November Newsletter

October was full of activity, and creative imaginations, I know we’ll continue to be busy during the month of November. Hold on tight!

The end of the quarter is November 1, which means on November 4, staff will be working on grading, progress reports and readying items for upcoming conferences. (This is a non school day for students). As you review your child’s progress and chat at conferences, which are slated for November 21 & 25, remember to spotlight your child’s areas of strength of the first quarter, and look to support areas your child might still have struggles. Our ultimate goal is to keep students moving forward and flourishing from now until the end of the year.

November 5 is election day. Please exercise your right to vote. Our fourth graders will have the opportunity to work through the election process as well. Some of our fourth grade students will be talking with their grade level peers about how they want to serve the school and be a student voice on student council. Each fourth grader can participate, and everyone will be given the opportunity to vote for the student(s) who best represent them. We look forward to hearing more from these young leaders!

November also holds Veterans Day, our VIP breakfast events, American Education Week, two rounds of parent/teacher conferences, a book fair, and our big school fundraiser with Apex as just a few of our many activities. Whew!

• It’s important to note that we are grateful for all military veterans, past and present, for both their service and sacrifice. If you or a family member are involved in service, we extend a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!
• American Education Week gives us an opportunity to say thank you to all of the different people involved in making school a great place to learn and grow.
• We have partnered with Scholastic to host our book fair during fall conferences. We have so many choices of great books, whether you’re looking for your child, a younger/older sibling, or even something for yourself. Come check it out! We will also have the e-wallet options for students to shop. More details will follow as we get closer to the fair.
• We also plan to kick off our only formal school fundraiser the week of November 11th and ask for your help in our 6th year of the Apex Fun Run. Combined with leadership & character trait support, students will collect pledges for a fun run at the end of the month. These generated funds to support classroom & school wide field trips and projects, assemblies & speakers, as well as enhanced opportunities for learning for all of our students. We are also earmarking a portion of these funds for playground updates. Thanks, in advance for your enthusiastic support & financial backing! PS--We will be looking for volunteers to help with our fun run on November 25 (HES) and November 26 (WES). If you are able to help, please be sure to complete the volunteer background check process (https://hlww.k12.mn.us/district/volunteer/) and communicate your interest to your child’s classroom teacher or the school office. THANK YOU!!
  

While the month is busy, it’s important to stop for a moment, take some time to reflect, and offer gratitude. I would like to share my appreciation for all the family support at each of the elementary buildings. We are very thankful to our volunteers who’ve given their time and/or talents; the hard work and effort by students and staff to meet and exceed daily goals; a district full of committed educators; and a community full of support. You make such an impact. I share my sincere thanks to YOU for your support, dedication, and teamwork to foster student growth!

Here’s wishing you a fantastic start to the holiday season!

Warmly,

Jen Olson

Heidi Joy Bursch, K-4 Intervention, Humphrey Elementary
Often, I am asked, what exactly is Reading Corps? Reading Corps is a proven program that began in Minnesota over 15 years ago. Reading Corps instructors are trained to help children learn to read, so they can “read to learn” throughout their education. Reading Corps aims to help every child become a successful reader. More than 2,000 tutors are serving 40,000 students in elementary and preschools across twelve states and the District of Columbia. Reading Corps provides:

• Research-based tutoring
• Daily reading practice on skills your child needs
• Reports that show your child’s progress
• Reading activities to try at home – you’ll see their progress first-hand!
• Check-ins after they “graduate” to be sure they’re still successful
• Reading interventions that are 20 minutes long, so each student is tutored 60-100 minutes per week.

Our Reading Corps tutors are closely working with the Reading Corps supervisors and school staff to ensure that proper interventions are being implemented consistently for each student to find the most success. Students are chosen as a means to provide a temporary boost for those who need that extra little spark for fluency and/or reading development.

Jeff Goudy, Fourth Grade, Winsted Elementary
One of the many reasons as to why students tell me they enjoy 4th grade is the fact that they get to have a “Kinderbuddy.” A Kinderbuddy is a kindergarten student that they spend some time with once a month doing various activities together. Some of those activities might include: reading, writing, making ice cream, creating crafts, or just doing some "get to know each other" activities.

Since we have been doing Kinderbuddies for quite some time now, the 4th grade students of today were once those small, innocent, and eager to learn kindergartners just four short years ago. They know what it was like to meet and befriend a big, smart, and social 4th grader. I decided to ask some of my 4th graders what they remembered from when they were on the "other side" of Kinderbuddies:

I remember making ice cream.

I remember thinking how big my 4th grader was.

I remember getting stories read to me.

I remember them wearing a mask.

I remember when they helped me write.

These are just some of the memories that my class shared. I know the positive impact that older students can have on younger students as I have witnessed it over the years. I am going to challenge my students this year to be the type of older role model they wished/wanted to have four years ago.

Are you looking for a way to support our students and staff this year. Join us for our next PTA meeting on November 7, 6:30 p.m. at Humphrey Elementary! It's a great opportunity to stay connected, share ideas, and help support our wonderful staff.

Be sure to follow the Lakers PTA Facebook page for updates on school events, ways to support our teachers and how you can get involved. If you have any questions we're always here to help! Feel free to email us at humphreypta@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting Humphrey Elementary!

Laura Heuer, Kindergarten, Winsted Elementary

Do you know that both Humphrey and Winsted Elementary have a Free Little Library in the front of our schools? Feel free to check it out at any time to look for a book for your child or for any member of your family. We are always collecting books to add to the library. If you have any book donations (books should be in good condition and can be for babies to adults), feel free to drop them off in our box found in the front entryway vestibule.

Madi Shea, Second Grade, Humphrey Elementary
Monday, October 14th was Indigenous People’s Day. The day is celebrated around the US and commemorates indigenous histories and cultures. In my class, we focused on how indigenous peoples used corn and the importance of it for many years. Corn, also referred to as maize, was and is a staple food and ingredient as well as a sacred plant to indigenous peoples. Corn has been used by indigenous peoples for many different uses. Students were shown photos of glass corn, a beautifully colorful corn. We talked about patterns and colors then created our own corn craft!

Students used construction paper patterns to cut out the husk and cob. The cob was glued to the front of the husk. Then, students were given a handful of Froot Loops cereal- they really practiced self control by not eating any! Their direction was to glue the Froot Loops to the corn to create their own glass corn. Some students chose to do a pattern while others opted for a less organized pattern. Throughout this activity, students not only learned about Indigenous People’s Day, corn, patterns, and were hands on with a craft!

November 1 - Winsted PTA Family Fun Night 6:00-8:00 p.m., Cafeteria/Commons
November 4 - HLWW No School - Staff Workshop Day
November 7 - Humphrey PTA meeting, 6:30 p.m., Media Center
November 12 - Winsted VIP Breakfast, 7:20-8:20 a.m.
November 13 - Humphrey VIP Breakfast 7:20-8:20 a.m.

November 14 - Winsted PTA meeting, 6:30 p.m. Media Center

November 21 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:45-7:15 p.m.

November 25 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:45-7:15 p.m.

November 27-28-29 HLWW No School - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
December 5 - Winsted Grades 3-4 Musical Program, 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m., HLWW Laker Theater