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Those of you who've been around know all about Wingra’s traditions. For newer families in our community, though, some of our events can be real head-scratchers. Just what is Kids Night Out? Or Duck Day? Is Follies (whatever that is) open to parents, or is it just for kids? If you don't know, read on, and find out! We’ll look at a year of Wingra traditions unfolding. It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a good place to start.

The School Year Begins
You already know that the first week of school is all half-days. That’s so the teachers can work on adapting their planned units to their students, after they’ve met them. It also gives us all a chance to ease into the school year. You’ve also enjoyed our B.Y.O.P (Bring Your Own Picnic) and Ice Cream Social, where you can always see our Board members serving up icy goodness. Other traditions in September include locker decorating, school tours, desk painting (Rooms 200 and 202), and the Lake’s (Rooms 105 and 107) trek to Upham Woods for a bonding overnight. And the Sky students will take a day away for individual and group challenges (and more bonding).

Parents’ night (September 17) is an opportunity to get into your child(ren)’s classroom(s) and get to know their teachers. The next day, goal-setting conferences have parents, students, and teachers sitting down to discuss what’s important to focus on in the coming year, academically and personally. We have more info in this newsletter about these two events, and our End of Week next week will have even more info!

Celebrations and Customs
There are lots of celebrations during a year at Wingra School. The Wingra Family Dance (October 2) provides fun for young and old, as well as bake sale snacks for your taste buds. At the end of October, Room 200 transforms into a haunted house. Younger students can tour it with the lights on, and the risk takers can opt for a darker, more haunting experience. Halloween also sees youngers and olders pair up to build costumes fashioned out of paper products and recycled goods. A parade caps off this event.

Come Thanksgiving, we have a Wednesday event with family and friends (cleverly called the Family and Friends Day). Students can invite extended family, neighbors, and other adults in their lives to join them for activities at school prior to a noon dismissal (November 25).

The long winter (a Wisconsin tradition) has lots of events to break up the cold. The Winter Concert is January 21. All choir and band students participate. There’s a second All- School concert in the spring – all students, be they singers or musicians or tech-support, participate in that concert, which is held at the Overture Center. For Alumni Night (February 18), we bring back recent alums to talk to families about life after Wingra School. And Open Houses (January 10 and February 7) bring prospective families to our school; current families are encouraged to attend and chat. Many older students at school join the Zipper Club, and help youngers with boots and snowpants before and after recess. And with the snow comes sledding on the front hill, a near-universal favorite.

Throughout the winter, independent projects, fondly known as "IPs" (or “IRPs” in the Sky, with “R” standing for research), are undertaken by students ages 7 to 14. They choose a topic based on their own curiosity and interests, conduct research, create visual aids, develop written reports, and share their findings with classmates and families through oral presentations or classroom fairs. The process is structured to suit each age group. Even our youngest students participate by doing their own version of independent projects each year.

As spring approaches, work begins on Kids' Night Out. Students in the Lake and Sky write, direct, cast and crew skits, and perform them for families and friends. In the beginning, theses skits were performed by kids, for kids, and the parent audience was small. Over time, it’s become a “don’t miss” event for the whole family! Another spring tradition is the All-School Unit (April 12-23, 2010). Each year, the whole school explores a theme in all kinds of ways. Classes mix, ages intermingle, and kids work collaboratively on projects or activities. Past units have included Science Camp, Going Green, Change, Time, Bridges, and Architecture.

Earth Day holds a special place in the Wingra schedule. Each student chooses from a selection of Earth Day activities in the community led by Wingra teachers. Then comes Duck Day, a new celebration of the anniversary of buying our building. This is an in-school event, with silliness and possibly chocolate milk during the lunch-time mix.

Finishing Out the Year
When Fun Day hits, we know the year is almost over. This all-day event can include a water-dunking tank, face-painting, water-sliding down the hill, and more! The Book Fair is held concurrently, in the Commons. Often the student-produced Wingra yearbook, the Yearly Duck, is handed out on Fun Day and students have time set aside to sign each others’ yearbooks.

The last day of school (June 10) is always an early-release day, as the afternoon and evening are devoted to an all-school picnic and graduation at Olin-Turville Park. The picnic is a potluck - can you say “Yum”? And graduation is a joy. Graduating students are given the opportunity to reflect publicly on their Wingra experience and what they will take with them to high school. Their teachers take turns presenting each student individually in a heartfelt introduction that touches everyone in the audience. By the end of the evening, there’s not a dry eye in the house.

Year-Round Traditions
A special Wingra tradition is Friday Follies. Way back, teacher JoAnn Schoell had a beloved poodle named Folly. This canine was the inspiration behind the name of our monthly gatherings. Each class hosts one of the Follies; staff and parents get in on the action as well. Parents are welcome to attend, especially when their child’s classroom is the main event. Follies are usually held toward the end of the month, from 2:15-3:00 p.m. This year’s Follies are tentatively set for September 25, October 23, November 20, December 18, January 29, February 19, March 26, April 23 (All School Unit), and June 9.

Book Partners (now called Learning Buddies) are another wonderful custom here. At the beginning of each school year, Wingra teachers put considerable time and thought into pairing up older and younger students who then read together every Friday throughout the year. Youngers may enjoy being read to or choose to practice their reading out loud. This year, partner activities may expand to include science and math activities. If you walk through the school during Learning Buddies time, you will see pairs of children with heads bent over books in every nook and cranny of the school.

Another Friday tradition is All-School Choice. Once a month on a Friday afternoon, each student can choose one or more activities from a wide variety that teachers and parent volunteers offer in each classroom. A favorite tradition of Wingra students, All-School Choice is fun and an opportunity for students of all ages to mix and become familiar with other classrooms. There’s also In-Room Choice (self-directed activity in their classroom: reading, art, quiet games, or a chance to catch up on classroom work).

Another much-anticipated yearly event is the opening of the School Store. Managed and operated by Lake students, Wingra's school store is open twice a week during lunch time. Cooperative in spirit, competitive in price, and convenient in location, the store offers friendly service and wonderful learning opportunities for management, employees, and customers.

Traditions and Change
As you can see, traditions run deep (and wide) at Wingra School. Change is also embraced, and we look forward to a new year, and what changes it may bring.