Holiday Wishes from MWS!

As we all hit the ground running with the hectic holiday season in our midst, I wanted to take a minute to reflect upon some of the many things that I am thankful for as your Principal at MWS.


(1) Students - Perhaps this is not stressed enough - at least in my case - but the students of MWS are truly something to behold. Every minute that I work at this school I am consistently surprised by a warm greeting in the hallway, a witty remark in the lunchroom, or an occasional piece of artwork that lands across my desk from a student. The students at Marion W. Savage Elementary School are polite, hard-working, and creative, and I am continually catching myself smiling as I interact with them more and more.


(2) Staff - Yet another area that I could contend I do not stress enough. It is imperative that you know that the staff, and I mean every single one of them, is collectively a remarkably dedicated group. As I visit classrooms from time to time, I marvel at the innovative things that take place in each area of our building. You would be simply amazed at some of the many things your MWS staff do on a daily basis to keep this school running so successfully! This staff is a family, and I cannot think of a better group of people to entrust your students with.


(3) Community - One of the things that continue to be impressed with at MWS has been the support that the community has for this school. From early on in my tenure at MWS I heard a great deal about the high level of volunteering that takes place at MWS, but what impresses me the most is how dedicated the volunteers truly are. It is as if there is an unwavering sense of civic responsibility that many would liken to a "career" that they have. Furthermore, this sense of community is also evident in our numerous parent organizations and from our MWS families. The support and generosity that you provide to our learning community is invaluable.


I sincerely wish you all safe travels, a restful and relaxing Winter Break, and a holiday season filled with love and joy.

Honoring Service in Many Ways

Today, November 11th, 2010, marks an annual celebration that takes place in various venues across our fine country - Veteran's Day. At Marion W. Savage Elementary this morning we had the pleasure of welcoming distinguished veterans into our school to participate in our Veteran's Day Program. Through collaboration with the Savage Legion, the Marine Corp League presented and retired the colors, Marine Veteran Chris Zollman addressed the student population about the history of this important day, Music Teacher Margaret Hinton lead the entire audience in a singing of "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful", and "TAPS" was performed by Musician Jeremy Morgan. Students, MWS staff members, and various guests paid tribute to and honored the service of all of our veterans.

As I reflect upon the significance of this event, I feel the need to also honor the service of a number of different people in our MWS Community for their efforts and on-going contributions to our learning community. Here are a few individuals whose continued service should also be honored:

(1) Robbie Bunnell - Robbie continues to amaze me with the various ways in which she supports MWS and perhaps more specifically, me. Recently, Robbie has worked to refine and update our school brochure, she created the beautiful program for our Veteran's Day Ceremony, and she is continually thinking of additional ways in which our school community can grow, develop and market ourself more successsfully in the future. Thank you Robbie!

(2) Beth Spaude & Maria Peerboom - Running a school-wide fundraising effort isn't easy - let's face it, it can be a complete pain. Nonetheless, Beth and Maria have devoted countless hours toward raising money for our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) and ultimately MWS. They have individually delivered gift-wrap orders to homes, lifted hundreds of boxes off of a large truck, and worked feverishly to organize and keep track of thousands of dollars. Thank you Beth & Maria!

(3) Allison Thompson - For the past few weeks the MWS Health Office has been conducting their annual vision & hearing screenings with MWS students, and Allison has been there every step of the way. When she is not spear-heading her campaigns to purchase new and more extensive recess equipment for all students, Allison is interacting with students of all ages, helping them through the exciting process of a health screening at MWS. Allison has made things run smoothly and has been a great support. Thank you Allison!

(4) Pam Voigt - I am continually amazed at how quickly our new Volunteer Coordinator has organized a series of volunteer efforts and is beginning to amass quite a crew of active volunteers. Pam has taken individual projects, such as the school yearbook, and developed it into a wide network of parent volunteers working together to create a memory all students at MWS can enjoy. Whether it is Odds n' Ends or organizing Barnes & Noble night, Pam gets things done with the type of energy I admire. Thank you Pam!

(5) Amy Kierstad - Read Night is one of my favorite traditions at MW Savage, and I have to be completely honest, without Amy's work this year, I don't know if we could have pulled it off. While it is true, the MWS Site Council is responsible for organizing this wonderful event, Amy took on the brunt of the work after being "volunteered" for the task by her daughter's principal. From collecting books, to categorizing and organizing them, to generally running the event from start to finish to after-finish, Read Night was a success because of Amy. Thank you Amy!

