Ithaca School District

March 17, 2021 Today is a Day 2 There will be a PTSO meeting today starting at 4 PM via Zoom. Hope to see you then! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83111432995 High School Art Club meeting during attack on Thursday until 4:00pm. All are welcome to join and attend. The Band students in grades 5 - 12 are selling Berres Flavored Coffee, a company from Watertown, WI. If you are interested, please contact a band student. Band Students - all fundraiser forms and money are due on Monday, March 22. Join Fellowship of Christian Athletes, this coming Thursday morning for another 'FCA Huddle Group'! 7:00am in the FACE room...enjoy a great breakfast, an inspiring devotion and a powerful message! We will also be taking a group picture for the yearbook! IF we have over 20 students, we will then meet in the gym. We are looking forward to another encouraging morning together! Bring a friend! Attn students in grades 8-12: The Morgridge Institute for Research and UW-Madison are offering FREE online Summer Science Camp workshops. If you are interested in more information, contact Mrs. Plonka. The deadline to sign up is May 15. Attn Middle and High School Students:The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation has launched an Editorial Writing & Cartoon Contest. High schoolers may write a 500 word article about the First Amendment and middle schoolers a 200 word letter to the editor about the First Amendment. Or you may create an original cartoon about the First Amendment. Cash prizes of up to $500 will be awarded to winners. Submissions are due May 15. Contact Mrs. Plonka for more information. For all boys and girls from grades 4K-8th. Registration forms are available in the school office. 2021 Ithaca Youth Baseball and Softball registration forms are due Friday, March 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Maxwell at (608) 588-4496. World Down Syndrome Day: The Middle School Student Council is collecting money from March 15-18, this is completely optional, that will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society, which supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement. Overall, the goal for this day is to inform and educate people about this condition. For those of you interested in donating during those dates (March 15-18), there will be collection jars in each elementary classroom, one for middle school in room 205, and one for high school on the microwave by the office. In support of World Down Syndrome day on Thursday, March 18, the Middle School Student Council is holding a dress up day for you to wear the colors blue and yellow. Word of the Day: Formative fawr-muh-tiv Formative (for·ma·tive) adj. Of or relating to formation, growth, or development: the formative stages of a child. Birthdays: Elementary—Kaylynn Burns H.S./M.S.—David Fargen and Trista Pluemer

Badger Girls State and Badger Boys State recognition! Every year, two students are nominated to represent Ithaca Schools as Badger Girl and Badger Boy. To be eligible, candidates must be enrolled in the Junior year, have an interest in government and citizenship, have outstanding qualities of leadership and good character, be an honor roll student, and participate in extra-curricular activities. Badger Boys and Girls State are designed to train students in the science of government and to further develop their leadership skills. This program also educates young leaders on how to become more impactful community members of Wisconsin. This is a summer week program that is held at UW-Oshkosh for Badger Girls and Ripon College for Badger Boys. The organization is unable to hold session this year due to the continuing concern of the COVID-19 pandemic. We still wanted to recognize and congratulate our two candidates: Ty Kershner and Emma Schoen!

Join Fellowship of Christian Athletes, this coming Thursday morning for another FCA Huddle Group! 7:00am in the FACE room...enjoy a great breakfast, an inspiring devotion and a powerful message! We will also be taking a group picture for the yearbook! IF we have over 20 students, we will then meet in the gym. We are looking forward to another encouraging morning together! Bring a friend!

Congratulations to our elementary writers! Our local DKG chapter judges the original fiction and/or enhanced personal narrative books submitted by area students based on Story Structure/Organization, Creativity/ Originality, accomplished spelling, sentence structure and grammar, as well as, Presentation/Illustrations. Up to ten of the local chapter winners are sent to the state level. The books are judged again, with these books also being judged for illustrations. Illustrations are judged for their Originality, Appropriateness to text, Continuity throughout the story, Creative use of art media and techniques, Cover Design and Neatness. Winning books are displayed at the Spring Wisconsin State Organization Convention. Top winners are invited to the convention luncheon and asked to read their books to the Delta Kappa Gamma Members. Ithaca winners for the 2021 Delta Kappa Gamma writing competition are as follows and pictured.

