Wingate Elementary News

October 2024

Growing Together with Curious Minds and Kind Hearts

October Calendar and Events

October Calendar and Events

Wednesday, October 2nd - Custodian Appreciation Day

Wednesday, October 2nd - Wingate Night at Chipotle

Friday, October 4th - 100% Donation Drive ends

Tuesday, October 8th - School Picture Day

Wednesday, October 9th - End of 1st quarter

Thursday, October 10th - No school for students - Teacher Workday

Thursday, October 10th - Parent/Teacher Conferences 4-8pm

Friday, October 11th - Parent/Teacher Conferences 8am-8pm

Monday, October 14th - No School - Comp Day for Staff

Friday, October 18th - Fall Music Showcase

Friday, October 25th - Fun Friday and Wingate Spirit Wear Day

Thursday, October 31st - Halloween - Costume Parade at 9:15

Friday, November 1st - No School for Students - Teacher Workday

October Staff Birthdays

October 4th - Miss Sheali (SSN Para)

October 12th - Ms. Ward (4th grade teacher)

October 29th - Mrs. Wytula (2nd grade teacher)

October 30th - MIss Lawson (Music teacher)

100% Explorer Donation Drive

Our largest fundraiser of the year is in full swing. The drive is our largest fundraiser of the year and provides PURE PROFIT for our school. The funds are used for a variety of immediate expenses including classroom and community needs, building updates, unique learning experiences and staff appreciation.

In addition to the many immediate funding priorities at our school, there is also a mission to continue to update our playground. To learn more about future phases of the playground project, please take a few moments to watch this incredible video featuring some of our learners: Phase 2 Wingate Playground Project Video

Due to the amount of funding needed for an updated playground, it could potentially take multiple years to complete the project. Because there are a variety of needs at Wingate, it is important that donors are able to specify where they would like their funds to go. When you make a donation, you will have the opportunity to specify if you would like your donation to go toward immediate school needs that will be spent this year or towards the long term playground project.

The Donation Drive begins today and ends on October 4th - THIS FRIDAY!! If we meet our goal of $40,000, the kids will get to SLIME Ms. Schraeder and Mr. Hoskin.

To donate, please click here

We are hoping for 100% participation this year, so every dollar counts.

Fall Parent Teacher Conferences

Fall conferences will take place on Thursday, October 10th and Friday, October 11th. We ask that parents sign up for a designated time to meet with their child's teacher. For instructions about how to sign up using your ParentVue account, please click here - English here- Spanish. If you are in need of a virtual conference, please sign up for a time slot and contact your child's teacher to set up a Google Meet or phone call.

Fall Music Showcase

Please join us on Friday, October 18th to hear the sounds of Wingate musicians in our third annual Fall Music Showcase. Bring a camp chair and your favorite blanket and watch your child perform against the stunning backdrop of the Colorado National Monument on the grassy area near the outdoor classroom. Grandparents, other family members and friends of Wingate are welcome to join us! Performance times are as follows:

Kindergarten and 1st grade: 9:30-10:00

2nd grade 10:00-10:30

3rd grade 10:30-11:00

4th grade 11:00-11:30

5th grade: 11:30-12:00

Please feel free to join us for as many performances as you would like!

Costume Parade

On Thursday, October 31st, we will have our annual Wingate costume parade at 9:15am. Students will parade around the field to show off their costumes. Families are welcome to join us for the event! Stay tuned for later communication about the parade route and the best spot for seeing students in costume. Students may come to school dressed in costume and may remain in costume for the remainder of the day if they choose. Students may also choose to change out of their costumes after the parade to avoid the possibility of their costume being damaged during the school day. Costumes must be appropriate for elementary school and should not be overly scary, bloody or gory. Masks may be worn during the parade and classroom party, but must be removed for the remainder of the school day. School administration will determine the appropriateness of costumes. If your child's costume includes a prop that represents a weapon of any kind, we ask that it remains at home. Your child's teacher will be in touch regarding classroom celebrations. Please do not send treats or other food to share with the class unless it is coordinated with your child's teacher.

Fill Our Teachers' Bellies During Parent Teacher Conferences

Wingate PTO wants to provide dinner for our teachers during Parent Teacher Conferences on October 10. We need your help! We are in need of soups, salads, drinks, and desserts. To sign up, please click here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BAAA928A1FE3-50754378-wingate.

Please drop off items on October 10 by 4:00 and make sure you have your name on anything you would like returned. Thank you!

Carnival Update and Thank You

Thank you to everyone who came out to join us for this year's Fall Carnival. It was a beautiful evening and provided the opportunity for our whole community to gather together. In addition to building community and new connections, the event raised $5,233 for Wingate PTO. The funds benefit classroom and school needs. A special thank you goes out to event chair, Tyson Babayco, the Wingate PTO and all of the volunteers who helped out during the event.

Upcoming Panorama Student Survey

Dear District 51 Families,

Starting October 15th, schools will administer a brief Panorama survey to all students in grades K-12. The Panorama Student Perception Survey is a research-backed process for students, families, teachers and staff to better understand and build a positive school climate in schools throughout our district. The surveys assess:

School Climate and Culture - The social and learning climate of the school environment, including rules and norms, behaviors, student engagement, and physical facilities.
Positive Relationships - Social connections and interpersonal relationships between students and teachers, like a sense of belonging and valuing of school.
School Safety - Physical and psychological climate and safety at school, including bullying, violence, and availability of support for students.

District 51 uses this data to assess our work on students’ sense of belonging, one of the threads throughout the strategic plan and the platform identified to measure success. Individual schools use the data to plan for and improve the climate in their buildings.

The survey is completely anonymous and allows all students to have a voice and a personal assessment of the safety and relationships in the school. The data we collect allows us to monitor progress on individual measures over time and allows schools to compare themselves to each other, the district, and the nation through national norms. All schools in District 51 have a goal to increase relationships and belonging through efforts to improve climate and culture. Panorama is the data source for this measurement.

Please take a few minutes to review the survey questions linked below. The 4th-5th and 6th-12th grade surveys have been updated this year to include one question about having a trusted adult at school. The 6th-12th grade survey has been updated this year to include three questions about student perception of the cell phone policy. If you would like to opt your child out of taking this survey, please fill out the opt-out form found here and return it to the office at your child’s school by October 11th. This form must be returned prior to the start of the survey window, or we cannot guarantee that your student will not be surveyed. If you elected to opt your child out of the survey during online registration, you do not need to fill out this form. If you elected to opt your child out of the survey during online registration and would like to opt your child back in, please contact your child’s school.

To access information on all student surveys administered by the district, visit d51schools.org/surveys.