9.9.22
It’s so hard to believe we just completed our first month of school! Wow, does time fly! It’s been such a great start to the school year. Thank you for sharing your children with us. We know each day counts, and we are already seeing so much growth in our students.
Yesterday, our primary students were able to experience Explorations time, when their teachers were collaborating and working on how to best support each child this year. We value and appreciate this time to work on challenging and supporting all of our students.
I wish each of you a great weekend. See you on Monday.
Julie
Upcoming Dates for Your Calendar:
Sunday, 11 - Patriot Day
Wednesday, September 21 - Early Release - 1:00 Dismissal
Friday, October 14: Windermere Fall Family Night with the UAHS Marching Band! 5-7 p.m.
Hawk Huddles: Did you know that a group of Hawks is called a huddle, hence, the name HAWK HUDDLES! Next week is our first Hawk Huddle with kindergarten through fifth graders. Every staff member at Windermere is helping to make these nine huddles this year a success. Our focus this year is on better understanding our role as a community member. Huddles are composed of students from multiple grade levels, and these groups will be the same all year and from year to year.
September’s Hawk Huddle Focus is I am Me! and this is connected to our Historical Thinking and Skills standards: Personal history can be shared through stories and pictures (Content Statements #2) Staff members are facilitating activities as we work towards creating more connections with other students in different grade levels.
School Picture MakeUp Day: is Thursday, Oct. 13th. You can order photo packages online at shop.hrimaging.com and enter Windermere in the search box.
DEI (Diversity, Equality & Inclusion): Our charge: is to develop staff, student & community mindsets around culture, identity and learning to promote awareness and acceptance. If you are interested in being a part of this group, we would LOVE to have you! Our first meeting will be on Monday, 9/19 at 3 p.m. (last week I had the incorrect date) in our Maker’s Space to start planning for our Windermere Family Cultures and Traditions Night on Thursday, November 10th at 7 p.m.. Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested in being a part of this committee.
Greetings from the Heydlauff Library Media Center!
This month is Library Card Sign-Up month at our fabulous public library! Watch this message from their youth librarian Ms. Sue. Stop by this month with your reader and help them get their public library card to access their resources. Don't have time to stop by the library to apply in person? Apply for a UAPL digital library card today for your reader and Mrs. Hemmelgarn can help them link it to their Sora account (district e and audio book platform) so they can have access to thousands of more digital materials on top of what our district can offer! Let's get reading!
Student Absences: Please email [email protected] along with your student’s teacher in the event of an absence. For planned absences, please fill out the planned absence form at least a week in advance.
Destination Imagination:
Are you interested in managing a Destination Imagination team? Attend an informational meeting September 22 at 4:00 in room 211 at Windermere Elementary School. For more information, contact Christina Balderaz at [email protected].
Quick-reference guides for families
The district has put together two quick-reference guides to help navigate the various digital platforms to access information related to your students and a guide of what to do when you need help.
AN UPDATE FROM THE PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO):
New PTO Website:
Please check out our new PTO website! CLICK HERE
If you haven’t already paid your 2022-2023 PTO dues or field trip fees, please do so as soon as possible so that our teachers can begin planning exciting adventures! If you cannot remember if you already paid, please email [email protected] Families who have paid both field trip fees and PTO dues by September 15 will be entered in a raffle to win free spiritwear!
Birthday Book Club:
Please consider celebrating your child’s birthday by giving a gift to our school library media center! It’s a wonderful way to honor your child’s special day, and your gift will be shared and enjoyed by Windermere students for years to come!
At the end of their birthday month, honorees will come to the media center and choose a brand new book from those recently ordered by Mrs. Hemmelgarn, or they may choose a favorite book from the library’s current collection. We will insert a Windermere School Birthday Book Club bookplate into the book with the child's name. He or she will be the very first student to check it out! When it is returned, the book will become part of our permanent collection (until it is retired due to wear). Don’t stop with just yourself, celebrate your friends and family too! Your child's teacher would love to have a book donated in his or her honor! What a great gift!
Sign up any time, but orders must be in by the 20th of your child’s birthday month to be included in Mrs. Hemmelgarn’s birthday celebration. Summer birthdays can be celebrated on half birthdays or in May before the school year is over. Thank you for helping build a strong and diverse collection for our school community! Need financial assistance? Our PTO Outreach fund can help! Sign up HERE
Fall Flower Sale:
The online store is now officially closed. Flower orders will be delivered on Monday, September 26. Please plan to pick up your family’s order between 3:00pm-6:00pm at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (2300 Lytham Road). Note: this distribution is for Windermere families only. If you sold flowers to friends and family, we kindly ask that you do not send them to pick up their own flowers.
Fall Family Night:
Friday, October 14 from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. We are excited for another fall Windermere celebration with games, inflatables, the annual scarecrow contest, crafts, pizza, and music by DJ Hemmelgarn. This event is sponsored by the PTO and will be free for all students and families. (Food trucks - including Kona Ice - will also be on site and will be available for purchase.) Spiritwear will be available for sale (credit cards only). If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Amanda Endicott ([email protected]) or Michelle Evans ([email protected]).
Restaurant Night:
On Friday, September 28, visit the Henderson Road Bibibop between 10:30am - 9:00pm to support our school! If you mention Windermere PTO when ordering, our school receives 20% of your sale. To order online, use code: BIBIFUNDRAISER
Group Gift Collection Policy:
To follow the district guidelines regarding gifts for teachers and staff, our room parents this year will not be collecting money (or items) on behalf of the class or a group to be gifted to teachers or staff. We kindly request that no informal collection be made by parents or groups. However, individual gifts to teachers and staff from a student or student’s family are always welcome. Your room parents have a list of teacher favorites, so feel free to reach out to your class’s assigned room parent for recommended gift ideas. Thank you for helping us adhere to this new policy. Feel free to contact [email protected] with any questions.
Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on current happenings!
Instagram: windermerehawks_pto
Facebook: Windermere PTO
Have a great weekend -
Emily Adams & Sarah Henderson
PTO Co-Presidents