Community Connections - Oostburg School District

Community Connections SCHOOL DISTRICT of OOSTBURG 410 New York Ave. PO Box 700100 Oostburg, WI 53070 (920) 564-2346 www.oostburg.k12.wi.us

BOARD OF EDUCATION Jim Swart Terry Lemkuil Wendy DenBoer Rick Hartman Jack Stodyk Deb Harmeling Mari Kretz SUPERINTENDENT Mr. Kevin Bruggink HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Mr. Scott Greupink MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Mrs. Sherri Stengel ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Mr. Aaron White DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL / BUDGET Mrs. Kris DeBruine

School District of Oostburg Newsletter The mission of the School District of Oostburg is to prepare students to be productive and positive contributors to our society and the world.

OHS Forensics Team to Perform at State On April 20, 2018, OHS students and their coaches are traveling to UW-Madison to compete at the Wisconsin High School State Forensics State Speech Competition. In order to qualify for state, students had to earn a score of 20 (out of 25) or higher from at least two judges at the March 12th District competition in Manitowoc. Students who earned a trip to state includeJordynn Stenshaug, Samantha White- Farrago Felix Esqueda III, Isabel Fuentes de Rehm, Ashley Huibregtse, Hannah Leaman and Ryan Yeadon- Group Acting Anna Hoffman, Bella Szyman, Madison VanTatenhove, and Owen Wilson- Group Acting Autumn Frier and Kiara Verduzco- Group Interpretation Paige Bruggink and Josh Ludens- Group Acting Jessica Depies, Erin Fear, Sahejpreet Gill, Catherine Hoffman- Poetry Reading Elizabeth Heinen, Makenna Ley, Brianna Quincy- Prose Reading Brent Greupink- Radio Speaking Madelyn Hendrikse- Story Telling (Continued on Page 2.)

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Volume 18 Issue No. 3 Spring 2018

In this Issue... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Band Instrument Recycling Project Solo & Ensemble Update OES Summer School Set National Honor Society Adds Eight DI Teamwork Solves Problems OMS Forensics OES Celebration of the Arts Top Ten Banquet Big East Art Show ROV Diving In

DIRECTOR OF BUILDINGS / GROUNDS Mr. Peter Scheppmann

Members of the High School Forensics Team

From the Superintendent’s Desk Greetings, The recent school shooting tragedy in Florida along with numerous safety threat concerns regionally have schools reviewing their emergency preparedness. We have invested a significant amount of time into discussing, revising, and improving our existing crisis response plans and would like to provide a general overview of our approach should we face an emergency situation. Our schools have two goals in the event of an emergency or disaster situation: (1) to keep our students safe; and (2) to keep families and the community informed with accurate information. We Kevin Bruggink take these responsibilities very seriously. Our school safety plan includes response protocols to a wide variety of situations that, although unlikely, could occur in our schools. In addition to collaborating with local and regional school organizations, we have worked closely with the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department, as well as our local fire department, around best practice in keeping our schools safe. Staff have been trained in response protocols and each classroom has a crisis response binder that contains concise directions on how to respond to various events, including severe weather, natural disaster, lockdowns, and evacuations. Our district crisis response team has clearly defined roles including counseling, communication, facilities coordination, and response leadership. We have identified crisis response service locations and review and update our safety plan binders annually. Typically these updates include location and staffing changes, while we also review procedures to ensure we are following the most appropriate steps in each situation. Recently, we met with Oostburg Fire Department officials to discuss adjustments during regular fire drills so we can ensure that when a fire alarm sounds the hallways are safe from intruders. Small changes can make a large difference, and we remain thankful for the cooperation and time from our local emergency personnel. We do not share all of our specific emergency protocols with all stakeholders primarily due to the possibility that someone attempting to do harm to someone in the schools could use our procedures to increase danger to our students. Our schools are made more secure through an access control system which includes cameras at main entrances and strategic positions to cover primary corridors, common spaces, and other areas of concern. If you have visited our buildings you recognize that you are asked to “buzz in” while a monitor in the office allows us to see who is at the door before we grant access. Our most recent discussions have focused on controlling movement through buildings using corridor partitions. Our new elementary school addition has an advanced version of this approach which includes doors that automatically swing closed and lock when an emergency pull station is tripped in our office. Law enforcement leadership also has the ability to access our security cameras so they can isolate the location of a threat and respond more quickly. Our student information system, Infinite Campus, allows staff to easily access student information. It allows staff members with login credentials from each building to pull up attendance information, contact information and remote messaging. This allows us to focus on reunification should there be a concern which results in evacuation of our buildings. We will continue to keep parents informed as our safety protocol procedures evolve so that each family can be confident that their child is in a school with sound procedures in case of an emergency. We encourage parents to contact us should they have questions or concerns. These contacts can help us in our goal of keeping all students, staff, and guests safe in our schools. Kevin Bruggink, Superintendent.