March 16, 2021 Today is a Day 1 Elementary Day 3 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 3 schedule. Lunch for today: First choice-Chicken Chop Suey Over Rice, Second choice-Cheese Burger, Broccoli, Peaches, Dinner Roll, Dessert, Milk High School Art Club meeting during attack on Thursday until 4:00pm. All are welcome to join and attend. Any senior wishing to apply for St. Mary’s Keyesville scholarship and didn’t turn theirs in yesterday due to the early release may still do so today. Please hand them in to Mrs. Kershner by the end of the day. The Band students in grades 5 - 12 are selling Berres Flavored Coffee, a company from Watertown, WI. If you are interested, please contact a band student. Band Students - all fundraiser forms and money are due on Monday, March 22. Join Fellowship of Christian Athletes, this coming Thursday morning for another 'FCA Huddle Group'! 7:00am in the FACE room...enjoy a great breakfast, an inspiring devotion and a powerful message! We will also be taking a group picture for the yearbook! IF we have over 20 students, we will then meet in the gym. We are looking forward to another encouraging morning together! Bring a friend! Attn students in grades 8-12: The Morgridge Institute for Research and UW-Madison are offering FREE online Summer Science Camp workshops. If you are interested in more information, contact Mrs. Plonka. The deadline to sign up is May 15. Attn Middle and High School Students:The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation has launched an Editorial Writing & Cartoon Contest. High schoolers may write a 500 word article about the First Amendment and middle schoolers a 200 word letter to the editor about the First Amendment. Or you may create an original cartoon about the First Amendment. Cash prizes of up to $500 will be awarded to winners. Submissions are due May 15. Contact Mrs. Plonka for more information. There will be a PTSO meeting this Wednesday, March 17 starting at 4 PM via Zoom. Hope to see you then! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83111432995 For all boys and girls from grades 4K-8th. Registration forms are available in the school office. 2021 Ithaca Youth Baseball and Softball registration forms are due Friday, March 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Maxwell at (608) 588-4496. World Down Syndrome Day: The Middle School Student Council is collecting money from March 15-18, this is completely optional, that will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society, which supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement. Overall, the goal for this day is to inform and educate people about this condition. For those of you interested in donating during those dates (March 15-18), there will be collection jars in each elementary classroom, one for middle school in room 205, and one for high school on the microwave by the office. In support of World Down Syndrome day on Thursday, March 18, the Middle School Student Council is holding a dress up day for you to wear the colors blue and yellow. This day in History: March 16, 1802; The United States Military Academy—the first military school in the United States—is founded by Congress for the purpose of educating and training young men in the theory and practice of military science. Located at West Point, New York, the U.S. Military Academy is often simply known as West Point. Word of the Day: Ostentatious os-ten-tey-shuhs Ostentatious (os·ten·ta·tious) adj. Characterized by or given to pretentiousness. “The chandelier was the most ostentatious I have ever seen.” Birthdays: Elementary—Carter Pluemer H.S./M.S.—none Staff-Mr. Urban, and Sylvester Deitelhoff

Today is Monday, March 15, 2021. Due to the impending storm, Ithaca Public schools will release students at 1:00 for the elementary, and at 1:15 for the Middle and High school.

World Down Syndrome Day, March 21st, is a day to spread awareness and advocate for those who may experience unjust treatment for having Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. It is not yet known why this syndrome occurs, but Down Syndrome has always been a part of the human condition. It exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics, and health. The Middle School Student Council is collecting money from March 15-18, this is completely optional, that will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society, which supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement. Overall, the goal for this day is to inform and educate people about this condition. For those of you interested in donating during those dates (March 15-18), there will be collection jars in each elementary classroom, one for middle school in room 205, and one for high school on the microwave by the office. In support of World Down Syndrome day on Thursday, March 18, the Middle School Student Council is holding a dress up day for you to wear the colors blue and yellow.

