News from WES 11/11/18

UPCOMING WES EVENTS

• Monday November 12 - No School - Veterans Day 
• Monday, November 19 - WCUD board meeting at WES 6pm
• November 13-20 - K-4 parent conferences and 5-6 student-led conferences 
• Wed-Friday November 21-23 No School, Thanksgiving Break
• November 26-30 - PreK conferences
• Monday, December 10th - WCUD Board Meeting, 6pm
• Monday, December 24 - Tuesday, January 1 - Holiday Break - No School 

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WES STUDENTS COMPETE IN REGIONAL SPELLING BEE

Six WES 6th graders used WIN time to prepare for a regional spelling bee hosted at WES on November 3rd. Congratulations to Ada, Ethan, Eryn, Lucy, Sarah, Sequoia for your hard work and second place finish. Thank you to Mrs. Lackley for coaching, Mr. Miles for announcing, and Mrs. Giller for judging. 

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PTO TEAM APPRECIATIONS 

Thank you to all our volunteers who helped make the WES Family Harvest Hoedown a success. This Hoedown had the highest attendance of all our hoedowns, and we are grateful for the part our volunteers played to help bring our school community together for such a fun, family-centered evening.

We are happy to report that, along with our highest attendance for this event, we also had our highest volunteer involvement!  It took over 50 parents, teachers, staff, and student council members to coordinate all the parts of this event. We truly appreciate all their efforts. It is no small feat to come together to collect pizza order forms, serve baked goods, coordinate our student council members, turn out dozens of pizzas, set up tables, chairs, and decorations, run activity booths, and clean up for an event with over 200 people. Friday night’s Hoedown was proof that many hands make light work. 

Thank you again for the success of the 2018 Family Harvest Hoedown!

Visit our school Facebook page to see more pictures from WES events including the Hoedown! 

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WINNING at WES 

This week, we completed our first round of WIN (What I Need), our 8:15-8:45am morning individualized instruction. Teachers reported many students making academic gains during this time in skills such as identifying letters in Kindergarten, increasing reading levels by 1-2 levels in first grade, collecting data on license plates in 2nd grade, completing independent study projects about topics such as favorite animals in 3rd and 4th grade, and developing study skills in 5th and 6th grade. Here is more on the 2nd grade project: The kiddos were asked to keep track of how many license plates they saw and which states they were from. Then we collected and compiled everyone's data and made a visual representation of the data to answer the question, "Which region of the country did we see the most plates from?"  Then the kiddos were asked to reflect on why they saw the most plates from the northeast region.  Here is a video of 2nd graders presenting their data about license plates.  

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After School STEM Club

Nov 26 - Dec 19, 2018

Computer Science for grades 3-6

Come and join other interested students for advanced STEM explorations!  

Nov 26 - Dec 19 (four weeks)

Mondays and Wednesdays

2:50 - 3:50 p.m.

This is limited to the 15 students who can attend both days a week.

Please go to the WES STEM website,

and click on STEM Clubs link to fill out a registration form.

Registration will be first come, first served

http://wesstem-k-6.blogspot.com/

Or contact mgauvin@wcsu.net

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Everybody Engineering Week 

This week, students in grades 2-6 worked in mixed grade level teams to complete a week-long engineering challenge. This was our fourth annual Everybody Engineering Week. A pair of sixth graders facilitator each team while teachers participated at team members rather than group leaders. The challenge was called the 1-Minute, 1-Touch Challenge. The challenge was to create a system through which a ball would travel with only one touch. The goal was for the ball to pass through the system  and land on an X after exactly one minute. Creative team solutions included ramps, water, sand, robots, and zip-lines. The STEM lab was abuzz with students popping in to borrow items ranging from wood, duct tape, robotics kits, power drills, glue guns and any number of recycled materials.  Teams were recognized not only for their ability to complete the challenge in one minute, but also for the creativity, beauty, high tech/low tech aspects of their designs. Students felt successful not only because of what they created, but because of their teamwork, problem-solving, and perseverance. Check out the engineering STEM blog for more pictures.  

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WINTER WORKSHOPS 2019

We are going digital with Winter Workshops sign-ups this year. For all students grades 1-6, please complete the sign-up by November 20th.

Here is the link to sign-up for a Winter Workshop.

In addition, if selecting Ski Runners, you must also register with Woodstock Ski Runners. Click Here. 

If selecting Art Runners, also visit the Artistree website. Their registration will be available soon.  

