Wildcat News

Principal Message

A few reminders for the week:

~ No Costumes: Just a friendly reminder that no costumes should come to school tomorrow. This includes masks. If ACES is doing something with costumes, please make sure the costumes stay in backpacks until children arrive at ACES.

~ Scholastic Book Fair: The Washington PTO is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair during conferences. This is always a HUGE hit for families, students, teachers, and our entire school! We always need volunteers to help with the book fair. Please take a moment to sign up to help. Our volunteers usually LOVE this event and find it fun and easy! Here's the link.

~ Conferences:Conferences will be here before you know it. They are being held from 3:20-8:00pm on November 6, 10, and 11. If you have not yet signed up for conferences, please do so. Please use this LINK to sign up for your child's conference. Please remember, each child gets one 20-minute conference. Please do not sign up for more than one time slot. This may take some coordination with other family members. If you have unique/special circumstances that warrant a conversation, please reach out to me at Washington. Your collaboration and understanding of this process is appreciated.

~ Teacher Conference Meals: Washington has an AMAZING PTO that provides delicious meals to our equally AMAZING teachers during the long nights of conferences. The PTO does much of the work, but they need volunteer help around the edges. This is a GREAT way to be involved and play a key role in supporting the PTO. Please consider looking through this Sign Up Genius to find a way that you can support the efforts of the PTO and contribute to the important work that teachers do during conferences. And if you don't want to shop or bake, you can donate $$$ to help offset costs or help with set-up/clean-up. Don't delay in signing up as conferences begin next week!

~ Bedtime Story: Ok, I'm going to give this a try! I hope to read a bedtime story that students can listen to before they go to bed on Sunday nights. My goal is 3 times/month (I have a meeting one Sunday night a month, so that's why my goal is 3 times). Students can count this as reading minutes, and I get to share some of my favorite stories with all of our wonderful Wildcats. So, the plan is Sunday, November 2 at 7:30pm. Simply log on using this link. I will record the stories and share the folder of stories so that you can watch them at another time if this time doesn't work for you OR your family can rewatch favorites!

~ No School on Monday, November 3. This is a day that teachers engage in professional development and prepare for parent-teacher conferences.

I can't wait to connect with each of you at Fall Conferences--such a great time to check progress, celebrate successes, and set goals. Go Wildcats!

Ann

Ann Haggerty

Washington Principal

ahagge1@isd77.org

Staff Spotlight - Kelsey Leonard, Media Assistant

What do the students at Washington call you?

Ms. Leonard

What is your job at Washington?

I have the pleasure of being the Media Assistant at our school.

How long have you worked for Mankato Area Public Schools?

Three Years.

What is one of your favorite things about your job?

One of my favorite things about my job is introducing students to books that get them excited to start or continue reading. I love seeing the happiness on their faces when they find a new book they enjoy.

What is an interesting fact about you?

I love reading, flower gardening with my husband and a good laugh.

Tell us about your family.

My husband and I have two kids (Arlo and Rosalie) that keep us very busy. You’ll find us running around most weekends supporting our kids in football, basketball and gymnastics.

Where did you go to elementary school?

I grew up in Marshall, MN - Go Tigers!

Anything else you would like to share with families?

It is so fun getting to know the students at our school. Each day I learn something new about them - who loves dinosaurs, who has a great sense of humor and who keeps us guessing in the best possible way. You’re all doing a great job of raising amazing kids. Thank you for sharing them with us at Washington Elementary!

What should my child wear outside in colder weather? We do follow this chart closely. We use actual temperature, mostly, but factoring in the "feels like" temperature is also quite important, especially for the younger students. YOUR help in following these guidelines really matters, so thank you in advance!