OCTOBER 2023

PRINCIPAL MESSAGE:

Winnequah Families,

Our Winnequah students have had a fabulous start to the school year. 

We are learning so much about each other and building relationships as a foundation for a great school year together. 

We had our first Hootie Huddle last Friday. It was a huge success!

Hootie Huddles are a monthly all-school event. They are a way for our students to build relationships with other students and adults here at Winnequah. 

On Friday, students had the opportunity to meet the other students in their Huddle. Together, they made a small project and had fun playing a game. 

Our 4th and 5th-grade students demonstrated great leadership skills in helping our youngest owls. We look forward to our time to ‘Huddle’ each month!

Over the last several weeks, our students have participated in the district iReady assessments. Information regarding your child’s performance on these assessments will be shared later this month. Please remember that this is only one piece of information used to help plan instruction for our students. 

If you have questions regarding this assessment or scores, please reach out to your child’s teacher or myself. We are happy to discuss any questions with you.

WSFO is sponsoring a Walk/Bike to School Day on Wednesday, October 4. 

We would love any students/families that are able to participate to either walk or bike to school. We will also be including our students who ride the bus, leading them in a short walk into the building to help participate in this event.

Our first set of Parent/Teacher conferences will be happening this month. Information from your child’s teacher should have come home last week. Please sign up to learn more about how the year is going for your student and meet their teacher. We offer both virtual and in-person options, allowing your family to meet however works best!

Happy Fall to you all!

In appreciation,

Angie Fassl

HOMECOMING SPIRIT DAYS

October 9th - 13th is Monona Grove's Homecoming week!

We want to celebrate with dress-up days!

• Monday, October 9th - PJ or comfy clothes
• Tuesday, October 10th- Rainbow or Tie Dye Day (wear your most colorful clothes
• Wednesday, October 11th - Class Color Day
• 4K - white
• Kindergarten - red
• 1st Grade - orange
• 2nd Grade - yellow
• 3rd Grade - green
• 4th Grade - blue
• 5th Grade - purple
• Thursday, October 12 - Fitness Day - wear workout/dance/yoga or sports apparel
• Friday, October 13 - MG Day - wear blue, white or silver

OCTOBER 12

and

OCTOBER 17

Winnequah IMC

PICTURE RETAKES

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

Pre-order today on

mylifetouch.com

using your Student ID or

Picture Day ID:

EVTRDW2MG

12th ANNUAL HOOT HOOT HUSTLE

The WSFO and Monona Parks and Recreation are proud to sponsor the

12th annual HOOT HOOT Hustle on Saturday, October 14th.

The HOOT HOOT Hustle offers 2K, 5K, & 8K routes around our beautiful city. (maps link)

The 5K and 8K are professionally timed.

• 8K- $30
• 2K & 5K -$20

Each registration includes:

• Run of your choice 
• T-shirt
• After-party at the Monona Fall Festival.

The Monona Fall Festival includes:

• Music
• Pie Baking Contest
• Arts and Crafts Fair
• Bake sale
• Concessions for Purchase
• Paid attractions: (balloon sculpting, pony rides, arm painting)
• Free Attractions: (hay bale mound, arts & crafts, 9-hole disc golf course, & more.

Like to help?  Click here to sign up to volunteer or donate post-race snacks. 

Thank you for your continued support of this awesome event.

HOOTIE HUDDLES

We are excited to share something new this year...Hootie Huddles!

You might be wondering, what is a Hootie Huddle? It's a small group of about 12 students from grade levels K-5, with all teachers leading huddles. Huddles will be meeting once a month on Friday afternoons. 

The goal is to grow a stronger school community by creating new relationships and connections with our huddle group. Last week was our first Huddle, and it was a positive and great start!  

OCTOBER SAFETY DRILL NOTIFICATION

Winnequah School will hold a classroom hold drill on October 16th for all students and staff. During the month we will also hold a student safety training to inform and prepare students for the potential of a threat or hazard (i.e. hazardous material) inside or outside the building.

The safety of our students is a top priority which is why it’s important for students to be present for monthly drills. This hold drill is designed to help students understand what they can do to protect themselves in the unlikely case of a critical event. A classroom hold is called when students would be in the way of staff or emergency responders responding to a crisis, such as a medical or behavioral incident. We follow best practices to use trauma sensitive language and exercises to mitigate fear and anxiety during the drill.  

What your student will experience: Staff will prepare students by explaining the purpose of the drill, what they can expect and what they will need to do during the drill. The drill will begin when an announcement is made over the speakers that a building hold has started. Staff will clear students from the hallways and collaboration areas as needed, and then remain in their classrooms until the classroom hold is lifted. Instruction will continue as normal until an announcement has been made that the drill has ended. Staff will use trauma sensitive language to help students process the experience. For the student safety training, staff will talk through scenarios and classrooms may plan and generate ideas together for action plans on potential threatening situations that could happen while at school. 

