Mustang Express

Mustang Minute

I have encouraged the staff to use the winter break to rest, relax and enjoy time with family and friends, and I hope each of you will do the same. We look forward to returning and partnering with our families on Wednesday, January 4th.

Cheers,

Jennifer VanWagnen, Principal

#mustangproud

Important Dates

12/23-1/3: No School for Winter Break

1/4: PTA Meeting @ 6 PM in Media Center

1/5: Board of Education Meeting: Teacher of the Year Recognition

1/6: Dr. Bernia Visits Meadowbrook

1/13: Student Council Meeting in AM

1/16: MLK Celebration: Listen Your Way to Kindness

1/31: Half Day for Students, Dismissal at 12:25 PM

Recess Guidelines

Outdoor play is an important of every child's day. Students will go outside when the temperature is zero degrees and above, with the wind-chill factored in. We continue to see students not prepared for outdoor recess. Please take a look at the guideline graphic below to make sure your student(s) is dressed appropriately. It's always better to send your student "overdressed" than "underdressed" for recess. Even if there's no snow on the ground, it can be wet and muddy and snow pants help keep clothes dry. Please make sure your child has the following items for recess and refer to the infographic below for further information:

Winter Coat

Snow pants

Snow boots

Hat/Earmuffs

Mittens/Gloves

Please label all of these items and place them in a bag. Students will remain on the blacktop if they do not have the appropriate outdoor gear. If you need help providing winter wear for your child, please reach out to us! We want all of our Mustangs to have the items they need!

Donations will gladly be accepted and can be dropped off to the Meadowbrook office anytime between 9am-4pm. Thank you for your support!

Thank You to our Meadowbrook Community

Thank you to those who were able to donate and promote the Toys for Mott toy drive! Third grade teacher, Ms. Maria Cook, delivered over 250 toys to the Mott Children's Hospital. This year's donations were needed now more than ever as they are battling a full capacity hospital of children. Your donations truly make a difference!

Happy Holidays!

Attendance Meetings with Principal VanWagnen

Thank you to those families who ensure their child is on time and in school each day. As a reminder, the school day begins promptly at 8:55 AM and ends at 4:00 PM. As parents, you play an important role in ensuring strong attendance in school. Research has shown that excessive absences, tardies and early dismissals can negatively impact academic and social progress in school. As a reminder, the district attendance policy is as follows:

5 or more absences: 1st parent contact
7-10 absences: 2nd parent contact including meeting with principal
11-24 absences: Legal “Notice to Parents or Guardians with Non-Attendance of Children in School” sent to parent/guardian and referral to local agency
25 or more absences: School district takes legal action through the Juvenile Court system to return child to school

Our Principal's Secretary, Kellan Watkins, has begun reaching out to families with 7-10 or more absences or excessive tardies/early dismissals to schedule a meeting with Principal VanWagnen. The purpose of this meeting is to support families, provide support services as needed, and ensure consistent attendance in school. We sincerely appreciate your support and partnership in this matter.

Accessing iReady at home

New for the 2022-2023, families can only access iReady lessons at home through the Classlink website. If connecting with iReady has been a challenge, please check out the one minute video tutorial below.

i-Ready is an online program for reading and mathematics that diagnoses the just right next steps for students. It is one tool that your student’s teacher will use to guide class and small group instruction. iReady lessons support classroom instruction and are designed to meet your student’s specific needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. It is a great tool to fill gaps and support classroom learning.

Your child's teacher can provide his/her login information if your child chooses to practice iReady at home.

Join the Meadowbrook Community Book Club

Join Meadowbrook principal, staff and parents as they come together in a judgement free and collaborative safe zone to explore the book titled

Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids.

"With this book, you’ll find powerful mindfulness skills for calming your own stress response when difficult emotions arise. You’ll also discover strategies for cultivating respectful communication, effective conflict resolution, and reflective listening."

For more information and to request a copy of the book, please email JenniferVanWagnen@wlcsd.org or KellanWatkins@wlcsd.org. Our next conversation and club meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 21st at 9:30 AM and we welcome new attendees! We will be discussing Part I: Breaking the Cycle of Reactivity, but do not worry if you have not read it prior to our time together. Refreshments will be served and a Zoom option will be available for those who cannot make our in-person meeting. See you soon!

WLCSD Staff Nomination Form: Please Consider Spreading Joy and Nominating a Mustang!

In an effort to find additional ways to celebrate our staff, the WLCSD Community Relations department requests that families fill out the information below for staff who are rock stars in their classrooms and school communities. Please complete the form below and contact Dan Durkin (danieldurkin@wlcsd.org) with any questions you may have.

A sample of what these shout outs will look like on social media and in our District newsletters can be found below.

Set Up Your Communication Preferences in Skyward

Not receiving district and/or building communications?

If you are not receiving emails from Mrs. VanWagnen, including the Mustang Express, District Weekly Updates, please use the link below to double-check your preferences are correct.

Signing Up for SMS Messages via Skylert

In addition to receiving phone calls and email notifications from the school district in the event of a school closing or emergency, parents can also sign up to receive SMS Text messages.

Please find the helpful step-by-step instructions linked below as well as the video tutorial on signing up for SMS messages.