob Connor

Important Dates

Oct. 5-Color Wars
Oct. 7-13-Fire Prevention Week
Oct. 8-PTA mtg. @ 5 PM
Oct. 11-4 th Grade to JSOL
Oct. 12-Popcorn Sale
Oct. 17-DQ Night 4-7 PM
Oct. 18-P4J to Hinchley’s Farm
Oct. 23-Picture Retake Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences October 24 (PM) & 25 (All Day) No School October 24, 25, 26
Oct. 29-Oktoberfest 5:30-7:30
Oct. 31-Halloween
Nov. 2-Color Wars
Nov. 4-Daylight Savings Ends
Nov. 12-16-American Education Week
Nov. 12-PTA mtg. @ 5
Nov. 16-Popcorn Sale
Nov. 20-Culver’s Scoopie Night 4-8 PM
Thanksgiving Break No School on November 21, 22, 23
Nov. 27-End of First Trimester

Reminder: Please complete the online registration for your child if you have not done so yet this school year. Remember to pay your child’s consumable fees ($32.00/child)

Supervision:Supervision begins at 8:00 a.m. outside before school starts. For the safety of everyone, please arrive after 8:00 a.m.

No Animals Please remember: Janesville City ordinance forbids dogs, cats, horses or other animals from being on playgrounds or school grounds. Please keep your pets at home or in the car when you drop off or pick up your child.

Classroom News.....

P4J
P4J has had a great start to the year! We have been meeting new friends and learning the routines at school . This month, we will be taking a field trip to Hinchley's Dairy Farm, talking about Fire Safety, and learning about Pumpkins. Watch for more information soon about Parent-Teacher Conferences!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is off to a great start! We are finishing up reviewing col ors and learning our classmates’ names. We will soon begin our curriculum with Jolly Phonics, My Math, and the Journeys reading program. For the children’s safety, please help them with learning to tie their shoes. We will be sending home easy directions on how to tie shoes with the students. Also, please make sure sweatshirts, jackets, backpacks, etc. are labeled with your child’s name. Watch for the fall family project to be coming home soon! They are always fun to see in the hallway. We are looking forward to seeing you at conferences at the end of October.

First Grade

We are off to a FANTASTIC start in first grade. The students are adjusting to their new classroom routines and we have jumped right into the curriculum. There are several things you can do to help your child have a successful year of learning in first grade.

1. Please remember to check the blue take home folder each night for homework, important notes, and work that was completed that day.

2. Have conversations with your child about what they did at school.

3. Provide a quiet place for you and your child to complete any homework.

4. Take time to have your child read the small, paper phonics books that come home several times each week.

5. Spend about 5 minutes each night practicing the sight word flashcards that come home on Monday night. Your child should be able to read it within 3 seconds (not sounding it out).

6. Several times each week, your child will bring home a math homework sheet. This homework is a review of the lesson taught in class that day.

Second Grade

Welcome back returning and new families to Washington School. We are so excited to get to know your child. It was great to see such an awesome turnout at Open House and your children certainly enjoy using all of their new supplies!

During the first few weeks of school, second graders were introduced to and practiced second grade routines. During the first trimester, second graders will be learning about their community, citizenship, and diversity in social studies. In science, the children will be learning about plants and habitats. Math topics will include addition and subtraction through 18 (practice those facts nightly), number patterns, as well as double digit addition (Did we mention practice those math facts? J) .

Students are encouraged to read at least 20 minutes nightly to build their fluency and comprehension. Encourage your child to return his/her library books weekly and to check out books they can read independently.

Third Grade

We are off to a great start in 3rd grade, and it has been fun getting to know one another! In math, we are working on our facts and have started our place value unit. Students are also busy working on their count-bys, (2s, 5s, 10s), which gets us ready for multiplication.

In science we will be learning about life cycles and in social studies, our government. We have also started the Journeys reading series. Please continue to read nightly with your child.

It’s exciting to see the growth that students make from the beginning of the year, to the end. Thank you for your support!

We would like to thank Mrs. Deb Somerville for being here to start the school year and would like to welcome Mrs. Erin Boston as our new 3rd grade teacher. We are very excited to have her here at Washington.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade is off to a great start! We have been learning the expectations of a fourth grader and practicing being in charge of our learning.

In math, we have been practicing place value, rounding, addition, and subtraction. During social studies we are exploring map features. Science has been an in-depth look at plant structures.

We will be taking our first field trip to Janesville Schools Outdoor Lab (JSOL) on October 11. More information will be coming home about this great field trip!

Please keep reading 15 minutes each day and practicing your math facts

Fifth Grade

The fifth graders have settled into the new school year very nicely. In math, fractions are going to be something that we work very hard on this year.

Parents, you can help your student by practicing multiplication facts at home. In writing we are working on how to write a personal narrative. We will be studying plants in science and explorers in social studies.

News from the Music Room

Welcome to the new school year!

This year all music classes at Washington will be taught by one teacher – Ms. Nelson. This includes band and orchestra! It is a positive step to have one teacher in one building and we’re looking forward to an exciting year.

SAVE THE DATE: This year all of the “Sings” will be held on Friday, December 14th. Hopefully that will make it easier for families if you only have to take one day off work. Times will be announced soon.

Band and orchestra students are beginning their lessons and should be practicing at home 5 times a week for 20 minutes. Their music lessons are on Tuesday and Thursday mornings so they will need to bring in and take home instruments on those days. With their instruments they should have a folder, book and pencil. Assignments will be given in Google Classroom under the band or orchestra class.

Our Kindergarteners are learning about steady beat and performing it with movement and instruments. Ask them to sing their “Music has a Steady Beat” song.

First Graders are performing rhythm patterns and notating them with craft sticks.

Our 2nd graders are learning about duration which is defined as the length of a note or rest.

Third graders are using their listening skills to decide if music is in meters of 2, 3 or 4. Writing and playing notes and rests are keeping our

4th grade young musicians busy.

Fifth grade reviewed the instruments of the band and orchestra in preparation for starting instrument lessons. They are also doing more vocal work with reading music to give them a choral experience.

Scholastic Book Fair

Dear Parents and Families:
Reading is the most important skill you can teach a child. Of all the skills children learn, it is the one you can influence the most.

We invite you to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to open a world of possibilities!

Our Scholastic Book Fair theme -Enchanted Forest brings the books kids want to read right into our school. Giving kids access to good books and the opportunity to choose their own books will motivate them to read more. And, like most acquired sills, the more kids practice reading, the better they’ll get.

Reading is vital to every child’s success, and raising kids as readers means getting involved while they’re young. Now is the time. Since there will never be a substitute for a parent’s direct involvement in his/her child’s education, please make plans to visit our Enchanted Forest BOOK FAIR! Hope to see you there!

Enchanted Forest Book Fair Date: 10/24/18 and 10/25/18 Shopping Hours: Wednesday: 4:00-7:30 PM and Thursday: 9-Noon and 2:00-5:30 PM Where: Washington Learning Commons

We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Enchanted Forest Book Fair! Remember, all purchases benefit our school as 55% of the profits go towards the purchase of new books and learning supplies for the Learning Commons!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Karen Biege
Innovative Specialist
kbiege@janesville.k12.wi.us
743-7236

Family Book fair Information: Family Information: Book Fairs

PE NEWS

Important Dates:

Dec. 14 Bowling Trip Grades 4 & 5
Jump RFH no longer exists/ more info. Later
5/21 Grade 5 Track Meet- 8:30 AM Start Time
5/22 Grade 4 Track Meet- 8:30 AM Start Time
5/23 Elementary Track Meet Rain Date

The year has gotten off to a fantastic start! All of the grades are learning the classroom procedures and expectations for physical education class. We have discussed the importance of being active not only physically but what it does for us mentally as well. Being active at least one hour a day is our goal at the elementary level.

All grade levels have been learning and playing Dr. Recess/Curt Hinson playground activities the month of September and the early part of October. Dr. Curt Hinson visited our school last year and he presented to our students and staff his Trouble Free Playground Activities and playground philosophy. From his presentation and activities a Recess Club has been formed at Washington School which is made up of fourteen students in 4th and 5th grade. More information will follow about this club and their responsibilities in an upcoming Wavelength.

