Parents, if you registered your young writer for the Hidden Valley Reading Council's Young Authors Workshop for students in grades K-5 that was scheduled for June 11th on the UW-Plattevill/Richland campus, that workshop has been cancelled. Registrants should have received an email. Check your spam folder if you missed a notification.
Temporary food benefits for children who usually get free or reduced-price school meals: Since schools are closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, children who usually get free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program can instead get temporary food benefits. These benefits are called Pandemic EBT or P-EBT. Children can get these benefits in addition to any other school meals they are getting.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is automatically providing these benefits to most children who usually get free or reduced-price school meals based on information they have on file. If the Wisconsin Department of Health Services is able to verify your information, the benefits will automatically be provided on your QUEST card if you have one or on a P-EBT card you will get in the mail. You can use these cards like a debit card to buy food. You will get a letter in the mail letting you know if you are automatically getting the benefits. You may also get an email in addition to the mailed letter. See more information about these benefits and how you will be notified at dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/forwardhealth-foodshare.htm
If the Wisconsin Department of Health Services does not have your information or is not able to verify your information, you will need to apply for the benefits. If you have not been notified that you are automatically getting these benefits by May 20, please complete the application at access.wi.gov/s/pebt?language=en_US. You must apply for the benefits by June 30.
It is very important that the information you provide for each child who usually gets free or reduced-price school meals exactly matches the information your school has on file. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will look at that information to make sure you can get the benefits.
If you apply and your information cannot be verified, please check with us to make sure your information is correct. You can contact us at 608-585-2512. We will work with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to make sure the correct information is on file.
SWCAP recently learned we will be receiving WI Rental Assistance Program (WRAP) funds, resulting from the CARES Act. The purpose of these funds is to help those who were negatively impacted by COVID-19 and are struggling to pay rent or security deposit. The SWCAP program will provide funding to eligible individuals residing in the Wisconsin counties of Grant, Green, Iowa, Lafayette and Richland.
In general, an applicant must be an adult resident of Wisconsin, with a household income at or below 80% of the county median income in the month of the application or the prior month. For those eligible, the program may provide direct financial assistance for rent owed and/or security deposits. The program will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and the program will expire once CARES funding is exhausted.
----> PLEASE NOTE: SWCAP is not yet taking applications. We will post application instructions and contact information online, once the program is operational, on or about June 8, 2020.
We are excited and relieved to have these funds available to eligible residents of Southwestern Wisconsin.
We do not currently have any programs that provide similar assistance with mortgage payments. If you are struggling with mortgage payments due to COVID, you may wish to contact Neighborhood Housing Services of Southwest Wisconsin or Wisconsin Rural Housing at https://www.wisconsinruralhousing.org/ to talk with them about programs and services that may be able to help.
Join WRCO-FM 100.9 and at https://wrco.com this Friday evening at 7 for "Rewind, Press Play!". This rewind "sports broadcast" program will feature an Ithaca Softball match-up from June 5, 2014 (6 years to the day!) Phil Nee has the play-by-play call of the Sectional Championship featuring Ithaca vs. Argyle. During the broadcast, enjoy Phil's interview with Todd and Jordan Cockroft as they reminisce about that game. Again, it will be broadcats on WRCO-FM 100.9 and WRCO.com this Friday at 7:00 PM.
Our school's food service program has received funding to continue to offer the Food Service Pick Up Program past the last day of school. Find the form on our website, app, or Facebook page to sign up for next week - June 8th through the 12th. As before, this service is available to ANY minors living in your household, to include seniors that just graduated. If you open enroll and live outside the district, you still qualify for Ithaca's food program. If you live in the district but open enroll to another district, you still qualify for Ithaca's food program. The survey must be completed each week and must be submitted by the Friday prior to the week. This week, the survey should be completed by Friday, June 5th.
To find the survey on our website and app, go to "Explore" from the main page, and click on "News". From there, open the article titled "Food Service Survey". The link is embedded in the article and listed at the end.
Sign up your household, pass the word along, and encourage others to participate!