One of the best parts of my job as principal of Marion W. Savage is to see people like the ones mentioned in this blog post in action, working passionately not only for their children, but for the greater good of our school community. I continue to be sincerely grateful for all you do!

Celebrating "Ms. Shorts-Off"

Today was, indeed, a special day in Room 205 where Ms. Schwartzhoff and her first grade students were surprised by a few guests from our community.

Members from the OfficeMax located in Savage, as a part of the "A Day Made Better" Program, interrupted an important mathematics lesson to celebrate and recognize Helen Schwartzhoff for all that she contributes to the MWS Learning Community. The "A Day Made Better" Program is a nationwide program in which employees from various OfficeMax stores around the country honor 1000 teachers selected from applications completed on behalf of these individuals.

Below is an excerpt from the application completed on behalf of Helen Schwartzhoff last spring:

"Ms. Schwartzhoff is a dedicated teacher who pours her heart as well as her soul into everything she does for each one of her students in first grade at Marion W. Savage Elementary School. Students love the creative learning experiences Ms. Schwartzhoff provides and the passion with which such activities are presented. Ms. Schwartzhoff is a genuine advocate for her students and families,and continually demonstrates that she is an integral part to our learning community."

"Ms. Shorts-Off", as one of her former students wrote on an envelope to her last year in an attempt to accurately spell her last name, was given $1000 of classroom supplies by OfficeMax as a gift to honor her dedication and support learning in her classroom. A new leather desk chair was wheeled into the room with a bouquet of fresh seasonal flowers, a new bulletin board, and an enormous box filled with everything from a digital camera to whiteboard markers to paper clips. "Look, boys and girls!" Ms. Schwartzhoff exclaimed. "Rubber bands!" First graders cheered as this statement was made and they quickly worked to to pull supplies out of the box to their glee and delight.

As the staff from OfficeMax exited Room 205, Luis, a tiny first grader, asked, "Is this my dream?" indicating that he sincerely could not believe what was happening.

"No Luis," I replied. "This is not a dream."

Luis then responded, "This is a dream come true!"

Baby Willey & A Broken Toe?

Let's dispense with the raw data to start:

Liam Owen Willey
Born: August 26th, 2010
Weight: 7 Pounds, 7 Ounces
Length: 21 Inches
Detail: Full Head of Long Black Hair
Likes: Eating Constantly
Dislikes: Sleeping

If you did not already hear, my wife, Kristi, and I celebrated the recent arrival of our second son, Liam. I think it is fair to add that Emmett, our almost 3-year old, is celebrating Liam's arrival as well. Emmett, which is not a complete surprise to us given his personality, has embraced the role of "Big Brother" in the Willey home. Emmett gives Liam a pacifier when he cries, asks to hold him all the time, enjoys gently patting the top of his head when we snuggle together, and often reminds Kristi that Liam may, in fact, be hungry. As far as mom and dad are concerned, we are adjusting to the expansion of our immediate family - or at least as much as we can adjust given the fact that this marks the beginning of the second week of the school year. Sleep is no longer a luxury experienced, and given Liam's unique schedule, it is rare to find a time when mom and dad are awake at the same time. Nothing new to us, or to anyone else with children for that matter, but an adjustment all the same.

Now, to the broken toe...

If you haven't noticed me hobbling around or walking funny lately, I'm glad. I am working feverishly to hide the fact that I have a broken middle toe on my left foot - an injury obtained in the post-delivery room on the day in which Liam was born. Here's the story:

After a long day of delivery and everything else that is associated with having a child, Kristi and I were relocated to a post-delivery room at Fairview Southdale Hospital. Our accommodations were sufficient, and we began to prepare for our first round of guests which included Emmett with my parents. Emmett brought Kristi Sweet Martha's Cookies from the State Fair, and baby gifts were opened not only for Liam, but Emmett too. As it became time to leave, Emmett, to our surprise, did not want to go and began to cry. I walked him out to Grandma & Grandpa's car trying to console him as any non-mom could do, but as he drove off in his car seat, I could hear him sob through the windows of my parents moving car - a sound I will not forget for a long time.