Our younger students at Washington have learned about several bones and muscles. The cardiac muscle (heart) is our most important muscle in our body. Without a strong, healthy heart our daily tasks would be very difficult and we would not feel our very best. Our gluteus maximus muscle, which the students love to say, is the second muscle that they have learned. In physical education class, we try to stay off of that muscle as much as possible; the goal is to keep our feet moving the majority of the class period!

Ask your student about their phalanges, patellas, and cranium. They will be able to fill you in on the location of those bones as well as some catchy sayings to help them remember where they are. Students in kindergarten through second grade are working on their loco-motor skills. It is so important that all of our students know how to slide, gallop, skip, leap, hop, jump and run. It is the basis of all of our movements. We are in the midst of our throwing and catching unit, with our soccer/kicking unit next, followed by our rolling/bowling unit in November.

In October, the older students will be focusing on how and where to find their pulse. We will be working towards finding out what their own target healthy zone is for when they exercise. This ensures that they are working their heart out at the appropriate level to keep it healthy and strong. We have a Heart-O-Meter in the gym that we will be using on a weekly basis that will reinforce this concept. The students will be finding out what their resting heart rate is, the first step in finding out what their target heart rate zone is.

Grades 3-5 are practicing their football throwing and catching skills, soccer kicking and dribbling skills followed by a short lacrosse unit. November will bring our bowling/rolling unit. The “glow” bowling with black lights is a hit with all of our Washington students. A field trip to the bowling center for all 4th and 5th grade students will take place in December. You will receive more information about this field trip in November. The cost of the trip to EL RA Bowling Center will be $3.00 per student. This is a great culminating activity at the end of the bowling unit.

If you should have any questions/concerns or would like to join us for a day of PE, please email or call to let me know when you will be joining us. We would love to have you in class!

Mrs. Sherry L. Hintz

Washington Physical Education
608-743-7248/shintz@janesville.k12.wi.us

A Few Lines From Our Art Studio
Welcome back to a marvelous year filled with positive energy! Students of every age and grade level are currently creating their own unique crayons. They are practicing their drawing and paper collage skills as they create. Soon our all-school project of crayons will be displayed on the first floor, making ‘our school’ complete.

On Friday, September 7th, our 5th grade students enjoyed spending time with the visiting chalk artist for Janesville’s Art Infusion. After an informative presentation, students practiced their chalking skills on our blacktop playground.

We are encouraging bird watching at our school. Washington Elementary’s chimney has become a popular roosting place for the migrating Chimney Swift birds. All of the students have learned about Chimney Swifts this fall as we have observed how thousands of these birds have choose our chimney for nightly roosting. There have been numerous morning sightings as we have watched the Chimney Swifts emerge for their daily flight activities. There are still some sightings, but as the weather is turning cold, the swifts are leaving and continuing their migration to Peru.

The 2018-2019 National PTA Reflections theme is Heroes Around Me. Students are encouraged to create art around this theme. The categories are Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. I am asking for entries to be submitted to me by Tuesday, November 27th . More information is available on the national PTA website. https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections

Our art studio has a Facebook page. Please like our page to enjoy your students in action. Search for Washington’s Creative Artists on Facebook or follow this link. https://www.facebook.com/washingtonscreativeartists?fref=ts

PTA and Art are once again teaming up to offer keepsakes through Square 1 Art, https://www.square1art.com/ Students will begin creating their unique art when we return from Winter Break in January. We will plan the art products to be ready for your spring events.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 28th, 2019. This is an interactive evening to be engaged in the arts. Our 6th Annual Ishful Art Event will take over the lower level of our school from 5:30–7:30 Pm on that evening.

Mrs. Gee Gee Jannene
Washington Elementary Art Teacher
608-743-7243 gjannene@janesville.k12.wi.us

STEAM STATEMENTS

STEAM is the acronnym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.

Washington offers two after-school STEAM clubs; Robotics Club and Coding Club.

Our Robotics Club is underway. This club is offered to students that have previously participated in Coding Club. Students are working on this year’s First Lego League Challenge, Into Orbit. First Lego League is an annual competition that has Lego robots completing Lego missions.

Coding Club will be starting up soon for our returning 4th and 5th grade students. Students learn to write scratch code under the Art platform. Each week students learn a coding process or concept under a different art process such as painting, architecture, or animation. More 4th and 5th grade students will be welcomed to join this club in January. During the third trimester we will again invite a group of 3rd grade students to join our coding club.

FYI, STEAM will be hosting the Dairy Queen Night on October 17th from 4:00-7:00 PM.

We will host our Technology Fair on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 from 4:30-5:30 PM. This annual event showcases projects and brings closure to our STEAM year.

Mrs. Gee Gee Jannene and Mrs. Karen Biege

MOVING???

If you have any questions about school placement for a particular address, please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152. The New Student Enrollment Office is open year round.

If you are the parent of an elementary student and will be moving over the summer months when the elementary schools are closed, please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152 or the New Student Enrollment Office at 743-5072 or 743-5153 to complete the appropriate paperwork.

Request for School Transfer/Placement (Intra District Transfers) within the School District of Janesville Attendance Areas

Due to Move:

If you move within the School District of Janesville during the school year and wish to remain at your current school, please ask the school office for a Request to Remain in Current School Following Move to New Attendance Area Form (blue). Complete the form and return it to the school office.

Due to Parent Choice:

If you wish to apply to have your student transferred/placed in another school within the district next school year (2019-2020), please ask the school office for a School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (yellow). Completed forms will be accepted from December 1 through December 15, 2018 only. Submit your Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (yellow) to your home school attendance area office. Parents applying for a Request for School Transfer/ Placement Within the School District will be notified of approval or disapproval by January 15, 2019. Parents applying for a Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District for incoming Kindergarten students will be notified of approval or non-approval after they have enrolled their child during the Kindergarten Enrollment period with the New Student Enrollment Office. If you have questions, please contact the school office of your home school attendance area.

Open Enrollment or Public School Choice

If during the school year, you move outside the School District of Janesville and you wish to remain at your current school please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152 and request a tuition waiver form within two weeks of your move. This will allow you to be eligible to attend your current school for the remainder of the current year tuition free. To continue attending the School District of Janesville after the 2018-2019 school year, you will also need to complete an open enrollment application. Application instructions are provided to the School District of Janesville by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and should be available by late January 2019. This year applications will be accepted February 4 – April 30, 2019.

If you have questions regarding Open Enrollment or Public School Choice, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743- 5152.

Public School Open Enrollment Timelines

The State of Wisconsin has announced the application period for open enrollment (also known as public school choice) begins in February for the following school year. Open Enrollment laws permit children to attend a public school in a school district other than the one in which they live.

The open enrollment application period for the 2019-2020 school year is from February 4, 2019 – April 30, 2019. Parents are encouraged to apply on-line at dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment. Although on-line application is recommended, paper applications may be obtained from the Department of Public Instruction or any school district after February 4, 2019 and must be delivered (handdelivery is recommended) to the nonresident school district during the application period. Paper applications to attend Janesville must be submitted to the Open Enrollment Specialist in the New Student Enrollment Office no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 30th (a postmark does not constitute timely submission). Applications turned in prior to February 4thwill be returned as not valid and must be resubmitted after February 4th but before April 30th at 4:00 p.m.

Enrollment in a requested school or program is subject to space and other limitations and is not guaranteed. Transportation is the responsibility of the parent. Habitual truancy may result in recommendation for the student to return to their home district.

Under School District of Janesville board policy, students who attended the district under open enrollment the previous year are not required to reapply for the following school year.

An application is required for each sibling in the family. For example, if a family has one child in elementary school that has been approved for open enrollment and a new student entering kindergarten next year, the student entering kindergarten must apply for open enrollment in order to attend the School District of Janesville.

Parents will be informed in June whether their open enrollment applications have been approved or denied. The student’s school or program placement will be provided in June.

