Ithaca School District

BOYS BASKETBALL ANNOUNCEMENT - Just a reminder - this was announced at practice today - due to the incoming weather there will be no boys basketball practice tomorrow (Wednesday December 30). We will practice again on Thursday from 7-9 AM in the old gym. Please stay safe!

Mrs. Behrens invites you all to go to the Ithaca Band or school FB pages to enjoy the performances of all three levels of band. Each student recorded themselves playing their portion of the composite piece. The 6th Grade Band played "Good King Wenceslas", the Middle School Band played "God Rest You Merry Peeps", and the High School Band performed "Silent Night". Merry Christmas from Mrs. Behrens and the Ithaca Bands.

As we begin our Holiday Break, everyone at Ithaca Public Schools wishes all our families and community members a very Merry Christmas and amazing New Year! Enjoy the much-needed break, and we'll see you when we resume school on January 4th.

Dec. 23, 2020 Today is a Day 1 Tuesday's winner of $75 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Lyndsey Swenson, Lone Rock, with ticket #363. Middle School Girls Basketball season will be starting soon! Girls in 6th-8th grade are welcome to attend open gym on the following days: Monday Dec 28 ~ Thursday Dec 31st (9:30-11:00am, old gym). We will be starting practice on Monday January 4. (3:30-5:30- old gym) Please submit all concussion forms & WIAA physical forms in to the office, prior to the first practice date. We will have a schedule coming out soon! Any questions or concerns please reach out to Coach Monica Kershner or Coach Bailey Miller. Word of the Day: Unctuous uhngk-choo-uhs Unctuous adj. (of a person) Excessively or ingratiatingly flattering. “Anxious to please in an unctuous way.” Birthdays: Elementary—Malakai Tauaalo on 12/27 and Lyvia Pickel on 12/31, Averie Montes on 01/01, Peyton Brown on 01/02, Alexander Toussaint on 01/02 H.S./M.S.—Michah Salisbury 12/25, Evan Gomez & Kailey Newkirk 12/26, Wyatt Hilby & Adam Kepler on 12/31, Ethan Stowell on 01/01 Staff—Larry Hines on 12/29, Adam Hess on 12/27, Kate Powell on 12/30, Mike Mani on 12/30

Dec. 22, 2020 Today is a Day 2 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Band, 7th Grade - Choir, 8th Grade - Band. HS Band and Choir are on the Day 5 Schedule. Monday's winner of $75 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Jane Kepler, Richland Center, with ticket #95. HS Band Students: Secret Santa gift opening will be held on Zoom during Attack time. You don't need to check in with your Attack teacher today. If you didn't participate, you don't need to join. The high school girl’s basketball game at Seneca on Tuesday, December 22nd has been cancelled. Middle School Girls Basketball season will be starting soon! Girls in 6th-8th grade are welcome to attend open gym on the following days: Monday Dec 28 ~ Thursday Dec 31st (9:30-11:00am, old gym). We will be starting practice on Monday January 4. (3:30-5:30- old gym) Please submit all concussion forms & WIAA physical forms in to the office, prior to the first practice date. We will have a schedule coming out soon! Any questions or concerns please reach out to Coach Monica Kershner or Coach Bailey Miller. Word of the Day: Surreal suh-ree-uhl, -reel Surreal adj. Having the disorienting quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic. “There was something surreal about the diving accident.” Birthdays: Elementary—none H.S./M.S.—Calix Wheaton

Middle School Girls Basketball season will be starting soon! 😃🏀 Girls in 6th-8th grade are welcome to attend open gym on the following days: Monday Dec 28 ~ Thursday Dec 31st (9:30-11:00am, old gym) We will be starting practice on Monday January 4. (3:30-5:30- old gym) Please submit all concussion forms & WIAA physical forms in to the office, prior to the first practice date. We will have a schedule coming out soon! Any questions or concerns please reach out to Coach Monica Kershner or Coach Bailey Miller.

