Wisconsin Heights School District

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new MS/HS Physical Education Teacher, Tyler Fuchs! Tyler was born, raised, and still lives in Sauk Prairie. He graduated college at UW-Whitewater where he majored in Physical Education and minored in Health Education and Adapted Physical Education. Tyler also played rugby on their club team. Tyler spent the past 4 years teaching elementary physical education in Richland Center. He has been coaching sports for the past 10 years at the middle and high school level. He just started his 7th year as the JV Boys Soccer coach in Sauk Prairie and this winter will be his first year coaching the Girls Varsity Basketball team at Wisconsin Heights! Tyler's hobbies include coaching, hiking, being on the water, slow pitch softball, basketball, volleyball, and spending time with his friends and family. "I am excited to join the Wisconsin Heights family!" Welcome, Tyler!

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new Elementary School Counselor, Kerri Martinez Najera! Kerri grew up in Illinois and attended college at Marquette University, majoring in Communication Studies and Elementary Education. A year after graduation, she moved to Las Vegas Nevada to begin her teaching career. Kerri taught for 10 years before transitioning to a school counselor position and she just completed her sixth year. Kerri is thrilled to be back in the Midwest and part of the Wisconsin Heights community. She has a husband and three young sons. She spends her weekends doing activities as a family. She also loves to read, watch and play sports, and listen to podcasts. Welcome, Kerri!

#VanguardPride Wisconsin Heights Athletics Week of September 5 - September 10 https://bit.ly/WisHeightsAthletics

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new MS/HS Band & Choir Teacher, Nick Lane! Nick taught band and choir at Heights throughout the 21-22 school year as a long term substitute teacher. He is very grateful to accept the position full-time beginning this school year. He will continue to teach middle school band, high school band, middle school choir, high school choir, and a full schedule of small group instruction. Nick is also excited to produce both a play and a musical this coming school year. Nick is proud to bring a wealth of diverse experience to the music department at Heights. After his enlistment in the US Army, Nick attended the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, double majoring in both instrumental and vocal music education. He holds lifetime licenses for both. Nick also attended Cardinal Stritch University and earned a Masters degree in Educational Leadership. His employment experience includes being a school bus driver, a Certified Nursing Assistant, and serving seventeen years as a music educator. Throughout that time, Nick led a summer marching band which, including a brief build-up from 67 members to almost 150, dominated competition for eight years in the regional Mid-America Competing Band Directors Association. In 2016 the group transitioned to Drum Corps International and was promptly invited to Finals competition on a world stage. In his full-time high school instrumental education career, Nick started five new classes, many of the ensembles of which were invited to prestigious performance opportunities. His ensembles never received below the top Superior rating at any contest or festival. Nick is husband to Megan, father to Merric, son to Lisa, Pat, and Ken, and thrives in a multigenerational household in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Merric is six years old and interested in everything from numbers to dinosaurs to vocabulary to cartoons. It is a joy and an honor to be his dad. Megan is a fifth grade teacher-leader in Oregon, Wisconsin, and loves to join Merric and Nick for an afternoon on the boat and dinner at a restaurant on the lake. In his free time, Nick can be found chasing the sunrise with Merric, embarking upon various family adventures, playing a video game, or working under the hood of his Challenger. Welcome, Nick!

This month's District Newsletter is now ready to view! Click on the link below. https://bit.ly/WHSDNewsletter #VanguardPride

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new 7th grade math and high school personal finance teacher, Cassie Meinholz (Lawler)! Although she is a new teacher to the district, Cassie has been a Vanguard since 1990 when she started kindergarten at Black Earth Elementary. Cassie graduated from Wisconsin Heights in 2003 with her husband Kevin, who she met on the first day of 6th grade in Mrs. Wagner’s homeroom and has dated him since she was a freshman. After graduating, Cassie attended UW-Eau Claire to major in mathematics and English education. Her heart was set on becoming a teacher since falling in love with teaching and learning in Mrs. Gullickson’s 4th grade classroom. After graduating from UW-Eau Claire with her Bachelors in 2007, Kevin and Cassie married and settled in Eau Claire. Kevin accepted a job at UW-Eau Claire while she started teaching middle school and high school math in the School District of Arcadia. In 2012, she earned a Masters in Professional Development from UW-Eau Claire and she started teaching middle and high school math in the School District of Fall Creek. Since then, Cassie became a mom to Hudson 8 and Rowan 6, built a house in Fall Creek, wrote a book about teaching and learning math, and raised and released over 250 Monarch butterflies! While she loved living and teaching in Fall Creek, Wisconsin Heights is incredibly special to her. It is where she fell in love with teaching, math, and her husband. "I am who I am because of Wisconsin Heights – a teacher, wife, and mom. I am so excited to give back to the district and community that gave so much to me, and I am so proud that my sons get to be Vanguards like my husband and me. There is no place like home!" Welcome back, Cassie!