Students with sensory and other special considerations will be accommodated according to their needs. 

We encourage families to communicate with your student(s) about the importance of safety drills. You can find resources on our website to help guide those conversations. 

Read the full message on safety communication practices on our website.

NOTES FROM THE OFFICE

ATTENDANCE:

When calling in an ill child:

• Please list all symptoms they are experiencing.

When calling in a child for a medical appointment or family event:

• Please note this in your message for attendance purposes.

END-OF-DAY TRANSPORTATION CHANGES:

• Please report end-of-day transportation changes and early pickup times by calling or emailing the attendance line as early as possible. 

Please do not email your child's teacher as the only method of communication. Teachers may be absent or they may not have an opportunity to check their email between the time your email arrives and dismissal.

PICKING UP YOUR STUDENT EARLY:

Parents/Guardians:

• Please come into the school office to sign your child out for appointments or early releases. 
• Please call the attendance line with early dismissal information.

INFINITE CAMPUS:

• PLEASE keep your information on Infinite Campus up to date.
• Be sure to check your phone number(s), addresses, emails, and emergency contacts.
• Click HERE for help.

STUDENT PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF PROCEDURES:

• Please review our pick-up and drop-off procedures. 
• We appreciate your care and cooperation in creating a safe and efficient system for coming to and leaving school.

LOST AND FOUND:

• Please label all belongings that your child brings to school.
• Missing an item? Be sure to check the lost and found!

HEALTH GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDANCE

As we enter cold and flu season, it’s timely to review the guidelines for school attendance. We encourage families to send students to school each day as long as the injury or illness does not significantly compromise the student’s health and there is no risk of illness transmission to the school community.

A phone call or email to the attendance line at your student’s school is required to explain an absence on days they will remain home. 

Students should remain home and will be sent home from school if they: 

• Have been experiencing episodes of vomiting or diarrhea in the last 24 hours 
• Have a temperature of 100°F or higher. Students must be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. 
• Are experiencing any symptoms severe enough to hinder participation in class and school activities (i.e., headache, body aches, fatigue, pain). 
• Have cold symptoms that are not well contained (i.e. constant coughs, sneezes, runny noses).
• Possibly have an untreated communicable illness (i.e. strep throat, impetigo, scabies, draining pink eye).
• Rashes or patches of broken, itchy skin need to be examined by a physician if they appear to be spreading or not improving. Some rashes may need to be covered while your child is at school.
• Tested positive for COVID-19 (please remain home for five days from symptom onset or positive test).
• Free tests are now available for ordering at covid.gov/tests and a limited number of rapid tests are available in our schools upon request.

Students may attend/return to school: 

• When symptoms are improving 
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea free for 24 hours 
• Fever-free (100 degrees F or greater) for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication 
• If evaluated and cleared by a healthcare provider

If you have any questions, please contact the health office at 608-221-7677 or Nurse Felyce at 608-316-1963 or email ws.healthroom.mgschools.net

 MONONA GROVE EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The Monona Grove Education Foundation (MGEF) is a non-profit foundation that supports educational excellence in MGSD. We expand educational opportunities for our students of all ages through scholarships and grants, and we fund projects that benefit students and teachers both inside and outside of the classroom.

We do this through the following five programs:

• The Pay It Forward Program (PIF) provides financial assistance to MG students struggling with food stability or clothing; & those needing additional educational support.
• The Monona Grove Weekend Snack Pack Program strives to support district students who are struggling with food insecurity on the weekends.
• The Summer Scholarship Program is designed to help support summer educational and enrichment opportunities for students in the district that may otherwise be out of reach.
• The MGEF Teacher Innovation Grants support efforts to bring innovative new ideas and programs into the district that fall outside of traditional funding.
• The Starting Line Fund was established in 2023 by private donors and supports the idea that every student should have an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities or clubs, & and that access to equipment or needed items should not be a barrier.

As a 501c3, we fund our efforts through tax-deductible donations from families, community members, and businesses from Monona and Cottage Grove. As a volunteer organization, 100% of donations are used to support our mission. Our next event will support the Weekend Snack Pack program via a Cribbage Tournament on October 21st – 7pm @ Oakstone Recreational in Cottage Grove. To support the Foundation, or learn how to get involved in delivering these programs to our students and educators, please visit our website and be sure to follow us on Facebook!

5301 Monona Drive, Monona, WI 53716  Phone: (608) 221-7660  Fax: (608) 221-7688