To try and ease Emmett's mind, Kristi and I agreed to "Skype" Emmett later that night from our hospital room to say goodnight to him. For those of you who are not familiar, "Skyping" is like conducting a live video phone call through the Internet using your computer. As we prepared for the call, I slid into bed with Kristi and Liam and placed the call. This is where the drama really escalates.

As we began the call it was clear that Emmett was not himself. He was trying desperately to hold himself together, but unfortunately, he started to lose it. Kristi immediately felt that Emmett should not see her, and told me to get off of the bed, and fast! I jumped up with my laptop, proceeded to trip over a variety of cords connected to all sorts of medical equipment, and fell flat on my face throwing my laptop half-way across the hospital room. The crash was so loud that nurses came rushing into the room to see what was the matter. In the meantime, my computer was in pieces, leaving Emmett to wonder what on earth happened to his mom and dad. I pulled myself together and raced to call Emmett back as quickly as I could, and I was relieved to find that he was more curious as to what happened than alarmed. Thank goodness.

When I awoke the next morning, my toe throbbed and was a deep shade of purple. At this point in time, having the convenience of a ER a few floors beneath you was helpful. I disappeared for a few hours only to return to Kristi with X-rays of my broken toe, toes taped together, and a walking boot I am supposed to still be wearing right now. I quickly became the running joke of the "Birthplace", frequently hearing new nurses say, "Oh, you're the one with the broken toe!" Kristi's entirely accurate and insightful comment to many serves to close this story and has continually been, "He just couldn't let me have all of the attention for one minute."

Revamped! - Second Edition

It is fair to say that I have been busy as of late - busy revamping my own blog and now my website pages to provide new and, perhaps, more helpful information for both new and existing MWS families. I'd like to take this opportunity to describe the changes to my "Principal's Page" which can be found on the Marion W. Savage Elementary School home page at http://www.isd191.org/mwsavage.

There are ten changes worth noting, and as the "list-oriented, overly-organized" person I am, I will share these changes with you in the numbered format below.

(1) Welcome to MWS! - This site was in dire need of repair and updating. At the top you will notice the panoramic picture of our entire MWS learning community taken last Spring. In addition, I have provided a preview of the letter that will be sent to your homes in the next few weeks along with additional pertinent information including class placements.

(2) MWS Minutes - I made a few minor adjustments to this site, the highlight being a new picture of my revamped MWS Minutes blog. I would really appreciate you joining this blog as a "follower" so that I can see just how many families are actually viewing this information. Please note: I said viewing, not reading in detail.

(3) Newsletter Articles - Again, minor adjustments were made to this page, but the key is that this site will continually allow you to download a PDF of the newsletter articles I write each month. This is not a full copy of our school newsletter (which can be found on our home page). Since these documents are PDF files, you should be able to view them despite the type of computer or operating system you are using.

(4) Our Mission - This is the first of six new sites that I have created which I hope you find interesting. Our school mission statement has always been accessible via our Site Council website, but I felt that this should have a more prominent role as staff and family members worked in collaboration in the past to create this mission. Included is a beautiful picture taken of our school that reflects the efforts of many in terms of "exterior beautification" that takes place each summer.

(5) Promoting Literacy Development - This new site serves to answer a question that I often am asked throughout the school year, "What can I do to help my student be more successful in school?" This is a list, specifically targeted toward the promotion of literacy development, which you may find helpful. Please remember that these suggestions are merely that, suggestions, and as always what you choose to do in your home to support your student is your decision to make.

(6) Helping Your Student - This site is designed as a "Top 10 List", which I hope, you will find beneficial. Included are a variety of suggestions for your consideration which could potentially influence your student's elementary school experience at Marion W. Savage in a positive manner.

(7) Photo Gallery - This new site is most certainly my favorite. The design in creating this page was to provide families with a "visual" of the things discussed in newsletters, my blog, and most importantly, what you hear from your student. In selecting a specific image, you are able to view the image a read a brief description regarding what you see. You will also have the flexibility to be able to scroll through the images after selecting one to view all images similar to a slideshow. When you are finished viewing various images, click one time on the "Back" button listed in the bottom left corner of the page to return to the "Photo Gallery" home page.

(8) About Mr. Willey - For some reason, I always have avoided divulging personal information. Perhaps one reason is that I want information to be focused on the efforts and successes of others rather than myself. However, I decided that I want to share my experiences and my family with you. I ask students and families to share a great deal about themselves - it is only fitting that I reciprocate.