March 15, 2021 Today is a Day 2 Elementary 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 2 schedule. Lunch for today: First choice-Corn Dog, Second choice-Fish Sticks, Baked Beans, Pineapple, Dinner Roll, Milk The Band students in grades 5 - 12 are selling Berres Flavored Coffee, a company from Watertown, WI. If you are interested, please contact a band student. Band Students - all fundraiser forms and money are due on Monday, March 22. Seniors...please check your email regarding upcoming scholarship opportunities! Also, you can access all scholarship information on our school website. Go to counselor’s corner and click on scholarship info. We live in a great community with gracious givers! Attn students in grades 8-12: The Morgridge Institute for Research and UW-Madison are offering FREE online Summer Science Camp workshops. If you are interested in more information, contact Mrs. Plonka. The deadline to sign up is May 15. Attn Middle and High School Students:The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation has launched an Editorial Writing & Cartoon Contest. High schoolers may write a 500 word article about the First Amendment and middle schoolers a 200 word letter to the editor about the First Amendment. Or you may create an original cartoon about the First Amendment. Cash prizes of up to $500 will be awarded to winners. Submissions are due May 15. Contact Mrs. Plonka for more information. There will be a PTSO meeting this Wednesday, March 17 starting at 4 PM via Zoom. Hope to see you then! https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83111432995 For all boys and girls from grades 4K-8th. Registration forms are available in the school office. 2021 Ithaca Youth Baseball and Softball registration forms are due Friday, March 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Maxwell at (608) 588-4496. World Down Syndrome Day: The Middle School Student Council is collecting money from March 15-18, this is completely optional, that will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society, which supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement. Overall, the goal for this day is to inform and educate people about this condition. For those of you interested in donating during those dates (March 15-18), there will be collection jars in each elementary classroom, one for middle school in room 205, and one for high school on the microwave by the office. In support of World Down Syndrome day on Thursday, March 18, the Middle School Student Council is holding a dress up day for you to wear the colors blue and yellow. Ithaca Youth For Change invites you to join a prevention workshop. We're finding new ways to reduce drug misuse, change our community and be leaders! Join the fight, stand for something and make our community better. This prevention workshop will be held via Zoom on Monday, March 15th from 4-6 pm. If you are planning on attending, zooming from the school building is an option. Meet in the commons after school. We hope to see you on the screen! This Day in History: On March 15, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson used the phrase “we shall overcome,” borrowed from African American leaders struggling for equal rights; Johnson declared that “every American citizen must have an equal right to vote.” Johnson reminded the nation that the Fifteenth Amendment, which was passed after the Civil War, gave all citizens the right to vote regardless of race or color. But states had defied the Constitution and erected barriers. Discrimination had taken the form of literacy, knowledge or character tests administered solely to African Americans to keep them from registering to vote. Word of the Day: Expeditious ek-spi-dish-uhs Expeditious (ex·pe·di·tious) adj. Acting or done with speed and efficiency. Birthdays: Elementary— none H.S./M.S.—none Staff-Mike Hutchison, bus driver

Substitute Teachers make an incredible impact on our children’s education. In fact, one full year of a child’s K-12 education is taught by substitute teachers, according to the Substitute Teaching Institute at Utah State University. In recognition of all they do, schools across the country will celebrate the approximately 270,000 men and women who fill in for permanent teachers. Pictured are: Sly Deitelhoff, Dave Hinrichs, Janet Jeffers, Jeanna Lorenz, Liz Pulvermacher, Chay Schmitt, Heather Stocks, and Michael Whiteside.