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The Woodstock Community Food Shelf Thanksgiving Project

Sign up by Monday November 13

Dear Families, 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf is giving out Thanksgiving Baskets to local families. We have a mission to help any local family who needs a little help with groceries, especially at Thanksgiving. 

If you and your family live in Vermont, and would like to receive a basket this year, we invite you to come to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf on Maxham Meadow Way and sign up.

Your basket would typically contain items for a family of four including a frozen turkey, 5 lbs of potatoes, onions, celery, stuffing mix, gravy, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin or other pie filling. Sometimes pie shells, pickles, or other extras are available. 

If you would like to obtain a basket, we ask that you first register at the Food Shelf and then sign up for a basket. 

Registration is simple, asks only very basic questions, respects your privacy and information, and takes only about 5 minutes. 

Please bring with you your Vermont driver’s license, or a rent/utility bill, as our area of service is only for those presently living in Vermont. After you have registered, all that is left to do is sign the sheet for a Thanksgiving basket.

Hours for signing up are Mondays from 4-6pm, Wednesdays from 1-3pm and Saturday from 10-12.

The deadline for signing up for a Thanksgiving basket is November 12. Baskets are to be picked up on Saturday morning, November 17, from 9:30 until noon.

If you have questions, please call the Food Shelf during open hours at

457-1185 or Sheila Murray at 457-1701 or Leigh Snell at 457-3661.

With warm wishes, 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf 

News from WES 10-27-18

UPCOMING WES EVENTS

• Wednesday, October 31 - WES Halloween Parade starting ~1:45-2:00pm - families welcome to come watch the parade down Rte.106 and around the Green! 
• Wednesday, October 31  - end of first quarter 
• Friday, November 2 - Picture Retake Day
• Monday, November 5 - School Board Workshop, 6pm (See agenda details below)
• Friday November 9 - Harvest Hoedown - all families welcome!
• Monday November 12 - No School - Veterans Day 
• Monday, November 19 - WCUD board meeting at WES 6pm
• November 13-20 K-4 parent conferences and 5-6 student-led conferences 
• Wed-Friday November 21-23 No School, Thanksgiving Break
• November 26-30 - PreK conferences

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Important School Board News 

The Windsor Central School District Board is preparing for a possible decision on restructuring elementary schools in this district. Some of the options on the table have implications for balancing class sizes at WES. On November 5th at 6pm, the board will hold a workshop at the central office conference room (building next to the Union Arena) to discuss options. There is a public comment period. Community members are always welcome to contact board members as well with their thoughts. Here is a link to the board page where agendas, meeting minutes, board member contact information, and policies can be accessed.  The minutes from the October 15th meeting include possible options for merging classes from other schools with classes at WES.  A vote is expected at the November 19th meeting at WES. 

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Halloween Parade Reminders

All WES and TPVS students will participate in our annual Halloween Parade on Wednesday. We have some exciting musical accompaniment planned!  The parade begins at roughly 1:45pm and goes down South Street by the Inn, past the Norman Williams library, circles the intersection of Central and Elm Streets, and comes back through the center of the Green to the school. We do not wear costumes during the day until the parade is about to start. All students put on costumes at about 1:30. It is best to send your student with a version of their costume that  your student can independently put on. If adult assistance is required, please contact your classroom teacher about the right time to come by and help. No fake or real weapon props are allow. We hope to see you there! 

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Third Annual Harvest Hoedown Coming Soon!

 Please join us for our Annual Family Harvest Hoedown on November 9th, 2018 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The WES PTO Team and our Student Council are hosting the Hoedown and we will offer face painting, a photo booth, fortune telling and, of course, DANCING! Come hungry! We will be serving pizza by the slice and desserts will be available for purchase. 

Please look for a form from your student to pre-order your pizza slices. We are not collecting money for the pizza until the event. The form is just to give us an idea of how much pizza to order (and you may indicate gluten free if necessary). 

Also, we are looking for a few volunteers to help make our Hoedown a success. Please consider signing up to help out. Donate a dessert or chip in with set up or clean up! To sign up, click here: http://signup.com/go/ZMkLtHj

Thank you, 

The PTO Team and Student Council

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5th and 6th Grade Conferences 

 5th and 6th grade will be holding student-led conferences starting Wednesday 11/13 and continuing through Tuesday 11/20. Please log onto their newsletter page, by going to the "WES Site"  click "Our Classrooms" then "5th and 6th Grade." The newsletter entry posted on 10/23/18 contains the link for parents to select a conference time. Here is the link straight to the blog. All grades will communicate with parents about how to sign up for upcoming conferences. 