(9) Contact Information - Outside of a few minor aesthetic adjustments to this site, it has remained the same. The goal of this site is to provide a face with a name and to give you the necessary information needed to contact me for support. Please feel free to use this site as you wish.

(10) Parent Resources - While our home page has most, if not all, of the links and information families may need, I wanted to also provide a few resources that you may find valuable. Under each image you will find a direct link to the website for the resource listed which will open in a new window. I hope and plan to add to this site as I find (or think of) links that would be of impact for you. I welcome any recommendations from the MWS Learning Community.

Before I conclude this post, I would again like to invite you to become a "follower" of MWS Minutes. Your comments and feedback are equally important to me, so please do not hesitate to share your thoughts directly on my blog. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Revamped!

If it has been awhile since your last visit, I cannot blame you. Much of the content and overall design of this blog has remained the same for the past two years. However, as I am certain you can quickly see, much as changed. Allow me the opportunity to highlight some of the features that this blog now has that may lead you to consider bookmarking it.

(1) Links - MWS Minutes now has direct links to the MWS Twitter & Facebook websites, as well as to our school website. There is also a direct link to the ISD 191 website for your convenience as well. I would encourage you to visit each of these sites as they are very well-constructed.

(2) Become a Reader - You now have the option to follow MWS Minutes not only through various social networks, but you can link to our site in a Reader account feed should you decide to create one. This is an easy way to stay in touch with new blog entries without having to continuously visit the website.

(3) Video & Images - An effort will be made to incorporate streaming videos as a part of this blog, and more images will be shown to help visually illustrate many of the wonderful things that take place at MWS on a daily basis.

While this blog will remain a work in progress, I am committed to ensuring that more posts, resources, and interesting items will be included on a much more frequent basis. Enjoy!

PTO Elections Approaching!

Attention All MWS Families,

As May draws near, our annual PTO Executive Board Election will be held on Monday, May 17th at the PTO General Meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center. If you are interested in joining the PTO, running for office, or discovering new ways in which you can volunteer your time and support our school, I would like to encourage you to attend our meeting on April 12th at7:00 p.m. as well. The PTO is/has been responsible for numerous successful events that have taken place throughout our school year and are/have been extremely generous of their time and support. The following positions are open for election with a brief synopsis of the responsibilities that are included with each position:

THE PTO EXECUTIVE BOARD

PRESIDENT
The President should be willing to dedicate 2-4 hours per month for meetings, including the Executive and General Membership meetings.
Responsibilities
a. Conduct all PTO Executive and General Board meetings.
b. Confer with the Principal prior to all meetings.
c. Prepare agenda prior to meetings.
d. Work with teachers to assess their needs.
e. Attend district meetings, as necessary.
f. Create upcoming school year calendar with Principal and Board members.
g. Interact with the Site Council.
h. Coordinate elections of Board members.
i. Coordinate summer budget meeting.
j. In August, hire/find professional to perform an examination of PTO financial records; and said professional to prepare a written summary [letter] for presentation to the Board.
k. Vote only to break any ties on motions.

VICE PRESIDENT
The Vice President should be willing to dedicate 2-4 hours per month for meetings, including the Executive and General Membership meetings.
Responsibilities
a. Conduct PTO Executive and General Board meetings in the absence of the PTO President.
b. Assist the President with duties as needed.
c. Take and distribute meeting minutes when the Secretary is absent.
d. Organize childcare for the PTO meetings when necessary.
e. Be timekeeper at the PTO General Membership meetings.

SECRETARY
The Secretary should be willing to dedicate 2-4 hours per month for meetings, including the Executive and General Membership meetings.
Responsibilities
a. Record minutes of the Executive Board meeting and distribute to Board members.
b. Record minutes of the General Membership meeting and distribute to Board members.
c. Make meeting minutes available for the M.W. Savage website.

TREASURER
The Treasurer should be willing to dedicate 4-6 hours per month for meetings, including the Executive and General Membership meetings.
Responsibilities
a. Responsible for checking/savings account.
b. Receive and deposit all money.
c. Pay out funds in accordance with the approved budget or as authorized by the Executive Board.
d. Prepare, along with the Executive Board, the yearly budget for the new school year.
e. Present budget and financial report to the Executive Board and General Membership meetings for approval.
f. Keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures.
g. Prepare year-end financial statements for audit.
h. Monitor and renew tax-exempt status.

