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301 West Adams Street
La Farge, WI
Telephone: (608) 625-2400
Fax: (608) 625-0152
ww.lafarge.k12.wi.us
In this Issue:
 Classroom News
 Forensics & Drama Information
 Flu Shots
 Book Fair Info
 Family Literacy Events
 November & December Menus
 Much, much more!
Elementary Conferences on November 6 & 7!
From the Principal:
What I love most about the fall; the colors! It is just beautiful around our area at this time. We
have been actively working for the last month to get back in the swing of school. We
already have some students who have started state testing. The rituals and routines that
were introduced and practiced during the first few weeks of school are now like second
nature to the students. Students are focusing on their daily content and the application of
new skills. It is remarkable how young minds soak up so very much. Hopefully, you are seeing
the changes in your student as well. You will see that students are being asked to do tasks at
a much higher level and to apply their skills not just in one area, but throughout all content
areas. We are committed to preparing every La Farge student, starting from elementary on
through high school for college––and beyond! Please continue to support your student in
and out of the classroom. You are investing in them and their future!
And on that note, because of the hard work of students, parents and staff, La Farge Middle
School was recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction s as a School of
Recognition for Beating the Odds for the years 2013-2014. We are very excited about this
recognition and everyone has worked hard each day and every day to achieve this
success. However, we will continue to work hard and our vision is to be a School of
Recognition, K-12. We are proud of our growth we saw this year, but in schools, your work is
never done. We will continue to focus on reading, writing and math in every classroom. We
continue to provide every student with the resources and tools they need to achieve
growth, and we call on you as parents to support the work that is done each day here at
school. We need parents to reinforce the skills children are learning and help transfer them to
the home environment and beyond. Reading each night, checking on their homework, and
discussing their day are all rituals and routines that will help us achieve greatness!
I would also like to share my gratitude with our community. People truly care what happens
at La Farge and that means a lot. Taking pride in your school and working with the staff who
educate children every day is recognized. We will continue to build relationships with our
school community and our local community partnerships. When we work well together, it’s
amazing what can be accomplished! Please know that you can always call or email me! My
direct line is 625-0123 and my email is [email protected].
Remember:
Please remember to be accessing your Family Access on Skyward. If you have any questions
on this, please call Patty Gabrielson.
Dates to remember:
Sealant Presentation by Scenic Bluffs for 2nd and 6th grade- Monday, October 13th
Late Start- 10:00 am on Wednesday, October 15th
Elementary Conferences- Thursday, November 6th and Friday, November 7th High School
Play- November 14th, 15th
October 10, 2014
Dear Students, Parents, and Residents of the La Farge School District,
It was a smooth transition into the new school year, with much of the credit
going to the teachers and principal, Mrs. Egge for their hard work over the
summer. We have put in place a new notification system designed specifically
for schools, to deliver personalized voice messages to parents. The new system
will deliver messages to parents about low balances on lunch accounts, if your
child is absent or tardy, and upcoming events. The first test alert went out
Friday, October 10, 2014 to remind parents of a late start on Wednesday,
October 15, 2014. If you did not receive this alert please call the office at (608)
625-2400 and let us know. The phone numbers we are using to notify parents
were taken from student emergency cards.
A new school district webpage will be up and running within the next 4 weeks,
make sure to keep checking for updates. Also, we will continue to put school
updates on the La Farge School District Facebook page.
I would again like to take the time to thank everyone for all they do to support
the La Farge School District. If you have any questions about the La Farge
School District please give me a call at the following number, 608 625-0107.
Sincerely,
Shawn Donovan
Superintendent
CLC = Community Learning Center!
CLC is off and running! The students have been busy with a lot of different activities…
On Mondays they have been learning about Healthy Habits with Mrs.
groups have been talking about what things they would like to
their life to become healthier. Some of their ideas they had were;
more, less video games, increasing exercise, eating more veggies,
and getting more sleep. They will continue to learn more about
Habits, and even have some guest speakers.
