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Above: The week prior to break, 2nd-6th grade students left clues about themselves along with small treats or handmade gifts for another student. On our last day before break they revealed who has been filling whose stockings.

"Educating is a vocation rooted in hopefulness. As teachers we believe that learning is possible, that nothing can keep an open mind from seeking after knowledge and finding a way to know." - bell hooks, 1952-2021

As we reach the end of 2021, our hearts are filled with hope for our community, our students, and our school. With your support, we have weathered another pandemic year while keeping the flames of joyous learning alight and undeterred. Willowwind is grateful for its school community and for each of you as parents, caregivers, and friends who support our vision of what is possible in education.

As it enters its 50th year, Willowwind School will continue to provide an educational experience unlike any other. Small classes, hands-on learning, social justice awareness, and incredible arts experiences are the norm at every age level. Making a gift to the Willowwind Ignite Campaign is the single best way you can support the school and help further enhance student learning experiences. These funds offset expenses throughout the year and offer the school the flexibility and freedom to push excellence in education even further.

Together the Willowwind community has raised more than $13,500 towards this school year's $50,000 goal. Thank you donors! If you haven't made a gift yet this school year, we hope you'll do so. Whether you can give $5 or $5,000, your gift will help support and inspire staff, expand opportunities for students, and ignite a passion for lifelong learning. Thank you!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful new year,

Dana Smith (she/her/hers)

Director of Advancement

GIVE TODAY

Authors' Cocoa

Authors' Cocoa 2021 is a wrap and we could not be more proud! Willowwind's K-6 students and teachers have worked for weeks to make this event possible. From our kindergartners still developing fundamental reading and writing skills to 6th graders writing complex and thoughtful prose, these students, and their teachers deserve a round of applause. We are pleased to present this showcase and celebration of student learning. Enjoy!

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary in 2022

Group Discussion with Ruth Manna

January 5th, 12:00-12:45 pm

Willowwind is thrilled to be bringing former teacher and group discussion wizard, Ruth Manna back to kick off Willowwind's 50th anniversary celebrations. On January 5th, Ruth and former parent and Board member Sandra (Zoe) Eskin will join K-6 Willowwinders to share what group discussions looked like back in the 70s when the idea was first implimented at the school and current Willowwind students will have the opportunity to share what it looks like now. Ruth will also lead some creative movement activities before closing with a community haiku as was tradition in previous years.

Willowwind is inviting the wider community to join us for this exciting event via Zoom so mark your calendars and get ready for an awesome group discussion! We hope to see you there.

Do you know other Willowwinders who would like to know about this? Share the Facebook event with friends!

LEARN MORE

Finding Willowwinders

Willowwind's 50th anniversary is right around the corner, we are looking to reconnect with Willowwinders near and far! Whether you were a staff member, student, parent, or friend of school in the last 50 years, we encourage you to visit willowwind.org/50th to reconnect with your Willowwind community.

We also invite you to follow our alumni Facebook page @WillowwindSchoolAlumni to stay up to date on anniversary events and connect with other Willowwinders.

Do you know someone who attended Willowwind? Forward this email and help them find us! They can subscribe to Branching Out at willowwind.org/subscribe.

Willowwind Homecoming

Saturday, October 15, 2022

On Saturday, October 15th 2022, Willowwind will host a gathering to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary. We invite alumni, former teachers and staff, current families, and friends of the school to join us. We'll continue to share updates on this and other anniversary events throughout the coming year. We look forward to seeing you.

Visiting Artists at Willowwind

Caleb Rainey

Poet, performer, and producer Caleb Rainey visited Willowwind’s K-6 students yesterday for Group Discussion. Caleb’s passion and talent have taken him all over the country, as well as internationally to perform his thought provoking and powerful poems. Along with many other accolades, Caleb was named 2020 and 2021's Best Poet/Spoken Word Performer in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

Caleb read multiple poems from his award winning book “Look, Black Boy” which became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry, and was featured on Iowa Public Radio. Caleb shared that he began writing around the age of 12 and by 17 his passion for poetry was evident. He told students that he primarily writes about being Black, his lived experiences and struggles, and love.

Caleb Rainey’s visit was the perfect compliment to the current Music and Performing Arts curriculum which has students exploring connections between music and writing, as well as the K-6 literacy unit on poetry where students have been learning about different forms of figurative language and writing their own work to perform at Authors’ Cocoa. We are so grateful that Caleb made the time to come share his incredible work with us.

Learn more about Caleb, find his books, videos, albums, and more at thenegroartist.com .

Chuy Renteria

K-6 students welcomed Chuy Renteria to Group Discussion as a part of their Music, Movement, and Writing unit. Chuy, a graduate of the University of Iowa majoring in dance, taught Willowwind students that dance can be anything. "It is freeing and never has to be the same thing. Dancers are able to be open and make things up. What matters the most is trying." In their Music & Performing Arts class with Ms. Kalina, Willowwind students have learned about five types of dance including Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, West African, and Salsa.

Chuy is also a writer who recently penned their first memoir “We Heard It When We Were Young (Tales of Growing Up Mexican-American in Small Town Iowa)”. In the memoir, Chuy examines identity and their experiences growing up in small town Iowa. To learn more, read Iowa City Press-Citizen's recent feature on Chuy's work and memoir.

https://www.press-citizen.com/.../chuy.../8277970002/

It all adds up!

Here are two easy ways that you can give to Willowwind through your everyday purchases. Set up with just a few clicks and you're done. Each AmazonSmile purchase and each purchase made with your Hills Bank debit card makes an impact. We appreciate your support!

Amazon Smile

When you select Willowwind as your charitable organization while shopping at Smile.Amazon.com, the school will receive a portion of your purchase price as a donation directly from Amazon.

Hills Bank Classroom Cash

Classroom Cash empowers you to earn money for Willowwind each time you make a purchase with your Hills Bank debit card or business debit card. With every purchase, the bank will make a donation back to the school! Learn more!

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