HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTSDECEMBER 2014

DECEMBER 9PTO Meeting

DECEMBER 10Snowman Stride toSchool Day

DECEMBER 12Family Movie Night

DECEMBER 22 -JANUARY 2 No School, Winter Break

UPCOMING

EVENTS

RAY W. HUEGEL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL : 2601 PRAIRIE ROAD : MADISON, WISCONSINHTTPS://HUEGEL .MADISON.K12.WI.US/608.204.3100

A MESSAGEfrom Ms. Potter-Davis

Happy Winter!

It was wonderful to see everyone here at Huegel for Parent-Teacher Conferences. November conferences are a great time to discuss your child’s progress, ask questions, and set new goals. January report cards will be the next official time to check on your child’s progress, but you should always feel free to check in with your child’s teacher at any time throughout the year. You will also have another Parent-Teacher Conference in March.

As we settle into the Wisconsin winter, I encourage every family to make sure your child has the proper winter gear each day. Recess is an important part of our students’ day and we want to make sure each child is properly dressed in order to stay warm and have fun. We do have extra clothes available through our Social Worker, Emily Wacker (204-3108.) We are also grateful to American Girl, our partner, for their generous donation of winter clothing items. Please stop by our growing Lost and Found (near the Huegel Eagle in the inner circle) to look for any lost items.continued on next page...

2 HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTS

Warmly,

Abby Potter-Davis, Huegel Principalaapotter@madison.k12.wi.us

... continued from previous page

The theme of this month’s Huegel Highlights is Nutrition and Healthy Living. At Huegel we work hard to promote healthy habits in our students. On the following pages you will hear from many important people who support your child’s health – from supporting our walking club at recess, to promoting our Walk or Wheel Days, to serving healthy food for lunch and breakfast, to caringfor your sick or injured child. We are lucky to have a talented staff and community that are dedicated to supporting the whole child.

I feel so lucky to be a part of the Huegel community and I wish you all a peaceful holiday season.

AKIRA TOKI MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENT / GUARDIAN ORIENTATION FOR INCOMING 6TH GRADE FAMILIES

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

6:30 – 8:00 pm

Toki Cafeteria

“A Day in the Life of a 6th Grader”

SAVE THE DATE

3DECEMBER 2014

HUEGEL’S CURRICULAAROUND HUEGEL

TECH UPDATEThe Huegel Staff Technology team

continues to meet monthly to plan

for the arrival of student devices

next school year. This month the

Technology team focused on

how technology will help teachers

provide more personalized learning

experiences for students. The

district Student Device team is

meeting in December to make final

recommendations for which student

device will be selected; Huegel

teachers will each be receiving a

student device in March so that they

can become familiar with the device.

MOVIE NIGHTDECEMBER 12 @ 6:30PM

MOVIE TBD (STAY TUNED!)

TAB

LET

AP

PS NICHOLAS’S GARDEN: FREE

In Nicolas’ Garden, it’s all about making healthy cooking, eating, and shopping fun and empowering for kids ages 5 to 15 while teaching them important independent living and lifestyle skills. Nicolas’ mobile app helps in the quest to teach their kids to be healthy choosers, and more informed about food.

MY NUTRITION: FREEMy Nutrition was created in order to make eating healthy easier. Rather than relying on calorie counters, food indexes, and other health and nutrition apps, The most complete, most comprehensive Nutritional app on the market. Best of all, it’s designed with your health in mind!

EAT-AND-MOVE-O-MATIC: FREELearn about the foods you eat and how they help fuel your body for your favourite activities. Make new discoveries about your favourite foods and get interesting tips on how small changes can help.

HEALTHY EATING: FREENutrition and Healthy Eating will get your child ready for school with these fun science learning games for kids in Preschool and Kindergarten! Through 3 fun educational games, your child will learn different foods, how to eat healthy, and how to create a delicious and balanced meal for the penguin’s birthday party!ake big differences. Encourages young people to develop and maintain healthy, active lifestyles.

