Wiggin Street Parent Update

Dear Wiggin Street Families,

What an incredibly exciting week we had at Wiggin Street! Lt. Governor Jim Tressel’s visit was truly inspiring—impacting both kids and adults alike. If you didn’t get a chance to view the live feed, the video is embedded below. Lt. Governor Tressel was engaging, funny, and got everyone moving!

Tressel spoke about the Latin phrase “Macte virtute,” meaning “Increase Your Excellence.” I love this message because it reminds us that there is no ceiling to student learning. We often talk about the Power of Yet and having a Growth Mindset, and it was powerful for students to hear that with focus and healthy habits, they can always strive to increase their excellence.

We are so appreciative of the Lt. Governor and his staff for their visit. Special thanks go to Tony Gault, the staff member who reached out to our school about hosting this event. When Tony arrived, he mentioned his parents would be attending—only then did I realize that his parents, Jim and Debbie Gault, are the owners of Gault’s Cleaners in Mount Vernon! Tony himself is a graduate of East Knox.

Another special guest in attendance was Representative Mark Hiner, who serves the 98th district in the Ohio House of Representatives. Lt. Governor Tressel even got Rep. Hiner up and moving with the students and staff, which made for some fun moments!

We were fortunate to have news coverage from the Kenyon Office of Communications, MVHS Jacket Journal, and Knox Pages, along with social media posts from Lt. Governor Jim Tressel and the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge. You can find the YouTube page he referenced [here]; I expect video footage from our school will be posted soon. Make sure to open up the link for the Knox Pages article that has additional pictures from the event.

In addition to the assembly, we had Fall School Pictures on Thursday and our Pumpkins on Parade event that evening on the front lawn. Thank you to everyone who came out with your students to decorate pumpkins—it was wonderful to see so many families participating.

On Friday, select 5th grade students joined Mrs. Biggerstaff on a downtown Mount Vernon art field trip to the Annex. They explored the Beading to Build Community initiative, using beads as their artistic medium. More details and a video can be found below.

Mrs. Carlson and I also had the pleasure of taking two students from each class who demonstrated excellent behavior during the first quarter to Bolton Dance Studio for a pizza lunch and Hungarian Folk Dancing event. This unique experience, led by Fulbright Scholar Henrich Kovács from Hungary, was coordinated through a partnership with Kenyon College’s Department of Dance and Office of Community Partnerships. We are incredibly proud of these students and enjoyed celebrating with them!

Looking Ahead

3rd Grade ELA Ohio State Test – Tuesday & Wednesday (mornings)
Please ensure your child is well-rested, eats a healthy breakfast, and comes ready to do their best. If possible, avoid scheduling appointments during these times, as the testing window closes October 31.
Fall Harvest Parade – Friday at 2:15 p.m.
Families are invited to line the sidewalks to watch our parade! The route begins at Wiggin Street School, turns at Wiggin Street Coffee, passes the bookstore, crosses to the market, continues past the post office, and returns to the school.

Reminders:
- Costumes should come in a bag and be easy for students to put on/take off independently.
- No scary costumes, masks, or pretend weapons, please.
- Parents should not pass out candy along the route; some local businesses may do so.
- PTO will provide treat bags for students.
- Classroom parties will follow the parade.

Thank you for your continued support and for making Wiggin Street such a special place for our students.

Warm regards,
Christy Grandstaff
Principal, Wiggin Street Elementary

The Kenyon Men's Lacrosse Team visited this Wednesday, and they brought all the energy with them to make it a fun morning! Check out the videos!

Next week, the Kenyon Men's Golf Team will be joining us and playing Dodgeball with the students.

We will be celebrating with different students 3 times a year. 2 students from each class will be invited. Who will be next?

The following students had excellent behavior this 9 weeks:

Wyatt Brokaw

Jace Mickley

Tinsley Corzine

Eli Krajenski

Imogen Jacklin

Evie Armstrong

Kinsley Beaver

Avery Miller

Alice Petersen

Jason Reiss

Wren Morr
Wesley Raymond

Sarah Mae Bartal

Maddy Ruckman

Kennedy Black

Simon Dudgeon

Atticus Kohler

Evie Lawrence

Karolina Waltos

Charlie White

Lizzie Bush

Holly Scoles

Aryana Leaning

Ellis Bartal

Select students from Wiggin Street and Pleasant Street's 5th grade classes traveled to The Annex, and extension to the Gund at Kenyon this Friday. It looks like they enjoyed creating using beads as the medium. Check out Mrs. Biggerstaff's video!

Beading to Build Community

The Annex celebrates its second anniversary since opening its doors on September 8, 2023. To celebrate this milestone and the current exhibition at The Gund. The Annex invites several local schools to select eight students from grades five to eight to create beaded safety pin designs. Once all workshops are completed, we- The Gund Associates- will assemble the individual projects onto one fabric background. Together, these weavings will form a larger artwork that symbolizes the community found within Knox County. This project will be displayed at The Gund to serve as a testimony of The Gund’s and The Annex’s mission of cultivating our shared love of artmaking and the connections that are created through building community.

The inspiration for this project is the current exhibition, Everyday Anew at The Gund, which features Claudia Alarcón & Silät's artworks that explore the concept of generational knowledge of weaving techniques and mythological tales. This shared knowledge connects generations of women from the Wichí communities of Northern Salta and Argentina.

You should have received information about this fundraiser this week. Donations provide opportunities for art field trips, materials such as clay for keepsakes that can be fired in our kiln, as well as other materials needed. Also, you get to have a great keepsake of your child's artwork!

Kenyon Community Engage learning class, Directed Teaching, teamed with Wiggin Street to teach dance focused on the brain/body connection. And it was fun!

We are excited for our parade and parties on October 31st! Children are invited to participate in our annual costume parade. The parade will begin at 2:15 with parties following.

Costumes should come to school in a bag and childrenshould be able to get in and out of their costumes easily. (If you feel your child needs help with his/her costume, please contact the classroom teacher.) Please make sure that there are no scary costumes because of our younger students. There should be no Halloween masks. No pretend weapons of any kind are permitted at school even as a part of the costume. Please save those for trick-or-treat night.

We ask parents not to pass out treats along the route, however some of the local businesses may pass out candy to kids. Our PTO will be providing bags for the treats they get along the way.

It's that time of year! Please remind your child to look at the Lost in Found that is in the hallway leading to the cafeteria for their lost items. Thanks for your help!

Are you able to help with Popcorn Fridays at Wiggin Street? Click on the link below to learn more and sign up! Thanks!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BAEA829A3FC1-58634889-popcorn#/

On October 28th and 29th, 3rd grade students will take the Fall administration of the state English Language Arts Assessment. In case of absence, the make up day will be October 30th. The test will take place between 9:30-11:30 on these days. We would ask that you please not schedule any special appointments for these dates.