Wilder Elementary School
Family Newsletter - November 2022
Greetings from Wilder!
Dear Families,
Thank you for joining us for conferences earlier in October. We appreciate that you prioritize this opportunity to meet with your child's teachers to determine learning goals and hear about your child's progress. The teachers at all grade levels have implemented a new phonics curriculum, and we are already observing growth in particular skills.
Turkey Bingo and RED events are back! Please see information below regarding both events!
We greatly appreciate our families who are following the drop-off & pick-up procedures. Following these guidelines will help keep all students safe (especially in the morning when it is dark and hard to see small children).
- Please be aware that traffic on North 4th St. tends to run fast. Even if our parents are cautious at dismissal time, other drivers are not so cautious. Thank you for taking extra care to ensure your child's safety.
- Our dismissal timeframe typically takes 5-8 minutes. Please model patience and kindness when picking up students. 8 minutes of patience for the safety of our students is worth it!
- Families, or persons responsible for picking up, must find a safe space to park their vehicle at dismissal time. There should be no stopped vehicles waiting in the traffic lanes of N. 4th St.
- Please use the crosswalk if you are parked on the opposite side of N. 4th St. We teach this to students as a critical safety measure. We notice some families crossing through the middle of the street, use the crosswalk.
- Students will wait by their teacher until their car is identified. If at all possible, pick up near the same area daily so students and teachers know where to look for you.
- Please continue to move your car forward as one exits to keep traffic moving.
- Children should only get in your vehicle from the curb side rather than the traffic side.
- See the attached Car Safety Guidelines for safety reminders once your child is inside your vehicle.
- Know that snow and ice will soon further complicate our safety concerns. Once we are in the winter season, even more caution will be needed.
We appreciate your partnership in your child's education!
Leslie Bjelde
Principal
Visitors
Upcoming Dates
NOVEMBER
Wednesday, November 2 - Early Dismissal - SCHOOL OUT at 1:30 pm
Monday, November 7 - Caulfield's Picture Retake Day at Wilder
Tuesday, November 8 - PTO Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm in the Wilder Library
Friday, November 11 - Veteran's Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, November16 - Early Dismissal - SCHOOL OUT at 1:30 pm
Thursday, November 17 - TURKEY BINGO - 5:30-7:00 pm - Central High School
Friday, November 18 - RED Event - 2:30-2:50
Wednesday, November 23 - End of First Trimester for Elementary Schools
Thursday, November 24 - Thanksgiving Holiday - NO SCHOOL
Friday, November 25 - Thanksgiving Holiday - NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, November 30 - Early Dismissal - SCHOOL OUT at 1:30 pm
DECEMBER
Friday, December 2 - Report Cards E-mailed Home
Monday, December 12 - Music Program Concert in the Gym at 6:30 pm
(Orchestra, Band, Chorus)
Wednesday, December 14 - Early Dismissal - SCHOOL OUT at 1:30 pm
Friday, December 16 - RED Event - 2:30-2:50
Thursday, December 22 through Monday, January 2 - Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, January 3 - School Resumes
PTO Update
Please join us for our last PTO meeting of 2022 on Tuesday, November 8th from 6-7pm. Free pizza and free childcare for school-aged children will be provided in the Wilder library. Or join us via Zoom! We will talk about upcoming events like Turkey Bingo. Because this is our last meeting for 2022, we also will begin planning activities for spring. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89744928579?pwd=NDg3cGpCbThqS1dCVHdjZkVpSzJDUT09
We are looking for families to help provide treats for our teachers during American Education Week in November. Sign up here to bake or purchase goodies for the Wilder staff: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054DA8AD2BA5F85-turkey.
If you missed us at Back to School Night, please complete this Google Form to share your information with us so we can include you on our texting and/or email communications this year. https://forms.gle/XPp9ohGHH1iDMt4YA
See you soon!
Wilder PTO
TURKEY BINGO - NOVEMBER 17
Turkey BINGO is back!
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2022
Place: Central High School’s Cafeteria
Time: 5:30pm-6pm pizza slice & fruit while supplies last; 6:00pm-7:00pm Bingo!
Cost: $5 per person for 5 Bingo games—Purchase at the door
Free door prize drawing for kids. Adults can purchase 50/50 Raffle Tickets.
Volunteers needed for verifying BINGO cards and more. Sign up to help: https://bit.ly/3U1rLaP
Information from Wilder's Social Worker
Thanksgiving and Christmas
Registration for UND Mortar Board Turkey Baskets is still open at this link until 11/02/22.
Santa Claus Girls registration has opened. From now until 11/18/2022, you can register to receive Christmas gift assistance. For Santa Clause Girls, the parent or guardian must register their own children, but your School Social Worker can help if needed.
Applications for United Way Christmas assistance will open 11/14/2022.
In person applications for Salvation Army Christmas assistance are now open.
Winter Clothing
Temperatures are dropping steadily as winter approaches. It is our expectation that students will wear long pants during weather as gym may still be held outside. Students need to come daily with their winter appropriate clothing including:
mittens/gloves
Hats or coat hoods
Winter coats
Snow pants
Snow boots
If you do not have snow clothing, please contact your School Social Worker at (701) 746-2320 ext 1142 for assistance. Students who do not have clothing appropriate for the weather may not be allowed to participate in outdoor activities, including recess.
Thank you,
Brooke Naughton, LCSW
Wilder School Social Worker
Title I District Parent and Family Engagement Policy
PARENTS LEAD
Role Model
Believe it or not, you’ve been a role model for your kids since they first entered this world. This means that every time you say something, behave in a certain way, or react to someone or something, your kids are observing your behavior. From preschoolers learning how to manage frustration by watching you to teenagers observing how you handle your personal relationships or work stress, your kids are always watching. The good news is that teaching by example is often easier and more effective than forcing your kids to obey rules by scaring, threatening, or bribing them with rewards.
