Wade King Elementary
October 2019
A Note from the Principal
Dear Wade King Families,
Family engagement is an important part of the Bellingham Promise and something our staff values. Our goal is to develop partnerships with families to support student success.
Our upcoming student-involved conferences are one way we engage with families. These conferences will be held on the evening of October 30th, afternoon of October 31st, and all day on November 1st. They give students, parents, and teachers a chance to celebrate the work your child has been doing and to provide an opportunity to work together to set goals.
There are several things I want to be sure you know about your upcoming student-involved conference.
- Your child will come with you and play an important role in his/her conference. Having children involved in parent-teacher conferences helps children take ownership of their learning, and sets the stage for student goal-setting and accountability.
- Your conference will include time for your child to show you his/her work. Teachers will have clear directions for you and your child to follow as well as examples of student work at your child’s grade level. This will enable you to see how your child is performing in relation to grade level standards.
- Your conference will also include time for you and your child to meet with your child's teacher. This is an opportunity to work together to set academic and/or social goals for your child.
- In most cases, there will be several other families in the classroom during your child's conference. The teacher will be meeting with one family while other students are sharing their work with their family. Parents sometimes wonder what to do if they have something private to share with their child’s teacher. Student-involved conferences are not private meetings between teachers and parents; they are an opportunity to talk about learning and growth.
Parents may also wonder how to stay connected with their child’s learning at school after their conference. Kindergarten teachers are making frequent Seesaw posts to share the learning of our youngest students. First, second, and third graders write a daily agenda message to share learning that is happening in their classroom, in addition to Seesaw posts. With the addition of 1:1 laptop technology this year, fourth and fifth graders are no longer using agendas, but are beginning to post their own messages on Seesaw to share their learning and goal setting with their family. It is our hope that reading these agenda and Seesaw messages gives you a springboard for conversations with your child and is an opportunity to stay connected with the learning that is happening in the classroom. Furthermore, attending special classroom events and school-wide family nights, reading classroom and school newsletters, and reviewing student work that comes home with your child, are all ways parents can stay informed and involved in their child’s learning academic progress. Your child’s teacher will also update you with a report card that will be sent home in January and June. Finally, email exchanges and phone calls are other great ways to communicate with your child's teacher when you have specific concerns.
If you have questions about the format of student-involved conferences at Wade King, please connect with your child’s teacher or with me. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Stephanie Johnson
Principal, Wade King Elementary
Important Dates in October and November
10/10 PTA Meeting in Library 6-8 pm (Childcare provided for school-aged children)
10/15 Visiting Author: Patrick Carmen for 3rd-5th grades at 1:15 pm
10/16 Individual Student Picture Day
10/16 Another Visiting Author: Atlas Obscura at WK for 3rd-5th grades at 1:15 pm
10/17 Great Washington Shake Out: Earthquake Drill
10/18 NO SCHOOL for Students: Staff Learning Day
10/21-23 Mt School for Mrs. Howard and Mr. Cornelsen
10/23-25 Mt School for Mrs. Foote
10/24 PTA Fundraiser - Eat at Vitality Bowls
10/30 Student-Involved Conferences from 5:00-7:00 pm
10/31 Student-Involved Conferences from 1:00-3:00 pm
11/1 NO SCHOOL for Students: Student-Involved Conferences from 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
11/11 NO SCHOOL: Veteran's Day
New Wade King Wolves Logo
We are the Wade King Wolves... and we have a brand new school logo! Our PTA will soon be selling spirit wear with our new logo.
Wade King Family Directory
Each year our PTA publishes a School Directory to make it easier for families to connect with one another. This year's Wade King Directory can be downloaded below. (The directory was also in a recent email to families). To maintain the privacy of Wade King families, please do not share this directory with people outside of our school community. Thank you!
PTA Meeting - This Thursday from 6-8pm
Great Shakeout - Earthquake Drill on October 17th
Wade King will participate in The Great Washington Shake Out! The Great Shake Out is the world’s largest earthquake drill. During this drill, the entire school will practice how to drop, cover, and hold on. Teaching our students and staff about earthquake safety helps ensure they know what to do to stay safe when the ground shakes. Discussing disaster preparedness at home as a family is also important.
You can be better prepared for disasters in three steps:
1. Know Your Hazards - Learn about the hazards in your area at www.dnr.wa.gov/geologyportal.
2. Have A Plan - Things to consider are how to pick up your student from school in a disaster, where your meeting place is to reunite with family if you cannot return home, and who your out-of-area contact person is.
3. Have An Emergency Kit - Items to include are water, non-perishable food, light source, first aid kit, comfort item, and personal hygiene items. Start with small kits at work, in vehicles, and in your student’s backpack. Continue storing supplies at home with the goal of having supplies for 2 weeks.
Please continue conversations at home with your student about disaster safety. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our students safe!
Wade King Globe Trot Fundraiser - Total is $15,500
THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to our Globe Trot fundraiser! PTA will continue to collect donations in donation envelopes and online.
Our next goal is to raise $18,000. If we reach that goal, we will celebrate with extra recess for everyone!
Elementary Equity Fund - the Bellingham Promise in Action
This is an exciting year across our district as elementary parent groups (PTA's and PTO's) have come together with a shared desire to start addressing equity issues within our 14 elementary schools.
