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Newsletter for the Taylor Prairie School Community
September 13, 2019
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Welcome to Taylor Prairie!
We hope that routines both at home and school are going smoothly for you. We're all learning new routines - how to walk in the hallways, lunchroom expectations, and being a safe bus rider.
To help students be safe, respectful, and responsible at school, we have been taking time each day to learn and practice expectations. We hope you talk to your student(s) about what they are learning, what behavior is expected, and how they show they are safe, respectful and responsible at Taylor Prairie School.
Please welcome our new (and/or familiar) faces to our staff:
Julie Miller, Administrative Assistant
Missy Thorson, School Psychologist (EC/4K)
Katrina Matthews, Early Childhood Teacher
Sue O'Neill, Educational Assistant
Welcome Back to our Taylor Prairie staff, pictured below!
It's going to be a great year!
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Thank You!
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Gary Ribble drops off four stuffed boxes and a $215 check collected by the Lions! |
Taylor Prairie received lots of school supply donations from the Cottage Grove Lions Club and School Supplies for Kids. Thank you!
We also received great crafting donations from Sue Mabie for our "MakerSpace," and from Rita Jones and Valerie Waszak for our art department. Thanks so much for your support!
Thank you to the Cottage Grove Chamber of Commerce for the gift bags of goodies for our staff! What a great welcome back surprise!
Thanks to the CG PTO for the
"Welcome Back" pizza lunch yo
u
provided for staff!
It was great!
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Calendar/Important Dates
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Please check all upcoming events by clicking on here.
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Pupil Services
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Welcome to Taylor Prairie! We're so excited to work with you and your student(s) this year. Each month we will share some tips and interesting reads for you to learn about your young child. We hope you find them useful. This month, we wanted to share a resource that you can access all year.
Have you ever wondered if your child's behavior is typical for his or her age? Did you ever wish you had a "one stop" resource for how to best support your child's development in all areas of growth? Then we suggest exploring the Parent Toolkit, an online resource available in both English and Spanish, that helps you navigate your child's journey from preschool through high school by helping you track and support progress at each stage of development. Specific features include:
--Academic, health and wellness and social-emotional growth charts
--Quick tips and advice from experts, available in both video and text of how to support your child's academic, social-emotional, and physical development
--Links to other parenting resources you may find helpful.
You can also find this link on our school webpage under "News & Information". We encourage your to "pin" it, "bookmark" it, or otherwise flag it for frequent reference.
Here is the link to a quick video from the website of how to promote empathy,
"Name It, Tame It"
Children's Mental Health Resource
How to Help Your Child Deal With Stress and Anxiety: What Parents Need to Know to Build Resilient Children
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Where Can I Find ...
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We understand that in many cases, you are new to the school setting, and to Taylor Prairie. If you would like more information about the following - please click on the links.
School Day: 7:45-2:35. The first bell rings at 7:40. Students should be seated in their classrooms by 7:45. 4K Classes: AM: 7:45-10:35; PM: 11:45-2:35. Please do not drop your children off before 7:20 AM, as there is not supervision prior to that time.
Transportation changes: If there is a change in your child's dismissal plans,
please send a written note/email to your child's teacher. In the event an
emergency or
unplanned event happens during the day, call the office at 839-8515
BY 2:00 to let us know there is a change of plans.
Attendance Line: Call 839-8515 ext 1. This line is open for you to record a message any day of the week, any hour of the day. Be sure to leave your child's name and the reason he/she will not be in school; (e.g., fever, vomiting, etc.) Office staff will let teachers know your child is ill. If you do not call the office by 8:10, you will receive an automated phone call via Infinite Campus.
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Parent-Teacher Conferences
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Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held October 24 and 28 from 3:30-7:30. You will receive an e-mail from your child's teacher to choose your conference date/time in Sign-Up Genius.
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Student Handbook
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The
student handbook will be located on the Taylor Prairie website and has a wealth of information. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with Taylor Prairie and District policies and procedures. If you would like a printed copy, please call the office.
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Library News...
from Mrs. W
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He
llo! We are looking forward to a fun year in the library! Students will engage in activities that teach literacy and technology skills, including storytimes, songs, robotics and circuits.
