TASD HOWL Winter 2023

WINTER 2023

Official Community Newsletter of the Tomah Area School District

MESSAGE FROM OUR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR

Enjoy this issue of the HOWL highlighting our students, faculty, and community of learners at Tomah Area School District! We’re heading into the homestretch of the 2022-2023 school year with plans well underway for the start of the 2023-2024 school year!

Speaking of plans for the upcoming school year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruct (DPI), recently approved the Tomah Area School District’s early school start waiver request for our traditional school calendars. The Lemonweir Elementary School calendar for 2023-2024 is not impacted by the waiver. School starts next year on August 30, 2023. You’ll find information below about the calendar change in this issue of the HOWL. Improving student readiness for classroom instruction and providing social emotional support with an extended spring break for both students and our employees are positive aspects to the early start to for the 2023-2024 school year.

Also included in this issue of the HOWL is information regarding the April 4 Operational Referendum. District representatives and board members continue to attend township, village, and other civic organization meetings providing information focused on a ballot question asking the community to approve a $2,500,000 Operational Referendum each year for the next four years. If approved, the Operational Referendum will allow Tomah Area School District to continue current educational programming to meet the needs of our students. Along with this publication, our district website has a separate tab on the homepage with Operational Referendum information. Please also feel free to submit your questions to referendum@tomah.education and a district representative will reply.

Tomah Area School District mission statement is High Quality Student Learning. Every Child. Every Day! We’re so proud of the academic and co-curricular success of our students and the tremendous impact our Tomah Area School District employees have on children along each step of their educational journey. As we move closer to the end of the 2022-2023 school year, I want to thank you for your support of our students and educational programs! Together we make our school district a great place to learn and grow!

Howl On!

Dr. Mike Hanson District Administrator Tomah Area School District

TAMS “Graduates” their pioneers

Tomah Area Montessori School (TAMS) was founded by the TASD Board of Education in 2015 as a way to bring our families schools of choice (our other choice school is Lemonweir Elementary, a 4515 academic calendar school for grades K-5). TAMS’ curriculum is founded on the Montessori Method which refers to a child-centered philosophy of education developed by the Italian anthropologist and physician, Dr. Maria Montessori. It is not affiliated with any religious or political organization. TAMS provides an authentic Montessori education based on Dr. Montessori’s principles and the standards set forth by the American Montessori Society. Encouraging a child’s innate desire to learn, providing a prepared child-friendly learning environment, and supporting children’s need to work at their own pace remain the foundation of the program. The classrooms consist of mixed-age groupings where students collaborate and learn under the guidance of Montessoricredentialed teachers. Learning is emphasized through all five senses, not just through listening, watching, or reading. TAMS is dedicated to the emotional, academic, spiritual, social, and physical development of the child.

The quaint school house has seen impressive growth since its founding. This was the first year for the school to offer 6th grade to give students the opportunity

to finish the Montessori Cycle. Five 6th graders will transition to middle school next year. Included in this group are four students who are lovingly dubbed the “Pioneer Students”. Nathan, Myla, Chloe, and Olivia were part of the very first Children’s House (grades 4K-K) class at TAMS in 2015. The four have proceeded through the grades together, and have witnessed the school house’s growth first hand. Myla has really enjoyed her elementary experience at TAMS, “TAMS allows me to grow at my own pace. When I am ready to learn something new, my teacher knows and I get to work ahead on things like Algebra. Being a mentor to the younger kids is also one of my favorite parts of going to school at TAMS. We all help each other, like a family.”

The three teachers, Laura Ames (Children’s House), Amy Jereb (E-1), and Jamie Harlos (E-2) have been active advocates for the continued growth of TAMS.

We are so proud of TAMS and the first “graduating” 6th grade class. Keep watching this tiny but mighty schoolhouse! If you’d like to learn more about TAMS, visit our website, attend a TAMS Governance Board Meeting, or follow us on Facebook!

Dance Team earned the chance to compete at State this year and came away with 10th place for D3 Pom! Congratulations Dancers!

Congratulations to the Girls Bowling team, they qualified for State and came away with a 10th place finish!

THS Wresting made a showing at State with Gavin Finch and Zandrea Mason, Tomah’s first ever female state qualifier. Way to represent!

Congratulations to everyone who competed at the WI State Powerlifting Championship!

Five lifters made the podium: Libby Dahl (132 class, 2nd place), Angie Salvino (165 class, 5th place), Morgan Iverson (181 class, 5th place), Erin Perry (198 class, 9th place), and Jack Thompson (165 class, 2nd place).

Five High Shool Gymnasts broke the school Team Record set back in 2014! Maya Mayer, Morgan Squires, Maddy Pollack, Kady Walker, and Jenna Bakken. Tomah’s new school Record is now 122.3!

Boys Bowling competed at State and with a combined team score of 2392, finished 18th! Tyler Moake finished 71st in Singles. Tyler, joined by Caden Blanchard, will go on to compete in the District 5 All Star Team!

