KMMS DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Tomorrow (Saturday, November 11) is Veterans Day.  With that in mind, we honor all American veterans for their dedicated and loyal service to our country. November 11th of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in their lives to keep our country free.  Many of you may have a Veteran in your family.  Maybe a neighbor of yours is a Veteran.  We have some staff members here who are Veterans: Mr. Blanchard (8th grade) and Mr. Geboy (Custodian).  

Mr. Blanchard and Mr. Geboy....We thank you.  

Please take a moment today and tomorrow to thank a Veteran for their sacrifices and their service.  They deserve the respect and gratitude of our nation.  

Join the KM Music Parents Association for our November meeting on Monday, November 13th at 6:30pm at KMHS in the Perform Community Room. We'll be reviewing grant requests and previewing the schedule of upcoming music concerts.  All parents/guardians of music students are welcome to participate. You can reach us at kmmpaboard@gmail.com.

Kettle Moraine Middle School is a proud partner of a non-profit organization called Blessings in a Backpack. Through this partnership, your child is eligible to be a recipient of the Blessings in a Backpack program. This program is currently in all of the Kettle Moraine Elementary schools.  

The program is designed to provide non-perishable food every Friday to children that
would benefit from supplemental nourishment over the weekend. The program runs the
full school year and there is no cost to participate. If you choose to participate, your child
will receive a bag of non-perishable food every Friday which will be distributed in a discreet and caring manner. If you want your child(ren) to participate, please complete this form. 

The Program is a Learn to Ski Race program available to current 7th & 8th grade KM Middle School students.  This is a great opportunity for those that are interested in learning to ski race, or those interested in additional ski race training.  There will be 7 weeks of practice with the KMHS Ski Race Team at Ausblick Ski Club. Practices will be Sunday nights from 6:00pm-8:00pm beginning Sunday, December 20.  You should arrive at Ausblick by 5:30pm to boot up, stretch and be ready to load the lifts by 6:00pm.  Each week the courses will be set for Slalom or Giant Slalom training.  There is no need to get special race skis or poles, but you must have Skis, Poles, Boots and a hard sided helmet to participate. The Intro to Race Program is for Ski Race Practice ONLY.  The weekly ski races are only open to students enrolled in High School, per the Midwest High School Ski Conference. 

Athletes must have a 1 year minimum of skiing ability. 

How to sign up:

•  2023-2024 MS Intro to Race Online Signup: now open

          Click here: Registration

• Ausblick Practice Liability Online Waiver:

          Click here: ausblick.ezwaiver.com

• Fee: $275 made payable to the KM Ski Team

Includes Ausblick Sunday practice lift pass and coaching

Space is limited, signup deadline Friday, November 17!

Fees turned into Andrew  HS Athletics Office.

Attention ALL Kettle Moraine Middle School Students

Do you earn good grades?

Do you volunteer in your community?

If you answered yes to these two questions, please consider applying to be Kettle Moraine Middle School’s nominee for the Carson Scholarship!  This opportunity is open to all students who have a GPA of at least 3.75 (that is, no more than one B in their Math, STEM, Literacy, and Social Studies classes) and have completed community service / volunteer hours.  

If our school’s nominee is chosen by the Carson Scholars Fund to be an award winner, they will receive a $1,000 scholarship invested towards a four-year college or university.  Learn more about the Carson Scholars Fund, including info about the application and selection process HERE.  

Applications can be picked up in the front office.  Please see Mr. Korb or Mrs. Cowan with any questions.

Each applicant will be required to write a short essay.  The applications will be reviewed by a committee to determine our school’s nominee.  Applications are due in the front office by the end of the day on Friday, December 8.

The True Grit award is available to ALL students in grades 6-8 and is sponsored by the Lake Country Optimist Club. To apply for this scholarship, you must write a 300 word minimum essay on the topic of grit. The student who demonstrates the most growth in perseverance, endurance, and resilience through optimism, creativity, and confidence to achieve a desired academic or nonacademic goal, will be awarded a $100 scholarship.  You must pick up a flier in the front office for more information.  Send your essay and your completed application to Mrs. Cowan or Mr. Korb by December 8th.

