Waukazoo Newsletter
January 27, 2023
Important Dates:
February 2: Kindergarten Montessori Open House; 9:15-10:15am & 10:15-11:15am
February 6: PTA Meeting; 5-6pm
February 10: 1/2 Day; Dismissal at 11:52am
February 13: No school; Mid-Winter Recess
Spelling Bee
Kindergarten Montessori Open House
Outdoor Recess
Sledding at Waukazoo
Panther Pathways Session 3 at Waukazoo
Upcoming Construction at Waukazoo
“Strive for 5”
Attendance is an important component of success in school. All Waukazoo should “strive for 5” or less absences per marking period. By having less than 5 absences per marking period a student will attend school at least 90% of the time (5 absences per marking period equals 20 absences for the year).
PBIS Pride Tickets
Waukazoo will be continuing to utilize Waukazoo Pride Tickets this year. These tickets recognize students for being Respectful, Responsible, Ready to Learn, or demonstrating Waukazoo Family Pride. Our goal this year is to reach 12,500 tickets this year. Let’s go kids!
Pride Tickets to Date = 7,350
PBIS @ Waukazoo
Reminders About 8:30am Student Drop-Off
Morning drop-off will continue to begin at 8:30am, please remember that students are not supervised prior to 8:30am. The doors will electronically unlock and there is a bell to note the 8:30am time.
As colder weather has arrived it is important to note that students will not be able to enter prior to 8:30am.
Staff Spotlight: Sean Parde
My name is Sean Parde and I am one of the awesome Upper Montessori teachers here at Waukazoo. This is my fifth year teaching at Waukazoo and seventh year teaching overall. I love connecting with my students and helping them achieve their goals. My wife and I are new parents with our son being born January 16th, 2023! His name is Grayson John Parde! I hope to see you all around Waukazoo!
Staff Spotlight: Beth DeJong
Waukazoo Special News
Technology Talk!
Hello! During our second semester of the year, our work in the computer lab will rotate between programming and expressing ideas using technology. Please see my website for all of the details. I’ll keep it current!
Our 2nd-5th graders continue to work on using home row position as we type. If you have a keyboard at home, it would be helpful if you could encourage your child to practice this important skill for short (5-8 minutes) periods of time, a few times each week. Once they learn where the keys are, their typing speed and accuracy will soar! Links to our keyboarding programs are on my website!
Be sure to email me with any questions you have about our adventures in Tech!! Thank you!
Mrs. O’Brien
Physical Wellness with Mr. Metz
I hope you all are enjoying this mild winter we are having! Make sure you are getting out and enjoying it. In Physical Wellness, we are working through our tennis unit with all grade levels. Students are learning how to hit groundstrokes, serves, and volleys. We just started rallying with a friend and I'm really happy with the progression that all students are making. They are working hard and getting better every class. Its great to see! Have a great rest of your week!
-Mr. Metz
An ostinato is a pattern that repeats…an ostinato is a pattern that repeats…an ostinato is a pattern that repeats…an ostinato is a pattern that repeats.
Second Grade Students are learning about musical “Ostinato”. An ostinato is a pattern that repeats. The pattern could be rhythmic or melodic. Ostinati (plural of ostinato) have been used by composers for hundreds of years.
With the evolution of electronics and computers in music, we sometimes refer to ostinati as “loops”, sections of rhythm or melody that loop or repeat over and over. Today there are countless apps and programs that allow users to “loop” music to create songs or simply to have fun.
We also explored the concept of an “ear worm”, a piece of music that has repeated patterns that can work their way into our brains and either get us whistling or humming a favorite tune or perhaps driving us crazy with a passage that gets stuck in our heads that we cannot seem to switch off.
Here are some fun links we explored:
Ostinato Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK2IOfGTRIs
Chrome Melody Maker:
Please visit the Google Sites link below to keep up to date with all the awesome things happening in our Waukazoo art room.
https://sites.google.com/westottawa.net/mrs-halls-art-news/home
Don't forget!
ART Makes You SmART!
~Mrs. Hall
West Ottawa & Community Happenings
The Grand Rapids Gold Elevate Reading Program
The Grand Rapids Gold, in partnership with Gentex, are excited to work with West Ottawa Public Schools to promote learning in West Michigan through the Grand Rapids Gold Elevate Reading Program. Students will have the opportunity to participate in 4 “quarters” (weeks) of reading between February 13 - March 10 and are challenged to read for 20 minutes a night and submit a reading log to earn a weekly prize.
On Sunday, March 12, 2023, West Ottawa will celebrate March is Reading Month with FREE tickets...four (4) persons per family…including transportation to a GRAND RAPIDS GOLD vs RAPTORS 905 NBA affiliate basketball game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. The game time is 3:00 PM. If you are interested in attending, please complete your request for tickets here.