September PreK-4 Newsletter

Welcome to a new school year at Windom Area Elementary and Bridges Preschool! I am SO excited to have your kids back in school. There will be a number of changes this year as far as reading curriculum, a few new staff members, and minor updates to expectations. What will remain the same is our commitment to our district's mission to create a safe, responsive, and nurturing environment where every learner receives a high-quality, challenging education that empowers them with the skills and knowledge needed for a successful future.

I will send out this newsletter via email, social media, and notifications each month on or around the first of the month. It will be filled with important dates, reminders, tips, and pictures. Please take a few moments to look through it each month.

In addition to this, you will also receive frequent communication from your child's teachers through SeeSaw, email, and phone calls. We want to be open and communicate with you to keep you informed about the excellent education your child is receiving at Windom Area Schools.

If you ever have any questions, please reach out to your child's teacher or the school office for assistance. Our vision is for our community to learn, lead, and excel together. Let's make this another GREAT YEAR!

Give us feedback about Family Engagement Nights! Please fill out this short form to help us make these events the best for you this year.

Sept 2 & 3- Entrance confereecs at Windom Area Elementary and Bridges 4s.

Sept 2 & 3- School Picture Day- Elementary and Preschool students need to have their picture taken these days.

Sept 4- First Day for Elementary and 4s students

Sept 4-Bridges 3s entrance conferences

November 11- Veteran's Day Program 9:30 @ The Nest at Windom Area High School

December 16- K-3 Grade Holiday Concert (K-1st grade 6pm 2nd-3rd grade 7pm)

April 20- Elementary Spring Concert Gold Gym (K-1st Grade 6pm 2nd-3rd Grade 7pm)

Emphasize the big three: sleep, healthy nutrition, and exercise. All three are essential to optimal brain growth and development and health and wellness for children and adults alike. And excessive screen time can impact all three. Children who spend more time in front of screens have been shown to eat more fast food and less fruits and vegetables and get less sleep and exercise. Therefore, it is very important to incorporate healthy lifestyle choices as part of the daily routine, as well as limiting screen time.

The Minnesota Department of Education has developed Families READ, a toolkit for families to understand the literacy skills and how kids gradually develop skills in each of the five core skill areas. The toolkit provides activities families can use with children of multiple ages to work on these reading skills with kids at home and in a variety of daily settings.

You can find this toolkit HERE.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children offers a number of activities to help engage children around math concepts. These activities are fun and engaging, and they still help young children learn math concepts and social skills. Here are a few activities you can do at home with young children.

In an effort to best serve our students in a safe, productive, and positive environment, there have been a few small updates to our Elementary Student Handbook. Please review the handbook and remind your child of any important information.

My School Menus

Look for Windom Area School District-ISD177

Most current information can be found on our website: https://www.windom.k12.mn.us/

Are you connected with your child's Seesaw? Most information about upcoming events is shared there. Ask your child's teacher for a link.