Wolf Creek Weekly
Building Pathways To Success
From The Principal's Desk January 26, 2020
Welcome back to another great week!
Parents, you ROCK!! We have 135 Parent Climate Surveys completed! This is a significant increase from last week. Keep them coming. Let's exceed our 200 completed last year. Every voice counts. Let's highlight our GREAT school. This is your school and your community. We want to continue the great things happenings here at Wolf creek. See below for more information regarding the School Climate Surveys.
***Celebrating Gifted Education this Week! See details below.
We are kicking off our PBIS Rewards Initiative this month. Students will receive lanyards with name cards and points can be earned for exhibiting Leadership and our Wolf PACK principles.
Review the principles and encourage you child to show his/her leadership skills daily.Both teachers and students can receive points and rewards. If you are interested in helping us buidl our teacher reward center, please contact Dr. Braggs @ BraggsS@fultonschools.org. We would like to build a supply of treats, movie/dining gift cards and much more to reward teachers as they earn their points. .
As you know, we also support our PBIS initiative with our PACK principles! They tie in seamlessly with the 7 Habits. Every day students will recite the Wolf PACK Creed. See the parent and student handbook online and in the front of your child's agenda.
We are a Leader In Me school! Staff, students and stakeholders will be engaging in the principles of the 7 Habits of successful people this year. See the 7 Habits Tree picture below. For more information see: http://www.theleaderinme.org/ . We are excited about teaching 21st century leadership and life skills to students, staff and stakeholders and creating a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader.
We hope to see you at our 1st Semester Awards Day celebrations. They will be held:
1/29/2020 Awards Day K- 2nd in Classrooms
1/30/2020 Awards Day 3rd - 5th in the school cafeteria
Times for specific grade level programs will be shared by your child's teacher. Students receiving honors will receive Awards Day invitations.
Recognition will be presented as follows:
Principal’s Honor Roll
K-1: Students that have earned all S’s in all content areas for Semester 1
2nd- 5th: Students that have earned all A’s in all content areas for Semester 1
**This does not include conduct
Honor Roll
K-1: Students that earned S’s and one N for Semester 1
2nd- 5th: Students that have earned A’s and B’s for Semester 1
**This does not include conduct.
Safety First! Parents, we need your help! Please be reminded that students should be dropped off in the Car Rider Lane in front of the building. Drop off in the bus lane is prohibited. Parents are asked to use the parking lot near the bus lanes to escort students into the building only. Please do not drop students off in this area. It is also imperative that students are not dropped off alone before 7:10 AM. We have had a few students waiting alone prior to 7:10 AM. We are aware that our assigned police officer have been absent from a few of our posts. We are working on a replacement. Let's all pitch in and lend a hand. Be careful and look out for each other during drop off and pick up.
We are a uniform school. Students looked great in their uniforms today. Let's keep it up! We are encouraging our 4th and 5th graders to LEAD the way. Our 5th graders are the "seniors" in the building and we want them to be positive role models for the student body.
Please check the school website often. We update the site regularly. The school calendar, handbooks, PTA and SGC information can be found there.
Check us out! https://www.youtube.com/c/WolfCreekESNewsandAnnouncements
We are looking forward to a great week!
Thanks for all you do! Let's Go Wolves!
In Partnership,
Principal Glass
WCES school website: https://www.fultonschools.org/wolfcreekes
Boosterthon Fun Run is here!
Parents,
PLEDGING OPENS IN ONE WEEK! Help us reach our fundraising goal: $30,000
Parent Action Steps:
1. Register your student(s) on FUNRUN.COM on 2/2.
2. Reach out to sponsors by sharing your pledge link.
3. All pledges and payments are made online.*
4. Cheer on your student at the FUN Event on 2/13.
Run & Done Collections
• EASY for everyone! Sponsors pledge and pay online, saving our volunteers 50+ hours and helping our school collect more pledges faster.