Thelen. The
change in
riding bike
being clean,
Healthy
Tuesday nights the students have been meeting with Deb Tryggestad to learn
about Technology. There are three groups. The first group has been working with
Book Creator on electronic tablets. Book Creator is a program where the students
are able to take pictures and record their thoughts. The two older groups are
learning about earthquakes and earth science. They will participate in a video
conference call with a geologist in Denver. They are also learning to use Linoit to
make sticky notes about what they already know. Another program they are using
is Edmodo, a classroom organizer, to post links to websites, videos and to share
thoughts. With the money from the grant we were able to order ten new
electronic tablets. Once the electronic tablets are ready to go the students will be using those for a variety of different
technology based activities.
On Wednesdays the students have been learning about Communities. Mrs.
Waldsmith is teaching them about the different jobs and services that are
provided in our community, and what it means to be a part of a community.
They have been busy working on drawing or writing about what community
job they might like to do someday. We have a great display outside the CLC
room. Mrs. Waldsmith is currently working on contacting community
members to come in and talk with the children about their roles in the
community.
Thursday nights focus on Kickapoo Valley Reserve and nature with Ms.
Gustafson and KVR Instructor Jess. Starting October 2, small groups of
students will be going to the KVR to get hands on experience with a
number of different things such as; environmental awareness, weaving,
and animal habitats. Our first night there was full of fun, rain, and plenty
of indoor/outdoor nature-based activities. There were two different
groups. The younger group played a color game. The students had
teams and were given colors. They needed to go and find something
from nature to match the color and bring it back, and then they would receive another color. They also
participated in a walking race. The older group played team building games. A great time was had by all!
If you have any questions or would like to help please call 608-625-0134 or email [email protected]
Thank you,
Jennifer Jensen
CLC Coordinator
Tuesday, October 21st 9:30am – 10:00am
Read for the Record!
Read for the Record is a national effort to break the world
record for the most people reading the same book on the
same day. This year the book is Bunny Cakes by Rosemary
Wells. We are excited to announce that La Farge Elementary
is participating with 4K– 2nd grade students reading for the
record this year!
Lawton Memorial Library is collaborating with us on this effortfamilies with young children can join them for Story Time from
10:30 – 11:00 that same day to help break the record.
Wednesday, November 5th 7:15am – 8:15am
Books for Breakfast
Rise, shine, and read with your child! Join us at school
between 7:15 and 8:00 to enjoy a light breakfast with your
child, and then visit the Scholastic Book Fair in the library! At
8:05, join your child in his or her classroom for a brief schoolwide Reading Workshop time. This is a great opportunity for
you to witness how our classrooms use The Daily Five
framework to engage students in literacy learning.
The Book Fair will be open afterwards for parents to visit,
browse, and shop!
Happy Autumn from the Promise Center!
Research has shown that kids who play outdoors actually have longer attention spans, more
frustration tolerance, and do better in school! Outdoor activities abound during the fall season,
especially in our area! Here are a few ideas:
- Visit a pumpkin patch or apple orchard. - Rake leaves into piles for jumping into!
- Go on a hike at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve or in your own neighborhood or backyard to
look for signs of the changing seasons and animals preparing for winter. On a rainy or chilly
day, prepare the pumpkin spice play-dough recipe below for some sweet-smelling fun!
4K Pre-School News
Four year old kindergarten has been working.
We have been learning about the different
plants that are harvested during the fall and
what animals do as winter approaches. Over
the next few months we will continue to learn
about all of the changes happening around us
as fall slowly turns into winter. We will also be
working on our letter recognition and the sound
each letter makes.
Kindergarten News
We have been working hard on our letters and letter
sounds. We have already learned "C", "O", and "G". We
have learned how to recognize and write all of these
letters. We have also been working really hard on writing
our names and have gotten much better. We have also
learned all our numbers 0-9 and learned how to write
them. In the weeks to come we are going to continue to
explore different letters and their sounds and how to use
graphs and count by 5's and 10's in math. We have also
been doing a lot of fun fall themed activities in our
classroom and we are excited to do some Thanksgiving
and Christmas themed activities in the months to come.
We are learning a lot in Kindergarten and having a lot of
fun.
First Grade News
First Graders, Kindergarteners, and Preschoolers
are excited to attend the Zinghoppers
performance in Viroqua on October 23, a Tonyaward winning production.
