Dear Parents/Guardians,
In light of recent events at various high schools in Wisconsin where law enforcement personnel were called upon to intervene in situations for the safety and well-being of students and staff, we are reminding all families that the Ithaca School District and Richland County Sheriff’s Department have a strong partnership in place. We are grateful for the in-school support we receive from the officers that work closely with our schools and for the open lines of communication that exist between us and both the sheriffs’ and police departments.
Today, December 5, 2019, Ithaca had an unplanned lockdown for the entire district. There was an altercation with a student at lunch, and we needed to clear all the students from the halls so that the officers could do their work. As soon as we felt the students were safe, we released the lockdown to resume normal activities. I am proud to state our county sheriff’s department not only assisted but came back to make sure we were all OK.
In the Ithaca School District’s mission, it states that we will “ensure the highest levels of learning in a positive, safe, community-rich environment.” Our administrators work with city and county authorities on emergency safety training and simulations, and all of our employees annually review safety procedures and practice drills. Unfortunately, with the recent news from other Wisconsin districts, we are reminded that we must continually remain vigilant.
The Ithaca School District maintains a variety of active security measures at all times, including locked exterior doors, mandatory check-in procedures at school entrances, video surveillance, and the shot detector alarm. In recent years, we have invested grant funds to enhance security at school building entrances, numbering doors and windows, installing new security cameras, installing equipment to improve communication within our buildings, and more.
A comprehensive emergency response plan guides our response to emergency situations at the district and school levels. Staff are trained to implement emergency procedures and participate in practice drills throughout the year. Students receive training as well, including participation fire drills, severe weather drills, and lockdown drills during the year.
The Richland County Sheriff, Richland Emergency management, and Richland Police Department personnel regularly participate in the review of our security and emergency procedures. Additionally, there is a county safety team consisting of members of all area schools, EMT, fire, and emergency management. We know in an emergency, we will have the assistance of the entire county.
Of course, we cannot do the work of keeping everyone safe alone. We need students, parents, and community support. We encourage parents to speak with their students to emphasize the role that they have in maintaining safe schools by following school safety guidelines (e.g. not providing building access to strangers, reporting strangers on campus, reporting threats to school safety made by students or community members, etc.), and communicating any personal safety concerns to school administrators or other trusted adults. Ithaca Schools uses the Safe Schools Alert as an Online Tip Reporting System. This is linked in our Ithaca App, on the webpage, and there are posted links in the building.
We recognize that recent events have raised concerns and we want to assure you that we have taken steps and continue to implement measures to ensure the safety of students and staff. Please contact your school principal or your child's school counselor if you have any questions or would like additional information.
Sincerely,
Julie R. Prouty
Ithaca School District Superintendent
The PTSO Gingerbread House Family Fun Night is back! Join us on Friday, December 6 in the Commons starting at 5 PM to build a gingerbread house! Frosting, graham crackers and milk cartons will be provided; all you have to bring is a base like cardboard or a cookie sheet, candy decorations, and your imagination! Free hot cocoa will be served as well. First, second, and third place houses will receive prizes! Hope to see you then!
The 7th grade Life Science class has been studying plant and animal cells. As a final assessment they build models of cells to show the types of organelles in cells.
Wednesday's winner of $50 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Kim Auz of Richland Center, with ticket #370.
Basketball Open Gym for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls. Old Gym, this Sunday, December 8th from 6-7:30 pm. Come and work on your shooting. Pass the word!
Our Throwback Thursday takes us back to the days of typewriters and when cut and paste meant scissors and glue. This is the staff responsible for the 1984 Ithaca Yearbook.
High school students who are interested in joining our forensics team should meet on Tuesday, December 10, during attack time. The meeting will be in Mr. Lange's room, number 106.
Any students interested in joining FCCLA please meet during ATTACK in Ms. Sprecher's room on Thursday. If you are not able to make it to the meeting, please see Ms. Sprecher by the end of this week.
Tuesday's winner of $50 in the Ithaca Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Jared Klingaman of Richland Center, with ticket #95.
There will be a Safesitter Class held at the Richland Hospital Monday, December 30th from 9:00am-3:30pm. This class is designed to prepare students in grades 6-8 to be safe when they're home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting. If interested, you must pre-register and pay by December 12th. Please see Ms. Bevan for fee and registration information.
Come to Weston on Thursday, December 5th and support the Ithaca-Weston wrestlers at our annual T-shirt night. Arrive early to get a FREE Ithaca-Weston wrestling t-shirt (while supplies last) and watch the wrestlers battle New Lisbon.
Also, wrestling open mat for this Thursday, December 5th will be immediately after school until 5 p.m. (Due to the high school Varsity dual at Weston). Open mat will continue, twice per week, until Christmas break, every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 6:15 p.m. With any questions, please contact Troy Clary.
A drug-safety sweep with the Richland and Grant county K9 units was conducted today. Students and staff remained in their rooms while the sweep was conducted for confidentiality purposes. We are pleased to report that nothing was found. The Ithaca School District thanks the staff, students, and county officials for their cooperation and diligence for our safety.
Juniors and Seniors! Discover Southwest Tech, a campus visit opportunity will take place this Wed., Dec. 4th from 9am-11am. This event includes the following: ~Free Breakfast for all attendees!
~Campus Tour
~Admissions information session
~Student panel with current SWTC students
~Option for a one-on-one meeting with an advisor Students interested in coming to this event may sign up at: https://www.swtc.edu/admissions/visit-registration.aspx?visitType=DISCOVER Information may also be found outside of Ms. Bevan's door.
Seniors! Yearbook needs your baby and senior pictures. Don’t forget your senior quotes. To enter them go to Google Senior Classroom.
Monday's winner of $75 in the Band Parent's Calendar Raffle was Amanda Fowell, with ticket #99.
The Ithaca School District is seeking your help! A community forum is going to be held where a number of area employers are going to share their expectations and/or desired skills they wish new employees to possess. Everyone who attends will have an opportunity to discuss this information in a small group. This will assist Ithaca in evaluating current offerings and future efforts.
Ithaca desarrollo de empleabilidad a estudiantes
El distrito escolar de Ithaca está buscando su ayuda. Se llevará a cabo un foro comunitario donde varios empleadores del área compartirán sus expactativas y /o habilidades deseadas que desean que posean los nuevos empleados. Todos los que asistan tendrán la oportunidad de discutir esta información en un grupo pequeño. Esto ayudará a Ithaca a evaluar las ofertas actuales y los esfuerzos futuros.
We now have an Ithaca Sources of Strength social media presence. Ithaca Sources of Strength is a group of peer leaders working to empower, support, and sustain positive social change in our school and community by promoting messages of hope, help, and strength! To see what our peer leaders have been up to add us today on Instagram and Facebook @ithacasourcesofstrength.
For instance, our Sources of Strength peer leaders created a Tree of Thanksgiving for students to name things that they give thanks for.
The National Honor Society is sponsoring a family again this year. The family is a former Ithaca family with two children. The daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Please sign up under the tree in the commons to donate items that will help them. There is a special need for gift cards and gas cards. Bring the items to Mrs. Wontor in room 310 by Friday, December 13th. Thank you for supporting this family.
The Middle School Student Council will have a National Cookie Day Cookie Sale on Wednesday, December 4 during the last 10 minutes of middle school lunch. Price is $0.50 per bag with two cookies per bag.
TACO FRIDAY! Let the Ithaca-RC Horse Club cook for you this Friday from 4:30pm-7pm in the High School Commons. Enjoy a tasty Taco Supper before you head to the basketball game or PTSO Gingerbread building.
