Greg Grana, Woodlawn Middle School Principal,
I Have Accepted Your Challenge!
Please, Become a Kildeer Blogger Follower TODAY!!!!
Any parents who have read this week's Woodlawn Principal's Message have seen the "throw down" of a Mr. Grana. He points out that he has 115 Principal Message Blogger "followers", while the elementary schools are in the teens. If you look to the right of this message, you will see the option to become a follower. While I pointed out to Mr. Grana that parents don't choose to follow because they are automatically delivered the message to their email boxes each Friday, I can no longer handle the gloating. Please, I beg of you, become a follower of this blog TODAY, so that we can show the middle school how we roll at Kildeer. We must take him down. If this isn't enough encouragement for you to do this, I also want you to know he's a die-hard fan of the Green Bay Packers. Please, Become a Kildeer Blogger Follower TODAY!!!!
In all seriousness, becoming a follower lets us know that you are proud of Kildeer School and check in weekly to keep up with the important information shared in this message. Show your Cougar Pride by clicking "join this site." THANK YOU!
A Look Back...
Fire Drill ~ Students participated in a fire drill today and did an amazing job. Not only did they exit the building quickly, but they closely followed directions and remained calm and quiet at all times. The Fire Department and I thanked them for following directions and making safe choices!
Morning Routine ~ Students have quickly transitioned to the new morning routine we established at the beginning of this school year. As a quick summary if this is your first year at Kildeer, last year children came from their buses and parent pick up and went into the small gym, cafeteria, and learning center until our classroom entry bell rang. This year children come from their buses and go straight to their lockers to "get their brains and bodies ready" to learn and do their best. I visited every classroom on the first day of school and explained it like this:
- Why the change? We figured out if we used our morning wait time to unpack and get ready to learn, we could add about 15 minutes a day, or 1 hour and 15 minutes a week of instructional time! That's a lot of learning!
- How do we get our bodies ready? We take off our coats/jackets, unpack our backpacks, and get our classroom materials ready to go.
- How do we get our brains ready? Once we are all set to go we can sit together with our class, talk to our neighbors next to us or read a book. When the bell rings we can immediately go into the classroom and "Voila!" We are ready to learn!
An added bonus to this plan is that previously there were a significant number of student conflicts that would begin on the bus and escalate into discipline incidents in the larger "holding areas" as students waited to be released. I'm thrilled to report that there hasn't been a single discipline incident during morning time all year. The children come in off of the buses, go immediately to their lockers and get ready to go. Overall, this is a change that is great for kids; more learning time and a positive, relaxed way to start every day!
In addition to the thorough adult supervision during this time our Cougar Paw Patrol (4th and 5th grade students) help to support this time by recognizing positive choices with Cougar Paws. Also, please don't worry about winter, as there is plenty of room for coats, boots, etc., without students sitting in water. We do not anticipate this will be a problem, and will soon be seated in arrangements that anticipate the winter weather.
Cougar Challenge ~ Boy, did we have a beautiful day for our Cougar Challenge. The weather was gorgeous and students ran...and ran...and ran! We chuckled as students shared the number of laps they did that seemed to go up and up throughout the day. I think the largest number of laps around our building I heard was 40 by a sweet little first grader with tiny little legs. We love hearing their "fish tales" on this day! :) Truly, the students did do an awful lot of running and walking. It was an event packed with fun and fitness. Thank you to Mrs. Blair, Mr. Emde, and Mrs. Holzman for all of their planning that made it so much fun. Thank you to the many parent volunteers and our PTO that helped to make it all happen! It was a fantastic event!
A Look Ahead...
Keepin' Up with Kildeer ~ Next week, Thursday, October 4th at 9:00-10:00 a.m., is our first Keepin' up with Kildeer meeting. This is an informal gathering for us to connect and chat about what's up at Kildeer. Next week we'll have our first meeting to establish some topics for the remainder of our meetings this year. I'm also excited to share with you some of the new things we have in place around our Cougar 5. All parents are welcome to come. I ask that you R.S.V.P. to Mrs. Campbell at pcampbell@kcsd96.org if you plan on attending so we can choose a space that will accommodate the group.
Halloween Costumes ~ On October 31 the children should come dressed to school in their Halloween costumes. As you are shopping for or crafting the perfect costume, please keep a few things in mind for a school appropriate costume.
- "Kid friendly" in ease of changing: Children come to school in their regular clothes and must change into their costumes independently after lunch. Any hair color or makeup must be applied before coming to school.
- "Kid friendly" for content: No weapons (real or fake!), blood, super scariness, or general ickiness should be a part of the costume. Any hair color or makeup must be simple and should not distract anyone from learning for the day. Also, we assume all costumes will follow our school dress code, meaning no bare tummies or inappropriate clothing (content or fit). Masks following all of the aforementioned guidelines may be worn for the parade, however, not on the bus or throughout the school day.
Picture Day ~ Picture Day is scheduled for Monday, October 15th. Please look for forms to come home with your child on Monday, October 1st.
Forms & Information
Calendar Highlights for Next Week
This is a brief look at what's ahead. Please be sure to follow D96 ENews and our Kildeer PTO Newsletter.
- Thursday, October 4 - Keepin' Up With Kildeer at 9:00-10:00 a.m.
- Friday, October 5 - NO SCHOOL Teacher Institute Day
- Monday, October 8 - NO SCHOOL Columbus Day
PTO Highlight of the Week
Thanks to our PTO for all of your support!
