Wildcat News

A few things so you can stay in the know:

~ How is your at-home OKAY Campaign going??? Please help us keep this alive by engaging in this with your kiddo at home. Your support, your modeling, and your engagement really matters!!!

~ Conference Sign Up: Here is the link to sign up for conferences: Conferences/PTCFast Please get signed up ASAP as conferences are just around the corner.

~ PTO Meeting and Early Release: Both of these are next week. Here's the google form to sign your child up for early release supervision (Wednesday, March 12), and HERE is the link to the google meet for the PTO meeting, which will be held at 6:00 on Monday, March 10, 2025.

~ Teacher Conference Meals: Spring conferences will be March 17, 18, and 20. As we have done in the past, Washington PTO will be providing our amazing teachers with dinner on the nights of conferences. We are asking for parents to help with conference meals by signing up to bring a beverage/dessert/side or volunteering to help with set-up or clean-up. The sign-up sheet with specific needs can be found at this link. If you would rather make a monetary donation to the Washington PTO to purchase items for conference meals (because honestly, sometimes that's just easier, right?), you can do that at this link.

~Spring Book Fair: The PTO will again host a book fair during conferences. Many volunteers are needed. Please sign up to help using this link. Thank you in advance; the PTO couldn't do this without help from so many of you!

~ March Title I Information: Parent-teacher conferences are an invaluable opportunity for you to connect with your child’s teachers, discuss their progress, and collaborate on strategies to support their learning at home. Attending these conferences allows you to gain insights into your child's academic strengths and areas for improvement. It also gives you a chance to share your observations and concerns, ensuring that we work together to provide the best possible education for your child. Your involvement is crucial in helping us tailor our programming including, Title I programming to meet the needs of our students. We look forward to seeing you at the conferences and continuing our partnership in your child’s education!

Thanks for your continued support of our work--your partnership matters to each child's growth and success!

Ann Haggerty

Washington Principal

ahagge1@isd77.org

Parents and Guardians,

We hope this letter finds you well as we start the month of March. We are pleased to inform you of a significant update regarding your child's academic progress as we continue to enhance our communication and streamline access to important information.

We will continue our work to inform you when recent data has been updated in the Infinite Campus parent portal throughout the year. Your child's DIBELS winter assessment results are now available for you to view under the student test detail tab.

Simply log in to your parent portal account using your credentials to access your child's DIBELS data in Infinite Campus. Click here for a complete set of directions to help walk you through the process. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us If you encounter any difficulties or have questions about accessing or interpreting the data.

We believe we can strengthen the partnership between home and school to ensure academic success of our shared students by communicating and making DIBELS data readily available on Infinite Campus.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education.

February 2025

Dear Washington Parents,

Hello to all Washington students and families! The Washington PBIS Team wants to let you know that during February and March, Washington will be explicitly teaching students the importance of being a first time listener, saying “OKAY” when an adult asks them to do something, and then doing it right away. We are finding that this could be a focus area for additional learning for many of our Wildcats. Perhaps you notice this concern at home sometimes?

We are using the following acronym below to teach:

O - One time asked

K - Kind response

A - Act

Y - You’re welcome

We are using this line with students: Say “OKAY” and do it right away!

It is also very important to note that we will do some teaching about those instances when it would be appropriate for a child to NOT be compliant. Our teaching of this centers around the “3 D’s”: Dangerous, Destructive, Disturbing.

We are asking for your support and encouragement with your child(ren). Tomorrow (Thursday) this same letter will come home with your child, along with an “OKAY” card. Each time you ask your child to do something, and they respond with “OKAY” and do the task, please fill in one of the dots. When all of the dots are filled in, CELEBRATE with your child, and then have them return their completed card to the Washington office for a small token of appreciation. They can then grab another card if they wish.

Thank you, in advance, for your support of our Okay Campaign. Together, we can make a big difference.

