Wales Elementary/KM Explore
The Spring Scholastic Book Fair is coming soon! The sale is open April 4 – 11 (closed April 9 when school is closed).
The Fair isn’t possible with awesome parents, grandparents, and community members. Sign up to volunteer to help with the Fair:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C48A8A62CABFE3-55548346-spring
Stay in touch with Wales and Explore PTO! Email us at ptowales@gmail.com or join our group on Facebook.
Save the Date! Next PTO meeting: March 18th!
Hi Explore and Wales Families! Your students have been busy building their skills during classroom graduate profile lessons. See below what your child's class is learning about!
Navigators, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade students have been learning all about Kelso's Wheel of Choices! The wheel of choices helps students learn how to solve problems peacefully. So far, we have practiced making a deal, talking it out, and apologizing.
To make a deal, we think about what we want and what the other person wants and find a way to compromise so that both people are happy. We call these win-win solutions! Some ways to compromise are taking turns on ideas, combining ideas, or doing something new that both people agree on.
To talk it out, we practice using I-messages/statements to state how we feel and what we need without blaming others. There are three to four parts to an I-message.
Here is the four-step apology that we have been practicing!
Scouts have been learning about empathy and showing others we care about them! They also talked about the golden rule, "treat others the way that you want to be treated," and played a game imagining that everyone followed the golden rule! Ask your student about what they think the bus, our school, or the world would be like if everyone followed this rule!
Pioneers have been working together to build their classroom community and practice active listening skills. This week, they played a game with fun question slips where they found someone they hadn't talked to yet that day, answered a question, listened to their partner's response, and asked a follow-up question to understand their partner's perspective better. Ask your student what they learned about their classmate this week!
3rd Grade has been learning that what people want and need when they are having a hard time can be different depending on the person. We have been practicing different ways to ask people how we can show them that we care about them. Here are some examples! Check out your child's seesaw assignment to see them practice this skill.
4th Grade is focusing on the power of their thoughts and the strategy of having helpful or positive thoughts to cope with uncomfortable feelings. Students are learning about the domino effect we experience daily, which starts with our thoughts. Our thoughts then lead to our feelings, actions, and the situation's outcome. To the right is an example of a domino effect with two different thoughts about a science presentation. Ask your student about a thought they had recently and have them explain the domino effect that happened!
5th Grade is working to THINK before they speak and not gossiping or spreading rumors. We use this helpful acronym to help us decide if we should say what we are thinking or keep it as a thought. We also read the book Mr. Peabody's Apple. Ask your student what happened when a rumor was spread about Mr. Peabody and what happened with the pillow at the end of the story!
We are entering our student's FINAL semester of elementary school! (Who's crying!?) We would love to send our students off to middle school as prepared and celebrated as possible. Here are a few things you should know about -
DUE BY MARCH 14th! Baby pictures needed! You can email them to Mrs. Schultz at schultzr@kmsd.edu OR upload them directly to the treering website. Here are the directions. These pictures will be used for our 5th Grade "moving on" ceremony at the end of the year as well as put in the yearbook. Here are a few guidelines to use -
Child should be younger than 4 years old
Only 1 person in the image
Ideally, a vertical portrait photo orientation (not landscape)
Good lighting on the face so it's not too dark
In accordance with our student handbook, families MUST OPT IN to school directories. If you would like your student's info to be available to other students for play dates, birthday invitations, etc, you must fill out the form below. Please fill out one form per child.
If you would like access to the collected information, you must email your classroom teacher or Mrs. Schultz at schultzr@kmsd.edu and ask for the directory, as it cannot be published on any public sites. The spreadsheet you will receive is a live document and will be updated as parents fill out the form.
Once again, you MUST fill out this form for Wales or this form for Explore in order to be included in the directory.
After it is completed, email Mrs. Schultz or your classroom teacher to ask for a copy of the directory.
Thank you for your understanding in helping to keep our families' information as secure as possible.
We also rent space and are happy to facilitate your events, courses, or activities.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
KM Community Education provides recreational and educational opportunities for families. Please be sure to visit the website often for updates and new programs. For program information and registration forms, visit www.kmsd.edu/communityed.
Jr Laser Football -2025
Registration is NOW OPEN for Junior Lasers Football!
Early Bird Registration: Now – April 7
Late Registration April 8 – June 27 (+$50)
K-4th Grade: Flag Football
Early Bird Registration: $275
The season will run from August through October.
Players will be randomly placed on teams that are balanced by grade-level.
Teams will end their season with an “Under the Lights” game on Vock Field.
We will need coaches, especially for the K-2 division. Sign up in SportsEngine for this rewarding opportunity!
5th- 8th Grade: Tackle Football
Early Bird Registration: $450
The season will run from August through October.
There will be 1-2 teams per grade.
We are excited to begin our third season in the Wisconsin AAYFL league!
Visit www.kettlemorainelaserfootball.com for more information.
MS Track and Field
Our spring season for grades 7/8 begins April 7. Practices will be held M,T,W 2:40-4pm. 6th graders are welcome to practice with the club for three weeks of the season in April to prepare, exercise and learn about track and field. Registration is available online at https://kmsd.revtrak.net/rwcommunityeducation/
Deadline to sign up is March 21.
Fall 2025 Youth boys and girls volleyball season
Boys and girls entering grades 5-8 in the fall of 2025 are eligible to participate in the league. Practices are held twice per week August-October with league play on the weekends in the GMYVB League. Tryouts will be held 5/15/25 and 5/19/25 from 6:30-8:30pm at the KMHS Gym.
Students entering grades 1-4 in the fall of 2025 are encouraged to join our mini league on Friday nights for volleyball instruction, fun and games.
Register online at https://kmsd.revtrak.net/rwcommunityeducation/
Contact Coach Peterson at petersons@kmsd.edu with any questions.
Zumba Gold
ZUMBA GOLD® is perfect for active older adults, those new to exercise, those looking for a lower impact choice and those coming back into the fitness routine who are lookingfor a Zumba® class that recreates the original moves you love at a lower-intensity.
How It Works
This class introduces easy-to-follow Zumba® choreography that focuses on balance, range of motion and coordination. Come ready to sweat, and prepare to leave empowered, feeling strong and successful. Join us on Tuesdays or Thursdays at 4:30 starting in April. We offer full course sign up or drop in per date registration for just $8. Sign up today at https://kmsd.revtrak.net/rwcommunityeducation/