OHS Forensics… (From page 1.) Last year, Oostburg School District brought Forensics back after a 10 year hiatus. This year, students continued to grow and develop their skills. All students who participated in the District competition in March qualified for state. The coaches, Tamala Szyman and Avery Leidall, look forward to the state competition with the students, and to seeing the team continue to grow in the years to come.

Congratulations to Wendy DenBoer and Mari Kretz on their reelection to the Oostburg School Board. The fact that they ran unopposed speaks to the respect and trust our community has for our board. Thank you to all the board members for their time and support of the Oostburg Public Schools.

Wendy DenBoer http://oostburg.k12.wi.us/

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Mari Kretz

“There is no substitute for excellence.”

Celebration of Academic Achievement On March 5, 2018, our 21st Annual Top Ten Banquet was held to celebrate the academic successes of the highestranking students at OHS and the contributions of their parents and teachers. The Top Ten seniors at OHS were recognized. They honored their most influential teachers. Congratulations to the following students and their chosen teacher! Student Brenna Rauwerdink Paige Bruggink Sahejpreet Gill Brent Greupink Elizabeth Heinen Makenna Ley

Student

Teacher Mr. Scott Greupink Ms. Tamala Szyman Ms. Beatriz Anderson Mr. John Rentmeester Mrs. Deb VandeSlunt Mrs. Colette Hilbelink

Isaiah Rondeau Tadeo Maier Maggie Brill Jacob Eernisse Isaac Otte

Teacher Mr. Terry Hendrikse Mr. Kevin Bruggink Mrs. Jessica Dekker Mr. Ryan Ohlfs Mr. Mike Lauritsen

The banquet is made possible due to the generous sponsorship of The Oostburg State Bank. We are not only thankful for their financial support, but also for their willingness to be directly involved in this program. The direct involvement of local businesses make the Top Ten Banquet a community - not just a school - event. Thank you for your continued support!

Summer School Set for Oostburg District This year we are excited to offer two sessions of summer school for students currently enrolled in Kindergarten through 5th grade. The sessions will be Mondays-Thursdays (no Friday classes) from 8:30-11:30am. The first session is June 11-June 21, for a total of 8 days. The last session is August 13-21, for a total of 6 days. The cost is $10 per student, per session, for those students who are part of the Oostburg district. The cost for out-of-district students is $50 per session. Parents must provide or arrange transportation to and from school each day. All students will join in reader’s and writer’s workshops, math games and small group work. 3rd5th graders will have STEM class everyday, and the K-2 students will have daily specials! Every Thursday we will have a shortened class schedule to allow for organized games, both indoors and out, during the last hour of the day. Please contact the OES office at 564-2392 for more information or for a summer school registration form. Registration is appreciated by May 31, 2018. Come and join us for a summer of fun and learning!