Respectfully,

The Washington PBIS Team

Dear Washington Families,

Did you know that if your Wildcat misses 17 or more days of the school year they are considered chronically absent by the state of Minnesota? We know that students miss school for many reasons such as illness, vacation, or family emergencies. It is expected that a student will miss a few days throughout the year. However, when students start to miss more than a few days of school, it can be detrimental to their academic growth. As you may be aware, students with greater attendance at school foster better relationships, have higher self esteem, develop independence, and have more academic success than students who are absent more than 10% of the school year. New findings are also indicating that the achievement of all students can be negatively affected by absent classmates. Here at Washington, we want to see our Wildcats in school as often as possible, so that they can continue to get what they need to succeed in school.

Here are some important things to know about how we will be approaching attendance for the remainder of the year:

• Stay below 17 Days Absent: Mrs. Haggerty will be sending a message out to all families who have students on pace to miss more than 17 days of school this year. We have about 14% of students (53 students) who are at this point. Our school goal is to have less than 5% of our students missing 17+ days this year. If you receive that message from me, know that we are looking to partner with you to make a plan for better attendance for the remainder of the year.
• If your child isn't feeling very well: If your child isn't feeling the best, but they seem like they could be at school, I encourage you to bring them to school and have them checked out by our school nurse, Paula Ziegler. She will let you know if your student should stay at school or go home for the day.
• Doctor's Note Needed: We would like ALL students to bring back a note each time your student goes to an appointment (doctor, dentist, therapy, etc.), excusing them from the time they were absent. If they have no note and it is just called in, it will be marked as unexcused until a note comes in verifying the absence. Further, students should be in school both before and after the appointment should it fall in the middle of the day.
• County Involvement: When a student has 7 or more unexcused absences, our school partners with Blue Earth County to support families with a plan to get their students to school more often.
• Here's a GREAT VIDEO about the importance of school attendance.
  
  

Thank you for your partnership around attendance. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at ahagge1@isd77.org.

Dear Families:

Get ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books

empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND—as

always—every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.

Here’s what you need to know about the big event, which will take place from 3:30-8:30 during our conference nights in March--March 17, 18 & 20, 2025.

Say goodbye to cash and hello to eWallet—your child’s digital payment account. Before the

Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each

child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy.

If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Book Fair online. All orders ship

directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Every online purchase will

also benefit our school. Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:

[ADD LINK TO YOUR FAIR HOMEPAGE]

The countdown to more Bookjoy is on! Catch you at the Fair!

Happy reading,

Ann Haggerty, Principal

During the month of March, our entire school will focus on Habit #5: Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood. As parents/guardians, your understanding and support of our leadership work in this habit is very appreciated! I have found this language and learning to benefit ALL, not just students!

Habit 5: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" from Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" essentially means that before trying to communicate your own ideas, actively listen and strive to fully grasp the other person's perspective and feelings first, demonstrating empathy and creating a foundation for genuine communication and stronger relationships; it emphasizes listening with the intent to understand rather than just to respond

Dear Mankato Area Public School Families,

We thank you and your family for being our valued partners as we work together to educate the children in our district. Mankato Area Public Schools values input from our community – and we need to hear from your child or children! Students are important partners as we work to improve our communication, academic program and overall experience for everyone.

In order to learn more about student experiences at school, we will be asking for your child’s feedback via an online survey they will be completing at school. The survey shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes to complete.

We are asking that all of our students participate in the surveys, as their feedback will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they will be able to skip the item altogether. The responses to these surveys will be completely confidential. We are partnering with a third-party vendor to support us in administering these surveys.

Our students have many qualities and skills to succeed both in school and in everyday life now and in the future. Qualities such as humility, curiosity, empathy, resilience, and self-awareness often aren't measured through traditional methods. By administering SEL screeners and seeking to understand how students feel about themselves, we are valuing student voice and emphasizing the importance of supporting them in their development. It’s essential that we hear from our students.

Please notify us if you would like your child to opt out of taking the surveys by filling in your name and your child’s name below and returning it to school by Monday, March 10. You may also call the school for a paper copy to be sent home with your child. We thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses. If you have any questions about the survey administration, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you once again for your collaboration.

Sincerely,

Ann Haggerty

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I do not want my child to participate in the survey.

Student Name: ______________________________________________________

School Name: _______________________________________________________

Grade: _______

Guardian Name: _____________________________________________________

Guardian Signature: __________________________________________________

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

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