WIZARD WORDSA newsletter from Washington Elementary and Washington PTAApril 24th, 2017
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Families, What an amazingly diverse and rich culture we have at Washington! Last year, our Latino families put on the Latino Cultural Festival. Two years ago, our Indian families hosted the Holi Celebration. I look forward to celebrating with you this Tuesday our first annual African American Cultural Celebration from 5:30 - 8:00 pm. We look forward to having all families at this great event where you can learn about African American history, dance, music, art, and food. There will be free food to sample and fun and learning for all. ~Mr. Grant UPCOMING EVENTS Tuesday, April 25th: African American Cultural Celebration (5:30-8:00 p.m.) Tuesday, May 9th - Thursday, May 11th: Scholastic Book Fair Wednesday, May 10th: PTA Board Meeting (9:30 a.m.) Thursday, May 11th: Spring Fling (5:30-7:30 p.m.) Friday May 12th: TEACHER WORKDAY- No School
CULTURAL NIGHT AT WASHINGTON!
Message from PTA President Leigh Hines Dear Washington Families: Thursday, May 11, 2017, will be my last General PTA meeting as your elected President. It has been my pleasure to serve our PTA board this year. Thank you for your trust and support this year. I may have been the person in public leading the meetings, but the glue that holds our outstanding PTA together year after year is our fantastic executive board, committee chairs, and parent volunteers. We are one phenomenal PTA together. I want to thank our 5th-grade parents who may be leaving us this year. Thank you for rolling up your sleeves and ensuring that WES PTA and our school thrives. We are all bonded by the common goal of wanting the best for our children, and through your commitment and dedication to our school, I firmly believe we have one of the best schools in the nation. Your presence will be missed. My best to all of you as you begin a new school chapter in your lives. On July 1, a new fiscal school year begins for our PTA, and your new elected leadership will take over. The General Election for our four officers will take place on May 11. This year’s nominating committee are presenting the following slate of officers for election for the 2017-2018 School Year. Emily King as President of WES PTA Amy Thomas as Vice-President of WES PTA Jessica Dixon as WES PTA Treasurer Kim Olds as WES PTA Secretary Per our by-laws, the floor is now open for any other nominations for these four elected officer positions. Any other nomination may be presented before our vote on May 11, 2017. The next six weeks at WES will move at a lightning pace. Continue reading our newsletter for more information on some things that we will be doing in May to thank our teachers at WES for the wonderful job they do on a daily basis. We will definitely be in need of volunteers for our Spring book fair, EOG proctors for our upper grades and Field Day volunteers, which is always a highlight for our children. I look forward to seeing many of you in the hallways during these last few weeks of school. My best, Leigh Hines JOIN US! We are still on the look-out for parents interested in helping out with our wonderful Shining Star Fundraiser! Shining Star Fundraiser is our one and only fall fundraiser! We spend monies raised in the fall during the current school year to fund teacher grants, professional development for teachers and staff, staff appreciation, PTA Events, and much more! In you are excited about raising even more money next school year, let us know! You can email current PTA Vice President and member of the Nominating Committee, Emily King, for more information: emilywking@gmail.com. Thank you!
End-of-Grade Testing Information
EOGs will take place May 26th - June 2nd for all students in grades 3-5. EOGs are state mandated tests that are required for all 3-5 students. Students will take English language arts and math tests.
Here are EOG dates:
May 26th: 5th grade science
May 30th: 3rd and 5th grade ELA
May 31st: 3rd and 5th grade math
June 1st: 4th grade ELA
June 2nd: 4th grade math
Parent Support
Not only can you support your child at home in the days leading up to EOGs, but we will need your help as testing proctors. A proctor is an adult who helps ensure the teacher follows proper testing procedures for EOGs. Proctors will be needed each of the days above from 9:15-12:45. You will need to attend a 30-minute training with Liz Harder, the testing coordinator.
Sign up HERE to be a proctor: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0448aca82ca2fa7-eogproctor
Please contact Liz Harder at eharder@wcpss.net with any questions.
Thank you for your support of WES students!
