Shorewood Schools Get Facelift over Summer

Enjoy those last days of summer while you still can because fall is right around the corner and that means classes are to resume in the Shorewood School District.

Sept. 1 marks the first day of school and when children gather on district playgrounds and pile into classrooms, they might notice a few changes.

New to Lake Bluff Elementary

Students at will start the first day of school with a brand-new field, which the district has worked on renovating over the summer months. The improvements were scheduled to wrap up by Sept. 1, but were pushed back a couple weeks.

About $500,000 in improvements includes two new softball fields, one youth soccer field and new fencing. A drainage system built into the fields will allow them to be usable after a heavy rain or be watered. Students, however, won’t be able to enjoy the fields until next year, because school officials elected for seed over sod and need to allow the grass to grow. As part of the improvements, contractors created a depression for an ice rink.

New to

Students will likely notice some spiffy new bleachers and a press box at the high school's athletic field, which are scheduled to be installed and ready to go by the end of September. The $450,000 project is funded by donations generated through the Drive to Distinction campaign. The campaign was started about 5 years ago by a group of parents and a former district principal to help address and fund repairs and renovations for high school’s crumbling and outdated athletic facilities.

Along with the new bleachers, the high school football team welcomes new head coach Drake Zortman, former assistant coach at Homestead High School.

New technology

Teachers at the two elementary schools and will incorporate technology into the learning experience a bit more this year with some new interactive smart-boards. In addition, teachers are training on some new software for the classroom.

Student fees

Athletic and club fees are the only ones to increase since last year. High school athletic fees changed from $100 to $125, and club fees from $50 to $60. Shorewood High School has an instructional and textbook fee of $45. It covers general wear and tear of textbooks.

School lunch

The price of lunch hasn't changed from last year. Full lunch at Lake Bluff and is $2.30 and at the high school and intermediate school it's $2.60.

Immunization

Wisconsin law requires parents to provide updated records on their children's immunizations. The Hepatitis B and varicella vaccines are required for all students pre-kindergarten through grade 12. For the 2011-12 school year, students entering grades, 6, 9, and 12 are required to have one dose of the tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertusis (Tdap) vaccine. Students entering 5-year-old kindergarten must have two doses of the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.

New kindergarten students

Shorewood School District has an optional K-4 program, which requires that a child be 4 years old by Sept. 1. Same goes for the 5-year-old kindergarten class. Both Atwater and Lake Bluff Elementary have both programs. Contact either school for registration details.