Dec. 21, 2020 Today is a Day 1 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Choir, 7th Grade - Band, 8th Grade - Choir. HS Band and Choir are on the Day 4 Schedule. The weekend winners in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle were Aaron Huebsch - $50, Sabrina Fargen - $100, and Jim Luxton - $50. HS Band Students: This is a reminder to come to school today to pick up your Secret Santa gifts. We will open the presents up on Tuesday during Attack time. PTSO Online Spirit Sale items will be available to pickup on Monday, December 21 from 5-7pm in the commons. Middle School Girls Basketball season will be starting soon! Girls in 6th-8th grade are welcome to attend open gym on the following days: Monday Dec 28 ~ Thursday Dec 31st (9:30-11:00am, old gym) We will be starting practice on Monday January 4. (3:30-5:30- old gym) Please submit all concussion forms & WIAA physical forms in to the office, prior to the first practice date. We will have a schedule coming out soon! Any questions or concerns please reach out to Coach Monica Kershner or Coach Bailey Miller. The annual food drive put on by Student Council is going to be a little different this year but we still wanted to support Passages. We are going to have 3 nights to donate at our Food Drive Through Drop Off. Those nights are December 15, 17 and 21 from 4-6 pm. Bring your donations to the elementary drop off and food pick up area and a member of the Student council will unload your donation for you! Plus we have heard that Santa may be there to say Hello! We are continuing to have the food drive competition a school wide event. The top three classes throughout the elementary, middle, and high school who collect the most pounds of food will get a pizza or ice cream party! Water will be accepted as a donation but not counted towards pounds of food collected. Thank you for your support and donations to the less fortunate people in our community! Birthdays: Elementary—Today, Paislee Grassman, on Saturday, Shayla Klingaman H.S./M.S.—Katarina Weitzel

Dec. 18, 2020 Today is a Day 2 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Band, 7th Grade - Choir, 8th Grade - Band. HS Band and Choir are on the Day 3 Schedule. Thursday's winner of $50 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Gene Clary, Richland Center, with ticket #40. HS Band Students: This is a reminder to bring your Secret Santa gifts into the band room at any time today between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm. Please put the name of the recipient as well as your own name on the gift. Attention Ithaca Choir: Fruit orders can be picked up today at the bus garage in Ithaca. Students who submitted the order may pick up their fruit between 3-5:30pm. Masks and social distancing protocols will be observed. More details were emailed to parents. The annual food drive put on by Student Council is going to be a little different this year but we still wanted to support Passages. We are going to have 3 nights to donate at our Food Drive Through Drop Off. Those nights are December 15, 17 and 21 from 4-6 pm. Bring your donations to the elementary drop off and food pick up area and a member of the Student council will unload your donation for you! Plus we have heard that Santa may be there to say Hello! We are continuing to have the food drive competition a school wide event. The top three classes throughout the elementary, middle, and high school who collect the most pounds of food will get a pizza or ice cream party! Water will be accepted as a donation but not counted towards pounds of food collected. Thank you for your support and donations to the less fortunate people in our community! Word of the Day: Elegiac el-i-jahy-uhk, -ak, ih-lee-jee-ak Elegiac adj. Having a mournful quality. “An elegiac poem.” Birthdays: Elementary—Today, Paislee Grassman, on Saturday, Shayla Klingaman H.S./M.S.—on Saturday, Daniel Feryance, Benjamin Otto, on Sunday, Marshell Self

Ithaca Staff embraced a little holiday spirit by caroling yesterday. Check out the talents of our staff as they share some Christmas carol classics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ37lArHswA&feature=youtu.be

A Surprise Visitor Joins the First Ever Virtual Literacy Night at Ithaca! On December 14, Ithaca held their first ever virtual Family Literacy Event hosted by the Title 1 Program. Over 80 students registered for the literacy night planned by Mr. Kyle Lange and Mrs. Andrea Newkirk. They started the event by reading the classic story, Twas the Night Before Christmas. Mrs. Newkirk discussed the Title 1 Reading Program. Each family picked up a bag of goodies from the school which included a countdown to Christmas Santa calendar, supplies to make a reindeer ornament, and a cookie decorating kit. The event concluded with a surprise visit from Santa! After the virtual event, families spent time making memories by working on the projects that were included in their bags.