In November we will focus our social studies unit
on thankfulness, and we will be having a
classroom Thanksgiving meal where each child
brings in a special food from their family. All the
kids have been working very hard on building
stamina for reading to themselves.
2014-2015 Promise Center Staff
Mrs. Tara VonRuden, 4K teacher
[email protected]
625-0108
Ms. Jessica Hines, kindergarten teacher
[email protected]
625-0127
Ms. Kelsey Statz, 1st grade teacher
[email protected]
625-0131
Mrs. Jean Muller, Paraeducator
[email protected]
625-0127
Mrs. Angie Egge, Principal
[email protected]
625-0123
Pumpkin-Spiced Play Dough
Add 1 cup flour, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp
cinnamon, ¼ cup salt, 2 tbsp cream of tartar, and
2 tbsp vegetable oil into a sauce pan. Add
orange food coloring (or a mix of red and yellow)
to 1 cup of water.
Slowly add the cup of water to the pan and stir
well. Cook on medium for 3-4 minutes while stirring
continuously. The mixture will stiffen and pull away
from the sides of the pan to form a ball. Remove
from heat, let cool, and knead briefly on a
counter or table top.
Grab a rolling pin, cookie cutters, straws, utensils,
and other objects and have fun with your kids!
Second Grade News
The second grade class has been very busy learning all kinds of new
things. Our first science unit was a life cycle study of the
butterfly. We were able to see the entire life cycle from larvae
stage to butterfly! We had a great time watching as the
caterpillars molted, made a chrysalis, and finally emerged as
beautiful painted lady butterflies. We were able to release our
butterflies in the park on a warm sunny day.
In math we continue to work on our math facts, and we are even
starting to learn about fractions!
Reading is a very important part of our day and we’re all working
hard to improve.
We are looking forward to our next unit in social studies on maps
and we will be learning about balance and measuring in science.
A smiling 2nd grader with her butterfly!
4th Grade News
The fourth grade class has been doing a great job in Daily 5! We
are up to 35 minutes of read to self time and these real readers
are staying focused and very quiet to accomplish our goals!
Star Readers:
Trayvon,
McKala,
Ivonne, and
Gavin
The Whole Crew
Missing: Beau and Ray
La Farge School Book Fair
The La Farge School Book Fair will be held November 3-7. Students will be able to
preview the book fair with their class and make wish-lists of wanted books to help
parents with purchasing books. The book fair will be open during Elementary
Parent/Teacher Conferences, November 6-7, as well. *More information about the
book fair will be sent home with students soon.
Mrs. Waldsmith
K-12 Librarian La Farge Schools
(608)625-0116
[email protected]
Music Events This Fall
Conference Honors Band
At North Crawford
Monday November 17th
6:30 PM Concert
Middle School Participants
Lara Boudinot, Austin Conley, Abbey Jacobs,
Bryer Larson, Serena Murphy-Kehoe, Dale
Sedgwick
High School Participants
Kya Fish, Dominic Hanson, Olivia Herken,
Clovis Larson, Jennifer McNelly, Isabella Peters,
Hannah Thelen, and Abbey Williams
Beginner Band Meeting
Monday October 20th
5:30 PM
th
th
5 grade students and parents/guardians of 5
grade students are invited to our beginner band
meeting. The music store will have an
instrument display and all students present will
have an opportunity to try any instrument they
would like. This is the best time to find out which
instrument is the best fit for each student,
whether able to rent an instrument or not. We
will meet in the band room.
Holiday Music Program
Thursday December 4th
Come listen to seasonal music and put yourself
in the holiday spirit!
Elementary Program at 6 PM
Performance Groups include grades 4K-5
HS/MS Program at 7 PM
th
Performance groups include the 6 Grade Band,
th
7 Grade Band, and 8-12 Band
These students have been selected based on
their skill level, positive attitude, work ethic, and
instrumentation needs of the band. The honors
band concert will be another great one this year.