Teacher Appreciation Week: WES #ThankATeacher Campaign Day after day, our WES teachers deliver the best education for our children. Nationally, May 8th - 12th is National PTA Teacher Appreciation Week. This year, we want to thank our WES teachers from our heart. We encourage you and your children to send in a card, a special drawing, or handwritten note to any teacher or administrator you would like to thank during this special nationally recognized week. Take the time to thank them for their dedication and hard work this year. Notes and cards can be sent to school with your child anytime between May 8th and May 11th. Also, during this special week, our PTA social media team will use the hashtag #ThankATeacher on our Facebook page to thank teachers publicly. We encourage your child to nominate a teacher to thank publicly on this social media platform. Perhaps, your student would like to thank an elective teacher or a specials teacher. Maybe your classroom teacher has done something extraordinary. Email your #ThankATeacher nomination to WizardFundraising@gmail.com by May 3, 2017. Up to ten public shout-outs will be promoted on Facebook. Your E-mail for Facebook consideration must include:
(If you prefer for your child not to be in photo, please state that as well. We can photograph just the teacher and it will not impact our selection for public thank you shoutouts) Snack and Beverage Station for WES Staff on Thursday, May 11 The Staff Appreciation Committee is hosting a snack and beverage station in the lounge for teachers and support staff on Thursday, May 11 to celebrate the week. We are filling the lounge with their favorite snacks and beverages. We also hope to give away a few restaurant gift cards to some of the places the staff mentioned in a survey where they like to dine. Donation of snack, beverages, and restaurant gift cards or certificates can be found at the following link. www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0944A9A62FA6F85-donations
Dress Code Reminder Families, As we enjoy the warmer temperatures, please review the dress code below to ensure students' attire meet the guidelines: The WCPSS dress code (6410.1) for students does set standards for appearance and dress that are compatible with an effective learning environment. Some examples of prohibited dress include bare midriffs, strapless or spaghetti strap tops, flip flops, short or tight garments, see through clothing, sagging pants and exposed undergarments. Shorts or skirts should approximately reach the child’s longest fingertip when their arm is by their side. Other prohibited items include chains or spikes, messages that are vulgar or advertise items not permitted by law to minors, and may promote violence or intimidation. Head coverings of any kind (except those required by one’s religion or health needs) are also not permitted. The principal or their designee may require students to change their appearance and parents may be notified.
Spring Fling is Coming Soon!
SPRING FLING IS THURSDAY, MAY 11 ~ 5:30-7:30pm Join us for performances and activities to showcase some of our fabulous electives at Washington! Learn about Aeronautics, Chess, and Science Olympiad… even go on an African Safari. Students in music, drama, dance, and P.E. electives will perform, and student work from art electives will be on display. We will hold our last general PTA meeting of the year and elect new officers for 2017-18, and the BOGO Scholastic Book Fair will be open. D’Burritos and JAM Ice Cream food trucks will be open at 5:30. Mark your calendar and don’t miss it! Scholastic BOGO Book Fair: May 9-11 Students will visit the book fair once for purchasing during the school day. The book fair will also be open before school and during Spring Celebration on May 11! All books are buy one, get one free! Stock up for summer reading! To volunteer, go to: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0944a9a62fa6f85-bogo Thank you to all the Wizard families who helped clean up and beautify the courtyard on Earth Day! Advocacy Update HB13 UPDATE On Wednesday, a crowd of hundreds rallied at the NC General Assembly to ask the NC Senate to pass HB13, which the House unanimously approved in February. It would restore the flexibility districts use to pay for art, music, PE, and technology teachers. The class sizes mandated by last year's budget eliminated that funding mechanism even though it is the only way districts have to pay for instruction that the state requires. There is no separate funding for these specials teachers. Without the passage of HB13, as many as 4,500 art, music, PE, technology and world languages teachers could lose their jobs statewide. Teacher assistant positions are also at risk, and class sizes in 4-12th grades could greatly increase. The News and Observer outlined the WCPSS plan if HB13 does not pass in this article: Classes of 40 students, no art and music, reassignment among Wake County options
Late on Friday afternoon, HB13 was referred to the Senate Committee on Education/Higher Education. It is crucial that the Senate act quickly because districts must budget for the coming year RIGHT now. The Senate needs to pass HB13, and the entire legislature must commit to fully funding our public schools. We encourage you to contact your State Senator, and/or members of the Senate Committee on Education and ask them to commit to passing HB13 immediately. Go to www.ncleg.net to find contact information for these representatives.
