Washington Learning Center News
"Learning for fun, learning for growth, learning for life"
April 2024 Message from Principal Brown
As we move into our beautiful spring season, please remember to dress children appropriately for the varying changes in the weather throughout the day. The ground will still be wet and messy and snow pants will help keep clothing clean and dry.
The kindergartners are making amazing academic progress this year! We are so proud of them. Our winter FAST scores were fantastic and we look forward to measuring their progress again this spring. Soon they will be first graders!
In the works at WLC...
WLC staff are currently working on preparing for the implementation of the READ Act for the 2024 - 2025 school year. This requires additional professional development for our teachers in the Science of Reading. Many of our kindergarten teachers have already received the first half of LETRS training. Next year's training will also include the preschool teachers.
Our teachers are also in the midst of reviewing a new math curriculum to be piloted this spring and implemented next fall.
LAST CALL for yearbooks!
Orders due by APRIL 8TH
Late orders can not be accepted.
WLC Yearbooks are 24 full colored pages and include WLC staff, Eagles preschool classes, Ms. Niki Greenwood's class, kindergarten classes and lots of candid photos. (The Headstart class is NOT included). Please scan the QR code to order or click here & use ordering ID Code: 14815724.
IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR KINDERGARTEN PARENTS
NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS ON FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2024.
All other grades (1-12) DO have school this day. This is to allow for our kindergarten registration event to be held. Thank you for your understanding!
Don't miss WLC's kindergarten registration event NEXT WEEK...
If you have a child who is eligible for kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year (age 5 by September 1, 2024) Please make sure to RSVP to attend our event.
Mark your calendar!
- Monday, April 8th-Friday, 12th: Severe Weather Awareness Week
- Monday, April 8th, 2024 - Yearbook ordering deadline (No late orders can be accepted).
- Thursday, April 11th & Friday, April 12th - WLC Kindergarten Registration
- FRIDAY, APRIL 12th - NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN (all other grades in the district have school this day)
- Friday, April 19th - NO SCHOOL Staff Workshop
- Friday, April 19th, 2024 - Eagles Extravaganza
- Monday, May 6th-Friday, May 17th - Kindergarten Spring FAST Testing
- Thursday, May 9th, 2024 - preschool & kindergarten attending AG. Day at the Middle School
- Monday, May 27th, 2024 - No School, Memorial Day Holiday
- Thursday, May 30th - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL for kindergarten & Eagles Preschool
Registration Dates
Eagles Preschool Registration is OPEN! Click the picture to register NOW:
April Menus
Breakfast is FREE for all students from 7:30am-8:00am. Please remember if your child is needing to eat breakfast at school they need to be here early enough to make it up to their classroom by 8:00 A.M. Kindergarten does officially start at 8:00 A.M. and students will begin to be marked tardy if they are coming up late from breakfast. Thank you for your assistance and effort in helping the students be up to their classrooms to get their days started on time.
Lunch is FREE for all students. If your student brings a lunch from home but purchases milk there will be a charge of $0.55 to their lunch account.
Food Services Director - Teri Jespersen
We will be welcoming a new food services director this month. Please help us welcome Kayla Neyers to the ISD 88 team! If you have any food service needs please reach out to her at: kneyers@newulm.k12.mn.us. Thank you!
ECFE - Betty Uehling
While most ECFE classes are wrapping up, other classes are just starting...and we have a ton of events coming up!
Families can still jump into the following classes:
Peaceful Parenting, Mindful Mamas @ECFE, Frida Doula @ECFE Prepared Childbirth, and our class for 0-12 month olds and their parents.
Upcoming ECFE Events:
- Community Baby Shower: Saturday, April 6
- Daddy Daughter Dance: April 14
- Family Fair, April 27
- ECFE/Eagles Preschool Parent Advisory Board: Friday, April 26
- Family Fair: April 27
- Mom and Son Superhero Dance: April 28
- Vehicle Fair: May 15
- Keep an eye on our Facebook page: ECFE-New Ulm for more information and other upcoming events.
- Online registration: https://newulm.ce.eleyo.com/
Peaceful Parenting Classes
Daddy Daughter Dance
Mom & Son Superhero Dance
Eagles Preschool - Ms. Carla
Greetings from Preschool!
This year, your child has been participating in an exciting program called S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K which stands for Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training. S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K is a multi-sensory approach to learning for 3-5 year olds that involves brain stimulation activities, to help prepare your child to learn. This program develops visual, auditory, balance, fine and gross motor readiness, all required skills essential for classroom and academic success. The S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K Activities also improve your child’s physical fitness, strength, coordination and ability to pay attention. Once these readiness skills are in place, your child will have the foundation necessary to succeed in school.
