FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
As you are aware, the Plum City School District is faced with significant financial challenges for the upcoming school year and beyond. The District faces a projected $280,000 shortfall in the 2009-2010 school year. The shortfall is a result of increased expenditures coupled with declining enrollment, problems that many school districts across the state of Wisconsin are dealing with and factors that can be tied directly to the current state funding formula.
The Plum City School Board and Administration continue to work diligently to find a solution to this financial crisis. Several reductions totaling approximately $196,000 were made to help balance the budget for the 2008-09 school year. Reductions of approximately $357,000 were also made over the past six years and included reductions in professional staff, support staff, and administrative personnel. Reductions made necessary to help balance the budget for the 2009-2010 school year will dramatically affect programming opportunities for students.
The Board of Education, Administration, and staff have worked collaboratively to develop a reduction proposal prioritizing possible reductions for the 2009-2010 school year. The team is dedicated in instituting necessary reductions while preserving core educational programming. The Board and Administration reviewed the reduction proposal during a special meeting held on January 14 and during the regularly scheduled monthly meeting held on January 19. Items of discussion during these meetings included District wide salary freezes, professional and support staff reductions, elimination of K-12 programming options including music, physical education, health, agriculture, technology education, family and consumer education, and art. The Board also discussed the elimination of the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program which reduces class sizes in grades K-3. A complete copy of the reduction proposal is available on the school website. Final decisions regarding reductions will likely be made in March.
As community members, you are all invited to a special listening session scheduled from 6:00-7:00 p.m. on February 16 in the High School Media Center, just prior to the start of the regular school board meeting. The primary purpose of this session is to continue to gather community input in regards to budgetary reductions, facilities, and educational programming. I encourage you all to attend or provide input to the Board and/or Administration through other means. Your input into this challenging situation is greatly valued.
Respectfully,
Mark Luebker
Superintendent of Schools
Board of Education
FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
Paul Churchill
The end of the semester was January 23rd. Report cards for the first semester will be sent home on Friday, January 30th. Please contact the high school office if you have questions about your child’s report card. Students wishing to change their second semester schedule must see Mr. Schildt the first week of the new semester and get parent approval prior to making a change. Seniors should be preparing for post-secondary education by completing college and tech school applications if they have not already done so. Students are also reminded to stop by the guidance office to check on scholarships they may be eligible for. Several thousand dollars are awarded at the senior awards banquet each year.
The Wellness Committee sponsored their annual breakfast for all students in grades 6-12 on January 19th. The activity certainly helps educate and remind students about the importance of healthy eating. I would like to thank everyone who donated products for the breakfast and all the members of the Wellness Committee for helping prepare and serve the food. A special thanks to Fetzer Farms and Greg & Debbie Pittman for donating the pure maple syrup for the breakfast.
Thirty-one students from the high school music program participated in the All-Conference Honors Band and Choir. The group performed at Pepin High School on Saturday, January 24 and went on tour to Spring Valley and Elmwood High Schools on Tuesday, January 27th. Congratulations to all members of the All-Conference Honors Band and Choir. The Solo and Ensemble Contest will be held in Plum City this year on February 21st. This will be an all day event that hosts musicians from several schools in the area. Please plan to attend.
The food service department continues to operate on a limited budget. The nice variety of food items on the breakfast and lunch menus can only continue if parents keep their family lunch balances up to date. Money can be deposited on any day at either the elementary or high school office. Families are asked to keep a minimum of $20.00 in their family lunch accounts. Thanks for your help.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Volunteers are needed at school for various occasions and needs. We have several volunteers on our list from last year, but more are always appreciated. We would greatly appreciate hearing from you if you would like to continue to be on the volunteer list or be added. If interested in volunteering opportunities, please contact Monica Krings at 647-2911 or or Tracy Longsdorf at
FIRST GRADERS VISIT PLUM CITY CARE CENTER
Mary Haake and Kelly VonHoltum
BINGO!! The first graders earned a trip to play Bingo with the Plum City Care Center residents in November and January. They worked hard filling their marble jar (Mrs. VonHoltum’s room) and bug jar (Mrs. Haake’s room) through good behavior and good citizenship. They were very well behaved and had a great time! They will continue to fill their “jars” throughout the year and visit the care center.