March 12, 2021 Today is a Day 1 Elementary 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 1 schedule. Lunch for today: First choice-Cheese Pizza, Second choice-Pulled Pork Sandwich, Caesar Salad Pears, Dinner Roll, Milk Forensics team: District video round 2 starts today right after school! Dress appropriately and meet in the LMC. Those who recorded on Wednesday should attend as well to support your teammates! Seniors...please check your email regarding upcoming scholarship opportunities! Also, you can access all scholarship information on our school website. Go to counselors corner and click on scholarship info. We live in a great community with gracious givers! Today is the final day of National School Social Work week. School Social Workers implement multi-tiered programs and practices, value student self-determination, and honor confidentiality. Mrs. Pluemer thanks you for your support of your School Social Worker! Good luck to the Destination Imagination teams as they will be doing their main challenge recordings tomorrow to try to qualify for state. Teams include: The 7 Yetis - Kerrick Thompson, Meghan Miller, Sam Jones, Annabeth Sprecher, Braysen Garcia-Boland, and Maylee Pluemer. The Secret Six - Abby Plonka, Owen Feryance, Ally Plonka, Jadyn Boland, Callie Muckler, and Caden Keller. Scrat Rats - Maggie Gschwind, Holly King, Trista Pluemer, and Tristen Peterson. And the Chicken Trio - Miranda Franzen, Kaylee Peterson, and Alivya Young. The yearbook staff will be taking group photos for the yearbook today during Attack. Some of these photos are for band, choir, FCCLA, FCA and others. Attention Middle school volleyball players, practice will start Monday in the old gym right after school. Attention Middle school football players, practice will start Monday after school. Bring clothes and shoes for both indoor and outdoor practice. Middle School Wrestlers: Please drop off your uniforms in the office as soon as possible. For all boys and girls from grades 4K-8th. Registration forms are available in the school office. 2021 Ithaca Youth Baseball and Softball registration forms are due Friday, March 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Maxwell at (608) 588-4496. World Down Syndrome Day: The Middle School Student Council is collecting money from March 15-18, this is completely optional, that will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society, which supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: Resources & Support, Policy & Advocacy and Community Engagement. Overall, the goal for this day is to inform and educate people about this condition. For those of you interested in donating during those dates (March 15-18), there will be collection jars in each elementary classroom, one for middle school in room 205, and one for high school on the microwave by the office. In support of World Down Syndrome day on Thursday, March 18, the Middle School Student Council is holding a dress up day for you to wear the colors blue and yellow. Ithaca Youth For Change invites you to join a prevention workshop. We're finding new ways to reduce drug misuse, change our community and be leaders! Join the fight, stand for something and make our community better. This prevention workshop will be held via Zoom on Monday, March 15th from 4-6 pm. If you're interested in joining this fun learning experience, contact Mrs. Dickey, Mrs. Pleumer, Carissa Willis, or Emma Schoen to get signed up! Prizes will be given to all participants! Hope to see you on the screen! Congratulations to ALL the students who successfully completed their story and submitted it on time for Delta Kappa Gamma. This year's winners: 3rd Grade Molly Geraths, Smoking the Bees, 2nd Place Kashtyn Alt, Another Boy, 3rd Place Cameron Beasley, My Family Trip 2020, 3rd Place Brynli Brady, Summer Vacation, Honorable Mention Briggs Maxwell, The Hunt, 1st Place Odin Alexander, My Four Wheeler, 1st Place Alejandro Abarca, Costa Rica, 2nd Place Desiree Buscher, North Dakota, Honorable Mention 4th Grade Hallie Steinmetz, Gold Medal Brownies - First Place Aspen Young, The Captain’s Story - Second Place Spencer Nelson, The Hunt - Third Place Miley Brown, Bob the Chicken - Honorable Mention Mckailah Swenson, Pandas - Honorable Mention Braxton Fowell, Frederick the Pig - Honorable Mention Owen Kershner, Finland the Duck - Honorable Mention Avaya Pyfferoen, My Cat Kiki-Honorable mention 5th Grade Alyssa Olson Snowy’s Adventure - 2nd Place Addison Smyth Where’s the Sad Llama? - Honorable Mention Ashlynn Fowell - 3rd place Kennedy Salisbury - Honorable Mention Autumn McBain- Honorable Mention This date in History: On March 12, 1933, eight days after his inauguration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives his first national radio address—or “fireside chat”—broadcast directly from the White House. Roosevelt began that first address simply: “I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking.” Word of the Day: Lucid loo-sid Lucid (lu·cid) adj. 1. Easily understood; intelligible. 2. Mentally sound; sane or rational. “A lucid conversation.” 3. Translucent or transparent. Birthdays: Elementary— Today, Jett Elliott, on Sunday, Aaron Jacobson H.S./M.S.—On Sunday, Logan Anderson Staff-Ms. Jensen

Seniors...please check your email regarding upcoming scholarship opportunities! Also, you can access all scholarship information on our school website. Go to counselors corner and click on scholarship info. We live in a great community with gracious givers!

Registration for the Youth Baseball/Softball has begun. Any boys or girls, 4K-8th grade, interested in playing should complete the registration form. Ithaca Youth Baseball/Softball registration forms are due Friday, March 26. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Maxwell at (608) 588-4496.

