Wilson Parent Newsletter
February 2018
Message from the Principal
READING, READING, READING!
Please join us in celebrating I Love to Read Month with your child during February. February calendars will be sent home with your child, please read extra this month. Mr. Tinaglia will be doing a Mystery Reader the last two weeks of February and Mrs. Gustafson in our media center will be offering Starbooks with hot chocolate during library time for each grade. All students will receive a free book this month courtesy of PTO!
7 Strategies to Help Your Child with Reading Fluency
This article gives several strategies to help children (or adults) improve reading fluency with explicit directions on how to implement each one. Reading fluency is the ability to read automatically, accurately, and effortlessly, while using expression. Fluency is just as important of a skill as understanding phonics (knowing the letters and their sounds), knowing sight words, and comprehending what is read. Readers who are successful with fluency can concentrate on comprehension because they don’t have to focus on figuring out the words. Read at the link below for a list of strategies to help your child become fluent readers (be sure to pick passages that spark your students’ interest):
http://www.educationandbehavior.com/how-to-improve-reading-fluency/
UPCOMING EVENTS:
- Feb. 6 - After School Program session 2 begins
- Feb. 7 - WSL meeting ~ 2:30-3:30
- Feb. 16 - Father Daughter Dance - watch for invitation to be sent home - copy is listed below
- Mar. 1 - Reading/Math Family Night
- Mar. 2 - end of 2nd trimester
- Mar. 5 - No K-5/teacher work day
- Mar. 9 - Mother/son game night
- Mar. 26-30 - Spring Break
Wilson Safety Patrol Information
General Safety Reminders:
· Please use the safety patrols at cross walks when picking up students from school
· Please do not walk between busses in the bus lane
· Please walk bikes and scooters along all school sidewalks
· Please walk through the crosswalks versus running or riding
Patrol Members should be arriving to school no later than 7:30am for morning patrol. Students on the afternoon teams are done by 2:45pm. If a patrol member is absent it is his/her job to contact a replacement ahead of time. If a patrol member is late to duty his/her spot may be filled by a replacement. Multiple absences or tardiness will result in a loss of patrol duties.
Safety Patrols should be present every day (rain, shine or snow). The only exceptions to this rule are below:
· If the “feels like” temp is -25 or below - we don’t have patrol; adults may cover.
· If lightning or hail is occurring - we don't have patrol.
· If we have an early release from school due to weather - we don't have patrol; adults may cover.
Please note: When the “feels like” temperature is below zero, but has not reached -25 the safety patrols may be staying warm inside a staff or parent vehicle near the cross walk. The patrols will exit the car to cross students that are waiting at the cross walks. Staff may also be present at the crosswalks on such days. Parents that volunteer to be car warmers must have a background check through the district and will be assigned to the corner that their student is on duty at. Please get in contact with Lisa Thorson if you’d like to help as a car warmer. lthorson@owatonna.k12.mn.us
Kiwanis Read Around the World
Please join Celebrity Readers at the Owatonna Public Library Saturday, February 3, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Mark Blando - Library Director, Owatonna Public Library
Rilee Schmidt - President Key Club, Owatonna High School
Lon Thiele - Steele County Sheriff
Mary Hawkins - Lincoln Elementary School Principal
Jim Steinlicht - President, Kiwanis Club of Owatonna
Darla Lager - Children's Librarian, Owatonna Public Library
Please come to the Children's Services area. Light refreshments will be served and there will be a free new book for young readers to take home.
February I Love to Read Month
Father Daughter Dance
National School Counseling Week
PTO News
Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who came out and helped at our Wilson Carnival. We had over 75 volunteers between parents, friends, grandparents and students. The outpouring of support was wonderful! We gave away over 180 raffle prizes that were donated from area businesses and the PTO. The carnival was a huge success and we hope you were all able to enjoy it!
Book Fairs - with all of your support at our book fairs, we have earned enough money to give back to the students by giving each homeroom teacher a $100 allowance to purchase books for their rooms, and the library is receiving $200 to buy new books for the library. All of this is because our wonderful Wilson families have continued to support the PTO.
Please follow us on Facebook at Wilson Elementary PTO to keep up on all the upcoming events!
Fun at the Carnival
Thank you volunteers!
Carnival Support
Carnival Winners
Our big prize winners from the PTO carnival raffle:
Free night stay and water park passes - Josh Talamantes
Family night - Cheryl Villwock
$150.00 Target gift card - Merlin Tungsuik
$250.00 Visa gift card - Mike Letourneau
Meal Charge and Debt Collection Procedure
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this procedure is to establish consistent district practices for the provision of meals to students who have insufficient funds in their school meal accounts and for the collection of unpaid meal debt. The procedure ensures that the school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF PROCEDURE
A. The goal of Owatonna Public School’s Nutrition Services Department is to provide nutritious meals to students to promote healthy eating habits and enhance learning as well as maintain the financial integrity of the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs.
