It’s a Great Day to be a Tiger!
It’s hard to believe this is the last nine weeks of the 2021-2022 school year. The spring is filled with activities, awards programs, and state assessments. Parents can support students by reviewing ActiveParent, asking students about their day, and communicating with teachers and school staff regarding student needs. Parents can also support school efforts by talking with their children about family expectations for behavior at school.
The Winona Elementary PTO will sponsor a Bingo Night for kindergarten through third grade students and their parents on March 25th. More information will be sent home with students in signed folders this week.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING
State Testing Calendar for March is listed below. The ACT has been postponed until Thursday, March 24 due to the expected severe weather on the original test date.
DATE(S) | ASSESSMENT | GRADE(S) |
March 22, 2022 | ACT | 11 |
March 22- April 1,2022 | MAAP-A | 3-6 (Alternately assessed students only) |
March 28, 2022 | LAS Links | K-12 (ELL students only) |
March 29, 2022 | LAS Links | K-12 (ELL students only) |
March 28 - April 1, 2022 | Automotive | CTC - 2nd Year Automotive |
March 28 - April 1, 2022 | MKAS Post-test | PK/Kindergarten |
Our PreK through first grade students begin STAR testing on Monday of this week. STAR testing is done in reading and mathematics and is a great way to monitor student growth in those areas.
This week, Winona Elementary and Winona Secondary teachers will be developing plans for academic “boot camps” for students prior to state testing. These” boot camps” will give students extra help in areas where they have learning gaps or are missing some skills.
OPERATIONS
The roofing project at Knox Gym is progressing well. Completion time is in a couple of weeks. The new roof will provide insulation to help our new heating and air system work well.
At Winona Elementary, the demolition of the first grade restrooms has been completed. We discovered that demo was much louder than anticipated so that work has been moved to after school hours and the weekends. Renovations should begin this week which include all new flooring, plumbing, sinks, toilets, stalls, fixtures, lighting, etc. This is exciting news!
COMMUNICATIONS .
WMCSD is pleased to share the following information from the Mississippi Parent Training Information Center. MPTIC is hosting the 2022 Virtual Early Childhood Conference on March 23, 2022. Keynote speaker Anne T. Henderson will be presenting “Family Engagement: When Done Well, Everyone Wins.” Anne’s specialty is the relationship between families and schools, and its impact on students’ success in school and through life. Since 1981, she has steadily tracked research and effective practice on how engaging families can improve student achievement, especially in diverse and low-income communities. Over the past 25 years, Anne has written, by herself and with others, a small library of reader-friendly articles, reports, handouts, and books. Anne is a founder and senior consultant with the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE).
Register today at https://tinyurl.com/earlyyears2022. Fees are as follows: Professionals - $60 (includes CEU fee for teachers), Students - $25 (must provide copy of student ID), Parents - $50. A limited number of stipends/scholarships are available for parents of students with disabilities. Please indicate when you register if you are requesting a parent stipend. For more information, call (601) 969- 0601 or email info@mspti.org.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
COVID data continues to be good for both students and employees. The next report will be released on Monday, March 28th.
WMCSD has reached out to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) for an evaluation of the roadways surrounding our school campuses. We asked that MDOT provide us with recommendations for anything that we need to do to improve provide safe routes to school for our students whether they ride a bus or in a car or walk to school. If you have traffic or transportation questions or concerns, please email them to tigertalk@winonaschools.net.
TECHNOLOGY
As a requirement for receiving the Chromebooks, WMCSD must ask students, teachers, and parents to participate in technology surveys from a company called BrightBytes. Look for information regarding those surveys in the near future.
Stay healthy and choose joy! We are TIGERStrong!