Willow Wind News

Thursday we had a wonderful celebration of fall at the Pumpkin Festival. All of the students had fun with games, crafts and pumpkin carving. THANK YOU to all of the parent volunteers who showed up to help and THANK YOU to all of the families who came to participate.

As the crisp fall air settles in and the leaves turn brilliant shades of gold and red, our school community is in full swing! Students have settled beautifully into their routines, classrooms are buzzing with creativity and learning, and the calendar is filling up with exciting activities and events. November is a wonderful time to celebrate growth, gratitude, and the joy of learning together. Read on to see what’s happening this month at Willow Wind!

November 4-6............SART Lessons

November 6 ..............Homegrown Lunch

November 7 ..............First Friday Bike Bus

November 7 ..............Community Friday - Native American Heritage Day

November 10 ............Parent Council @ 1:30 pm

November 11 ............Veteran's Day - No Classes

November 14.... .........Community Friday - Fun Run

November 14..............January Focus Workshop Proposals Due

November 21.... .........Pizza Friday

November 21 .............Community Friday - Sing-A-Long

November 21 .............Spring Term Course Proposals Due

Nov 24 - 25..................Parent Conferences - No Classes

Nov 26 - Nov 28 .........Thanksgiving Holiday

December 17 ............. SAVE THE DATE - WINTER FAIR

Get ready for November Homegrown Lunch!

Join us for our three seasonal “Homegrown Lunches”. We will celebrate our harvests from our School Garden Classroom to make a big community meal. All three of these recipes are kid tested and approved!

November 6th: Three sisters garden chili (corn, beans, and butternut squash)!

In July of 2015, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 856 (Sexual Abuse Prevention Instruction) which requires schools to provide child sexual abuse prevention instruction kindergarten through grade 12. We are working with the Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team (JC SART) to consult on curriculum and provide lessons to students. JC SART is a local organization that provides services to sexual assault survivors and brings prevention education classes into our local schools.

The Prevention Coordinator will be offering a comprehensive K-12 sexual and gender violence curriculum for schools that focuses on prevention, as well as risk reduction methods. The lesson plans are age appropriate and in line with state and national sexual health standards and Erin’s Law recommendations.

All Willow Wind students will have the first lessons November 4 - 6 and the second lessons will be taught the week of March 3, 2026.

The K-5 curriculum focuses on personal space, understanding and recognizing a freely given yes, and a reluctant yes- in the perspective of playing a game with their friend, telling/reporting to an adult if someone is getting hurt, empathy, internet safety and peer pressure. They will also focus on good touch/bad touch, body ownership, good secrets/bad secrets, and grooming. The presentations are delivered with sensitivity, in a conversation style.

You can find out more about the lessons and what is covered in each grade here:

https://www.jacksoncountysart.org/preventing-sexual-assault-k-12-prevention-program/k-12-curriculum/

Find resources to continue the conversation at home here:

https://www.jacksoncountysart.org/preventing-sexual-assault-k-12-prevention-program/family-resources/

Find our more more about Jackson County SART here:

https://www.jacksoncountysart.org/

This year the Parent Council is meeting quarterly and November 10th will be our first meeting of the school year. We will get updates on the school district and Willow Wind.

The Council discusses Willow Wind business and stays updated on Ashland School District. We work together to problem solve any issues we see arising in the community. Please submit ideas, questions or concerns to Debbie via email or bring them with you to the Council meeting. Help shape the direction of our program by attending Parent Council.

For the first meeting, we will:

• Look at information from the Youth Truth Survey
• Revisit ideas from our May 2024 meeting about other ways to collect suggestions and questions
• Share visioning work done with teachers in August and collect input

We are committed to reflection and collaboration with families to work towards continuous improvement. Sharing ideas with the Council often brings lively conversation and diverse perspectives.

Everyone is invited to participate to help shape the direction of our program. Hope to see you there!

Parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner! These meetings are a great opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, celebrate progress, and discuss goals for the rest of the year. Teachers will be reaching out soon to schedule conference times, so please keep an eye out for communication from your child’s classroom. We value your partnership and look forward to working together to support every student’s success!

This is a chance to come together and celebrate the season. Winter Faire is one of Willow Wind’s favorite events. Come and enjoy COMMUNITY, CRAFTS, FOOD and FUN! Please bring cookies to share, and join us for a wonderful time. Tea will be served in the Barn.

This is a family event and we ask that parents help their children engage with the inside activities – Volunteers are always needed and this is a great way to complete family service hours. Debbie will be contacting volunteers right before Thanksgiving but you are welcome to reach out to her!

