Timberwolf Times -August 29, 2022
T. Clay Wood - Facts at your Fingertips
Welcome to T. Clay Wood ES
Welcome Back to School - 2022-2023
"It's A Great Day to be a Timberwolf""
Dear Timberwolf Families,
I hope you all had a great first week of school. We are looking forward to another awesome week.
Please note there is no school on Friday, September 2 or Monday, September 5, 2022 - Labor Day Weekend.
PLEASE NOTE - if Packers/Lunch Bringers would like to purchase school milk, the cost this year is $1.00. If a student who has purchased lunch, would like a 2nd lunch, the cost this year for the 2nd lunch is $4.00
Medicine
If your child needs to take over the counter or prescription medicine at school, the parent/guardian must bring in the medicine in the original bottle/container for him or her and fill out the medication form. Students cannot carry most medicine to school with them or keep it with them while at school. We cannot administer any medicine without the appropriate forms filled out. Please see our school website or call our school nurse, Mrs. Ousley at 703.594.3990 for more information.
2022-2023 – Back to school information: https://www.pwcs.edu/parents/backtoschool
2022-2023 – Calendar link: https://www.pwcs.edu/cms/one.aspx?pageId=654031
Code of Behavior link: https://www.pwcs.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=340225&pageId=767701
Link to Family Life Education objectives and Opt out - https://www.pwcs.edu/academics___programs/science___family_life_education/family_life_education
Masks will continue to be optional if students would prefer to wear them.
I thought you would be excited and interested to learn how well we did compared to other elementary schools on the SOLS last year – Great job to all our amazing staff in 3rd-5th grade and also including our primary teachers and encore as well as our special education, EL, Reading teachers, and all our staff who worked hard to make sure students were learning and closing any gaps left over from the Pandemic. 3rd grade especially really rocked last year!!
- 3rd grade –
- Math – We were the highest scoring elementary only school in PWCS with a 95.04% pass rate
- Reading -We were the highest elementary only scoring school in PWCS with a 92.20% pass rate
- 4th grade
- History – 21st highest score out 63 schools in PWCS– at 80% pass rate – Most other schools higher were also in the 80s
- Math – 14th highest score out of 63 elementary school in PWCS– with 83% – Most other schools higher were also in the 80s
- Reading – 19th highest score out of 63 elementary schools in PWCS with 82.50% - – Most other schools higher were also in the 80s
- 5th grade
- Math -3rd highest score for all elementary only schools in PWCS– with 88.39%
- Reading – 9th highest score for all elementary only schools in PWCS with 85.81%
- Science – 2nd highest score in county of elementary schools
- Overall Score (3rd-5th combined)
- Math – 3rd highest for all elementary only schools in PWCS– score of 88.33%
- Reading – 3rd highest score for all elementary only schools in PWCS of 86.62%
We truly do Everything Better Together as a Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence.
I hope you all have a wonderful week.
Dr. Andrew Buchheit
Principal
#TimberwolvesROCK
“Like the Sun, I am here to Shine”
Have you completed all your Back to School Information in ParentVue??
The Back to School Packet, where parents/guardians can review emergency cards, update contact information, and complete annual policy reviews and acknowledgements, is now available in ParentVUE.
All families should complete the Back to School Packet as soon as possible, but no later than Friday, September 16, 2022. The information you provide will allow school staff to ensure the safety of your student this school year.
To access the Back to School Packet:
- Login to your ParentVUE account and go to “Online Records” in the top right corner.
- Written Instructions for completing the Back to School Packet
- Video Tutorial for completing the Back to School Packet
- If a parent/guardian needs to make changes to information once they submit the Back to School Packet, they can resubmit anytime by following the same instructions provided above.
- If you need assistance, or do not have an active ParentVUE account, please contact your child’s school.
For your convenience, we have created a Back to School webpage with information and resources you and your student need to start the school year off right.
Free and Reduced Price Meal and Meal Prices
A federal waiver that made school meals free to all students regardless of their family’s income ended June 30. This upcoming school year, only students who qualify for free and reduced meals will receive free meals. This year, students whose families qualify for reduced-price meals will also receive free meals, based on a Virginia General Assembly expansion of the program. Applications will be available in August.
Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications were mailed by the School Division to families with children registered in Prince William County Public Schools. If you did not receive an application, please contact School Food and Nutrition Services at 703.791.7314 or your school. You may also complete the application electronically. Visit the School Division Web site at https://pwcsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=0408101731444083 to access the electronic application.