Sunday, June 7 at 1:00 PM is our virtual commencement ceremony. We will be sharing information and the links to the ceremony just before 1:00 PM on Sunday. We will send them via email, Twitter, Facebook, our School APP and will post it on our website. We encourage you to make this an event that your graduating senior will remember, forever. Have a nice lunch before the ceremony, talk about fun times at school through the years, take pictures of your senior in cap and gown, have grandma and grandpa (if distancing acceptable) over for the viewing party. We stand with you in this unprecedented and challenging time. Congratulations to the Ithaca class of 2020, and remember to join us this Sunday at 1:00 PM for our virtual graduation ceremony.
It's gonna be a hot one today! Stay cool and celebrate. Today, June 2nd, we wish Happy Birthday to Branden Debeukelar!
Attention Ithaca Families: If you were unable to return books, Chromebooks, and turn in final school work, please do so Tuesday, June 2 or Wed, June 3 from 9AM-4PM.
Just a reminder that All Ithaca athletic facilities are closed until July 1, 2020. This is for the entire community, not just Ithaca Athletics. If the State of Wisconsin or WIAA makes changes we will let you know. Thank you. Zac Thome, Ithaca Athletic Director.
Do you have health or mental health needs and don't know where to start or who to see? "Well Badger Resource Center" is a Wisconsin health information and referral service, operated by the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation and in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. They connect Wisconsin individuals and families with the resources they’re looking for — specifically for services for children and youth with special healthcare needs, financial assistance, health care and coverage, nutrition help, and more. Check out the link to see how they can help you!
https://www.wellbadger.org/s/?language=en_US
Who doesn't love a good reason to eat cake? Have a very Happy Birthday today, June 1st, Anthony Prouty! Have some birthday cake to celebrate.
Even though it's the last day of May, we have May birthday wishes to go out. Happy Birthday to Gwen Sharp today, May 31st!
You forgot to sign up for the Food Service program for next week? I know I did! Good thing there's still time to fill it out. We'll leave the survey open for you to complete it today so you don't miss out next week! Find it on our "News" tab under the Food Service Survey article.
What a wonderful day to celebrate a birthday. Happy Birthday wishes today, May 30th, go out to Channing Wheaton! We'll be singing Happy Birthday all day.
UW-Platteville, Richland, and Baraboo summer camps are Re-Inventing Summer by going virtual! Check out this site and click on Virtual Youth Camps to register for online classes: https://www.uwplatt.edu/youth-programs. Some courses are for creative writing, advanced high school subjects, acting, just to name a few. See our "News" tab article "UW-Platteville Virtual Youth Camps" for more information or visit the link above.
Happy Friday! And Happy Birthday to Serenity Clary and Clayton Lee. Sending you birthday wishes from a safe distance.
Since we are not able to get together in person, we are delighted to share with you the scholarship and award recipients, as well as the future plans for the Ithaca Class of 2020. Please visit out Google Doc for all the links and details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j-dkJuVDXCzAA9-BJZKEHthJuNmx8Vm2d2NyW6v5dvs/edit?usp=sharing
Don't forget TODAY, Friday, May 29th, the building is open from 10am until 6pm for returning homework, Chromebooks, library books, or any other district-owned items. Please pick up elementary and middle school yearbooks, completed art projects, any lost/found items, and Mrs. Zorea has books to take home for elementary students in the gym. If you didn't order an elementary or middle school yearbook, but would like to purchase one, they will be for sale while supplies last at school today (make checks payable to Ithaca PTSO). If you are unable to come today, please discuss arrangements with Mr. Lechnir or Mrs. Schoen.
Don't forget, this morning at 9:00 AM we will be debuting the Ithaca Class of 2020 Awards and Scholarships. We will have a video presentation plus all the text to read the awards, as well. All the information will be posted to Facebook, Twitter, Ithaca App Push and an email. All data will be contained in a Google Doc just for you. We will send the info / doc information at 9:00 AM as we release the video. Please enjoy this presentation at 9 AM, as we celebrate the Ithaca Class of 2020.
Don't forget! Senior Scholarship and Awards will be posted to the Ithaca Facebook Page, email and other Social Media outlets at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, May 29th (tomorrow). There will be a link to a YouTube or VidYard video (your choice), showing each student's "Senior Picture" along with future plans, awards and scholarships. Again, that video will premiere tomorrow, Friday May 29 at 9:00 AM.