NUTRITION

4 HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTS

PTO CORNER BY: JENNIFER SEEKER CONROY, PTO PRESIDENT

It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up the first

semester! Doesn’t it feel like we were just getting

ready for the first day of school? If your kids are

anything like mine they have already lost several

mittens.

November was another busy, productive

month for the Huegel PTO, with an election-

day bake sale, Fall Fundraiser, Spirit Gear sales,

Granite City Huegel night, Movie Night, and

food provided for teachers during the long

conference evenings. Thank you for all you

do to support our school, teachers, staff, and

students. We truly make our school a better

place when we combine our time, talent, and

treasures.

On December 9th, we will have our regular PTO

meeting starting with pizza at 6:00 in the library.

We have some exciting things to discuss so

please plan to join us. December 12th is Family

Movie night. Doors open at 6:00 and the movie

begins at 6:30.

Just a reminder that we do not have a regular

PTO meeting in January. We are starting

plans for the Spring Family Forum on March

10, 2015. We will be focusing on assessments

and standardized testing. If you would like

to volunteer or have questions you’d like

addressed, please email the PTO board at

huegelelem@gmail.com. Also, expect a pre-

forum survey so we can gather your input

before the forum.

I hope you enjoy Winter Break with your families,

and I look forward to a bright 2015 for Huegel!

--Jenny Seeker Conroy

jenniferseeker@gmail.com

LET’S GIVE A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR HUEGEL EAGLES FOR HELPING TO RAISE MONEY FOR OUR SCHOOL!

At the end of September we launched our annual Fall Catalog Fundraiser and were able to raise over $2000 for our school!

Our Spirit Gear fundraiser ran until mid-November and I’m happy to report we had a lot of orders. Huegel pride will be strong in our hallways this year! Even better, the school gets 20% of each sale, and we earned over $300!

We also partnered with the Hy-Vee Pharmacy in Fitchburg to promote flu shots this season. Anyone who mentioned Huegel while getting their flu shot at the Fitchburg Hy-Vee raised $4 for our school! This partnership runs until December 31st so if you haven’t gotten your flu shot already, go to Hy-Vee and tell them Huegel sent you!

5DECEMBER 2014

FEELIN’ GOOD AT RECESS Huegel students are “Feelin’ Good” at recess participating in fitness,

fun and friendship by running or walking on our playground course.

Beginning on September 15 the Feelin’ Good Mileage Club has

been offered at recess. In the last two months 194 students have

completed 727 miles! Way to go Huegel Eagles! We are almost to

Washington D.C. or half-way to Disney world!

Students interested in running/walking, pick up their foot card, find

a friend and off they go around the playground course. Five times

around is a mile. As laps are completed, a foot on their card is

checked off. At the end of a month, small foot tokens are given for

each completed mile along with a monthly themed token. When a

THE FEELIN’ GOOD MILEAGE CLUB AIMS TO ENCOURAGE FITNESS, DEVELOP AN APPRECIATION OF WALKING/RUNNING AS A LIFETIME EXERCISE AND PROVIDE STRUCTURE TO RECESS.

foot card is completed (4 miles or 20 laps), another is stapled on top. The addition of a new foot card is almost

more exciting than the foot tokens. The earned tokens are being kept at school until Winter Break.

As the program began, students ran by themselves. Within a week running friendships were developing. As new

runners would participate, they were quickly invited to team up with “experienced” students and groups. Many

times runners find themselves running more laps than planned when new friends want to run with them later

during recess. There are lots of smiles and congratulations of runners as their laps and cards are checked.

The Feelin’ Good Mileage Club aims to encourage fitness, develop an appreciation of walking/running as a

lifetime exercise and provide structure to recess. A student may join whenever they want. Each student sets their

own goals of how many laps to do and how often to participate. Many students start recess with one lap around

the playground - the Lap-a-Day Club - and move on to other activities. Some students begin recess on the play

structures and end recess with a lap. By the end of the month, students have completed 4 miles! The range of

laps for any one student is 1 to 75 per month.

Even though the weather is changing, students continue to line up for their foot cards! They are learning how

the cooler weather affects their bodies when running. They have discovered the effects of wind are more

challenging than cold temperatures.

