Stay updated and informed on developments related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on our School Closure page.
News
The resilience of our Class of 2020 has most certainly been tested. Spending time away from school, teachers, staff, and friends is not how our seniors should be celebrating the culmination of their years of education and launching them into their next steps. Through the uncertainty I want you to know that we are committed to celebrating the milestone achievement as our graduating Class of 2020.
Students and parents/families took the opportunity to tell us what was most important to them regarding end of year milestone celebrations through an interactive, online idea sharing tool called Thoughtexchange. In that exchange, 222 student participants and 291 family member participants told us what they thought was most important. We heard you loud and clear. You can review the results of the exchanges here. Your ideas have helped inform some preliminary plans, which we’d like to share with you now.
Salute to Homestead Graduates
Local television station MY24 (Channel 24 in Milwaukee) will host a Salute to Homestead High School graduates, which will premiere on Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m.! Please be sure to tune in to see this special tribute to our senior class.
Special Feature in News Graphic - June 9
We are working with our local community newspaper, the News Graphic, to produce a special section honoring Homestead graduates in their Tuesday, June 9 edition. Along with the names of all graduates, the newspaper is also offering families the opportunity to purchase a small ad to honor their graduate. The ad would include your graduate’s name, photo, a short message of congratulations, and would cost $25. Learn more about placing an ad.
Graduation Celebration
We are now thrilled to announce the plan for a postponed graduation ceremony. The new date will be Saturday, July 18 at 5 p.m., and the ceremony will be held at Miller Park in Milwaukee, home to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Hosting graduation at Miller Park will allow us to allocate the same number of tickets as we usually do, ensuring that families and loved ones can participate in this momentous occasion. Trained Miller Park staff members will also be on hand to help maintain social distancing and safety for all. In short, as one of the largest venues in Wisconsin, Miller Park is the best choice for our graduation ceremony because it will allow us to follow all prudent measures to ensure safety. We also believe this site will allow us to create an event like none other.
We’ll have more details for you soon, but for now please save the date for an opportunity to celebrate the Class of 2020 in style.
We all hope it is not the case, but please note that if state or local health guidelines in place on July 18 prevent this event from taking place as planned, we will hold a virtual ceremony.
The enrollment window is now open for the 2020-21 academic year! The window to complete the online enrollment process is open Friday, May 15 through Saturday, August 1. We ask that you please complete online enrollment for your child by August 1, 2020.
To enroll online, one parent or guardian will need to enter the information listed below. (In cases of resident students with more than one home address on record, the parent or guardian who completes the enrollment must reside in Mequon or Thiensville.) If your information has not changed since the 2019-20 school year, you will simply be required to confirm your information.
-
Household contact information, including address(es) and phone number(s)
-
Contact information for primary and secondary contacts, including work and mobile phone number(s) and email address(es)
-
Student information, including medical conditions and updated care plans (Forms available at www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/healthplans)
-
Bus transportation preferences
To begin the online enrollment process, please log in to your Infinite Campus Parent portal account. In the left side navigation click “More,” and then “Online Registration.” Follow the prompts to complete online enrollment. To see a visual guide for navigating the online enrollment process, please visit www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/HowToEnroll.
-
The process should take 5-10 minutes per child for returning families.
-
We recommend completing this on a desktop computer rather than a mobile device.
-
Make sure the pop-up blocker is turned off on your web browser.
Visit www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/InfiniteCampus for additional information and answers to frequently asked questions regarding the online enrollment process, including username and password questions.
If you have general questions regarding enrollment and registration in MTSD, please contact your school office.
Donges Bay: Dana Orozco - dorozco@mtsd.k12.wi.us
Oriole Lane: Cherrie Raimann - craimann@mtsd.k12.wi.us
Wilson: Stephanie Johnson - sjohnson@mtsd.k12.wi.us
Lake Shore: Judy Rennicke - jrennicke@mtsd.k12.wi.us
Steffen: Carole Giersch - cgiersch@mtsd.k12.wi.us
Homestead: Lori Pedrick - lpedrick@mtsd.k12.wi.us
We look forward to a great 2020-21 school year!
The Homestead High School PTSO is continuing a graduation tradition that is a favorite among graduates and families alike: the Grad Greeting. This is a thoughtful way for relatives, teachers, employers, neighbors, friends, and even pets, to express their personal congratulations to our graduating seniors.
Your Grad Greeting(s) will include a personalized message along with the sender’s name. All greetings will then be assembled into individual booklets for each graduate containing his/her messages. The booklets are bound with red ribbon and mailed to the students after graduation. These booklets are keepsakes to be treasured for years to come!
The fee for each Grad Greeting is $2.00 for numbered messages; you can also create your own personal message for $2.50 each. The more Grad Greetings each graduate receives, the more meaningful the booklet becomes. So please look through the attached list of seniors and see if there are some students to whom you would like to send words of congratulations and/or good luck wishes for what lies ahead.
You can place orders downloading and printing the Grad Greeting order form below. Please make check or money order payable to “Grad Greetings” and please remember to include your telephone number in case we have any questions. Please return order forms and payment to Angela Bonfiglio by mail or drop off in the container on the front porch of her home.
Angela Bonfiglio
2617 W Norway Drive
Mequon WI 53092
Questions? Please email HHSgradgreetings@gmail.com for a prompt response.
To guarantee inclusion in the booklets, your order form must be received by May 27, 2020.
