A Bounty of Thanks...

 This week and always!

 

 

Thanksgiving Delights
On Thanksgiving Day we're thankful for
Our blessings all year through,
For family we dearly love,
For good friends, old and new.

For sun to light and warm our days,
For stars that glow at night,
For trees of green and skies of blue,
And puffy clouds of white.

We're grateful for our eyes that see
The beauty all around,
For arms to hug, and legs to walk,
And ears to hear each sound.

The list of all we're grateful for
Would fill a great big book;
Our thankful hearts find new delights
Everywhere we look!  

Below is a list of what some of our what some of our students are thankful for this year.

 

"I am thankful for...

my parents"

my turtle"

my house"

my clothes"

trail mix"

my birds, Crackers and Cheese"

scarecrows and turkeys"

my whole family, even my brother"

oranges"

football, soccer and baseball"

my friends"

my hermit crab"

baking cookies"

moon and stars"

bananas"

the sun for boat rides"

hugs and kisses"

my bed, a blanket and yogurt"

lamps in my room, 'cause it's really dark"

jalapeno cheese popcorn because it's my favorite"

the solar system"

people who serve food at Willow Glen"

my house, Santa and campfires"

that God made my mom and dad"

my whole, entire family"

 

While away from your children, our teachers have plans this holiday with family and friends.  Here are some ways that our Willow Glen teachers will be spending Thanksgiving:

 

Mrs. Boening - Visiting in-laws with family

Mrs. Coplan - Visiting in-laws with family

Mrs. Dropik - Visiting in-laws with family in Illinois (needs to bring a desert and crafts)

Mrs. Cogburn - Cooking at home and enjoying her family

Mrs. Michalski - Visiting relatives (needs to bring a vegetable medley)

Mrs. Payment - Enjoying family

Mrs. Reeves - Preparing meal on Saturday for her family

Mrs. Roberts - Visiting family in Appleton (needs to bring a pie)

Mrs. Sanfilippo - Visiting family (needs to bring a broccoli cheese dish)

Mrs. Andre - Visiting with family

Mrs. Korpela - Visiting with family (needs to bring tofu)

Ms. Legwinski - Spending time with family and friends

Mrs. Dowd - Both visiting (AM) and hosting (PM)

Mrs. Erceg - Cooking at home and enjoying her family

Mrs. Lemke - Visiting with family

Mrs. Jordan - Cooking at home and enjoying her family

Mrs. Grafwallner - Cooking at home and enjoying her family

Mrs. Kulig - Spending time with husband

Mrs. Jakubowksi - Visiting family in Slinger (needs to bring a desert)

Nurse Diana - Visiting family on Thursday, and then hosting a "Orphan's Thanksgiving" on Friday (cooking for 25 people who are alone this holiday)

Mrs. Krochalk - Visiting with family

Mr. Fredrickson - Skiing in Colorado

Mrs. Dayton - Cooking for family

Mrs. Maslowski - Visiting with family (needs to bring a vegetable casserole)

Mrs. Chiaverotti - Cooking for family (Son coming home from Marines!)

Mrs. Duren - Visiting with family (needs to bring a birthday cake)

Mrs. Koch - Visiting with family (needs to bring a green bean casserole)

Mrs. Marsh - Visiting with family

Mr. Shanafelt - Visiting with family
Mr. Stelloh - Cooking for his family

Miss Patty - Cooking a meal for her family up north

Mrs. Pogorzelski - Visiting with family (needs to bring a green bean casserole)

 

Most of us will also be watching the Green Bay Packers!

 

Enjoy your time with family and friends this Thanksgiving, and thank you for sharing your children with us!

 

 

 





Gobbling Up Another Great Week

A Time to be Thankful...

The next blog, which will be posted on November 26th, will offer student thoughts on what they are thankful for.
Be sure to log on!

Thank you to all the parents that attended the PTO meeting, which was held this past week at Willow Glen.  Please remember that PTO is a wonderful opportunity to become involved in the schools. 

Highlights of the meeting include:

• Presentation from Chartwell regarding the school lunch program
• Presentation from myself and Mr. Powell (DC Principal) regarding state led initiatives, and their impact on the SFSD.  These initiatives include:  Common Core Standards, Smarter Balanced Assessments, Educator Effectiveness and School Report Cards.
• Principal reports from WG/DC
• Discussion on requests for funding from PTO.

