"Knightly" News

December

• Now-13: Stuff the Stockings
• 9: Holiday Shop
• 9: PTO Meeting - CANCELED
• 10: Holiday Shop
• 13: Reindeer Day
• 13: 8th grade band visits WSE for Holiday Concert
• 16: PTO Snack Assembly, 12 pm
• 19: PTO Holiday Parties
• 20: Polar Express Day

Each year, we invite parents to share feedback on our Capturing Kids' Hearts processes. The survey focuses on the climate and culture at Washington Street Elementary, helping us celebrate successes and identify areas for growth. Your input is invaluable, and the survey takes less than 2 minutes to complete. Thank you!

This month's PTO meeting has been canceled as we prepare to assist with several upcoming events over the next two weeks.

We hope to see you at our next meeting on Monday, January 13th, at 3:00 PM in the Conference Room. The WSE PTO meets regularly on the second Monday of each month.

Join us this Saturday for Otsego’s Hometown Christmas Celebration! Bring the family and enjoy festive fun, holiday treats, and community cheer. You won’t want to miss the holiday magic happening downtown!

The Holiday Shop is here and we need your help to make it magical for our students! This is a wonderful opportunity to assist as they pick out gifts for their family and friends.

Help us spread holiday cheer at WSE! Our annual holiday drive is underway, collecting hygiene and personal care items for Christian Neighbors. These essential items are in high demand, and we’re aiming to restock their shelves with your generous donations. Drop off your contributions each morning at WSE now through December 13th!

WSE is excited to bring a little extra holiday cheer to local families again this year! We invite you to join us in sponsoring a family for the 2024 Christmas season.

You can stop by and select a tag from the WSE Giving Tree. Please return all unwrapped items to the school by Friday, December 13th, and include the gift tag so we can match the gift to the correct family member.

Gift cards and monetary donations toward gifts are also greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact Jen Knight at jknight@otsegops.org. Thank you for your generosity and support in making this holiday season special!

Our elementary schools continued the tradition of helping Wings of Hope Hospice through Cookie Capers! Students brought in homemade cookies, then assembled plates with a variety of goodies on them that will be delivered to Wings of Hope Hospice families. In total, WSE donated 170 plates of cookies!! Those will surely bring smiles to many faces this holiday season!

Congratulations to the following students for being chosen as their classroom's PRIDE winner this week!

P - Positive Attitude

R - Responsible Actions

I - Integrity Within

D - Determination to Succeed

E - Expect Excellence

Kindergarten: William Swanson, Serenity VanDussen, Lainey Spencer

1st grade: Roen Moye, Mya Bushee, Emmett Bumgart

2nd grade: Raelynn Woods, Logan Makela, Marly Nast

3rd grade: Lucas Guritz, Evan Long

4th grade: Liam Bumgart, Della Griffith, Raelin Gibson

5th grade: Hudson VanderKlok, J.T. Salmon, Emmy Morse

This month the students will have a classroom counseling lesson on having a growth mindset and how that can help them be more successful in school and life.

According to the research by Carol Dweck, there are two types of mindsets, a growth and fixed mindset. A growth mindset means you believe in yourself and in your ability to change, learn, and develop. In a growth mindset, errors are seen as the natural part of learning, and students with a growth mindset see mistakes as opportunities to learn.

A fixed mindset is based on the assumption that our intelligence, creativity, and skills are fixed traits that we can’t change. When people with a fixed mindset make a mistake, they believe it reflects weaknesses that are impossible to change.

The key difference between a fixed and growth mindset is that people with a growth mindset believe that they can achieve anything through hard work and effort. Believing you can learn anything you put your mind to is very important in education. Research shows that parents can powerfully impact their children’s mindsets. The language you use and the actions you take show your children what you expect. Giving process praise, talking about the brain, accepting mistakes as learning opportunities, and understanding the role of emotions in learning are all practices that can help foster a growth mindset in children. The following phrases help promote a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset.

It's the little dawgs turn! Registration is now open for Little Dawgs Basketball! This fundamental skills program is a 6-week program that takes place on Saturday mornings for boys and girls Kindergarten-2nd grade. The deadline to register is January 4th!

Reminder: Students will need all of their winter gear! This includes **snow pants and boots**, especially with snow on the ground and real-feel temperatures expected to drop below 32°F.

We love having families join us for Mileage Club! Check the times below. In case of rain, Mileage Club will be canceled. For updates, please visit the Washington Street Elementary Facebook page.

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Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Office Phone: (269)694-7800

Attendance Line: (269)694-7880

WSE BASE: (269)694-7835

Email: jknight@otsegops.org
Website: http://wse.otsegops.org/
Location: 538 Washington Street, Otsego, MI, United States