Watertown Unified School District -

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day and the start of Adult Crossing Guard Appreciation Week in Wisconsin. Last week, our school bus drivers celebrated School Bus Driver Appreciation Week. We are grateful for our school bus drivers and our crossing guards all throughout the year. Please complete a Random Act of Kindness today by thanking a school bus driver, a crossing guard, a teacher, or anyone you know who works to support children in our community.

💕 Douglas Elementary School’s therapy dog, Bailey, was shown lots of love on Valentine’s Day. Not only did he receive pets and cuddles from students, but he was also the beneficiary of an amazing gift from the Watertown-Beaver Dam Elks Lodge 666 in the form of a donation check totaling $4,414 to support his ongoing training and care. The funds were raised through a benefit concert held Jan. 4 with added contributions from Elks Lodge members. This check is in addition to a donation made last year by the Elks Lodge for Bailey’s training, equaling $5,984 in total contributions! Pictured at the check passing last Friday were (from left) Charlie Hensen, school parent who helped spearhead the therapy dog program at Douglas Elementary School; Elks members Tammy Riege Lambert and Dave DeCono, who helped organize the benefit concert; Bailey; Douglas Principal Emily Lessner; and Elks members Cristine Crum and Mike Meyer. Thank you so much!

TONIGHT AT 5:30 P.M. - ROAD TO THE REFERENDUM PRESENTATION AT RIVERSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL The public is invited to come learn all about the Watertown Unified School District referendum question that will be on the April 1 general election ballot. Questions and feedback from audience members welcomed!

Attention WUSD Families! Due to the worsening weather conditions, all WUSD after school activities are canceled today, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Please note: Y Care will still take place as scheduled and the WUSD Policy Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. will be fully virtual. To join the meeting, visit: https://go.boarddocs.com/wi/watertown/Board.nsf/vpublic?open.

Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Degrandt, and Mrs. Keepman's 8th grade ELA students at Riverside Middle School recently participated in a mini activity to kick off their reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Students were shown lines on the screen and had to guess if they were written by Taylor Swift or William Shakespeare. One side of the room was for Taylor Swift and the other for William Shakespeare - students chose which side of the room to stand based on who they thought wrote the words or lyrics.

Watertown High School seniors Megan Doherty, Drew Kaufmann and Sofia Wehking have been selected as Watertown Rotary Club students for the month of February 2025. Doherty, Kaufmann and Wehking are being recognized for their academic achievements, participation in athletics and school organizations, and their contributions to the Watertown community. The students are invited to join the Rotary Club each Monday at its weekly luncheon meetings. About the students: Megan Doherty is the daughter of Kevin and Jean Doherty. Megan has been a four-year member of the Girls Basketball and Volleyball teams at WHS. She has also been a four-year member of FFA (currently Secretary) and Association of Business Students. Megan is also a three-year member of National Honor Society, Athletic Leadership Club, and Track and Field team. She is also serving as Vice President of the Spanish Honor Society this year. Drew Kaufmann is the son of Andrew and Robin Kaufmann. Drew has been a four-year member of the Band program and Cross Country team. Drew plans on participating in Track and Field this spring to become a four-year participant in the program. He also participates in National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Forensics. Drew plans to attend Ripon College to study business and Spanish. Sofia Wehking is the daughter of Jane Brotski and Brad Wehking. Sofia has been a four-year member of the Watertown Blue Revue Dance Team. She is also active in National Honor Society, National German Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and the Pit Orchestra. Sofia volunteers her time as a dance coach for the youth. Sofia currently works at Wellness Chiropractic and will be attending St. Thomas University to study English. #tradition_innovation_transformation #WatertownWay!

It's School Counselor Appreciation week and we invite you to join us in thanking our very own caring and compassionate school counselors - Mindy Ganser, Bryce Steckbauer, Kelly Cunningham, Jesse Leonhardt, Lora Konz, Avery Harris, Erikka Olson, and Amy True. The Watertown Unified School District is fortunate to have you, and we thank you for all you do for our students!

Riverside Middle School STEM Academy Registration Deadline is Feb. 7! Attention parents and guardians of Watertown area fifth-graders – Riverside Middle School STEM Academy registration closes next Friday, Feb. 7 for the 2025-26 school year. If your child will be a sixth-grader at RMS this fall, please be sure to check out this unique program focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education. To register, visit: https://sites.google.com/mywusd.org/rms-course-registration?usp=sharing.

🐝 Douglas Elementary School hosted its annual schoolwide spelling bee on Tuesday. Following grade-level qualifying rounds held earlier this month, 17 students in grades 3-5 advanced to the school-level spelling bee. The school-level champion, 3rd grader Amelia Manchester, is now eligible to participate in the regional competition to be held in February through the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The students bravely competed in front of a gymnasium full of their classmates and relatives in attendance.