Did you know? PTA spending per student varies significantly at elementary schools throughout our district. The school with the highest funds raised spends almost 4x more per student than the school with the lowest funds raised.
Last Spring, PTA members put the Wade King values into action when they agreed to take part in a pilot program of the Elementary Equity Project to make PTA spending more equitable. They agreed that in the One Schoolhouse model, we value all students equally and need to take steps to resolve this spending inequity.
This year, the Wade King PTA, along with other elementary school PTA's, will contribute 10% of our income from last year to an Elementary Equity Fund. The fund will then be re-distributed back to participating schools based on the number of their students that qualify for free or reduced lunches. As a result, some of our contribution will come back to our PTA.
This video clip, created by the Bellingham Schools Foundation, shares more about the Elementary Equity Fund.
We are so proud to be members of such a caring group of parents who realize that we can, and should, help improve the educational experience of every student in the district.
If you have any questions about Wade King’s participation in the Elementary Equity Project, please contact us at wadekingpta@gmail.com
Moving forward, any time you make a donation to our Wade King PTA, 10% of our donation will be contributed to the Equity Fund. We thank you for your participation in the Elementary Equity Project!
Rebecca Hutchison and Adita van Grinsven
Wade King PTA Co-Presidents
Whatcom County Buddy Walk - Taking Action
The Bellingham Promise was recently revised to include our district commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We envision and strive for a more diverse, inclusive and equitable organization. At Wade King, we work hard to create school community that is inclusive and welcoming to everyone, regardless of his/her race and ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, language and culture.
Last Sunday, several Wade King families and staff participated in the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk to raise awareness and show appreciation for exceptional people who have Down Syndrome. It is also an opportunity to advocate for the acceptance and inclusion of individuals with Down Syndrome.
If you would like to learn more about Down Syndrome, Just Like You is a great video to watch on your own or as a family. If this video sparks questions that you are unable to answer, let us know! Our staff would love help!
Student Updates
4th & 5th Grade Families - State Assessment Results in Skyward
Every spring, all Washington public school students in grades 3rd-8th and 10th take state tests in English language arts and math, with an additional test for grades 5, 8 and 11 in science. If your 4th or 5th grader took these tests last spring, his/her results re now in Skyward. To access your child's report:
- Login to Skyward Family Access
- Click on Portfolio along the left margin.
- Click on the report that you would like to view, which will open as a PDF documents.
If you need support logging in to Skyward, have questions about your student’s test, or would like a paper copy of your child’s test, please contact our office at (360) 647-6840.
Sehome High School Junior Cheer Clinic
The Good Food Project - Join Us For Lunch
Have you heard the news? The Bellingham School District has a Central Kitchen with a new meal program: The Good Food Project. Much of our food is made from scratch and locally sourced. Parents are welcome to join their student(s) for lunch (or breakfast). Just sign in on the visitor log in the main office and wear a visitor badge while you are here. We can model for our kids what good nutrition and healthy eating habits look like by sharing a meal together.
The price for an adult lunch is $4.25 and includes a beverage. Lunch periods for our grade levels at Wade King are as follows: K 1-:45-11:05, 1st 11:05-11:25, 2nd 11:25-11:45, 3rd 11:45-12:05, 4th 12:05-12:25, 5th 12:25-12:45.
Chef Patrick Durgan has worked hard on the menu and has come up with homemade marinara sauce from local tomatoes, house-made chilli with local Hempler hot dogs, spiral pasta with alfredo sauce, chicken enchiladas, roasted potato wedges with herbs, cilantro/lime rice to accompany bean and cheese burritos, salmon cakes with pilaf, black bean burgers, and so many other delicious dishes. Our school menus can be found online by clicking this link. Bookmark the page!
We hope to see you for lunch!
Free Dinner for All Students
After-School Dinner Program Free for All Students 18 and Under
Bellingham Public Schools currently offers free hot dinner to all children 18 and under in the community. These meals are offered daily Mondays through Thursdays through June 4, 2020. Dinner is served from 5 to 6 p.m. at Shuksan Middle School, located at 2717 Alderwood Avenue (at the corner of Northwest and Alderwood).
Please note: Accompanying adults are charged $4.25 All meals must be eaten onsite in the Shuksan cafeteria and “to go” options are not available. Dinner will not be served on the following Thursdays that are middle school early dismissal days: Sept. 19, Oct. 31, Nov. 27, (Wed.), Dec. 12, Feb. 6, March 5, April 30.
The after-school dinner program is sponsored by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). For more information, contact Food Services for Bellingham Public Schools.
Volunteer Application
ALL volunteers who work with students are required to complete the online application and be approved prior to starting their service. This includes parents, grandparents, guardians, grandparents and community members, tutors, classroom/program supports and field trip chaperones.
Use this link to go to our online application. The online format is a one-time web-based application that requires a renewal every two years per the Washington State Patrol check.
If you need support with your application, please contact the volunteer coordinator at 360-676-6470 ext. 6848 or email Jennifer.Gaer@bellinghamschools.org
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Wade King Elementary School
Email: Stephanie.Johnson@bellinghamschools.org
Website: http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2155 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 647-6840
Facebook: facebook.com/WadeKingElementary
Twitter: @WadeKingElem