Windsor Newsletter
May 2022
- May 2nd- 8th Goode Greenhouse Fundraiser - 10% goes to Windsor
- May 3rd Merrill Family Night for Incoming 5th Grade Students
- May 20th - Field Day
- May 27th - Field Day Rain Day
- May 30th - Memorial day no school
- June 1st - 5th grade fieldtrip to Colby Park
- June 3th - last day of school early dismissal
- June 3th - 5th grade clap out
Community Schools - Family Survey
Hello Windsor Families,
Back in January, you received a short survey to complete. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, once again, so our Windsor Support Team can better serve you and your kiddos! I'd like to get as many as our families to complete as possible, so spread the word! WINDSOR FAMILY SURVEY - CLICK HERE
Kindergarten News
Notes From PAWS
Our Spring plant sale fundraiser is with Goode Greenhouses. The fundraiser will take place May 2nd through May 8th. Windsor will receive 10% of all purchases made at the store when you bring in the fundraiser flyer or show the flyer on your phone. We will send home more information in late April.
Our next PAWS meeting will be Tuesday, May 10th from 6-7 pm. The meeting will be in person at the library or you can join via zoom. We would love to see more people at the meetings!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86581698632?pwd=MG9zb0Z5ek90bGNoSmxhVTBPT0ZuZz09
Notes from Principal Nichols
Hello parents!
Speaking for the Windsor families that have been here for a while, you know you missed this! For the newer Windsor parents, let me explain…during the Pandemic it was a lot easier to communicate with everyone via a FAQ format rather than a ‘traditional’ newsletter. It was quicker to find information and things didn’t get lost in the fluffy Mr. Nichols talk. It became a sort of a tradition, or running joke, you decide which. BUT, it was effective and many parents told me they found it to be helpful.
So as we start to wind down the year, I thought I’d dust off the FAQ template and give it a go…
Q: Will there be a field day?
A: Yes. As the pandemic has eased up, we feel pretty solid in having our Field Day. It will be May 20th, with a rain date of May 27th.
Q: Are you keeping the “clap-out” ceremony that you did last year?
A: Yes. The students that participated last year overwhelmingly LOVED the clap-out rather than having a promotion ceremony. It really was a lot of fun and excitement for them as than ran through the hall with people cheering their name and clapping for them. This event will take place on the last day of school starting at 11:00. I know it’s not nearly as much fun for the parents, but it’s not as stressful either. 😊
If you have not heard of one, here is how it works:
The fifth graders will assemble in the auditorium as the other classrooms will have their students lining the hallways. When we are ready, I will make announcements of names on the intercom and the named student will get to run/jog/walk out of the auditorium as the other students all yell, clap, and cheer. The fifth graders will then exit the building out the front doors and then can meet up with their parents who can also be cheering and clapping if they wish. One thing we learned last year was to have a separate microphone outside so the names will be announce there.
Once the fifth grader is out of the building, they are free to go with you, or however you would like them to go home (a slip will be sent to you in mid-May asking how you wish to do that).
Q: When is the last day of school and when will students be dismissed?
A: June 3rd at 11:40am. Sack lunches will be served before dismissal.
Q: Will 5th grade be having their annual trip to Colby Park?
A: Yes, June 1st.
Q: Will there be any summer programs at Windsor at all?
A: Yes, Windsor will be hosting some summer classes in the month of June and early July. It is only for current kindergarten through second graders. The teachers worked together to develop the lists using guidelines and class sizes set forth by DMPS. Parents have, or will be, contacted by Kelsi Stanley, our Community Schools Coordinator.
Q: When will online registration for next school year open?
A: We haven’t received a set date yet, but expect it to open in mid July. Once we hear a definite date, we’ll be sure to get it out to you.
Q: Do you anticipate things being back to normal?
A: I hope so. We really have about everything back to normal anyways. About the only thing not yet back is allowing people back in the buildings. But, we’ll see.
Q: Will there be a yearbook this year?
A: Unfortunately no, most students did receive a class composite from Lifetouch this year. If you would like to order a class photo from Lifetouch you can contact them directly at 1-800-505-9496. You can also purchase classroom picture posters from our PAWS group email PAWS dsmwindsorpaws@gmail.com
Q: When does school start next year?
A: August 24th. Here is a link to the school calendar for 2022-23. https://cdn.dmschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-23-DMPS-Calendar-1.pdf
Q: How do you create class lists?
A: Magic. LOL Seriously though, it’s a good question and it’s a little more involved than you would think.
The child’s current grade level teachers get together with special education, ELL, extended core, the counselor, and so on to create the lists. They look at gender, different abilities, special program status (ELL, G/T, Special Education), personalities of the students, and the styles of teaching of the next year's teachers. Some people think it’s odd that I include extended core, but they get to see the students in ways that the classroom teachers do not. It’s my belief is that a student can demonstrate his/her abilities in more than one way. For instance, a child with a knack for mathematics may create an art piece with a detailed or more complex pattern than their peers. At the end of it all, we try to balance the classes out as evenly as possible so that all of our students can achieve their best!
Q: Who will the teachers be next year?
A: For those relatively new to Windsor, we have some grade levels of two sections and others have three. That means there is always some movement of teachers and grade levels. We are also adding in some new and additional staff for next year. Here are the teachers and their positions.
Kindergarten – Ms. Byriel, Ms. Smith, Ms. Kair
First grade – Ms. Cowman, Ms. Damman
Second grade – Ms. Leahy, Ms. Pimlott, Ms. Wilson
Third grade – Ms. Groepper, Ms. Zimmerman
Fourth grade – Ms. Bolte, Ms. Rodriguez
Fifth grade – Ms. Bachman, Ms. Merical, Ms. Nichol
Interventionist – Ms. Roth
ELL – Ms. Eisler, Ms. Metelman
Extended Core – Ms. Dyer, Mr. Leckband, Ms. Warren
Special Education – Ms. Hartwig, Ms. Heddinger, Ms. Hoffman, Ms. Powers
SLC – Ms. Small
Media Center – Mr. Ballard
Instructional Coach – Mr. Ballard, Ms. Veigulis
Assistant Principal - Ms. Lorentzen
Q: Do you take requests for teachers?
A: Yes – HOWEVER, I cannot guarantee that all requests will be honored. As I explained above, the process for creating class lists is fairly involved so while I will attempt to fulfill requests, I can’t make any kind of guarantee. I promise I will try though!
Windsor Elementary
Website: http://windsor.dmschools.org/
Location: 5912 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone: 515-242-8440
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/windsordmps/
Twitter: @windsorcatsDMPS