Wade King Elementary
April 2019 Newsletter
A Note from the Principal
Dear Wade King Families,
I hope spring break gave your family an opportunity to spend time together. It was great to have your children back at school. We started our week with a Monday Morning School Meeting. These school meetings happen every Monday morning and are a way to strengthen our school community. We have fun together and learn together!
Fifth graders have several leadership roles during school meetings. They take turns as greeters, welcoming students and staff as they come in. They also help lead our school community in the flag salute. There are also times that we lean on them to help teach our school community different things.
Just like the class meetings that happen in every classroom, school meetings follow a predictable format. We always start by saying, "I see you. We are here." We say this with sign language and with words. Then, we stand for the flag salute. After the flag salute, Mrs. Herda and I always share announcements for the week. We find out about special events and field trips that will happen during the week. This week our announcements were...
- a reminder of our schoolwide hallway expectations.
- letting us know that the after-school drama club has a performance Wednesday night.
- reminding talent show participants of their dress rehearsal on Thursday.
- reminding chess club that there are extra nights this week to practice for the state tournament.
- a reminder that there is PTA meeting this Thursday night.
- encouraging all of us to wear BLUE on Friday in support of Autism Awareness.
After the announcements, we have a Mandarin Minute. Wang Laoshi (or Mrs. Hagin) isn't able to be at Wade King on Monday mornings so she has students help make Mandarin Minute videos for all of us to practice the Mandarin Chinese words and phrases she has been teaching us.
Next comes a movement song! This is our chance to have fun together. This week, Mrs. Norman led us in several verses of 'Funky Chicken.' Other weeks students or staff will lead us in moving to 'Baby Shark' or 'Ram Sam Sam.' 'Tony Chestnut' is another one to ask your child about!
Each school meeting includes new learning. This week, Mrs. Hunter read the book The Good Egg and we thought about the PYP attributes that the character demonstrated. Other weeks, we have learned about our World Tour country of Japan or learned about the learning different grade levels have engaged in during units of inquiry.
Social-emotional learning is a priority at Wade King, and it is how we end our school meetings. Each week, Ms. Zoba helps us learn and/or practice different strategies to help us self-regulate when we are feeling frustrated, angry, sad, tired, etc. Finally, we close our eyes and listen to the sound of our singing bowl, raising our hand and opening our eyes when we can no longer hear it.
Monday morning school meetings are a great way to start our week and families are always welcome to join! The short video below will give you a glimpse into this week's school meeting. Enjoy!
Stephanie Johnson
Principal, Wade King Elementary
Important Dates in April
4/1-4/5 NO SCHOOL: Spring Break
4/8 Welcome Back!
4/8-4/12 Spring Snack Drive
4/10 Chess Club Practice in the Library 6-8pm
4/10 BAAY Performance by our Drama Club 5-6pm
4/11 Talent Show Rehearsal in the cafeteria 12:45-2:30pm
4/11 PTA Meeting in the Library 6-8pm
4/12 Chess Club Practice in the Library 6-8pm
4/12 Wear Blue for Autism Awareness
4/17 Middle School Counselors to visit WK for 5th grades 10:30am
4/17 Chess Club Practice in the Library 6-8pm
4/18 Family Inquiry Night: featuring traditional Japanese Art 6-8pm
4/19 Field Trip for 1st Grades: Alaska Ferry Terminal 11:05am-1:45pm
4/22 Field Trip for Mrs. Howard: Museum 9:30-11:30am
4/22 Chess Club Practice in the Library 6-8pm
4/23 Field Trip for Mrs. Foote and Mr. Cornelsen: Museum 9:30-11:30am
4/23 Field Trip for Mrs. Fleenor: Central Kitchen 10:15am-12:30pm
4/24 Field Trip for Mrs. Mungarro/ Mrs. Samuelsen: Central Kitchen 10:15am-12:30pm
4/25 Talent Show Dress Rehearsal in cafeteria 12:45-2:30pm
4/26 Talent Show in cafeteria/stage 6:30-8:00pm
4/29-5/3 Bike Week for all 1st grades
5/3 Children's Gallery Walk downtown Bellingham 5-8pm
5/3 Field Trip for all 3rd Grades: Forrest School 8:00 am- 2:30pm
5/6-5/10 Staff Appreciation Week
PTA Meeting - This Thursday, March 14th
We invite you to join us for our PTA Meeting this Thursday Night from 6-8pm in the Wade King Library!
We will be talking about whether or not to join several other elementary school PTA's to contribute 10% of our PTA fundraising dollars to a "Parent Equity Fund." The equity fund would be distributed to schools whose PTAs are not able to raise as much as other schools. We encourage you to join the conversation!
If you have come before, we hope you will come again... and encourage a friend to come with you! If you haven't ever come, we hope you'll be a risk-taker and try to join us this week. PTA meetings are a way to connect with other families and learn about things that are happening in our school. There are always delicious treats and childcare, and there is never pressure to take on responsibility.
CALLING ALL WADE KING TALENT!
There is a Talent Show rehearsal this Thursday, April 11th from 12:45-2:30 pm and a dress rehearsal on Thursday, April 25th from 12:45-2:30pm. Both will take place in the Wade King cafeteria. The big show will be on Friday, April 26th at 6:30 pm on our stage. This a fun show and all families are invited to attend. Our Talent Show has featured such performances as singing, dancing, piano, flute, recorder, gymnastics, violin, comedy, guitar, and some ensemble performances. It is always a magical night and we hope to see you here!