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-k Activities involve a number of purposeful exercises, including:
Crawling
Creeping
Spinning
Balancing
Rolling
The S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K Activities are integrated into the daily classroom schedule in a fun and positive way to help your child reach his/her full learning potential!
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Don't forget about the Eagles Preschool Fundraiser:
Mark your calendars for Eagles Preschool Special Person Days!
Kindergarten - Mrs. Niehoff
I can’t believe it is already April. March was a very fast month! It started with a Spring break
which was a great time for everyone to relax and regroup for the rest of the school year. After
the break we came back to school and had conferences. It was great to see all our parents and
to discuss how your child is learning and growing so much this year.
In math, they have been practicing number writing, measuring sizes of items, and comparing
numbers. They can add numbers to 10 and find partners of numbers through 10. We are also
practicing addition and subtraction strategies.
In reading we have just learned the letters N, M and P. Currently we are learning the letter V
and will focus on W, K, and Qu in the next few weeks. The students are blending words,
decoding and reading their Superkids books. They are very proud of how well they can read.
Our new Science unit is focusing on plants and animals. The students are excited to start
planting seeds and watch them sprout. Hopefully the weather will decide to get nice and stay
that way so they can do some planting outdoors in the garden as well.
Physical Education - Ms. Lindell
March was madness! Kindergartners started the month by learning basketball skills including; dribbling, bounce passing, chest passing, catching, and shooting the ball to make some baskets. Next, the kindergartners jumped into the jump rope unit where they practiced short and long jump rope skills. While jumping the long jump rope, students used teamwork to learn how to turn the long jump rope together. They finished the unit by earning various “Jump Rope Ninja Belts” based on how many jumps they achieved in a row with a teacher-turned-long jump rope. April will be “popping” with excitement as the kindergartners will work on volleying skills with balloons. They will learn how to volley using various body parts to keep the balloon in the air, for example, their hand, elbow, head, and knee. Kindergartners will also get to play 1v1 balloon volleyball. Next, the kindergartners will learn how to strike or hit a ball on the ground using their hands to play games like gaga ball, wall ball, and striker ball. As soon as the weather warms up and dries up, phy ed will move outside for the remainder of the school year. We will wrap up the end of the school year by learning how to throw frisbees, bat/strike in t-ball, and play kickball.
Don’t forget to stay active for at least 60 minutes each day! With the weather warming up, the opportunities are endless!!
Library, Technology & STEM - Mrs. Angela Hoek
March’s Scholastic Book Fair Great Success!
Thank you to parents, grandparents, community members, and staff for supporting the WLC Library’s Scholastic Book Fair in March. The library received $2000 worth of books and materials for the students to enjoy and read. Your generosity also placed 77 books into the classroom through the teacher wish list program. Thank you again for your support!
Angela Hoek WLC Media Specialist.
Special Education - Mrs. Lisa Falk
Picky eaters can be a challenge for parents, especially when young children in preschool and kindergarten have an extreme aversion to trying new foods. Sometimes children have sensory issues with color, texture, sweet, salty or savory. Sometimes children get stuck on a few favorite food choices. Occasionally, the reason why is obscure. For parents and caregivers having a picky eater can be frustrating and overwhelming. We all want our children to be healthy and this starts with eating a variety of healthy foods. What can you do if you have a picky eater?
There are some strategies parents can try to help their child(ren) who may be struggling to try new foods and to eat a variety of foods; Reading stories before meal time, watching videos, steps to tasting a new food visual, “play cafe” - learn about a fun snack and child participates in making the snack, involve child(ren) in meal planning, meal prep, and clean-up, establishing expectations for meal time (helping set table/clean up, how to sit at the table, can chose 1 food only that they don’t have to eat. You can also have fun with doing “new food taste test” - the child is given a small portion of a new food. They need to use their senses - look at it, smell it, touch it, taste it 3 times. Ask questions - How does it feel? How does it sound? Is it salty, sweet, sour, or savory?
It’s important to teach children what is appropriate to say and do when trying a new food. They can say, “I don’t like it” or “It’s not my favorite” or “I don’t want to try this again.” It’s not ok or appropriate to make gagging noises or other behaviors you feel is inappropriate.
Praise children every time they try a new food!
Explore different strategies and determine which might work best for your child.
