March 4, 2021

Messages from Dr. Kasmarick

Now that we have phased in, in-person classroom teachers will no longer hold Office Hours on asynchronous Wednesdays. Teachers spend Wednesdays reviewing student work and planning, both independently and collaboratively. Students who have questions about Wednesday work should use Seesaw (K-2) or Google Classroom or Gmail (3-5) to reach out for support. They can also ask when they return to school on Thursdays!

Looking Ahead to Quarter 4: Believe it or not, quarter 4 begins on April 8th.  For our planning, it is important that we have information about student modality changes by Thursday, March 18th.  These modality changes may result in student classroom assignment and/or staffing changes. If you wish for your student to change modalities for Quarter 4, please complete the form included in next week's Thursday folder by 3/18.  Families will be notified of placements, including any changes, by the end of the day April 5th. 

2021-2022 School Year: Looking ahead to next year already, we are excited to have eighty-eight 4-year old kindergarteners enrolled! Please help to spread the word that we are now enrolling new students in all grades for the 21-22 school year. Enrollment information and forms can be found here, please contact the office at 414-963-3951 with any questions. If, for any reason, your student will not be returning to Richards next year, please let us know.

Safety Walkthrough, Week of 3/1:

Hand Hygiene/Respiratory Etiquette: Green - Hand hygiene protocols are posted in all spaces supplies are available, and hand hygiene breaks are scheduled. No handwashing was observed during this walkthrough, however some students were observed using sanitizer before browsing in classroom libraries.

Masks: Green - Mask usage by students and staff continues to be strong. Students in some classrooms had masks off while eating snack, but they were all seated at their desks and put masks back on as soon as they finished.

Physical Distancing: Yellow - Student seating is spaced to allow for 2-3 feet between students. Teacher zones allow for 6 feet between teacher and students (one zone needs minor adjustment to allow for this). A small number of adults were observed in closer proximity to students - either adults working in support of Individualized Education Plan goals or classroom teachers helping a student for a short period of time before increasing distance again.

Ventilation: School and classroom ventilation is checked and monitored on a regular basis by Buildings and Grounds staff. Should issues arise they will be addressed and remedied.

Cleaning/Disinfection: Cleaning and Disinfection is monitored daily by Head Custodians, and reported on weekly, using the Cleaning and Disinfection checklist.

Upcoming No School Dates:  Spring Break is around the corner!  Please note the following calendar information: 

• March 15 - March 18:  In-Person Learning Days for students in grades 4K-5th grade.  Synchronous Learning Days for all virtual students. Wednesday, March 17 is a synchronous learning day for virtual students. No asynchronous Wednesday this week. 
• March 19: No School, 4K–5th grade
• March 22 – 26: No School, 4K–5th grade
• March 29 – April 1: In-Person Learning Days for students in grades 4K-5th grade. Synchronous Learning Days for all virtual students. Wednesday, March 31 is a synchronous learning day for virtual students. No asynchronous Wednesday this week.
• April 2: No School, 4K–5th grade

SEL Event: Maximizing the Well-Being of Youth:  Tonight, March 4th, at 7 PM, we virtually welcome Dr. Matthew Jandrisevits, to lead a discussion around maximizing the well-being of youth. Taking a developmental approach when considering mood and behavior, we will identify proactive/preventative strategies to help keep kids maximize their self-confidence and build resilience, particularly during stressful or frustrating situations. We will also review resources in our community to promote the health and well-being of children/teens. To register for the event, please click on the registration link below Dr. Jandrisevits's bio. If you have any questions about registration or the event, please contact Justin Nies, Associate Principal for the Whitefish Bay Elementary Schools, at justin.nies@wfbschools.com.

Matthew Jandrisevits, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist at Children’s Wisconsin, and is an adjunct clinical faculty member at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Additionally, in his role within the Wisconsin Child Psychiatry Consultation Program (WI-CPCP), Dr. Jandrisevits provides mental health consultation to primary care providers throughout the state. Beyond his clinical duties, Dr. Jandrisevits enjoys teaching, research activities, and community outreach.

Event registration is open until 5:00 PM this afternoon. Please click here to register. 

From the PTO

Pizza Man Dine Out for the Hunger Task Force: Please join the Richards 3rd Graders to support the Hunger Task Force and have your Monday night dinner already planned! Mark your calendar for Monday, March 8th! 10% of all sales between 4-8pm at the Pizza Man Downer location will be donated to the Hunger Task Force, sponsored by the Richards PTO. Call or order online!

Annual Hunger Task Force Food Drive: The Richards PTO and 3rd graders invite you to “Give Love, Give Hope, Give Food” this February and participate in our annual food drive benefitting the Hunger Task Force. The virtual food drive will run from February 12 - March 12. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any in-person donations due to the pandemic, but the third graders will be tracking our school’s donations and announcing them each week. All families are encouraged to visit this link and donate if you CAN! The Hunger Task Force experiences fewer donations after the holidays, and this year, more than ever, Richards hopes to change that! Please give what you CAN and help support the Hunger Task Force! Please reach out to Adrienne Grunau at agrunau@gmail.com or Abby Williams at acdwilliams@mac.com with any questions! 