Bowling Your Blues Away Returns Tuesday - Public is Invited! A special mental wellness event – Bowling Your Blues Away – will take place at Watertown Bowl 18, 102 W. Cady St., on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 5-7 p.m. All members of the community are invited to attend this fun, family-friendly activity where they can bowl for just $2 per game and network with local mental healthcare providers. The event is organized by Watertown Unified School District Mental Health Coordinator Kenda Roman. “This event isn’t just about bowling – it’s about boosting your mental wellness, too!” Ms. Roman said. “Local mental healthcare providers will be onsite with resources, information, and giveaways designed to support families and students. It’s the perfect chance to connect with experts, learn something new, and discover tools for a healthier mindset.” For more information, contact Ms. Roman at romank@mywusd.org.

If you happen to be in Johnson Creek on Monday between 4-9 p.m., order a sub from Jersey Mike's using promo code HOSA50 and 50% of your order will be donated to the Watertown High School HOSA chapter. HOSA stands for Health Occupation Students of America and our teens who participate in this program at WHS receive hands-on training in healthcare roles all across our community.

Webster Elementary School held its Cool, Awesome and Terrific Students (CATS) lunch on Friday, January 17. Each month, Principal Brad Clark eats lunch with a group of Cool, Awesome and Terrific students. These students are selected by teachers in grades 5K-5 for making great gains in an academic area or by working super hard. Picture 1 - Grades K, 1, & 2 Top Row (left to right): Jude Ortega, Shea Magyar, Ilirida Limani Middle Row (left to right): Thea Maass, Michael Makovec Bottom Row (left to right): Sunny Salinas, Katalina Butler, Easton Schumacher Picture 2 - Grades 3, 4, & 5 Top Row (left to right): Zerenity Rosek, Amanda Leete, Aliya Pippenger Middle Row (left to right): Cheyenne Monosso, Daymian Pippenger Bottom Row (left to right): Avery Rintelman, Rawson Schweickhardt, Markus Marzette

Students at Riverside Middle School have been busy learning about woodworking through their technical education classes. Sixth-graders in Tech Ed Survey recently learned how to use the bandsaw, scroll saw, disc sander, and Dremel for their Animal Door Stop project. They also practiced hand sanding and staining. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Design and Modeling students learned 3D modeling by designing their own puzzle - learning tolerances between shapes and how they all fit together, and students in the 8th grade Advanced Woods class designed and built their own unique projects. It's great to see this hands-on learning happening everyday. #tradition_innovation_transformation

Several Watertown Unified School District 5th-8th graders participated in a Math Meet earlier this month at UW-Whitewater sponsored by the Southern Lakes Advanced Learners Network. Our students competed in five different math events, and then enjoyed a delicious lunch compliments of Pizza Ranch of Watertown.

We hope everyone is staying warm today! A message has been emailed to WUSD families regarding an update to the dining menus due to today's school closure. Please read below: Today’s cold weather school closure has necessitated modifications to portions of this week’s menus as a result of food preparation and production activities that had taken place in advance of the school closure announcement on Monday. The online menus have been updated to reflect these planned menu changes. Please visit our online menu platform to review the updated menus here: https://myschoolmenus.com/organizations/2346. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.

WUSD CLASSES CANCELLED TOMORROW - NO AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES TODAY! Due to the extreme cold temperatures and wind chill, the Watertown Unified School District is cancelling school tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21, 2025. In addition, all after school activities are cancelled today, Monday, January, 20, 2025. Please stay safe and warm!

WUSD Parents & Guardians: Please watch for an email and/or text message this afternoon regarding signing on to Rooms - a new two-way secure messaging tool that will enable parents, teachers, coaches and students to stay better connected. Please note - upon registering, you will enter a virtual "waiting room" at your student's school. This is where all families will gather until Rooms opens district-wide later this spring. Rooms will go live at the start of the Third Trimester or Fourth Quarter depending on where your student(s) attend school.

🎳 Happening Tonight! 🎳 Come "Bowl the Blues Away" this evening at Watertown Bowl 18! The public is invited to attend this special bowling event from 6-7 p.m. where they will not only have fun bowling at a discounted rate of $2 per game, but they will also have the opportunity to learn more about mental health services in Watertown. For more information, contact Kenda Roman, WUSD mental health coordinator, at romank@mywusd.org.

The cafeteria at Douglas Elementary School is bustling for breakfast! Check out these breakfast helpers and safety patrollers hard at work helping students and keeping others safe!

Watertown High School students studying German as a foreign language recently learned about German holiday traditions, traditional German food, and had the fantastic opportunity to attend the Christkindlmarkt in Chicago! As part of these learning experiences, the students presented their research and wrote skits where they made plans to eat at a restaurant, order food, enjoy a friendly conversation, and pay the bill - all in German! While at the Christkindlmarkt, the students sampled German food and purchased small handcrafted gifts. Enjoy these photos of the German student at the Christkindlmarkt, acting out their skits, and showcasing their traditional gingerbread cookies.