Better Schools through Better Communication!
We all know that things run more smoothly when a good communication system is in place. As a way to enhance the communications between our schools and the parents and guardians of our students, the School District of Plum City is pleased to announce the implementation of PreK-12 Notification.
How will PreK-12 Notification be used?
PreK-12 Notification will allow the School District of Plum City to send important information quickly – not only to parents but to staff as well – via telephone (and/or e-mail) about emergency situations and school delays or school cancellations due to inclement weather. In addition to notifying parents about school closings or delays, PreK-12 Notification will allow every school to contact parents about important school information and events, testing schedules, report card distribution, open houses, delayed buses, field trips, and more.
As a parent/guardian, when will I receive my first PreK-12 Notification call?
The system is being installed and will be ready in the next month. A letter will be sent out to notify parents of the addition of this calling system and is included on the District’s web page, www.plumcity.k12.wi.us. More information regarding the PreK-12 Notification is also available on the web site, including answers to frequently asked questions. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact your school office.
How will parents/guardians be notified by PreK-12 Notification?
As the parent/guardian of a student, it is important for you to understand how messages will be delivered to you.
• For non-emergency messages (informational), you will receive a telephone call to the primary phone number that we have on record, which most likely is your home phone. Please be sure the school has your primary phone number included in your student’s records.
• Should a school emergency occur, in addition to being called at your primary phone, you will also be notified through the various phone numbers you have included on your child's school registration forms.
• Multiple phone numbers and e-mail addresses will only be used to notify you during a school emergency.
Have a question, suggestion, or comment about PreK-12 Notification?
It is important for us to hear from parents and staff about how we can improve the delivery of this notification system. As a parent or staff member, we encourage you to contact us when things go as planned and when we need to make adjustments. Should you have a question, suggestion, or comment about PreK-12 Notification, please call us or send an e-mail to Monica Krings at 715-647-2911 or .
DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TEAM
Laurie Peterson
The Plum City District Leadership Team consists of parents, students, staff and community members. The purpose of our organization is: The Plum City School’s District Leadership Team is a diverse group of individuals including administration, community members, teachers, parents and students who explore and facilitate ideas to improve and promote the district, now and into the future. Members include: Nanette Murray, Laurie Peterson, Tracy Henn, Lisa Mack, Lori Martin, Kraig Krueger, Tracy Longsdorf, Paul Churchill, Todd Glaus, Bryna Whipple, Debbie Radle, Nick Gilles, Monica Krings, Amy Fetzer, Mark Luebker, Shirley Gilles, Michelle Garay, Brenda Krogstad, Katie George, Kim Raethke, Sarah Hewitt. The committee is working on some projects along with the S.O.S. group (community education, school safety, and volunteer coordination). In addition we would like to plan a spring outreach project such as community education on topics like internet safety and drug abuse as in the past. We would like if this project impacted community members and/or students. If you have any suggestions or would like to join this committee, please contact Laurie Peterson () or at 647-2911 or Tracy Henn ().
Next meeting will be Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at 4:30 pm in the HS/MS Media Center (further meetings have also tentatively been set for April 8 and May 6).