The Mequon-Thiensville School District is supporting the efforts of first responders and healthcare professionals during the current public health emergency by using 3D printing technology to produce components for respirator masks.
Homestead High School social studies teacher Joe Ciurlick and engineering teacher Jeff Patterson recognized that the technology typically used in the science and technology curriculum at Homestead had the potential to serve a critical role in the pandemic. Their good idea got off the ground when MTSD Executive Director of Instructional Technology and Continuous Improvement Systems Lauren Croix found an opportunity to collaborate with nearby Concordia University.
“We are really proud of our ability to use the resources we had available at Homestead to be of service to those on the frontlines of the pandemic,” said Croix.
Patterson and Ciurlik set up 5 printers in Ciurlik’s basement in early April and got straight to work printing plastic components for respirator masks. It takes about ten to twelve hours to print each component, and Ciurlik and Patterson will keep printing as long as they have plastic. The pieces they produce are then assembled with other components including a silicone gasket, head straps, and a 5-layer filter sandwich. Concordia University and its team of medical students and volunteers are producing the other pieces and assembling the final product, which will then be delivered to medical providers, first responders, and municipalities with support from local police departments.
“I feel that it is my responsibility to contribute to the needs of the community,” said Ciurlik. “As Margaret Mead famously quipped, ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’”
The district has also donated a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Mequon Fire Department in an effort to ensure local responders are appropriately protected when responding to calls during the widespread coronavirus pandemic. Adequate PPE has been in short supply at emergency and medical facilities across the nation, adding stress and concern to an already dire situation in many areas.
“It remains essential that we work as a community to support one another,” said Matthew Joynt, Ph.D., superintendent of schools. “The more we can do now to help professionals on the front lines of this pandemic, the sooner we can hope to return to a life of more normalcy. We all need to do what we can.”
Voters in the Mequon-Thiensville School District approved a $55.7 million referendum to address facility needs across the Mequon-Thiensville School District by a margin of 58% yes to 42% no.
The voter-approved referendum comes after an 18-month facility planning process that included comprehensive enrollment studies, the development of a Long-Range Master Plan for facilities, a Community Task Force comprised of individuals who represented a spectrum of opinions and perspectives related to the school district and community, and the input of stakeholders via a community-wide survey.
The facilities plan was developed to improve safety and security across the school district and to address building capacity and enrollment growth. Two recently completed studies predict significant enrollment growth at the elementary level in the coming years. With each of MTSD’s 3 elementary schools operating near or over its ideal capacity, MTSD does not have adequate classroom and core learning space to accommodate elementary school students.
Construction projects to accommodate needs related to building capacity and projected enrollment growth will include:
- Creating additions and renovations at three elementary schools to increase space available for core classrooms, art, physical education, music, and special education to accommodate projected enrollment growth
- Expanding cafeterias at the elementary and middle schools
- Renovating targeted spaces at the middle schools, including music and specialist classrooms to support current needs
In addition, construction projects to accommodate needs related to safety and security will include:
- Improving traffic circulation and parking lot queuing space at all schools
- Making restrooms and playgrounds more accessible for those with mobility impairments
- Creating a more identifiable main entrance at Homestead High School and making district-wide improvements to control visitor access
- Connecting to municipal water and enhancing fire suppression and alarm systems at the elementary and middle schools
“This bold step forward by our community will serve our school district and all residents well into the future,” said MTSD Superintendent of Schools Matthew Joynt, Ph.D. “We are pleased to add to the vitality of our community through our strong public schools. The engagement throughout this process reaffirms our community’s support and desire to grow with us.”
The district will now begin developing plans and timelines for construction projects. Because construction will touch every building and program in some way, projects will be phased to cause as little disruption to students as possible.
“Thank you to Mequon and Thiensville residents for your investment in our youth, public schools, and collective future!” said Joynt.
School funding is a partnership between the state and federal governments and local taxpayers. When schools need additional funding for major building projects or to support operating expenses, they must turn to voters for their approval. More background on this referendum is available at www.mtsd.k12.wi.us/facilities.
###
The Mequon-Thiensville School District has donated a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Mequon Fire Department in an effort to ensure local responders are appropriately protected when responding to calls during the widespread coronavirus pandemic.
Mequon Deputy Fire Chief Kurt Zellmann originally reached out to the school district to make the request to borrow some thermometers to ensure one was available in each ambulance and first responder unit. Recognizing that there would be a critical need for additional supplies, MTSD Executive Director of Student Services Rachel Lemanczyk, Director of Buildings and Grounds Kyle Thompson, and District Nurse Jessica Jost facilitated the collection of additional PPE supplies from the district’s health and buildings and grounds departments, with buildings and grounds teams delivering supplies.
“We are all navigating unique and challenging times, so it was critical that we support one another to allow us to get back to our new normal as soon as possible,” said Lemanczyk. “Providing the school district's PPE supplies was the right thing to do in supporting our community's emergency personnel and first responders. I am very proud that we could do this for our community.”
A variety of items including 50 boxes of gloves, 60 bottles of hand sanitizer, 4 thermometers, 200 masks, and more than 400 isolation gowns were included in the donated supplies. Adequate PPE has been in short supply at emergency and medical facilities across the nation, adding stress and concern to an already dire situation in many areas.
“As a nurse, it is extremely important to me to help others any way I can,” said Jessica Jost, RN, “I am honored that we as a district could help support our local fire, rescue, and police stay safe through this trying time.”