Congratulations Tomah Ladies Basketball, our new REGIONAL CHAMPIONS!

Limited Edition Show Choir has had a record breaking year! They began learning their two shows in July, performed at Cranfest, held car washes, worked Downtown Thursday Nights, Tractor Pull, Ashley for the Arts, and the list goes on! They also traveled to seven different competitions this season. At the competitition in Colby they placed 1st Runner Up, People’s Choice, Spirit Award and Mason Welch won an individual Showstopper Award. In West Branch they placed 3rd Runner Up, won Tomah’s first ever Best Show Design Award, and Adam Johnson won the Showstopper Award. In DePere they placed 1st Runner Up, Best Band, People’s Choice, and Kami Murray won Best Female Soloist. At North St. Paul’s competition they took 4th Runner Up, People’s Choice, and Mitchell Schroeder won the Showstopper Award. Their ‘already amazing’ season ended March 12, when they competed in Holmen and won People’s Choice, Best Closer, Best Vocals (another first ever award for Tomah), Emma Fisher and Nevin Hawver both won the Showstopper award, and for the first time in Show Choir’s 39 year history, they were awarded GRAND CHAMPIONS!

Showchoir director Kate Bruehner said “This season has been incredible, and these kids are FANTASTIC! They have worked so hard and I’m so proud of them!” What a way to wrap up the 22-23 Season! Congratulations Limited Edition Show Choir on this historic win!

Why does Tomah Area School District need an Operational Referendum?

Costs and services provided to students continue to rise yet the state of Wisconsin has not provided an increase to the allowable per student spending in six of the last eight years. The District estimates a fiscal shortfall of approximately $2,500,000 for the next school year and is asking the community to approve a $2,500,000 Operational Referendum. A successful Operational Referendum will allow Tomah Area School District to continue current educational programming to meet the needs of our students. This referendum is not to build a new facility.

How does a passing Operational Referendum impact our students?

Passing the Operational Referendum will help offset budget deficits. This allows Tomah Area School District to continue providing quality class offerings, extracurricular activity opportunities, and added programs for student success. This referendum will also help continue initiatives to maintain the security of District facilities and provide safe learning environments for our students and staff.

How does a failed Operational Referendum impact our students?

Without a successful Operational Referendum, there will be a $2,500,000 deficit next year. Without increases to the allowable per student spending from the state of Wisconsin, the District’s deficits will continue to grow. Tomah Area School District will need to make reductions to personnel and programs to balance the budget.

Tomah Area School District maintains a Fund Balance to secure a solid financial position. These funds are typically used for emergencies and temporary budget shortfalls. These limited funds cannot support all current educational opportunities.

How will the Operational Referendum impact taxpayers?

For the past seven years, the Tomah Area School District community has approved and supported a $1,500,000 referendum. On April 4, residents will have the opportunity to cast their ballots for an Operational Referendum question to exceed the revenue limit by $2,500,000.

This is an increase of $1,000,000 over the past $1,500,000 Operational Referendum. The additional funds will alleviate the fiscal shortfall that has been created by the lack of increases to the allowable per student spending from the state of Wisconsin. Based on current projections, Tomah Area School District’s tax levy rate would stay neutral or flat.

Please see the chart below.

The

money a taxpayer pays per $1,000 of property value.

VOTE ON 04/04/23

Example: If a taxpayer had $100,000 worth of property and lived in the Bangor School District, their school portion of property taxes would be approximately $950. If that same person owned $100,000 worth of property in the Tomah Area School District, their school portion of property taxes would be approximately $591.

THE BALLOT WILL READ:

"Shall the Tomah Area School District, Monroe, Juneau and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $2,500,000 for each of the 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026, and the 2026-2027 school years for nonrecurring purposes to maintain and enhance educational and technology programs, school safety and security and school facilities and to maintain current levels of operational expenses?" WANT

EMAIL: referendum@tomah.education VISIT: www.tomah.education/referendum

tax levy mill rate equates to the amount of

The TMS Chess and Gaming Club traveled to Sauk City earlier this month where they placed first as a team in the K8 division! Joanna Stryker placed fourth as an individual and Aiden Gonzales placed fifth. Joanna and Aiden also won four of their 5 matches, while Gavin Libbey, Nyomi Grace, and David Ziemianczyk won three of their five matches and Robbie Duehlmeyer won 2!

District Spelling Bee

Sixty-seven students in grades 4-8 participated in a District Spelling Bee at the Tomah High School on March 8th. They went seven rounds, with each round getting increasingly harder, until they ended with the top seven spellers, plus one alternate, who will go on to to compete at the Reginal Spelling Bee in Westby on March 28th. Congratulations to all those who competed at the District level and Good Luck to our advancing students Brooklin Duncan, Preston Stryker, Maizee Eppers, Ben Dubois, Dylan Cram, Aubry Dulinksy, Madi McCabe, and Joanna Stryker!

