February 2024 Newsletter
108 W. New York Ave. Oshkosh, WI 54904
Phone: 920.424.0420 Fax: 920.424.7504
Quick Links:
Important Dates
February 9th - No School
February 12th-16th - Book Fair
February 12th-23rd - Kid's Heart Challenge
February 14th - Read Your Heart Out
February 16th - 100th Day of School
March 8th - No School
March 22nd - End of 3rd Quarter
March 25th - 29th - Spring Break
April 1st - Return to School after Spring Break
Administration Team
Jennifer Sommers-Hazen
Principal
920.424.0420 Ext. 4002
jennifer.sommers@oshkosh.k12.wi.us
Dan Powers
Dean of Students
920.424.0420 Ext. 4110
daniel.powers@oshkosh.k12.wi.us
Principal's Message
Happy Valentine's Day!
Can you believe it’s the middle of February already? The school year is certainly flying by. All students will be receiving their special Merrill t-shirts within the next week, and we will designate certain days over the semester to wear them in honor of our Merrill School Family. If your family ordered additional Merrill shirts, those will be ready for pick-up or can be sent home before the end of next week. Thank you to all who ordered shirts! Proceeds went towards the purchase of the student t-shirts.
Please remember at dismissal time that if you are picking up students in a vehicle, that you pull up along the curb so that traffic in the center lane can continue moving smoothly. When vehicles stop in the center lane to pick up children, it creates an unsafe environment and traffic must come to a stop.
Don’t forget to ask your child about Read Your Heart Out, an exciting event happening here on Wednesday this week in celebration of Black History Month! Students will participate in a variety of reading, art, and musical activities throughout the morning. It’s sure to be a great event!
Thank you for all you do to support your child’s learning! We appreciate you!
Attendance Procedures
Please call (920) 424-0420 if your child is going to be absent for the school day. Please make this call before 8 AM. You can leave a voicemail with parent name, student name, and the reason for the absence. If your child is ill also leave symptoms. If your child is leaving for an appointment during the school day please call in so we can have your child ready and at Door 7 for you to pick them up.
Outside supervision starts |
7:30 AM |
Students enter building for soft start |
7:35 AM |
First bell rings |
7:40 AM |
Students are expected to be in their seats |
7:45 AM |
After school pick up (no supervision provided) |
2:45 PM |
* 7:45-7:55 is TARDY, anything 7:56 and beyond is UNEXCUSED
Main Office: 920-424-0420
One of the most influential roles you can play in your child’s education is through encouraging and supporting your students in their daily attendance at school.
Attendance matters because missing 10%+ of school days (just two days per month) can drastically impact your student’s education.
Even being just 30 minutes late several days per week will add up to two full days in a single month of school. That’s 10% of the school for the month. By the end of the year, they will have missed the equivalent of a month of learning.
Tips to Help:
Establishing and keeping a schedule; children thrive on routine.
Going to bed and waking up earlier.
Preparing for the morning the night before by laying out outfits, packing backpacks, and pre-packing lunches.
If work schedules conflict, investigate other means of transportation, such as carpooling with other families.
Health Guidelines
Symptoms you MUST keep your child home for:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fever
● Keep your symptomatic child home and notify the main office which symptom(s)
your absent student is experiencing. Students can return to school after 24 hours symptom free without the use of medication.
New Field Trip Process on the Parent Portal
We are excited to announce an improved field trip process for families. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, all field trip permission slips will be electronic and we are moving to cashless payments for field trips. This is a new process for our entire district and is meant to streamline and improve our service to families.
Additional information will be shared by teachers as they plan for field trips. However, we want to highlight the following features:
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Our new online field trip process must be completed via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
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All online transaction fees have been waived, including payments made by credit card, debit card, and checking/savings account.
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If a field trip is sponsored by the district, the cost of the trip is waived for families who are eligible and approved to receive free and reduced priced meals. (This will be communicated to impacted families.)
Our school secretary will be available to assist families as needed and if a parent/guardian is unable to complete the online field trip process, we can provide support in-person or over the phone.
We look forward to providing your child(ren) with enriching field trip experiences that contribute to their educational journey. We appreciate your continued partnership and engagement!
Click here for the directions on how to use the Parent Portal to grant your child permission for field trips.
All students have the walking field trip form to be filled out on the Parent Portal. Please do this ASAP!
Dismissal and Parking Information
There are many changes this year to parking and traffic flow along Kentucky Street. We realize these changes are impacting pick up of students at the end of the day, but to ensure the safety of all of our students during this very busy time, we appreciate everyone following the plan.
- Adults picking up students must pull up along the sidewalk on Merrill's side of Kentucky Street. Students should enter vehicles from the driver's side to avoid going into the road. We do not want any students on the road.
- Do not stop your vehicle in the middle of the street and have students walk to your vehicle. This is unsafe for children and will also cause traffic behind your vehicle to have to stop and this creates a back-up quickly.
- Do not park on Kentucky Street on the Vel Phillips side or in their parking lot.
Thank you for your help keeping our students safe.
Student Handbook
Please click the picture below to view the handbook.
Breakfast, Lunch and Snack Information
School Breakfast/Lunch
All Merrill students will receive a breakfast and lunch at school each day for the 2023-24 school year at NO CHARGE. This is a result of the district's implementing the Community Eligibility Provision while participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs. Your students will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application. Please note that families that wish to receive additional benefits that the program provides such as free snack milk, dental care, field trip costs, waived instructional fees, etc., you must still complete the application as noted below. Breakfast is served in the classroom beginning at 7:45 am.
Recess Milk
Recess milk is a snack milk taken by students during the school day. The cost for recess milk is $.40 per milk. (There is no charge for recess milk if you qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch Program) Teachers will be charging student accounts for milk daily. Please make sure that your child's teacher is aware if your child will not be taking milk so the account does not get charged.
Sack Lunch Milk
Students that choose to bring a sack lunch from home may purchase a milk at the cost of $.40. This amount will be deducted from your child's account. Daily payments for sack lunch milk will not be accepted. Please note that if you qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, you do not receive free milk with your sack lunch. In addition, please note that there are no microwaves on site for students to use at lunch time.
Free and Reduced Lunch Program
All Merrill students will be able to receive free breakfast and lunch each day; however, to be eligible for additional benefits such as waived fees, dental services, and free snack milk, you must apply for the program. All households were notified in August about applying for the free or reduced lunch program. A new application must be completed each year to be eligible for the lunch program. In addition, you can apply online for the program right in your Parent Portal.
If you have questions, please contact the Food Services Department at West High School 424-4936.
Breakfast/Lunch Menus
Please click on the following link to view the lunch menus each month:
Food Service Information and Menus
Please CLICK HERE for information about:
- Free/Reduced Meal Applications
- Employment Opportunities
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Click the graphic to fill out the background check.
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Email the teacher to let them know you have filled it out. Applications will not be processed until the teacher and secretary are notified.
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Secretary's email: brittany.wurn@oshkosh.k12.wi.us
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** Please note that turnaround time is up to 4 business days.
Clothing Closet
Are you are in need of clothing for your child? Please print, fill out this form and return it to school. If you are not able to print please email your child's teacher to have a form sent home.
Click here to print the form.