BOX TOPS AND MILK CAPS
Thank you to all the gracious donations of box tops, milk caps, and soup labels over the years. We continue to collect all brands of milk caps and General Mills box tops. A big thank you to Monica Krings, Tracy Henn, Elaine Long, and Virginia White for counting, packaging and submitting the last group of boxtops and milk caps! Please continue to send those box tops and milk caps to the elementary school office. Mr. Stewart is collecting at the high school. Some S.O.S. (Support Our Schools) group members are helping coordinate this fundraising. If you have any questions about that contact Katie George, Brenda Krogstad, Kim Raethke, Michelle Garay, or Monica Krings. The funds will be used to support special projects and initiatives in the school district. Every nickel makes a difference!
http://www.boxtops4education.com/Promotions
S.O.S. (SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLS) GROUP
Laurie Peterson
The S.O.S. group is underway! The group consists of parents, teachers, and community members working to support the school in a positive way. At the December meeting, several committees were formed. The committees include: Community Ed, Fundraising, Playground, Grant Finding, School Safety, Student Recognition and Legislature Communication/Information. The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 9th at 6:30p.m. at Plum City Elementary School. Childcare will be provided. We plan to meet the second Monday of every month. If you cannot attend this meeting but would like to be involved, following is the contact information. We will add you to the email and/or mailing list.
Kraig Krueger - or by phone at 448-3025
Laurie Peterson - or by phone at 647-2911
Brenda Krogstad - or by phone at 715-495-5212
SECOND QUARTER READING REWARD
Laurie Person
The second quarter reading reward was held on Tuesday, January 27th at Plum City Elementary. All elementary students were able to wear their pajamas to school. Goal reachers watched a short movie and had popcorn. Thank you to Mrs. Hewitt and Mrs. Ruth Hartung for planning the reward! Also thanks to parents Annie Luebker, Sheri Almsted, and Lori Martin for popping popcorn and donating the bags! Read, read, read!!
News from the PLUM CITY EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, INC.
It’s hard to believe that we are already on the downside of January and have been in the depths of winter for the last month and a half, both snow and cold. But we’re hardy souls and that’s why we live in Wisconsin, right? Maybe not!
But because we are past mid-January, I thought it would be a good time to remind 2009 graduates and their parents, if you haven’t already, now would be a good time to start gathering data for your scholarship applications. You should have everything ready by March, as that is when applications will be made available to the students. All applications will be due at various deadline dates in April. The scholarship committee meets in late April or early May to make our selections.
Also, we want to thank those individuals who made donations to the foundation in memory of Audrey Binkowski, and the very generous gift of scholarship funds in memory of Henry Ebensperger given by Jeff, Lynn, Anthony and Arleen Ebensperger. Thank you for your continued support.
Connie Binkowski, President
PLUM CITY TO HOST MUSIC FESTIVAL
Mike Bonn
On Saturday, February 21st, Plum City High School will be the site of this year’s Dunn St. Croix (South) Solo & Ensemble Music Contest. Neighboring schools from Pepin, Spring Valley, Barron, and Elmwood will be visiting for the entire day to compete in instrumental and vocal events. For this event to run smoothly it’s imperative that music parents and students help run the festival. Even an hour or two of volunteer time would be greatly appreciated. Some volunteer duties include:
1. Performance Site Door Monitor
2. Committee Member For Judges Lunch
3. Results Runner
4. Results Processor
5. Room Monitor/Judges Helper
6. Performance And Warm-Up Room Set Up
7. Performance Room And Warm-Up Room Adjustments
With your help, this day proves to be a great day of success and many opportunities to hear a wide variety of MUSIC! If interested, please contact the festival manager (Mr. Bonn) at 647-2591 or .
WELLNESS BREAKFAST
Lisa Raethke
A Wellness Breakfast was held on January 19 for all students at the Plum City High School. Members of the Wellness Committee served low-fat whole wheat pancakes to the students. They also sampled “real” maple syrup. Thank you to the SturdiWheat Inc. for the pancake mix and to Greg and Debbie Pittman and the Fetzer Farms for the maple syrup. The Wellness Committee is also sponsoring Wednesday Night Walkers which happens every Wednesday in January and February at the Plum City Elementary. The school is open from 7-8 pm for walking or aerobics. The Wellness Committee is also planning a speaker guild for Middle/High School Students on May 26. Parents, community persons, and students are welcome to be part of the Wellness Committee. Please contact Lisa Raethke at the school if you are interested.
JUMP ROPE FOR HEART
Karen Hilleren