The Mileage Club will continue until the weather is too unfriendly. Of course, if anyone would like to donate 200

pair of snowshoes, skies or speed skates, we would enjoy adding miles throughout the winter!

On your next visit to school, check out our poster near the office to see our impressive grade level numbers. If

you have a runner, hopefully they have shared their accomplishments at home. Teachers have a list of students

with completed laps and miles in their classrooms. Congratulations to all our Feelin’ Good walkers and runners!

6 HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTS

We would like to formally recognize and thank American Girl for taking such good care of our school. Three years ago Huegel was officially adopted by American Girl after one of their employees spent the morning at Huegel as our “Principal for a Day”. Since then we have been blessed to receive brand new backpacks stuffed with school supplies, beautiful winter clothing, and Thanksgiving baskets each year.

We have also enjoyed our annual American Girl Play Day, which is a day when a busload of American Girl employees make their way to Huegel to spend a morning getting to know our Huegel staff and students. We are so grateful for their support and we look forward to many more years as partners.

THANK YOU!

7DECEMBER 2014

HUEGEL’S CURRICULA

MMSD FOOD & NUTRITION BELIEVES THAT GOOD NUTRITION IS A KEY TO LEARNING. Our Food Service Operation is based upon the following beliefs:serving students with dignity and respect is our number one prioritynutritionally balanced meals are offered daily teamwork and communication skills are essential ingredients to our daily operational performance maintaining fiscal integrity is vital

MMSD FOOD & NUTRITION FACTS:• Soups and casseroles are made from scratch • Nutritional, calorie and fat content follow US Department of Agriculture

requirements • More than 30 percent of the food and supplies purchased come from

companies within 200 mile radius of Madison • Dedicated to trying new and healthy recipes using whole grains and

whole wheat products • Offering more vegetarian options • Offering more fresh fruit and vegetable choices • All MMSD kitchens are inspected twice a year by the Public Health

Department and pass with flying colors • Serving more than 20,000 meals daily • More than 48 percent of the students served qualify for free and

reduced lunch • Recycling 39 tons of cardboard and 12 tons of cans annually

BREAKFAST PRICESReduced and Free - No ChargeElementary Full Pay - $1.25

LUNCH PRICESReduced - .40Elementary Full Pay - $2.60

NUTRITION AT HUEGEL

8 HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTS

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESRestaurant Night – April

Box Tops

Preschool Outreach

Game Night – January

Movie Night – one night/month

Pizza Fest -- February

Book Fair – February

Spring Family Forum, March 10

Math and/or Literacy Nights – spring

Spring Fling – March 27, 2015

Prairie Burn – April or May

Roller Rink Night – March or April

Huegel Garden – spring and summer

Staff Appreciation – Staff Appreciation Week in May.

Carnival – June 5

Silent Auction – June 5

Library Help – yearlong; school hours

All Around Huegel Eagles

For more information, email kathleen_conklin@msn.com

9DECEMBER 2014

WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN.Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and clean water are not available, use an alcohol-based product.

STAY WARM.Cold temperatures can cause serious health problems, especially in infants and older adults. Stay dry, and dress warmly in several layers of loose-fitting, tightly woven clothing. Check on children, the elderly and pets.

BE SMOKE-FREE.Avoid smoking and breathing other people’s smoke. If you smoke, quit today! Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or talk to your health care provider for help.

WATCH THE KIDS.Children are at high risk for injuries.Keep a watchful eye on your kids. Keep potentially dangerous toys, food, drinks, household items, choking hazards (like coins and hard candy), and other objects out of kids’ reach. Learn how to provide early treatment for children who are choking. Develop and reinforce rules about acceptable and safe behaviors for all electronic media.

HANDLE AND PREPARE FOOD SAFELY.As you prepare holiday meals, keep you and your family safe from food-related illness. Wash hands and surfaces often. Avoid cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs (including their juices) away from ready-to-eat foods and eating surfaces. Cook foods to the proper temperature. Refrigerate promptly. Do not leave perishable foods out for more than two hours.