Breakfast:$1.50 student full price
Lunch: $2.50 student full price
Milk (for Packers/Bringers) - $1.00
Second Lunch - $4.00
Free and reduced breakfast and lunch are free to those who qualify for Free and Reduced
Transportation Department
Our Prince William County School Transportation Department continues to update and implement some tools to help us all when it comes to buses. I have included some helpful links below that are now on their PWCS Transportation Webpage. I believe these will help families throughout the school year. Please take a moment to check these out.
1. The main Transportation Website - most of the below links can be accessed from this site: PWCS Transportation
2. Delayed Bus Page will inform you of any buses that are expected to arrive at least 15 minutes late. Delays will be removed after 12pm for morning runs and after 5:30 pm for afternoon runs. Bus Delay Site
3. Here Comes the Bus APP - See real-time map location for students' buses and get push notifications when the bus gets close by - Info on Here Comes The Bus App
4. Looking for your student's bus schedule? Remember it is located in the Hub which you can access in your ParentVUE account -
5. Transportation Contact for T. Clay Wood (PWCS Western Area Transportation): trns-westernbusroutes@pwcs.edu or 571-374-6593
What's Happening at T. Clay Wood during the week of August 29- September 2, 2022
Welcome back to Week 2
Tuesday, August 30 2022 Day 1
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 - Day 2
Thursday, September 1, 2022 - Day 3
Friday, September 2, 2022 -Day --
No School today - Labor Day
Celebrating Student Birthdays at T. Clay Wood ES
Birthdays are special and significant milestones in each student’s live and we understand the importance of recognizing these special days. We also want to encourage school wide health and wellness, avoid sharing of food items, protect students with serious life-threatening food allergies, and minimize the loss of valuable instructional time. To accomplish these four goals, please review the following guidelines that will be in effect this year.
- Invitations to students birthdays (or other celebrations) are not to be distributed in class unless each student is invited.
- We will recognize all students on the morning announcements
- All students will receive a birthday recognition from the office and administration such as a birthday pencil or a birthday book mark.
- We recognize that parents and families often want to recognize their children’s birthdays during the school day. However, since PWCS Schools discourage students from sharing food or beverages during meal or snack times, we have suggested other types of healthy and creative options. Please make a choice from the list below. You may choose only one option. To celebrate my child’s special day, we would like:
The class to enjoy 5-10 extra minutes of recess
a homework pass for one homework assignment
To donate a library book in my child’s name (Send in $15 check to librarian made out to TCWES. A name plate and birthday message will be put in book.)
To send in a non-food item or token for each student in class (Example: Pencils, bookmarks, stickers, erasers, games, etc.)
There are no expectations or requirements that families send in anything above for their child’s birthday. We just wanted to give some options to our families since we are following PWCS Regulation 275-1 which discourages students from sharing food items.
You can still recognize your own student with a birthday cupcake by sending in just one birthday cupcake for your own child to enjoy during lunch time.
If you still do want to send in birthday cupcakes/treats, please coordinate with your child’s classroom teacher 2-3 days in advance. This time will allow the teacher to coordinate with our school nurse and also find an appropriate time to pass out the treat.
Early Dismissal
We encourage all families to avoid, when possible, taking students out early from school. Instruction and learning continues until the end of the day. If you need to pick up your child for an appointment, please notify your teacher and school office at cwes-timberwolf-attendance@pwcs.edu and plan to arrive before 3:15pm.
Please park and report to the office. Please do not leave your car unattended in the pickup line. All parties picking up a student from the office must show a photo id.
Please do not make changes to your child’s dismissal time after 3pm. Anyone other than parent/guardian must have prior written approval to pick up a student even if listed on the emergency card.
Change in Transportation Home
If a situation occurs which makes it necessary for your child’s transportation home to change, please send in a note with your child in the morning giving clear directions as to how your child should go home at the end of the day. Only a parent/guardian can change their child’s transportation plan for any given day. A note from the parent must be received by the office AND the teacher before noon that day indicating the change. This is for the safety of the children and will alleviate any confusion at the end of the day.
Bus Passes
If it is necessary for a student to ride a bus home other than the one he/she is normally assigned, a bus pass is required and must be approved by the office. A note must be sent to school indicating the bus number that the child should ride and a phone number to verify the information. Thank you for helping us ensure the safety of all our students.