Share More Air Fundraiser Thank You: The Share More Air fundraiser was an incredible success. Throughout the month of February, we received 125 donations from Richards families, and from community members who felt compelled to support our fundraiser even though they don't have children enrolled in our school. This commitment to the health and safety of our school community is extraordinary and we're so grateful to all of you for everything you're doing to keep our staff and our learners safe. The money raised will cover the cost of the air purifiers, initial set of replacement filters, with enough left over to allow the PTO to continue to offer both COVID and non-COVID related financial support to our school staff. Thank you to everyone who donated!

Yearbook Ordering: The 2020-21 yearbook order form is now live in the Richards PTO Store in Membership Toolkit. Yearbooks are $15.50 each. To order, simply login to your Membership Toolkit account and click on PTO store or visit richardspto.org. You will order one yearbook per student (do not order multiple yearbooks for one student). Ordering will be open through April 2nd. If ordering a yearbook presents a financial hardship for your family, a copy will be made available to your child free of charge on behalf of the Richards PTO by contacting Stephanie Haupt in the Richards Main Office. Any other questions, please contact Kristin at richards.yearbook@gmail.com.

Richards Rainbow Project: Virtual or in person, each of our Richards students is a special part of our school community! For the Richards Rainbow Project, each student at Richards will make an individual tile that shows how unique and special they are to our school! All of these tiles will be displayed together on the fence of our Red Playground by the Richards PTO in mid-March. Virtual learners received their vinyl/tiles yesterday with their materials pickup and will need to return them to the vestibule by March 10th (there will be a bin). Instructions were included but remember big shapes are best!  In person learners will be creating their tiles in their classrooms from now until March 9th.

• Q: Is the vinyl supposed to be the same shape or size of the tile?
• A: No, they cut the shapes out of the vinyl and peel/stick it on, we want them all to look different so there are different sizes of vinyl too!

The biggest thing to emphasize is big shapes are best! Hearts, squares, lines, etc. Tiny designs are hard to cut and really won't be seen. Have fun creating! Please direct any questions to Elizabeth Haase, Cultural Arts Committee Chair: elizabeth.haase12@gmail.com.

Virtual Lego Club: LEGO Masters! Your LEGO Challenge this week is to build a UNICORN! We can’t wait to see your creations! Please submit all creations to richardslegoclub@gmail.com.

District Announcements

COVID-19 Data Metric Dashboard: In an effort of transparency and communication with our staff and families, the District has created a COVID-19 data metric dashboard and weekly District update letter. Each week the District will publish a status update of active cases and those in quarantine due to exposure or presentation of COVID-19 like symptoms. Please note that information relative to any individual’s health is HIPPA protected and private, so we are taking steps to secure the anonymity of individuals. Student numbers will be published at a school level and for the district as a whole. In any school in which the number is <5 we will post an ** to avoid the likelihood of exposing the identity of an individual. We will provide a summary number for the district as a whole.

The dashboard on the COVID-19 website page and the Weekly Metrics Reports show the current week's data. All letters will be located on the Communications to Families page. It is our goal to update the dashboard and letter at the beginning of each week.

School Board Meeting: March 10, 2021: The community is welcome to view School Board meetings to gain a better understanding of School District business and the role of the School Board. The public is also invited to address the Board during the public comment portion as indicated in Board meetings. Meeting agendas are posted within BoardDocs two days preceding each meeting.

• Annual Meeting dates located under featured tab/documents
• Agendas located under featured or meeting tabs

WFBHS Bay Gives Back: The Bay Gives Back spring project supporting KidsMatter Inc. is underway! This is an opportunity for community members to create boxes/bags of fun spring activities for kids throughout the Milwaukee area currently in the foster care system. Check out our flyer for more information and a sign up link. 

Community Outreach: WFBHS Bay Gives Back has teamed up with Bay Bridge to offer our community a monthly service opportunity. Let’s help Just One More Ministry (JOMM) food bank by making sandwiches for those in need. Sandwich collection will be the first Wednesday of every month through August at School House Park (across the street from the library) from 9-10am. Bay Gives Back students will be there to collect sandwiches & help distribute to JOMM. Please use this link to sign up for a slot. This is simple and easy but makes a HUGE impact - and your kids can help too. Thank you!

WFB Blue Duke Spiritwear: Spring has sprung & now is as good a time as any to update your WFB Duke Pride spirit wear! We have created a new additional logo and spring styles for the entire family. There is now an online store to help you get all your spirit wear needs. All orders must be placed by Saturday March 13th and you can choose to pick up at Burghardts or have the items sent directly to your home. Orders are expected to be ready the week of April 5th. All proceeds support WFBHS athletics. GO BLUE DUKES!

From the Recreation Department

Connects is now providing the following care options:

• 4 day/week Connects Before and After Care for children who are enrolled in in-person learning.
• Wednesday Virtual Learning Care for children who are enrolled in in-person learning.
• School's Out Care for all grades full-day care on No School Days.

If you would like to register, please visit our website for enrollment packets and forms. If you have questions, please contact Megan Kuehn at (414) 963-6806.