B. Families can apply for free/reduced-price meal benefits at any time during the school year by completing an online application, filling out a paper copy at the District Office, or by printing a copy from the school district’s webpage. Families can reapply for meal benefits anytime during the school year if household income or family size changes. Families are financially responsible for all student purchases made prior to the official approval of their application.
III. PAYMENTS
Funds should be maintained in student meal accounts to minimize the possibility that a student is without money on any given day. All remaining funds in the student’s meal account at the end of the school year will be carried over to the next school year. Payment options include the following:
A. Pay online, and manage your student’s account at www.owatonna.feepay.com. Make payments, view purchase history, view meal balances, set up automatic email reminders, or set up a payment “auto-replenish”
B. By check (student’s name must be written in memo line)
§ Elementary: Payment box in school office, or give payment to teacher
§ Middle School: Payment box outside of cafeteria, or hand payment to cashier
§ High School: Hand payment to cashier
C. District Office, 515 W. Bridge St.
§ 24-hour secure payment box located on the east driveway
§ Pay in person with cash or check during normal business hours
IV. CHARGE PROCEDURE
The process below is followed if the student meal account has insufficient funds to pay for meals.
Full-Pay Student Eligibility
· Students should eat breakfast at home and bring a cold lunch when meal account balance is negative.
· Negative balances must be paid in full prior to purchasing a la carte items.
· Students cannot use anyone else’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) for purchase of food items.
· Negative balance information may be sent to appropriate administrators including, but not limited to, Principals, Social Workers, Nutrition Services Director, Superintendent, and School Liaisons.
Free and Reduced-Price Student Eligibility
· Students with Free or Reduced-Price eligibility can receive a free breakfast and free lunch daily. (Note: all kindergarten students receive breakfast at no cost regardless of meal eligibility status)
· Students with a negative account balance are never allowed to charge a la carte items.
· Students cannot use anyone else’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) for purchase of food items.
· Negative balance information may be sent to appropriate administrators including, but not limited to, Principals, Social Workers, Nutrition Services Director, Superintendent, and School Liaisons.
V. NOTIFICATION OF ACCOUNT STATUS
The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families using the following methods:
· Emails will be sent to parents when the balance is $10.00 or less.
· Cashiers will provide a verbal notice at the point of sale when the balance is $10.00 or less.
· A hand stamp will be offered to K-5 students when the balance is $10.00 or less.
· Payment reminder slips are available at each cash register.
· Negative balance notices will be sent home with K-5 students weekly when their balance drops below $0.00.
· Negative balance information will be sent to K-8 principals and social workers weekly, and principals
or their designee may contact families regarding delinquent account(s).
· Phone calls may be made home to parents when the balance is -$10.00 or greater.
VI. COLLECTION OF UNPAID MEAL DEBT
A. The school district will make reasonable efforts to communicate with families to resolve the matter of unpaid meal charges.
· Families may be encouraged to apply for free and reduced-price meals for their students.
· Where appropriate, funds may be transferred between student accounts within the same household.
B. The school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. Unpaid meal charges are designated as delinquent debt when payment is overdue, the debt is considered collectable, and efforts are being made to collect it.
C. When the student meal account balance reaches -$50.00, the following action will be taken: a formal letter will be sent to the household notifying them that the debt will be turned over to Advantage Collection Professionals, a third-party collection agency.
Office Information
School Hours (7:55-2:25)
325 Meadow Lane
507-444-8400 (Main Line)
507-444-8405 (Attendance Line)
Health Office Hours (7:45-2:45)
Spanish Liaison Hours (7:45-2:30)
Somali Liaison Hours (7:45-11:30 Mon/Wed), (12:00-2:30 Thursday), (8:00-2:30 Friday)
School Calendar
A reminder that the school calendar is printed on the back of your child's planner. Please use this as a reference for when we have days off from school. The school calendar is also on our school website at www.owatonna.k12.mn.us.
Kindergarten Open House/Registration
Science/Engineering Fair
Volunteer Appreciation
Please join us for the Volunteer Appreciation Event
When: Thursday, March 1, 3:30-5:30 p.m. (open house)
Where: Owatonna Public Utilities, Morehouse Meeting Room, 208 Walnut Ave. S.
RSVP to: Owatonna Public Schools HR Facebook or SignUpGenius
Lunch Schedule
4th grade
- 11:05-11:25
5th grade
- 11:20-11:40
3rd grade
- 11:35-11:55
Kindergarten
- 11:50-12:10
2nd grade
- 12:15-12:35
1st grade
- 12:25-12:45