Make sure you have signed up to volunteer and been cleared. THANKS!

Our Fall term will end when we close for Winter Break and we are beginning the process of planning for January Focus Workshop Session and Spring Term. If you have ideas for new classes, please reach out to Debbie – we are always looking for new ideas!

The deadlines for proposals are listed in the “important dates” section above.

During the weeks of January 5-16, Willow Wind will once again offer an interterm program that will provide a more intensive experience in various topics. During Winter Workshops, Parent Partner (full time) students will be involved in math and language arts instruction in the mornings. The afternoons will be spent doing focused work in an area of the student’s choice. Homeschooling students are welcome to choose a Winter Workshop too!

All students will have a chance to sign-up for one “choice class” that will meet each afternoon (Tuesday – Friday) during the first weeks of January.

I'm a new kid at Willow Wind this year, and I've really appreciated how staff, students, and families have made me feel so welcome. Thank you! There's been so much for me to learn.

I'd been told that the Willow Wind property went all the way down to Bear Creek, and that there was even a network of trails. I wanted to go check out the creek, but frankly I was a little nervous about it. So naturally, I asked my elective class of 1st-3rd graders to take me on an adventure. 15 experts led me through star thistle, blackberry thorns, by the rushing creek, and eventually safely back to our cozy classroom.

The experience reminded me of a walk through Lithia Park with my friend Dave and our daughters, who were quite young at the time. As we made our way from rock to rock up the creek, his daughter exclaimed "This is my first adventure!" Dave was a little shocked, asking "What about all the hiking and skiing and kayaking we do?" His daughter calmly replied "But this time, I'm the leader."

I hear her voice often, reminding me that we caring guides (teachers and parents) have to let the kids lead sometimes. You never know where you'll wind up or how you'll get there, but everyone will grow, and you'll get brought along on many adventures.

Willow Wind would like to add natural collections to Wessler’s Circle.

There are wooden containers next to the door of 2A/B that can be filled.

Some ideas are:

· Miniature pumpkins

· Buckeyes

· Leaves (Large may be fun)

· Pinecones (not to pokey)

· Pine needles (long for building houses)

· Acorns

· Other ideas are welcome

There are gnome and animal patterns if any families are interested in cutting them out (of wood).

Please reach out to Tara in room 2A.

Our 6th Graders worked hard rehearsing and planning for their Greek plays that were performed today. The first play was The myth of Demeter and Persephone explains the changing of the seasons, as told through the story of the harvest goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. The second play was Orpheus & Eurydice - a myth about a gifted musician who descends to the underworld to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, after her death by snakebite. They did a wonderful job!

Students celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day and learned about the importance of acorns as a food source for many Native American tribes. Then they processed white oak acorns, leaching them, and drying them and made acorn pancakes!

Please remember to check the Lost and Found if your child is missing clothing or a water bottle. The Lost and Found is growing........ You can find the Lost and Found on the back porch. Come take a look!

All families should have completed 6 hours of Family Service by Winter Break.

Please make sure you have recorded your hours in the Log Book. If you cannot complete your time for any reason, please complete the waiver form. If you are planning on doing all of your hours on a spring project, please note your intentions on your log page so we know your plan. Your contributions are appreciated! We need everyone to pitch in!

If you have not paid your fall fees, please try and do it soon. These fees ensure that we are able to purchase materials to sustain the class projects. You can pay your fees by:

• Logging into your PowerSchool Account
• Choosing "school fees" on the left hand bar
• OR......come in to the office and pay Dannette!

We will be requesting a $5.00 fee for January Focus Session Materials too.

All students are welcome to register for classes regardless of their ability to pay fees.

Once again this year we will partner with the Rotary and ACCESS to help with the weekend food program. Many of our Willow Wind families are struggling due to the loss of jobs, income, child care and stable housing. Willow Wind and the Willow Wind Community Association are coordinating an effort to support our families with a weekend food program. Families can also continue to get sack lunches for children through the Ashland School District, separately from this effort.

If you are a family that could benefit from the Weekend Backpack Food Program, please complete the form below. The program will start the end of September. Information will go directly to our principal, Debbie Pew

Email: debra.schaefferpew@ashland.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.ashland.k12.or.us/o/wwclc
Location: 1497 East Main Street, Ashland, OR, USA
Phone: (541) 488-2684
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Willow-Wind-Community-Learning-Center-100146758840089