Washington Elementary
November 2, 2017
The Leader in Me; The Four Disciplines Mountain
At Washington Elementary, your child has or will write personal and academic goals in a Leadership Notebook. You can gain a lot of information on how your child is doing if you ask him/her to tell you about their personal or academic Wildly Important Goals (WIGs).
The 4 Disciplines Mountain:
1. Focus on Wildly Important Goals
2. Act on Lead Measures
3. Keep a Compelling Scorecard
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability
The goals chosen are meaningful to your child so be sure to practice Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.
The 4 Disciplines idea can also be used in your home. Create goals such as reading together, eating dinner at the table, or doing an activity together. Involve everyone in the family in choosing a meaningful goal and action steps. Post the goal and the action steps in a visible place and be sure to track and celebrate progress! Click here to see an example of a WIG, and Lead Measures.
Counselor's Corner
Washington Wildcats celebrated their first “Out of the Blue Day” by participating in Kindness in Chalk. This was especially important because October is Anti-Bullying month! Kindness in Chalk is a nationwide movement first created to stand up to bullying by spreading kindness through pictures and messages in chalk. There were many great drawings that were sure to put a smile on someone’s face.
Here are the top five things you should know about practicing kindness according to Michele Borba, author of UnSelfie:
Kindness is contagious, needs just a spark to ignite, amd spreads quickly.
The more kids see, hear, and practice kindness, the more likely they’ll adopt it as a habit.
Kindness can be strengthened like a muscle, but regular workouts are crucial for it to become habitual.
Acts of kindness must be meaningful and varied to reap gains.
Kids learn kindness by comforting, helping, caring, sharing, and cooperating, not through hearing lectures or doing worksheets. It should be taught as a verb, not a noun.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES..
ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!!
We are looking for volunteers to read with students. We particularly need help with our pattern book readers but will take volunteers for any level of reading. Please email your classroom teacher if you are interested
Looking for vision screening volunteers for October and November! Training provide and you can set your own schedule. Needed morning hours any time between 8:30-11:00. Can also work as a team if you have a friend that wants to join you.
Email Connie Long at clong1@isd77.org for more information
Developing Leaders at Home and at School
Washington Elementary engages students in leadership roles as a way to teach: Responsibility, Leadership and Service. At school, students have opportunities for leaders in the classroom and school-wide.
Leadership roles can also be used at home. To begin: 1. Talk with your child about the leadership role he or she might be interested in at home. 2. Discuss why he or she is interested in the role. Ask what leadership qualities your child has that will help. Ask how he or she will handle homework or other commitments with this new-role responsibility. 3. Together, discuss, write, and sign the paper detailing the leadership behavior and expectations of the role.
Give your child a week or so to adjust and then discuss how it’s going. This may open a conversation on how to handle things that are too easy or too difficult. Express appreciation and celebrate success!
PRIDE TIME Activity
Developing Positive Peer Relationships during PRIDE Time
PRIDE TIME
Important Dates.
Nov. 6-General Election (BE SURE to exercise your constitutional obligation)
Nov. 8- Student Council Meeting 7:40-8:00am
Nov. 9-3rd Grade Weather Presentation 9:30-10:45
Nov. 12- PTO meeting, in Media Center 6:30 pm
Nov. 13- Late Start, School starts at 10:05 am
Nov. 13-Parent Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7:50 pm
Nov. 15- Student Council Meeting 7:40-8:00am
Nov. 15-Parent Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7:50 pm
Nov. 16-Kindergarten Field Trip-Historical Society, 9:30 am
Nov. 19-Viktor’s Quest To Stop Bullying Assembly, 10 am
Nov. 19-Parent-Teacher Conferences, 3:30-7:50 pm
Nov. 20-23-No School
Dec.6- Student Council Meeting 7:40-8:00am
Dec. 11- Late Start, School starts at 10:05 am
Dec. 11- PTO Meeting, in Media Center 6:30 pm
Dec. 14- Kindergarten Winter Wonderland 9:30-11:30 am
Dec. 20-Student Council Meeting 7:40-8:00am
Dec. 24-Jan 1- No School
Jan. 3- Student Council Meeting 7:40-8:00am
Jan. 7- PTO Meeting, in Media Center 6:30 pm
Jan. 8- Late Start, School starts at 10:05 am
Jan. 21- NO SCHOOL
Jan. 25- Kindergarten Pizza Party 11:30-12:30 pm
Feb. 7- Reading Night and Book Fair 6-7:30pm
Feb. 11- PTO Meeting in Media Center 6:30pm
Feb. 12- Late Start, School Starts at 10:05am
YOU CAN HELP RAISE MONEY FOR WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!
