Turtle Lake School District

✨🏐Tonight, our Turtle Lake Varsity and JV Volleyball teams hit the court at Osceola High School to take on Osceola, Prescott, and St. Croix Central! 💛❤️🐢

Let’s cheer on our Lakers as they bring the energy, teamwork, and Laker Pride to every match! 🔥🙌 Go, Lakers!

We are kicking off the 2025–2026 school year this week at Turtle Lake School District! We’re so glad to have our students back in the halls, and we’re excited for the year ahead! 📓🍎✏️

We’re also welcoming some amazing new members to the Laker Team! You might see these new faces around Turtle Lake—allow us to officially introduce our new staff! ❤️🐢💛

In order of individual photos…
⭐️ Malissa Betz – Community Education Director & Little Laker Club Supervisor
⭐️ Megan Dachel – Paraprofessional
⭐️ Katie Stellon – Guidance Counselor
⭐️ Amy Hoffmann – Jr. Kindergarten
⭐️ Dillon Turnipseed – 5th Grade
⭐️ Becky Johnson – K–12 Art

Turtle Lake Concessions Special | August 29th 🥖🌮

Lakers, are you ready⁉️ Football season kicks off next Friday, and we’re serving up Frybread Tacos! 🏈🔥 Plus, it’s Parents Night! It is the perfect time to pack the stands, cheer loud, and show your Laker Pride ❤️💛.

Don’t miss the first game of the season… It’s going to be one to remember! 💥

🏈🏟️ Are you ready, Lakers? 🏟️🏈

The first football game of the season is quickly approaching on August 22nd! The Lakers will take on the Regis Ramblers at Carson Park in Eau Claire ❗️

A few quick notes:
💳 Ticket sales will be CASHLESS
🔗 Use the link here to purchase tickets in advance
☑️ QR codes will also be posted at the gate for ticket purchases upon arrival
💲 $6 per adult // $3 per student

Will we see you there⁉️ GO LAKERS ❤️💛

😁Lakers, get your smiles ready for Picture Day! 📸

Picture Day at Turtle Lake Schools is only 1 WEEK away❗️❗️During Laker Welcome Day, students will get their school pictures taken with Cahill Photo Studio!

🗓️MARK YOUR CALENDARS: August 25th from 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

📅 One Week Until Laker Welcome Day! 🐢💛

Mark your calendars: Monday, August 25th, is our Open House, and this year we’re doing things a little differently!
New this year: Parents must schedule their child’s Open House appointment through Skyward Family Access.

👦 Elementary Students – Schedule an individual appointment with your Classroom Teacher.
📚 Elementary Students in Special Education – Schedule with both your Classroom Teacher and Special Education Teacher.
🎒 Grades 6–11 – Schedule an appointment with your Mentor Teacher.
🎓 Seniors – You can pop in any time and meet with Ms. Schradle-Mau.

How to schedule:
1️⃣ Log in to Skyward Family Access from our school website.
2️⃣ Go to the Conferences tab.
3️⃣ Select your student and choose a time that works best for you.
4️⃣ Save your spot!

✅ Please arrive on time for your scheduled appointment(s).
We can’t wait to see you and get ready for another amazing year at Turtle Lake Schools!

🐾 Camp CIC 2025 was a huge success! 🐶💛

Last Thursday marked our 5th year hosting Camp CIC at Turtle Lake in partnership with Canine Inspired Change, a St. Paul-based organization. This organization offers trauma-informed group therapy dog sessions. These sessions help participants build confidence, spark meaningful relationships, and overcome social struggles and isolation.

🐾❤️This year’s amazing Turtle Lake student participants were:
Bennett B, Charlie M, Jonathan W, Ryan S, Camryn G, Rhett B, Oskar K, and Sumer S.
🐾❤️We are so grateful to the therapy dog handlers:
Kaitlyn Good, Jess Springer, Amy Johnson, Kelly Leith, and Mark Stary
🐾❤️And the Lioness Club volunteers:
Margie Stary, Cheryl Pitch, Cheryl Leisz, Ginnie Moyer, and Missy Stanley

Another special thank you to everyone who supported the mini-golf fundraiser at B-Dale Club in Roseville, MN, which helped cover student expenses for this incredible experience!

📣 Calling all future substitute teachers!! ✏️🍎

❗️ Substitute Teacher Training will be held at CESA 11 on September 3rd & 4th from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM ❗️

⬆️ Above is all the information you need to get started changing little lives and becoming a part of our school community! Please reach out to Heather Cox or Kari Halstead with any questions—their emails are listed in the image.

Coming This Fall… POWER UP OPEN GYM & SWIM! ⬆️🏈🏊🏼⚾️🤿

Turtle Lake Schools is teaming up with Health Partners to bring the PowerUp initiative to our community! 💛🐢

PowerUp is a community-wide program that helps kids and families feel their best through play, healthy food, rest, connection, belonging, and more. Together, they partner with schools, caregivers, and our community to offer free activities and easy-to-use resources to support well-being.

Interested in volunteering or looking for a paid position? Please contact Malissa Betz, the Community Education and Little Laker Club Director, at mbetz@turtlelake.k12.wi.us.

Stay tuned for more details and join in the fun this fall! ⚽💦🏀

📣 We’re Hiring at Turtle Lake School District! 🐢💼

Turtle Lake School District is looking for a Part-Time Paraprofessional to join our team! If you’re passionate about supporting students and making a difference in our school community, we’d love to hear from you. ❤️📚

📞 For more information, questions, or to apply, contact Robert Schmitt at 715-986-4470, Ext. 2013 or email rschmitt@turtlelake.k12.wi.us.

