Washington Wavelength 

October/November 2021

From the Principal:

Dear Washington Families, While we are not entirely out of the woods yet, it does feel much closer to normal than the beginning of last year. I am pleased to share that we are off to a great start and students are already demonstrating positive growth. We are always grateful for the support and partnership with our Washington families. The Washington community continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to the growth and development of the students we serve.

As you know, the Washington PTA plays an important role in supporting this growth. In collaboration with the school, the PTA assists with providing fun family events as well as raising funds to help us provide rich learning experiences for all students. At the end of this year, there will be three vacancies to be filled on the PTA board and we are currently seeking interested individuals. If you are interested in considering one of these open positions for next year, please reach out to the PTA board at pta.washington@yahoo.com . We appreciate your consideration and are looking forward to another successful year.  Sincerely,  Matt Peerenboom, Principal

Important Dates:

OCTOBER  

• 6 - PTA Scoopie Night 4-8 PM
• 8  - No P4J, Planning Day12- PTA Meeting 5-6 PM
• 20 - Parent Teacher Conferences 4-7 PM
• 21 - No School, Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00 AM-7 PM 22 - No School

NOVEMBER

• 2 - Picture Retake Day
• 9 - PTA Meeting 5-6 PM 12 - No P4J, Planning Day
• 18 - End of 1st Trimester
• 19 - No School, Elementary Teacher PD  Day
• 24 - No School 25 - No School, Happy Thanksgiving
• 26 - No School, Thanksgiving Break

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Reminders

Remember to pay your child’s consumable fees ($32.00/child). If you are entering the building please have your mask on. Health/Safety Reminders: It’s a good idea to send a backup mask with your child each day if possible. Students should bring a clean water bottle with them to school to prevent the use of the drinking fountains. Bottle filling stations are available.

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.

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.

Grade Level/Special Area News

P4J We have been excited to begin to get to know the P4J students this year!  We have been working on our fine motor skills and developing stronger fingers and hand muscles.  P4J students have been excited to use scissors in class and learn the proper technique to hold their scissors.  As the colder weather approaches, we will be working on putting our coats on by ourselves and practice zipping our coats.  These are great skills to be working on at home as well.  I look forward to meeting with P4J families on October 20th and 21st at Parent-Teacher Conferences to share more about our goals for the year in P4J!

Kindergarten is off to a great start! We have been learning our school routines and are continuing to work on alphabet, math, social, and digital skills. Please continue to practice letters, sounds, and numbers with your child at home.  For the children’s safety, please send shoes that are easy for our kindergarteners to put on and take off themselves. Also make sure sweatshirts, jackets, backpacks, etc. are labeled with your child’s name. The Take Home Folder is a great communication tool between home and school. Please make sure to check it every day for notes from your child’s teacher and/or the office, and the behavior log. Also, make sure to check your child’s backpack. It may have some memorable things in there to show what we are learning in Kindergarten!

First graders have been hard at work reading, writing, and practicing math skills.  Thank you for listening to your child read the paper decodable books each night, practicing sight words, and helping them with math home connection sheets.  We look forward to talking with you at conferences about all the progress your children are making.  Looking forward to reading, we will be learning about animal communication, biographies, and continuing to work on important phonics skills.  In math, we will be learning different addition and subtraction strategies while solving number stories. Please check your child's take-home folder each day.  Please also remember to continue sending a water bottle each day with your child. Winter weather will be upon us before we know it and it is a good time to start thinking about and gathering outdoor winter gear.  Thanks for all your support.

2nd Grade welcome back to our returning and new Patriot Families! We are loving having everyone back with us after a hopefully relaxing summer break. We have been introducing and practicing second grade routines. Students have been learning what it means to be a good citizen in 2nd Grade. The children should be familiar with Seesaw and how to access assignments. You are able to see their completed work when you access your Seesaw account. Our math program uses lots of hands-on explorations and practices skills through our workplace games.  In the weekly family newsletter, we will include the link to these games if you would like to practice these skills at home as well. There will be math homework 2 - 3 times per week. We also encourage your child to read 20 minutes each day.  They may partner-read more difficult text with a grown-up or read independently.  In the family newsletter we will list the weekly phonics pattern and heart words. Encourage your child to sound out these words when they come across them in their text and practice the heart words so they know them “by heart”. Each Friday a paper book will be sent home. Keep those books and use them to help practice reading throughout the week. Practice Makes Better! As a reminder, the weather is changing.  Please make sure your child comes with a jacket/sweatshirt. Also please continue to send your child with a water bottle to school every day.

