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Principal's Message
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Hello Winnequah Families!
Winnequah students and staff have had a fantastic start to the school year! It's hard to believe we are one month into the school year already. I wanted to start by sharing my thanks and appreciation for your time during parent teacher conferences this past week. It was so wonderful to see all of our families coming and visiting with staff. Winnequah values a strong connection between school and home and these conferences serve as an important start to a successful school year! I was so glad to see so many of our students and families in attendance. Thank you!!
We have several very fun and/or important events coming up this month. First, we will have our annual Walk/Bike to School day on Wednesday, October 10. We will have a morning snack and warm welcomes to greet students as they arrive on this day. I look forward to seeing everyone there! We will also be hosting a community listening session on Monday, October 8 at 6:00pm regarding the upcoming referendum. The PTO Garden Group is sponsoring an Apple Crunch on October 11. The whole school will be heading to the garden to enjoy a healthy snack and help support local apple orchards during Farm to School Month. And finally, we will have our annual Halloween Parade at 8:30am on Wednesday, October 31. We will follow a similar route to past years by heading out the front doors and down the sidewalk by the playground and around to the back of the building. We will send out more details about the parade as we get closer to the date. Mark your calendars for all of these fun events!!
Thank you for your continued support of our school and our students! Winnequah is a special place to be!
Happy Fall to you all!
In Appreciation,
Angie Fassl
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Winnequah Calendar
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Don't forget to check the online Winnequah calendar to
keep up to date on all things happening at our school!
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Welcome New Staff!
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We have SEVEN new staff members at Winnequah this year and we're so excited to have them all! Each month we'll feature a short interview with 1 or 2 of them so you can get to know them, too!
Welcome to Winnequah
Sara Ehlers!
What is your position at Winnequah?
General Music Teacher
What is your prior teaching history?
One year of teaching in Appleton, WI
Can you tell us about your family?
No children yet! I was married
this July
to my husband, Erik!
Do you have any hobbies?
I currently sing with the Madison Festival Chorus but I also love musical theater and am hoping to become involved with local community theater groups. I also practice
yoga, love to cook, and enjoy kayaking in the summertime!
If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
A song bird (of course!)
What's your favorite color?
Pink!
What's your favorite food?
Sushi!
What's your favorite Book?
The Harry Potter Series!
Go Ravenclaw!
Who is your least favorite superhero and why?
Spiderman - he's so angsty!
Who inspires you?
I've loved Oprah Winfrey ever since I was a child. I'm inspired by the way she has brought people together and been a source of wisdom to so many throughout her career.
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Winnequah School Receives Award!
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Winnequah has recently been recognized for our work in implementing an equitable, multi-level system of supports.
This is a school-wide framework aimed at closing achievement gaps and increasing the number of students who graduate ready for college or a career.
As a result of our work, we are being recognized by the Wisconsin RtI Center in Behavior at the Silver level. This award helps us celebrate our efforts as we progress toward full implementation.
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From the Office
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Hello from Carrie and Tish! Here are a few reminders to start the year!
Drop Off:
There is no morning supervision until 7:20am. Please do not leave children unattended before then. Thank you!
Parking Lot:
Just a reminder to please drive slowly through the parking lot during pickup and drop off. Many children walk through the lot! Please watch and drive carefully.
Attendance:
Remember always to call in your child's attendance (
absences, tardies, appointments, etc
) and all transportation changes to 221-7677 or simply email
winnequah.attendance@mgschools.net
and also copy your child's teacher. Please call before 9am.
Background Checks:
If you plan to volunteer in the classroom or on field trips, please complete an online background check. English is
here, and Spanish is
here.
Remember if you're visiting to bring your driver's licence or state issued ID and check in with the office for your visitor's badge.
Contact us:
Main office phone: 608-221-7677
Carrie: 608-316-1940
Tish: 608-316-1959
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Attendance FACTS!
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DID YOU KNOW...
* Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to
fall behind in school.
* Missing only 10% of school days
(about 18 days)
can make it harder to learn to read.
* Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks.
* Being late to school may lead to poor attendance, and may lead to student missing important Community Circle time with their class.
* Absences can affect student's ability to make and maintain
friendships with classmates
.
Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school-and themselves. Start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
Thank you for getting your Winnequah Owls to school each day!
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Student Services
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Each classroom has "Community Circle Time"!
This is because the circle process helps us strengthen our relationships and sense of connectedness. We get to know each others' stories and discover that we ARE a community of learners! When harm is done to one member of the community, it affects us all. When there is conflict or harm done, we work through it using restorative questions and conversations:
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What happened?
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Who has been impacted? What are their needs?
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What needs to happen to make things right?
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How do we make sure this doesn't happen again?
All parties involved have a voice. When students come up with ways to repair the harm they have caused, these consequences tend to be more meaningful, logical, and connected to the event. Sibling conflict occurs at home too...Next time, give these questions a try and let us know if you see positive results!
Greetings from the Student Services Department! We'd like to take a brief moment to introduce ourselves and share how we can help your students and family:
 Hello my name is Jackie Broom and I am the brand new part-time School Counselor here at Winnequah. I come with many years of experience at a middle school but am very excited about working with elementary students! I will be here all day Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, primarily doing classroom guidance in the Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms but will also work in small groups and/or one-on-one on any personal, social, or academic concerns. So if you see me walking the halls or have any questions or concerns, I'd love to meet you and your child! You can also email me at
jacquelynn.broom@mgschools.net
or 608-268-6919.
