Principal Newsletter // February 3rd, 2026

Feb 3

Dear Appleton Community…

Appleton Students in D51 Honor Choir

Several Appleton students made the D51 Honor Choir and will perform at 3:00pm on Saturday in the GJHS auditorium. They have been working incredibly hard, both at home and before school to learn and memorize all their music. It'll be a fairly short performance - under an hour, and it's free! I know they'd love to see you there to support them.

Adilee Davis, Beckham Behrens, Emily Shepardson, Fenton Richardson, Jayla Sandel, Lilly Smith, Meghan Hund, Olivia Potter, Ryan Fleetwood, Sawyer Piland, Shaylie Sandel, Ella Johnson, Mavis Barber, October Atherton, Paige Ross, Matt Keogh, Grace Keogh

Sing-cerely,

Jessica Hanley - Music Teacher

Kindness is Contagious Week

Next week Appleton is joining the rest of District 51 with Kindness is Contagious Week otherwise known as KIC Week! Each day of the week will be a spirit day. Take a look at the schedule below and help your student join in!

THE ROBIN IS RED!

Its always a great feeling when some of your hard earned money goes to something great. We’ll how about feeding your family AND helping our school?! February 12th Red Robin is partnering with Appleton and giving a portion of their proceeds back to our school. Check it out!

School Ends 2 Days Sooner + Bond Issue Update

Appleton is set to receive over $7 million in construction work this summer including: asbestos abatement, HVAC improvements, fire suppression, a makerspace area in the library, and ADA improvements as part of the continued voter-approved bond work. District leadership is committed to ensuring a smooth and organized transition for staff as construction begins this summer. To provide adequate time for packing, organizing, and relocating materials ahead of this work, the last day of school for students at Appleton has been moved up to Monday, May 18, 2026, two days earlier than originally planned.

Sickness Takes a Toll

January brought a tough wave of illness through our school community, and it certainly showed in our attendance. We recorded 627 total days of absence for the month—more than double our typical totals in the upper 200s to low 300s. That’s a lot of sick days, and we appreciate families doing the right thing by keeping children home when they were not feeling well. As we work to get back on track, please know that our custodial team has taken extensive steps to disinfect the building and will continue proactive measures to help mitigate the spread of illness, including the use of electrostatic sprayers and enhanced cleaning protocols. We’re hopeful for healthier days ahead and look forward to seeing our classrooms full again soon.