Upcoming Events

The snow and cold has finally arrived but it can't stop WIllowwind from having a great time and looking forward to a variety of events. Mark your calendar! The information below details our busy January and February. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY, and refer back to as our upcoming events near. In addition, don't forget to take a look at the Calendar tab and the Upcoming Events column to the right for more important dates.


Monday, January 16th
No School / No BASP - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Enjoy a relaxing day at home! The students are excited for the long weekend. The teachers are excited, too. We will be working on further developing our PreK-6 curriculum continuing to make Willowwind the absolute best place to go to school!


Tuesday, January 17th
Grow a Prairie - Seed Fundraiser Begins
Did you know? Americans consistently rank gardening as a favorite hobby! Willowwind is excited to further foster our community's love for gardening. To do so, WIllowwind has partnered up with Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Seeds Savers brings our community a wonderful opportunity to raise money for our own prairie efforts. Beginning, Tuesday, January 17th, students will participate in a fundraiser - selling seed collections to family, neighbors, coworkers, and community members. Each child will receive an catalog (with order form included). There are six collections of seed packets to choose from. At just $10 a collection, our own gardens are sure to thrive with beautiful annuals and delicious fruits and vegetables. Willowwind immediately receives 40% of all proceeds from this fundraiser! Fantastic!

From January 17th - January 30th help your child collect orders. Brainstorm with your family creative ways to market and sell seed collections. When collecting orders, money is due at the time of ordering. All checks should be made payable to Willowwind School. Turn in your child's order form on Tuesday, January 31st. You can drop it off with Ms. Amber or me. Orders will be compiled and a group order will be placed with Seed Savers. Within two or three weeks your child will receive their seeds for you to deliver to your "customers". Seed Savers highly recommends that all deliveries be completed no later than March 15th. Our timeline should ensure your the ability to do so with ease.


Monday, January 23rd
K-6 Curriculum Night 6:30 - 7:30
Take a night to learn more about our programs at Willowwind. Interested in learning more about your child's future in the Prairie Racerunner room and the older rooms beyond? Monday, the 23rd is a perfect opportunity to listen and talk with Ms. Brooke and our other teachers at WIllowwind. This event is opened to the public, so please invite your friends and neighbors. Provide them with the chance to see what makes Willowwind so unique.


Thursday, January 26th
100th Day of School
If no Snow Days stand in our way the 26th of January marks the 100th day of school! What an exciting achievement for our little learners. The number 100 will be the center of our focus throughout the day. We will participate in a variety of activities that help us celebrate all things 100. Your at home help is needed. On Tuesday, January 17th students will take home plastic bags to collect 100 objects. Collections may include buttons, beans, coins, hair clips, paper clips, rubber bands - the options are endless. Help your child fill their bag with 100 of the same objects. Please return the filled bag by Wednesday, January 25th. On the 26th we will use your child's objects in some of our 100th day activities.

In addition, the Cottontails will be able to enjoy a special 100th day of school snack. Your help is needed in providing some of the ingredients. To help us learn more about groups of 10s I am looking for families to bring in 10 different snack items. Each student will collect 10 items from each snack to make a total of 100 pieces of snack. Students will munch on this at morning and afternoon snack and can take the leftovers home. Because of this, no snack is needed on January 26th. If you are interested in providing part of the 100th day snack, please use the link below to sign up. The link can also be found to the right. When signing up, please include the type of snack you are providing. Snacks should be items where students can easily take 10 pieces from each provided snack. Examples may include small crackers, pretzels, cereal, dried fruit. There are 16 students in our class so please be sure your provided snack has at least 160 items in the box. Please bring the snack on or before Thursday, January 26th. Let me know if you have questions.

100th Day Snack Sign Up


Friday, January 27th
ICPL Field Trip 1:00 - 3:00
Please make sure your child has their library card. Library books will be due on Friday, February 17th.


Thursday, February 8th
Secret Valentine Exchange Begins
Each year students show their love for each other by participating in a K-6 Secret Valentine exchange. The teachers and office staff get involved, too, and it becomes an exciting activity for everyone! On Friday, February 3rd each student and staff will draw a name. The name your child picks is the person your child will give small, HOMEMADE, gifts too through out Secret Valentine week (February 8 - February 14). I will communicate who your child's Secret Valentine recipient is on the afternoon of the 3rd.

Beginning Wednesday, February 8th, your child will deliver daily a small, HOMEMADE, gift to their recipient. They will deliver small, HOMEMADE, gifts on W, Th, F, and M. With their small, HOMEMADE, gift students should also deliver a clue that gives a bit of information about who they are. The four small gifts that are delivered throughout the week must be HOMEMADE. We are helping students see that gifts homemade, and from the heart, can leave a lasting impression. One of the four small, HOMEMADE, gifts can be a baked good from your home. If you choose to give a baked good please clarify any food restrictions or allergies. On Tuesday, February 14th, all students and staff will participate in a Secret Valentine Reveal Party. Here your child will give one last gift to their recipient as they reveal their secret identity. This gift should be approximately $5 in cost and can be store bought, but please NO FOOD OR TREATS for this gift.

100% participation is expected for all five days beginning February 8th. As a suggestion, your child is welcome to bring in all of their gifts and clues on the first day of the Secret Valentine Exchange. That way they are here at school and you won't have to worry about forgetting them or bringing them daily.  Your child can store their gifts in their classroom cubby. 

Thursday, February 9th
Authors' Cocoa 12:30 - 2:00
The Authors' Cocoa is a well-loved Willowwind tradition - one where we celebrate our love for reading and writing. Join us in the Indoor Play Space where our K-6 friends will have the opportunity to read, present, preform one of their original written pieces. This event allows families to see and hear the beautiful writing that takes place at Willowwind. Each Cottontail will be reading a selection of their poetry that we are currently working on during our writing time. Come, listen to your child read. At the end, we will enjoy hot cocoa and treats! See you there!