SEPTEMBER 2023

PRINCIPAL MESSAGE:

Winnequah Families,

We have had a fantastic start to the school year so far! We enjoyed seeing so many families and students at Back to School Night, the Kindergarten Social, and of course, the first day of school. Already, on Day 2, students are showing us all they learned on Friday about school routines. It is so wonderful to see so many familiar and new faces back at Winnequah!  

An important part of our school's routine is getting everyone reoriented with our pick-up and drop-off procedures. If you did not receive a green handout at Back to School Night, please review the following document as it carefully explains our routines for before and after school. Having all of our families follow these routines will ensure the safety of all our students and parents.  

Finally, I wanted to share a little peek into our morning-before-school routines. 

Students can begin arriving to school at 7:20, but should not be arriving before then,

as there is no supervision before this time. 

Our 4K students spend time in their classroom with their teacher before school begins for the day. Students in Kindergarten all go to the library for activities together prior to lining up and heading to their classrooms. Students in grades 1-5 begin their day in the cafeteria and also have opportunities for passes to the playground and the gym. 

All students are dismissed to classrooms at 7:40 so they are ready to start the day at 7:45. 

Thank you for all of your support in helping us have a great start to the school year. We hope the beginning of the year has gone smoothly for our Winnequah families. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

Best Regards,

Angie Fassl

PICTURE DAY:

PRACTICE YOUR SMILE!

PICTURE DAY:

September 27th

RETAKES:

October 27th

For information about Picture Day, check out the flyer coming home with your student or visit: https://schools.lifetouch.com/for-your-families/

If you would like to volunteer to help, please reach out to your student's homeroom teacher.

SEPTEMBER'S SAFETY DRILL

Winnequah School will hold a fire (evacuation) drill on September 14th for all students and staff.

The safety of our students is a top priority which is why it’s important for students to be present for monthly drills. This fire (evacuation) drill is designed to help students understand what they can do to protect themselves in the unlikely case of a critical event. In all cases of a safety drill, our staff will inform students beforehand of the drill and what they can expect so they are fully prepared. 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 the fire alarm sounds throughout the building. The noise of the alarm will be loud and there will be blinking lights from the alarm device. Staff will calmly and quietly guide students out of the classroom by instructing them to walk through the building to the nearest exit. Once all students and staff are evacuated at a safe distance away, staff will call roll to ensure everyone is accounted for. Staff and students will be given the all-clear after the building has been identified as safe to re-enter. Once inside, staff will use trauma-sensitive language to help students process the experience.

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

We encourage families to communicate with their 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.

NEW ELEMENTARY ELA CIRRICULUM

MGSD commits to ongoing curriculum review and renewal on a six-year cycle so that all teachers are able to use high-quality instructional materials when engaging students in standards-based grade-level learning. Every content area is given time and attention, and 4K-12 teachers, along with principals and curriculum specialists, participate in the process of instructional materials selection. 

To start the 2023-24 school year, our elementary school teachers are using new foundational resources for English Language Arts: Amplify’s CKLA. The CKLA K-5 curriculum provides teachers with coherently sequenced lessons based on standards and, with regard to reading, based on a structured literacy approach connected to the “science of reading.” In addition to the strong explicit and systematic foundational reading skill programming, another significant strength of CKLA is the program’s dual approach of skill building and knowledge building content. Further, our teachers found that integrating writing into the Skill and Knowledge Blocks helped students find purpose and connection with their writing.

We are excited to see how all of our elementary students grow in their ELA skills throughout this and subsequent years. If you are interested in learning more about Amplify’s CKLA, please contact Lisa Heipp, our Director of Instruction, or feel free to explore the CKLA website.

12th ANNUAL HOOT HOOT HUSTLE

The Winnequah PTO 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.

Register by September 29th to guarantee a HOOT HOOT Hustle t-shirt.

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

If you would like your name or business logo on the back of the shirt click here for more information.

Thank you for your continued support of this awesome event.

Receive Dental Care Right at School!!

• Oral Screening
• Dental Cleaning
• Fluoride Varnish
• Sealants
• Silver Diamine Fluoride
• Referral Assistance

Enroll now for the fall -  https://enrollment.bbsmiles.org/

Any Questions Please Call Bridging Brighter Smiles:

(262)896-9891

Services are provided during the day and visits are held throughout the school year.

NOTES FROM THE HEALTH ROOM

Welcome Back Winnequah Owls!

On behalf of the Health Team, we have a few reminders for students and their families.

• With the weather changing soon and students outside for recess please consider sending extra shirts/pants for your student to change into in the event they become soiled at recess. We have some extras if needed but not enough to supply every student. 

• Written instructions and authorization to administer medication from the student's health care practitioner along with written permission from the student’s parent or guardian are required for medication to be administered at school.  Medication forms are valid for one school year. The parent/guardian is responsible for supplying a valid, properly labeled pharmacy container of medication. Forms can be found online under the health services tab or picked up in the school office.

Students should not come to school or enter any MGSD building if they have or develop:

• Fever (100° or higher), chills or shaking chills
• Nausea or Vomiting when in combination with other symptoms
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Headache when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue when in combination with other symptoms
• New loss of taste or smell
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies)
• Muscle or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known causes, such as a chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms

*Vomiting and fever may or may not be associated with COVID-19. If your student is experiencing only one of these symptoms, they may return to school once the symptom has resolved after 24

hours without the use of medications.

If you have any questions, please contact Nurse Courtney at 608-221-7677 or Nurse Felyce (Nurse Kenzie’s sub) at 608-316-1963 or email ws.healthroom.mgschools.net

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