National Honor Society Induction Oostburg High School’s National Honor Society Chapter is excited to induct eight new members this year. The new members include: Chase Dulmes, Gia Minneci, AJ Miller, Braden Dirkse, Madeline Block, Jada Ritterling, Riley Mentink, Mackena Hendrikse, Jacob Eernisse and Hannah Leaman. This is a very talented group of students that excel in all four areas that define a NHS student. Those areas include: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These ten inductees will be joining our current NHS members who consistently lead by example within our school, extracurricular activities, and community. The 2018 Induction Ceremony was held on April 16.

Oostburg High School’s National Honor Society “There is no substitute for excellence.”

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http://oostburg.k12.wi.us/

Problem Solving and Teamwork used by Oostburg DI Teams A total of seven Oostburg School District DI teams participated in the 2018 DI season. There were 52 students involved on those Destination Imagination teams this year. Destination Imagination is a worldwide creative problem solving program that encourages creativity and teamwork. The kids work throughout the school year to create a solution to their challenge that is performed at a regional competition in March. Top teams advance to the state tournament in April. Four of the seven teams from Oostburg advanced to the state tournament this year. The Destination Imagination program in our district is coordinated by Curt Bretall. Below are the 2017-2018 members and team managers. Melissa Leaman and Tricia Oonk managed a team that included Levi Arentsen. Natasha Montes, Daniele Roethel, Anton Roethel, Gabriella Back, Holly Condon, Levi Schmidt, Parker Oonk and Clarissa Cnossen. Karen Leitzke managed a team that included Milo Ottens, Logan Lewis, Brooke Buttram, Holly Hillebrand, Olivia Callahan and Max Schefsky. Julia Pearson and Shayla Trader managed a team that included Angela Alexander, Hannah Condon, Taryn Oonk, Selena Montes, Gabe Hengst, Sawyer TenHaken, Gage Bimmel, Blake Veldboom, Lucy Soerens and Isaiah Stanisch. Joeleen Schwarz managed a team that included Falco Schwarz, Cora Arentsen, Elijah Birtell, Camren Weavers, Nevaeh Andrews, Samantha Navis and Addison Berg. Cheryl Fuentes de Rehm and Andy Ramaker managed a team that included Jordin Fuentes de Rehm, Kalli Ramaker, Savanna Buttram, Addison TenPas, Luis Zapata, Mikayla Rogers, and Jaida Roussell. Erica Wray and Jacalyn Hickmann managed a team that included Emma Ottens, Anthony Alexander, Abby Verhelst, Naomi Birtell, Aiden Bossler, Steven Duter and Sebastian Schefsky. Cheryl Fuentes de Rehm also managed a high school team that included Hailey Simmons, Isabel Fuentes de Rehm, Halle Schwartz, Hannah Leaman and Ashley Huibregtse.

Above left: Members of the Rising Stars DI Team, a group of 1st and 2nd graders. Above right: Members of the OMS DI Team. Lower right: Members of the OHS DI Team, named Death by Cupcakes


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High School Level Solo & Ensemble A total of 59 Oostburg High School band students participated in district Solo and Ensemble in March, including: Brenna Rauwerdink, Paige Bruggink, Ashley Schinner, Abiageal Wing, Jada Ritterling, Kelsie Dulmes, Gia Minneci, Katie Lensink, Abby Wildman, Zoe Anzia, Wolfram Schwarz, Cora Schuessler, Darcy Bossler, Hayley Wickesberg, Macy Dulmes, Andrea Pedroza, Sabryn Bley, Allissa Horne, Kyla Van Ess, Payton Navis, Erin Grinnell, Gregory Gallenberger, Camryn Lund, Isaac Otte, Austin Lammers, Brianna Quincy, Konnor Weinert, August Paswaters, Emily Federspiel, Renee Rauwerdink, Emily Eernisse, Brianna Breunig, Jared Jarvis, Savannah Mondloch, Alexandrea Wynveen, Isabel Fuentes de Rehm, Monica Mentink, Justin Spindler, Rebecca Wieskamp, Maddie Block, Emily DeMaster, Joshua Ludens, Henry VandeVelde, Lorenzo Christian, Lindsay Wilterdink, Owen Kolste, Aden Dulmes, Kyle Schinner, Ashton Root, Lizzie Brill, Austin Scholten, Taygan Brusse, Levi Dulmes, Skylar Ternes, Daylen Swanigan, Abram Swart, Jakob Steck, Viktor Schwarz, and Logan Davies. Instrumental students that will be competing at the State level in April are: Jada Ritterling, Paige Bruggink, Brenna Rauwerdink, and Ashley Schinner. There were 56 Oostburg vocal participants at the district level, including: Abrianna Brand, Paige Bruggink, Levi Dulmes, Jacob Eernisse, Drake Harmeling, Elizabeth Heinen, Ashlyn Kolste, Gabriel Ludens, Joshua Ludens, Tadeo Maier, Isaac Markham, Olivia Meerdink, Amy O’Dell, Krysta Oelhafen, Jacob Oppeneer, Elizabeth Otte, Isaac Otte, August Paswaters, Ashley Schinner, Kyle Schinner, Elijah Stader, Tia Stubler, Willem Swart, Sydney TenHaken, Angelica Trekas, Campbell Van Ess, Luke Van Ess, Ethan Wittneben, Sabryn Bley, Ella Stader, Leah Otte, Darcy Bossler, Brianna Quincy, Hailey Simmons, Shaylea Johnson, Gracie Hilbelink, Abiageal Wing, Jeda Robroo, Emma Scherpereel, Cameryn Hilbelink, Zoe Anzia, Johanna Hacker, Autumn Lentz, Rebecca Wieskamp, Renee Rauwerdink, Kyla Van Ess, Lauren Laganowski, MacKenzie Ramirez, Michael Becker, Daniel Castillo, Bella Szyman, Samantha White, Monica Mentink, Nick Hoftiezer, Patience Theune, Madison VanTatenhove. High school students competing in piano events were Isaac Otte, Leah Otte, Renee Rauwerdink, and Justin Spindler. The “Contemporary a cappella” and “SSA Barbershop” events (made up of select Voice students) have advanced to the State level, as well as the following vocal soloists and duet members: August Paswaters, Leah Otte, Libby Otte, Paige Bruggink, Joshua Ludens, Michael Becker, Isaac Otte, Olivia Meerdink, Campbell Van Ess, Amy O’Dell, and Krysta Oelhafen. Congratulations to all Oostburg students! You were great representatives of our school and of our music program! Next year, Solo & Ensemble is hosted by Ozaukee. March 15, 2019, will be available for large ensemble performances. March 16, 2019 is set for solos and small ensembles.

Below, left: Some members of Ladies, Gents and Drama, the 5th Grade DI Team. Below, right: Members of the 3rd Grade DI Team, named The Singing Six


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OHS Students in Big East Conference Art Show Seven students had art pieces selected for the Big East Conference Art Show. This art show was held at the Rahr-West Gallery in Manitowoc from April 1 - 12, 2018. Kennedy Jepson entered a mixed media piece titled The Eye. Willem Swart entered a painting titled The Sound of Space. Alex Harmeling entered a painting titled When Worlds Collide. Skylar Ternes entered a wire sculpture titled Dream Catcher. Krysta Oelhafen entered a color pencil drawing titled Emma Watson. Gillian Brusse entered a reductive plaster sculpture titled From the Depths. Gia Minneci entered a mixed media piece titled Lost in Space. The projects are shown on the next page. The opening ceremony was quite successful and it was great to see so many people out celebrating the tremendous talent of our high school students in the Visual Arts.

OES Celebration of the Arts

These photos are a taste of what was happening at the March 13, 2018, Celebration of the Arts at OES. Above: Some of the Chairs available at the Celebration Auction. Right and Lower right: Some of the Art displayed at the Celebration. Lower left: Mr. White, OES Principal, introduces the concert. To left: Some of the fourth grade students perform.


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Big East Art Show Exhibits by OHS Students

Clockwise from upper left: Lost in Space, a mixed media piece by Gia Minneci; The Eye, a mixed media piece by Kennedy Jepson; When Worlds Collide, an ink and watercolor painting on linen by Alex Harmeling; Emma Watson, a color pencil drawing by Krystal Oelhafen; From the Depths, a reductive plaster sculpture by Gillian Brusse; Dream Catcher, a wire sculpture by Skylar Ternes; and The Sound of Space, a painting by Willem Swart.


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EARTH DAY Project: Band Instrument Recycling In honor of “Earth Day” in April, the Oostburg Parents Music Club (OPMC) is sponsoring a “Band Instrument Recycling Week” from April 23-27. If you have a gently used and still playable (or nearly playable) band instrument taking up space in your home that you would like to donate to the Oostburg School District Band program, please drop it off at the OHS main office during school hours, 7:30-3:30, M-F, Apr. 23 -27 or before/after the Spring Concerts on May 7 and May 14. If you are unable to drop it off or have questions, please call Jill Hanes at 920-564-2383 x2207, and leave a message with your name, phone number, and best time to contact you. If you know the value of the instrument, you may ask for a donation receipt to use for your 2018 income tax preparation. (We are unable to estimate an instrument’s value ourselves, so please contact a reputable music store for assistance.) Donated instruments will be used by band students in Gr. 6-12, with priority given to students with financial need. We believe EVERYONE should be in band and EVERYONE should have access to an instrument! Please help us, if you can! Thank you!

Middle School Solo & Ensemble Participants Congratulations to the following Oostburg Middle School students who participated in this year’s District Solo & Ensemble Festival. The 6th Grade band participants were: Miranda Block and Nathan Wolf. The 7th Grade band participants were: Natalie Bichler, Hailey Bley, Holly Bley, Ethan Brumirski, Jolene Brusse, Kailey Hoffmann, Justin Huenink, Jordyn Lewin, Elle Mentink, Morgan Mikula, Breleigh Navis, Ashton Niesen, Katie Orth, Arianna Rauth, Leigha Rauwerdink, Ariel Schefsky, Malayna Schmidt, Cece Szyman, Lucy TeGrotenhuis, Natalie Walker, McKenna Walvoord, Elijah Weidner, Joshua Wensink, Kallie Westerbeke, and Meryl Westerbeke. The 8th Grade band particiapants were: Matthew Berger, Taylor Diener, Emily Eggebeen, Jessie Gross, Carsen Jepson, Maggie Kolste, Tim Leitzke, Maria Lopez, Rachel Mentink, Sam Mullikin, Madison Nuernberg, Eli Lammers, Alaina Rauwerdink, Janae Roussell, Braxton Shircel, Jack Staggs, Joshua Staggs, Sydney Steuerwald, Janna Stokdyk, Nic Trekas, Dylan VanEss, Lesley Vasquez, and Ana Wilson. The 7th and 8th Grade vocal participants were: Sidney Straley, Kelsey DeBlaey, Livie Stader, Hailey Prom, Lizzie Harmeling, Cassidy TenHaken, Madeline Theune, Emma Valind, Minnie Hoffman, Alexis Claerbaut, Kylie Noel, Madison Nuernberg, Janae Roussell, Janna Stokdyk, Anabelle Anzia, Helena Miosi, Megan Brill, Sydney Steurwald, Reina Urbina, Micah Lilyquist, and Jason Becker.

OHS ROV Ready to Dive In

There are nearly 30 high school students meeting weekly at OHS as an engineering company with the specific goal of designing, engineering and building an underwater robot. Representing a corporate structure, students have divided themselves into specific departments representing finance, public relations, technical writing, management and software, mechanical, and electrical engineering. The team is competing at the State level competition in Milwaukee on April 29, 2018, with the goal of making it on to the June, 2018, MATE International Competition in Seattle, Washington. There are some pictures of Team members at work below.


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Middle School Forensics In its second year, Oostburg Middle School's Forensics team consisted of 15 students: Moses Wilke, Sydney Schmidt, McKenna Walvoord, Cece Szyman, Emma Valind, Morgan Mikula, Janna Stokdyk, Reina Urbina, Megan Brill, Caris Dirkse, Karli Swart, Gracie Mihm, Anabelle Anzia, Camber Walvoort, and Misha-el Maier These students competed in a Level I competition in Beaver Dam on February 6, 2018, and every team member qualified to advance to the Level II competition on February 24, 2018, in Little Chute, WI. The team did well in Little Chute, with each member earning high marks. Congratulations to all team members! Members of the OMS Forensics Team relax

Please Help Us Save... Box Tops for Education are being collected to enhance classrooms. The money is used to support staff and students throughout the district. Pizza Ranch Wagon Wheels are also being redeemed by the Oostburg PTO for money that will be used to assist staff in classroom needs at the schools.

Thank You for a Successful Solo & Ensemble The 2018 Solo & Ensemble Festival was held here at home, on March 16th (large ensemble night) and 17th (small ensembles and solos). The community of Oostburg offered many volunteers, resulting in a wellorganized and enjoyable experience for all! Mrs. Howell, Mrs. Hanes, Mrs. Williams, and Mr. Galezio would again like to extend their gratitude to every family and individual that donated their time. We could not have done it without you!

Drop Pizza Ranch Wagon Wheels and Box Tops for Education off at Oostburg State Bank, Mentink’s Piggly Wiggly or any of the Oostburg schools.

From the Oostburg Middle School and High School Music Departments, Bravo to ALL who helped make this a great event!

Pop Tabs are being collected to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of southeastern Wisconsin. Tabs can be dropped off at any of the school offices. No person may be denied admission to any public school in the district or be denied participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be discriminated against in any curricular, co-curricular, student services, recreational or other program or activity because of the person’s sex, race, color, national origin, ancestry, creed, religion, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, handicap or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability in the educational programs or activities operated by the School District of Oostburg.

A Big (top) Thanks! The Oostburg PTO would like to thank all the businesses and individuals for their support of the annual Family Fun Fair held February 16, 2018. The Fun Fair was again a wonderful success! Thank you to all the OSD families, students, & staff who volunteered and/or attended. Thank you to the Oostburg area community for attending and supporting the Oostburg School District. We hope you had fun and will plan to join us again next time!


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Coming Up...

Bits & Bytes 

Monthly school calendars are available on the Oostburg District website at http://oostburg.k12.wi.us/#calendar

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Check out past newsletters at http://oostburg.k12.wi.us/ resources/district-newsletters/

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Fitness Center hours: Check the current hours and available programs on the District website: http:// oostburg.k12.wi.us/community-connections/#fitnesscenter We invite your comments and suggestions. E-mail your thoughts to: [email protected].

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April 20 Forensics State Meet 27 No School - In-service Day 28 State Solo/Ensemble in Milwaukee May

7 9 12 14 16 18 19 20 25 28

OHS Band & Vocal Concert District Early Release Prom OMS Band & Vocal Concert School Board Meeting, 6pm Jazz/Vocal Concert at OHS Student Council Walk/Run Baccalaureate District Early Release No School - Memorial Day

June

1 3 6 7 13

Scholarship Program, 7:30am, OHS gym Graduation, 3pm, OHS gym Eighth Grade Recognition Student's Last Day of School School Board Meeting, 6pm

Look for the 2018-2019 school calendar in the next Community Connections newsletter.

School District of Oostburg P.O. Box 700100 410 New York Ave. Oostburg, WI 53070

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Community Connections is published for the residents of the School District of Oostburg. Design & Layout Karen Leitzke 564-5296