Dec. 17, 2020 Today is a Day 1 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Choir, 7th Grade - Band, 8th Grade - Choir. HS Band and Choir are on the Day 2 Schedule. Wednesday's winner of $75 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Jeff Scallon, Hillpoint, with ticket #200. HS Band Students: This is a reminder to bring your Secret Santa gifts into the band room at any time between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm on Friday. Please put the name of the recipient as well as your own name on the gift. Attention Ithaca Choir: Fruit orders can be picked up Friday, December 18th at the bus garage in Ithaca. Students who submitted the order may pick up their fruit between 3-5:30pm. Masks and social distancing protocols will be observed. More details were emailed to parents. Attention students in grades 4-8 - remember to take the Spelling Bee online qualification test this week. Sign up at https://online-test.spellingbee.com and take the online test by Friday, December 18 at 6 PM. School spelling bee qualifiers will be announced on Monday, December 21. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Plonka. The annual food drive put on by Student Council is going to be a little different this year but we still wanted to support Passages. We are going to have 3 nights to donate at our Food Drive Through Drop Off. Those nights are December 15, 17 and 21 from 4-6 pm. Bring your donations to the elementary drop off and food pick up area and a member of the Student council will unload your donation for you! Plus we have heard that Santa may be there to say Hello! We are continuing to have the food drive competition a school wide event. The top three classes throughout the elementary, middle, and high school who collect the most pounds of food will get a pizza or ice cream party! Water will be accepted as a donation but not counted towards pounds of food collected. Thank you for your support and donations to the less fortunate people in our community! Mrs. Murphey is BACK! Please join Mrs. Murphey, Mrs. Thompson, and Mrs. Zorea for an introductory Forensics meeting on Thursday, December 17th during ATTACK time at 11:50am. This will be a Zoom meeting to discuss updates to this year's season, get you on our sign up list with your availability, and talk about the season timeline. Use this link to join.https://zoom.us/j/98511446133 Word of the Day: Colloquial kuh-loh-kwee-uhl Colloquial (ism) adj. (of language) Used in ordinary conversation; not formal or literary. “His lecture was quite engaging due to his colloquial speech. Birthdays: Elementary—Jerika Banker, Jaxson Elliott H.S./M.S.—none

Dec. 16, 2020 Today is a Day 2 Tuesday's winner of $50 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Elise Nelson, Richland Center, with ticket #274. HS Band Students: This is a reminder to bring your Secret Santa gifts into the band room at any time between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm on Friday. Please put the name of the recipient as well as your own name on the gift. Attention Ithaca Choir: Fruit orders can be picked up Friday, December 18th at the bus garage in Ithaca. Students who submitted the order may pick up their fruit between 3-5:30pm. Masks and social distancing protocols will be observed. More details were emailed to parents. Attention students in grades 4-8 - remember to take the Spelling Bee online qualification test this week. Sign up at https://online-test.spellingbee.com and take the online test by Friday, December 18 at 6 PM. School spelling bee qualifiers will be announced on Monday, December 21. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Plonka. The annual food drive put on by Student Council is going to be a little different this year but we still wanted to support Passages. We are going to have 3 nights to donate at our Food Drive Through Drop Off. Those nights are December 15, 17 and 21 from 4-6 pm. Bring your donations to the elementary drop off and food pick up area and a member of the Student council will unload your donation for you! Plus we have heard that Santa may be there to say Hello! We are continuing to have the food drive competition a school wide event. The top three classes throughout the elementary, middle, and high school who collect the most pounds of food will get a pizza or ice cream party! Water will be accepted as a donation but not counted towards pounds of food collected. Thank you for your support and donations to the less fortunate people in our community! Mrs. Murphey is BACK! Please join Mrs. Murphey, Mrs. Thompson, and Mrs. Zorea for an introductory Forensics meeting on Thursday, December 17th during ATTACK time at 11:50am. This will be a Zoom meeting to discuss updates to this year's season, get you on our sign up list with your availability, and talk about the season timeline. Use this link to join.https://zoom.us/j/98511446133 Word of the Day: Ignoble Ignoble adj. Not honorable in character or purpose; shameful. “An ignoble act.” Birthdays: Elementary—Gracelynn Miller H.S./M.S.—John Honer

Lots of Ugly Sweaters yesterday to kick off our Holiday Spirit Week! Send us your pictures of today's white out for Blizzard Day. Tomorrow wear your best holiday clothing and celebrate with a Holiday Dress Up day.

There's still time to help improve the Ithaca Softball field! By watching a video, answering a few questions, and a few other activities, we can earn points toward raising as much as $1000 from US Cellular. No money is needed from the community for this project. Click the link to get started towarding supporting our school and team. https://communityconnections.uscellular.com/support/ithaca-softball-team

The 2020 National FCCLA Contest was held this fall, and our Ithaca students stand out again! Each category has three levels broken on grade in school. Because of COVID this year's competition was held virtually with students having to record their presentation and send it into the judges. We had four students compete: Aubrey Weidenfeld and Talena Sprecher in Interviewing, Anna Dahlke in Toys that Teach and Maggie Gscwind in Consumer Math Challenge. Anna Dahlke earned 1st Place in the Nation Level 2 and Maggie Gswhind received 2nd place in the Nation Level 1. Congratulations to these young ladies for making the effort to compete in these challenging times and for their successes!