The Middle School Band will be conducted by
Mr. Jeff Behrens, band director at Richland
Center High School, and the High School Band
will be conducted by the Director of Bands at
Luther College, Dr. Joan deAlbuquerque. The
guest soloist with the High School Band this
year will be Dr. Harry Hindson, professor of
saxophone at Luther College, and woodwind
instructor at Winona State University. The event
will culminate in a Finale Concert at 6:30 PM at
North Crawford High School. Public is welcome.
The Star-Spangled Banner
turned 200 years old!
Elementary Music News
Mrs. Lauren Curtis
th
September 14, 2014 marked the 200
anniversary of our National Anthem. Sung at
sporting events and ceremonies across the
United States, “The Star-Spangled Banner” has
an interesting back story.
Francis Scott Key was a lawyer in the wrong
place at the wrong time. He originally met with
the British to see to the release of a doctor that
was arrested. When British soldiers feared he
had seen the preparations for the upcoming
attack on Baltimore, Key was kept as a prisoner
aboard their ship as well! After a grueling 25hour battle against Fort McHenry, the American
flag still stood, declaring America victorious! It
was this sight that prompted Key to write the
poem, “Defence of Fort McHenry”. His poem
was later set to the tune we know today and
eventually becamed titled, “The Star-Spangled
Banner”.
their singing voices and be ready to start finding
and matching pitches.
Honoring
our
through song
rd
Veterans
th
Students in 3 -5 grade will be singing their
thanks to our Veterans at this year’s Veterans
Day Program. It is titled, “On Veterans Day” and
the lyrics are a wonderful thank you to all of the
brave men and women who sacrified so much
for us. Here is an excerpt from the song:
“And so we thank you. And so we honor
you. You are the heart and soul of America.
And we are a grateful naton. We remember
on Veterans Day.”
th
4 grade music students are nearing the end of
their Star-Spangled Banner unit.
The unit
included seven different centers that focused on
learning the words to the song as well as what
many of them mean, learning more about
Francis Scott Key and the American flag, and
reading and playing a tone poem. If you are a
th
parent of a 4 grade student, ask your child
which station he/she liked the best!
We can use our 4 voices!
Preschool and kindergarten students are
exploring their four voices in music class. The
four voices are: talking; singing; whispering; and
calling (shouting). We talk about where in
school to use these different voices and we do a
variety of actitivies that develop the students’
understanding and ability to use their 4 voices.
The goal is for the students to start to recognize
Ta’s, Ti-Ti’s, and Rests…oh
my!
st
nd
1 and 2 grade students are learning and
continuing to develop their music literacy.
Students are identifying by sight and by ear
quarter notes, quarter rests, and double eighth
notes through various activities.
st
In 1 grade the students are composing rhythms
using popsicle sticks. Shh…don’t tell them, but
they are even doing a little bit of math when we
do this  Math is a big part of music when
counting beats and keeping time.
nd
2 graders have been exploring the music of
Frozen’s “Let It Go” in this month’s Music
Express Magazine. They were very eager to
sing this song and were able to locate the
rhythms in the sheet music. We even learned
and sang with dynamics (the louds and softs in
nd
music). Ask your 2 grader if he/she can
remember if p means loud or soft, and then
what f stands for. [f = loud/p = soft]
September Star Musicians
Miss Hines’s Kindergarten Class
La Farge Art Department
Calendars
$9.00 Each
Notecards
$6.00 for a set of 12
Available after Dec. 6th
Proceeds go to our Art
Scholarship Fund
Students in AP English & AP US History have really been working hard. They are learning new
vocabulary, skills, and content. They are also becoming better at managing their time!
A great resource for any unanswered questions you have about AP English and/or AP US
History is the College Board website. They are the organization that sponsors Advanced
Placement classes and exams. The College Board was formed in 1900 with the goal of
expanding access to higher education for all students. The AP FAQ page has answers to
questions like:



If I don’t get a good score on an AP Exam, will it hurt my chances for college admission?
When are the exams given? How much time does it take to finish one?
Will I lose points if I answer a multiple-choice question incorrectly?
The address for this site is:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about_faq.html#faq2
If you need to contact either Ms. Abel or Ms. Lund, please email them at:
[email protected] or [email protected].
