Newsletters

Keeping you informed 
7-PTA Meeting
20-Students Attend School all Day
20-Conferences 4:00 - 7:00 PM
21-No School
21-Conferences 8am - 7PM
22-No School 
27-Scoopie Night
28-Halloween Parade

Looking Ahead to November
18-End of 1st Trimester
19-No School ~ Professional Dev. Day
24-No School ~ Teacher Work Day
25-26-No School

Office Information
Office Hours:  7:30-4:00 PM
Main Office:  608.743.7100
Secretary:  608.743.7106
Attendance Line:  608.743.7130

Kindergarten 
School is now in full swing and the children are learning a lot! We are still practicing school procedures (SOPs) such as emergency drills, walking in the hallway, sitting on the carpet, etc. We are working on keeping self to self. In reading, we are learning that words are represented by letters and sentences are represented by words. We have been practicing the names and sounds of letters and are learning how to write sight words and draw pictures that match ideas in writing. In science, we are talking about the weather and seasons. In math, we are counting and identifying numbers in various ways such as tally marks, ten frames, written numbers, and dots! We are truly enjoying having your children in our classes and look forward to seeing you all at conferences at the end of October!

First Grade 
First grade is off to a great start!  thank you for taking the time to prepare your child for the school year!  It was a pleasure to meet you at our back to school Meet and Greet.  The first graders are adjusting to new schedules and contributing to our standard operating procedures.  Students have been building reading stamina each day.  Our reading themes include friendship and back to school.  In math, students are exploring patterns and different ways to represent numbers.  Thank you for sharing your child with us this year!

2nd & 3rd Grade 
Second and third graders are off to a great start to the 2021-2022 school year.  During the month of October, we will be continuing to wear our masks and keep socially distant.  Remember that in October we will be having our parent/teacher conferences. More information will be coming home soon.  Please remember to join class dojo for your child's class if you have not already done so.  We use this to communicate often with parents and families.  In Reading this month we will work on our comprehension skills.  Does your family have a nightly reading routine?  Please remember to take the time to stop and talk about what you have read.  What did you learn?  What important information was the author trying to teach you?  What was the GENRE( type) of book you read?  During Math, we are continuing to learn many strategies to help us with addition, subtraction, and even multiplication and division in third grade!  Watch for the at home connection sheets for each unit we work on to help you know the skills and strategies your child is working on.  As the weather starts to turn cooler, please remember to dress in layers and bring water bottles to school daily.  

4th & 5th Grade 
Our 4th and 5th graders are off to a fantastic start! They are the leaders at Van Buren! We expect them to follow both school and classroom SOP's and be strong role models for our younger learners. 

4th grade is excited to have a field trip to JSOL (Janesville Schools Outdoor Lab) in early October! Please turn in the permission slip.  All interested volunteers should fill out the volunteer form on the school district webpage ASAP.  Look for notes to come home soon about clothing and lunch reminders.  

All 4th grade students will leave the building through door #8.  5th grade will exit through Door #2 at the front of the building.  Please make plans as to where students should meet siblings. 

Remember water bottles! We only have water bottle filling stations open at this time. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher through Dojo or email. We are excited to work with students and families to make it a wonderful 21-22 school year!

Music News
We are off to a great start in music class this year!  For those that don't know me my name is Ms. Madarik and this is my twenty-sixth year of teaching with eight of those years as the music teacher at Van Buren.  The best way to reach with me is through Class Dojo and that is also my main form of parent communication. This fall we welcome Mr. Matucheski, a student teacher from UW-Whitewater.  Mr. Matucheski will be at Van Buren until November 4. In music class we have been reviewing songs and games that we played last year.  Our fifth-grade students are looking forward to a visit from the Parker music department.  Where they will be learning/listening to different sounds of the band and orchestra.  I'm looking forward to a great year in music and thank you for sharing your child with me.  It is my absolute pleasure to be able to make and share music with them.

Art News
Welcome back to another amazing year at Van Buren.  I'm so excited to work with all of the students this year.  We are back in the art room and all students are getting art activities through Seesaw!  They are watching pre-recorded demonstration videos that I have converted to be watched right on their iPad.  This will allow them the practice they may need for any moment in which they may have to pivot to virtual learning from home.  They have been getting the hang of it and the more we practice...the better they get!

We have also started out yearly project that will be used for our Fall art fundraiser.  Ordering packets will arrive at Van Buren and be sent home mid-November and your “one of a kind” products, if you choose to order, will arrive just in time for the holidays on December 13th.  Just a reminder that we will not be taking paper orders this year.  All orders will need to be placed online!

If you have any odds and ends around the house that you think the art room could use...send them my way.  Old art supplies, brown paper bags, plastic grocery bags, buttons, paper towel rolls, building materials...We’d be happy to take them off your hands.

I am so proud of all of our Van Buren students and truly enjoy working with them in the art room. We are so happy to be here, learning and creating together!
Ms. Mory-Art

From Mrs. Ruff our Innovation Specialist
Students will be learning about Digital Citizenship and Media Literacy this year to help them make good choices while using their devices and working online. If you're interested in getting text message tips from Common Sense Media on how to practice healthy media habits at home, take a look at this website. 

