Wiggin Street Parent Update
February 3, 2023
Better Together
Dear Wiggin Street Families,
It was great to have a full 5 day week with your kiddos! I talked with the kids on the announcements today about the importance of my job to keep everyone safe at Wiggin Street. Please reiterate at home that if they ever see someone being treated unkind or are unsafe, they should tell an adult. It's not tattling if it's helpful. Mrs. Carlson talks with students about big and small problems. Peer mediators can help with small problems, but it's best to get an adult to help with big problems. All adults in our building care for each student and love them, so students can ask for help at anytime!
Wednesday was the Global Day of Play. Free play allows children to play making their own rules as they go along and creating new limits within their own boundaries. "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation"-Plato
Not only is it fun, but play has so many benefits:
- Develops creative thinking
- Helps them stay physically fit
- Expands their cognitive function through healthy development of the brain
- Helps them learn to get along with others through collaborating, sharing, negotiating, resolving conflicts, and developing self-advocacy skills
- Develops problem solving skills
- Encourages independence
- Allows children to practice decision making skills, move at their own pace, discover areas of interest on their own
- Gives them ownership in their learning
- Creates happiness
We are lucky at Wiggin Street to have advocates for free play. It is not an easy day for our teachers because there are times when students have difficulty solving problems, and sharing, resolving conflicts. Our teachers are there to support students as needed and understand the importance of free play as well as a healthy balance of structured play.
We hope you all have a great weekend, and stay warm!
Best wishes,
Christy Grandstaff
Math-A-Thon
Prizes for the Math-A-Thon will be passed out starting Wednesday, February 8th. The money raised from this fundraiser will help the school purchase Makerspace & STEM resources. Our school and students have benefited greatly from your generosity of past Math-A-Thons. We appreciate your support of this fundraiser.
Student Leadership Team
Our first meeting of the Student Leadership Meeting was on Monday. Students brainstormed about what makes a leader, and learned the following:
Leader of Self
- Making good choices
- Setting goals
Leader of Others- Help others to achieve a goal
- Being a good role model & inspiring others
- Open-minded and good listener
- Sharing what you know
Yeti Visit to First Grade
Seems like a Yeti visited first grade today, and he froze the desk pets. The students had to find the fastest way to unfreeze their pets!
Third Grade Buddies Helping Kindergarten with their PBL Animal Project
Third grade buddies are helping Kindergarten with their PBL (Project Based Learning) Animal Project. Last week, they helped Kindergarteners decide the animal they wanted to research, and this week the 3rd graders began reading the book to Kindergarteners.
The Kindergarten students filled out their T-Chart either as information they (K) Know or information (L) just Learned. Some amazing collaboration between them AND Kindergarten are applying skills (they learned whole group) on an independent level!
Friends of Wiggin Street
The next PTO meeting is Tuesday, February 7th @ 5:00 pm in the library.
The Smoothie Slurp on February 10th
MVCSD will participate in the Smoothie Slurp next Friday. Smoothies will be offered with breakfast for the kids to try.
WINTER WEATHER
Please remember that students will go outside on days where the temperature with wind chill accounted for is 20°f and above. Be sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather each day. Coats, hats, and gloves are necessary at this time of the year. Boots are required for playing in the snow. If you need assistance with winter outerwear for your child, please contact our school, and we will happily find warm clothes for them.
Upcoming Events
Click
here for the 2022-23 Mount Vernon City School District Yearly Calendar
February
7 FOW Meeting, 5:00
8 Gifted Seminar @ Fieldhouse
10 The Smoothie Slurp
14 Valentine’s Day Parties 2:30-3:15 pm
Idle-free Zone
For pick up, please do not arrive until 3:30. There is no stopping, standing, or parking on E. Brooklyn St. allowed. Also, please reminder that our school is an Idle-free Zone. Protect our children and the community by turning off your engine.
Principal-Wiggin Street Elementary
Christy Grandstaff