Shout out to the THS Forensics Team! They crushed it at sub-district competition in February! Overall top performances were Manraj Grewal with an of impromptu speech, Lauren Kline with an informative speech, and Cesar Gonzalez and Ava McKie both with Public Address speeches.

The High School DECA chapter sent nine students to the State Career Development Conference last month, to compete and receive recognition for their accomplishments throughout the year. The chapter performed well and won awards in the Community Service Campaign for the following initiatives: Acts of Kindness, General Contributions to Charity, 100 Hours of Service, Muscular Dystrophy Association Fund Raising, and the Trick or Can Food Drive. In individual competition, the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team of Jocelyn Battista and Madison Wildes were finalists and medaled in their test competition and one of their role plays. In Quick Serve Restaurant Management, Preston Wildes, medaled in his test and a role play. Jocelyn, Madison and Preston, have all earned the right to represent Wisconsin and compete at the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, this April.

Tomah DECA president, Amelia Zingler, won two medals for her role plays in Business Services Marketing. Rounding out Tomah’s State Qualifiers were Thomas Lisi and Marie Bannan in Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making, Eva Hendrickson competing in Project Management - Community Giving and Restaurant Food Service Management, Freshman Katie Thompson in Principles of Hospitality, and Lily Joyce as a Conference Associate. Joining Preston, Jocelyne and Madison in Orlando will be Marie Bannan, Lily Joyce and Eva Hendrickson, who were selected to attend DECA’s ICDC Elevate Leadership Development Academy. Throughout the state only 15 students are selected for this honor.

Tomah Middle School’s 7th Grade Quiz Bowl Team recently competed along with twelve other school districts at the Quiz Bowl. Out of fourteen teams, Tomah "Gold" Team placed 2nd overall and Tomah "Black" Team placed 4th overall! Tomah Middle School students are doing amazing things!!

22-23 Quiz Bowl Team

Front row: Sam Ahrendt, Makenna Uhing, Maizee Eppers, Charlie Hilt, Warren MacDougal and Lynn MIller

Back row: Evan Newlun, Hunter Springer, Rachel Zastoupil, Eva Betthauser, Ben DuBois and Fauna Last

Elementary Musical

In December, auditions were held at each of the elementary schools for the 2023 4th and 5th grade musical. Sixty students were chosen to be the cast of The Claw. Co-directors Erin Schwartz and Christy Hennegan, along with Harmony Hennegan worked with the students starting at the beginning of January almost every day after school. Students practiced lines and songs but more importantly they learned many skills that they will need for their future theatre endeavors. They worked on projection, confidence and vocabulary like blocking and dialogue. They learned stage direction, basic dance steps and tricks to memorize lines. After many rehearsals, the elementary cast and their stage and tech crew, consisting of one elementary student, three middle schoolers and five hgh schoolers, were ready to put on their show. They had two public performances. There was some stage fright but also a lot of encouragement between the kids. One student said after the show “As soon as the curtain opened all of my fears were gone and it was like I was in a magical place.” The kids also put on their show for the district 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and their teachers. After their performance, Limited Edition show choir performed and you could almost see the future in the sparkling eyes of many of the young performers as they watched.

Volunteering at the Food Pantry

Attending National Convention World Dairy Expo Conoe Trip

Competing at Districts Fall Leadership Workshop

Summer PACK! 2023

Sign-Up information coming soon!

Students currently in grades 4K-2 will have classes offered at Miller, Oakdale, Warrens, or Wyeville. Students currently in grades 3-8 classes offered only at Tomah Middle School

Summer PACK Classes offered to students who are currently in grades 4K-2: "Getting Ready for the Next Grade" Students currently in grades 3-8 will choose their classes.

Session 1

June 12-29 and Session 2

July 10-July 27

2023-2024

Enrollment for 4K and 5K is open!

WHO can enroll?

• Children who will turn 4/5 years old on or before September 1st, 2023

• Children already enrolled in TASD do not need to register.

WHEN can I enroll?

•Enrollment is open from 8:00-4:00 during school days

HOW do I enroll?

•Visit our enrollment page for checklist, registration packet, and more info!

Do you have concerns about your child’s development?

Tomah Area School District offers screenings by appointment for children with birthdates between Sept. 1, 2017 - Sept. 1, 2020. If you have concerns, please complete the online form and a member of our Pupil Services Department will contact you.

This opportunity is available from Feb 1, 2023 – Apr 1, 2023.

IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS, PLEASE FILL OUT

If you have questions, please contact pupil services: 608-374-7011

If you have questions regarding enrollment, please contact the District Registrar: kellijanusheske@tomah.education

608-374-7009

Friends

www.tomah.education/enrollment

Our Timber Pups 4K program offers preschool-age children of the Tomah Area School District equal access to a safe and nurturing early educational experience that will build the foundation to become a lifelong learner.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON 4K VISIT

www.tomah.education/timber-pups

HIGH QUALITY STUDENT LEARNING. EVERY CHILD. EVERY DAY.