Once again, La Farge juniors will attend Youth Government Day.
It will be held Wednesday, November 5 and is sponsored by the
American Legion.
Juniors will travel to Viroqua and watch a morning of court
proceedings. Then they will walk to the American
Legion for lunch, followed by a few guest
speakers. It is a great opportunity for our
students to meet their local officials and learn
how our local court system works!
If you have any questions about Youth
Government Day, please contact Amy Lund at
[email protected] or 625-0146.
Veterans Day
Program
The La Farge Schools’ Veterans’ Day
program will be held Tuesday,
November 11 at 10:00 a.m. in the
high school gymnasium.
The program will include the introduction
of local veterans, performances by the
La Farge Middle & High School Bands
and the elementary students, a guest
speaker, a video recognizing local
veterans, and the playing of Taps.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Please join us to Help honor our veterans.
Katrina Sletten, Director
Amy Lund, Assistant Director
Join the La Farge High School Drama
group for a fantastic parody murder
mystery!
Arrogant James Casanova Valentino Bond is in the middle of judging a cooking contest when
he (after a dramatic and quite theatrical death scene) falls over with a thud. It seems he’s
been unmercifully poisoned. Each contestant is suddenly a suspect with a motive for
wanting this man dead. When Detective Biddle shows up out of nowhere, he begins his
investigation immediately. As he questions the suspects, their stories come to life on stage
thanks to a reenactment team that has been provided for entertainment value.
Local Performances:
November 14
November 15
Stay tuned for times and locations!
Informational meetings will be held in November and
December for any high school students interested in
joining Forensics.
Forensics is an organization that gives students the
opportunity to compete in different categories of
public speaking. Students may compete in either
individual or group categories.
If you have any questions, please contact Amy Lund
([email protected]).
Important Dates to Know:




Monday, February 16, 2015: Subdistricts @ Westby
Saturday, March 14, 2015: District @ UW-La Crosse
Friday, April 17 or Saturday, April 18, 2015: State @ UW-Madison
Saturday, April 25, 2015: Local Performance Night
FLU SHOTS COMING OCTOBER 30TH!
Once again Vernon County Health Department will be giving flu shots, free of
charge, to all K4 – 12 students at La Farge Schools. The date is set for Thursday,
October 30, 2014. The following information will be sent home with students in
Elementary. The Middle School and High School students will be able to pick up
the necessary forms and information in the District Office. The forms should be
available during the third week of October. Turnaround time will be short.
 Parent Letter
 Influenza Vaccine Consent Form – this must be filled out completely and
signed.
 Vaccine Information Statement
Due to the limited amount of adult vaccines at this time, district staff will be
offered the flu shots first.
If you have any questions please call Sandy Jaynes at 625-0101 or Cheryl Hysel at
625-0103.
Non Discrimination Policy
It is the policy of the School District of La Farge that no person may be denied admission to any
public school in this district, or be denied participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be
discriminated against in any curricular, extracurricular, vocational, pupil service, recreational, or
other program or activity because of the person’s sex, race, national origin, ancestry, creed,
pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, or physical, mental, emotional, or
learning disability or handicap as required by the aforementioned statutes and acts. The district
encourages informal resolution of complaints under this policy. The School District of La Farge
offers vocational courses in the following areas: Family and Consumer Education, Technology
Education, Business Education, and Agribusiness Education. A complete listing of courses
offered is available in the school office.
Future Farmers of America (FFA) News
La Farge FFA will start our annual fruit sale in a few weeks. People who would like to
purchase should see an FFA member or contact Mr. Fowell directly at 625-0136. Fruit
will be delivered in early December!
November Breakfast and Lunch Menu for LaFarge School
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Skim chocolate and 1% white milk served with every meal
Fresh Veggies include carrots, broccoli, celery or other fresh veggies served daily
All bread grain are whole grain
Thursday
Friday
3 Assorted Muffins
4. Cheese Omelet
5. W/G Pancakes
6. Breakfast Burrito
7. Teacher Inservice
Juice
W/G Toast Juice
Juice
Juice
No School
Cheeseburger or Fish SaChicken on W/G BiscuitsSuper Nacho
Assorted Sand on W/G Bread
Cheezy or Tots
Peas
Refried Beans or & CornFresh Veggies
Cooked Carrots
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
Fresh Veggies
Fresh Veggies
SL= Ham Sand
SL= Fish Sand.