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WIZARD WORDSA newsletter from Washington Elementary and Washington PTAApril 3rd, 2017
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Dear Families, Recognition for the great teaching and learning that is happening at Washington GT continues to mount! Washington GT’s art teacher, Sonya Drum, is the Magnet Schools of America Region 4 Teacher of the Year!
Ms. Drum will represent our region consisting of North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee at the Magnet Schools of America conference in Los Angeles in April. Ms. Drum is one of 8 magnet teachers being recognized for this honor nationally. Ms. Drum and I will be in Los Angeles April 26 - May 1 representing our whole staff for achieving the Magnet School of Excellence award and for Ms. Drum to receive her teacher award. Make sure to mark your calendars for the whole family to attend the African American Cultural Festival at Washington GT: Shades of Greatness on Tuesday, April 25th from 5:30-8:00 pm. Celebrate our school’s rich diversity through food, dance, authors, singers, and hands on activities! This cultural celebration is a continuation of our efforts to learn about and recognize the many contributions and rich culture of our wonderfully diverse school community. Two years ago our Indian families held the Holi celebration and last year our Latino families led the Latino cultural celebration. I can’t wait for this year's event! ~Mr. Grant UPCOMING EVENTS Wednesday, April 5th, 9:30 a.m.: PTA Board Meeting Friday April 7th: Spring Picture Day April 10-14: Spring Break- No School Thursday, April 20th: FINAL DUE DATE for Yearbook Orders Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m.: Earth Day Courtyard Clean Up at WES
CULTURAL NIGHT AT WASHINGTON!
JOIN US!
We are still on the look-out for parents interested in joining our Communications & Recognition Committee for next year as well as helping out with our wonderful Shining Star Fundraiser! Communication & Recognition Committee is responsible for this wonderful newsletter, social media posts, updating our website, and working with our MemberHub team to help all of our parents and teachers stay connected to the latest news and events related to our PTA. Does your child love their yearbook? We are also in need of a parent interested in helping design the Yearbook for next school year. This committee also gets to work together on Staff Appreciation events to celebrate our wonderful staff! Shining Star Fundraiser is our one and only fall fundraiser! We spend monies raised in the fall during the current school year to fund teacher grants, professional development, staff appreciation, PTA Events, and much more! In you are excited about raising even more money next school year, let us know! You can email current PTA Vice President and member of the Nominating Committee, Emily King, for more information: emilywking@gmail.com. Thank you! Earth Day at Washington-April 22 Join the PTA Courtyard Committee on Earth Day! On Saturday, April 22 from 9-12 p.m., we will be laying mulch, weeding and sprucing up the courtyard and school grounds. Come for the whole morning, or just an hour. Bring your gloves, rakes, and other gardening tools & celebrate Earth Day by helping us make our school environment beautiful! Many hands make light work- bring the whole family and we will see you there!
Advocacy Update An important piece of legislation is being considered in the NC Senate called HB13. In our last newsletter, we summarized the bill's effects on Wake County Public Schools if it is not passed. Wake County PTA Council recently passed a position statement in support of the passage of HB13. We encourage all PTA members and families to contact their State Senators to ask them to vote for HB13. Without a fix to the unfunded class size mandate, budget cuts will require the elimination of teacher positions in art, music and PE in order to pay for the additional K-3 classes needed to comply with the new law. Help to save our specials by advocating for HB13!
Wake County PTA Council Position Statement on HB13
Wake County PTA Council believes that every child must be provided with a well-rounded, high-quality education, which will ensure that all children have the opportunity to reach their full potential and become productive members of society.
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