Source: www.parentslead.org
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
School Cancellation and Postponement Procedures
GFPS Families,
With the winter weather season ahead, Grand Forks Public Schools would like to share our school cancellation and postponement procedures with you. Please note: changes made in September 2022 are noted in bold and underline.
- School postponement and cancellation alternatives will be as follows:
Hold school as normal.
Open school but delay sending buses.
Delay the start time in all schools by two (2) hours based on each school’s start time
Elementary School: Start time is 8:25, so school would start at 10:25. Doors will open at 10:15 a.m.
Middle School: Start time is 8:40, so school would start at 10:40. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. No Zero Hour Classes.
High School: Start time is 8:00, so school would start at 10:00. Doors will open at 9:50 a.m.
Head Start: Start time is 8:00, so school would start at 10:00. Doors will open at 9:50 a.m.
When school starts late, there will be no morning Early Childhood Special Education classes. Afternoon Early Childhood Special Education classes will be held.
Breakfast will not be served at any sites.
No before-school activities/athletics.
Students will not be marked tardy due to a late start.
No school in Grand Forks Public Schools (GFPS) all day
No school for the Grand Forks Air Force Base School District students all day
Decisions about the weather-related delayed opening or closing of air base schools may not always be consistent with those made for in-town schools. On those days when severe weather makes travel conditions so hazardous as to threaten the safety of staff members, opening delays or the closing of base schools will be given special consideration.
Hold remote learning.
Once school is in session, it will not be terminated until the regular closing time except in very severe situations. However, school buses may leave early.
The decision to close or delay school will be made as early as possible. Announcements will be made on the GFPS webpage (www.gfschools.org), and GFPS social media (www.facebook.com/GrandForksPublicSchools; www.twitter.com/GFSchools). Announcements will also be made on local radio and TV stations.
GFPS will be using our automated calling system to call staff and families if school will be delayed or canceled due to severe weather conditions. Typically, this automated call will occur to staff between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., and to families between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m.
Parents/Guardians may always exercise their right to keep students home or pick them up early during stormy conditions.
GFPS has two days (approx. 12 hours of instruction) built into the school calendar for storm-related delays/cancellations. If a full-day cancellation leads to a third storm day during this school year, GFPS will transition to remote learning. More information would be provided by GFPS and your student's school at that time.
If an emergency situation should develop during the time school is in session, students will be cared for in school until the storm has subsided.
If buses are sent home early, all buses will be sent.
We will communicate the departure time.
The lead time needed for the procedure is approximately one (1) hour.
If conditions are dangerous, bus drivers must use common sense in discharging students that must walk a considerable distance. If possible, use the radio and contact the base station. Have parents/guardians meet the bus or be on the lookout for their students. If the driver cannot contact parents/guardians and conditions are dangerous, do not let students off the bus but return to school and notify the principal. Schools that have bus students must have a written procedure for caring for students in the event they must be kept overnight at school.
Updated 9/30/2019; 9/2022
GFPS COVID-19 Updated Guidelines.
GFPS remains committed to the health and safety of our learning communities and will continue implementing guidance set forth by the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Grand Forks County Public Health when it comes to communicable diseases.
Below is a summary of the new guidelines put forth. We are relying on everyone to follow the guidelines to manage all infectious diseases, including COVID-19 as responsible members of our school and community.
GFPS has modified the following procedures according to new CDC/NDDoH guidance. We will no longer:
Conduct contact tracing or send notifications if we become aware of a positive COVID-19 positive case in a classroom.
Provide on-site COVID-19 tests. At-home test kits will be available upon request at each campus.
Require individuals exposed to COVID-19 to quarantine. As long as asymptomatic, individuals exposed to COVID-19 may attend work/school.
Require classes to cohort or physically distance.
GFPS supports the following recommendations provided by the NDDoH to support safe in-person learning and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases:
Stay up-to-date on vaccinations,
Stay home when ill,
Practice good hand hygiene,
Regularly clean environmental surfaces, and
Increase building ventilation.
What to do when ill:
People who have symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, should stay home. Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading infectious diseases, including COVID-19, to others.
Testing is recommended for people with symptoms of COVID-19 as soon as possible after symptoms begin.
For more information on staying home when sick with COVID-19, including recommendations for isolation and mask use for people who test positive or who are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html.
Isolation and Precaution Guidelines for People with COVID-19:
Isolate to prevent spread to others.
Students and employees with no symptoms, or who had symptoms may end isolation after day five if:
Fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving.
If fever or symptoms have not improved, continue to isolate until they improve.
Students and employees with moderate illness (experienced shortness of breath or had difficulty breathing), severe illness (were hospitalized), or who have a weakened immune system, should isolate through day 10.
Regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate yourself from others when you have COVID-19. You should also isolate yourself if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results. If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least five days and isolate yourself from others in your home. You are likely most infectious during these first five days.
If you test negative:
You can end your isolation
If you test positive but have no symptoms:
Day 0 is the day you were tested (not the day you received your positive test result)
Day 1 is the first full day following the day you were tested
If you develop symptoms within 10 days of when you were tested, the clock restarts at day 0 on the day of symptom onset
If you test positive and have symptoms:
Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, regardless of when you tested positive
Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started
- You may end isolation after day five if you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and your symptoms are improving
- If you still have a fever or your other symptoms have not improved, continue to isolate until they improve.
SAFE KIDS NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
Wilder Elementary School
Email: afiala210@mygfschools.org
Website: https://www.gfschools.org/Domain/1087
Location: 1009 North 3rd Street
Phone: (701) 746-2320