PUBLIC RELATIONS/COMMUNICATIONS
The Public Relations/Communications person should be willing to dedicate 2-4 hours per month for meetings, including the Executive and General Membership meetings.
Responsibilities
a. Coordinate media coverage of PTO sponsored events.
b. Prepare and distribute PTO promotional flyers.
c. Coordinate information for monthly school newsletter.
d. Provide information to Webmaster or individual(s) responsible for maintaining and updating school website, as it pertains to PTO news, information, and events.

PTO VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
The PTO Volunteer Coordinator should be willing to dedicate 2-4 hours per month for meetings,including the Executive and General Membership meetings.
Responsibilities
a. Assist Site Volunteer coordinator in all of the above responsibilities as needed.
b. Track volunteer hours.
c. Send Thank-yous to facilitators.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Beth Spaude or Kim Robinson at your convenience. Thank you for considering this wonderful opportunity to support MWS, and I hope to see you at our April and May meetings.

A New Hand to Hold!

At this time I would like to share with you that Kristi, Emmett, and I are expecting a new addition to our family. Yes, we are having a baby! Well, I guess I'm not and neither is Emmett, Kristi is, but we will all have a new hand to hold in our immediate family. Being the astute planners we are, Baby Willey is due to arrive right around the first day of school this September. I cannot think of a more calm and peaceful time to bring a new child into the world! Emmett has seemed to grasp onto the idea, at least to the best of his ability, and has been seen kissing the baby "inside mommy's tummy". On behalf of my family I would like to ask that you keep us in your thoughts as we begin this wonderful new journey together.

Half-Way to Graduation Day

Recently, our 6th Grade students celebrated their "Half-Way to Graduation Day" here at MWS. For the first time in MWS history, the principal was asked to provide the keynote address to students. Here is a copy of that speech to students:

Today we have come to the half-way point of our journey together. Obviously then we are a little sad because, after all, we have all been together for number of years now. We have gotten to know one another very well. We have gotten to know each other's good points and bad. We have learned to live with each other and to have fun together. So it is understandable if we are sad to begin thinking about leaving old ways and old friends.

Yet today is a very exciting day too. It's like the day you stand in an empty room and imagine how it will be if you paint it. Your life is that empty room and you are the individuals that will determine the design for that space. It is up to you what you make of that room.

Some of you will like a clear uncluttered look to your lives. You may, in time, strike off on your own and do just your own thing. Yet more of you will want a more cluttered look and you will be the type of people who will always want to be surrounded by your family and friends. Some of you will be adventurous in what you choose; others will prefer the safe and familiar path.

So even though we are sad, we are also glad. We are glad that you are being given the opportunity to continue your education. We are glad that you will be given the chance to join choirs and football teams, to act on the stage and, of course, to study. I know that on a wet or snowy Monday morning you would much prefer to lie in bed than to go to school, but you need that second-half of your schooling if you are to achieve your dreams.

You see there is just a chance that you might not become a professional basketball player or a pop star, and if not you might need and ordinary boring old job such as being a principal for instance. So, while you prepare to enjoy all the social life Junior High School has to offer, I recommend that you do a balancing act and continue to study as well.

Now though all you can think of is that you are half-way to graduating and let me say that you are graduating in style. We are very proud of you, just as your parents and family members are proud of you. You will be missed here at Marion W. Savage Elementary. You have brought to us your individual talents and skills and hopefully we have managed to help you develop them. When we look at your photographs on the wall and in yearbooks we will think of you and the happy times we had together.

Today we are wishing you well in your future. We are hoping that you will enjoy your new schools and that you will continue to be a credit to this school and to us. More importantly we want you to be a credit to yourselves and your families. We are sure you will be because you are, every single one of you, special in some way.

So face the future knowing that you are special and that you have something wonderful to bring to the world. Grasp every opportunity you get and make the most of it. Don't be afraid of new ideas, but keep those old-fashioned standards of behavior and high expectations in mind. Whatever style or design you choose for that room of yours decorate it thoroughly and well.

Above all, don't forget to come back and visit us. You'll be warmly welcomed because, after all, you will always be one of our own.

In closing, I would like to say thank you and share my appreciation to all the families for supporting your student’s education and our school. It is through your hard work, dedication and sacrifices that make your students successful. 6th graders, I challenge you to continue to work hard and to be the best you can be in the second-half of your journey. All of us here at MW Savage wish you the best. Congratulations!