Principal's Message—January 17, 2025

Dear Wexford Families,

We observe and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day each year on the third Monday of January. While our children do not attend school on this day, we teach our children about the reason for dates on the calendar pointing to leaders who have contributed to our daily lives. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day reminds us to promote kindness and compassion through our daily interactions with each other. Our positive school culture in Wexford Elementary reflects the intentional focus on the components of RAMS Way. Children learn the power of their words and actions by watching the Wexford Daily Announcements, discussing the slides, and interacting with their peers through learning activities. Our Fall theme connected our classrooms to the book The Yellow Bus. Written and illustrated by Loren Long, The Yellow Bus promotes a discussion about new beginnings and our journey to include each other. I encourage you to borrow a copy from the Wexford office if you would like to read it together as a family.

Our PTO is partnering with our RAMS Way initiative again this year. Our “journey of including each other” is beginning next week by collecting non-perishable items for the local food pantry to distribute to those in need. We are reinforcing the idea of helping others. We continue to look for opportunities when we can align kindness and inclusive practices for our children and faculty.

We continue to empower our children to use their thought bubbles and speech bubbles to ask curious questions or make suggestions for solutions. Students have also recommended a pause button; think before you speak when you know it may hurt someone’s feelings or be perceived as an inappropriate statement. Class meeting discussions and creative learning activities about the ways we can make our school culture an inviting place for everyone are ways to practice our thought bubbles and speech bubbles. 

Please talk with your child about our daily announcements and the celebrations around the stories we are sharing together to promote our RAMS Way positive school culture of kindness and inclusion. Your child can also tell you about the learning activities occurring in their grade level, during library instruction, and in the art and music classroom. If you would like to borrow a book to read with your family or learn more about ways to support your child, please reach out to us.

Educationally Yours,

Kelly Gustafson
Wexford Elementary Principal