From Mrs. Heilman our Lunch Hostess
Welcome Back! Everyone in the kitchen is so excited to have the children back in school. Lunch will move back into the Multi-Purpose room this year. We will continue to provide a safe environment and are working hard to get things ready. 

Lunch will be free again this year for all students.  Milk is available for children with a cold lunch for 35¢. Lunch money can be added to your student’s account through Infinite Campus, or you may send a check or cash to school with your child. Please send it in an envelope with your child’s name. If you have multiple children at Van Buren, you only need to send one check. Please note each child on the envelope.

Please feel free to call if you have any questions or concerns.  We will do our best to provide you with answers.

Kindness Regards
Beth Heilman
(608)743-7108

Physical Education
Hello Van Buren family and friends! Our students are doing a wonderful job so far in physical education class. We are learning about the importance of physical fitness as well as enjoying various games/activities. During the month of September, our students enjoyed some cooperative activities and playground games. We also had a soccer unit and flag football unit! Each unit is two weeks long and consists of six 30-minute long P.E. classes. In October, our students will show off their "cool moves" during a week-long dance unit, and we will also learn about physical fitness and balancing a healthy lifestyle while testing our muscular strength and aerobic endurance in fitness testing.  Also, if any families have extra gym shoes that no longer fit their child who would be willing to donate to our "extra gym shoe box" in the gym I would greatly appreciate it! 
Go Eagles!
Mr. English

Weather Reminder
Please dress you child for Wisconsin winters.  Students will be going outside each day unless the temperature and / or wind chill is 0 degrees or below. Students will not be allowed to stay in unless they have a medical excuse from a doctor. Please label all of your child's winter outerwear. This includes boots, snow pants, hats, mittens, scarves and jackets. If you are missing items, please feel free or encourage your child to check the lost and found or by the entrances of the doors they come in.

Stay Connected
There are several ways for you to stay connected with Van Buren events:
1. Visit the Van Buren Website for current events, staff contact info, calendar, newsletter and much information.
• School District of Janesville website for District information
2. View the Van Buren Calendar on the website. Events are added as soon as we schedule them, so you can plan ahead. You can even add this Google calendar to your own set of calendars and set reminders for yourself.
3. Share your email address and phone number(s) with us and set your preferences through Infinite Campus to receive general notifications via email and phone. Van Buren staff as well as district level staff send periodic messages regarding featured events and opportunities through Infinite Campus Messenger.
4.  Like us on Facebook.  We often send out reminders of events and share photos and highlights of activities at school.
5.  Connect to your child's classroom Dojo. 

Online Registration Reminder
Please complete your Online Registration.  all students must be registered online every year. If you are new to the District and have enrolled your child at the District office, this is an additional process.

A few items that yo will complete during the online enrollment. 

• Update phone numbers; we ask that you have at lease two different adults for the school to contact in case of an emergency
• Give permission for field trips
• Permission for technology

Infinite Campus Access
All parents have access to their child/ren's Infinite Campus Account. You can check your child’s attendance, grades, update phone numbers, etc. All parents have a username and password. If you need help accessing your account, please contact the office at 743-7106. Below are instructions on how to manage your account.

• Managing Contact Preferences 
• Managing Contact Preferences
• Managing Payment Information
• Making an Online Payment

Moving?
If you will be moving from your current home address please contact Van Buren's School office at 743-7100 as soon as possible to determine what paperwork you will need to fill out for your child to continue attending his/her current school.  Please note: if you are moving to an address outside the School District of Janesville in most cases your child is eligible to continue attending the School District of Janesville as long as you complete the appropriate paperwork within the required timeline.

If you have any questions about school placement for a particular address please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152.  The New Student Enrollment Office is open year-round.

If you are the parent of an elementary student and will be moving over the summer months when the elementary schools are closed, please contact Open Enrollment Specialist Deen Hartley at 743-5152 or the New Student Enrollment Office at 743-5072 or 743-5153 to complete the appropriate paperwork.

Child Find Notice
Upon request, the school district of Janesville is required to evaluate a child for eligibility for special education services.  A request for evaluation is known as a referral.  When the district receives a referral, the district will appoint an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team to determine if the child has a disability, and if the child needs special education services. The district locates, identifies, and evaluates all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private (including religious) schools, elementary schools and secondary schools located in the school district.

A student with a medically diagnosed disability is not automatically eligible for special education. An outside medical diagnosis is insufficient of special education eligibility.  A student must be found eligible as a “child with a disability” under state and federal special education law.  A student with a disability is one who requires specially designed instruction as a result of meeting the criteria for at least one of the identified disability categories under state and federal special education law.  A student cannot start receiving special education services without a full and individual comprehensive special education evaluation completed by the student’s district.  Outside evaluations and other information shared by the parent, such as medical diagnoses, are considered during the evaluation and may provide supporting or new information about the student’s academic and functional skills important for determining the nature and extent of the student’s disability and education needs. 34 CFR §§ 300.8 and 300.301. Wis. Stat. § 115.76(5).

a physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or administrator of a social agency who reasonably believes a child brought to him or her for services is a child with a disability has a legal duty to refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides.  Before referring the child, the person making the referral must inform the child's parent that the referral will be made.