State Assessments for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders
Across our school district, students in grades 3 through 8 and high school, will be taking state assessments this spring to measure English language arts (ELA), mathematics and science proficiency. We encourage students and families to keep these assessments in perspective, remembering that state tests are only one benchmark. Your child’s teacher is the best resource for a complete picture of your child’s academic proficiency, and most importantly, can share the growth your child has made this year.
Students at Wade King will be testing on the dates below. Short test sessions will occur in the mornings on the following days.
- 3rd Grade - April 22, April 23, April 29, April 30, May 21, May 22, May 23
- 4th Grade - April 17, April 18, April 24, April 25, May 7, May 8, May 9
- 5th Grade - April 10, April 11, April 15, April 16, May 1, May 2, May 14, May 15, May 16, May 17
As with any day of learning, a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast are an essential part of every school day. We recommend parents and guardians encourage students to do their best learning every day and avoid overemphasizing testing.
If you have questions about testing at Wade King, please connect with your child's teacher and/or Mrs. Johnson, our principal.
Down Syndrome Awareness
There are several families in our school community who have family members or friends who have Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a congenital disorder caused by having an extra 21st chromosome. In the fall, during one of our school meetings, we learned about Down Syndrome.
If you want to learn more about Down Syndrome, this video does a great job of answering questions you or your child might have. It might be something to watch and talk about as a family.
World Down Syndrome Day is annually observed on March 21 to raise public awareness of Down Syndrome. Many staff and students took ACTION by choosing to wear mix-matched socks.
Autism Awareness - Wear BLUE This Friday
If you are interested in learning more about Autism, this is a great video to watch.
World Autism Awareness Day was celebrated April 2nd, while we were away on Spring Break. It was a day when people worldwide wore blue in recognition of people living with Autism. This Friday, we will celebrate Autism Awareness Day at Wade King. If you, or your children, want to take ACTION by showing support of individuals with Autism, wear BLUE!
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration has started at all Bellingham Elementary Schools.
If you have a child who will be 5 years old before September 1st, please visit your neighborhood elementary school to register for kindergarten! To find out more about registration and required immunizations, please visit our school district web site or contact Mrs. McMeel or Mrs. Murphy in the Wade King Office at (360) 647-6840.
If your child will be 5 before September 1st and you aren't planning on having him/her start kindergarten, please contact our school principal, Stephanie Johnson.
Wade King’s Kindergarten Open House will be in the afternoon on Thursday, May 23rd.
Meet-a-Truck Event sponsored by City of Bellingham and Bellingham Public Library
Have you ever wondered about the big public works trucks you see around town? From 1-3pm on Thursday, May 23rd, the City of Bellingham Public Works Department and the Bellingham Public Library invite you to come view some of the equipment used to keep our City running. The trucks and other vehicles will be on display to the public in front of City Hall located at 210 Lottie Street, near the downtown library.
This event takes place during Public Works Week, a time to celebrate and appreciate the work it takes to maintain city infrastructure and the services the Public Works Department provides for our community. From keeping our roads safe for travel to treating our drinking water, Public Works is behind services enjoyed by the public every day. This is a free event for people interested in learning more about Public Works or for kids who love trucks and other equipment. There will be demonstrations, activities, crafts and story time.
Everyone is welcome!
Volunteer Positions
The PTA wants their website to be a place that families can easily access information about school events, meetings, and people to contact. Our After-School Clubs and Programs are only featured on the PTA site so, having a current connection for registration is very helpful! If you might be able to help, please contact our PTA president, Rebecca Hutchison or Greg Mroz at wadekingpta@gmail.com.
Art Walk Volunteers
Do you love children's artwork? Are you unable to volunteer on a regular basis, but could volunteer for one event? Kathleen Harri and Cate Webb have been coordinating Wade King's participating in the Downtown Bellingham Children's Art Walk that happens in early May. They are looking for volunteers to support this year's Art Walk and are looking for a volunteer to work alongside them this year so that he/she could potentially take on the coordinator role next year. If you are interested in either of these things, please contact Kathleen Harri.
Box Tops - An Easy Way To Earn Money For Wade King PTA
Do you want to help out the school, but don’t have the time?
Did you know you earn $.10 per BoxTop and can easily earn 2-5 times more just by using the BoxTop app? Yes, there’s an app for that too, and it’s EASY! Check it out:
https://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp/how-it-works
Here’s the quick run down on how it works!
Check out all the products you get Box Tops for.
Buy the products you want.
Take a picture of your receipt.
Earn extra money for the school!
Seriously, it’s that easy!
Then, turn in the BoxTop to school and our PTA can collect even more!
Here's another tip... Trim your box tops well! BoxTops have to be trimmed before mailing them in so they can be bundled and to save on shipping costs.
Link Your Fred Meyers Rewards Card & Use Amazon Smile - Easy Ways To Support Wade King PTA
If you link your Fred Meyer Reward Card to Wade King PTA, every time you shop a portion of your purchase will be rewarded back to our school. It’s simple, takes only a moment, and has a positive impact on our fundraising efforts.
If you linked your card last year, you will need to re-link it again this year!
To link your Fred Meyer Reward card...
- Go to Fred Meyer Community Rewards: www.fredmeyer.com
- Follow the links to COMMUNITY REWARDS and link your card to Wade King
If you shop Amazon.com, you can also earn money for our PTA.
- Go to Amazon Smile: www.smile.amazon.com
- Search for Wade King PTA
- Start shopping... and 0.5% of your purchase will come back to the PTA!
Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about these programs.
They can link their cards to Wade King too!
Wade King Elementary School
Email: Stephanie.Johnson@bellinghamschools.org
Website: http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2155 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 647-6840
Facebook: facebook.com/WadeKingElementary
Twitter: @WadeKingElem