It’s been a great start to the year! Whether this is your first year in the AASD or you are a returning family, thank you so much for choosing our District for the education of your student(s)! 

In this family message, you can 

• review safe driving and parking practices around our schools

• get a reminder about how essential consistent attendance is

• learn more about school safety, including how to notify us if you see or hear of something concerning

• read an update on referendum projects

• save the date for Fall Into Wellness on October 23, 2024

• learn how to fill out free or reduced forms since carry-over status ends October 15, 2024

• read important info for eligible high school students wanting to enroll in courses through two- or four-year participating colleges

• review suicide awareness and prevention resources

• read about Whooping Cough and tips for staying healthy

• refamiliarize yourself with the SRP process

• see this month’s Community Opportunities for Students

Important Upcoming Dates

• Monday, September 30, 2024: No School (Find our yearly calendar here.) Charter schools and Appleton Central programs may follow their own calendar, please refer to your school or program calendar.

• Saturday, October 5, 2024: Fox Valley Tough Kid Challenge

Safe School Traffic Tips

As the new school year begins, it's essential to revisit the importance of patience and safety during school drop-off and pick-up hours. We all share the goal of ensuring our student's well-being, and by following a few simple guidelines, we can contribute to a safer and more pleasant environment for everyone. Learn more.

Attendance Focus

The AASD is committed to partnering and communicating with families to support student attendance. Even as your students grow older and more independent, our families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understanding why attendance is so important for success in school and life. Missing 10% of school days, or about 2 days per month can make it harder for students to learn to read. By 6th grade, absenteeism is a sign that a student may drop out of high school. It can happen slowly, and you may not notice, however, students can fall behind by missing just 1-2 days every few weeks. 

What can our families do to partner with us on this? Set a regular schedule for bedtime and morning routine. Be prepared - gather everything you need for school the night before (clothes, backpack, lunch, etc.). Have a backup plan for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent. Try to schedule medical appointments and vacations when school is not in session. Arrive at school early enough so that you can be in your first class on time

Attending school regularly helps students feel better about school and themselves. Starting this habit early in your child’s school career can help them understand that going to school on time, every day, is important. Eventually, good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college. Learn more.

Local Law Enforcement and the AASD: Partners In School Safety

Recent events have brought national attention to school safety, though media focus often fades with time. At AASD, however, our dedication to safety remains constant. We are proud that our community has supported having Appleton Area Police Department and Grand Chute Police Department School Resource Officers (SROs) in our schools for over 40 years. Today, 13 SROs serve across our 27 schools, playing an integral role in building strong, secure school environments.

Our commitment to school safety is reflected in our continuous improvement of safety practices and procedures. Every year, each school updates its Entrance Control Plan, Evacuation Plan, and Emergency Management Team roster. In addition, staff receive annual training on these plans, including simulations of critical response scenarios led by our SROs. Students also participate in safety drills throughout the year, ensuring preparedness at all times.

Thanks to funding from referendums in 2014 and 2022, we’ve enhanced security at our school entrances. Many schools relocated their main offices to the front of the building, creating a single point of entry for visitors to ensure better monitoring. We also know that creating a safe and welcoming environment depends on strong relationships between students and staff. Our K-8 Second Step curriculum, Sources of Strength programming for middle and high schools, and the support of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists promote social-emotional learning and help foster a positive school climate. We use data from the fall and spring Panorama surveys to track our progress, which measure student well-being and their sense of belonging.

The safety of our students and peace of mind for our families are top priorities for AASD. Our goal is to maintain a balance between securing our schools and creating an inclusive, caring environment where students, staff, families, and community members feel welcome.

Speak Up Speak Out Bully and Incident Reporting

The AASD utilizes SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT (SUSO), a 24/7 comprehensive bullying and incident reporting system. Students, families, school staff, and community members can submit a school safety concern by downloading the SUSO app (Android and iOS), submitting a tip online, or calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1. We recommend typing in "AASD" into the search field to see all AASD schools.

Resource Center staff work around the clock to respond to reports and deploy a response locally by communicating directly with school administrators, law enforcement, and counselors. This system will be used to identify not just threats to schools, but also other daily safety concerns students encounter, such as bullying, drug use, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and more. We encourage you to talk to your students about sharing their safety concerns with a trusted adult or using the confidential SUSO system. Learn more here.

Referendum Projects Update

The additions and renovations completed this summer as part of our 2022 referendum are everything we had hoped they would be. The projects have allowed us to move 6th graders to the middle level, update our Tech Ed and STEM areas, improve security at Wilson and Kaleidoscope middle schools, and provide more elective options for all students.  

Projects that are currently under construction are Sandy Slope Elementary School, which is being constructed east of North High School, additions to East High School, North High School, and Classical School, and the construction of an indoor facility at West High School. The final projects funded by the referendum are STEM room renovations at each of our elementary schools which are currently in the design phase. Follow along with our progress here.

Join Us at Fall Into Wellness on October 23, 2024

We're excited to announce our upcoming event for AASD parents/guardians, Fall into Wellness, on Wednesday, October 23 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Einstein Middle School. Our event will feature 2 breakout sessions - Appleton Police Department will present about keeping youth safe online and with social media and Community Action for Healthy Living (CAHL) will be presenting on the risks of youth vaping and tips for families, a panel discussion focusing on mental health, with expert panelists offering valuable insights and tips for supporting your youth and family's well-being. We encourage you to attend these discussions and participate in the Q&A sessions. 

