Willow Weekly

The Willow Weekly is Willow Creek's Newsletter. Our objective is to keep you informed and up-to-date with all things related to Willow Creek.

We had an amazing first week of school! Students arrived with a positive attitude and willingness to help each other out.

Students will only be allowed to use their phones during their lunch time (Green Zone Area). Their phones along with airpods, earbuds etc... should be kept in their lockers. Phones are not allowed in any classrooms. If you need to contact your student during the school day please call 507-328-5903.

Q: What is the main attendance number at Willow Creek?

A: (507) 328-5903

Q: What is the preferred method to report an absence?

A: willowcreekattendance@rochesterschools.org

Q: Where should I park if I am picking up my child for an outside of school event that requires me to pick them up during the regular school day?

A: If you arrive before 2:20pm, park at Door 1 (flagpole). If you arrive after 2:20pm, park at Door 19. This will ensure you do not interfere with the arrival of busses.

Q: What door should my child enter or exit if they arrive to school late or need to leave early?

A: At all times, students need to enter and exit Door 1. We are a secure building (all doors locked). This practice will ensure we are as secure as possible.

For any and all attendance questions, please call 328-5903 or willowcreekattendance@rochesterschools.org

Family, you have done an amazing job at keeping the flow of traffic at Willow Creek running smoothly. We can do better by having students exit their vehicle promptly and safely at Door 19. As you drive up to the building, please follow the traffic pattern. You will notice ONE cone on the sidewalk near the tennis courts and another near the auditorium. You will see Mr. Adams in a bright yellow vest. Between these two cones, please have your child exit the vehicle promptly and safely.

Families, you will be receiving the results of the MCAs or MTAS the week of September 4-8. The Minnesota Department of Education had instructed us to distribute the results of the MCAs and/or MTAS from last spring. The MCAs are blank because we could not test the students during the cyber event. We are required from MDE to send them after the district requested that we don't. These results will come home with your child in their academic bag (backpack).

Students should be bringing home picture envelopes the week of September 5th.

If you want to pre-order pictures today go to mylifetouch.com with your student ID and Picture Day ID: EVT2WJH33

Yearbooks: jostens.com/2024yearbooks More information to come. Stay tuned!

Here are a few PTSA logistics to kick off the school year:

1. MEETINGS: we will once again be meeting once a month, in person at Willow Creek on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. Most of these meetings will be from 7p-8p. At each meeting, we do updates and Q&A with our principal (Chris Fogarty came to all of our meetings last year!), review upcoming school events and teacher needs, and check in on the nuts and bolts of the PTSA. We will send invites out for all meetings to this mailing list. If you are unable to attend some of the meetings (or this time just doesn't work for you at all this year) but you want to stay current on our discussions and plans, we will always send out the agenda and meeting minutes for each meeting. *Unfortunately, we do not have the technology to conduct simultaneous online/in-person meetings.
2. FUNDRAISING: To put this simply, the more funds we raise, the more enrichment activities we can provide for our students and the WC community. There will be plenty of opportunities to volunteer at fundraising activities, but we are also trying to provide a simple way for all families to donate directly to the WC PTSA through the local platform 4Giving.com. This link will go out in the next few weeks in a Willow Weekly but here is it, just in case you are interested in donating now: 4Giving Willow Creek PTSA
3. OTHER NEEDS: Attending our monthly meetings isn't the only way to support your student's PTSA. We have plenty of volunteer needs and opportunities throughout the year! One of the greatest needs is delivering treats to the school for teacher appreciation and volunteering at various school events. We will send emails with requests for support and sign-up links throughout the year, so be on the lookout! *If you are interested in helping our PTSA design a website, let us know!

Please let us know if you have any questions beyond this info. Otherwise, we look forward to working together this year!

We all get 168 hours each week! The following tips can help ensure your child is ready and building confidence each day.

• Sleep. Help establish a routine for bedtime that works best for your child to be ready for the following day.
• Exercise. Exercise, physical movement, and play is mission critical for appropriate development and wellness for our kids. Please help them make this a priority each day.
• Proper Nutrition. Encourage students to stay hydrated and make smart food choices.
• Screen Time. Set limits on screen time.
• Read. Encourage students to read everyday.
• Memorize the following:
• Locker combination (purchasing a padlock to practice helps build confidence)
• Locker number
• Class schedule
• Lunch pin
• Username and password
• Charge Chromebook each night. Chargers can then stay at home!

Our Community Room is available for all Willow Creek students to access as the needs arise. Non-perishable foods, basic school supplies, clothing, and hygiene products are the staples needed. If you are in a position to be able to donate, please contact Jen Brekke in the Willow Creek Main Office at 328-5474 or jebrekke@rochesterschools.org

Students received their schedules during Meet the Teacher and also on the first day of school. We will continue to balance class sizes and adjust accordingly. We will remind students that if they can't find their schedules, they can look it up on Skyward. Here is what they need to do:

1. Login to Classlink on their Chromebook.

2. Locate Skyward and click it.

3. Once in Skyward, on the left side of the screen, students will see a plethora of options to see from schedules to other important information.

4. Students can locate their locker number as well as their combination.

We are encouraging our students to take proactive steps to be more independent and less dependent on our office staff. However, if your child needs us to assist, we would be happy to do so. Moving forward, we will not be providing new printed out schedules for the 2023/2024 school year.