Willowwind students have taken some time to revisit our schools waste disposal practices for snack and lunchtime. Our new policy is to recycle any items that are made of paper, cardboard, aluminum, tin or hard plastic as long as there is no food left inside. When the food item is unfinished, students should pack in-pack out, and bring it home as they did previously. This allows you to monitor what your child is eating. They may still need to bring home some messy items if their food is unfinished. Please help them be prepared to do so by packing in reusable containers or items that can be resealed.
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The American Library of Poetry (www.libraryofpoetry.com) is hosting a National Student Poetry Contest for 3rd through 12th grade writers. Wolves are eligible to enter in the 3rd - 5th grade or 6th - 7th grade division. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each division will be awarded a cash prize and certificate of achievement. One poem will be declared the Editor's Choice and receive a $500 grand prize.
The entry form guidelines state, "Poem must be no more than 20 lines on any subject, in any style except concrete (shape poems) or blackout, and is the original and individual work of the student." Entries are due October 31, 2016 for the Fall Edition of the contest. If your child is interested in entering, please either enter online here or print out this form and return to me, with a printed copy of your child's poem, by Monday, October 24 to ensure they are mailed on time. If you elect to enter online, please note that the contest form is dated for the Spring Edition of the contest. You still need to enter by October 31, 2016 to participate in the Fall Edition. PICTURE DAY:
Wednesday, September 21st This year's Picture Day is coming up! Destiny Borland of Identity Photography will be here to take individual school pictures and class pictures. Please see the Weekly news for the link to the order form. Or, please pick up an order form for your child's school pictures at the Front Desk. Pictures will be taken outside on the Willowwind lawn. Please consider our outdoors location when selecting a Picture Day outfit for your child. HARVEST FEST: Saturday, September 24th 2:00 - 4:30 Our annual Harvest Fest is this Saturday with live music, games, and food. I hope to see you there. Please visit Willowwind's Facebook page as well as the Weekly News email for more information. Thanks to Dana, James, and Kari for organizing the Wolves' gift basket, as well as to all parents who donated materials. FALL CAMPING TRIP: Wednesday, October 12 - Thursday, October 13 Did you all receive the e-mail last week with the details for our camping trip on October 12? Please be in touch with your questions. I have had many parents kindly offer to assist with supplying food and tents. If you are able to pitch in and help the camping cause, and wish to sign up to bring a specific food item or loan us a tent, please click here to do so and plan to send the item to school by Tuesday, Oct. 11. It is incredibly helpful to have assistance in providing the needed items to make our trip a success. Thank you in advance for all help with supplies! IOWA ASSESSMENTS: The Iowa Assessments will be given October 17 through 21. Testing will happen from 8:30 to 10:00 each day. The rest of each school day will follow a normal schedule. Please be sure your child gets a good night's sleep and an extra good breakfast on those days. I will give less homework that week. It is a longstanding tradition that students at Willowwind are allowed to chew sugarless gum during the testing time. It will not be allowed after the test is over. Please send enough gum to have a piece at the beginning of each testing session. Finally, please have your child at school by 8:20, so that we can begin promptly at 8:30. Let me know if your child is sick on a given day, so we do not wait for your child. We will arrange times to make up the assessment if your child is absent. Thanks in advance for your cooperation. It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Curriculum Night. If you had to miss the event, please be sure to check out the Thematic Learning Page for introductory information on our 2016-2017 theme, Connect, Collaborate, Think Critically. You can also access the curriculum map for our year of learning adventures here (we are in Year 1).
