Weekly Update
Together we can. Together we will.
Celebrating Character
Families,
The students at West Dodge Station learned about our Caught with Character incentives today. As a staff, we want to promote the "above and beyond" behaviors as well as the "every day right thing" behaviors. It is for this reason that we have Tune Up Tuesdays and Golden Tickets.
Tune Up Tuesday is a time when I go on the news to share an expectation in the building. In the Tuesday lessons, I focus on respect, responsibility, and safety. These three traits can be demonstrated throughout the day and in all areas of the school from the hallways to the playground. But, just like anything else at school, these traits must be practiced, reinforced, and celebrated. Tune Up Tuesdays are meant to do just that...reinforce (tune up) and celebrate those every day "little things" that make a BIG difference. Students will be celebrated during the Tuesday news and receive a backpack brag tag.
Our WDS Golden Ticket system is meant to celebrate the "above and beyond" behaviors/actions that demonstrate kindness, citizenship, perseverance, fairness, respect, responsibility, and safety. This year, we've changed our system slightly to limit the number of things exchanging hands. Students will still earn Golden Tickets, and those can be redeemed at the end of every month for a sucker. Every 2 weeks, we will have a drawing to award students with the Caught with Character yard sign, a backpack brag tag, and a picture in the front display case.
All of the incentives above are to celebrate students, our school community, and the attributes that build into adulthood. At WDS, we are excited for the changes and additions and ready to really celebrate great choices.
Together we can. Together we will.
Mrs. Brittany Sidders
West Dodge Station Principal
Screening Children
Attendance
Birthday Treats
Students are allowed to bring birthday treats to school following these guidelines:
*treats must be peanut free
*treats must be individually packaged
*treats must have ingredient information
*treats must be delivered to school at least 24 hours before birthday
Students may be having these treats at school, or teachers may choose to send the treats home with students.
Pick-Up, Drop-Off, and Traffic Tips
There are just a few reminders regarding pick-up and drop-off to keep everyone safe:
1. Please remain in your cars
2. If you are choosing to walk up to the school campus, please wear a mask and stay socially distanced.
3. Please use the cross-walks that are designated. We have Safety Patrol at all locations that will help stop the flow of traffic if needed to cross.
4. Please do not move the cones in the staff parking area or the drive-lane entrance.
**The video and directions below are helpful to share with anyone that is new to the pick-up and drop-off procedures.
Important Dates
September 7th - NO SCHOOL
P-T Conference Pick-A-Time Scheduler Opens @ 9:00
September 11th - Remote Learner Supply Pick-Up (9:00-11:00)
September 14th - PTO Meeting (6:30)
September 16th - 24th - WDS Book Fair (online)
September 20th - P-T Conference Pick-A-Time Scheduler Closes @ 11:59
September 22nd - 2:06 Dismissal
Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:00-7:00
September 23rd - Remote Learner Supply Pick-UP (9:00-11:00)
2:06 Dismissal
Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:00-7:00
September 24th - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Inservice)
September 25th - NO SCHOOL
Counselor Corner
SEL. What is it? Social Emotional Learning. What is that? It may not be what you think. “SEL is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain. positive relationships, and make responsible decisions” as defined by The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Basically SEL is teaching students about self awareness, self-management, relationship skills and decision making. It’s not about feel-good activities to “increase self esteem” but rather it’s skills that will help students to succeed academically and socially. Plus SEL builds on skills to support positive mental health. In this world where watching the daily newscast and checking my social media account can send me into an instant flurry of anxious thoughts, I personally find these skills to be helpful in a lot of situations!
The guidance curriculum (SEL) used by the Elkhorn elementary school counselors comes from an organization called Second Step. Currently it is offering free access into several sections of its website to families. If you’d like to take a look, follow these directions:
How to Create a SecondStep.org Account
Through December 31, 2020, families can access all the streaming media and downloadable content on SecondStep.org.
Go to www.secondstep.org
Under New Users, click ”Create Account”
Complete the required fields
Add the Program Activation Key for the grade level of your student:
Early Learning: SSPE FAMI LY68
Kindergarten: SSPK FAMI LY70
Grade 1: SSP1 FAMI LY71
Grade 2: SSP2 FAMI LY72
Grade 3: SSP3 FAMI LY73
Grade 4: SSP4 FAMI LY74
Grade 5: SSP5 FAMI LY75
Mrs. Jean Herold
402.289.2773
If you would like the shirt (shown below), please send me an email (bsidders@epsne.org) and specify the student(s) first and last name as well as size(s).
Sizes are limited. Below are the sizes that remain available:
*Youth Small
*Youth Medium
I will pull out the sizes that I still have available and get the shirts to you as soon as payment is sent to the office. Each shirt is $12.00. Payment can be cash or a check made out to WDS.
District Information
COVID-19 Student Handbook Addendum Reminder
As a reminder, all parents/guardians must electronically acknowledge receipt of the COVID-19 Student Handbook Addendum. If you have not yet completed your electronic acknowledgment, please refer to the email you received on Friday, August 14 from Elkhorn Public Schools with the subject "2020-2021 STUDENT HANDBOOK: COVID SUPPLEMENT" and follow the link in that email to complete the acknowledgment.
Sodexo Lunch Account Information
Double Lunch Information
The students in 3-5 grades will be able to order double lunches starting on September 8, 2020.
Students will be required to have a permission slip signed by a parent before they are allowed to order doubles. The student will be charged 2.00 extra. Permission slips have been or are coming home with students.
PTO News
September PTO Meeting: 9/14/20, 6:30 pm
All WDS Parents and staff members are welcome to attend board meetings. This meeting will be held via Zoom Videoconferencing. To receive the
meeting link and access information, please RSVP to wds.pto@gmail.com.
Last Chance to Order Apparel From WDS Spirit Store!
Show your school spirit and support our school by purchasing some WDS apparel for the whole family. The order deadline is this Friday, September 4th. Items will ship to WDS and be distributed 2-3 weeks after the order deadline. To view the entire school store and place your order, visit: http://bitly.ws/9BP3
Like our Facebook Page
Next time you're on Facebook, make sure to like the WDS PTO page to stay up to date on upcoming events, news and volunteer opportunities.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact me any time if you have questions, concerns, feedback, or want to share your great news. ~Mrs. Sidders
Email: bsidders@epsne.org
Website: https://www.elkhornweb.org/westdodgestation/
Location: 18480 California Street, Elkhorn, NE, USA
Phone: 402-289-2773
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElkhornPSWD
Twitter: @ElkhornPS_WD