We Want to Hear from You! 

WHO:

Windsor Central Supervisory Union’s students, parents, families, and community members
WHAT:
Our Portrait of a Graduate is a new vision for our district. It serves as a North Star, guiding our schools to ensure we meet the needs of all students, as we prepare them to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world.
HOW:
Share your feedback on our Portrait! Take the survey at bit.ly/WC-Portrait QUESTIONS:
Contact: Rayna Bishop
rbishop@wcsu.net 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf Thanksgiving Project

Sign up by Monday November 13

Dear Families, 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf is giving out Thanksgiving Baskets to local families. We have a mission to help any local family who needs a little help with groceries, especially at Thanksgiving. 

If you and your family live in Vermont, and would like to receive a basket this year, we invite you to come to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf on Maxham Meadow Way and sign up.

Your basket would typically contain items for a family of four including a frozen turkey, 5 lbs of potatoes, onions, celery, stuffing mix, gravy, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin or other pie filling. Sometimes pie shells, pickles, or other extras are available. 

If you would like to obtain a basket, we ask that you first register at the Food Shelf and then sign up for a basket. 

Registration is simple, asks only very basic questions, respects your privacy and information, and takes only about 5 minutes. 

Please bring with you your Vermont driver’s license, or a rent/utility bill, as our area of service is only for those presently living in Vermont. After you have registered, all that is left to do is sign the sheet for a Thanksgiving basket.

Hours for signing up are Mondays from 4-6pm, Wednesdays from 1-3pm and Saturday from 10-12.

The deadline for signing up for a Thanksgiving basket is November 12. Baskets are to be picked up on Saturday morning, November 17, from 9:30 until noon.

If you have questions, please call the Food Shelf during open hours at

457-1185 or Sheila Murray at 457-1701 or Leigh Snell at 457-3661.

With warm wishes, 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf 

Halloween at Norman Williams Public Library 

The trustees of NWPL invite trick-or-treaters and parents to include the library on your Halloween route.  Members of the library board will be out front to greet you and hand out treats for everyone, from 4:45 to 6:30.  Come and meet some of the folks in our community who work behind the scenes to help our library thrive.

We look forward to seeing you! 

SPEAKING OF HALLOWEEN...👻

The Woodstock Police Department has provided WES with a candy collection barrel located in the front entry way. The department will distribute candy to the folks who live in our safe trick-or-treating area here in town - they get a huge troop of trick-or-treaters! As of Friday afternoon, there were just two bags of candy in the bin. Please consider helping out. 

 

News from WES 10-20-18

UPCOMING WES EVENTS

• October 22-26 - Health Center Tile Art Project at WES
• Wednesday, October 31 - WES Halloween Parade starting ~1:45-2:00pm - families welcome to come watch the parade down Rte.106 and around the Green! 
• Wednesday, October 31  - end of first quarter 
• Friday, November 2 - Picture Retake Day
• Friday November 9 - Harvest Hoedown - all families welcome! 
• Monday, November 19 - WCUD board meeting at WES 6pm
• November 13-20 K-4 parent conferences and 5-6 student-led conferences 
• Wed-Friday November 21-23 No School, Thanksgiving Break
• November 26-30 - PreK conferences

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Report Card, Conference, and Learning Celebration Timeline

2018-2019 School Year

K-6 report cards are mailed home four times per year. Classroom teachers coordinate completion of the report cards for the students in their classes. Unified Arts teachers contribute to the report cards for the 2nd and 4th semesters. Report cards are completed on a web-based service called VCAT.

Learning progress meetings are held with families two times during the year. In addition, parents or teachers should feel free to request informal conferences held as needed for individual students throughout the year.

FALL CONFERENCES

Conferences will be held in the fall for all students. The purpose of this conference is to discuss progress thus far, address areas of concern, and discuss goals and supports moving forward.

PreK-fourth grade hold “traditional” parent-teacher conferences at the end of the first quarter.
Fifth and sixth grade hold “student-led” conferences at the end of the first quarter. We have found that students at this age level are developmentally ready to be part of a discussion with parents and teachers that aligns with the purpose described above.
K-6 first quarter report cards will be mailed out prior to the fall conference, and parents may bring the report card and/or questions about progress to be addressed at the fall conference.
PreK parents will receive a progress report at the fall conference.

