December Newsletter

I wanted to start out by giving a quick acknowledgement to all the families that were able to

connect at conference time—thank you for sharing in the importance of the learning partnership

and making time to discuss your child’s progress! We will continue to reach out to you to

celebrate successes and make note of challenges your child experiences, but please continue to

reach out to your child’s teacher as well. Communication is a key to making continued progress.

I’m sending a big shout out to our PTA groups too for organizing conference meals for staff. The

gesture, while a simple one, was very much enjoyed. We’re grateful!

We wrapped up November with our Apex Fun Run. All of the monies raised for our run go back

to classrooms to support grade level and school field trips planned for the spring, helps us host

special events like VIP Breakfast, Grandparents’ Day, classroom guest days, our roller-skating

units in physical education class, guest speakers, and enhanced classroom opportunities. Monies

will also be earmarked for some playground updates. Your efforts and support are very much

appreciated.

Winsted third and fourth grade students kick off December by sharing their musical talents on

Thursday, December 5 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the HLWW-HS auditorium, under the direction of Mrs.

Jana LeClaire. We look forward to their holiday selections!

Humphrey Elementary kicks off December with our field trip “staycation” with the Bell

Museum. We are excited to welcome them in on December 5-6 to learn about the solar system,

stars, and outer space. It’s going to be “out of this world” sorts of fun!

We have many other activities taking place within the life of our classrooms and schools…watch

for updates, news and pictures from your child’s classroom. It’s going to be a busy month…and

before you know it, we’ll be closing out our last day of the calendar year with students on

December 20, with plans to return January 2, 2025, after our winter break.

A friendly reminder that students are outside on a daily basis—bus stops, recess times, and

fitness breaks taken by classrooms/grade levels. We’ve been really fortunate with mild temps so far this season, but please don’t forget all of the outdoor gear— hats, gloves, boots, etc. so students are able to enjoy the daily breaks outdoors. You’ve done a fantastic job of equipping your child. Please encourage them to wear the gear you’re providing. We have an occasional “determined” student who may feel his/her locker is a better place than on them. We’re working on it from our end and ask that you help reinforce wearing the gear at school too. Please be sure to have your child check for any missing items before the winter break. (PS—labeling clothing is GREAT!)

We wish you the happiest of holidays and a safe, enjoyable winter break.

Have a great December!

Jen Olson

Please keep your child home from school if · Rashes: If the student has a rash of unknown origin, it needs to be evaluated by a health care provider. Children should not come to school with rashes if they are spreading, itching or open/draining. · Vomiting/Diarrhea: Student should remain home until 24 hours after last episode. · Fever of or greater than 100 degrees F: Student should stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal without the use of fever reducing drugs such as Tylenol.

If you have any questions pertaining to your student’s health, please contact your student’s health office. Winsted 320-543-4690 --- Humphrey 320-543-4680

Join us at our next Winsted Elementary PTA meeting on Thursday, December 12 at 6:30 PM in the Winsted Elementary Library. We have a great group of parents who are planning some fun events for our Winsted students! Come and join in the fun!

One of our planned activities is a book walk for students to kick off I Love to Read Month in February. We are looking for donations of gently used books. If you have any books that you’d like to donate (for preschool age - grade 4), please drop them off in the box in the front entry vestibule. We’ll be collecting books until Thursday, January 30.

Follow our Laker PTA Facebook page for updates and scan the QR code above to visit our webpage. Feel free to contact us at http://www.winstedpta.org/ if you have any questions.

We’re looking forward to connecting with you! Thanks for your support!

-Winsted PTA

Blaire Voigt, Speech-Language Pathologist, Winsted Elementary

Many of our Winsted Elementary students have younger family members at home who are under the age of five. If your household includes babies, toddlers, or preschoolers, you will want to know about the free Minnesota resource called, “Help Me Grow”. Help Me Grow connects families to resources that help young children develop, learn and grow. On the Help Me Grow website, you can learn about developmental milestones for children aged birth through 5 years old, get help for a child, and read articles about parenting and childhood development. If you have concerns about any aspect of your child’s development, you can also request support via the “Refer a Child” function. After you refer a child, the appropriate professionals will help you and your child get the support they need. Examples of support areas include walking, talking, eating, seeing, hearing, and playing/interacting with other children. Best news? It’s all free.

If you have a small child at home, or know of a family who might need support, check out the

website: https://helpmegrowmn.org/HMG/index.htm or simply type “Help Me Grow” into the

search feature on your Internet browser. Early intervention can change lives, and it never hurts to

check whether your child is on track for meeting their milestones. Happy growing and learning!

Holly Adams, First Grade, Winsted Elementary

The first graders at Humphrey Elementary just finished up learning about their 5 senses in Health. We spent time learning the 5 senses: Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell, and Taste. Each day they learned the importance of each sense, what we use that sense for, and how to take care of the sense or that body part. We also spent time putting each sense to the test. For the sense of sight we played the game “I spy” to describe items around the room to be able to guess what we could see. For the sense of hearing, we listened to some pre-recorded sounds and tried to guess the sound. Some sounds, like a dentist drill, were a bit tough to recognize! As we talked about the sense of touch, we felt objects around the room and described their textures. Testing our sense of smell was a lot of fun. The first graders worked in groups to smell scents in 4 bottles, and then match the bottle to the picture showing the scent. There were a lot of cheers when the correct scents were announced and we discovered our noses work well! The final day of the unit was spent doing a taste test. We tasted four flavors, salty, bitter, sour, and sweet. Most of the first graders enjoyed salty pretzels and sour lemons. We tried baking chocolate for bitter, and discovered that is not a flavor many of us like. Sweet milk chocolate was an all around favorite!

Overall, the unit was enjoyed by all. The first graders explored their senses while learning how we use these senses in our daily lives, and how our senses can protect us or warm us in times of danger.

Looking for a way to support our students and staff this year? Join us for our next PTA meeting on January 9th at 6:30 PM at Humphrey Elementary! This is a great opportunity to stay connected, share ideas, and help support our wonderful staff. Whether you're new to the school or a long-time supporter, we'd love to have you there!

In addition to attending the meeting, you can make a big impact by contributing to our teachers’ wish lists. These lists include items that will directly support and enhance classroom learning. Browse the wish lists here: https://www.teacherwishlists.com/wishlists/citylist.php?cid=mn108918&school=Humphrey+Elementary. Your generosity is truly appreciated!

Be sure to follow the Lakers PTA Facebook page for updates on school events and ways you can get involved. If you have any questions or want more information, feel free to reach out to us at humphreypta@gmail.com.

Thank you for supporting Humphrey Elementary!

December 5 - Winsted Elementary Grades 3-4 Musical Program, 1PM & 7PM, HLWW Laker Theater
December 12 - Winsted Elementary PTA Meeting - 6:30 PM
December 13 - HLWW 2 Hour Late Start

December 23-31 - HLWW No School - Winter Break
January 1 - HLWW No School - Winter Break

January 9 - Humphrey Elementary PTA Meeting - 6:30 PM