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Ixonia, located ten miles west of Oconomowoc, is a growing and thriving school community with small town charm. We value the powerful relationships that exist between school, home and the community. With our team of 40 staff members, we lead a community of approximately 260 learners in grades 4K through 4th grade. This year, 61% of Ixonia teachers had a Master’s degree and one teacher has earned Board Certification. We encourage professional growth, this year focusing on how to best reach males learners and those living in poverty. Ixonia staff works hard each day to ensure that data-driven, flexible, and innovative learning experiences exist for all students.
Our grade-level teams collaborate to offer PIE (practice, intervention, and enrichment) for all students, 30 minutes 4 days per week. These reading and math activities grow students’ skills and confidence. We also focus on fostering a love of reading with our March Madness reading challenge and interpretive reading competitions. Students read 106,000 minutes outside of school in only 4 weeks!
Students participate in unique learning opportunities that represented their learning in various ways. Increased technology in classrooms for student use (iPads, iPad minis, Chromebooks, and laptops) allow for more variability. Such hands-on experiences include the annual Kindergarten Little Red Hen performance, 1st-grade Guatemalan studies, 2nd-grade Expertise Fair, 3rd-grade Biography Showcase, and the 4th-grade Immigration Fair.
We continue to nurture our positive school community with our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. To create that sense of belonging, we focus heavily on developing strong relationships with and among students. We also implement a structured recess program that promotes active play, resulting in a 28% reduction of playground disagreements and injuries. PBIS is foundational for creating a welcoming, safe environment that celebrates the accomplishments of our students.
Our active PTO generously supports our school with parent volunteers, tokens of appreciation for staff, and funding support for numerous projects. Several well-attended events brought families together, including the fall family picnic, movie nights, rollerskating party, YMCA family fun nights, all-family breakfast, and field day. We are grateful for the support for a new kiln, gym mats, lab headphones, money to offset field trip costs, and more! We strive to support our families by partnering with organizations such as Shoes that Fit and Blessings in a Backpack to ensure that all students and families had adequate access to resources.
Students are able to extend and enrich their learning with various co-curricular projects and extracurricular activities, with emphasis placed on opportunities to explore and appreciate the arts and the environment with experiences like our garden beautification efforts, prairie tours, and tree identification.
Ixonia Elementary has much to celebrate and this school year will be filled with awesome opportunities for students to learn, grow, and become young leaders.
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