SL= Turkey Sand.
10. W/G French Toast S 11. Breakfast Pizza
12. W/G Pancakes
13. Breakfast Casserole 14. W/G Waffles
Juice
Juice
Juice
Juice
Juice
Mini Corn Dogs
Orange Chicken
BBQ Rib
W/G Pizza Dippers
W/G Quesadilla
Baked Beans
Rice
Mash potato
Fresh Veggies
Lettuce Salad
Fruit
Broccoli
Green Beans
Fruit
Fresh Veggies
Fresh Veggies
Fresh Veggies
Fruit
SL= Hamburger
Fruit
SL= Ham Sand.
SL= Chicken Sand.
SL= Turkey Sand.
17. W/G Muffins
18. Bagels
19. Cheese Omelet
20.Assorted muffins
21. Egg Muffin
Juice
Juice
Toast Juice
Juice
Juice
Chicken Nuggets
Swiss Steak
Taco
Thanksgiving Dinner
Pizza
Cheezy Potatoes
Mash Potato / Gravy
Refried or Green Beans Turkey Dressing
Lettuce Salad
Mixed Vegetable
Cooked Carrots
Fruit
Mash Potato
Fresh Veggies
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
SL= Hamburger
SL= Fish Sandwich
Fresh Baked Cookies
24. Breakfast Pizza
25. W/G French Toast 26. Cinnamon Roll
27. Thanksgiving Day 28. No School
Juice
Juice
Juice
Ravioli or Chicken NoodlEarly Release
W/G Chicken Sand
Baked Potato
Mixed Vegetables
No Lunch Served
Cooked Carrots
Fruit
Fruit
SL= Chicken Sand
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer
December Breakfast and Lunch Menu For LaFarge School
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
2. W/G Muffins
3. Cheese Omelet
4. W/G Pancakes
5. Breakfast Burrito
6. Egg Muffin
Juice
W/G Toast Juice
Juice
Juice
Juice
Cheeseburger on W/G BChicken on W/G BiscuitsSuper Nacho
Assorted Sand on W/G BChili/Chicken Noodle
Baked Potato or Tots
Peas
Refried Beans or & CornFresh Veggies
Corn Bread
Cooked Carrots
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
Fresh Veggies
Fruit
Fruit
SL= Ham Sand
SL= Fish Sand.
SL= Turkey Sand.
11. W/G French Toast S 12. Breakfast Pizza
13. W/G Pancakes
14. Breakfast Casserole 15. W/G Waffles
Juice
Juice
Juice
Juice
Juice
Turkey Corns Dogs
Chicken Strip
Calzone
W/G Pizza Dippers
W/G Quesadilla
Baked Beans
Mash Potato / Gravy
Fresh Veggies
Fresh Veggies
Lettuce Salad
Fruit
Corn
Fruit
Fruit
Fresh Veggies
Fruit
Fruit
SL= Hamburger
SL= Ham Sand.
SL= Chicken Sand.
SL= Turkey Sand.
18. W/G Muffins
19. W/G Waffles
20. Cheese Omelet
19. Bagels
20. Egg Muffin
Juice
Juice
Toast Juice
Juice
Juice
W/G Chicken Nuggets Swiss Steak
Taco
Christmas Dinner
Pizza
Cheezy Potatoes
Mash Potato / Gravy
Refried or Green Beans Ham & Cheese
Lettuce Salad Veggies
Green beans
Cooked Carrots
Fruit
Hashbrowns
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
Fruit
SL= Hamburger
SL= Fish Sandwich
Christmas Cookie
22. Breakfast Pizza
23. Cinnamon Roll
Juice
Juice
Cheeseburger
Early Release
Baked or Tots
No Lunch
Fruit
Skim chocolate and 1% white milk served with every meal
Fresh Veggies include carrots, broccoli, celery or other fresh veggies served daily
All bread grain are whole grain
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer