NEWSLETTER
WE
ARE
STRONGER TOGETHER
CONGRATS, CLASS OF 2026!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
FROM SUPERINTENDENT MARK SMITH
4
SCHOOL UPDATES
6
REFERENDUM THANK YOU
8
CALENDAR
FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT Dear HSSD Community,
Mark Smith, Ed.D.
One of the greatest privileges of serving as Superintendent is the opportunity to connect with our students, families, staff, and community members. Whether I'm visiting classrooms, attending school events, hosting listening sessions, or simply having conversations throughout our community, I continue to be inspired by the people who make HSSD such a special place. Last year, together, we launched A Framework for Our Future, a strategic framework shaped by the voices of our stakeholders and centered on preparing every student for success. While there is still important work ahead, I am proud of the progress we have made this past year. One of the biggest milestones was the overwhelming support our community showed by approving both referendum questions in April. Your trust and investment in our schools will allow us to maintain exceptional educational opportunities, to invest in our employees, to improve our learning environments, and to continue preparing students for a changing world. On behalf of our Board of Education, staff, and students, thank you for believing in our shared future. Throughout this newsletter, you'll see examples of that future already taking shape. From remarkable student accomplishments and dedicated staff to exciting facility improvements and innovative learning opportunities, every story reflects the incredible work happening across our district. More importantly, each story represents people who care deeply about helping children learn, grow, and thrive. At HSSD, we believe education is personal. Every student has unique strengths, interests, and dreams, and every child deserves to be known, challenged, supported, and inspired. That commitment continues to guide every decision we make. Thank you for supporting our schools, Mark Smith, Ed.D. Superintendent, Howard-Suamico School District www.hssdschools.org | 3
POINTS OF PRIDE POINTS OF PRIDE BAY HARBOR 4K
4K students celebrated Earth Day by learning about composting and building a worm farm.
Bay Harbor 4th graders partnered with local businesses to create minigolf/pool tables. Thank you to the following businesses for working with students as they learn about Graduate Profile skills in real life: Three Ducks Bagel & Bread Co., Bank of Luxemburg, Green Bay Sail & Paddle, Inc., Green Bay Packaging, Kimps ACE Hardware, Miron Construction Co., Inc., FLT Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home, and Tweet Garot Mechanical.
FOREST GLEN
The Forest Glen community raised and donated $4,055 to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in honor and memory of Ava Rae Schmidt, daughter of Katerina Schmidt, a 2nd grade teacher at Forest Glen. The school also recognized 2nd grader, Demi Francois, who raised more than $2,000 on her own! At a school assembly, Demi was named the recipient of the new Spirit of Ava Rae Schmidt Award.
HOWARD LINEVILLE
Hallie Fisch, incoming 7th grader, competed in the 2026 Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals at August National Golf Club in Georgia in April. She has big dreams for her future, including playing D1 college golf and becoming an engineer. 4 | HOWARD–SUAMICO SCHOOL DISTRICT
Nicole Gardner, Howard 3rd grade teacher, won the Milwaukee Brewers Grand Slam Teacher of the Month Award in January! Two Milwaukee Brewers athletes and the famous racing sausages visited Howard to surprise Gardner and all of the Howard students!
MEADOWBROOK Thirteen years ago, Chelsi Kuffel was a new kindergarten teacher at Brighton Elementary in Kenosha. Elijah Dawidziak was a kindergarten student in her class. Eli adored Mrs. Kuffel, and they had a wonderful year together. Life happened, and both Mrs. Kuffel and the Dawidziak family moved on from Kenosha.
Fast forward to today, both Eli and Mrs. Kuffel are back together in the Howard-Suamico School District! Mrs. Kuffel teaches first grade at Meadowbrook Elementary School, and Eli was in the Bay Port Class of 2026. For the annual senior walk, Eli decided to pay a special visit to Mrs. Kuffel and walk at Meadowbrook. Mrs. Kuffel is holding a card Eli made her in kindergarten, the year she got married. She kept it all this time! Students live in their teacher's hearts forever.
BAY PORT
Bennett Daul, Bay Port Class of 2026 valedictorian, was offered an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Congressman Tony Wied, Superintendent Mark Smith, and Principal Jo Wiebel surprised Bennett and his parents with the news in December 2025. We are so proud of Bennett for earning this prestigious honor!
SUAMICO
Through the HowardSuamico Education Foundation, Michael and Hannah North made a generous donation to install a six-hole disc golf course at Suamico Elementary! This gift provides students with new opportunities for movement, teamwork, and fun during recess and physical education classes. Community support like this creates lasting, meaningful experiences for students across HSSD.
BAY VIEW
Bay View's Maputo Bay students showed care, honor, and respect for those who have served our country by volunteering to clean up the Village of Suamico Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day. Thank you, Maputo Bay students, for modeling the way! State Champion Wrestler At 132 lbs, Alois Schlumpf won state wrestling! This win makes him only the third wrestler in Bay Port history to become a four-time state place-winner! State Champion Hockey Team The Bay Area Ice Bears girls co-op hockey team won its second consecutive state championship, the 4th in program history. Pictured are the Bay Port girls hockey athletes (left to right): Eva Streckenbach, Gabrielle Watts, Aisling Buchan, Lily Lyons, Abby Mommaerts, and Piper Losey. Not pictured: Ashlyn Dickson, Team Manager.
www.hssdschools.org | 5
Y ! o u k n T ha
REFERENDUM 2026
A Big
to Our Community! As we reflect on the 2025-26 school year, one of the most significant milestones was the successful passage of our referendum questions. Thank you to everyone who voted in the April 7, 2026 election. Because of your support, we can make our schools an even better place for every child to learn!
REFERENDUM RESULTS Operational Excellence This referendum supports the Operational Excellence and Fiscal Responsibility Priority Area within A Framework for Our Future, our strategic framework.
Question 1:
Question 2:
53.4% 55.5%
YES YES
VOTER TURNOUT
3,000
More People Voted in 2026 Than in 2021
A record number of people within HSSD voted in the April 2026 election. Thank you for making your voice heard and for caring about our schools, students, and staff! 6 | HOWARD–SUAMICO SCHOOL DISTRICT
FACILITIES REFERENDUM
OPERATIONAL REFERENDUM
Work is already underway on our facilities projects, which will shape learning environments, programs, and opportunities for years to come.
As promised, the operational referendum provides $7 million annually for seven years to help maintain small class sizes, to preserve student programming, and to invest in the exceptional employees who make HSSD a destination for learning.
PROJECTS
Since April, HSSD has been working with EUA, our architect, and Miron, our construction manager, to plan the work. Currently, we are in the architectural design process. Once this process is complete and work has been competitively bid out, construction can begin. Scan the QR code to visit our website to learn about each step in the Architectural Design Process.
Preliminary Timeline for Facilities Projects Design and construction timelines are based on current planning and may be adjusted as the project progresses.
FUNDS
One of our key priorities is ensuring HSSD continues to attract, develop, and retain outstanding teachers and staff. Over the past year, a Compensation Review Action Team representing employees from across the district has worked collaboratively to redesign our compensation framework. This work has been guided by extensive research, market comparisons, and employee feedback to create a system that is competitive, sustainable, and reflective of the tremendous value our employees bring to our students every day. While this work continues, our commitment remains unchanged: investing in great people is one of the most important investments we can make for our students and our future.
170+ Engagement and Listening Sessions
Planning Meetings Design begins with listening. Visioning and stakeholder input meetings have been taking place at Howard Elementary School, Bay Port High School, and Meadowbrook Elementary School since mid-April. Pictured above are Howard staff members during a visioning meeting with EUA.
LEARN MORE
Thank you for engaging with us! We look forward to continuing to have conversations with all stakeholders as, together, we do what is best for kids! ■ 1 33 Superintendent Listening Sessions ■ 4 0 Referendum Engagement Meetings
Scan the QR code or visit www.hssdschools.org/referendum to learn more about the referendum projects. www.hssdschools.org | 7
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WEBSITE:
August 26: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Open House (see school websites for details) September 1: . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Day of School (Grades K-6, 7, 9)
www.hssdschools.org EMAIL:
website@hssdschools.org
September 2: . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Day of School (Grades 8, 10-12)
PHONE:
September 3: . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Day of School (4K) October 22: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parent/Teacher Conferences (4K-12)
920-662-7878
October 26: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parent/Teacher Conferences (Grades 7-12)
INSTAGRAM:
October 27: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parent/Teacher Conferences (Grades 4K-6) November 25-27: . . . . . . . . . . . No School December 24-January 1: . . . . . . . . No School February 22: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parent/Teacher Conferences (Grades 7-12) February 23: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parent/Teacher Conferences (Grades 4K-6) February 25: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parent/Teacher Conferences (grades 4K-8) March 22-26: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring Recess June 2: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Last Day of School (4K) June 3: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Last Day of School (K-12)
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June 6: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bay Port Commencement The District does not discriminate on the basis of the Protected Classes of race, color, age, sex, (including transgender status, change of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity), pregnancy, creed or religion, genetic information, handicap or disability, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, military service (as defined in 111.32, Wis. Stats.), national origin, ancestry, arrest record, conviction record, use or non-use of lawful products off the District’s premises during non-working hours, declining to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or to participate in any communication with the employer about religious matters or political matters, or any other characteristic protected by law in its employment practices.
Please Note: This publication is produced for residents of the Howard-Suamico School District. Due to the overlap of several carrier routes into neighboring school districts, some residents of other districts may receive this publication. It is impossible to eliminate this overlap without significant cost to HSSD. Advances in technology have made full color printing more cost-effective, therefore this publication will be printed in full color moving forward.