If you have questions, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020 School Year School District Residents

Weeks of December 3–7 and December 10-14

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. M/W/F both weeks
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m Tuesday, December 4, 2018
7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m Thursday, December 13, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, December 6, 2018
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 11, 2018

If you cannot attend the enrollment period please come in as soon as possible to enroll after December 14, 2018. Enrollment in the district is required for participation in orientation. When you enroll, you will need your child’s birth certificate for proof of age, proof of residency (top portion of a utility bill, or current lease) to determine school assignment, immunization records and photo identification. If you have questions on general enrollment, please contact the New Student Enrollment office at 743-5072 or 743-5153 during regular office hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The status of requests will be determined by January 15, 2019 if they are turned in by December 14th. If you have a student currently attending a school under a School Transfer/Placement within the School District, it does not automatically qualify your kindergarten student for attendance at the same school; however, siblings are generally assigned to the same school.

In order for your kindergarten student to attend the same school as a sibling, you must submit a request during the Kindergarten Enrollment time frame.

If you know of a child in your neighborhood or from community activities that would be entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, please pass this enrollment information on.

Non-District Residents

Currently open enrolled non-residents in a P4J or EC program do not need to re-apply. If you have questions regarding the Open Enrollment process, please contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152.

School District of Janesville CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH CHILD FIND ACTIVITIES

This agency conducts the following child find activities each year in the form of Early Childhood and Speech and Language Developmental Screenings. This notice informs parents of the records the school district will develop and maintain as part of its child find activities. This notice also informs parents of their rights regarding any records developed.

Pupil records include records maintained in any way including, but not limited to, computer storage media, video and audiotape, film, microfilm, and microfiche. Records maintained for personal use by a teacher and not available to others and records available only to persons involved in the psychological treatment of a child are not pupil records.

The school district maintains several classes of pupil records.

"Progress records" include grades, courses the child has taken, the child's attendance record, immunization records, required lead screening records, and records of school extra-curricular activities. Progress records must be maintained for at least five years after the child ceases to be enrolled.
"Behavioral records" include such records as psychological tests, personality evaluations, records of conversations, written statements relating specifically to the pupil's behavior, tests relating specifically to achievement or measurement of ability, physical health records other than immunization and lead screening records, law enforcement officers' records, and other pupil records that are not "progress records." Law enforcement officers' records are maintained separately from other pupil records. Behavioral records may be maintained for no longer than one year after the child graduates or otherwise ceases to be enrolled, unless the parent specifies in writing that the records may be maintained for a longer period of time. The school district informs parents when pupil records are no longer needed to provide special education. At the request of the child's parents, the school district destroys the information that is no longer needed.
"Directory data" includes the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, photographs, degrees and awards received, and the name of the school most recently previously attended by the student.
"Pupil physical health records" include basic health information about a pupil, including the pupil's immunization records, an emergency medical card, a log of first aid and medicine administered to the pupil, an athletic permit card, a record concerning the pupil's ability to participate in an education program, any required lead screening records, the results of any routine screening test, such as for hearing, vision or scoliosis, and any follow-up to the test, and any other basic health information, as determined by the state superintendent. Any pupil record relating to a pupil's physical health that is not a pupil physical health record is treated as a patient health care record under sections 146.81 to 146.84, Wisconsin Statutes. Any pupil record concerning HIV testing is treated as provided under section 252.15, Wisconsin Statutes.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and section 118.125, Wisconsin Statutes, afford parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") the following rights with respect to education records:

The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of receipt of the request. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the records(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

The school district will comply with the request without unnecessary delay and before any meeting about an individualized education program, or any due process hearing, and in no case more than 45 days after the request has been made. If any record includes information on more than one child, the parents of those children have the right to inspect and review only the information about their child or to be informed of that specific information.

Upon request, the school district will give a parent or eligible student a copy of the progress records and a copy of the behavioral records. Upon request, the school district will give the parent or eligible student a list of the types and locations of education records collected, maintained, or used by the district for special education. The school district will respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of the records. A representative of the parent may inspect and review the records.

The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask [Name of] School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's education records, except to the extent that federal and state law authorize disclosure without consent. The exceptions are stated in 34 CFR 99.31, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations; Sec. 9528, PL107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and section 118.125(2)(a) to (m) and sub. (2m), Wisconsin Statutes. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit persoe); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist; or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.

A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Also the district discloses "directory data" without consent, unless the parent notifies the district that it may not be released without prior parental consent.

The right to file a complaint with the U. S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office,
U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W,
Washington, DC 20202-4605

Dear Parent/Guardian: Under the “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001” federal law schools receiving federal Title I funds are required to notify parents of their right to ask for and receive information on the qualifications of their child’s teacher(s). Specifically, you have the right to request the following:

⇒ Whether your child’s teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which he or she teaches.

⇒ Whether your child’s teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived.

⇒ The baccalaureate degree major of your child’s teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher.

⇒ Whether your child is provided services by instructional aides and, if so, their qualifications.

All teachers in the School District of Janesville have a bachelor’s degree and a large percentage have advanced degrees. In addition, all instructional aides meet current school district qualification. You can check on the state certification of your child’s teacher by accessing the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website or by contacting me at 743-7205

Sincerely,
Rob Connor

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF JANESVILLE ANNUAL NOTICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION REFERRAL AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Upon request, the School District of Janesville is required to evaluate a child for eligibility for special education services. A request for evaluation is known as a referral. When the district receives a referral, the district will appoint an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team to determine if the child has a disability, and if the child needs special education services. The district locates, identifies, and evaluates all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private (including religious) schools, elementary schools and secondary schools located in the school district.

A physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or administrator of a social agency who reasonably believes a child brought to him or her for services is a child with a disability has a legal duty to refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides. Before referring the child, the person making the referral must inform the child's parent that the referral will be made.

Others, including parents, who reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability may also refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides.

Referrals must be in writing and include the reason why the person believes the child is a child with a disability. A referral may be made by contacting Ms. Kimberli Peerenboom, Director of Pupil Services, School District of Janesville, at 608-743-5061, or by writing her at 527 S. Franklin Street, Janesville, WI, 53548.

Coats for kids collection

September 24th – October 15th 2018

Please donate warm winter wear for needy families in Janesville and North Rock County,

Needed: Clean chlidren’s & Adults’ winter jackets & coats, snow pants, gloves, scarves, hats & boots – Please no adult dress coats. No broken zippers No sweatshirts or fleece jackets or summer clothing.

Thank you

Locations for donations:

Dan’s Creston Park Laundromat	IGA/Sentry East	Milton Piggly Wiggly	Shopko
1630 Randolph Rd	2822 E. Milwaukee St.	727 S. Janesville St.	Highway 14

Sentry West	Schnuck’s Super Market	1st Community Bank of Milton	Premier Bank
2501 West Court	1501 Creston Park Dr.	202 Merchants Row, Milton	1400 Blackbridge Dr.

Woodman’s Market

Festival Foods

Choice Cleaners

2819 N. Lexinton

2233 Humes Rd

610 E. Memorial

2919 N. Lexingtion

1926 E. Milwaukee

And ALL Janesville Elementary Schools

Distribution :

The Salvation Army on the corner of Glean & Southerland on Saturday, October 27, 2018 from 9 am – 3 pm. Children must be present to receive a coat. Proof of residence is necessary. All coats/items are free, clean and available to all ages. This is a community service project of The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary.

December/ January

Greetings!

Our winter sings are right around the corner and Ms. Nelson and the students have been working very hard on their shows! I am sure you’re going to enjoy them. This year, all of our grade level sings will be held on Dec. 14. Hopefully, scheduling them all on one day will make it more convenient for families with students in multiple grades. Please check out the schedule at the bottom of the page to see the time each grade level will perform.

I have some exciting news to share with you about programming next year at Washington. The district’s TAG (Talented and Gifted) program will be moving to our school. The program is currently housed at Madison Elementary School. Currently, Madison contains the largest elementary student population at 415 students and is near full in capacity. Washington is one of the district's largest elementary schools (square footage wise), and we currently have an enrollment of 345 students. To remedy this situation, the district will begin transitioning the TAG program from Madison to Washington in the following manner:

2019-2020: 3rd grade moves to Washington
2020-2021: 3rd and 4th to Washington
2021-2022: 3rd, 4th, and 5th to Washington

As you know, I will be retiring at the end of the semester. I have enjoyed working with all of you and have appreciated your support over the last three years. Washington will always hold a special place in my heart. I will always treasure my memories of the many students and families I have worked with through the years, and the marvelous staff I have had the honor and privilege to lead. Finally, Friday, December 21st is the last day of school before winter break. Students return to school on Wednesday, January 2nd. All of us at Washington hope you have a wonderful winter break and enjoy the holiday season with family and friends.