*Key points to keep in mind -
Children should be encouraged to take 3 bites of a new food
A food needs to be tried 20 times before determining if we like it or not
Pick a strategy that you think will work best for your child and be consistent with the strategy for a minimum of 2 weeks and maximum of 4 weeks. If the strategy is not working. Try a different strategy for the same amount of time.
It’s ok if a child tastes a new food and doesn’t like it.
Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher if you have concerns about your child or need additional resources.
Recommended Resources/Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OisbHlacKHM
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9i5MGpF_6JY
News from the Nurse
Licensed School Nurse, Tara Fausch
April is Stress Awareness Month. Stress is an automatic physical, mental, and emotional
response to change and challenges that everyone experiences and the majority of adults likely
don’t feel that we need a special month to be MORE aware of our stress! While we recognize
the multitude of stressors that we manage in our day to day lives, it may not be as easy to
recognize what may be stressing our kids. As with healthy diet and exercise habits, the lessons
we teach our children now about how to manage stress can serve them throughout their lives.
See below for what stress might look like in your child, and for ways that you can help them to
better manage it.
Signs of stress in children:
-Changes in their typical behavior
-Emotional outbursts or increased irritability
-Sleep issues: trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and/or having nightmares
-Struggling in school: with focus or in relationships with friends and classmates due to
having trouble managing their emotions
-Frequent headaches or stomach aches: stress causes the release of a hormone called
cortisol, which can contribute to these physical symptoms
-Increased defiance: when feeling overwhelmed, becoming defiant or stubborn may be a
way that your child is trying to get out of whatever situation is causing them stress
Stress prevention/reduction strategies:
-Create routines and maintain them: giving your child something that they can count on
being the same most of the time offers a sense of stability and consistency.
-Make finding time to talk part of your routine. Be creative. This can happen in the car on
the way home from school, while helping them get into jammies, or over a meal at the
table. Children tend to share more when not feeling pressured to talk specifically about
what may be stressing them and when they don’t have to look directly at you.
-Build choices into their day to offer a sense of control. This can be as simple as letting
them choose which fruit to have with their breakfast or what story to read at bedtime.
-Laugh. Try to find humor in your day to day and share this with your child. Laughing
relieves stress.
-Make playing as a family part of your routine. Go on a walk, play a board game, sing
and dance along with your favorite songs.
-Communicate with the other adults in your child’s life, such as teachers, daycare
providers, and parents of your child’s friends, about how things are going for your child
outside of home.
-Encourage healthy eating and sleeping habits
-Don’t create such a full schedule that there isn’t time for relaxation, fun, and self-care.
-Model appropriate stress management. Show your child that you can take a few deep
breaths before reacting so that they can follow your example.
Ways to help your child manage their stress:
-Set clear expectations for behaviors that you will and will not tolerate
-Let them know what you would like them to do, not what you wouldn’t like them to do
-Maintain your own calm so that you can act rather than react; Do not match their stress
or emotion level even when a behavior is upsetting. Be consistent, validate their
emotions, and follow through on the expectations that you have set.
-Let them know that it is okay to express emotions in appropriate ways
-Pick your battles: try to ignore any behavior that may be irritating, but is not unsafe, and
offer praise as soon as you see positive behavior
So, while our children’s lives will be full of changes and challenges that we have no
control over, we can work to help them to build a foundation for healthy stress management
habits that will serve them well now and in the future. For more information on stress in kids,
visit: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/stress.html, https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/children, or
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/stressed-out-kids.
- School Exclusion: variable-GI illnesses can be caused by many different germs. If a specific diagnosis is received, exclusion guidance for that specific diagnosis will be followed. If no diagnosis is known, exclusionwill be by symptoms. Typically 24 hours after last episode of diarrhea or vomiting or when they have been 24 hours fever free without the use of medications.
- What is it? Any illnesses affecting the gastrointestinal/digestive system.
- What does it look like (symptoms)? stomachache, abdominal pain or cramping, nausea, vomiting, change in bowel pattern, diarrhea (increased number and loose or watery stools), decreased appetite
- How does it spread? By coming into contact with the vomit or stool of an infected person or with a surface or item that has been contaminated with their vomit or stool.
- How long is it contagious? variable depending on specific germ that is causing the illness
- How to prevent it? Good hand washing habits. Keep hands away from your face (don’t rub eyes, bite nails, put hands near mouth). Stay home/keep your child home when having symptoms of illness. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces (door knobs, hand rails, etc.) more frequently.
