Featuring 21 future ornithologist!
First graders at MGCS have begun module 3 and are fully prepared to take on the title of being “ornithologist” (a person who studies or is an expert on birds). While we are not experts yet, learners are prepared with notices and wonders to lead them. The week began by creating a decoy “student” to sit outside the school and make the birds feel more comfort retrieving seed from a gloved hand. Outdoor labs have made us be resourceful in making bird feeders as well as going out Friday morning to collaborate. We collaborated and persevered trying to create the start of a life size birds nest. When I say life size, I should preface that with it will hold all 21 first graders! Truly fortunate to be able to have the unique amount and quality of nature right outside our school walls.
The February 20th School Board Meeting will be moved up to 5:00 pm at the Athens Middle/High School Library.
Marathon County Special Education is seeking a full time Paraprofessionals. Benefits available based on FTE and job position. Starting pay at $15/hrly. Past experience preferred. High School diploma required. Associate Degree or two years of college, CNA license helpful but not required. Here is the link to apply: https://www.mcse.k12.wi.us/mcse/our-schools.cfm
Come check out what Maple Grove Charter School has to offer at our Open House, March 9!
We are a K-5 public charter school part of the School District of Athens and accepting open enrollment. We offer hands on agriscience and environmental learning experiences, family atmosphere and involvement, and a focus on character traits. We look forward to meeting you!
We celebrated 100 days of learning today at MGCS! The days sure have aged the staff 👵
3rd and 4th graders at MGCS wrapped up their 2nd module and had the opportunity to celebrate their learning and hard work with each other. 3rd graders were studying Adaptations and the Wide World of Frogs, and 4th graders were studying Animal Defense Mechanisms. Each grade partnered up to share their final performance task with each other. Great to see different grades coming together to support each other's learning.
The Athens Board of Education unanimously approve the following referendum resolution:
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET TO EXCEED REVENUE LIMIT FOR FOUR YEARS FOR NON-RECURRING PURPOSES.
BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the School District of Athens, Marathon and Taylor Counties, Wisconsin that the revenues included in the School District budget be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,670,000 for the 2023-2024 school year, and by $1,200,000 per year for the 2024-2025 school year through the 2026-2027 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of operational and maintenance expenses. Adopted and recorded January 16, 2023.
Additional referendum information and community listening sessions will be forthcoming during the next several weeks.
Our 2023-2024 Enrollment Application is open NOW until April 28th, 2023 for Maple Grove Charter School! If you are a new family or have a child starting kindergarten please scan the QR code or follow the bitly to fill out the application. Any questions or to schedule a tour please call us at 715-257-2199. We look forward to having you a part of our Maple Grove Family!
Second and Third graders at MGCS had a combined Celebration of Learning to wrap up Module 2 of our EL curriculum.
The 2nd graders performed a song and read the narrative they wrote about discovering a fossil. They even had 3rd graders complete an Exit Ticket. The 3rd graders read their frog poem to their partner. Their hard work was evident and they were proud to share with another class!
3rd graders at Maple Grove Charter School have been persevering over several Outdoor Lab Experience days to collaboratively build a quinzee. This Winter survival shelter helps them understand their learning target of how snow can act as insulation for humans and animals during the season of Winter. They also added colored tiles to monitor heat absorption and reflection.
Fourth and fifth grade students at MGCS were graced with the presence of Wisconsin's 75th Alice in Dairyland, Taylor Schaefer, who shared a presentation about Wisconsin's specialty crops and commodities, such as cranberries, ginseng, and cheese.
Meteorologist Justin Loew from WAOW came to visit Maple Grove Kindergarten students! 🌦
We recently finished our unit on Weather Wonders. Students were able to see models of a cloud, tornado, and learned about other tools that forecasters use to predict the weather. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and excitement, Mr. Loew!
It was a beautiful day for all MGCS learners to get outside and snowshoe and enjoy the beautiful surroundings in phy ed class! For some, this was their first experience and others were seasoned pros!
A big thank you to the Hamburg Volunteer Fire Department 🔥 From now until the end of the year volunteers from the fire department will come to MGCS each week to read with our learners! They sponsor our “Fired up Read” program with helping to encourage reading to our young readers. They also sponsor a fire truck ride, pizza party, and a new bike to some very lucky winners who meet their reading goals at the end of the school year! The kids get so excited to be able to read with a “real” firefighter/paramedic:) We are grateful for their support!
The School District of Athens will be closed tomorrow January 19, 2023 due to inclement weather. There will be no afterschool activities or athletic events.
Please welcome Kelly Steidinger to our MGCS Governance Board. Kelly came onto the board in November this year and we are excited to have another community member on our board! Here is a little bit about Kelly...
Hello Maple Grove & Hamburg/Athens Community Members,
I am excited to serve on the governance board to help the Maple Grove Charter school grow and flourish in the new year!
I am a Communication Instructor at Mid-State Technical College on the Stevens Point and Marshfield campuses for the past eleven years teaching English, communication, and psychology courses. I have also taught communication courses at SUNY-Fredonia, Winona State, Augsburg, and UW-Stevens Point Universities over the course of the past 16 years. I earned my Master of Arts Degree in Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2007 and will be finishing my Master of Arts in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Human Development and Learning in Summer 2023 at Ball State University. I am looking forward to using the educational knowledge I have acquired and the skills I have developed from volunteering in various non-profit organizations, as a governance board member. For more information about my professional and non-profit experiences, feel free to review my LinkedIn Profile. In my free time, I work with my husband Bruce to raise 50-head beef cattle and cultivate a large garden on Schoolhouse Lane.
I am joining the board to “pay it forward” to the next generation of learners because I know that those in the past have contributed to providing me with a valuable public education. I look forward to meeting everyone and to “paying it forward” in 2023!
Sincerely,
Kelly Soczka Steidinger
Maple Grove’s 3rd Graders had another amazing time at the Merrill School Forest with Mr. Noland and his crew. Students learned about the different attributes of animal footprints and how that can determine if the animal is a carnivore, herbivore or omnivore. They also were able to try cross-country skiing and of course, the ever famous trash bag sledding.
Kindergarten students at MGCS enjoyed planning & building an outdoor shelter to withstand various weather conditions. 🌦 They have been creating their own weatherproof shelters in the classroom, and this experience will help them revise their mini models as they go! A huge thank you goes out to Draeger's Dairy Farm for the donation and delivery of the straw bales. We appreciate the community support of our outdoor learning!
The results are in on Maple Grove's Wearable Art Challenge! Congratulations to First Place winner Melody (3rd Grade number 13), Second Place Charles (5th Grade number 2) and Third Place Gauge (5th Grade number 15)!!
Well done learners and thank you to all the parents who helped out and the people who voted!
At the end of December, the first grade class from MGCS were able to spend the day at the Merrill School Forest. Students began the day with studying the “right” tool for the job in terms of a birds beak. They were given the job of using tools to eat out of different habitats as a bird would. Different shaped tools such as pliers, a strainer, tweezers, and grilling tongs.
Lunch is always a blast spent eating in the cabin with pack lunches and chaperones adding to the excitement! The afternoon was busy to say the least. Right after lunch we hit the trails on snowshoes. Watching 21 first graders bind their snowshoes and go out on the fresh snow covered trails… priceless😆 they flop with their feet like new ducklings. The time left in the afternoon, up until the minute the bus had to leave, we spent sledding on Mr. Nolands spectacular man made snow hills. Students found out how much fun old school sledding is! Nothing is like hitting the hills on a black garbage bag☺️. Thank you to Mr. Noland and all the chaperones that were able to make this day the memorable experience it was!