Sincerely, Rob Connor

Important Events

Holiday Shop Dec. 7th 3-7 PM Dec. 10-14 8:15 AM-3:30 PM
Winter Sings Dec. 14th 8:45-9:15 & 9:30-10:00: Kindergarten & 1st Grade (K-1 has 2 performances, please pick 1 to attend) 10:15-11:15: 5th Grade 12:45-1:30: 2nd & 3rd Grade 2:00-2:45: 4th Grade
Winter Break No School Dec. 23-Jan. 1 School Resumes Jan. 2
Martin Luther King Jr. Day No School Jan. 21
Dec. 6-Band/Orchestra Concert Franklin Middle School
Dec. 7-Color Wars/Holiday Shop Grand Opening (3-7 PM)
Dec. 10-14-Holiday Shop 8:15 AM-3:30 PM
Dec. 14-Holiday Sings, 4th Grade Bowling Field Trip 9 AM, 5th Grade Bowling Trip 12:30 PM, No P4J Classes
Dec. 19-Box Top Collection
Dec. 21-First Day of Winter/Cozy Pajama Day
Dec. 23-Jan. 1-Winter Break No School
Jan. 7-Color Wars
Jan. 11-Family Movie Night 5:30-7:30 PM
Jan. 14-PTA mtg. @ 5
Jan. 18-No P4J Classes
Jan. 21-MLK Jr. Day No School
Jan. 24-DQ Night 4-7 PM
Jan. 25-Popcorn Sale

P4J

P4J enjoyed playing counting and number games at their Thanksgiving Celebration! Thank you to everyone who joined us and provided items for the celebration! Throughout the month of November, we talked about things that we were thankful for. In December, we are going to focus on writing and recognizing our names. Please remember to send winter clothing everyday: snow pants, boots, hats, and gloves. We attempt to make it outside everyday unless the wind chill is below zero. Snow pants will help keep your child warm on the cold days even if we don't have snow. Please have your child practice putting on their winter clothing at home. It makes getting ready to go outside go more smoothly and quickly at school. Thank you!

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is flying by and we are learning so much! Winter season is upon us, so please label your child’s outdoor clothing. If something should get lost, it will be easier to find who it belongs to and less stress for all. Not too long ago we sent home directions on helping your child learn to tie his/her own shoes. Please help your child with this task. Our primary concern is safety (and it helps their fine motor as well!) Please continue to do these activities with your child at home: read, write, count, and explore! Children learn at school, but their biggest learning comes from you! “Behind every young child who believes in himself is a parent who believed first.” ~Matthew L. Jacobson

1st Grade

First graders will be working on many new and interesting stories in our reading series. Ocean animals, jungle animals, seasons, and animals through the seasons are some of the things we'll be reading and writing about. Our social skills will be focused on speaking and listening, taking turns, including others, and cooperation and teamwork. In Math, we are working on subtraction strategies to 20, fact families, and place value concepts such as tens and ones, ten more/ten less, skip counting, greater than/less than, and reading and writing numbers to 120. Please remember to spend time practicing sight words each night as well as reading the paper decodables that come home for fluency.

2nd Grade

During the month of December, our second graders will be taking part in a gingerbread man unit. We will be comparing and contrasting different versions of the story, as well as working on other English language arts skills. Your child will be bringing home a gingerbread person that as a family you will want to disguise so it won’t get eaten. Be as creative as you wish. We have had many clever disguises over the years. As part of our unit, we will be sending home a note requesting a food item to create gingerbread houses. We have other surprises planned too!!! The children will be starting double digit addition before the break. Following break, we will begin double digit subtraction. Please continue to work on addition and subtraction math facts. Are you ready for some cool weather?? The winter season is here and it is important that our students have proper winter attire. You may want to leave an extra pair of shoes here once we get to boot weather.

3rd Grade

We have been busy in third grade learning our basic facts in math and we look forward to applying these skills to multiplication. The students have been working on increasing their independent reading time. This trimester we will be exploring economics and simple machines in social studies and science. Please practice your multiplication facts with your student and continue to read at least 20 minutes a night. Happy Holidays to everyone from the third grade teachers.

4th Grade

In our upcoming unit in Social Studies we will be learning all about our great state of Wisconsin. Our science unit will focus on light.  Daily practice of multiplication and division will greatly benefit your child with his/her math in fourth grade. We are working diligently on our double digit multiplication.  Mark your calendars for our winter sing on Friday, December 14th at 2:00 pm. We will also be bowling the morning of December 14th.  Please continue to have your child wear appropriate winter clothing to school for outdoor recesses.

5th Grade

This season, we're grateful for our hardworking 5th grade students and their dedicated parents. Here's a taste of the cornucopia of learning we've been up to! + We've been focusing on discovering the author's purpose when reading. + We have been using the writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit and publish narratives as well as persuasive essays. + Students have been working on dividing larger and larger numbers. Next up: decimals and fractions! + We have been exploring the early explorers that came to North America from Europe in Social Studies. + We used the engineering process to clean up and oil spill to save an ecosystem in Science. Thank you again for all you do for your student! The regular support for reading and practicing math at home is greatly appreciated!

PE NEWS

Important Dates:

Dec. 14 Bowling Trip Grades 4 & 5

JRFH no longer exists/ more info. later

5/21 Grade 5 Track Meet (8:15-11:30)

5/22 Grade 4 Track Meet (8:15-11:30) 5/23 Elementary Track Meet Rain Date

What We Are Learning in PE…..

P- “Pedometers” measure your steps.

H- “Heart” is a muscle that needs to be worked! “Healthy Habits” are essential for a long and happy life!

Y- “Your Approach” the steps that you take prior to delivering/rolling the bowling ball at the foul line.

S- “Success” comes from hard work and practice not luck!

I- “Identify” the bones and muscles in your body.

C- “Components of Fitness” Aerobic Endurance, Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, Body Composition, and Flexibility.

A- “Average” Resting Heart Rate of a child is between 70 to 100 beats per minute.

L- “Locomotor Skills” walk, run, jump, hop, skip, gallop, leap, and side slide. The basics of all movement!

E- “Exercise” is required for a minimum of one hour every day!

D- “Drop” the ball on your shoelaces when you are going to punt. “Dance” like nobody's watching!

U- “Understand” what your Target Heart Rate is and why it is important.

C- “Create” A Jump Rope Routine. “Catch” A Chest Pass. “Calculate” Your Calories. “Cooperate” with a partner.

A- “Always” try your best. It’s not about if you are first or last but the effort you put in!

T- “Trap” A Soccer Ball. “T-Stop” Inline Skating. “Tuck Jump” Gymnastics. “Twirl” A Jump Rope.

I- “Inactivity” is a risk factor for heart disease.

O- “Opposition” opposite foot forward in relation to your throwing hand.

N- “Nutrition” Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third grader cannot pronounce.

Every child stronger, every life longer!

Mrs. Hintz

Learning Commons

What do Breakout EDU Kits, Wonder Dot Robot and Hour of Code have in common? The Learning Commons with Mrs. Biege and Art time with Mrs. Jannene!

Students in K-2 have been playing hot potato with Dot Robot and learning about Blockly coding. The ability to write an algorithm and run a program is an exciting opportunity. Students are discovering that Dot Robot can do a lot! When a code is written, lights on Dot change colors and sound effects from transportation vehicles and farm animals occur. K-2 students will explore more coding options in the months of December and January.

Have you ever experienced an Escape Room? Well, that is what the Breakout EDU kits are like. Students in grades 3-5 have been using their library skills, Destiny, the online catalog, and their ability to solve logic puzzles, riddles and have unlocked boxes to find answers and break out of the box. One must think outside of the box to get into the box. The kits are available for all grades to try and throughout December and January, the Learning Commons lessons will focus on utilizing different curriculum connections to engage students and challenge them to breakout of the box.

