Principal

Marianne Rupprecht

Carter Lake Families,

New year, new cheer - and same amazing school! Students returned from Winter Break ready to learn, and we are so proud of their commitment to SOARing!

Our main focuses coming back have been ensuring that all students:

• Feel safe and connected with their school family.
• Are back in a smooth and predictable routine, from turning in classwork to transitioning between subjects or locations.
• Have structure to help regulate their energy and attention.

Classes have reviewed what it means to SOAR, and reaffirmed their promise to demonstrate safe actions and on-task behaviors, have an awesome attitude, and be respectful and responsible. Some made posters, or charts, or special bracelets.

We continue to begin each school day with the Inner Explorer video series to alleviate stress and anxiety and help get students ready to learn while doing belly breathing, the “Shark Fin,” and gaining awareness of body and movement. We also are using SecondStep, the district’s Social-Emotional Learning curriculum, which teaches skills for growth mindset and goal-setting; empathy and kindness; problem-solving; and emotional management. Students are empowered to make connections between the content and their experiences and emotions.

Students completed the Rithim survey, which asks them to share their perceptions and attitudes as it relates to their social-emotional and academic learning. This screener will provide us with information on the impact schoolwide support is making for students’ educational success.

Additionally, classes regularly gather for class circles, where students converse and share, and restorative circles, for conflict resolution and relationship building. We are learning more about each other every day!

We look forward to continuing to support all Carter Lake students, and building and strengthening partnerships with families.

Marianne Rupprecht 

Principal

Special Focus: Attendance Matters!

Student engagement and achievement are directly related to attendance, and every absence, even excused, makes it more difficult to be successful. Being absent two days a month in kindergarten has been shown to impact a student’s achievement in fifth grade and their ability to graduate. 

Here are some highlights from the attendance handbook to have you thinking ahead and planning. 

• Tardy bell is at 8:10 a.m. Students should arrive between 7:55 and no later than 8:10am. This is breakfast time and school begins at 8:10 a.m. Our top goal this year is to reduce the number of students arriving after the tardy bell at 8:10am. Students arriving more than 30 minutes late will constitute a half-day absence.
• Please write a note to the teacher for end-of-day changes or call the office early in the day. Dismissal is at 2:40pm and is a busy time for teachers and students. If you have an appointment or need to pick up students early, please stop in the office prior to 2:20 p.m., otherwise wait for students outside as classes are busy getting ready for dismissal. If a student is picked up prior to 30 minutes early, this also constitutes a half-day absence.
• Plan vacation around summer, winter and spring break
• Planned absence form  If you have an emergency or plan for your student to be absent, we have a process for this. Our office and counselor can help you complete a planned absence form.  
• Tardy, excused/unexcused conferences and attendance contracts  We are required to hold a conference with families that meet the criteria outlined by district policy at 5 excused absences within a month and 3 unexcused within a month. We will also hold a conference after 5 tardy days.