Dr. Ackley’s Message . . .
APRIL 2ND REFERENDUM UPDATE
The North Lake School facility is in excellent condition. The referendum dollars would be dedicated to daily operations, not facility improvements. This distinction is important for taxpayers to know. The North Lake School Board has demonstrated good stewardship of local dollars on behalf of the students and community.
As an FYI, early voting begins on March 19th. Please visit the Town of Merton’s website for more information about the election.
KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP
If you or your neighbor knows of a rising five year old kindergarten student, please contact the school office so that we can plan for the upcoming school year. We are currently enrolling resident and open enrollment students for the 2024-2025 school year in all grades, 5K-8th.
TEACHER REQUESTS
There is only one way to make a teacher request for the upcoming school year. You need to put your request in writing (e-mail is fine) to me. I am happy to honor requests whenever possible but it is important that the requests are received in a timely manner. Requests must be made by Wednesday, May 1st. It is very difficult to accommodate requests during the summer or at the start of the school year for many reasons.
SOCCER GOALS
Our Athletic Director, Ashley Tarkowski, has ordered Touchline Striker Portable Soccer Goals. These goals should be ready for students after spring break. The NLS co-curricular fund is still accepting donations for these amazing nets.
YEARBOOK ORDERS
Information for ordering the 2023-2024 North Lake School yearbook is now available. Yearbooks are $14.50 each, and payment is made directly to Empire Photography via the yearbook store. Orders may be placed through the yearbook store link below or QR code located at the end of the WAVE.
https://shop.yearbookmarket.com/northlakeschool
All North Lake School students including Lake Country Kindergarten, 3K and 4K, will be featured in the yearbook. The last day to order your 2023-2024 yearbook is April 1st, but don’t let the date fool you. April 1st is the first day back from Spring Break, so order prior to leaving for Spring Break. If you are unsure if you ordered yearbooks in September with school photos, please contact the office.
Fluid Power Challenge 2024
Last week, some of our North Lake students competed against approximately 50 other teams in the Fluid Power Action Challenge sponsored by the National Fluid Power Association at WCTC.
Prior to the competition, the students spent a day in February at WCTC to learn about fluid power and hydraulics as well as build prototypes. They then spend the next month here at North Lake creating their portfolios and building another prototype to practice with. On competition day, they used their portfolio which included their plan and sketches to construct another prototype within a certain time limit and move items.
The Red Cranes team was composed of Allison Guiser, Gigi Piculell, McKenzie Wood, and Jessie Woodard which earned a third place finish in the portfolio section of the competition. The Poseidon team was composed of Quinn Fulton, Samuel Stremcha, Taylor Van Slett, and Charlie Wagner which earned a third place finish in the design and operation portion of the competition. The Dragons team was composed of Matthew Greenhagen, Bobby Jones, Cole Ruehlow, and Patrick Shanahan which also competed.
All of these students gave up many hours of their own time to prepare for this competition and did an amazing job throughout the process. During the entire process, they learned a lot of new things but also practiced skills they will use throughout their lives. All of these students represented North Lake very well, and we are very proud of them!
NLS Forensics Team Heads to State!
Over the course of 12 weeks, Forensics team members had fun together, developing and improving their speaking skills while taking home ribbons, medals, and even a second place trophy for our school.
This weekend, nine of our students will go on to compete among the top scoring/medaling students across 70 schools at the 2024 State Championship Tournament.
Please join us in wishing them the best of luck!
Olivia Alvarado (8) – Humorous Solo Act
Taylyn Curci (8) – Humorous Solo Act
Maddie Nies (6) – Humorous Solo Act
Eloise Radtke (6) – Demonstration
Grace Robinson (8) – Serious Solo Act
Olivia Rohlffs (8) – Non-Original
Ellie Rogers (8) – Impromptu
Zoe Thieme (6) – Humorous Solo Act
McKenzie Wood (8) – Serious Solo Act
5th Grade Basketball Celebration
Good Luck at State Haase Family!
March Dates to Remember
15
AHS Spirit Day
K-4 Spring Visual & Vocal Arts Concert – 5 p.m.
18
The Great Hunger in Ireland Observance Day
GREEN DAY
20
School Board Meeting – 5:30 p.m. in Library
Referendum Meeting following Board meeting – 6:30 p.m. in Library
8th Boys’ Volleyball – Merton vs. NLS at NLS – 4:30 p.m.
8th Boys’ Volleyball – NLS vs. North Shore at NLS – 6:10 p.m.
21
6th Grade Girls’ Volleyball – NLS vs. Swallow at NLS – 4:30 p.m.
6th Grade Girls; Volleyball – North Shore vs. NLS at NLS – 6:10 p.m.
22
End of 3rd Quarter
25
NO School – Spring Break – March 25-29
A Note from Ms. Meister...
Looking ahead…thinking FORWARD
North Lake students in Grades 3-8 will be participating in the Wisconsin Forward Exam assessment during the statewide testing window, March 18th to April 26th. State assessments, including the Forward Exam are required by both State (Wis. Stat. § 118.30) and Federal ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) (Every Student Succeeds Act) Law.
Our students will be taking the assessment following Spring Break during the week of April 15th to 19th. Each student is required to have wired headphones for this testing.
The assessment tests students in the areas of English/Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in grades 4 and 8 will also be assessed in the areas of Science and Social Studies. One or more subtests may be administered daily during the identified time frame, and it is very important that your son or daughter be in school during this time. Students not in school on the scheduled testing days will be scheduled for a make-up test prior to the close of the testing window.
The assessments measure the knowledge and skills students should have for their grade level. Students’ performance on the assessment will not affect any of their current grades. Please encourage your child to take the test seriously and do the best they can. The results of these tests will be used to help school staff make determinations regarding services to best support students.
The Information for Families brochure gives more information about the assessment. Once again, it is very important that your son or daughter be in school during this time.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher or Nancy Meister.
Counseling Corner
Hello North Lake Families!
We have been talking about careers in many classrooms. Getting this conversation started early helps us to explore SO many possible careers, connect school skills to work skills, and think about ways that we can be happy, successful, productive members of our communities. Our motto is “Exploration, not Declaration”. Our job is to keep our minds open to so many possibilities.
Students in grades 6-8 create a Xello Academic and Career plan. They can share their profiles with you on the Xello website. These profiles will follow them into high school to help direct them for decisions they will be making for their futures.
In 8th grade, we take our students to explore technology, manufacturing, and health care fields at events sponsored by the Waukesha County Business Alliance. These are great hands-on opportunities to explore!
As always, let me know if there is anything I can do to support your child.
Jill Lesch
School Counselor