Hour of Code will be the week of December 17th-21st. During the 60 minute art studio time, students in K-5 will be coding, using the code.org site. This is a global movement, with over 180 countries participating. The Hour of Code is a way to introduce computer science to all students. Every student should have the opportunity to try coding and see what computer science is all about. The Hour of Code connects with art, as it focuses on creative problem solving, design, logic and nurtures creativity.

News from the Music Room

Watch your calendars because there are lots of exciting musical performances coming up for Washington Students!

Washington Band and Orchestra students will have their first concert of the year on Thursday Dec. 6th at Franklin Middle School. Students are to arrive at 6:30 and the concert starts in the auditorium at 7:00 pm. They will be playing several tunes including Hot Cross Buns, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Jingle Bells.

Friday, December 14th is the date for ALL of the Washington Sings this year.

The Sing day will start off in the gym at 9:15 with the combined Kindergarten and First Grade classes performing songs about snow in a program called “Winter is Coming.”

At 10:15 our 5th grade classes will be performing a musical called “From the Inside Out.” This is a program about making good choices and building good character.

Friday, December 14th continues with the 2nd and 3rd grade combined classes performing “Sing in the Holidays.” This program celebrates some of the many holiday traditions. Students will even perform one song in American Sign Language.

Our final performers are the 4th grade classes who will also be singing “From the Inside Out.” This musical has been a joint project with Mrs. Jannene who has been using word art to support the concepts used in the musical. Students are encouraged to develop their own personal code.

Thursday January 24th is Mini Pep Band for all 5th grade band students. They will practice and then play that evening with the Parker High School Pep Band for a basketball game. You may hear a lot of “Go Big Green” and “The Hey Song” in January if you are a band parent! Stay tuned for more details.

January 2019 will be Ukulele Month for our general music classes. We will have a set of Ukes to use for the month to explore using this stringed instrument.

Ms. Nelson

A Few Lines From our Art Studio

We are already through the first trimester of the school year! Wow! The halls of our school are currently decorated with all things fall; acorns, pumpkins, scarecrows, deciduous trees dropping their leaves, Indian corn, turkeys, cornstalks, and cornucopias. The time is already here to replace those projects with the ‘cool’ signs of winter.

Students have been planning in their Word Collector sketchbooks as they have brainstormed words and sketched pictures that remind them of winter. Now they are taking those words and planning the materials and/or centers that will allow them to create art projects around this theme of winter.

The 2018-2019 National PTA Reflections theme is Heroes Around Me. Students are encouraged to create art around this theme. Some have been working on this during Art. The categories are Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts. I am asking for entries to be submitted to me by Tuesday, November 27th . More information is available by contacting me or by checking out the national PTA website: https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections

November was focused on heroes. With the talk of the Heroes Around Me, this was also the time to thank the military heroes around us. Students spent time making cards for Veterans Day. Those students that had family members that were veterans took their cards home. The other cards that were created were delivered to our local VFW hall on Veterans Day.

Mrs. Gee Gee Jannene

Washington Elementary

Art teacher 608-743-7243

gjannene@janesville.k12.wi.us

STEAM STATEMENTS

STEAM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Washington offers two after-school STEAM clubs; Robotics Club and Coding Club. Washington’s Makers and Movers, our First Lego League robotics team competed against 27 other 4th through 8th grade teams in the Regional Competition on Saturday, November 3rd at Parker High School. The challenge theme for this year is “Into Orbit”. Our students shared their satellite idea that would help our Chimney Swifts migrate if our chimney would not be available. Great job presenting, programming, working together, and representing Washington!

Robotics Club students are continuing to program the missions for the FLL “Into Orbit” challenges at the same time as Coding Club. These combined clubs are now up and running for our returning 4th and 5th Grade students. Students learn to write scratch code under the Art platform. Each week students learn a coding process or concept under a different art process such as painting, architecture, or animation. More 4th and 5th Grade students will be welcomed to join Coding Club in January. During the third trimester we will again invite a group of 3rd Grade students to join our coding club. We will host our Technology Fair on Thursday, May 23rd, 2019 from 4:30-5:30 PM. This annual event showcases projects and brings closure to our STEAM year. Mrs. Gee Gee Jannene and Mrs. Karen Biege

Reminders:

Please complete the online registration for your child if you have not done so yet this school year. Remember to pay your child’s consumable fees ($32.00/child)

Supervision: Supervision begins at 8:00 a.m. outside before school starts. For the safety of everyone, please arrive after 8:00 a.m.

No Animals Please remember…Janesville City ordinance forbids dogs, cats, horses or other animals from being on playgrounds or school grounds. Please keep your pets at home or in the car when you drop off or pick up your child.

Do not park and leave your vehicle in this area. After you Stop and Drop, please remember to GO…Many children are being dropped off and your child will join these children walking to the playground and doors. If you feel more comfortable you can park your car outside of the Stop-Drop & Go area and walk your child to the appropriate area.

Also for safety reasons, please drop children off at the Street. DO NOT pull into the parking lot.

Important Attendance Reminders for Parents

If you know your child will be absent, please call Washington’s attendance number before school starts. The number is 608-743-7230.

Parent excused absences: According to School District Regulation 5141.1, there is a 10-day limit for parental excused absences in a school year. After the limit is reached, all future absences during the school year will be considered unexcused/truant unless they meet the following exceptions: funeral for family member, written medical excuse, court or legal procedure, religious holiday or principal excused. Please let us know in advance if you have a planned vacation or will be out of town.

Truancy/unexcused absences: Under state law, any student absent without an acceptable excuse, part of or all of five (5) or more days on which school is held during a semester is considered habitual truant. State law requires that parents/guardians of habitually truant students meet with the building administrator.

Tardies: It is important that all students arrive to school on time. The school day starts at 8:15. Being late for school hurts a child’s learning more than it would seem. A student who is late 10 minutes every day will miss almost 30 hours of instruction during the year. Being late affects a student’s learning and academic growth.

Thank you for making sure your child is on time.

MOVING???

If you have any questions about school placement for a particular address, please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152. The New Student Enrollment Office is open year round.

Request for School Transfer/Placement (Intra District Transfers) within the School District of Janesville Attendance Areas

Due to Move: If you move within the School District of Janesville during the school year and wish to remain at your current school, please ask the school office for a Request to Remain in Current School Following Move to New Attendance Area Form (blue). Complete the form and return it to the school office.

Due to Parent Choice: If you wish to apply to have your student transferred/placed in another school within the district next school year (2019-2020), please ask the school office for a School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (yellow). Completed forms will be accepted from December 1 through December 15, 2018 only. Submit your Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District Form (yellow) to your home school attendance area office. Parents applying for a Request for School Transfer/ Placement Within the School District will be notified of approval or disapproval by January 15, 2019. Parents applying for a Request for School Transfer/Placement Within the School District for incoming Kindergarten students will be notified of approval or non-approval after they have enrolled their child during the Kindergarten Enrollment period with the New Student Enrollment Office. If you have questions, please contact the school office of your home school attendance area.

Open Enrollment or Public School Choice

If you have questions regarding Open Enrollment or Public School Choice, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

Public School Open Enrollment Timelines

The open enrollment application period for the 2019-2020 school year is from February 4, 2019 – April 30, 2019. Parents are encouraged to apply on-line at dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment. Although online application is recommended, paper applications may be obtained from the Department of Public Instruction or any school district after February 4, 2019 and must be delivered (hand-delivery is recommended) to the nonresident school district during the application period. Paper applications to attend Janesville must be submitted to the Open Enrollment Specialist in the New Student Enrollment Office no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 30th(a postmark does not constitute timely submission). Applications turned in prior to February 4thwill be returned as not valid and must be resubmitted after February 4th but before April 30th at 4:00 p.m.

Under School District of Janesville board policy, students who attended the district under open enrollment the previous year are not required to reapply for the following school year.

Parents will be informed in June whether their open enrollment applications have been approved or denied. The student’s school or program placement will be provided in June.

