Wildcat News

The year is flying by! A few reminders to end the week:

~ Walk-A-Thon: The PTO hopes this is going well! Our building goal is $14,000, and we are asking for each kiddo to raise $50 if at all possible. You can return the fundraising envelope at any point--this will help us incentivize students, so if you've completed your fundraising don't hesitate to turn it into the office OR your child's teacher. Will I be sleeping on the roof?????? :-)

Incentives: $2000: Extra Recess; $5000; Music in the lunchroom; $8000 Double PAWS tickets for the week; $10,000 bring a stuffed animal to school; $12,000 Dance Party in the classroom; $14,000 Mrs. Haggerty sleeps ON THE ROOF!

~ Doctor/Dentist Notes: As a reminder, please make sure to bring a doctor note should your child be gone for any type of appointment. Please include the date and the time of the appointment. Depending on the time of the appointment, we do need students in school before and after the appointment. Thank you!

~ October Title I information: Washington Elementary's Parent Engagement Plan emphasizes the importance of collaboration between parents and educators. We encourage you to participate in our school activities, attend meetings, and provide feedback to help us create a supportive learning environment for your child. A copy is available upon request.

~ Date Change: Please note that the PTO needed to change the date for Family Game Night. It is now on Thursday, January 21 from 6:00-7:30pm. For those of you who are "mark your calendar" kind of people, please note is not on January 28 anymore.

~ No School: As a friendly reminder, there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, October 12 in celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, and there is NO SCHOOL on Thursday or Friday, October 15 & 16 due to the MEA break.

Ann

Ann Haggerty

Washington Principal

ahagge1@isd77.org

Safety of our students is priority #1, and we need your help!

A community member who drives through our neighborhood each morning on the way to the hospital has expressed a number of safety concerns related to how students are dropped off and picked up.

Here are her concerns: I’ve noticed cars stopping or parking on both sides of the road, drivers pulling in/out without signaling, and children crossing outside of designated crosswalks, sometimes in front of moving traffic. These practices create poor visibility and unpredictable traffic movements at exactly the time when many young children are entering or leaving school. In addition to creating a significant safety concern for students and families, the current situation makes it difficult for other drivers to travel safely through the area during drop-off and pick-up times. With so many young children and vehicles in the area at the same time, this creates a situation that feels unnecessarily risky.

Here are a few important reminders:
* Students must be dropped off curbside. If this means you need to drive around the block, please do so.

* If you are parked on the opposite side of the street, please escort your child across the street safely to school grounds. Please use a crosswalk to cross the street.

* Please signal when you pull in or out of the street.

* When picking up students, if you are not curbside, please get out of your car, come to the playground to meet your child, and then safely escort them to your vehicle.

Your help with this is needed and appreciated!!

Our Walk-A-Thon will take place on Friday, October 23rd during the day (rain or shine)!

Tentative Walk-A-Thon schedule:

1:10 - 2nd & 3rd grade

1:40 - Kindergarten and 5th grade

2:00 - 1st and 4th grade

Parents are invited and encouraged to attend the Walk-A-Thon to cheer on all Washington Wildcats and walk with the students. Before walking, each grade level will begin with some simple warm-up exercises at the designated time listed above. These warm ups will occur in the grassy area near the two ball diamonds before the walk begins. There will also be a simple running course set up near Door #9 should kids want to run instead of walk.

There is no need to check in at the office - just meet your child out on the Washington playground.

Mankato Area Public Schools uses a variety of digital tools to support student learning. Technology vendors and software is utilized to support work as we help all students develop the skills necessary to succeed in an ever-changing world.

We have an inventory of our curriculum, testing, and assessment tools posted on our district website at bit.ly/4835DET (or directly to our Classlink page https://public-portal.classlink.com/isd77). This list is maintained and communicated annually to all families at the start of the school year.

Please reach out to your building principal for additional questions regarding the use of the specific digital tools in classrooms. Please reach out to MAPS technology department regarding data, privacy, and vendor inquiries of the specific digital tools.

Sincerely,

Ann Haggerry, Principal

Angie Potts, Director of Educational Technology

Goal #1: Washington Elementary will increase our consistent student attendance from 89.64% to 91% by the end of the 2026-27 school year.

Goal #2: By the end of the 2026-27 school year, Washington Elementary will decrease the number of students who are chronically absent from 29 students to 25 or fewer students.

While we did make some good progress last year, there is still work to do. Your help in this is vital, so thank you in advance! If tardies or absences are happening, expect to hear from our attendance team earlier this year as we hope to be proactive in our supports to families.

Excellence, Equity, Empowerment. Every student, Every day.

Email: ahagge1@isd77.org
Website: https://we.isd77.org/
Location: 1100 Anderson Drive
Phone: 507-345-3059