• Sponsors can either make a pledge per lap or a flat donation. If they make a pledge per lap, their credit card is charged after the Event.
*Cash and check payments are still accepted. Must be turned in according to school policy. Your student will still get credit for the pledge or donation.
Thank you for your support of our school,
Your Wolf Creek PTA
Georgia Milestones - Coming Soon
3rd - 5th grade parents - Check out the resources and more information regarding the April Georgia Milestones session.
https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Lexile-Framework.aspx
Georgia Schools Climate Survey
Parents, the 2019-20 Georgia Parent Survey is open for this school year. The Georgia Parent Survey contains 24 questions. Parents may complete the survey using their personal computer, smartphone or tablet. For parents that do not have access to the Internet, you may use computers at the school. Please visit our Parent Resource Center.
Last year we reached our goal of 200 completed surveys! This was an increase from 2018-19. Let's reach 300+ this year. I know we can do it! Thanks in advance for your completion.
Be reminded, that this rating is open to the public and helps to establish the overall climate rating for our school and our local community. These survey results often "paint the picture" of our residential areas and impact the story for prospective home owners. We want to ensure that we are supporting our school in the most positive way. As shared in our results from last year, we had an awesome 2018-19 school year and want to do even better this year! We are just .80 points away from 4 STARS. If there are specific school concerns, we ask that you contact the school directly and allow the school to address those concerns locally. Copies of the 2018-19 results are available in our Parent Resource Center.
All parents are encouraged to participate in the Georgia Parent Survey. The data will be used as part of the calculation of the School Climate Star Rating. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish. Parents may select the Spanish version within the survey. Results from the Georgia Parent Survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online. The Georgia Parent Survey link is posted below.
https://gshs.gadoe.org/Pages/Parent.aspx
For more information on school climate ratings:
https://www.gadoe.org/schoolsafetyclimate/Pages/School-Climate-Star-Rating.aspx
Parent Survey 2018-19
Personnel Survey 2018-19
GADOE CCRPI Ratings
Mark Your Calendars!
Please see the school calendar on our school website here:
1/29/2020 Awards Day K- 2nd
1/30/2020 Awards Day 3rd - 5th
2/4/2020 Parent Workshop Georgia Milestones 6:00 PM
***Check with your child's teacher for more information regarding field trips. Volunteers and parents attending field trips should complete the Volunteer online process for Fulton County prior to the field trips.
Book Drive - Please consider donating a barely used or new book to the school.
Digital Learning Days 2019-2020
REMINDER: FC BOE has recently approved several Digital Learning Days this year. Please mark your calendars. See the news release here:
At its work session last night, the Fulton County School Board approved making April 21, 2020, and May 19, 2020, "Digital Learning Days" for students while maintaining them as regular work days for employees. A Digital Learning Day is an opportunity for students to engage in off-site learning instead of attending school.
Since April 21 and May 19 are state-wide election days, there is high-volume participation of the public at polling stations located in our schools, and this increases the potential for security concerns. By utilizing digital learning activities, students will be able to maintain their focus on instruction even though they are not on campus. This also allows staff the opportunity to participate in high-quality professional development to deepen their knowledge and skills.
Here is a summary of the recent calendar adjustments:
- March 13, 2020 remains a teacher workday.
- March 24, 2020 (GA Presidential primary election) will be a teacher workday.
- April 21, 2020 (state-wide election) will be a student Digital Learning Day and a teacher professional development day.
- May 19, 2020 (state-wide election) will be a student Digital Learning Day and a teacher professional development day.
Thank you for your continued support and flexibility.
WCES Literacy Corner
Did you know that increasing literacy is one of our BIG rocks at Wolf Creek? Lexile scores are important. Ask your child's teacher how you can help at home with increasing your child's score.
http://www.allstudentscanshine.com/2018/02/hands-on-learning-transform-your.html
What is reading comprehension?
Before we get started, it’s important to note that reading isn’t the same as comprehending. While many kids learn their numbers and letters at an early age, with some teaching themselves how to read before they start kindergarten, this doesn’t necessarily mean they understand what they are reading.