Dec. 15, 2020 Today is a Day 1 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Band, 7th Grade - Choir, 8th Grade - Band. HS Band and Choir are on the Day 1 Schedule. Monday's winner of $75 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Shirley Grenie, Cazenovia, with ticket #515. Attention Ithaca Choir: Fruit orders can be picked up Friday, December 18th at the bus garage in Ithaca. Students who submitted the order may pick up their fruit between 3-5:30pm. Masks and social distancing protocols will be observed. More details were emailed to parents. Attention students in grades 4-8 - remember to take the Spelling Bee online qualification test this week. Sign up at https://online-test.spellingbee.com and take the online test by Friday, December 18 at 6 PM. School spelling bee qualifiers will be announced on Monday, December 21. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Plonka. The annual food drive put on by Student Council is going to be a little different this year but we still wanted to support Passages. We are going to have 3 nights to donate at our Food Drive Through Drop Off. Those nights are December 15, 17 and 21 from 4-6 pm. Bring your donations to the elementary drop off and food pick up area and a member of the Student council will unload your donation for you! Plus we have heard that Santa may be there to say Hello! We are continuing to have the food drive competition a school wide event. The top three classes throughout the elementary, middle, and high school who collect the most pounds of food will get a pizza or ice cream party! Water will be accepted as a donation but not counted towards pounds of food collected. Thank you for your support and donations to the less fortunate people in our community! Mrs. Murphey is BACK! Please join Mrs. Murphey, Mrs. Thompson, and Mrs. Zorea for an introductory Forensics meeting on Thursday, December 17th during ATTACK time at 11:50am. This will be a Zoom meeting to discuss updates to this year's season, get you on our sign up list with your availability, and talk about the season timeline. Use this link to join.https://zoom.us/j/98511446133 Word of the Day: Tenuous ten-yoo-uhs Tenuous adj. Very weak or slight; insubstantial. “A tenuous argument.” Birthdays: Elementary—Michaella Seep H.S./M.S.—Alexia McCullough, Sawyer Simpson

Dec. 14, 2020 Today is a Day 2 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Choir, 7th Grade - Band, 8th Grade - Choir. HS Band and Choir are on the Day 5 Schedule. The weekend winners in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle were Brandon Harness - $50 with ticket #300, Kari Honer - $100 with ticket #458, and Amy Reyzek - $50 with ticket #128. There will be a student council meeting during attack today Thank you everyone who participated in the PTSO's Christmas Zoom Trivia Night Friday night! Congratulations to the Menne'-Plonka family team who were the high scorers of the night. Also Congratulations to the Niemeyer family for winning a $50 Culver's gift card, the Brown family for winning a $50 Papa Murphy's gift card, and the Pluemer family for winning a $50 Richland Family Restaurant gift card. Happy Holidays and best wishes for a healthy 2021 from the Ithaca PTSO!!! Attention students in grades 4-8 - remember to take the Spelling Bee online qualification test this week. Sign up at https://online-test.spellingbee.com and take the online test by Friday, December 18 at 6 PM. School spelling bee qualifiers will be announced on Monday, December 21. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Plonka. The annual food drive put on by Student Council is going to be a little different this year but we still wanted to support Passages. We are going to have 3 nights to donate at our Food Drive Through Drop Off. Those nights are December 15, 17 and 21 from 4-6 pm. Bring your donations to the elementary drop off and food pick up area and a member of the Student council will unload your donation for you! Plus we have heard that Santa may be there to say Hello! We are continuing to have the food drive competition a school wide event. The top three classes throughout the elementary, middle, and high school who collect the most pounds of food will get a pizza or ice cream party! Water will be accepted as a donation but not counted towards pounds of food collected. Thank you for your support and donations to the less fortunate people in our community! Mrs. Murphey is BACK! Please join Mrs. Murphey, Mrs. Thompson, and Mrs. Zorea for an introductory Forensics meeting on Thursday, December 17th during ATTACK time at 11:50am. This will be a Zoom meeting to discuss updates to this year's season, get you on our sign up list with your availability, and talk about the season timeline. Use this link to join.https://zoom.us/j/98511446133 Word of the Day: Ostracize os-truh-sahyz Ostracize v. Exclude (someone) from a society or group. “She felt ostracized by society. Birthdays: Elementary—none H.S./M.S.—Trevor Templen

Great news! It appears Google Mail is up and running again. We hope everyone has a GREAT Monday!

Good morning Ithaca community. Google has been experiencing worldwide downtime this morning. It has affected Google Mail, Drive, Docs, Single sign on and YouTube. As of this moment, everything seems to be restored except for email. Your student (and teacher) can now sign into a Chromebook and Schoology with the usual Single Sign On technique. We will keep everyone informed here as to WHEN email becomes available. Thank you.

Show off your Holiday Spirit! Monday starts our week-long Holiday Spirit Week. Let's see your ugliest holiday sweater on Monday. Share your pictures with us! Send to a teacher, email to juli.thompson@ithaca.k12.wi.us or post to the school's social media!