EAT HEALTHY, AND BE ACTIVE.With balance and moderation, you can enjoy the holidays the healthy way. Choose more vegetables and fruit. Select just one or two of your favorites from the host of tempting foods. Find fun ways to stay active, such as dancing to your favorite holiday music. Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Help kids and teens be active for at least 1 hour a day.

Source: www.cdc.gov/family/holiday

HOLIDAY HEALTH + SAFETY TIPS

10 HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTS

Our grants committee decided to fund the

following projects using the available endowment

income:

HUEGEL ELEMENTARY GRANTS AWARDED

$385.67

Funds will be used toward the purchase of

the Gameplan-Orff Curriculum, which offers

xylophone/movement based music curriculum.

$385.67

Funds will be used to establish an Afterschool Book

Club with a focus on technology for 3rd, 4th and

5th students and their families.

$385.66

Funds will be used to enable third grade students

to use acrylic paints to paint ceiling tiles in the hall

outside the art room.

If you have any questions about the School

Endowments, please contact Mary Bartzen at

237-7723 or mbartzen@fmps.org. To donate to

our school’s endowment, visit the Foundation for

Madison’s Public Schools’ website at www.fmps.org.

GRANTS AWARDED

HUEGEL ENDOWMENT MAKES GRANTS POSSIBLEThe Foundation for Madison’s

Public Schools’ School

Endowments provide each school

with annual income that is used

to fund creative and innovative

programs and projects that are

not funded within the core school

budget. Recently 49 schools were

awarded grants totaling $78,290.

This year Huegel Elementary had

$1,157 in endowment income

available to use to make grants

for imaginative programs and

projects that propel student

learning which can’t currently be

funded through the core school

budget.

11DECEMBER 2014

HOW LONG HAVE

YOU BEEN A PART

OF HUEGEL’S

COMMUNITY?

WHAT’S YOUR

FAVORITE

PROGRAM/PART

OF HUEGEL?

WHAT’S YOUR

FAVORITE HOBBY/

THING TO DO

WHEN YOU’RE

NOT TEACHING?

WHAT ARE

YOU MOST

EXCITED ABOUT

REGARDING

HUEGEL’S

(OR MMSD’S)

NUTRITION/

DIETARY PLAN?

TEACHER FEATURE

PAMELA ONKENFOOD SERVICE WORKER III

JANE IMHOLTE, RN, MS, CPNPHUEGEL SCHOOL NURSE

Since 1992

Huegel is so focused on helping students

learn and working hard to help every

student feel welcome, an important part

of Huegel and to be successful at school

and with friends. There’s always cool new

activities and ideas being tried and/or

used at Huegel aimed at improving school

achievement, climate, safety, behavior...it’s

A GREAT PLACE TO BE!!!

I love spending time with my family and

friends. I also enjoy hand work, paper

crafting, gardening and cooking. I also have

a fun and playful golden retriever called

Maisy.

I am so happy that the lunches provided by

MMSD to Elementary students are Peanut

and Nut Free because we have several

students in the building with Life Threatening

Food Allergies and prevention is the key to

keeping these students safe while at school.

Huegel strives to have the children eat more

healthy snacks and uses the MMSD Healthy

Snack List in the classrooms.

10 years

I love the excitement of the kids when

they get a meal they really enjoy. I also

like working with a great supportive

staff.

I love spending time with my family and

little dog Macy. I also enjoy outdoor

activities such as skiing and biking.

Over the past 10 years I have seen

the addition of many more healthy

options for students . Giving students

the opportunity to try new foods and

discover they actually like it has been

so inspiring.

12 HUEGEL HIGHLIGHTS

HUEGEL IS ONLINE!Friend us on FacebookHUEGEL EAGLES

Follow us on Twitter@huegel_eagle

Email the PTOhuegelelem@gmail.com

PTO MEETINGDECEMBER 9 @ 6pm

HUEGEL LIBRARY

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THOSE BOX TOPS!For every box top you send in, Huegel receives 10 cents!

SAVE THE DATE!