 Hello! I am Leah Kutschke, the School Social Worker at Winnequah. I am overjoyed to be starting my third year supporting your students and families. My role at Winnequah entails supporting students through individual interventions, counseling, and problem solving; supporting families by providing resources such as school supplies, food resources, and clothing; and supporting the community through initiatives like the Winter Wishes holiday giving program. If your student, your family, or your community have a need that is not being met, please feel free to contact me at
leah.kutschke@mgschools.net
or 608-316-1984/608-616-9804 (text friendly number). I look forward to hearing from you!
 I am Becky Swance, the School Psychologist at Winnequah. This is my fifth year working with students and families in the district. I support students through classroom guidance, counseling, and behavior intervention. In addition, I work with teachers and family members to identify academic and social/emotional needs of students and collaborate on a plan of support. Feel free to contact me at
becky.swance@mgschools.net
or 608-316-1965/
608-709-9013 (text friendly number).
October is National Anti-Bullying Month. While this month is a great time to teach our young students to be citizens of the world and to be up-standers to combat bullying, it also raises some questions for students and families about
what is "bullying" and what is typical conflict between students.
Eileen Kennedy-Moore, an author and clinical psychologist based in Princeton, N.J., wrote in
an article in Psychology Today
that stated: "When we fail to distinguish between bullying and ordinary meanness, we trivialize the very serious cases of peer abuse. . . Also, calling every act of meanness bullying sends an unhealthy message: It says to kids, 'You're fragile. You can't handle it if anyone is even slightly unkind to you.' "
While bullying does happen and is a very serious issue, what we see more often at school is conflict between peers. Each academic year we spend roughly a month teaching students how to identify bullying that is happening to themselves or others, and roughly a month learning how to problem solve and respond to conflict. We find that it is very helpful for students, parents, and school staff to use the same definitions and language to determine if something is bullying and how we will respond to it. At Winnequah, the definition of bullying taught in guidance is:
"Bullying is when someone keeps being mean to someone else on purpose. It happens over and over, and the person it's happening to hasn't been able to make it stop. It is unfair and one-sided."
In response to bullying, our students are taught to
Recognize
that bullying is happening;
Report
it to a trusting adult; and to
Refuse
to let bullying continue by refusing to be a bystander to bullying.
If your student reports an incident of bullying to you, we encourage you to use the definition provided above to help your student decide if it is bullying, or a "mean moment" between students. If you and your student feel that bullying is happening based on this definition, we strongly encourage you to contact your student's teacher and/or the Student Services Department to access support for your student. We are dedicated to making Winnequah a safe, welcoming, and respectful school for all of our students and look forward to working with you and your students to achieve this goal!
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Walk/Bike to School Day - October 10, 2018
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Please join us for International Bike/Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 10, 2018.
Did you know that Winnequah is one of 96 schools in Wisconsin and 3,592 schools nationwide joining in this national event? Join in the fun! You can look forward to a light morning snack, getting a sticker, and signing a banner that you walked or biked to school.
Parents we need your help! If you would like to volunteer at the event, please sign up through the
SignUp Genius link
.
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REAP Taste of Wisconsin Holiday Sale
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Participation is easy!
Step 1:
Share the product catalog with friends and family. Tell them it's a fundraiser for your school, and complete the order form provided.
Step 2:
Make checks payable to Monona PTO.
Step 3:
Return your completed order form by Friday,
November 2.
Step 4:
Pick up your order at school the week of December 3.
We will send more details on picking up your order as it gets closer.
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Winnequah Makerspace
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The students have been having a lot of fun in the makerspace. We have lots of kids coming down every morning to craft, code, and be creative. Classes have started been coming down together during the day. We celebrated International Dot Day on September 14th and we will be celebrating Global Cardboard Challenge in October.
We are looking for a few donations if you have any of these items at home.
- Knitting needles
- Crochet Hooks
- Decorative Paper Punches
- Ink Pads
- Jewelry Making Supplies
- Decorative Rubber Stamps
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4K News
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September was a great month of adjusting to Winnequah, learning classroom routines, and meeting new friends.
We are spending time each day learning and playing with each other inside the classroom and outside on our 4K playground. Thanks Monona PTO!
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Kindergarten News
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Kindergartners have been busy learning the routines and procedures at Winnequah!
We are becoming experts at lunch, recess and related arts classes! We have worked really hard at our quiet hallway walking too!
We are also getting our classroom routines down pat.
Way to go Kindergartners!
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2nd Grade News
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Second Grade teachers Mr. Fiedler, Mr. Landry, Ms. Trapp, and Mrs. Gray have been taking advantage of Winnequah's new Makerspace created by Mrs. Ineichen during the month of September.
The Makerspace is a place to get creative, collaborate, and utilize all of the technology that Winnequah has to offer! Students have participated in both guided activities and independent work time.
Check out the action in the pictures below!
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4th Grade News - Meet Mr. Inn!
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Hello! I'm Lucas Inn, the new fourth grade teacher!
This is my first year of teaching, and I couldn't be happier to be starting my career at Winnequah. I've been blown away by how friendly and supportive the community has been. I've had a fantastic year so far.
The highlight for me has been teaching creative writing. I've been working with Mrs. Granquist and Mrs. Boyd's classes, as well as my own, and I've absolutely loved reading what students have come up with!
I feel so lucky to be here, and I'm excited about the rest of the year.
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5th Grade News
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5th
Grade
School
Store
Fifth graders will be learning about economics, advertising, and customer assistance while working at our 5
th
Grade School Store!
The store is open on Wednesday mornings from 7:20-7:50 in the cafeteria. The merchandise ranges from $.05 - $3.00 and consists of novelty pencils, gel pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, book marks, pencil cases, etc.
This is one of the many leadership opportunities for our students to be involved in at our school. Mrs. Ayers' class has opened the store for the year and another 5
th
grade class will supervise starting in November.
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