If you have questions, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020

School Year School District Residents If you have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2019 and they are not currently enrolled in a School District of Janesville Pre-school for Janesville (P4J) or Early Childhood (EC) program it is time to enroll in the Janesville Public School District. Enrollment will take place at the Educational Services Center located at 527 S. Franklin St. (administration building) in the New Student Enrollment office. You may enroll anytime during the two week period.

Weeks of December 3–7 and December 10-14

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. M/W/F both weeks 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

Tuesday, December 4, 2018 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m

Thursday, December 13, 2018 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 6, 2018 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

If you have questions regarding this process contact Deen Hartley at 743- 5152. The status of requests will be determined by January 15, 2019 if they are turned in by December 14th. If you have a student currently attending a school under a School Transfer/Placement within the School District, it does not automatically qualify your kindergarten student for attendance at the same school; however, siblings are generally assigned to the same school. In order for your kindergarten student to attend the same school as a sibling, you must submit a request during the Kindergarten Enrollment time frame. If you know of a child in your neighborhood or from community activities that would be entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, please pass this enrollment information on.

Non-District Residents If you are a non-resident of the School District of Janesville and have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2019 and would like your child to attend the School District of Janesville you must also apply for OPEN ENROLLMENT. The timeline for Open Enrollment is February 4 to April 30, 2019. Currently open enrolled non-residents in a P4J or EC program do not need to re-apply. If you have questions regarding the Open Enrollment process, please contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152.

School District of Janesville CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH CHILD FIND ACTIVITIES

The School District of Janesville is required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children, with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools in the school district, and homeless children. The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find. This agency conducts the following child find activities each year in the form of Early Childhood and Speech and Language Developmental Screenings. This notice informs parents of the records the school district will develop and maintain as part of its child find activities. This notice also informs parents of their rights regarding any records developed.

The school district gathers personally identifiable information on any child who participates in child find activities. Parents, teachers, and other professionals provide information to the school related to the child’s academic performance, behavior, and health. This information is used to determine whether the child needs special education services. Personally identifiable information directly related to a child and maintained by the school is a pupil record. Pupil records include records maintained in any way including, but not limited to, computer storage media, video and audiotape, film, microfilm, and microfiche. Records maintained for personal use by a teacher and not available to others and records available only to persons involved in the psychological treatment of a child are not pupil records.

The school district maintains several classes of pupil records.

 "Progress records" include grades, courses the child has taken, the child's attendance record, immunization records, required lead screening records, and records of school extra-curricular activities. Progress records must be maintained for at least five years after the child ceases to be enrolled.

 "Behavioral records" include such records as psychological tests, personality evaluations, records of conversations, written statements relating specifically to the pupil's behavior, tests relating specifically to achievement or measurement of ability, physical health records other than immunization and lead screening records, law enforcement officers' records, and other pupil records that are not "progress records." Law enforcement officers' records are maintained separately from other pupil records. Behavioral records may be maintained for no longer than one year after the child graduates or otherwise ceases to be enrolled, unless the parent specifies in writing that the records may be maintained for a longer period of time. The school district informs parents when pupil records are no longer needed to provide special education. At the request of the child's parents, the school district destroys the information that is no longer needed.

 "Directory data" includes the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, photographs, degrees and awards received, and the name of the school most recently previously attended by the student.

 "Pupil physical health records" include basic health information about a pupil, including the pupil's immunization records, an emergency medical card, a log of first aid and medicine administered to the pupil, an athletic permit card, a record concerning the pupil's ability to participate in an education program, any required lead screening records, the results of any routine screening test, such as for hearing, vision or scoliosis, and any follow-up to the test, and any other basic health information, as determined by the state superintendent. Any pupil record relating to a pupil's physical health that is not a pupil physical health record is treated as a patient health care record under sections 146.81 to 146.84, Wisconsin Statutes. Any pupil record concerning HIV testing is treated as provided under section 252.15, Wisconsin Statutes.

 The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of receipt of the request. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the records(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. The school district will comply with the request without unnecessary delay and before any meeting about an individualized education program, or any due process hearing, and in no case more than 45 days after the request has been made. If any record includes information on more than one child, the parents of those children have the right to inspect and review only the information about their child or to be informed of that specific information. Upon request, the school district will give a parent or eligible student a copy of the progress records and a copy of the behavioral records. Upon request, the school district will give the parent or eligible student a list of the types and locations of education records collected, maintained, or used by the district for special education. The school district will respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of the records. A representative of the parent may inspect and review the records.

 The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask [Name of] School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

 The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's education records, except to the extent that federal and state law authorize disclosure without consent. The exceptions are stated in 34 CFR 99.31, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations; Sec. 9528, PL107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and section 118.125(2)(a) to (m) and sub. (2m), Wisconsin Statutes. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Also the district discloses "directory data" without consent, unless the parent notifies the district that it may not be released without prior parental consent.

 The right to file a complaint with the U. S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF JANESVILLE ANNUAL NOTICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION REFERRAL AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Others, including parents, who reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability may also refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides.

February / March

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

I would like to take a moment to introduce myself to you. My name is Stephanie Jacobs and I will be the interim Washington Principal for the remainder of the school year. I live in Beloit and I was an elementary principal there for 17 years before I retired in 2016. Prior to that I taught grades 2-5 in Milwaukee Public Schools, the Mt. Horeb School District, and Pewaukee Public Schools.

I am so delighted to be working at Washington Elementary School! In just the few weeks that I have been in the school I have been so impressed with the staff and students! I have an open door policy and look forward to meeting and working with everyone! My phone number is 743-7205 and my email is stephani.jacobs@jaensville.k12.wi.us if you would like to contact me, or please feel free to stop in and say hello. I am always available if you have any questions or concerns.

Again, I am so pleased to be part of the Washington team and look forward to working with everyone!

Sincerely,

Stephanie J. Jacobs

IMPORTANT DATES

Feb. 1-Color Wars
Feb. 6-Culver’s Scoopie Night 4-8 PM
Feb. 11-PTA mtg. @ 5
Feb. 13-Box Top Collection
Feb. 15-No P4J Classes, Dance 5:30-8 PM
Feb. 22-Popcorn Sale
Feb. 28-5 th Grade to Biz Town
Mar. 1-Teacher Work Day No School
Mar. 6-8-Parent/Teacher Conferences No School
Mar. 10-Daylight Savings Begins
Mar. 11-PTA mtg. @ 5
Mar. 15-Popcorn Sale, Family Bingo Night 5:30- 7:30 PM
Mar. 26-4 th Grade Capitol Field Trip
Mar. 27-DQ Night 4-7 PM
Mar. 28-Ishful Art Event 5:30-7:30 PM
Mar. 29-Staff Development Day No School

Reminders:

Please complete the online registration for your child if you have not done so yet this school year. Remember to pay your child’s consumable fees ($32.00/child)

Supervision: Supervision begins at 8:00 a.m. outside before school starts. For the safety of everyone, please arrive after 8:00 a.m.

P4J

P4J students are working on recognizing letters and naming letter sounds. In February and March, we will be focusing on Dental Health, Kindness, Dr. Seuss, and Community Helpers. We are also looking forward to our field trip to see "Rainbow Fish" on March 11th at UW-Whitewater. Please continue to send hats, gloves, snow pants, and boots with your child to school. Also, please make sure your child's items are labeled with their name. It helps us return items to students. Thank you for all the support you have shown to our classroom this year!

Kindergarten

February is here and we will be busy all month! Here is the rundown of what we will be learning: Ground Hog Day, 100th day of school, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Dental Health. Busy, busy, busy! Winter has arrived with a vengeance! Please make sure your child has all the items needed to be outside: snow pants, boots, winter jacket, mittens, hat and scarf. They will go outside if the temperature is zero or above. Please continue to read with your child, practice alphabet/sounds, sight words, etc. In Math, practice number recognition, counting by 1’s, 10’s and 5’s, and 2D shapes. We will be introducing 3D shapes during this trimester as well. We also need your help with shoe-tying at home. We are going from boots to shoes during the winter season and for safety reason, the children need to be able to tie their shoes. Thank you.