Happy first day of school!!! 💚 Share with us your pictures of your child/children on their first day today! DROP YOUR PHOTO IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!!! 🔽 "You're off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!" ~ Dr. Seuss #VanguardPride

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new Speech and Language Pathologist, Abby Cabrera! Abby is so grateful to begin working at The Wisconsin Heights School District. She has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for 8 years. Abby is a resident of Black Earth. She has two daughters with her husband; Nora, who is 3 years-old, and Mila, who is 1 year-old. They also have a cockapoo, Odie. Abby earned her Bachelor and Master Degrees at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 2012, she graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Communicative Disorders and in 2014 she earned her Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Go Pointers! Abby was a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Reedsburg School District for 6 years and the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District for 2 years. Abby enjoys running, swimming, and biking. Her husband, Juan, was born and raised in Peru, where she has been fortunate to visit a couple of times. Abby grew up in Plymouth, Wisconsin and her favorite food is peanut butter. Welcome, Abby!

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new 4K Teacher, Lisa Stenner! Lisa lives in Mt. Horeb with her husband, Jamie, and two daughters, Megan and Paige. Megan is a senior this year and Paige is in 8th grade. They also have a very "adventurous" yellow lab, named Izzy. Lisa tends to get her class giggling by sharing many "Izzy" stories with them. Lisa grew up on a beef farm in Belmont, WI. She spent a lot of time helping with the daily chores. She also really enjoyed spending time with the baby kittens. It always seemed like they had a litter of kittens at all times. Lisa has always liked the warm and friendly feeling of growing up in a smaller community and she already feels that "at home" feeling here in the Wisconsin Heights School District. Lisa graduated from Edgewood College with a degree in Early Childhood/Exceptional Needs Education/Pre-K-3rd grade. For the last 20 years, Lisa has taught 4K at the UW-Madison Preschool Lab, as well as within the Verona Area School District, and most recently with the Middleton Cross-Plains Area School District. Her true passion is teaching our youngest learners. "Everyday they are so happy to share a special story with you. The excitement and energy they give daily is contagious. I have found a perfect fit in teaching 4K!" Lisa enjoys walking, boating, reading, and cheering on her girls' during their sporting events; especially Cross Country in the fall and Track in the spring. Welcome, Lisa!

The first day of school is quickly approaching!🥰 Don't forget to snap a picture and share it with us and show your #Vanguardpride! 💚 We'll have a "Share your first day photos with us!" post for you to add your pictures on Thursday morning. 📸

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new high school science teacher, Tom Mably! Tom has been a resident of Waunakee for the last 14 years and is very excited and happy to join the Wisconsin Heights HS family for the 2022-2023 school year. He grew up in Springfield, IL, received his BS in Pharmacy from St. Louis College of Pharmacy in St. Louis, MO and his PhD in Pharmacology from UW Madison. He then enjoyed a career as a research scientist in preclinical safety in the pharmaceutical industry, moving his family from Madison, WI to New York and later to Evansville, IN, before moving back to the Madison area and retiring from the pharmaceutical industry. He has been married to his wife, Mary (an oncology pharmacist at UW Health) for over 38 years and they have a grown daughter, Beth, who lives and works in New York City. Two cute cats, George and Violet, are also part of their family. In order to share his love of science, Tom studied and obtained his secondary teaching licenses in general science, biology, and chemistry, and has taught as a long-term substitute teacher in Lodi and Sun Prairie school districts in the last several years. Outside of school, Tom enjoys reading non-fiction and classical literature, traveling, cooking, music, and movies—as well as spending time with his family. Welcome, Tom!