Reading comprehension requires higher level thinking, and once children learn how to decode, or identify and sound out the words they are reading, it’s time to take it a step further and teach them how to understand the bigger picture so they can problem solve and draw their own conclusions.
How Can I Tell If My Child Struggles with Reading Comprehension?
Most of us tend to view grade 1 as the turning point at which kids move beyond simple reading and begin to grasp the basics behind reading comprehension, and while many kids are able to start making inferences from the material they read around the 6-year mark, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to developing reading comprehension skills. The reality is that some kids take to reading more easily than others, and a delay in the development of a child’s reading comprehension skills doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has a learning disability.
With that said, we obviously want to be proactive and help struggling readers sooner rather than later, so if your child demonstrates any of the following characteristics, a meeting with his or her teacher may be in order:
- Has a limited vocabulary compared to peers
- Has difficulty sounding out words
- Struggles with spelling
- Reverses letters
- Has difficulty learning and recognizing sight words
- Relies on memorization, making it hard to learn new skills
- Can’t recognize words out of context
- Poor reading fluency
8 Reading Comprehension Strategies That Work
When it comes to reading comprehension strategies, finding ways to develop a child’s higher-level thinking is paramount in helping them understand what they are reading so they can draw their own conclusions and make inferences. Here are 8 things teachers and parents can do both in the classroom and at home to help facilitate the development of these skills.
Remember that vocabulary counts. Reading comprehension can be tricky for a child if he or she doesn’t have a working understanding of the words used in the material he or she is reading, and I once read that a good rule of thumb to use is to ask your child to count the number of words he or she cannot understand while reading a page in a book. If the number exceeds 10 before he or she reaches the end of the page, go down a reading level (or more) to ensure the material is appropriate for your child.
Choose age appropriate books. Further to the point above, you want to ensure there is fluency in your child’s reading before you begin working on reading comprehension. If your little one is struggling to sound out words and/or frequently takes breaks to ask what certain words mean, it makes it much more difficult for him or her to pay attention to the material, make observations, and draw conclusions. The smoother the reading, the better the comprehension.
Read out loud. It’s pretty safe to say that the more we expose our kids to the world of reading, the more they will enjoy it (and the easier it will become). The trick is to figure out ways to get your child to read out loud to you, rather than the other way around. You can start off small by having your child read the fun parts of the stories you read together, and gradually increase the amount they read over time. Remember to start small and make it collaborative so as not to make it too overwhelming, but do your best to challenge your child.
Use a bookmark or index card to help them follow along. While beginner books are fairly simplistic in that they only contain one sentence per page and/or are broken up with illustrations, the amount of text per page increases with each reading level. This can be extremely overwhelming and make children reluctant to challenge themselves with more advanced material, but if you provide them with a bookmark or index card and place it directly below each sentence they are reading, you will help them maintain focus and fluency in their reading.
Happy reading!
Reading ROCKS!
Wolf Creek Elementary PTA News
Happy holidays!
Thanks PTA for creating a staff holiday wish-list for parents. Find out more about what your child's teacher enjoys here: https://bit.ly/2tfuHJW
Boosterthon is coming soon! The deadline for sponsorship is December 28th. See the link here for sign up.
Please see more PTA information at their Facebook page and on our school website under the PTA tab. Let's make this year another great year with increased membership and support. Join us with just a minimum commitment of PTA dues of $20.00. There are also options for making monetary pledges on the PTA membership form. Dues are $20/person, or $50 at the Pack Pride level which includes 2 memberships, a donation, and a thank you gift.
Volunteers needed for all upcoming events! Please contact PTA!