Grade 1

First graders are working hard on reading, writing and math! In our reading series and writer's workshop we are working on informative stories. Students are reading informational stories and learning about text features. Animal groups, space, transportation and ways to travel, agriculture, and biographies are some of the subjects we will be learning about. Social studies units include taking turns, being a good friend, including others, and cooperation and teamwork. In math we will continue working on 2-digit addition and subtraction, organizing and using graphs, as well as telling time to the hour and half hour. Please remember to read every night at home with your child. Sight word cards and the paper decodable books are perfect for nightly practice. First graders go out for recess twice during the day. Please remember to be sending appropriate winter gear for outside play.

Grade 2

How can we be over half-way done with the school year? Second graders have been very busy!

In Math, children have been adding and subtracting two and three digit numbers, and are now learning how to add and subtract with regrouping. One way you can assist your child is to work with them nightly so their basic addition and subtraction are memorized. Also encourage your child to practice counting loose change and telling time using an analog clock (if you still have one around ☺).
Science has been focusing on matter. Children got to observe oobleck’s properties…is it a solid? Is it a liquid? Studies will include the properties of matter and how they might change.
In Social Studies, children are becoming experts on urban, suburban, and rural communities. We also discussed Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, needs and wants, traditions, and good citizen characteristics.
The focus in writing has been opinion writing. Students have been discussing “Would You Rathers” and working on forming an opinion. We are concentrating on sentence structure and making sure we include good facts and details that support their opinion.

Weather in Wisconsin is fickle and we would like children dressed warmly for their recess. Remind your child to have mittens and a hat here. Students need to have boots so that they can change into dry shoes for gym and in the classroom. Please mark your calendars for Parent-Teacher conferences, March 6th and 7th . Our goal is to meet with ALL families. It is a great opportunity for you to hear about your child’s growth and their school day successes. We will be sending home your confirmation slips in the middle of February.

Grade 3

We have been busy in third grade! Shortly after break, we started writing opinions. We have been looking at social issues and developing out opinions based on those. We also have been working on writing code for several different things with Mrs. Beige.

In math, we are continuing to work on our multiplication and division and have started our fractions unit. We will be moving on to our measurement and data and geometry unit coming up.

Please remember to send your child in warm winter clothing and feel free to send extra socks in your child’s backpack because their feet get wet at recess.

Grade 4

We have been very busy in fourth grade learning new skills and applying the skills we already know. In math, we are now exploring fractions. It is important to know your multiplication facts to simplify fractions, so keep practicing these at home. We are reading the novel The One and Only Ivan and learning about a story mountain. In science, we have been exploring light. Our social studies unit focuses on the state of Wisconsin and will include a field trip to Madison.

The trip will be on March 26th and will include a tour of the capitol building and the Wisconsin Historical Museum. We are all very excited about this trip. Don’t forget to watch the weather and dress appropriately for school each day.

Grade 5

The fifth grade team of teachers have seen a lot of growth in education with the fifth grade students and we are excited that we will see more in these next few months. For reading and Language Arts we are continuing with novel studies, text features and parts of a sentence. In math we have been tackling adding and subtracting decimals and fractions and now we are continuing to learn about multiplying and dividing them. As always we are striving to practice fluency with our multiplication facts that students can practice at home as well. For Social Studies we have been learning about the first colonies in America and in the near future we will dig into the Revolutionary war. In Science, the students are studying states and properties of matter. Finally, we are super excited about our field trip to JA Biztown in Milwaukee on February 28, and we are working hard to learn all about finances and the economy before the big day! Be on the lookout for more information about this coming home soon!

Notes from the Music Room By Ms. Nelson

Mini Pep Band: Washington 5th Grade Band members joined the Parker High School Pep Band on January 24th to play during warm ups before the Parker Boys Basketball Game. Washington band members memorized “Go Big Green” and “The Hey Song” to play along with the high schoolers. Mr. Biester, the band director from Parker, talked with the students about the fun music activities that occur at the high school if they keep on playing their instrument.

Orchestra: Washington Orchestra members are learning to play an arrangement of “Shortnin’ Bread” to play with all the 5th grade orchestra members in the district. They will be performing at the All City String Concert at Parker High School on the evening of April 3rd. They will also be performing one piece with all the middle and high school string players.

General Music: Washington 2nd-5th graders had the opportunity to play Ukuleles for the month of January. Some of the fun songs learned were “The Crazy Alien Song” and “Lime in the Coconut.” Students who would like to continue with Ukulele can check with the local music stores for song circles and lessons.

Kindergarten and First grade students are learning about high and low sound through singing, playing games and notating songs like “Rain, Rain Go Away” and “Lucy Locket Lost Her Pocket.” We also learned some Italian words for loud and softforte and piano! We helped “Lucy” find her pocket by singing louder as she got closer.

The whole school had the opportunity to sing “What a Wonderful World/Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for Mr. Connor’s retirement assembly. We wish him health and happiness for his next ventures.

A Few Lines From the Art Studio

Washington Elementary has eight PTA Reflections entries for 2018-2019. Those entries have been submitted following the theme “Heroes Around Me.” This is a great opportunity for students to showcase their talents. We wish each and every student good luck!

5 th Grade students practiced their drawing skills as they created line drawings of Martin Luther King Jr. Those that wished included their drawings to our collaborative Martin Luther King Jr. project for the annual MLK commemoration event at Blackhawk Technical College on Saturday, January 11th . The theme for this year’s event was a quote by MLK; “The time is always right to do what is right.” A sampling of students created talking bubbles completing the sentence “The time is always right to___.” Some talking bubbles were by hand and other talking bubbles were created through a combination of technology and graphic design skills.

On Friday, January 18th staff from Nasco Arts and Crafts in Fort Atkinson spent the afternoon in the west wing of our art studio. They chose our special space to do a photo shoot for a makerspace product shoot. Our 5th Grade students were able to hear how the two paid models got started. Our younger students were kind and respectful as they were busy doing their work in the center corridor and the east wing.

PTA and Art are once again teaming up to offer keepsakes through Square 1 Art, https://www.square1art.com/ Students are currently working on their art that will be sent in to the company at the end of January. Soon after that individual student flyers will arrive at our school with their art and the details on ordering products.

Remember, our art studio has a Facebook page. Please feel free to like our page to enjoy your students in action. (Please know that we do not show or use the name of the students…or post the grade levels of the students as we always work to keep our students safe). Search for Washington’s Creative Artists on Facebook or follow this link. https://www.facebook.com/washingtonscreativeartists?fref=ts

Our 6th Annual Ishful Arts Event will take place on Thursday, March 28th, 2019. This is an evening to enjoy making and viewing art. This year we have added a ‘s’ to our Ishful Art Event, as the arts can include more than the past years of enjoying our visual arts. Ms. Nelson will be joining us to include vocal and instrumental arts. Our ‘arts’ event will be from 5:30–7:30 PM in the lower level of our school. As in past years, Mrs. Hintz and Mrs. Biege will also host activities. Our creative artists will again be selecting and displaying their art, and of course there will be a variety of art activities.

Mrs. Gee Gee Jannene

Washington Elementary

Art teacher 608-743-7243

gjannene@janesville.k12.wi.us

Dino-Mite Scholastic Book Fair: Stomp, Chomp and Read!!!

Super-size fun awaits when the school community is turned into reading raptors, bookceratops, and readasaurus rex bookivores ready to unleash their inner dino and enjoy a stomping, chomping, reading good time!

Where: Washington Learning Commons

Dates: March 6th and March 7th

When: Wednesday, March 6th from 4:00-7:30 pm & Thursday, March 7th from 8:30-12:00 and 2:00-6:00 pm

Book Fair Benefits:

They provide easy access to a wide assortment of books.
They give kids a choice in what inspires them to read more.
Book Fairs involve family, which demonstrates to kids that reading is important.
50% of the profits go right back to Washington School!

PE NEWS

Important Dates:

5/21 Grade 5 Track Meet- 8:30 AM Start Time
5/22 Grade 4 Track Meet- 8:30 AM Start Time
5/23 Elementary Track Meet Rain Date

Fitness Tip: For total physical fitness, work on cardio-vascular endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility. Sixty minutes a day is our goal!