And here we thought our #VanguardPride students would be the first 🦌to use the new playground!😂🥰

Join us for #VanguardPride Open House on Thursday, August 25th from 2:00pm - 6:00pm! During Open House you can meet your child(ren)’s teacher, see classrooms, and drop off your child(ren)’s school supplies. Elementary families, please be aware that classrooms may not be completely set up when you visit but will be by the first day of school. Lifetouch Photography will be in the MS/HS gyms to take student pictures during this time. -Elementary students - pictures will be taken in the south gym of the MS/HS -MS/HS students - pictures will be taken in the north gym of the MS/HS

𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙂𝙍𝙊𝙒 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 #VanguardPride Are you or someone in your family: ✔️ in college, ✔️ majoring in education, and ✔️ preparing to student teach this Fall or Spring semester? If yes, we have great news! You are eligible to apply for a GROW 3 scholarship worth $10,000!😲💚 But don't wait to apply! The deadline is August 15, 2022 at midnight! Students who are awarded a GROW 3 Scholarship agree 🤝 to apply, interview, and if offered a job, work in one of the four GROW districts -- Cambridge, Lodi, Sauk Prairie, or Wisconsin Heights -- for three years. If you are looking to live and work in rural Dane county, this may be a perfect fit for you! 🥰 Scholarship applications are available at https://wisheights.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7TIlXZUq19tmsei For further information, contact Liz Dostal, Grant Director, GROW, at edostal@wisheights.k12.wi.us

Give a big #VanguardPride welcome to our new MS/HS Assistant Principal and Athletics and Activities Director, Kindra Zuberbuehler! Kindra is a resident of the village of Mazomanie and is incredibly excited to join our Wisconsin Heights MS/HS family. She grew up in Mukwonago, WI. She attended college at UW-LaCrosse and majored in ACS Chemistry and Chemistry Education. The summer after college included college graduation, finishing student teaching, getting married to her husband, Matt, and then packing their possessions into a U-Haul trailer and moving to Durham, North Carolina. There they adopted two fluffy cats, Jasmine & Rajah. 🐈 Kindra, Matt, and their two furry felines spent three wonderful years in North Carolina. However, Wisconsin is home, so in 2016 they made the journey back for good. She joined the staff at Sauk Prairie High School teaching chemistry and coaching varsity softball. Five years ago, they bought their home in Mazomanie and adopted two puppies🐕- Daisy & Bandit (yes, they still have the cats). During that time, she earned her masters in Educational Leadership along with her Principal license and Director of Instruction license. This past March, they welcomed their first baby, Zoya, into the world and are absolutely smitten with her. Outside of school she enjoys camping & hiking, being on the water, slowpitch softball, crafting, and spending time with her daughter & husband. Kindra started on July 25th. Stop by and introduce yourself!

𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔 Dane County will provide five local school districts $265,554 in funding to help meet the increasing behavioral health needs of K-12 kids, The funds will help schools add staff and resources to support the work of teachers, young people, and their families. One of these awards is to the #VanguardPride Wisconsin Heights School District in the amount of $20,137.60 for starting a telehealth service using DotCom therapy. Read the full press release here: https://countyofdane.com/PressDetail/11131

Can you believe there are 29 days to the start of school? Summer goes by so fast but it's time to start thinking 🤔 about the 2022-2023 school year! One question on many minds is "what times does school start this year?" #VanguardPride 💚 school times are as follows: *Elementary: 7:50 am - 2:50 PM *MS/HS: 8:20 am - 3:30 PM Please contact your child's school if you have questions on District sponsored transportation.

The Wisconsin Heights School District will be running the annual online student registration starting Wednesday, August 3rd at 7:00 a.m. through Monday, August 30th at 4:00 p.m. Parents will log into their Skyward Family Access account to complete the enrollment process for each child. Each child must have yearly enrollment forms on file including Student Enrollment form, Health form, Unexpected School Closing (PK-8th grade) form, Digital Survey information form, and Computer Usage/District Data permission form. Any families who need assistance with the online registration process may contact me at 608-767-2586 ext. 3005 or by email (tshaffer@wisheights.k12.wi.us) when the online registration portal opens. Lifetouch pictures – Student pictures will be taken during Open House which will be on Thursday, August 25th from 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. More information will be sent out to families later in August.

July is over? How is that even possible? The elementary parking lot changes are occurring, playground equipment is installed, teachers are packed, new furniture is arriving, and classrooms are getting completed! So many things are getting finalized so the month of August can be spent on the final touches and moving in. It's hard to contain our #VanguardPride!

The #VanguardPride MS/HS School Supply Lists are available! https://www.wisheights.k12.wi.us/page/school-supply-lists-ms-hs