March 11, 2021 Today is a Day 2 Elementary Day 6 Today's schedule for Band and Choir is: 6th Grade - Band, 7th Grade - Choir, 8th Grade - Band. HS Band and Choir are having pictures taken today during 5th hour. All Choir students should go to Choir first. Meet Mrs. Niemeyer outside at the ampitheater. The Band students, who are not in choir, should go to Band first to get instruments out. Lunch for today: First choice-Tator Tot Casserole, Second choice-Hot Ham & Cheese, Steamed Carrots, Applesauce, Breadstick, Milk Attention Middle school volleyball players, practice will start Monday in the old gym right after school. Attention Middle school football players, practice will start Monday after school. Bring clothes and shoes for both indoor and outdoor practice. Middle School Wrestlers: Please drop off your uniforms in the office as soon as possible. Anyone interested in joining the art club, there will be a meeting in the art room during attack today. No art skills or classroom experience required! Forensics Students: Great job yesterday making district videos and being present to support your teammates. If you didn't record your video on Wednesday, get in some practice, and then be dressed and ready to go on Friday starting at 3:30. Your coaches love working with you and think you're pretty awesome! For all boys and girls from grades 4K-8th. Registration forms are available in the school office. 2021 Ithaca Youth Baseball and Softball registration forms are due Friday, March 26th. If you have any questions, please contact Brett Maxwell at (608) 588-4496. The yearbook staff will be taking group photos for the yearbook on today and Friday during Attack. Some of these photos are for band, choir, FCCLA, FCA and others. This week is National School Social Workers Week. School Social Workers empower students and offer a voice for marginalized youth. More facts to follow... Ithaca Happy Hour--stop by Ms Schoen's office for a package. Pickup by end of week. Word of the Day: Demonstrable dih-mon-struh-buhl Demonstrable (de·mon·stra·ble) adj. 1. Capable of being demonstrated or proved: “demonstrable truths.” 2. Obvious or apparent: “demonstrable lies.” Birthdays: Elementary— none H.S./M.S.—None

CESA 3 will be conducting a virtual substitute teacher training on Thursday, March 17th, meeting a licensure requirement for your potential subs. Are you or do you know a community member who has expressed interest? A paraeducator who is great with kids? The minimum requirement is an associates degree. That, and this training on Thursday, could make you a new sub by Friday! Future subs register here: https://bit.ly/2XA7L3M

First Graders have been playing with their food? Pizzas and equal parts, and restaurant retell sandwiches. In Mrs. Richards' Pizza Company, students reviewed our 2D shapes and created equal parts in our pizza! In Mrs. Owen's Restaurant, students learned how to retell with our retelling sandwich and a book!

March 10, 2021 Today is a Day 1 The yearbook staff will be taking group photos for the yearbook on Thursday and Friday during Attack. Some of these photos are for band, choir, FCCLA, FCA and others. Forensics students, today is filming day ONE! Everyone should meet in the LMC, dressed and ready to go. We will begin as close to 1pm as possible.Those of you we don't film today will be filmed on Friday. This week is National School Social Worker Week. School Social Workers consider barriers to learning and value relationship building. More facts to follow this week.... Ithaca Happy Hour--stop by Ms Schoen's office for a package. Pickup by end of week. Word of the Day: Plagiarize pley-juh-rahyz, Plagiarize (pla·gia·rize) v. 1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one’s own. 2.To appropriate for use as one’s own passages or ideas from another. Birthdays: Elementary— none H.S./M.S.—Rylee Jacobson and Caleb Marchwick Staff—Ms. Umhoefer

The Ithaca School district is now accepting applications for Head Middle School Track Coach, Assistant Middle School Track Coach and JV Baseball Coach. You can print an application from our website at www.Ithaca.k12.wi.us, stop at the school to pick up an application or call the school and we can mail one to you. For more information or to arrange for an application for these coaching positions please call 608-585-2512 today and ask for Brooke Hackl or Zac Thome. Call now for your opportunity to join the Ithaca team!

Mrs. Schoen's Irish eyes are smiling, but so are so many other eyes who are happy to get their first dose of a COVID vaccine. Staff at Ithaca are grateful to the many people who made this day possible for them, including local and county health officials, district administration, school nurses, and all staff who gave their time and talents. A special thank you goes out to our families who are understanding of the change to our calendar. There were Ithaca alumni present helping the Ithaca, Richland, Weston, and UW Platteville-Richland personnel receive their vaccinations. And the sun is shining! All around, so much to smile about.

Last week our elementary classes celebrated Read Across America! We had dress up days and Mrs. Schoen visited classrooms for a read aloud. Reading independently, as a family, as a class, to a child helps expand vocabulary and writing skills, exposes students to other ideas and opinions, introduces students to other cultures and geography, and it is a relaxing and entertaining way to spend your time. Make every day a Read Across America day.

School social work week represents a time when the incredible work of those in the profession is especially recognized. This challenging year, as every year, school social workers have led the way in fostering connections with and among students, staff, families, and community members to turn new problems into new opportunities. School social workers do not look to place blame for a problem, but instead ask, “How can I help?”. School social workers make the world a better place. This week, we recognize our School Social Worker, Shelly Pluemer. She is integral in supporting students of all grade levels as well as our staff.