Visitors and Identification
At T. Clay Wood Elementary School, we love to have visitors and volunteers every day. To help ensure the safety of our students, visitors to Prince William County Schools are expected to report promptly to the school’s main office when entering school buildings. Visitors and volunteers will be asked to provide a valid government issued photo identification. There are no exceptions. Every visitor to our school must bring with them a photo id. Visitors will then be issued a temporary identification badge. We will not permit any visitor or volunteer into the building without this identification. Our main goal is to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff at school.
Back To School Nights – Save the Date (All future dates are subject to change):
Back to School Nights will be held at on the following nights at 6:30 pm:
Monday, October 3 for 4th, and 5th
Tuesday, October 11 for 2nd and 3rd,
Monday, October 17 for Kg and 1st grade.
Online tutoring available to all PWCS students free of charge
PWCS has partnered with Paper to provide K-12 students with unlimited tutoring, 7 days a week—at no cost to families.
Students can get help with their homework, receive feedback on their writing assignments, or ask questions about any academic subject. Experts are available to assist students with any subject or content area via a secure, chat-based platform.
Tutors are currently available to help students in English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.
You can access Paper right from your student's Clever Account. Or you can use this Link to Access Paper: https://paper.co/
Learn how to use the Free Online Paper Tutoring Service by clicking on this PWCS Link: https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/Instructional_technology/paper
Device Reminders
All Students in Prince William County Schools will be issued a school laptop or similar device. Students and their families are responsible for the safe and appropriate usage of the devices.
Families can opt to purchase low cost insurance to protect the device in case of accidentally damage. Here is the link for information on the optional digital device insurance. https://securranty.com/pwcs If purchased, the insurance covers unlimited repairs or replacements for everything from broken screens, lost chargers, and accidental damage, with a zero deductible for one year on a school-issued HP device. The insurance cost is $32.95, which may be significantly less than repair or replacement costs without insurance.
I do encourage all families to consider the optional low-cost insurance. After last year, I observed it was very beneficial for families to purchase the insurance PWCS was offering for the devices.
As we get ready to start using the devices again, please look for emails from Mr. Taylor about how to reset passwords, etc.
Also this is a good time to remind all families to always know what your students are doing when they are on the internet, using devices to complete their school work, using social media, texting with friends, or playing online games. We continually are reminding our students about appropriate and acceptable use of technology. I encourage all parents and guardians to regularly check what their students are doing on the internet and while using technology -(school devices, gaming systems, home devices, phones, etc). Just as you monitor where your children go in person, I encourage you to monitor where they go on the internet.
I would also encourage all families to consider adding parental controls on their personal devices that students use. If you have any questions about student devices, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Taylor, our Instructional Technologist at TaylorBi@pwcs.edu. Thank you.
Phones - Reminder: If students bring in phones to school they must remain in their backpack and turned off. Please let all your family members know not to call your elementary school student during the day. If you need to change dismissal, please let our front office know by calling 703.594.3990.
Also I recommend that all parents and guardians turn off the Air Drop feature on their Iphones. I have heard of students at secondary schools air dropping inappropriate photos into all phones that can receive airdrop and then other students accepting those photos. You can turn this off on your students' device.
Information about T. Clay Wood ES
A Prince William County School of Excellence
“A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence”
10600 Kettle Run Road; Nokesville, VA 20181
Andrew Buchheit, Principal - buchhear@pwcs.edu
Melissa Yuditsky, Assistant Principal yuditsml@pwcs..edu
“A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence”
School hours: 9:15 am – 3:55 pm
(Office hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
SCHOOL SCHEDULE
Doors Open: 9:05 a.m.
Students tardy after: 9:15 a.m.
Dismissal: 3:55 p.m.
School Phone Number: 703.594.3990
School Fax Number: 703.594.2653
Attendance Email: cwes-timberwolf-attendance@pwcs.edu
Attendance Phone Line:– 703.594.3992
Motto: “I seek to make a POSITIVE DIFFERENCE AT SCHOOL”
Website: http://tclaywoodes.schools.pwcs.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TClayWoodES
Twitter #TimberwolvesRock
Email: buchhear@pwcs.edu
Website: http://tclaywoodes.pwcs.schoolfusion.us/
Location: 10600 Kettle Run Road, Nokesville, VA, USA
Phone: 703.594.3990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TClayWoodES
Twitter: @AndrewBuchheit