Ladies, this next announcement is just for you! Statistics show that ladies working in STEM-related careers is growing and that they are having a positive impact on industry. Last year we ran an inaugural event called Laser Ladies of STEM. We had such a great turnout and feedback that we are running TWO more evening events this year! The events will have hands-on activities, a mindfulness session, music and social time.  To sign up to join the club and receive notification of the events, click on this link and sign up. All ladies are welcome to join us! See Mrs Olson in the Computer Science room with any questions you might have. 

8th Grade families!  KM offers five different high schools within the Kettle Moraine High School Campus.  The time is fast approaching to decide which school YOU will attend in 9th grade!  To get information about all of your options, visit the info nights for the different schools.

The All Campus Musical tickets are on sale. For more information or to purchase tickets, check out the musical website. Performances are THIS WEEKEND

The National History Day team, where evidence matters, meets on Tuesdays after school in Room 603 until 4 pm. As usual, popcorn and hot chocolate will be served. 

Questions? Contact Mr. Kaldhusdal

The KM Forensics Speech Team, where students speak with conviction, meets on Wednesdays after school in Room 603 until 4 pm. Popcorn and hot chocolate will be served.

Questions? Contact Mr. Kaldhusdal

Learning lab is on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 2:45 - 4:00 in the library. All students not going to the Learning lab must have rides arriving prior to 3pm. Only those students may wait in the vestibule just inside the front doors. All students without after-school activities on Thursdays and Fridays should be picked up by 3pm.  

It is a great day to be a Laser, when we treat one another well. Good morning, KMMS students and happy Friday. Earlier this fall KMMS students took a survey to give our staff more information about disruptions. I want to take a moment to share some of those results with you and offer some suggestions as we continue to make sure we have a school environment with little to no disruptions, where all students can thrive. 

First, we asked you if there are disruptions that affect your ability to focus on your work:

• 35% of you said that disruptions rarely or never affect your ability to focus on your work. That means about 1 out of every 3 students are not affected by disruptions.

• 20% of you said disruptions often affect your ability to focus on your work.

• And about 45% of you said sometimes disruptions affect your ability to focus on your work. 

The disruptions that affect your ability to focus seem to come in two forms: 

• 47% of your said that noise outside the classroom is disruptive

• 71% of you said classmate disruptions, like talking or excessive noise is disruptive

When experiencing disruptions from other students, here is how students said they handle it:

• 90% of you ignore the distractions

• 10% of you address the person who is being disruptive

• 3% of you involve your teachers 

So let’s take a minute to discuss disruptions and how it relates to treating your fellow students and your teachers well. 

1. Be cognizant of the noise you make and talking that disrupts other students or the teacher.

2. There is a time and place to make people laugh, but it is not during quiet work time or when a teacher is teaching.

3. Be respectful of classes that are going on when you are transitioning to another class. We have 3 houses and 3 grade-levels, many classes are going on when you are going to and from lunch, and to other classes.

4. Students sitting closest to the door, feel free to close the door when there is noise in the hallway or open area. You can do this quietly and without distraction to the rest of the class.

5. 90% of you ignore distractions, if this is working for you, that’s great!

6. Only 10% of you will address the disruptive person. Remember, it’s not just what you say but how you say it. Politely and warmly letting a person know that they are being too loud can be an effective way to address a disruption and move on. Avoid banter or arguments that cause even more disruption.

7. Okay, so only 3% of our students say they involve teachers. We get it, students don’t want to be a tattle tale. But if someone else’s behavior is repeatedly disrupting your learning, send your teacher an email and let them know what is going on. Teachers won’t mention your name when addressing someone who is being disruptive. 

Lastly, if you know you’ve been disruptive, you may want to ask yourself these questions:

• Have you ever discussed your concerns or challenges with your teacher? If not, would you be willing to talk to them about how you can improve your behavior in class?

• Can you set some personal goals for yourself regarding your behavior in school? What are some steps you can take to achieve these goals?

We have a great school where all of you have the opportunity to get a great education. Let’s not let disruptions get in the way of all the things we will achieve together this school year. It’s a great day to be a Laser, when we minimize disruptions and treat each other well. Have a great weekend!

It’s a great day… to be a LASER!

KETTLE MORAINE MIDDLE SCHOOL
349 N. Oak Crest Drive | Wales, WI 53183 | 262-968-6200