Woodward Elementary
Keystone Central School District
Notes From the Principal
We have moved into the month of March, and by the time most individuals read this, we will have fewer than 60 school days remaining in the 2022-2023 school. year! When you consider everything we have to do in that short amount of time, it suddenly doesn't feel like nearly enough school days!
Last year we started our very first Student Showcase in May. This year, on May 25th, from 4:30-6:30pm, we will have our second annual Student Showcase, and once again, we are hoping that our students will consider entering their Student Showcase entry into the Clinton County Fair! Last year one of our Woodward students did just that, and she won a ribbon!
We will release our Student Showcase documentation very soon. Please remember that the project must be completed outside of school prior to May 25th, if the project contains chemicals or liquids that could spill or react, they must stay at home and pictures need to represent the effects of the chemical reaction. Our goal is to keep everyone safe, and we will not have any live experiments or live animals/organisms brought into the school. This year we require pre-registration of projects and will not be accepting entries the day of the showcase that are not registered. We want to avoid the situation we had last year where children called families, and families felt like they had to quickly buy something to display. Our goal is to have students share what they have and what they do in their lives outside of school. Ideally it doesn't require going out and buying anything. If you have questions, please give me a call so we can discuss your ideas.
Arriving on Time and in a Safe Manner
Lately we have been having more students dropped off after 7:40am than ever before. We offer "red carpet service" from 7:20-7:40am for families who drop off students when our staff is outside on duty rain or shine. When families arrive after 7:40am, they need to pull up into an empty parking space and park to bring the child(ren) to the main door. We have asked families to please not pull into the drive in front of the main door, because some vehicles were turning around in the tight space and almost causing accidents or coming close to hitting students who were hopping out of cars.
Please do not use Armory Drive. We have a special agreement for buses to use it, and if families use it, they are trespassing on federal property. We do not want to lose the agreement for the buses to use Armory Drive, so please cooperate with our request.
We offer free breakfast daily from 7:20am-7:40am. Please be sure your child is here in time to get a bite to eat or save it for a snack!
Did you know that if you drop your child off after 7:40am, your child walks into a classroom that is already up and running? We ask for families to have children in our building by 7:40 so students can follow the same morning routines as their friends and get started with instruction at 7:50am. Children who come after 7:50am feel rushed and behind. We don't want that for our children. Please have children at school by 7:40am so they have a smooth, calm and safe transition into our learning environment.
Picture Day is coming up on 3/23/23! Order before Picture Day to receive free shipping to the school. Order online at https://inter-state.com/FlyerEntry/76938DF
Upcoming Activities
February 27-March 3 - Read Across America Week
March 2 - 6:30pm School Board Work Session
March 9 - 6:30pm School Board Voting Session
March 10 - Act 80 Day
March 12 - Daylight Saving Time starts (move clocks ahead one hour)
March 13 - In-Service Day (AM Parent Conferences; PM Building In-Service)
March 16 - 6:00pm PSSA Testing/EOY Benchmarking Training via Zoom
March 16 - 6:30-7:30pm PTO via Zoom
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
March 22 - Burger King Fundraising Night for Woodward
March 23 Spring Photos
March 27 - Tentative date for Gertrude Hawk candy delivery
March 29 - End of Marking Period Qtr. 3
March 30 - 6:00pm Woodward Community and Family Advisory Group Meeting (Policy 917 and 918)
March 31 - 3 hr. Early Dismissal/In-Service
Monthly PTO Meeting
Meeting ID: 932 6133 7815
Passcode: 545829
Thursday, Mar 16, 2023, 06:30 PM
Messages & Alerts
With winter moving into unpredictable spring weather, there will be days when we may need to delay the start of the school day, call an unexpected early dismissal or have a remote learning day. Please be sure to sign up for Bloomz, our new messaging app, so you don't miss any important information.
Federal Programs
March Federal Programs Updates
As schools that receive federal funds, we are required to hold meetings at least once per year to involve our families and community in making decisions about how federal funds are spent, share and receive information about all aspects of school improvement, and to give our families and community members a voice of influence within the school setting. Each school team will reach out to the group that helps to write their school improvement plans and other individuals to join them for their spring meeting.
At all school levels, we use Title IV federal funds to purchase incentives for PBIS (our positive school-wide behavior supports) rewards, and we emphasize the goal of following school rules in all schools.