Others, including parents, who reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability may also refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides.

Referrals must be in writing and include the reason why the person believes the child is a child with a disability.  A referral may be made by contacting Mrs. Kimberli Peerenboom, Director of Pupil Services, School District of Janesville, at 608-743-5061, or by writing her at 527 S. Franklin Street, Janesville, WI, 53548.

District of Janesville
CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH CHILD FIND ACTIVITIES
The School District of Janesville is required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools in the school district, and homeless children.  The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find.  This agency conducts the following child find activities each year in the form of Early Childhood and Speech and Language Developmental Screenings. This notice informs parents of the records the school district will develop and maintain as part of its child find activities.  This notice also informs parents of their rights regarding any records developed.

The school district gathers personally identifiable information on any child who participates in child find activities.  Parents, teachers, and other professionals provide information to the school related to the child’s academic performance, behavior, and health.  This information is used to determine whether the child needs special education services.  Personally, identifiable information directly related to a child and maintained by the school is a pupil record. Pupil records include records maintained in any way including, but not limited to, computer storage media, video and audiotape, film, microfilm, and microfiche. Records maintained for personal use by a teacher and not available to others and records available only to persons involved in the psychological treatment of a child are not pupil records.

 The school district maintains several classes of pupil records.

• "Progress records " include grades, courses the child has taken, the  child's attendance record, immunization records, required lead screening records, and records of school extra-curricular activities. Progress records must be maintained for at least five years after the child ceases to be enrolled. 

• " Behavioral records" include such records as psychological tests, personality evaluations, records of conversations, written statements relating specifically to the pupil's behavior, tests relating specifically to achievement or measurement of ability, physical health records other than immunization and lead screening records, law enforcement officers' records, and other pupil records that are not "progress records." Law enforcement officers' records are maintained separately from other pupil records. Behavioral records may be maintained for no longer than one year after the child graduates or otherwise ceases to be enrolled, unless the parent specifies in writing that the records may be maintained for a longer period of time. The school district informs parents when pupil records are no longer needed to provide special education. At the request of the child's parents, the school district destroys the information that is no longer needed. 

• "Directory data" includes the student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, photographs, degrees and awards received, and the name of the school most recently previously attended by the student. 

• Pupil physical health records" include basic health information about a pupil, including the pupil's immunization records, an emergency medical card, a log of first aid and medicine administered to the pupil, an athletic permit card, a record concerning the pupil's ability to participate in an education program, any required lead screening records, the results of any routine screening test, such as for hearing, vision or scoliosis, and any follow-up to the test, and any other basic health information, as determined by the state superintendent. Any pupil record relating to a pupil's physical health that is not a pupil physical health record is treated as a patient health care record under sections 146.81 to 146.84, Wisconsin Statutes. Any pupil record concerning HIV testing is treated as provided under section 252.15, Wisconsin Statutes.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and section 118.125, Wisconsin Statutes, afford parents and students over 18 years of age ("eligible students") the following rights with respect to education records: 

• the right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of receipt of the request. Parents or eligible students should submit to the school principal [or appropriate school official] a written request that identifies the records(s) they wish to inspect. The principal will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. The school district will comply with the request without unnecessary delay and before any meeting about an individualized education program, or any due process hearing, and in no case more than 45 days after the request has been made. If any record includes information on more than one child, the parents of those children have the right to inspect and review only the information about their child or to be informed of that specific information. Upon request, the school district will give a parent or eligible student a copy of the progress records and a copy of the behavioral records. Upon request, the school district will give the parent or eligible student a list of the types and locations of education records collected, maintained, or used by the district for special education. The school district will respond to reasonable requests for explanations and interpretations of the records. A representative of the parent may inspect and review the records. 

• the right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the parent or eligible student believes is inaccurate or misleading. Parents or eligible students may ask [Name of] School District to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the district decides not to amend the record, the district will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and the right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing. 

• the right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information in the student's education records, except to the extent that federal and state law authorize disclosure without consent. The exceptions are stated in 34 CFR 99.31, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations; Sec. 9528, PL107-110, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and section 118.125(2)(a) to (m) and sub. (2m), Wisconsin Statutes. One exception that permits disclosure without consent is disclosures to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the district as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel); a person serving on the school board; a person or company with whom the district has contracted to perform a special task (such as an attorney, auditor, medical consultant, or therapist); or a parent or student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. Upon request, the district discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. Also the district discloses "directory data" without consent, unless the parent notifies the district that it may not be released without prior parental consent. 

• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the District to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is: Family Policy Compliance Office, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20202-4605.