The Wellwood Globe
January 2024 Issue
Our School Mission
Wellwood International strives to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring students in an engaging, rigorous and multi-cultural environment to instill inter-cultural understanding and respect.
Principal's Message
Hello Wellwood Families!
Happy New Year! I hope that your holiday season was filled with joy and rest! I am so happy to welcome our staff and students back into the building after a well-deserved break. As we wrap up the second marking period, I am grateful for all that you do to partner with us to support your children’s education. The marking period ends on January 19th; if you are unsure of how your child is performing, I encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher to check on his or her progress. Consider asking the following questions to open the lines of communication:
- How is my child doing socially and emotionally?
- What are my child’s academic strengths and needs?
- Is my child performing at the grade level expectations?
- Does my child need extra help in any areas?
- How can I help at home to support what you’re doing in the classroom?
Our teachers have worked hard to get to know your children and are full of ideas and information! We look forward to continuing to make connections with families.
Have you joined the PTA? The PTA is working hard to support Wellwood and needs your time and ideas. If you are interested, please email wellwoodpta@gmail.com. We need your support to make great things happen.
Please remember that school starts at 9:05 AM and that we do not permit students to enter the building early. Please refrain from dropping your students off before 9:05 and leaving them unattended as this is a safety issue - our staff are not on duty to monitor them! Early dismissals end at 3:45 PM to ensure an orderly and safe dismissal for all students.
Are you receiving my Sunday messages via email? If not, please contact me at athompson8@bcps.org to make sure that we have your correct contact information.
We are here to support and partner with you! Please reach out with any needs, questions, or concerns.
Mrs. Thompson
Dates to Remember
Jan 2 (T) - Schools Reopen
Jan 9 (T) - PTA Meeting in the Library @ 5:30 PM
Jan 10 (W) - Kindergarten Virtual Parent Night @ 5:30 PM
Jan 15 (M) - Dr. MLK Jr. Day - All Schools and Offices Closed
Jan 19 (F) - Second Marking Period Ends - 3 Hour Early Dismissal
Jan 23 (T) - Winter Concert @ 6:30 PM
Jan 29 (M) - Report Cards Distributed
Jan 30 (T) - Read Aloud Night @ 6 PM
Brennan's Buzz
Transportation:
The Bus Where App was launched this fall to alert families to the timing of BCPS school buses. All families should have received a link to sign up for Bus Where on October 2,2023. If you need a new link or have any issues with the App please fill out this form.
Testing:
Access for ELLs:
In January students receiving ESOL services will take the Access for ELLs assessment. ACCESS for ELLs (ACCESS) is the collective name for WIDA's suite of summative English language proficiency assessments. ACCESS is taken annually by English learners in kindergarten through grade 12 in WIDA Consortium member states. WIDA provides this flexible suite of tests because we know that no single test is suitable for all students. Educators use ACCESS results, along with other WIDA resources, to make decisions about students' English academic language and to facilitate their language development. Students' scores reflect proficiency levels ranging from Level 1 (Entering) to Level 6 (Reaching). Wellwood students will take the assessment in small groups with Ms. Nimer and Ms. Berger throughout the month and score reports will be provided in the spring.
MAP:
All students in grades K-5 are given the MAP growth assessment at the end of January and beginning of February in the areas of math and reading. Information about your child’s performance on this assessment will be sent home at the beginning of spring. The assessment allows teachers to track student growth in each subject and provide targeted support based on these results.
Attendance:
The negative impact of poor school attendance starts early and has a lasting negative impact on students. Chronically absent kindergarten and first-grade students are less likely to read on grade-level by the end of third grade (Attendance Works, 2011). By the time a student enters 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading predictor that a student will drop out of high school (Baltimore Education Research Consortium, 2011).
The Maryland Compulsory School Attendance Law (COMAR 7-301) requires children between the ages of 5 and 18 to attend school regularly. Baltimore County Public School Policy and Rule 5100 and 5120 address topics relating to attendance including procedures for recording, excusing, and monitoring student attendance. The Maryland State Department of Education and Baltimore County Public Schools expect students to maintain an attendance rate of 94%. This means that children can have no more than 10 absences per school year. Wellwood International will be consulting with families to assist with improving attendance and sending him frequent reminders of student attendance rate throughout the year.
The Special Education Resource Center:
The BCPS special education resource center includes a variety of Workshops for families. Check out https://dci.bcps.org/department/special_education/special_education_resource_center/workshops to see a list of available workshops.
