Washington Elementary
March 27, 2017
PRIDE Time: Habit #6, Synergize
Our students participated in March PRIDE Time last Monday. PRIDE Time focused on lessons learned from a story in the book, 7 Habits of Happy Kids. Click Here to view the story, The Big Bad Badgers. In the story, Tyler's friend Sammy helps him solve a problem by telling him a story about one of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids: Synergize.
Habit #6 - Synergize: I value other people’s strengths and learn from them. I get along well with others, even people who are different than me. I work well in groups. I seek out other people’s ideas to solve problems because I know that by teaming with others we can create better solutions than any one of us alone. I am humble. Visit with your child this week to explore ways to synergize at home and at school.
Spring is Here!
Dear Families:
As we close out March and look to April, we are excited about the many activities to come and opportunities to celebrate the successes of an outstanding school year. We had over 50 students, grades 3-5, participate in the Annual Science Fair Project. It was an amazing site to see; all students perched next to their projects and sharing their learning with friends, family and science fair judges. Congratulations to all participants and good luck to those going on to the regional contest at MSU, Mankato. We are looking forward to the Washington Art Show in April and the Washington Math Night in May. More details to come!
In April, students in 4th grade and kindergarten will participate in music informances. The Music Informances provided the opportunity for parents to visit the music classroom during regularly scheduled music class to see the great things students are doing. Beginning in mid-April, students in grades 3-5 will participate in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) and students in grades K-2 will complete the NWEA assessment in reading and math. We’ll end the year with the PTO sponsored Walkathon and Family Picnic scheduled for May 19th. More details to come at a later date.
Beginning in April the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA), a summative assessment that measures skills in reading and math at a student's specific grade level, will be administered to all 3rd through 5th grade students. Teachers and staff utilize the results to evaluate our effectiveness related to curriculum, instruction and assessment. The state uses the results as an accountability measure for school and district effectiveness. District 77 has chosen to use the NWEA reading and math assessment to serve as a tool to measure learning growth in reading and math for grades K-5. The results from both will help us evaluate curriculum and provide evidence of student growth and learning from spring to spring. Results from both assessments are shared with parents and students.
Students are engaged in learning activities on a daily basis to help them achieve mastery of standards assessed. There is no additional preparation necessary. Parents play a key role in helping our students approach the assessments with a positive mindset and well-rested mind and body.
Here are a few things parents can do to create the best conditions for the testing activity:
Be sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before.
Be certain that students eat a good breakfast (breakfast available at school each morning)
Be positive and encourage best effort.
The best preparation is hard work every day.
As we approach the final two months of the school year , it is a good time to check in with your child about what they've enjoyed about school and what they are looking forward to in the finals months of the year. Our school theme is One School, One Team, One Dream. We want our students to connect the hard work of everyday with a greater purpose. Getting our students to Dream Big and make connections to their future builds a sense of hope and helps students to persevere and achieve at high levels. Ask your child about their dream and what steps they’ve taken to move closer to their dream.
Sincerely,
Shane Baier
Principal
Washington Elementary Request for a Specific Learning Environment
Parents may wonder how students are placed in classrooms or teams. As a staff we fully understand the importance of assigning students to homeroom teachers and that endeavor is taken very seriously. Grade level teams, special education staff, counselors and specialists work diligently to develop the schedule. The goal of the placement process is to create heterogeneous class units. This requires balancing the unique needs of each child with the overall school need for cohesive homeroom and classroom sections. There are several items taken into account when creating class lists, such as ratio of boys to girls, students educational and behavior needs to name only a few. We believe that if we are successful in creating balanced homeroom situations, all students in each class will have the best chance for learning and success. In early spring, staff begins to develop the school’s schedule for the 2017-18 school year.
If you feel your child has an educational need which should be considered when we place students, please stop by the office to pick up a Request for Specific Learning Environment. This form will need to be completed and returned by May 5, 2017. Due to retirements and change in staff assignments, your request should be focused on educational need rather than a specific teaching team. Only requests focused on educational need will be considered. This completed form should be dropped off in the office by May 5, 2017. If you any questions, please contact Mr. Baier, Principal at 345-3059 or sbaier1@isd77.k12.mn.us
IMPORTANT DATES:
Thursday, March 30
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM - 3RD GR
Friday, March 31
CHILDREN'S MUSEUM - 3RD GR
Monday, April 3
K & 4TH GR MUSIC INFORMANCES (Scheduled during music classes)
OPEN DOOR DENTAL CLINIC
Tuesday, April 4
K & 4TH GR MUSIC INFORMANCES (Scheduled during music classes)
Wednesday, April 5
K & 4TH GR MUSIC INFORMANCES (Scheduled during music classes)
WILDCAT RALLY
Thursday, April 6
K & 4TH GR MUSIC INFORMANCES (Scheduled during music classes)
Friday, April 7
K & 4TH GR MUSIC INFORMANCES (Scheduled during music classes)
Monday, April 10
PRIDE Time
PTO Meeting, 6:30 PM
Tuesday, April 11
TWO HOUR LATE START
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN THE 5TH GRADERS, 6:30 PM, WEST HS
Friday, April 14
NO SCHOOL K-12
Monday, April 17
8:25am
PRIDE TIME
Thursday, April 20
STATE-WIDE TORNADO AWARENESS
KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP, 4:30 AND 6:30 PM
Friday, April 21
MATH MASTERS - 5TH GR
1ST GR FIELD TRIP TO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
KINDERGARTEN FAMILY DAY - EARTH DAY
Monday, April 24
PAW PRINT DRAWING
Friday, April 28
5:30pm
ART SHOW
ISD #77 Elementary Student Art Show!
The Energy of a Child
Located at the 410 Project
523 South Front St.
K-5 Art on display featuring District 77 Elementary School, live collaborative painting, photo booth, cookies and beverages.
Thursday April 20th, 2017
Opening and Awards
6:00-8:00pm
This activity is made possible by a grant provided by the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council from the funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature.
Music Notes..
Congratulations to all the students in grades 1, 2, 3 and 5 for their presentation of “ Thyme For A Rhyme.” It was a fun program to prepare and present and we are grateful to our parents and the Washington staff for their help and support during the program.
MUSIC CLASS INFORMANCES for Kindergarten and Fourth grades are the week of April 3 - 7.These will be in the music room at Washington. This is an opportunity for students to demonstrate some of the music skills they are learning during a music class. Because of the limited space in the music room we are only able to invite parents. No extended family or other visitors, please.
Informances will last around 40 minutes and will be at these times:
Kindergarten Classes are at 10:00 am:
Tuesday - Brady
Thursday - Fitzloff
Friday - Davis
Fourth Grade Classes are at 9:10 am:
Tuesday - Dittmer
Thursday - Lieske
Friday - SmithArt Show!
Student artists have been busy preparing 2D & 3D artwork to display at our annual Washington Elementary Art Show! Join us for an event filled night with the most art we have ever shown.
Drop off and Pick up and the important question about supervision
Our teachers do not begin supervising the playground until 7:50 am. Please do not drop off your children before supervision begins. When dropping off or picking up your children, please be sure to avoid parking in the bus loading and unloading zone along McConnell Street. Supervision ends at 3:00 pm after school. Students cannot be left to play on the playground after school without parent supervision.
Thank you,
Shane Baier
Principal