THANK YOU PTO FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND FUNDING FOR:
Character Trait Banner (Fairness)
     & Zoo visit TO Willow Glen for Second Grade

Gator Time began this week! 
We began Gator Time last year, in an effort to continue to meets student needs.  On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, students gather for this activity. Staff begins by analyzing MAP data and dividing students into flexible groups, based on need.  All groups receive instruction that is tailored just for them...Whether it be for additional support in a content area, or for extension and enrichment. These groups meet with an educator for 30 minutes per day, on these 3 days.  The students enjoy the opportunity to work with new friends and new educators during Gator Time, and learn new things that are "just right" for them!

Looking ahead...
It will be a short week.  Many of the classroom activities that were described in last week's blog, will continue through Wednesday.

Have a fantastic weekend and remember to read!

It's Going to be a Great Week!

First, thank you so much to all who attended Parent/Teacher Conferences on November 13th.  It is my hope that you learned more about your child's growth over the past 2 1/2 months, as well as how you can support classroom efforts at home.  It is an honor to serve you and your children!

As we head into the week of November 18th, some wonderful things lie ahead...

K4 - Welcome to Pick-n-Save!  With the collaborative efforts of many parents and staff, the K4 grocery store will be open for customers.  Our littlest learners are very excited for the grand opening on Monday!

K5 - Students will be focusing on "Writing as Readers".  They will be approaching their writing through the eyes of the reader, and offering details to their stories.  The children are also engaged in Thanksgiving activities, as we prepare for the upcoming holiday.

Grade 1 - The children are beginning to write non-fiction chapter books.  They will be putting their previous learning to task, as they compose some very interesting informational pieces!

Grade 2 - In Social Studies, the learners have been working on map and globe skills.  They are discovering where the equater is, and can identify the northern and southern hemispheres.

Grade 3 - Much like their younger friends, third graders are beginning to write informational chapter books.  The level of sophistication will be higher...It is fun to see the skills that a first grader brings to writing, in comparison to a third grader on a such an activity.  The writing program at Willow Glen has prepared the students to be great authors!

In other news...
I wanted to let you know that We Energies will be doing some work near Willow Glen in the coming weeks.  At the request of the City of St. Francis, they are installing a new street light on the pole along the alley, west of the school.  To provide service to this light, new overhead wire will be strung to the poles along the school's property line.  Tree trimming may also occur, in an effort to allow for adequate clearance of the new wires.  So...You may see some improvements occurring in the community in the very near future!

HELP WANTED
We are in need of substitute lunchroom/playground supervisors.  The position requires on-call availabilty during the hours of 11:00-1:15.  Please see myself or Patty for more information. 

Please consider attending the next PTO meeting on November 20th.  It will be held at Willow Glen at 6:30PM.  Mr. Powell and myself will be addressing initiatives in education at the state level, which will affect our district.  Come and learn more about it!

November 19th is our next Parent/Teacher Conference date.  Take a look at last week's blog to learn some "tips" for making it a meaningful experience.

Have a fantastic weekend and upcoming week...We can all begin to reflect on things in our lives that we are thankful, and your children are at the top of our list at Willow Glen!

Wonderful Week of November 11, 2013

It looks like this blog is beginning to grow, as 65 people read it last week!
This is a great start...Tell your friends, neighbors, family members to consider logging on.  Once again, the goal is to share meaningful information with our Willow Glen community!

Highlights for the Coming Week:
K4 - Teachers are getting the classroom ready to open their very own Pick-n-Save grocery store.  Thank you to all parents who donated items for this special learning experience.  The store should be ready for business during the week of Nov. 18th.
K5 - Students will be learning about nutrition and eating healthy.  With the holidays approaching, the timing of these lessons will be perfect.  They should eat their veggies!
Grade 1 - Celebrations of Writing!  Students recently completed their first small moments, personal narrative.
Grade 2 - Second graders will be learning about place value during math class.  Additionally, classrooms will be engaging in some Veteran's Day activities.
Grade 3 - Children will be introduced to a new science unit which focuses on animals and their adaptations.  This is generally a favorite topic in third grade.  Watch for a fun, informative culminating project in the coming weeks!