🏈 Middle School Football is less than a week away from starting practice! Grades 6–8, get ready to hit the field!

📅 First Practice: Wednesday, August 13th
🕒 3:30–5:30 PM

📣 Parent Meeting: Monday, August 18th
🕕 6:00–6:30 PM (right after practice)

Let’s kick off the season strong! 💪 Go, Lakers!

🎉Celebrating Turtle Lake School District's very own, Sue Stuvenga!

Sue won the Safety Room Challenge at the Amery Custodial & Maintenance Conference! 🏆

Sue identified all 10 hazards in the wood shop area in just 2 minutes! 🛠️⚠️ Her quick thinking and attention to detail earned her recognition in the August issue of WASBO’s Taking Care of Business newsletter, plus a Safety Room Challenge t-shirt for herself, our Director of Facilities, and Superintendent!

We’re proud to have such dedicated and safety-minded staff representing Turtle Lake Schools! ❤️ Congratulations, Sue!

❗️TONIGHT IS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT❗️

Join the Turtle Lake Police Department TONIGHT from 5–8 PM at Turtle Lake Village Park for a night full of community fun! 🐢👮🏻‍♂️🚔

Enjoy delicious food, live music, and a chance to connect with neighbors while celebrating all things Turtle Lake! 🍔🎶❤️

It’s a family-friendly event, perfect for the kiddos, and you won’t want to miss it! 🤩

📸 Say cheese, Lakers! 😄

School Picture Day for students in grades 4K–12 is happening during Laker Welcome Day on Monday, August 25th, from 11:00 AM–7:00 PM with Cahill Photo Studio! Here is all the information you need to know ⬇️

❗️NEW THIS YEAR: All photo orders will be placed after picture day!
📧Watch your email for a link 2–5 business days after to view your child’s gallery and place an order.
👕You’ll even get to pick from 100+ free backgrounds to match their outfit!

Reminder emails will come from:
no-reply@imagequix.com
Check your inbox, spam, or promotions folders to ensure you don’t miss it!

Not a fan of the first day photo? No worries, retake Day is Wednesday, September 24th! ❤️

📣 It’s time to grab your Laker gear❗

Turtle Lake Cross Country clothing is available now! Order before August 22nd to secure your gear using the link below ⬇️
🔗 http://cvsports.chipply.com/TLCC25

🎵The Turtle Lake marching band has had a busy summer! 🥁🎺

These students traveled to share their musical talent and Laker Pride to
📍Clayton
📍Clear Lake
🏠 right here at home in Turtle Lake
and even performed at
🎠Valley Fair

We can’t wait to see more of them this school year! 🎷🎶🪈

❤️ Donate Your Laker Gear!

From August 18th–August 21st, at Turtle Lake School District, you can donate gently used Laker gear at Turtle Lake High School!
👗👚👖👕

Please bring any items you or your family no longer want or need! At the Open House, we will pull out all of the donations, and students and families can grab any gear they would like for the upcoming school year!

It’s a great way to show Laker Pride! 🐢

We’re thrilled to share that $3,047.55 was raised for our Turtle Lake Backpack Program! 🙌🎒💰

In May, Barron County and Wolf Pack Charities hosted the “Feed The Future” Weekend Hunger Relief Fundraiser at the Wolf’s Den in Cameron to support school Backpack Programs across the county. With exciting events and a raffle, the fundraiser helped raise vital funds that all went to support students!

❤️A huge THANK YOU to Ms. Timmer’s and Ms. Moll’s classes, along with our amazing students, for selling raffle tickets and helping out during the events. Your hard work made a difference for families in our school community!

PLEASE READ IN FULL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Federal Budget: "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"

The recently enacted "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" includes provisions that withhold billions of dollars in funding for the Title program pending review. For the Turtle Lake School District, this could result in the loss of approximately $33,000 in professional development funds and $10,000 in student support and academic enrichment.

State Budget: Key Changes Affecting Turtle Lake School District
The state budget bill introduces several changes to school funding, with varying effects on the Turtle Lake School District:

Special Education Funding: Reimbursement for special education funding is projected to increase from 33% to 43% in the first year and 45% in the second year of the budget. However, a more conservative estimate anticipates 39% in the first year and 42% in the second year. This adjustment is expected to result in an increase of approximately $94,300 in the first year and $101,533 in the second year.

Mental Health Funding: A one-time payment of approximately $150 per student will be allocated for mental health programming.

Transportation Aid: A modest increase in transportation aid is anticipated, likely less than $5,000.

Open Enrollment: Increased funding for students open-enrolling into our district is expected. Should current open enrollment trends persist, with more students enrolling in than out of the district, we anticipate an increase of $47,340.

State Aid and Property Taxes: Our state aid estimate has decreased by $187,000. This decline is attributed to higher property values last year and the Department of Public Instruction's (DPI) enrollment calculation methodology, which indicated a decline despite an actual increase of eight students in our district last year. According to the Wisconsin Education Association Council, 66% of schools are projected to experience a loss of state aid for the upcoming school year. Despite this, the district will receive an annual increase of $325 per student, totaling $143,000 for the 2025-2026 school year. Historically, the state budget has utilized equalization aid or school levy credits to mitigate the impact on taxpayers. However, this budget does not include such provisions. The absence of general aid in the budget bill is anticipated to result in a more significant increase in property taxes (mill rate) compared to previous years.

Capital Improvement Projects: It is important to note that recent improvement projects, including the track, roof section, and boiler replacement, will not impact property taxes. These projects are being funded through our long-term capital improvement account.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Superintendent Kent Kindschy at kkindschy@turtlelake.k12.wi.us or 715-986-4470 ext 2012.