Book Check Out
Taylor Prairie friends are now able to take home a new number of library books each week:
4K - 1 book
K - 2 books
1st - 3 books
If your student finishes their library books before library day, they can return them for more. We will begin an official open checkout time starting later this Fall. We love how enthusiastic our friends are towards books and reading!
Ebooks at Home
Our subscription to Scholastic Bookflix ended. We are trying something new this year! At school we are using
Epic!
It's a free catalog of high-quality ebooks for schools. It does have a monthly cost for families. If you like reading ebooks at home, you could try these other free reading apps:
I Like Stories
or
International Children's Digital Library
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Little Free Library
Have you seen our little free library on Parkview Drive? Friends in Ms. Rusu's 1st Grade class helped plan, design and paint the library last year. It's ready for visitors and donations! If you donate books to the library, please prioritize books for young readers. We hope that it's a place for TP friends to find books that are just right for them.
Fall Book Fair - October 24th and 28th from 3:30-7pm
Please visit the Library for the Fall Book fair during conferences. You can purchase books and also use the Teacher Wishlist bins to buy and donate books for classrooms.
A cool feature of our Follett Book Fair is the ability to pre-purchase gift cards.
They can be purchased online
at the Follett site and gifted to students and teachers to be used during the fair!
All proceeds from the book fair sale benefit the library. Book fair proceeds help us purchase books, apps, furniture and more!
Happy Reading!
Elizabeth Wodzinski (Mrs. W.)
Taylor Prairie Librarian
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Activities
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Big Bear Sensory Storytime!
Ages birth to age 6.
Sensory Storytime allows for modifications that make storytime accessible for all children. Our inclusive program incorporates a schedule board, visuals, sensory opportunities and socialization time while focusing on social emotional and educational skills.
Presented by Monona Public Library Youth Services Coordinator, Karen Wendt in collaboration with Lindsey Rice, an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher from Winnequah Elementary School.
Young Rembrandts
is offering After School Drawing Classes here at Taylor
Prairie Eleme
ntary! Their structured,
step-by-step curriculum helps children develop increased patience, discipline and focus as well as a host of artistic skills such as art vocabulary and history, drawing and art skills, and expanded
creativity, imagination and confidence. Find more information and register here
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Taylor Prairie Receives an Award!
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Time to celebrate! Recently, the Wisconsin RtI Center recognized our school in
Behavior at the
Silver level for our work toward fully implementing a school-wide system that, according to national research, leads to improved student outcomes.
By establishing our equitable, multi-level system of supports, we increase consistency of effective instruction, build staff knowledge and skills to equitably support all learners, use data to proactively identify and provide support for students, and create a positive culture that nurtures relationships with students and their families, and communities. This strong foundation helps learners gain the skills needed to graduate ready for college or a career!
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PTO News
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Scrip: What is Scrip?
Scrip is one of the CG PTO's
most successful fundraising programs. Scrip is just another way to pay for everyday purchases using gift cards in place of cash, checks and credit cards. Scrip fundraising allows you to
raise money for our school without selling anything - and it doesn't cost you a dime!
You buy gift cards at face value from the PTO and you spend the full face value of the card. The PTO purchases the cards at a reduced price. The difference is an instant profit for our school. It's really that simple!
When you use Scrip gift cards at your favorite retailers, you're fundraising while you shop. We have all the biggest brands, including grocery, department stores, gas stations, restaurants, home improvement and more. It's time to put your shopping dollars to work! The September order form is
here.
The fall festival is going to become an every-other year event, so there will be
NO Fall Festival in 2019.
The PTO is making this change so that we can introduce new events and fundraisers. This change also being made as it has become difficult to find festival committee chairs and shift volunteers each year. We'd love your help for next year - or for our upcoming events this year! You can e-mail us at [email protected] and/or come to our next meeting on October 14th at 6:30 in the Taylor Prairie library.
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MGEF Celebration
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Monona Grove Education Foundation Celebration
will be honoring the MGSD 2018-2019 Innovation Grant Winners and will be raising funds for the future Teacher Innovation Grants.
Please join the MGEF to celebrate and honor the innovative and creative teac
he
rs in our district!
Tickets available here.
November 2, 2019 at 5:30
$40/person Dinner Buffet, Cash Bar, Silent Auction, and Grant Presentations
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General Information & Resources
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