Tuesday, September 8, 2015

September 2015



Karcher Character Students of the Week
Every week five students will be chosen by our staff for "Karcher Character Student of the Week".  One student from every house (Onyx, Diamond, Hive, & Silver) along with one from the applied academic courses.  The 6th student is chosen from the Karcher Character Bucks students receive throughout the week.  All 6 of these students displayed positive character behaviors within our 8 focused traits:  

Be... responsible, respectful, kind, safe, honest, loyal, compassionate, courageous.  

Student's of the week
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Reminders/Information
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  • Milk prices increased from 25 cents to 30 cents.
  • When dropping off and picking up your student please do not use the circle drive.  All vehicles should pick up on Robert Street.  
  • Students are only allowed to use their cell phones/technology during lunch time or passing time.  Technology is not to be seen in the classroom unless instructed by the teacher to bring/use technology (i.e. cell phones).  
  • September 9th is picture day.
  • No school on September 25th:  teacher in-service.  
  • Parent-teacher conferences are October 12th from 4:00pm to 7:00pm.
  • Every staff member in the building has Karcher Character Bucks.  Students are given a KCB if they show one of the 8 character traits (Be... responsible, respectful, kind, safe, honest, loyal, compassionate, or courageous).  Students will then be able to utilize their KCB's during the school year for rewards, activities, etc.  I encourage you to ask your student if they have received a KCB yet!
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Pictures from the week
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Students on the 1st day of school receiving their lockers.

Mr. Malewicki's advisory going over expectations for the cafeteria.
 One of Ms. Hancock's science classes working on getting organized for the year!
Ms. Pelnar's art class working on the technique for shadowing.
 Ms. Pelnar's art class working on the technique for shadowing.
Students not letting the heat stop them from being active outside after lunch.

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Announcements
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8th Grade Students ONLY
All 8th grade students are encouraged to participate in the Racine Danish Kringle fundraiser to help reduce their individual Outdoor Education costs. The fundraiser will begin on September 14th and students will be able to sell until September 28th. Each Kringle sold will reduce the student seller’s Outdoor Education cost by $3. Kringle pick-up will be scheduled for late October after school. Please call Linda Amundson with questions, 763-0190, ext. 1114. 


Bowling Club
The Karcher bowling club will be bowling 1-2 times per month.  This club is open to all Karcher students.  Students will walk to Towne & Country Lanes after school and bowl two games.  Students may sign up with Mrs. Hoffman if they are interested in joining the bowling club. The club’s first bowling outing will be in mid October.
Karcher Student Council
Karcher Student Council representatives will be elected in advisory toward the end of September.  In addition there will be approximately 3-4 grade level representatives that students may apply for if not elected in their advisory.  2015 – 2016 Officers include President - Sarah Korducki, Vice President - Saige Heelien, Secretary - Cora Anderson, Treasurer - Marissa Pena
The first field trip of the year will be on October 13th at Camp MacLean.
Karcher Cross-Country Team
Karcher cross-country will begin on Tuesday, September 8th.   The team will be competing in 5 cross-country meets this season.  The team is open to all 7th & 8th grade boys and girls. Mrs. Marilee Hoffman is the coach and welcomes all runners who enjoy or would like to learn more about distance running.  The meets we compete in vary in distance between 1.5 – 2 miles.
Flag Football
KMS Flag Football will begin on Monday, September 14th.  This activity takes place right after school, and runs until 4:00 pm.  All 7th and 8th graders are welcome to participate.    The first three sessions will involve skill development, and rules for game play.  The rest of the sessions will consist of game play.  Days for participation are usually Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after school.  Permission slips and a complete schedule are available in the main office, or via your Coach Block and Coach Malewicki at school.Contact Mr. Block for more information.  763-0190

Monday,    September 14th      2:40 – 4:00 pm      Thursday, October 1st 2:40 – 4:00 pm  

Tuesday,   September 15th 2:40 – 4:00 pm            Monday,    October 5th 2:40 – 4:00 pm
Thursday, September 17th 2:40 – 4:00 pm            Tuesday,   October 6th 2:40 – 4:00 pm
Monday,    September 21st 2:40 – 4:00 pm           Thursday, October 8th 2:40 – 4:00 pm
Tuesday,   September 22nd 2:40 – 4:00 pm           Tuesday,   October 13th 2:40 – 4:00 pm
Thursday, September 24th 2:40 – 4:00 pm            Thursday, October 15th 2:40 – 4:00 pm
Monday,    September 28th     2:40 – 4:00 pm       Tuesday,   October 20th 2:40 – 4:00 pm
Tuesday,   September 29th 2:40 – 4:00 pm 

Yearbook Staff

Do you enjoy taking pictures and working on a computer?  If so yearbook may be the club for you!  Yearbook meets once a week until January and twice a week January, February and early March.  Contact Mrs. Berezowitz for a yearbook application.

Purchasing a Yearbook
Don't miss the opportunity to purchase this important keepsake for the school year. You can order a yearbook by going to Jostens Yearbooks. You can get other options online such personalization and icons. Yearbooks can be purchased at school for $22 (Please make check payable to Karcher) until December 18, 2015. The cost of books will be $25 on January 4th.
Fundraising
Dear Parents,

Karcher Middle School is currently doing the Shoparoo fundraiser. This fundraising opportunity does not require the need to sell items or ask coworkers to buy anything. We have partnered with a phone app called “Shoparoo”. It is a nationwide app that works on almost all smartphones. Last year we raised $150 with just 8-10 active members.  With your help we can raise even more money this year for Karcher’s students.  All you need to do is sign up and start earning points for Karcher.  We currently have 3 active member and are looking for more to join.