SPRING LEARNING CELEBRATIONS

Spring student-led learning celebrations:  Students in kindergarten-fourth grade will have an opportunity to share their work with their families in a celebratory manner during third quarter, the week of March 18-22.
PreK will have a traditional spring parent conference.
Parents are always welcome to request a meeting with teachers to discuss concerns.

REPORT CARD MAILING

Below are the anticipated times for the end of each marking period, report cards and conferences.

October 31: first quarter ends

November 6-10:  report cards and SBAC scores mailed (SBAC grades 4-6)

November 13-20:  K-4 parent conferences, 5-6 student-led conferences

November 26-30 preK parent conferences

January 14: second quarter ends

January 28-2/1: report cards mailed home

Between March 18 - March 22: K-6  STUDENT LED LEARNING CELEBRATIONS

April 1: third quarter ends

April 8-12: report cards mailed home, parent conferences by parent request

June 10-14 report cards mailed home

We Want to Hear from You! 

WHO:

Windsor Central Supervisory Union’s students, parents, families, and community members
WHAT:
Our Portrait of a Graduate is a new vision for our district. It serves as a North Star, guiding our schools to ensure we meet the needs of all students, as we prepare them to thrive in a complex and rapidly changing world.
HOW:
Share your feedback on our Portrait! Take the survey at bit.ly/WC-Portrait QUESTIONS:
Contact: Rayna Bishop
rbishop@wcsu.net 

MORNING DROP OFF AND ARRIVAL PROCEDURES

From 7:30-7:40 is a great time to drop off your child if you drive to WES. Traffic really picks up from 7:45-8:00 and it is harder to find a space to safely pull in or to park and walk in.  Parking on the Green and walking over is always an option. It is free to park on the Green in the morning. Please do not let your child out in the roadway. Please do not drop children off on School Street on the side of the school. This is a bus-only street from 7:30-8:00.  Watch all crosswalks for walkers! Thank you for your patience and for operating safely with all children in mind in the morning. 

Also, please remember that it is our protocol to welcome families to the lobby, cafeteria, and playground areas in the morning. We have many morning meetings happening between 7:30-8:00 in classrooms at WES and it is necessary for the hallways to be clear and quiet before school. 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf Thanksgiving Project

Sign up by Monday November 13

Dear Families, 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf is giving out Thanksgiving Baskets to local families. We have a mission to help any local family who needs a little help with groceries, especially at Thanksgiving. 

If you and your family live in Vermont, and would like to receive a basket this year, we invite you to come to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf on Maxham Meadow Way and sign up.

Your basket would typically contain items for a family of four including a frozen turkey, 5 lbs of potatoes, onions, celery, stuffing mix, gravy, cranberry sauce, canned pumpkin or other pie filling. Sometimes pie shells, pickles, or other extras are available. 

If you would like to obtain a basket, we ask that you first register at the Food Shelf and then sign up for a basket. 

Registration is simple, asks only very basic questions, respects your privacy and information, and takes only about 5 minutes. 

Please bring with you your Vermont driver’s license, or a rent/utility bill, as our area of service is only for those presently living in Vermont. After you have registered, all that is left to do is sign the sheet for a Thanksgiving basket.

Hours for signing up are Mondays from 4-6pm, Wednesdays from 1-3pm and Saturday from 10-12.

The deadline for signing up for a Thanksgiving basket is November 12. Baskets are to be picked up on Saturday morning, November 17, from 9:30 until noon.

If you have questions, please call the Food Shelf during open hours at

457-1185 or Sheila Murray at 457-1701 or Leigh Snell at 457-3661.

With warm wishes, 

The Woodstock Community Food Shelf 

Halloween at Norman Williams Public Library 

The trustees of NWPL invite trick-or-treaters and parents to include the library on your Halloween route.  Members of the library board will be out front to greet you and hand out treats for everyone, from 4:45 to 6:30.  Come and meet some of the folks in our community who work behind the scenes to help our library thrive.

We look forward to seeing you! 

SPEAKING OF HALLOWEEN...👻

The Woodstock Police Department has provided WES with a candy collection barrel located in the front entry way. The department will distribute candy to the folks who live in our safe trick-or-treating area here in town - they get a huge troop of trick-or-treaters! As of Friday afternoon, there were just two bags of candy in the bin. Please consider helping out.