All elementary schools within the district are Title I schoolwide schools and receive Title I federal funds to support the positions of Interventionist and Title I Associates.
Required documents for families:
Right to Request Qualifications of Teachers (see Annual Notices and Policy Review button above) - if you wish to request a paper copy, please contact rmurty@kcsd.k12.pa.us .
Note: If your child is taught for four or more weeks by a teacher who is instructing in a content area for which they are not currently certified, the district must notify you. Four-week notification letters will be added here if that becomes necessary.
Non-Discrimination Statement (see Annual Notices and Policy Review button above) - if you wish to request a paper copy, please contact rmurty@kcsd.k12.pa.us.
Title I District Parent Policy - Policy 918
Family Connections
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Help make school attendance a priority
• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day.
• Help your student maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
• If your student must stay home because they are sick, or in quarantine, make sure they have asked teachers for resources and materials to make up for the missed learning time in the classroom.
The faculty and staff of KCSD encourage parents to ensure that students attend school everyday in order to achieve academic success!
If you are concerned about your student's attendance, please reach out to your student's school counselor.
Counseling Connection
SAP
If you are concerned about a student for any reason, you can make a SAP referral. The SAP referral can potentially lead to any needed services and/or supports the student may need to be successful.
Family Focused on Music in March!
#KeystoneCares- March is Music in Our Schools Month
March is Music in our Schools Month, which has been celebrated since 1985! The celebration of music in schools actually began a bit earlier when the National Association of Music Education created a day to celebrate music education on March 13th, 1975. Actually, even before this, the state of New York started celebrating teaching music in 1973. Music in our Schools Month encourages schools to create music education programs for children of all ages because there are countless benefits of learning about, playing, and enjoying music.
Source: Music in Our Schools Month
Share Your Love of Music with Us!
Please send a photo of your child or your child with your family enjoying music to pr@kcsd.k12.pa.us so we can share it out on our social media accounts to celebrate Music in Our Schools Month with the community!
Translation Services
If your family speaks a language other than English, the district has access to translators and interpreters that can accompany you in meetings with teachers and school members. If you would like to be connected with a translator or interpreter please reach out to your child’s teacher or the school guidance counselor. The accessibility features in the top right corner of this Smore allow you to translate this page.
School Counseling
A counselor is someone to talk to, who will listen without judgment. A school counselor can assist in short-term counseling and if needed arrange long-term counseling and the SAP (Student Assistance Program) and Tier II support. Counselors can teach students tools to improve and cope with different situations, especially because sometimes it's hard to figure out where to start. Students may be want to see a counselor for the following reasons:
- Want to share an experience/feelings
- Feel depressed and/or lonely
- Have thoughts of self-harm
- Feel stressed and/or anxious
- Feel angry and/or frustrated
- Want to improve grade(s)
- Talk about college/careers
- Relationship/peer issues/conflicts
- Personal issues (divorce/separation, loss of a loved one, etc.)
To learn more or to schedule a meeting, please contact your student's school counselor.
Mrs. Bonnie Owens, Woodward and Liberty Curtin School Counselor
Phone: 570-893-4900 x3104
Email: bowens@kcsd.us
Athletics & Activities
Safety & Security
Safety & Security
Officer Scott VanGorder - Central Mountain High School
Officer Cory Beaver - Bucktail High School & Renovo Elementary
Officer James Knarr - Central Mountain Middle School
Officer Mike Fetzer - Elementary district-wide and District Attendance Officer
Officer Todd Brian - District-wide
Curriculum
Keeping Up With Keystone
Career & Technical Center
Data & Performance
Spring becomes a busy time for both state and local assessments. Assessments play an important role in curriculum, instruction and interventions for student learning.
State Assessments
Spring PSSA Window - April 24-May 12
Spring Keystone Exam Window - May 15-May 26
Local Assessments
Spring Aimsweb and NWEA MAP Window - May 10 - May 17
Act 35 Civics Exam Window - May 22- May 26
Please contact your child's teacher for information and updates on your child's progress.
Need to register for the SAT, find out testing locations, dates and registration deadlines!
Quick Links
Woodward Elementary Contact Information
Mrs. Smith is the building secretary (ext. 3101).
Mrs. Owens is the school counselor (ext. 3104).
Please let us know how we can help and support your family.