Additionally, don't miss out on our resource fair, where you can connect with community vendors offering mental health services, AODA information, and other programming available to families within the community. Although the discussions are geared towards grades 3-12, the resource fair will cater to all ages, with a special focus on middle school families. We've planned an engaging lineup of activities and discussions to promote family wellness. Be sure to join us for the chance to win some fantastic door prizes. We're dedicated to promoting family bonding and healthy choices, and we look forward to seeing you at the event!

Free or Reduced Carry-Over Status Ends October 15, 2024  

AASD families approved by direct certification or through an application for Free or Reduced Meals for the 2023-2024 school year, we want to remind you that carry-over status, which allows families time at the start of the school year to submit a new annual application will expire on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.  All families without a current and completed Free or Reduced application will revert to full pay for meals on Wednesday, October 16  Please submit your completed Free or Reduced application to determine eligibility for meals for the remainder of this school year. Households must be certified annually to continue benefits. 

Please note, that families with students who attend a CEP School (Community Eligibility Program) will continue to receive meals. However, we encourage all families to apply if they feel they would qualify as they may be eligible for additional benefits and our schools can also benefit from additional funding.  

REMINDER: Meal benefits apply only to the reimbursable meal. The reimbursable meal includes milk as one of the required components and must be priced as a unit. If the student decides to take only milk, this is not a reimbursable meal, and the meal account will be charged for the milk as an à la carte item. 

An updated application form is located within your Infinite Campus Parent Portal under applications/forms, on the district website, or may be obtained from your student’s school. In order to save time processing, we encourage you to fill out the online form via the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

Please remember to add money to your meal account if you have not applied for the current year. If you have questions, please email the Food Service staff at foodservice@aasd.k12.wi.us or by phone at (920) 852-5314.

Start College Now/Early College Credit/Request for High School Credit Program Deadlines

AASD offers three programs for eligible high school students wanting to enroll in courses through two- or four-year participating colleges or universities in Wisconsin. The deadline to enroll in a spring semester course is October 1 of each academic school year. The deadline to enroll in a fall semester course is March 1 of each academic school year. If you have any questions please reach out to your School Counselor. The requirements are included below:

Start College Now (To learn more, click here.)

• Available to 11th and 12th-grade students.

• Enrollment within Wisconsin Technical Colleges

• Students must have a cumulative high school grade point average of at least 2.0 at the time of the determination.

• Summer courses are not eligible.

• Students cannot participate in the Start College Now Program and the Early College Credit Program simultaneously.

Early College Credit Program (To learn more, click here.)

• Available to 9-12 grade students.

• Enrollment within University of Wisconsin System institutions, tribally controlled colleges, and private nonprofit institutions of higher education. Does not include Wisconsin Technical Colleges.

• Students must have a cumulative high school grade point average of at least 2.0 at the time of the determination.

• Summer courses are eligible.

• Students cannot participate in the Start College Now Program and the Early College Credit Program simultaneously.

Request for High School Credit (To learn more, click here.)

• Learning happens outside of the school day on a student's own time and at their own expense.

• AASD will analyze the student opportunity and determine if and how much High School credit will be awarded.

Suicide Awareness 

The mental health of our students allows them to have healthy relationships, make good life choices, maintain physical health and well-being, handle the natural ups and downs of life, and discover and grow toward their potential. The AASD understands the importance of maintaining and supporting the mental health of our students. Find suicide prevention resources here.

Whooping Cough

Whooping Cough is active in the Appleton community. The AASD has no current active cases. We recommend and encourage standard hygiene practices, such as handwashing, and covering your cough, as they remain the best practices to prevent the spread of this illness. Our team of school nurses continues to monitor for cases in our school community and local health departments are monitoring cases in the greater community. 

If your student has symptoms such as a fever of 100.0 degrees or more, is experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, or severe nausea, or has any symptoms of an infectious disease such as impetigo, strep throat, or a rash, please keep them home. We have guidance for deciding when to send your student to school here.

In the case of Whooping Cough, at first, a person may feel like they have a cold with a runny nose, low‐grade fever, and slight cough. After about a week, the person can start to have violent dry, coughing fits that can last a minute or longer. These fits can make it hard to breathe. Learn more about Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, in these fact sheets from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services: English, Spanish, Hmong.

Student And School Safety

Weather events, fire, accidents, intruders, and other threats to student safety are scenarios that are planned and trained for by students, teachers, staff, and administration. The AASD utilizes the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to respond to security incidents and emergencies. The SRP Parent Handout (English - Spanish) explains the five actions and the responsibilities of teachers and students. Each protocol has specific staff and student actions that are unique to the action ("Hold", "Secure," "Lockdown," "Evacuate," and "Shelter"). In the event of an emergency, the action and appropriate direction will be announced. Students and staff will be trained and the school will drill these actions over the course of the school year. Learn more here.

Community Opportunities for Students

Each month the AASD shares local, community opportunities for students. These community opportunities for students include upcoming events and activities such as art and music camps, youth athletics, cultural events, enriching programs, and more. We encourage our families to review these opportunities for students of all ages. 

Flyers added since the beginning of the school year:

• Appleton North Youth Wrestling

• Literary and Illustrator Competition

• Yeti Sled Hockey

• Les Misérables School Play

• Trunk or Treat

• After-School Explorer Camp

• Boo Zoo

Check out this page for a current list of opportunities.