Coming soon:
- Boosterthon Fun Run February 13th
- March General Body Meeting - March 24, 2020, 6PM
- Virtual April General Body Meeting – via Facebook Live - April 21, 2020, 7PM
- Teacher Appreciation Week - May 4-8, 2020
- May General Body Meeting + Elections - May 12, 2020, 6PM
We are looking for volunteers to serve in leadership positions on the Board and on Committees. If you are interested in being apart of the PTA, please contact PTA at:
wolfcreekelementarypta@gmail.com
Follow us: Instagram @wolfcreekpta and Facebook @wolfcreekelementarypta
and let the team know.
Thanks PTA!
Leader In Me Habit #4 Think Win Win
To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that--to achieve that balance between courage and consideration--is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win.
Title 1 News - Compact Approved!
Only less than 40 left to complete and submit! Way to go parents! Our Parent and Family Engagement Plan Plan and School Home Compact have been sent home soon. Please read, sign and send the compacts back to school Our goal is 100% compacts signed. We have been 100% each year. Let's do it again!
We have great resources for parents to be used at home. Don't forget to visit the Parent Resource Room. See Ms. Sims for more information.
See more information regarding Title 1 at : http://www.fultonschools.org/en/divisions/acd/supportserv/TitleI/Pages/default.aspx
Thanks for your support.
Safety First!
Thanks for your support! It is important that everyone adhere to sign in and out procedures, volunteer procedures and procedures for receiving a visitor badge daily. When buzzing into the school, be prepared for additional safety questions regrading your visit before entering the building.
***Please note: entry through the cafeteria during dismissal still requires parents to report to the front desk for sign in.
Thanks for working with us to ensure safety for the students. Remember to bring in your state ID or license when visiting the building. All visitors will be asked to sign at the front desk. Instruction begins at 7:40 each day. Parents are asked to say their goodbyes and exit timely so that we may begin the instructional day.
We still need your patience and support as we execute the morning drop off process. The cafeteria doors close at 7:35 AM each morning. Breakfast ends at that time. Students are tardy at 7:41 AM. Parents are asked to sign their children in and get a tardy pass prior to reporting to class. Parents who wish to walk their child to class must also sign in at the front desk.
Dismissal procedures - All parents entering the building for pick up should check out their child through the front desk. Be sure to stop at the front desk and allow the front desk personnel to manage the check out process. Students should be called to the front desk to meet their parents for check out. Students that require extra support will be escorted to the office by school personnel.
Please help us by using the car rider loop in the front of the building for all student drop-offs in the mornings. The car rider loop moves fast but it does require some wait time and patience. This is the safest area for student drop offs. We have assigned staff to support students as they get out of cars. The bus ramp in the back is reserved for buses only. If parents are using the parking lot near the bus ramp area for parking, they are asked to park their vehicles and escort their child into the building. Students should not be dropped off and allowed to run across the bus ramp to enter the building. We want students to be safe. We had a few cars moving fairly fast in this area. This is a safety concern. Remember, the doors open at 7:10 AM for student arrival. Thanks in advance for your support. If we have parents that can volunteer in the bus ramp area, please let us know. We could use the extra hands and eyes to ensure safety for the students.
Thanks for your support!
Our School Day Start/End Times
Thanks in advance for your support in ensuring that our students get to school each day on time and ready for instruction. Breakfast begins at 7:10 a.m. and ends at 7:35 a.m. daily so that we can ensure that students are in class on time to begin their instructional day. School instructional hours are from 7:40 a.m. —2:20 p.m. each day. Parents are asked to escort their children inside and sign them in if they are tardy. Help us protect the instructional day. Please limit early dismissal/check-outs. If needed, please do so before 2:00 PM. Remember keep your child’s pick up and emergency contacts updated and to sign in during each visit. ID is required for anyone visiting or checking your child our of school.
Wolf Creek Elementary School
Check out our school website for our school calendar and school updates.
A. Nicole Canty, Assistant Principal
Website: http://school.fultonschools.org/es/wolfcreek/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 4440 Derrick Road, Atlanta, GA 30349, United States
Phone: 470.254.2760
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wolfcreekwolves/
Twitter: @wolfcreekwolves