❗ 24-25 Wellwood Boundary Changes ❗
On Wednesday, December 6, the committee charged with considering boundary options for Northwest area elementary schools reviewed and discussed all survey results. The committee voted that they were prepared to make a recommendation to the board. The committee voted to recommend Option A.
For more information on the boundary study, please visit the Northwest Area Elementary School Boundary Study #1 website.
The schedule for upcoming Boundary Events:
Tuesday, 2/13
Recommendation of Option A presented to Board
Wednesday, 2/21 @ 6:30 pm
Board Public Hearing @ Pikesville High School
Tuesday, 3/5
Board Decision
Counseling Corner 💗
Hi Wellwood Families!
Theme of the Month
As part of our School Counseling Program, your child’s class will have the opportunity to engage in a counseling core curriculum lesson each month based on a different theme. It is our hope that the core curriculum counseling lessons will help to promote the social emotional, academic, and career development of our students. We hope that you can help your child reflect on these lessons by discussing their content together.
The theme for the month of January is Character. Students in primary grades will have lessons that focus on active and whole body listening, as well as self-control. These strategies will assist students in improving their coping skills and communication skills. The intermediate grades will focus on empathy, perseverance, growth mindset, and internet/ social media safety.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions about the program. Ms. Best will be teaching the K – 2nd grade lessons, and Ms. Delis will be teaching the 3rd – 5th grade lessons. We can be reached at the contact information listed below.
Parent University Events
* Lunch & Learn – Building Confidence, Trust and Hope: Three things you can do to help your child when they are anxious. Session 1
THIS IS A FOUR (4) WEEK COURSE FOR BCPS PARENTS – please register only once
January 9th- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Mariposa Education
*Lunch & Learn – Are the Parents Ok? Why Sharing Your Feelings With Your Children Helps Your Relationship and How To Do So In a Way That You Are Understood
January 12th- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Mariposa Education
*Lunch & Learn – Building Confidence, Trust and Hope: Three things you can do to help your child when they are anxious. Session 2
January 16th- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Mariposa Education
*Lunch & Learn - Music is More than Fun: The Importance of Music in Early Childhood Development
January 19th- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Center for Family Success
*Lunch & Learn – Building Confidence, Trust and Hope: Three things you can do to help your child when they are anxious. Session 3
January 23rd- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Mariposa Education
*Lunch & Learn – Building Confidence, Trust and Hope: Three things you can do to help your child when they are anxious. Session 4
January 30th- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Mariposa Education
Click here to register for any of the events
Resources
o BCPS Virtual Calming Room https://scs.bcps.org/departments/social_emotional_support/office_of_student_support_services/mental_health_services/virtual_calming_room
o Baltimore County Crisis Response: 410-931-2214
o Crisis text line: Text the word "TALK" to 741741 for free 24-hour support
o Maryland Food Bank: 410-737-8282
o 211 Maryland: dial 211 or https://211md.org/
o Maryland Suicide and Crisis Hotline: dial 988
o National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK
o Trevor Lifeline: Text “START” to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386
o Baltimore County Department of Social Services: 410-853-3000
o Sheppard Pratt's Urgent Walk-In Clinic is available through virtual appointments. https://www.sheppardpratt.org/care-finder/virtual-crisis-walk-in-clinic/
Lindsey Delis
Renee Best
💡 Spotlight: Third Grade
American Red Cross Assembly
Third graders learned how to be prepared in an emergency. They received their own pillowcases to practice making a safety kit of important items they may need in an emergency.
💡 Spotlight: Fourth Grade
Hanukkah Celebration
Fourth grade students in Ms. Tingle's class played Driedel this month to hone their math skills and celebrate Hanukkah!
💡 Spotlight: Fifth Grade
Getting Ready for Grade 6!
This December, Pikesville Middle School visited our 5th grade students to choose electives for next school year!
Special Event: Reading Night 🎉
Wellwood Green School 🍃
Recycling Program
Wellwood is a National Green Ribbon School and a Maryland Green School. In order to continue our efforts, we have several recycling programs available. Below is information on each of our programs. Please help us to continue our efforts to recycle as many materials as possible!
Sneaker Recycling: Do you have any old sneakers or tennis shoes and don't know what to do with them? Drop them off in our lobby in our collection bin to be recycled!
Ink Cartridge Recycling: We take LaserJet and inkjet cartridges. Drop them off in our bins in the lobby to support Green School activities at Wellwood!
About Us
Wellwood International School
2901 Smith Avenue
Baltimore MD 21208
Phone: 443-809-1212 | Fax: 443-809-1213