Here is this weekend's message. We enjoyed a busy but fun week!

We are thankful to all who braved the snow and cold to attend parent-teacher conferences. If you did not schedule an appointment during our dedicated parent-teacher conference days, scheduling a phone call is an effective and convenient way to still connect with teachers as needed given the constraints of the school day schedule.

Teachers enjoyed a wonderful conference night dinner. Many thanks to the PTA parent volunteers who planned, hosted, and donated various items for this delicious dinner. Everyone was able to enjoy more the following day as well. We are always overwhelmed by our community's generosity!

We also appreciate our many PTA Room Reps and parent volunteers for supporting all the different Valentine's Day parties throughout grades K-5. We know it was a special way to end the day and the week for students.

We hope your children have been enjoying the long weekend! As a reminder, we have no school tomorrow, Monday 2/17 in honor of President's Day.

Wishing you all the best,

Piper Boston, Principal @PrincipalBoston

Lindsay Anastacio, Assistant Principal @lindzana

This week all grade levels got to experience a special STEM activity challenge together. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. By inviting and supporting additional STEM opportunities throughout the year, like we did on Monday; we hope to continue promoting students' use of creativity, innovation, and logic in the context of solving real world problems. We appreciate Mrs. Stella, Mrs. Corley, and all our teachers and staff for supporting this day of learning.

These STEM challenges complement students' everyday science and math instruction. All grade 1 through 5 students experience science through the Science Companion curriculum in the classroom. The core philosophy behind Science Companion is inquiry-based, student-centered learning, as students learn best while doing science rather than merely reading about science!

Here are a couple of parent resource links for those interested in supporting STEM learning more at home.

• https://www.pta.org/docs/default-source/files/programs/stem/2017/math-night-toolkit/stem-families-resources-activites.pdf
  
• https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/parent-child/3-secrets-stem-success.html

Below are links to more photos and Twitter posts from our Windsor STEM Day!

Registration for the District's Summer U program begins on March 2nd!

We include the below District E-Flyers link in every Week at Windsor to keep families updated on district and community happenings. During this second half of the school year especially, there will be more and more postings at this link with different save-the-dates, camp opportunities, registrations, etc. We encourage you to visit the link each week to stay abreast of everything that may be of interest to you!

Audition now to perform the national anthem live at the ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge! D25 students may audition by sending a video recording of themselves or with one friend performing the national anthem "a capella" to abc25challenge@gmail.com. In your video, please state your name, grade, and school. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm, Sunday, March 15, 2020.

Register today for the 9th Annual ABC/25 Get Burbed Challenge! Choose the 5k or 1 mile and walk or run with friends and neighbors who are coming together to support the ABC/25 Foundation. All proceeds from this event go directly back to SD25 classrooms through grants awarded to the teachers! Register by Friday 3/22/20 to receive early registration perks including a $5 discount on the entry fee, a guaranteed race t-shirt and the option to have your race packet delivered to your D25 school. Race day is Saturday, April 25, 2020! REGISTER NOW!

Not a runner? Nursing an injury? Looking for a different experience on race day? We are always in need of volunteers to make race day a success! Many options are available and most are flexible to enable you to volunteer and also participate in a race. Sign up here!

Don’t miss any race updates. Follow ABC25 Get Burbed Challenge on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Nominating Committee Needed - We are in search of several people to serve on our nominating committee, which is forming now. The Nominating Committee is elected for the sole purpose of seeking qualified individuals to become the nominees for each office to be filled in the upcoming year. The time commitment for this committee is very flexible, so it's a great opportunity to get involved. Contact Heather Lepold <heatherlepold@gmail.com> and/or Lauren Stump <lstump10@gmail.com>.

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• FEB 18 - Club/Group Yearbook Pictures
• FEB 25 - PTA Board & Committee Meeting, 9:10 AM

Please be sure to label your children's snow gear as best as possible, including the bag they use to carry them. It is helpful to always send children to school carrying their own bags instead of dropping them off to the office. However, we definitely need bags to be clearly labeled and identified if you do need to deliver them to the front office.

Our District 25 Parent-Student Handbook is always shared as part of each year's online registration process. Typically, we will highlight sections throughout the school year. Here is a link for families to reference anytime. https://www.sd25.org/cms/lib/IL01904427/Centricity/Domain/24/2019-2020%20-%20UPDATED%207-23%20936am.pdf

We value our Windsor community that is strengthened by diversity, inclusion, and a growth mindset.

• We believe in a kind, safe and responsible community because our students are important.
• We believe in designing lessons that promote inquiry, academic risk taking, and flexible thinking.
• We believe in supporting cultural, emotional, social, and academic diversity.
• We believe in working collaboratively as a school community for continuous improvement in a trusting environment.