With so much fun ahead of us, here is what you need to know for our upcoming week: PEP CONFERENCES: Thanks to all who have signed up for a PEP conference and have completed the survey. I will accept sign ups for PEP conferences on 9/15 until this Tuesday afternoon. Additional conferences will be held Tuesday, Sept. 20, with times open between 3:40 - 5:00 PM. Click here to sign up for a slot: Fall PEP Conference Sign Up If the times on the spreadsheet do not work for your family, please just let me know. We can make other arrangements to meet. Please complete and return your survey one week prior to your conference: Parent Survey for PEP - Print and Scan If you prefer to complete your survey online, here is a link to a Google Forms version: Parent Survey - Online NEW ROUTINE: WORD STUDY: The Wolves begin their Vocabulary and Word Study this week. As students begin their shift from learning to read to reading to learn, the focus of weekly spelling also evolves. In Grade 5, students will begin curricular word study, which is designed to build vocabulary and spelling skills concurrently. Each week on Monday, students will be assigned words that relate directly to our classroom studies (e.g., terms from our science or social studies work or unknown vocabulary from literacy texts). Throughout the week, they will define the words and write sentences using their new vocabulary. On Friday, students will be assessed on the spelling and definition of each term. Students have the option to either complete all work digitally on their iPads using Google Drive or to use old fashioned paper. :) Digital homework is available at home on any tablet or computer with an internet connection, using your child's Google Drive account log in. If you are unsure how to log in, please contact me. FLIPPED MATH ACCESS UPDATES: I've been slowly working toward moving the math videos to the main Wolves website. They can be accessed here: Grade 5 Math Grade 6 Math Watch for more videos to arrive as I continue the relocation process! I've also added a calendar to the website with links to the daily video homework. You can find it here. If you click on the correct math class, then choose more details, a new window will open. Click on the video link in the calendar event (it is under Attachments), and you'll be set to go! This should help eliminate confusion about which video to watch on any given day. SPEAKING OF CALENDARS... Did you know that our class website includes an event calendar? If you click here, you can access the calendar page, which includes both Wolf classroom and Willowwind community events. Events can even be saved to your own Google calendar! Please be in touch with your questions as we continue to establish routines and share information. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on Thursday for the first round of PEP conferences! Rachel We work very hard throughout the day, and families often have busy schedules at home each evening; therefore, I limit the amount of homework that students have each night. Students need time to pursue other interests and grow the parts of their brain, heart, and body that are not nourished at school. Nightly homework should be limited to 45 minutes and include word study (beginning the week of 9/12), book club readings, and math. School is your child's full time job, and I want to be thoughtful about the work I ask them to take home.
If your child has worked diligently for 45 minutes and has not completed the work, please "red line" his or her paper (mark where he or she left off and initial), leave a note for me in the front of your child's white homework binder, or send me an e-mail ([email protected]) with an update on their completed work. This communication helps me to understand the correct workload for our group this year. Students who attend ASP have designated and supported homework time and may be able to finish assigned work before coming home. Should you have any questions about homework, don't hesitate to be in touch. The most important homework your child needs to complete each night is to play and sleep. Sleepy kids struggle to learn, as do children who aren't getting adequate leisure time to reset and recharge their brains. In the crunch of busy family life, I want to be certain your child has time to be with family and friends, participate in sports, music, and art, and enjoy their own pursuits. If the homework load is too heavy to give your child this necessary time, please reach out. Have a wonderful weekend! Be in touch with your thoughts as our community continues to establish routines and build relationships. Curriculum Night is Wednesday, September 7th from 5:30-6:30. Mark your calendars! PreK-6 Curriculum Night is NEXT Wednesday, September 7th from 5:30 – 6:30. Join your child’s classroom teacher as they discuss classroom plans for the 2016-2017 school year. This event is designed to help families familiarize themselves with teachers’ integrative, engaging, project-based curriculum. Specials teachers and our Program Director will be available to discuss this year’s Specials curriculum and Enrichment opportunities. Parental attendance at this event is mandatory. Childcare is available for all children three years old (and potty-trained) and older. Email Rachel at [email protected] if you are interested in childcare. We look forward to seeing you at this event. Here’s to a successful school year for faculty, staff, families and – MOST IMPORTANTLY – our students! Fall Personalized Education Plan (PEP) Conferences - September 15 and September 20 Fall PEP Conference dates are right around the corner. During our 20 minute conference, we will discuss potential academic and social goals for your child's school year. PEP goals are used to personalize and differentiate your child's instruction. Please use the link below to sign up for a 20 minute conference. PEP Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15th from 2:30 - 6:00 and Tuesday, Sept. 20th from 3:40 - 6:30. Please sign up for a PEP conference time slot by Monday, Sept. 12th. If the times on the spreadsheet do not work for your family, please just let me know. We can make other arrangements to meet! Prior to your conference, I ask you to complete a survey about your child’s educational style and needs. These questions give me great insight into your child so that I can prepare for our conversation at the conference. You can access the online survey here: If you prefer to fill out the survey by hand, please download a word version of the parent survey linked below. It is helpful to have your survey results one week prior to your conference. Thank you for the time you take to help me better understand your child!
I'm looking forward to meeting with you, Rachel |
Rachel DeMaris5/6 Teacher Archives
May 2017
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