- Where can I learn more about GI illnesses? kidshealth.org/en/parents/gastroenteritis.html
School Social Worker - Karla Fahey
.We are finishing up our lessons on bullying this week and will be starting our lessons on safety next week. Below are the topics that we will be discussing during our safety lessons. Home Links are also sent home via SeeSaw to keep you in the loop and help you talk with your students regarding these important topics as well!
Ways to Stay Safe
Recognize: Is it safe?
Refuse: Use words that mean no if it is not safe
Report: Ask an adult first and let them know if something is not safe
The Always Ask First Rule
If someone wants to give you something, take you somewhere, or do something with you, always ask an adult or the person in charge first!
Safe, Unsafe, and Unwanted Touches
Safe: Hugs, High-Fives
Unsafe: Kicking, hitting
Unwanted: Any safe or unsafe touch that you don’t want done to you, you can refuse! If they don’t stop, tell an adult!
Community Education - Crystal Fleck
The Spring/Summer brochure will be in The Journal on Saturday, March 30th, The Shopper on Tuesday, April 2nd, and Registration will open on Wednesday, April 10th @ 7:30 am! Be sure to get your kids signed up for all of our Summer activities!
Storybook Theatre presents: Rapunzel
July 8th-12th, 2024
Welcome to the Kingdom of Crescendo, a musical place to live! You’ve arrived just in time for the Mourning of the Lost Voice, King and Queen Coda’s daughter Rapunzel was stolen away by the Evil Witch long ago, and Crescendo has never been he same since. When King and Queen Coda develop a taste of a magical fruit, Bradley Baker must save the day! Alongside Bart and Bard, he travels into the woods to find the sought-after berries. Along the way they meet Unicorns but also meet some rock- obsessed Witches in Training and the awfully noisy Punk Rocks. Will our heroes be able to discover Rapunzel’s true identity and return her to Crescendo? Children, seven years and older will have the opportunity to audition for a part in this original musical production Rapunzel! Upon registration your child is automatically accepted into the cast—no acting experience is necessary. All rehearsals and performances will take place at the New Ulm High School Theater. Auditions for specific parts will take place Monday, July 8th from 8:00am to 10:00pm, with rehearsal following 10:00am-12:15pm. In general, rehearsal times will fall between 8:00am and 12:15pm. Monday through Thursday, Rehearsal times may vary by the part your child gets, so flexibility for pick-up/drop-off times is needed. Bring a snack and water bottle to each session! On Friday, rehearsal will begin late afternoon and will last right up to show time. Performances are Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. You must attend ALL rehearsals and all costumes, music, and scenery are provided and are included in the $25 registration fee. Ticket for the performance can be purchased at the door right before the performance and prices are as follows: Adult—$5.00 Students K-12—$3.00 Pre-School & Under—Free
Messy Art
Instructor: Kirsten Dean
Saturday, April 6, 2024 10:00am-11:30am
Washington Learning Center (door #1) Room # 104
Fee $15 Ages 5 and up Min 6/Max 11
Hands-on fun with a multimedia project. Kids will create their own works of art using their imaginations. Very hands-on and Messy fun!!!
Community Education Trips:
Till Beth Do Us Part at The Plymouth Playhouse Friday, May 17th, 2024 12:15pm- lunch & 1:15pm show Registration deadline March 17th, 2024 (Min of 40 to hold it) Fee: Charter bus, Ticket & Meal $85
The bus will leave at 9:30am from the Middle School Parking
Lot on South Garden Street.
This side-splitting romp about marriage and careers
introduces us to the Haydens. They are a married couple who both work and who decide an assistant is needed to help put the house in order. So they hire a highly motivated, gregarious Southerner named Beth. Little do they know, Beth is after Susannah’s Job! Throw in a of couple wise-cracking best friends and a British boss lady, and you discover the hazards of hiring an assistant can be hilarious! MENU- Pulled Pork with Jim Beam BBQ sauce | Potato Buns | Baked Bead with Bacon | Creamy Cole Slaw | Buttered Sweet Corn | House made Kettle Chips | Chocolate Chunk Brownies | Coffee & Iced Tea...| Vegetarian option- Fettuccini Alfredo |
Level Up Your Genealogy 2: Genealogy Boot Camp- Intermediate Class
Instructor: Jen Shaffer is a full-time professional genealogist and owner of The Formidable Genealogist
Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 from 6:30-7:30 pm Fee: $25
Moving beyond auto-generated hints on the big platforms like Ancestry.com and MyHeritage is the only way to make progress in your research. I will show you more ways to find obscure records, how to use them and research techniques used by the pros.