Jump Rope For Heart It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have to inform you that Jump Rope for Heart will no longer exist. This is due to the fact that the three parties that owned the rights to the program could not agree on the terms to continue the program so it has been disbanded. Washington School has participated in Jump Rope for Heart since 2004. Our Washington School Jump Rope for Heart events have created many memorable moments throughout the years, raising funds of 50,000+ dollars for children and adults with “sick” hearts, while learning activities relating to nutrition and health. Please be on the lookout for information coming home in regards to a “Washington Jump” that we will hold in place of Jump Rope for Heart. SHAPE America our National Society of Physical Education is piloting a program this year and will release a new one next year. Our Janesville Elementary Physical Education Teachers are also looking into a new fundraiser/event for next year too! Please be patient as we transition into a new program.

Physical Education The students have just completed their kidnastics/gymnastics unit in PE and we are well into our jump rope unit. Single rope, partner rope skills, Double Dutch, long rope skills, plus jump bands and the “BIG” rope skills will be introduced and practiced in February.

Jump rope not only strengthens your muscles and bones but can improve your cardiovascular endurance as well. It is a great activity to participate in due to fact it does not take a lot of equipment, space, and it can be done indoors especially during our winter season. Pick up a jump rope today and join us as grades 3-5 work on the one minute, two minutes, three minutes, and we shall see if any of our students can make it to the four minute endurance challenge. Now that is a long time to jump rope!

Here is a sneak peak into a project that Mrs. Jannene and I are working on for our tunnel area between our two classrooms. The name for the hallway is yet to be determined but the physical education part sounds something like…..”Don’t Walk In the Hallway!”

Finally, our Washington Ninja Recess Club will be releasing their new videos for activities to be played on the playground this spring. The students have put a lot of time and effort into their videos. Their goal is for Washington School to have a safe, responsible, and respectful playground for all students thus a “Trouble Free Playground”. Now that sounds like a playground that I would all like to play on!

Lastly, the units that we will be working on over the next couple of months include “The Heart Course”, basketball, dance/rhythms, and volleyball.

Mrs. Sherry Hintz Washington Physical Education shintz@janesville.k12.wi.us

“Every Child Stronger, Every Life Longer!”

Important Attendance Reminders for Parents

If you know your child will be absent, please call Washington’s attendance number before school starts. The number is 608-743-7230.

Parent excused absences: According to School District Regulation 5141.1, there is a 10- day limit for parental excused absences in a school year. After the limit is reached, all future absences during the school year will be considered unexcused/truant unless they meet the following exceptions: funeral for family member, written medical excuse, court or legal procedure, religious holiday or principal excused. Please let us know in advance if you have a planned vacation or will be out of town.

Thank you for making sure your child is on time.

Please label all of your child’s winter outerwear!

This includes boots, snow pants, hats, mittens, scarves, and jackets. If you are missing items, please feel free to check the lost and found, or encourage your child to do so.

A reminder to our families about weather-related closings and delays notifications: The Infinite Campus Messenger System will serve as our primary means of notification. We urge you to supply your student’s school with your contact information and updates as changes occur. WCLO and additional radio and TV stations will be contacted regarding school closings or delays. Closing and delay information will be posted no later than 6:00 a.m.

Decisions on cancellation of schools are made in coordination with both the Janesville Transit System and Van Galder Bus Company. They are also based on the passage of city streets, safety of rural students, and information from the county highway and city street departments. The final decision to delay or close rests with Superintendent Steve Pophol. Parents always have the option of keeping their child home due to inclement weather. You must call our school to report your decision to keep your child home.

Elementary breakfast will not be served when school has been delayed. Schools do not close early to avoid incoming snow or ice storms. This policy is to protect children who may get home before their parents and have no access or supervision at home. There will be no athletic contests and practices on days school is called off for weather reasons.

Stop - Drop & Go: Do not park and leave your vehicle in this area. After you Stop and Drop, please remember to GO…Many children are being dropped off and your child will join these children walking to the playground and doors. If you feel more comfortable you can park your car outside of the Stop-Drop & Go area and walk your child to the appropriate area.

Also for safety reasons, please drop children off at the Street. DO NOT pull into the parking lot.

MOVING???

If you will be moving from your current home address, please contact the Washington school office at 743-7200 as soon as possible to determine what paperwork you will need to fill out for your child to continue attending his/her current school. Please note: if you are moving to an address outside the School District of Janesville in most cases your child is eligible to continue attending the School District of Janesville as long as you complete the appropriate paperwork within the required timeline. If you have any questions about school placement for a particular address, please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152. The New Student Enrollment Office is open year round. If you are the parent of an elementary student and will be moving over the summer months when the elementary schools are closed, please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152 or the New Student Enrollment Office at 743-5072 or 743-5153 to complete the appropriate paperwork.

Request for School Transfer/Placement (Intra District Transfers) within the School District of Janesville Attendance Areas

Open Enrollment or Public School Choice

If during the school year, you move outside the School District of Janesville and you wish to remain at your current school please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152 and request a tuition waiver form within two weeks of your move. This will allow you to be eligible to attend your current school for the remainder of the current year tuition free. To continue attending the School District of Janesville after the 2018- 2019 school year, you will also need to complete an open enrollment application. Application instructions are provided to the School District of Janesville by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and should be available by late January 2019. This year applications will be accepted February 4 – April 30, 2019.

If you have questions regarding Open Enrollment or Public School Choice, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

Public School Open Enrollment Timelines

The open enrollment application period for the 2019-2020 school year is from February 4, 2019 – April 30, 2019. Parents are encouraged to apply on-line at dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment. Although on-line application is recommended, paper applications may be obtained from the Department of Public Instruction or any school district after February 4, 2019 and must be delivered (hand-delivery is recommended) to the nonresident school district during the application period. Paper applications to attend Janesville must be submitted to the Open Enrollment Specialist in the New Student Enrollment Office no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 30th(a postmark does not constitute timely submission). Applications turned in prior to February 4thwill be returned as not valid and must be resubmitted after February 4th but before April 30th at 4:00 p.m.

Under School District of Janesville board policy, students who attended the district under open enrollment the previous year are not required to reapply for the following school year.

Parents will be informed in June whether their open enrollment applications have been approved or denied. The student’s school or program placement will be provided in June.

If you have questions, please contact the Open Enrollment Specialist at 743-5152.

Kindergarten Enrollment 2019-2020 School Year

School District Residents

If you have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2019 and they are not currently enrolled in a School District of Janesville Pre-school for Janesville (P4J) or Early Childhood (EC) program it is time to enroll in the Janesville Public School District. Enrollment will take place at the Educational Services Center located at 527 S. Franklin St. (administration building) in the New Student Enrollment office. Please come in as soon as possible to enroll after December 14, 2018. Enrollment in the district is required for participation in orientation. When you enroll, you will need your child’s birth certificate for proof of age, proof of residency (top portion of a utility bill, or current lease) to determine school assignment, immunization records and photo identification. If you have questions on general enrollment, please contact the New Student Enrollment office at 743-5072 or 743- 5153 during regular office hours, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Requests for School Transfer/Placement within the School District (yellow forms) for incoming kindergarten students should be submitted through the enrollment process. Forms are available at all schools, as well as at the Educational Services Center. If you have questions regarding this process contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152. The status of requests will be determined by January 15, 2019 if they are turned in by December 14th . If you have a student currently attending a school under a School Transfer/Placement within the School District, it does not automatically qualify your kindergarten student for attendance at the same school; however, siblings are generally assigned to the same school. In order for your kindergarten student to attend the same school as a sibling, you must submit a request during the Kindergarten Enrollment time frame.

If you know of a child in your neighborhood or from community activities that would be entering kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year, please pass this enrollment information on.

Non-District Residents

If you are a non-resident of the School District of Janesville and have a child turning 5 (five) years old prior to September 1, 2019 and would like your child to attend the School District of Janesville you must also apply for OPEN ENROLLMENT. The timeline for Open Enrollment is February 4 to April 30, 2019. Currently open enrolled non-residents in a P4J or EC program do not need to re-apply. If you have questions regarding the Open Enrollment process, please contact Deen Hartley at 743-5152.