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Wildwood Elementary School |
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The eNews is the official electronic newsletter of Wildwood Elementary School. |
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Now-December 5: Wildwood Collection of New Children's & Young Adult Books for Zephyr Service Project
Now-November 23: MAEF Fall Fund Drive: Empowering Student Experiences
November 21: 1st Grade Field Trip to see U of M Marching Band
November 21: Family Fun Movie Night (Bad Guys 2) @ WW 6PM
November 24: Card Sharks @ WW
November 26: All School Comfy Cozy/Pajama Day
November 26: All School Student Bingo during the day
November 27-28: Thanksgiving Break, No School
December 1: Teacher Professional Day - No School
December 11: Teacher Buffet
December 15: Missoula registration due Click here
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This Issue's Top Highlights |
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Just a reminder, there will be no school on November 27 & 28 for a Thanksgiving Break. Also, there will be no school on December 1st as it is a Teacher Professional Day. |
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Join us tomorrow, Friday, November 21st at Wildwood for a PTO Movie Night, featuring Bad Guys 2! Details below. |
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Principal's Spotlight on Learning |
.Each month, Principal Scott Briske spotlights learning happening
at our school. This month, the principal's spotlight focuses on Staff Expertise. |
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At Wildwood Elementary, our mission is to lay the foundational pathway for every K-2 student's lifelong journey of learning. Every day, we strive to create a positive, supportive, and academically rigorous environment.
It starts with the classroom environment. Every staff member is trained in Responsive Classroom (RC) Practices. Responsive Classroom is a student-centered approach to teaching and learning that is founded on the belief that for students to have academic success, they must also have social and emotional competence.
Our staff utilizes these practices daily to:
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Build a Strong Community: Implementing practices like Morning Meeting to build a sense of belonging and establish clear expectations.
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Teach Self-Regulation: Explicitly teaching children how to manage their emotions and behaviors.
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Foster Engagement: Creating engaging lessons that promote a high level of student independence and academic ownership.
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Reading is the cornerstone of all future learning, and our staff is deeply invested in teaching students the fundamental skills they need to become confident readers.
All of our staff members are trained in LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). LETRS is a comprehensive, research-based professional development program that provides educators with the deep knowledge and skills required to teach reading and writing effectively. LETRS training focuses on the "how" and "why" of literacy instruction, grounding our teachers in the science of reading. This expertise ensures that our staff can:
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Diagnose Skill Gaps: Accurately identify exactly where a student is struggling.
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Implement Effective Phonics Instruction: Teach students the relationship between sounds and letters in a systematic way.
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Build Comprehension: Use evidence-based strategies to develop both word recognition and language comprehension skills, following Scarborough’s Rope model for skilled reading.
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Combined with our foundational skill resource, UFLI, and Wit and Wisdom, this advanced training ensures your child receives the most effective, research-backed literacy instruction available from the start.
Beyond our school-wide approaches, we have staff members who focus on providing targeted support when a child needs it most. We have staff members who are highly trained in behavior management and de-escalation practices. These teachers understand the social-emotional aspects of a child's development. They view challenging behaviors not as defiance, but as communication and do everything they can to help students when they need it.
We also have staff dedicated to small group interventions for students who struggle in literacy and math. These specialists work with intentionality and use diagnostic data to close specific skill gaps. By providing intensive, focused instruction in a small-group setting, we ensure that every student has the opportunity to master foundational skills and stay on track with their peers.
While research, training, and expertise are essential, we believe the true magic of our K-2 environment lies in the warmth and care provided by our staff. Our mission of laying the foundational pathway is supported by a simple but powerful commitment: we are great at supporting students.
Thank you for your partnership in your child’s education.
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Scott Briske, Principal
Wildwood Elementary School
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Winter Weather Information |
When cold weather arrives in Minnesota, we want to ensure you have the information you need about weather emergency communications related to closings, delays, and early dismissals. Click here to read the email shared with our school community to learn more about the three types of weather-related messages you may see during emergency weather. Be sure to check your Infinite Campus account to ensure your contact information is up to date. If your phone or email contact has recently changed, please contact Nanette Chow at nanette.chow@isd832.net |
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Unfortunately, we are seeing constant issues of speeding, aggressively driving, like cutting cars off or not allowing cars by, and families on cell phones while driving. These behaviors in our lots during drop off and pick up create serious safety risks for our preschool and elementary students as well as our staff. Click here to read the message shared with our school community. The following are the expectations for driving in our parking areas: |
- Drive slowly, the speed limit is 10 when approaching, leaving, and on our school grounds.
- Follow staff directions when approaching and leaving the school.
- No phone use while driving or during pickup or dropoff.
- Model kindness and grace to other vehicles engaged in pickup and drop-off.
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Zephyr Service Project: Gift Assistance |
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On Wednesday, November 26th we will be having an All School Comfy Cozy/Pajama Day! |
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Spread Some Holiday Cheer |
MPTO hospitality is putting together a Teacher Holiday Buffet on Thursday, December 11 in the teacher lounges at Wildwood and OHA, and we need your help to make it merry and bright!
We are gathering snack and beverage donations to treat our amazing teachers this season. If you’d like to help, just click the link to sign up and add a little extra sparkle to their day!
Thank you for helping us celebrate and appreciate our wonderful staff!
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Mark your calendars! The Community Education Winter/Spring catalog is coming soon. Registration for classes and events opens on December 9 at 8 am!
How to view the Winter/Spring catalog:
Stay tuned–a virtual edition of our catalog will be available on Eleyo later this month for you to get a first glance at the hundreds of opportunities coming your way this winter/spring.
Print catalogs will be mailed to Mahtomedi families and the community in late November!
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Last Thursday, the second graders took a field trip to the Ordway to witness Native Pride Productions. They watched as Native Pride dancers breathed life into an exhilarating fusion of modern and traditional Native American dance styles. Adorned in striking regalia—an explosion of colors with ribbons, feathers, beads, and furs— the dancers paid homage to their elders while illuminating the legacy of cultural arts. |
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National Community Education Day |
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Kindergarten Turkey Trouble Fun! |
Our Kindergarten students recently invited families to join in a fun, creative project inspired by the book Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. Families were challenged to “disguise” a turkey, just like the clever turkey in the story who tries to avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner! Families sent in so many imaginative projects, from turkeys dressed as unicorns to turkeys full of color. It was wonderful to see students and families working together to bring the story to life, and it made our classroom a little more colorful (and a lot more fun!) |
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All classes at Wildwood participated in Bus Safety this week! It was a wonderful opportunity to review expectations about how to be kind, helpful, and safe while waiting for the bus and riding to and from school. Students were excellent listeners and asked good questions. We are looking forward to great experiences on our buses this year! Thanks for all you do at home to reinforce safe and appropriate bus behavior. |
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MAEF Fall Fund Drive: Empowering Student Experiences |
Your gift to MAEF’s Fall Fund Drive (now through Nov. 23) helps foster innovative learning & celebrate student success in our schools. Because of supporters like you, Zephyr students are discovering new opportunities, sparking curiosity in the classroom, & building bright futures.
Click here to make your gift today!
Together, we can make a difference for Mahtomedi students!
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The School eNews contains information about our students, staff, and programs. The School eNews is published once a week and archives are available at www.mahtomedi.k12.mn.us/page/enews |
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