Royal Report

• 9/14 - Picture Day (online ordering information below)
• 9/14-9/18 - HOMECOMING WEEK - see the calendar of events below
• 9/16 - DQ Night - Royal Pride - Delano DQ 5pm-8pm
• 9/21 - Watertown Fire Department Open House (details below)

Dear Royal Families,

Happy Friday! It is hard to believe we have already wrapped up our second week of school. I want to take a moment to share how truly fortunate I feel to be a part of the Royal family. Serving as your new principal has been an absolute joy, and these first few weeks have been nothing short of amazing!

Our staff and students have been hard at work setting a strong foundation for a safe, joyful, and successful school year. Here are a few exciting highlights from around the building this week:

• Building Community: Classrooms have been busy building strong connections and positive cultures, with many classes even working together to create their own unique classroom nicknames!

• Practicing Our Routines: Learning happens everywhere in our school! Our students have been explicitly learning and practicing expected routines in the cafeteria, out on the playground, during classroom end-of-day clean-up, and throughout our arrival and dismissal lines. Your support at home in reinforcing these daily habits helps our school day run smoothly and safely for everyone.

• Principal Read-Alouds: One of my personal highlights this week was visiting classrooms to read books aloud with our students. Getting to see their curious minds and bright smiles up close is truly the best part of my day.

• 4th Grade Junior Coaches: Our 4th graders stepped up as leaders this week as our Junior Coaches officially began supporting recess! They are doing a fantastic job modeling positive play, inclusion, and kindness for our younger students out on the playground.

• FASTBridge Testing: This week, students began completing their beginning-of-year FASTBridge assessments. This valuable data helps our teachers gain clear insights into each student's strengths and needs so we can set meaningful learning goals for the school year ahead.

Looking Ahead: Homecoming Week & "Watch Us Grow" We continue to build on our "Watch Us Grow" theme as we head into Homecoming week! We are excited to celebrate our school spirit together with themed dress-up days next week. Be on the lookout for the daily dress-up schedule coming home so your student can join in on the fun!

Thank you for your warm welcome, your ongoing partnership, and for sharing your wonderful children with us every day. I look forward to all the great things we will accomplish together this year!

Warmly,

Jody Hansen
Proud Principal, WMES

WM Parent/Guardian,

As a school, we strive to build a positive, supportive, and engaging learning environment for every student. To support this mission, we will be utilizing PBISApps' SWIS Suite at Watertown-Mayer Elementary School. We are implementing this tool as a secure internal platform to analyze building-wide behavioral patterns, allowing us to proactively strengthen school supports while maintaining strict student data privacy standards.

In compliance with state statutes, the purpose of this communication is to notify you that your student's data will be used by this company to support our school culture initiatives. PBISApps is reputable and adheres to strict student data privacy standards. You can view the SWIS privacy policy here. For a full list of technology tools being used in our district, click here.

If you have any questions about our building-wide PBIS expectations or how this tool will be used, please contact Jody Hansen, Watertown-Mayer Elementary School Principal via email at jody.hansen@wm.k12.mn.us.

Picture Day is Monday, September 14th. Yes this is Homecoming Week The dress up day for us will be "Dressed to Bloom" Dress your best for picture day! To order pictures online visit www.z-schools.com. Use the school code WMEL2627

• Parade starts @ 4:00pm through downtown

• Carnival @ the HS starts after the parade
• Tailgate @ the HS runs from 5 - 6:30pm
• Homecoming Football game @ 7:00 vs. Rockford

On September 18th from 5:00-6:30 in the high school auxiliary gym, the high school band will be hosting the annual Homecoming Tailgate. At this event you can purchase a ticket for a meal that includes a burger, chips, dessert and a drink. The high school pep band will also be performing before going outside to perform at the homecoming football game. Tickets for this event are $7 if purchased prior to the event and $10 at the door. Tickets can be purchased from any high school band student. If you don’t know a high school band student, please contact the high school band director, Miles Otstot (miles.otstot@wm.k12.mn.us), and he can connect you with a student or get you tickets. All proceeds from this event help to support the band program as well as help with the cost of our upcoming band trip to Chicago. Please consider coming out to support the band and get a meal before heading out to the homecoming football game!