3rd grade is off to a great start!  We are busy getting into our reading, writing, and math routines.  In Reading we are reading a variety of fiction and nonfiction stories and focusing on the retelling of those.  In Writing we are going to be focusing on narrative writing.  In Science we are learning about life cycles and in Social Studies we are learning about government and maps.   In Math we will be finishing up our addition and subtraction patterns and moving into multiplication.  There will be homework sent home usually once per week.  Please remind students to practice their reading for about 20 minutes each day and review spelling words as well.  3rd grade is excited to be able to attend a field trip in October to Rotary Gardens, learning about pumpkins and plants.  This field trip pairs well with our life cycles curriculum.  Please remember to send a water bottle, already filled, as the drinking fountain is not being used.  However, we are able to use the filling station.  Please have students bring an extra mask as well.

4th Grade is off to a great start!  The students are working hard and adjusting well.  In reading we are learning to summarize a text and answer questions using text evidence.  Our math goals include practicing efficient strategies to solve multiplication and division problems. Please make sure your child is practicing their multiplication facts 0-12 at home. In Social Studies we are exploring maps and the history of Wisconsin. During science we will be analyzing the structures of plants and animals. We are looking forward to our field trip to JSOL on October 26th. Thank you for all you do to make your child successful! 

Fifth grade has started off the year so nicely. What a great group of kids we have. In math, we are working on multiplication and volume. Mastering multiplication facts is vital for success in 5th-grade math. Please review multiplication facts with your student at home. Your help is greatly appreciated. In Language Arts and Reading we are working on comprehension strategies and using vocabulary words to enhance our writing skills.

Phy Ed: Hello Washington families, we have had a fun year so far in the gym and being active. The first couple weeks of school we went over some of the new things I have implemented into physical education this year as well as going over the routines and expectations to keep all the students safe and respectful while learning. After that, we moved on to some cooperative and team building activities to help promote collaboration and teamwork.

K and 1^st grades have been working on our throwing and catching skills and students have been making great gains. We have worked on both overhand and underhand throwing and making sure we are not throwing it too hard so that our partner can work on catching the ball. The next unit we will be starting is fitness and the importance of healthy lifestyles.

2^{nd thru} 5^th grades have been working on football skills and practicing throwing, learning positions, and playing defense. The next unit will be fitness and we will be able to use equipment we did not last year.

From the Art Room: With great excitement we welcome back all of Washington’s fabulous artists! This school year has gotten off to a wonderful start. Students of all grades have just wrapped up creating various projects to participate in International Dot Day, which took place on September 15th. International Dot Day began 12 years ago as a celebration of Peter H. Reynold’s book The Dot. Students read Reynold’s book which encourages everyone to create bravely, and used that as inspiration to create their own dot themed artwork. Every student's work, Kindergarten through Fifth Grade, is currently being displayed in the hallway outside of the art studio.  “Make your mark and see where it takes you.” Peter H. Reynolds On Friday, September 10th the third grade students had the opportunity to spend some time with one of the visiting chalk artists for the Janesville Art Infusion event. This artist was able to speak with students about the path to their art career, share some fun stories, and answer student questions. Students were also able to create their own art with this artist, and view some of the artist’s work. One piece of advice the artist gave Washington students was to never grow out of being an artist.  Currently the kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders are working on fall themed projects. From pumpkins to scarecrows - It is officially fall! Our third graders, fourth graders, and fifth graders have been working very hard on a self-portrait project. They are coming out fantastic. It is so fun to see everyone’s personalities shine through in their work! Keep watch for some great artwork from our Washington students. 

From the Music Room: Save the date:  This year the Washington performances will be all in one day, and they will be held on Friday, March 18th, right before Spring Break.  Times of the performances will be given at a later date!!  Kindergartners are working on a steady beat, and we are learning fun songs, games, and stories to help us get the beat!  We’ve also been talking about how rules help us and keep us safe, and the importance of using Magic Words, which mean Good Manners!  When the students learned the Magic Words song they also learned the sign language for those good manners’ words.  We are looking forward to all of the fun October songs and instrument activities we will be doing! 