Dates to Remember...
(Mr. Z's Fundraiser pick-up was yesterday.)
Monday, November 11 - Veteran's Day
Wednesday, November 13 - Early Dismissal at 11:15AM, Parent Teacher Conferences 12:30-3:30PM and 4:30-7:30PM

Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences...
Parent-teacher conferences present an excellent opportunity to find out how your child is adjusting to the new school year and to get to know his/her teacher.

Teachers may be sharing assessment information from the beginning of the school year.  You will have the opportunity to learn how your child performed on reading, math and writing assessments. 

Some things to consider before/during the conference:

• Ask your child if there is anything that he/she would like you to discuss with the teacher.
• Jot down everything that you want to talk about at the conference.
• Arrive promptly or a few minutes early.
• Be open-minded to suggestions from the teacher.
• Take notes about what has been discussed to share with your child.
• Be mindful about your allotted time!

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to make this a valuable, positive experience for you.

Mornings at Willow Glen
Each morning, there are para professionals who are assigned to supervise students outside, beginning just before 8:00AM.  Teachers hours are from 8:00-4:00pm.  This makes it a challenge to offer teacher supervision before school.  Most staff arrive prior to 8:00am, as they offer much of their personal time to prepare the classroom for your children. With this being said, we are still in need of additional supervision outside prior to the bell ringing.  For this reason, all staff members are on a rotation schedule, in which they provide supervision at the first grade doors.  You may see different teachers out there every day, but please know that our Willow Glen staff is highly collaborative, and they maintain consistent behavioral expectations from all students.  We are also a small, close community, so our teachers tend to know many students by name and have nice relationships with "former" students.  I try to circulate around all the doors in the morning, whenever I am able.  Balls and playground equipment are not permitted. Please let me know if there is anything that I need to be aware of.  Your feedback is valuable,  and our goal is to provide a calm, safe environment for our children prior to a full day of learning! 

Bundle up your "bundles of love"...It is getting chilly outside!

Remember to read together!

Willow Glen Principal's Blog

Welcome to the Willow Glen Principal's Blog Spot!

The purpose of this blog is to communicate pertinent school information, and provides another venue to learn more about the wonderful things that are happening at Willow Glen.  It is my goal to share important dates, building initiatives, and classroom highlights that you may find of value.  This blog will be updated with calendar information weekly, and school/classroom information as needed.

Week of November 4-8

• Grade 3 WKCE testing in the area of math, will occur daily from 8:30am-10:00am.
• Board of Education Meeting 11/4
• "Principal's Corner" monthly newsletter sent home 11/6
• Grade 1 will be attending Wehr Nature Center 11/6
• Market Day Pick Up 11/8

Our School Improvement Plan at Willow Glen focuses on improvement in reading achievement at every grade level.  The information below, provides you with general themes/concepts that students are working on in the area of English Language Arts.  Please know that the areas of concentration detailed below, may extend for several weeks.  Learning is a progression!

This month...

Kindergarten
Kindergartners draw, dictate, or write informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. Their oral language is enhanced through sharing work with others.

Grade 1
Students apply strategies to read appropriate texts and investigate topics of interest. With teacher support, students write informative/explanatory texts by using illustrations and words to share facts about topics that interest them.

Grade 2
Students make connections to the texts with topics of interest, as they focus on the authors' use of words and visual images. Students ask/answer questions to demonstrate their connection to and understanding of the text. Students apply strategies as they write using the structure of informative/explanatory texts to show their understanding of the topic.

Grade 3
Students read a variety of short informational texts (e.g., books, articles, etc.) in order to extend their own knowledge about topics of interest while teaching others. Students read for the big ideas and supporting details in the texts and use text features and search tools to locate information.  They will be checking what they already know while confirming, revising, or adding to their current knowledge about the topic. 

In other news...

November Character Trait = RESPONSIBILITY

Anti-Bullying Activity = Creating Public Service Announcements (Grade 3/Share with school community)


Willow Glen Principal's Bloghttp://www.stfrancisschools.org/schools/willowglen/wgprincipalspage.cfm