Kind Regards,
Crystal Fleck
Community Education Coordinator
Washington Learning Center
910 14th North Street New Ulm, MN 56073 | (-507-233-8307 | *- cfleck@newulm.k12.mn.us
Visit our website at http://www.newulm.k12.mn.us/community-ed/
Like us on Facebook communityed.newulm
Kindergarten Curbside Drop Off Times: 7:30 - 7:50 A.M.
All kindergartners should be dropped off no later than 7:50 A.M.
Please remember that the WLC school day begins at 8:00 A.M. The children may arrive at 7:30 if they are going to eat breakfast. If you have children that attend Jefferson and/or the Middle School, their school day begins later at 8:10 A.M. Please be sure to drop off your WLC student prior to Jefferson and/or the Middle School. WLC teachers take daily attendance and need to begin their instructional day at 8:00 A.M.
Children arriving late, past 7:50, will need to be brought into the office through door 1. Do not park your vehicle in the curbside lane. You will need to use the actual parking spaces.
Kindergarten Outdoor Play Time 7:30 - 7:50 A.M.
We have added an option for outdoor play time before school begins. Students will enter the building as they normally do then will have the option of eating breakfast, joining the activity room, or going outside.
If students eat breakfast at school, they will need to eat prior to going outside. During the winter months, students must have all of their winter clothing on in order to play outside.
Kindergarten School Day Begins at 8:00 A.M.
- If your child is planning on eating breakfast, please drop them off at 7:30 A.M.
We would like to see all kindergartners here no later than 7:50 so they have time to go to their lockers and be ready for the 8:00 A.M. start.
Some children arrive on the bus and we know they do not have control about the time they arrive at school. We do ensure that those children receive breakfast if they want it.
End of the day dismissal is 3:00 P.M. If you are waiting for your child at curbside, you will see them start to exit the building just after 3:00 P.M. We will dismiss students as soon as they come down according to the cars lined up at the cones.
Curbside pick up has been getting better everyday! Thank you for your assistance and support!
Drop Off / Pick Up Reminders
Preschool Pickup
Kindergarten Pickup
Parking and Entering the Building
We want to keep Franklin Street free of parked cars during drop off and pick up so parents waiting in cars can line up there and not block the street.
Thank you for your efforts in following these plan to keep everyone safe.
Please see the maps and contact the office with any questions. (507) 233-8300
Franklin Street
Preschool parent cars will be lining up along Franklin, the length of the parking lot, as they wait to turn right onto 14th N Street.
Kindergarten parents will continue to line up along the WEST side of Franklin just north of the parking lot entrance.
Thank you for your efforts in following these plan to keep everyone safe.
Please review the 2 maps below for preschool and kindergarten traffic plans.
U Turns on Franklin
We ask that all drivers enter the curbside drop off from the North (coming from 16th Street) and either get in line along Franklin Street curb and wait your turn to enter the curbside area so as not to block the driveway leading to the loading dock. We need to leave that open for delivery trucks, and our custodial and maintenance vehicles. Franklin is a very busy street in the morning and is not the place for U turns. If you haven't been following the procedures, please plan your morning routine to do so. If everyone is following the procedures, then everyone is assured to have a safe and positive experience.
The curbside drop off and pick up procedures will be shared with parents all throughout the year and will have a permanent posting on our newsletter. It is so important that ALL drivers follow the developed procedures. The procedures are in place in order to keep ALL people safe.
Washington Learning Center Quick Contacts
- Principal: Mrs. Dawn Brown, dbrown@newulm.k12.mn.us
- Office Secretaries: Nicole Hubert, nhubert@newulm.k12.mn.us & Amber Backous, abackous@newulm.k12.mn.us
- District Nurse: Tara Fausch, tfausch@newulm.k12.mn.us
- Health Assistant: Marya Helget., mhelget@newulm.k12.mn.us
- Community Education: Crystal Fleck, cfleck@newulm.k12.mn.us
- Early Childhood Family Education & Eagles Preschool: Betty Uehling, buehling@newulm.k12.mn.us
- School Social Worker: Karla Fahey, kfahey@newulm.k12.mn.us
Contact the WLC Office
Email: nhubert@newulm.k12.mn.us or abackous@newulm.k12.mn.us
Website: http://www.newulm.k12.mn.us/washington-learning-center/
Location: 910 14th North Street, New Ulm, MN, United States
Phone: (507) 233-8300
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NUPSwlc
Twitter: @NUPSwlc