Wildcat News

Thanks for staying in the know! A few important items as we near the start of a new year:

~ Entrance Conference Sign Up: If you have not yet done this, here's the link to sign-up for your child's entrance conference. As you know, entrance conferences are all day Tuesday, September 5 and in the morning on Wednesday, September 6. School pictures will be taken in the gym, so come ready for those! AND...then school begins on Thursday, September 7. Exciting!

~ Backpack Food Program: Your student(s) in grades K-8 are eligible for this program if you find it difficult to provide enough food and nutrition on weekends and school breaks. The BackPack and Power Pack Food Program discreetly provides packs of youth-friendly food to elementary and middle school students to sustain them on the weekends and school breaks when access to adequate food may be limited. *This is not a school-operated program, is not federally funded, and has no income requirements* To unenroll: Call (507) 385-3627 or email layne@feedingourcommunitiespartners.org If you would like to enroll in this program, here is the online google enrollment form for 2023-24.

As always, thank you for your support as we begin a new year! It matters!

Ann Haggerty

Washington Principal

ahagge1@isd77.org

Dear Washington Families:

We are very excited to offer our Washington students a healthy snack option each school day.

Prior to the first week of school you will have the option of signing up for healthy snacks for your students.The cost will be $65.00 per child for the school year. To ensure that your child has a snack on the first day of school, payments need to be received by September 5th.

There will be a few choices each day for students including such items as: baby carrots, apples, oranges, yogurt, string cheese, graham crackers, pretzels and more.

Payment can be made through your parent portal. Use this link for payment instructions: Step by Step Instructions to Pay for Snack Cart - Infinite Campus Parent Portal.

Donations to sponsor a child in need are welcome, appreciated and can be selected in the parent portal as well. Yearly, we have around 60 students in need of a sponsored snack. Thank you in advance for your support if you are able.

If your child is going to have a snack during the school day we strongly encourage you to participate in the snack cart. If you do choose to send a snack with your child to school we ask that you choose from the following healthier items: (any fruits) grapes, apples, oranges, bananas, melon chunks, etc., (any vegetables) carrots, celery, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower etc., crackers, pretzels, rice cakes, whole grain bagels or yogurt.

We hope that you take the opportunity to save some money, enjoy the convenience of a school-provided snack, and most importantly provide “top-notch" nutrition for your child at snack time.

If you need assistance with this program please contact the Washington office.

As you have probably heard, the District 77 School Board has made the strategic decision to ask our community this fall to vote on two questions at the ballot box. If approved by school district voters, the bond would be used to improve school safety and security, address early learning and daycare needs within our communities, and begin remodeling West High School, including replacing the swimming pool. The second question is around improvements to athletic facilities.

Below is an example of a safe and welcoming entrance design for Washington Elementary. For 10 MAPS schools, new school entry systems would result in all guests passing through the main office before gaining access to the rest of the building.

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/3ChDJrg. 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.

If you have an incoming Kindergarten student: Recently, the state of Minnesota passed a new law providing guidelines for individual screen time use in our Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms. This legislation outlines that our programs may not use an individual-use screen without engagement from a teacher or other students. It further identifies a one-hour screen time maximum for children under the age of 4. This does not apply to a child for whom the school has an individualized family service plan, an individualized education program, or a 504 plan in effect.

Mankato Area Public Schools continues to believe in child-centered, play-based, and multi-sensory learning experiences that afford students access to rigorous and differentiated instruction. As part of our practices, technology is used to enhance instruction and learning experiences for all of our Mankato Area Public Schools students.

In our PreK and Kindergarten programs, it will continue to be a standard practice to include technology at an individual, small group, or whole group level when it is appropriate and adds value to a student’s learning experience. In instances where students may leverage technology during free-play or non-instructional times, the classroom teachers will ensure that those experiences are extensions of individual learning and are collaborative.

Should you have any questions about specific ways that your child will use technology, please reach out to your child’s teacher or building administrator for further information.

Sincerely,

Ann Haggerty, Principal

Angie Potts, Director of Educational Technology

Mankato Area Public Schools (MAPS) is committed to working together equitably, with families and communities, so that each learner has the knowledge and skills to be a successful and contributing citizen in a diverse global society.

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