All you need to do to help raise money for Karcher is take a picture of your store receipt using the “Shoparoo” app and the program saves that picture. We receive points based on the total sale price on your receipt. In your picture, no personal information is needed and can easily be blacked out as well. The secure app is looking for a clear picture that includes, the date, store name, the items purchased, and the total of your purchases. If you have items you don’t want to include in the picture, you can cross those off. The secure app accepts receipts from pet stores, drug stores, supermarkets and any other retailers that sell food items.   


New this year, you can also take pictures of receipts from any retail store that does not include food, including restaurants, clothing stores, and other non-grocery related places and that will enter our school in various sweepstakes drawings.  You may ask, how does this app make money to send it back to the school?  Well, the app sells the general purchasing habits of consumers to companies to help them make informed marketing decisions about what and where consumers are buying. The points you earn will help earn money for our school.  The money that we raise will be used for our Karcher character days that we do throughout the school year.  We hope that you will participate in this simple fundraising opportunity, as it will benefit the entire school.  We thank you for your support and if you have any questions about the app or how it works you can contact Mike Jones at 763-0190 ext. 1121 or email him at mjones@basd.k12.wi.us.  You can also check out the app and how it works online at the following website:  

Shoparoo Fundraiser .  

If you enter the code rept3284 we can earn even more points because then it will be a reference and once you are signed up you can do the same for family and friends.  


Thank you for supporting this school wide fundraiser.



Karcher Staff

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

August 2015


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WELCOME BACK
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Dear Karcher Families,

It is with genuine excitement that I write this welcome back letter to you as the newly appointed principal of Karcher Middle School.  I started my professional career at Burlington High School in 2004 where I taught science for eight years.  I completed my Masters in Educational Leadership in 2010 gaining my principal license and curriculum & instruction license.  At the start of the 2011-2012 school year I joined the administrative team at Burlington High School and was an Assistant Principal there for four years.  I recently started my Ph.D. in Leadership, Learning, and Service and was given the opportunity to serve as principal for Karcher in late July 2015.  On a personal note my husband and I have identical 2 year old girls, Novalee and Samara, along with Maya (our Great Dane).  I am eager to begin the 2015-2016 school year and feel privileged to be given the opportunity to work with every student, family, and staff member at Karcher Middle School. 

Karcher also has a newly appointed Assistant Principal, Matt Behringer.  Matt also comes from Burlington High School with ten years of teaching experience in the area of mathematics.  Matt has his Masters in Educational Leadership where he gained his principal license and curriculum & instruction license as well.  Matt and his wife have a two year old son, Campbell.   

A new schedule was developed last year for the 2015-2016 school year (see below).  Every student will start his or her day in advisory for seven minutes.  This time will be used for attendance, announcements, and assisting students with knowing where they should report for iTime.  iTime will run right after the 7-minute advisory four times a week with the focus on intervention, enrichment and literacy strategies.  Every Wednesday students will have character curriculum lessons in lieu of iTime.  The final change to the schedule is to the length of each class period with 56-minute core classes (English, math, science, and social studies) and 42-minute elective classes.

Another adjustment 8th graders will notice and 7th graders will get to experience is within "The Karcher Way".  We have adjusted the old system to put more of an emphasis on encouraging students to partake in positive behaviors within the school day and be recognized for those positive behaviors. More information regarding "The Karcher Way" will be in sent to you at a later date.

During the course of the year it is my hope that we will work together to provide all students with exemplary educational opportunities.  As Principal, my door is always open and I welcome your input.  I look forward to meeting you at our Open House on August 26th.  

Sincerely,

Jill Oelslager
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Policies and/or Reminders
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  • No cell phones will be allowed within the classroom or hallways during passing time. 
    • Student's cell phones should remain in their lockers except for lunch time.  
    • There may be a time when cell phones are requested by the teacher for a specific lesson.  Then and only then will students be allowed to utilize their cell phones in the classroom.
    • If a student has their phone out during class the phone will be confiscated by the teacher and the student can pick it up from the office at the end of the day.
    • If the student violates the use of their cell phone a second time the phone will be in the main office for parents to pick up.
  • For safety reasons students are not allowed to carry a string bag, backpack, or purse to class.  All bags need to remain in each student’s locker.
  • Morning drop off:
    • Families planning on dropping their son or daughter off at the beginning of the school day are asked to do so on Robert Street.  Please do not enter the circle drive.  
    • All buses drop off on the backside of Karcher on Wainwright Avenue in the morning.
    • The building will open at 7:10am.

  • Afternoon pick-up:
    • Parents picking up their students should also pick up on Robert Street.  Please do not come into the circle drive.  
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Upcoming Dates
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Online Registration:  All students must be registered online prior to September 1st.
  • On-site Registration is held at Burlington High School for those families needing access to a computer or assistance. 
    • August 13th: 11:00 - 7:00pm
    • August 17th:  7:30 - 3:30pm
August 17th:  Schedules will be available through Skyward.

August 26th:  Open House from 6:30 to 8:00.  
  • Note:  Students should not bring their school supplies to open house.  Lockers will be given to students on the first day of school - September 1st.
September 1st:  First day of school!!!

September 9th:  Picture day
  • Students will be called to the U-Lab for pictures during the school day.
  • Order forms will be sent home with students.  Students will then need to turn in their order forms to the photographer at the time of their picture.  
October 12th:  Parent/Teacher Conferences from 4:00-7:00.
  • Conferences will be a blend between teacher requested meetings and open meetings (walk-ins) for all parents/guardians. 
October 21st:  Picture Make-ups

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2015-2016 Bell Schedule
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