Wildcat News

A few reminders for the week:

~ Early Release Info: OUR NEXT TWO HOUR EARLY RELEASE DAY WILL BE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2025. The school day ends at 12:30 p.m. Please complete the following REGISTRATION to let us know your plans for your child or children on this day. Please fill out a separate registration for each child. We ask that you fill this form out for EACH Early Release because it is easier for us to track. Thank you for your cooperation.

~ October PTO Meeting will be held on Monday, October 6 at 6:00pm in the Media Center. Please join virtually if you are not able to attend by using this link. We hope to have child care--if we cannot provide this, we'll send a message on Monday to let families know this.

~ NO SCHOOL on Monday, October 13 in celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day, and NO SCHOOL on Thursday & Friday, October 16 & 17 due to the MEA break.

~ Volunteers needed: We are in need of volunteers to make our Walk-A-Thon a success as well as our picnic. Please consider signing up to help as the PTO needs you! Here's the link to volunteer for the Walk-A-Thon, and here's the link to help with the picnic. THANK YOU, in advance, for your willingness to volunteer! We simply could not do these fun things without YOU!

~ Walk-A-Thon: Please help us reach our goal of $15,000 (rumor has it I may be sleeping on the roof again!!!). All the details you need to know are below AND came home with the envelope and letter. You can certainly return your donation sooner than October 3, but they are officially due on Friday, October 3. If you have further questions, please reach out to Diane in the office. We have achieved our first goal of $2000 and Friday, October 3rd will be WACKY DAY, AND our second goal ($4000) and will have a Dance Party during the school day also sometime on Friday.

~ October Title I Information: Washington's Parent Engagement Plan emphasizes the importance of collaboration between parents and educators. We encourage you to participate our school activities, attend meetings, and provide feedback to help us create a supportive learning environment for your child. A copy is available upon request.

~ Artist in Residence in Music: Mr. Shevy and Mrs. Chambers are SO EXCITED to be able to host two amazing artists in residence at Washington on October 22nd. Originally from Guinea, West Africa, Fode Bangoura is internationally known as a djembe player. He will be joined by Whitney McCluskey, an expert in West African dance. Every student at Washington will get the chance to play the djembe and dance! It is going to be an INCREDIBLE experience!

Thanks for supporting our work! Go Wildcats!

Ann

Ann Haggerty

Washington Principal

ahagge1@isd77.org

Regular attendance is key to your child's success, and as a school, we've set two clear goals for the 2025-26 school year, listed below. Each month, District 77 tracks consistent attendance at each building. Washington's data through September 30, 2025:

Goal #1: Increase consistent student attendance to 92%.

How are we doing on Goal #1? As of September 30, we are at 90.34% of students who are consistently in school. So, we are below our goal of 92%.

Goal #2: Decrease the number of students who are chronically absent from 45 to 30 or fewer.

How are we doing on Goal #2? As of September 30, we have 32 students who are considered chronically absent. Our goal is to have 30 or fewer students, so we are also needing to improve in this area as well.

Now, we've only be in school 24 days. As the number of days we are in school increases, the number of students who are chronically absent (meaning they missed 10% or more of the year) should decrease as well. Anyone who has missed more than 2.4 days of school thus far are considered chronically absent.

We know that achieving these goals is a team effort, and we need your help. Here are some simple, yet powerful, ways you can support your child's attendance:

• Prioritize school attendance. Schedule family trips and vacations during school breaks, not during the school year.

• Schedule appointments wisely. If possible, book doctor and dentist appointments for after school hours or on non-school days. If your child must miss school for an appointment, have them come to school before the appointment and return to school as soon as it's over.

• Create a consistent routine. A predictable schedule for bedtime and waking up helps ensure your child is well-rested and ready to start the day on time.

• Make sure they're prepared. Pack backpacks, lay out clothes, and prepare lunches the night before to reduce morning stress and delays.

• Communicate with us! If your child is sick, please call the school office to let us know. We understand that some absences are unavoidable, and we want to work with you to support your child's health and learning.
  
  

Together, we can make this the best school year yet for our students. Every day your child is here, they are building a brighter future for themselves. We are so proud to partner with you and look forward to celebrating our progress throughout the year. Thank you for your commitment to our students and our school.

What do the students at Washington call you? Mrs. Chambers

What is your job at Washington? I am one of the elementary music specialists!

How long have you worked for Mankato Area Public Schools?

This is my third year working for MAPS, and my third year at Washington.

What is one of your favorite things about your job? I love making music with kids. I tell people all the time I have the most fun job in the world and I believe it. Just today I got to play with a koosh ball launcher, a parachute, bean bags, and sing lots and lots of songs. It feels like fun and games, but we are learning so much!

What is an interesting fact about you?

I love board games. I have an embarrassingly large collection.

Tell us about your family.

I am married and I have four kids, a dog, and two cats. My kids are 18, 15, 13, and 11, and they are all four very different people. It’s really lovely getting to share in the things they love to do!

Where did you go to elementary school?

I moved a lot as a kid and I went to 3 different schools in Texas and Oklahoma. I remember us having an artist in residence come to our school in the fourth grade and it really inspired me.

Anything else you would like to share with families?

Thank you for trusting me with your kids, they are incredible!

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/4835DET (or directly to our Learn Platform page bit.ly/3R9xvRB). 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.

Sincerely,

Ann Haggerty, Principal

Angie Potts, Director of Educational Technology

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

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