Mable Woolsey Vision Statement: We will build a nurturing community of life long learners while fostering opportunities for social, emotional, and academic growth to ensure that we help create productive members of society.

Mable Woolsey Mission Statement: We will provide a safe and stimulating environment. We will nurture a rigorous and adaptive learning community. We will support a child's natural desire to learn. We will inspire students to discover their fullest potential.

WE ARE KNOXVILLE...educating all students to be productive, involved members of our society

I am excited to announce that our school has been awarded a $2,000 grant through the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) initiative! I applied for this funding to support our Character Strong SEL curriculum by adding mentor texts and other essential materials that will enrich our students' social and emotional learning experiences.

YES, funded by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and the Children’s Mental Health Initiative 3.0, focuses on serving youth ages 0-21 and their families, providing a collaborative, "no wrong door" approach to connect them with local resources. Over the last 3 1/2 years, YES has awarded over $150,000 in direct support to schools across Knox, Warren, and Henderson Counties, with a priority on sustaining mental health resources in schools—particularly for elementary counselors and school-based therapists.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity to strengthen our SEL initiative and further support our students in growing into kind, respectful, and emotionally resilient individuals. Thank you to YES for helping us build a stronger foundation for our school community!

At Mable Woolsey Elementary School, we are committed to recognizing the outstanding efforts of our dedicated staff members who continually go above and beyond for our students. Your nominations help us celebrate and acknowledge the exceptional contributions of our team. Please take a moment to nominate a staff member whom you believe exemplifies our school's values and dedication to student success.

Nomination Link

Congratulations to our Staff Shining Star nominees!

Teachers received a nomination certificate, a gold star for their shirt, and a star-shaped stress ball.
A big thank you to the families who nominated staff members last week!

Our District-Wide Social-Emotional program, Character Strong, is an evidence-based, multi-tiered solution designed to support whole child success. Integrated into morning meeting lessons, Character Strong helps build a sense of community while developing essential life skills.

The aim of education is to prepare young people for success in all areas of life, including academic growth, college and career readiness, and overall life satisfaction. To achieve these goals, Character Strong focuses on three foundational outcomes:

A Sense of Belonging: Fostering an environment where every student feels valued and connected.

Improved Well-Being: Enhancing students' emotional health and resilience.

Increased Engagement: Encouraging active participation and investment in their learning and growth. By addressing these key areas, Character Strong helps lay the groundwork for students' long-term success and fulfillment.

These students were absent when we announced our October Responsibility Nominations, but their recognition is still deserving of celebration. Congratulations to them for consistently demonstrating responsibility and leading by example in our school!

We are looking forward to focusing on Gratitude this month! One way to think about Gratitude is “choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives.” Practicing Gratitude can increase our well-being and even our happiness! Gratitude is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Well. Across grade levels, students will be developing skills like emotion regulation, positive self-talk, and stress-management.

This November, we're kicking off a new building-wide behavior challenge! Grade levels will work together as a team to reinforce the character traits we've been practicing—kindness, respect, and responsibility. When a grade level is seen demonstrating these positive behaviors, they’ll earn a turkey on their behavior card. Once a card is filled with turkeys, that grade level will earn a special surprise!

Teachers and staff can award turkeys in various school areas like recess, lunch, and the hallways. There’s one twist: grade level teachers can’t award their own grade level for the turkey challenge cards. This will inspire teachers to recognize positive behavior across all grades, boosting our sense of culture and belonging and reinforcing high expectations for everyone.

For individualized recognition this month, students can earn a “turkey” by showing November’s character trait—gratitude. Teachers can recognize ANY student that shows gratitude including those in their classroom and those who are not. This will take the place of the bees that we used in our “bee kind challenge.” These students will get to hold the gratitude sign and have their picture taken and they will receive a small reward. We’re excited to celebrate positive behaviors and strengthen gratitude in our school community!

Congratulations to our Turkey nominations from this week! These students made positive phone calls home and earned a small prize for showing gratitude.

Last week, we kicked off our exciting "Book Blast" event in partnership with Books Are Fun! Each student received a treasure map to complete by inviting family and friends to make donations in their honor. Thanks to your support, students have the chance to earn free books! The first 190 students to finish their maps will also receive special prizes.