First graders are also working on a steady beat, and we have been ‘getting the beat in our feet’ as we march and use rhythm sticks to play along.  We are also learning to count beats in a meter of 4.  We will be talking about how music can have fast or slow beats, or Tempos, and using Boomwhackers to play the different tempos with.  We’ve been singing magic words!  We are looking forward to all of the fun October songs and instrument activities we will be doing! 

Second grade is working on beat and rhythm, and we have been so excited to use rhythm sticks, as well as many other kinds of rhythm instruments to play along with beat and rhythm.  They have been creating rhythm patterns in Meters of 2, 3, and 4, and performing those rhythms.  We are looking forward to all of the fun songs that the month of October brings and the instrument activities we will be doing! 

Third grade is reviewing and continuing to learn how to read Treble Clef Staff pitches using the tools, Every Good Boy Does Fine, and FACE to help remember the pitch letters that the 5 lines and 4 spaces stand for.  We have been reading song scores, or music written on the music staff, from the SMART Board, and we have been learning about and singing songs in a round, which creates harmony.  We will be playing melodies written on the Treble Clef Staff on xylophones, metallophones, and Glockenspiels! 

Fourth graders have been reviewing how to read Treble Clef Staff pitches using Every Good Boy Does Fine and FACE, and have been reviewing rhythm/notes.  We have been practicing reading song scores, or songs written on the music staff, and how to follow musical signs and symbols.  We are reminded that reading music is like reading a map at times.  The month of October will offer up some fun songs for us to continue to build on these skills and perform on various instruments. 

Fifth graders get to have three music classes this year, with one of those three classes getting them ready to make an educated choice when choosing their required music class for middle school.  We are learning about instruments from the orchestra and band.  We are also using one of the three music classes to learn more about singing in a choir and reading and singing two part music along with the instrumental music. 

Our third music class of the week focuses on all the skills they’ll need to sing as well as play melody and rhythm instruments.  We have already learned how to perform the main theme from Beethoven’s, “Ode to Joy” on our xylophones, metallophones, and Glockenspiels.  October will bring some very fun songs for us to continue working on all of these skills, as well as learning how to play the recorder, and beginning woodwind instruments. 

Schoolwide Title I Program Notice

As a school with a low-income rate of 61.1%, Washington School receives federal Title I funds to support the learning of all students through a Schoolwide Title I Program. Schoolwide programs serve all children in a school. All staff, resources, and classes are part of the overall schoolwide program. The purpose is to ensure all students, including those most in need, are positioned to meet the state's challenging academic standards. 

Schoolwide Title I schools annually complete a needs assessment to identify the school’s strengths and areas for improvement in student achievement, develop strategies and action steps to address how the goals identified will be achieved, and evaluate and update the plan as needed.  Schoolwide Title I schools are required to engage parents and families in the Title I planning and evaluation process as well as provide opportunities for parents and families to engage in supporting their child’s education. 

Parents of children enrolled in Title I schools have the right to Timely information about services provided; Access to a description of the curriculum, the forms of assessment used to measure student progress, and the achievement levels of challenging state standards; Opportunities or meetings to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children upon their request; Response to their suggestions in a timely manner.  Copies of the Schoolwide Title I Plan and the Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy are available upon request. Please contact the school secretary at (phone number) or (email) to request a copy.

BULLYING PREVENTION:

The School District of Janesville Board of Education strives to provide an educational environment where every student feels safe, respected and welcomed.  The Board also strives to provide an educational environment where every staff member can serve students in an atmosphere that is free from significant disruptions and obstacles that impede learning and performance. Bullying can have harmful social, physical, psychological and/or academic effects for those who engage in these behaviors, victims of such behaviors, and bystanders who observe acts of bullying.  The District prohibits any form of bullying behavior by students towards other students, school employees, volunteers, or any other person(s). Bullying includes aggressive or hostile behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power between the bully and the bullied. Bullying is a form of victimization and is not necessarily a result of or part of an on-going conflict. Bullying is defined as any conscious, willful, or deliberate acts, or attempted acts, through the use of words, images, gestures or other physical actions, including electronically transmitted acts, that are intended to cause physical injury, emotional distress or property damage.

Bullying includes, but is not limited to, behaviors motivated by an actual or perceived distinguishing characteristic or factor including sex, race, national origin, ancestry, religion, color, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.  Bullying may also be motivated by any other distinguishing factor such as gender identity, physical appearance, or social, economic or family status. Examples of acts of bullying include physical intimidation, force or assault, humiliation, sexual or racist remarks, extortion, verbal or written threats, taunting, put downs, name calling, threatening or menacing looks or gestures, spreading cruel rumors, and social exclusion.  