We are excited you are attending Royal Activities and want you to cheer and support our teams. In order for everyone to enjoy our events it’s important we follow these rules:

• Must be accompanied by an adult. (Grades K-4)

• Please do not bring any soccer balls, footballs or similar items. They will be collected and returned to you once you leave.

• No horseplay, tag, or running through the crowd. (this is a safety concern)

• All students must stay within the stadium fence. Once you leave you are not able to come back in.

The Nurse's office is need of boys pants. If you are going through your child's clothing and have any Elementary School sized pants (no jeans) please send them to school or drop them off in the office.

The city has recently installed School Zone Speed Limit signs on both ends of Paul Avenue. Superintendent Schuler has been working with the city for the past six months to have them declare the street a 20 mph school speed zone during school hours only. The city council approved change this a few months ago.

Our first DQ Art Night on Wednesday, September 16th will be a Royal Pride theme for Homecoming Week. Have your child draw a picture, create some art and drop it off in the office by Tuesday, September 15th. Go Royals!

• Smart Watch/Phone Policy: - Ideally, smart devices are kept safely at home. The school district is not responsible for lost or damaged property. In the case a child needs a device to stay connected to family, it should be powered off and kept in their backpack during the school hours. Smart devices may be used before or after school. In the event that a student uses a smart device during school hours, staff will ask students to place it in their backpack for the remainder of the day. If a student continues to use smart devices during school hours, staff will collect the device and hold it until the end of the day. After multiple instances, the watch or phone will be held in the office. It may be picked up at the end of the day. In some cases, a parent will be asked to pick up the device. Please refrain from texting or calling your child throughout the day; it is disruptive to student learning. Should you need to speak to your child, email their teacher or call the main office at 952-955-0300. In addition, students may not call or text home from their personal smart devices. Access to school phones is not limited--students may come to the office to call home as needed.

• Drop Off/Pick Up Line: - DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR. Say your goodbyes ahead of time. This keeps the line running in a timely manner. If your child is unable to get out of the car on their own please pull into the parking lot, park, and walk your child to the office after 7:45am.

• Attendance: If you child will be absent please call the attendance line at 952-955-0321 or email the attendance line at esattendance@wm.k12.mn.us. Please indicate the reason for absence in your message or email (illness, appointment, out of town, etc.)

• Vacation: If you child will be gone for an extended period of time please fill out the Excused Absence for Family Activity/Vacation Form and turn into your teacher or the office. This form is linked below.

• Snacks: Please make sure to pack a snack for your child everyday!

Please look at the graphic below. If your volunteer role requires a "Raptor Volunteer Background Check," you can initiate and pay for your annual background check HERE. This process includes reviewing, agreeing to, and signing Watertown-Mayer’s Confidentiality Agreement. Violating this agreement will result in revoked volunteer privileges.

Your volunteer status lasts for an entire year (365 days). If you have previously completed this process, you will be notified via email from Raptor when it is time to renew.

Volunteers are responsible for the $19 fee associated with processing the required background check. You'll be prompted to enter your payment information once you've completed the application.

Watertown Mayer Schools are looking for substitute teachers and paraprofessionals. Contact Kelly Education for more information!

The first PTO meeting of the year is Monday, September 14th at 7:00pm in the WMES Media Center. All are welcome! Come to see what we do for our school.

We are looking for people to hang the DQ art the day before and take down at the end of the night or the day after each class's DQ art night. The kids love this event and we need your help to keep it going. Please sign up using the link below.

The WM Royal Booster Club is excited to present its new ONLINE APPAREL STORE!!!

Check out our online apparel store (by BSN Sports) where you can purchase personalized Royals apparel and accessories!

• Choose from a variety of different brands, styles, colors, and logos!

• Shipped directly to your home!

• Open year-round to shop at your convenience!

Watertown-Mayer Apparel Sideline Store

Happy Shopping!!!