Mrs. Small has already completed the drawing for our treasure chest winners (see below). At the end of the event, she will conduct the final drawing for the grand treasure chest, and every student will receive at least one free book as a thank-you for participating.

Last year’s Book Blast was a big hit, with students enjoying the chance to earn prizes and add new books to their personal collections. This fun event not only promotes literacy but also ensures that every student gets books to enjoy at home. Thank you for your continued support!

Dear Families,

As the weather changes quickly this time of year, we want to remind everyone about our coat and jacket policy for outdoor play. It’s important that students come to school prepared for fluctuating temperatures so they can stay comfortable and safe during recess.

Please make sure your child has a warm coat or jacket each day, especially as we head into the colder months. Our outdoor playtime continues unless the weather conditions are unsafe (such as heavy rain, extreme cold, or snow).

If your family needs support in providing cold weather gear for your child, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help and will do our best to ensure every student has what they need to stay warm. For more details on our outdoor play requirements, please refer to the graphic below.

Thank you for your help in keeping our students prepared and comfortable for outdoor activities!

Friday assemblies in the gym are an exciting way for students to kick off their day. The assembly is all about getting pumped up and celebrating the great things that happened throughout the week. Mrs. Small leads the event by reviewing the highlights she observed, announcing birthdays, recognizing positive office referrals, and awarding winner for the Mable Woolsey Way Ticket drawing. Students also get to show their school spirit by clapping along to the school fight song together.

This Friday, our staff got cozy for "Underground Spirit Day," by wearing flannel to stay warm and bring some fun to our school! Throughout November we will have many staff appreciation days, as we celebrate our incredible team with a series of events designed to spread joy and foster a sense of community. These are all designed to show our appreciation and bring some extra joy to our wonderful team. Stay tuned for more exciting ways we'll be showing our gratitude and having fun together!

Congratulations to our students who were selected in the Mable Woolsey Way Ticket Drawing for being safe, respectful, and responsible! Keep up the great work!

First grade students have been working with Ms. Doran on a song called "Peace In My Heart," which focuses on themes of peace and respect for one another. This perfectly aligns with our monthly Character Strong theme of Gratitude. Great job, first grade!

Next week, we will kick off a district-wide food drive to collect donations for the Knoxville Council of Churches. The council will use the items to create Christmas food "baskets" for families in our school district. Let's work together to make the holidays brighter for our neighbors and friends! Students will compete with other schools to see which school can collect the most donations. Please note that only nonperishable, unexpired items will be accepted.

To add to the fun, students will participate in a spirit week during the food drive! Just a quick reminder: all clothing must be school-appropriate, and face paint is not allowed.

We’re excited to see Mable Woolsey rise to the challenge and bring home the win! Thank you for your support!

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our community partners for their generous donations to support our students. From food and clothing to hygiene products and snacks, these contributions have made a significant difference in the lives of our students and families. We truly appreciate your willingness to step up and lend a helping hand. Your continued support means the world to us, and we are grateful for the positive impact you're making in our school community. Thank you!

Thanks to the generous support of the Kiwanis Club of Galesburg, a few of our Mable Woolsey students visited Target to pick out new clothing and winter wear. Each student had a list of items to shop for, and they were joined by Kiwanis members and Knoxville Key Club students who helped guide them through the store. The students loved selecting their new items and especially enjoyed spending time with the high school volunteers. It was a wonderful experience filled with joy, generosity, and community spirit! A big thank you to Kiwanis Club of Galesburg and the Knoxville Key Club for making this special day possible for our students.

Parents, with the changing of the season, the need for Tylenol and Ibuprofen has increased significantly. Unfortunately our supply cannot meet the demand of the students. If your child is one that needs over the counter medications regularly, please bring those items to the school for your student's use. If you would like to make a donation of Tylenol or Ibuprofen to add to our stock, the most used/needed forms are liquid and chewable. We greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.

https://www.bluebullets.org/o/kcusd/page/illness-of-the-week

• Monday, November 18th-Food Drive & Spirit Week Begin
• Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29 - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)
• Friday, December 20 - 2:00 Dismissal (End of 2nd Quarter)
• December 23, 2024 - January 6, 2025 - NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)