It’s easy to support your school with items you already use in your home
or receipts from stores you already patronize!
Feel free to send any of the following to school with your student.
There are drawers in the hallway next to the lost and found to drop any of them off.
Each box top through Box Tops for Education is worth 10 cents. If each student turned in just 20 box tops during the year the school would receive around $800. Watch for Bonus Tops on participating products or as a coupon from your store purchase. Go to www.boxtops4education.com to sign up, enter sweepstakes and to see a list of the participating products. Box tops do expire so be sure to turn them in on time!
Through Kwik Trip’s Milk Moola program, each milk/juice cap and bag top are worth 5 cents. Please remember to rinse the caps and bag tops before turning them in.
Save your Hy-Vee receipts from both Mankato locations and they will donate $1 for every $150 spent through the Hy-Vee Kash 4 Kids program. The receipts must be dated during the current school year(Sept. 2018- May 2019) to qualify. Every little bit will add-up!
We have set up our PTO as an organization you can support through AmazonSmile. Once you select us as an organization to support, we will receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible smile.amazon.compurchases.
Our unique link is: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/90-0542342
Washington Elementary PTO
Meeting Minutes 10/8/2018
Meeting Attendees: Casey Neitzel, Eileen Campbell, Cherise Barker, Shane Drahota, Jennifer Brunz, Hilary Kent, Alison Carlson, Shane Baier, Shelley Corry, Lisa Vasquez, Becca Peterson, Alissa Ross
September Meeting Minutes Approved: Casey (1) Hilary (2)
Treasurers Report: No deposits. Chalk for the Peacemakers was purchased for sidewalk art. Wildcat t-shirts were paid for and ran about $4.55/shirt. Other expenses included the 5th grade bus to the Arboretum and the giveaway basket to promote the BoxTop program at conferences.
Teachers Report: Connie Long was asked to seek a replacement for Casey for the vision screening as she will be unable to staff it this year. There was also clarification sought over why Bookfair is now paired with the math night instead of Open House.
Scout Update: Shelley and Lisa came to update us on the Scouts. Washington PTO is the charter organization for the Scout program here. They are one of the strongest packs in Mankato. Our pack includes kids from Washington, Franklin, Bridges, and Eagle Lake. Their first meeting is Oct 9th and they anticipate having 54 scouts. Five years ago the pack only had 5 students! The change from being boy scouts to being open to girls as well did not affect our pack as prior to the change we were a family pack. Nine girls are registered with our pack. Shelley and Lisa are happy to support the PTO and also seek additional space. Shane recommended they contact facilities management.
Principals Report: Shane is trying to nail down an exact dollar amount for the spiderweb so we can proceed with plans. Waiting to hear more from Scott Hogan. Also waiting to hear the Educare benefit date in the Spring so the Walkathon can avoid that date. Small discussion about considering a Fall Walkathon. New MN accountability as No Child Left Behind is gone. It focuses on growth and proficiency. We placed top 5% in growth. Achievement markers are MCA specific.
Request for Funding: Kindergarten would like to go to the Blue Earth Historical Society. Already in budget.
Committee Reports: The BoxTop competition starts next week. Flyer is going out in Tuesday folder and contest will run 2 weeks. Looking to have better communication about the contest this time around. Restaurant fundraisers are being planned. The first will be the pizza cart at the Terrace View Fall Festival. We recently purchased a square reader so we can accept cards there. Hilary compiled a list of future options and Becca is going to get Kennedy’s list they have on hand to share with Hilary. Interest in doing next restaurant night on Tuesday the 20th before Thanksgiving. Bookfair will be set up during math night. Two cash machine and extra cases were requested. Setup will be on the 24th in the music room and it will move on the 25th. Hilary will help Stephanie with the yearbook in the Spring and Cherise will head up the Walkathon.
New Business: Becca Peterson voted in as Vice President for the current year.
Motion to adjourn: Jennifer (1) Shane D. (2)