This includes acts of cyber-bullying that involve sending or posting inappropriate, insulting or threatening messages or images through electronic communication systems such as the Internet, e-mail, cell phones or other personal devices. Bullying is prohibited on District grounds, at District-related activities, or on transportation to and from school or District-sponsored activities. Harassing bullying behavior is prohibited in all educational environments, regardless of whether the facility or location is owned, leased, or otherwise used or provided by the District.  Acts of bullying that originate off school premises and outside of the school’s control may be subject to the provisions of this policy and related procedures if the conduct is determined to be substantially disruptive to the educational process and the day-to-day operations of a school.  

This includes, but is not limited to, threats made outside of school hours that communicate intent to be carried out during any school-related or school-sponsored program or activity, or on any vehicles used for transportation to and from school and school-sponsored activities. All complaints about bullying shall be promptly investigated.

The District shall respect the privacy of the complainant, the individual(s) against whom the complaint is filed, and the witnesses as much as practicable and in a manner consistent with the Board’s legal obligations to investigate, take appropriate action, and conform to discovery or disclosure requirements.

Disclosure of information related to the complaint shall be made only to those with a legitimate need to know.  All records generated as a result of the complaint and appeal processes shall be maintained as confidential to the extent permitted by law. If the investigation finds bullying has occurred, school officials shall take prompt and necessary action up to and including behavioral interventions and support, disciplinary action, and/or referral to law enforcement officials or social services.  

Consequences shall be unique to the nature of the behavior, the developmental level of the student, and the history of problem behaviors.  Remedial measures shall be designed to correct the problem behavior, prevent other occurrences, and protect the victim. The District shall also take appropriate action against any student or District employee who retaliates against any person who makes a good-faith report of alleged bullying or against any person who testifies, assists, or participates in an investigation or hearing related to such behavior.

Employees found to have facilitated or participated in bullying behavior against students or to have been aware that bullying was taking place and failed to report the behavior are considered to be in violation of the prohibition expressed by this policy and may be subject to disciplinary action. This policy shall be distributed annually to all students enrolled in the School District, parents/guardians, and all District employees.  It shall also be distributed to organizations in the community having cooperative agreements with the schools.  The District shall provide a copy of the policy to any person upon request. Records shall be maintained on the number and types of reports made, and sanctions imposed for violations of this policy in accordance with established procedures.

• REF:State Statute 111.31State Statute 115.28(31) State Statute 118.01(2)(d)8 State Statute 118.02(9t) State Statute 118.13State Statute 118.155 State Statute 118.195 State Statute 118.20 State Statute 120.13(1) State Administrative Code PI 9 State Administrative Code PI 41 State Criminal Statutes 947.0125 State Criminal Statutes 947.013 State Criminal Statutes 948.51(2) Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972 Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Civil Rights Act of 1991 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• CROSS REF: Board Policy 5020, Student Nondiscrimination Administrative Regulation 5020.1, Public Notification of Student Nondiscrimination Policy
• Administrative Regulation 5020.2, Student Discrimination Complaint Procedure
• Administrative Regulation 5020.3, Student Discrimination Incident Report
• Board Policy 5021, Sexual Harassment Administrative Regulation 5021.1, Complaint Procedures Relative to Sexual Harassment Administrative Regulation 6724.1, Guidelines/Use of Technology by Students and Staff Administrative Regulation 6724.2, Student Internet Access and Safe Use Board of Education Janesville, Wisconsin

2009; 2011, August 201

Child Find Notice

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 student with a medically diagnosed disability is not automatically eligible for special education. An outside medical diagnosis is insufficient of special education eligibility. A student must be found eligible as a "child with a disability" under state and federal special education law. A student with a disability is one who requires specially designed instruction as a result of meeting the criteria for at least one of the identified disability categories under state and federal special education law. A student cannot start receiving special education services without a full and individual comprehensive special education evaluation completed by the student's district.

Outside evaluations and other information shared by the parent, such as medical diagnoses, are considered during the evaluation and may provide supporting or new information about the student's academic and functional skills important for determining the nature and extent of the student's disability and education needs. 34 CFR SS 300.8 and 300.301. Wis. Stat. § 115.76(5).  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 Mrs. 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

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 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 to 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