Winter Hill Wildcat Weekly
September 29, 2023
Principal's Message
Thank you to all the families that attended the Winter Hill @ Capuano Back-to-School night last night. I enjoyed seeing so many parents, caregivers, students and siblings! And I look forward to seeing our 1st - 8th grade families on Thursday, October 5th!
I also want to give a huge Wildcat ROAR to all of our parents and caregivers for their patience and support as we transitioned to new procedures and routines at Edgerly and Capuano. Arrival and dismissal are going well and we appreciate everyone adapting to the changes.
Winter Hill @ Edgerly Back-to-School Night
Back-to-School Night Winter Hill @ Edgerly
Thursday, October 5th 5:00 - 7:00 PM
5:00 - 5:30 --> A Wildcat Welcome in the Cafeteria - Come meet our non-classroom staff and learn about our school
5:40 - 6:10 --> Classroom Session 1 - Come meet your child's teacher, see their classroom and learn about what they will be learning this year
6:20 - 6:50 --> Classroom Session 2 - Come meet your child's teacher, see their classroom and learn about what they will be learning this year
5:00 - 7:00 - PTA Sponsored Event - All families are welcome to come to the Otis Street play area for pizza and drinks --> $5 for two slices of pizza OR $5 for a slice of pizza and a drink
Message from the PTA
First Meeting of the Year
Dear Winter Hill families:
PTA would like to invite you to our first General Membership meeting of the school year.
Oct 5th from 3:30-4:30PM at the Cafeteria. Snacks and drinks will be served for those who attend.
Agenda:
-
Approve the FY24 Expenses (see below)
-
Meet and chat with the Chair of our Fundraising Committee: Tara Barreira!
-
Meet our Nominating Committee members ~ MaryLou Sturniolo; Tara Murphy-Beardsley; Lori Shea-Foley
Reasons to come to the PTA Meeting:
-
Meet families who you haven't seen in a while
-
We have two new officers who you might not have met yet!
-
Talk to members about your concerns: commute; safety; in-school activities; really anything.
-
Talk to Tara Barreira about your ideas for fundraising.
-
Talk to MaryLou Sturniolo if you'd like to join the Nominating Committee.
-
Learn about the basketball tournament featuring the WHCIS versus Healey teachers and staff!
Our budget for FY24 is as follows:
Approximate available funds for FY24:
$3,250
Anticipated FY24 Expenses:
Back to School Night refreshments for entire school $750
Principal’s Coffee Hours refreshments every month for the year $500
WHCIS Moving Forward Festivities $2,000*
Grade Projects ???*
Teachers Appreciation and End of Year???*
*Insufficient; will need to raise new money
Support Fundraising!
We are looking for members to help us fundraise! Ideally, we would like to fund a Grade Project for each grade, just like we did last year. Also, we would like to support additional programs for AIM and Newcomer Academy. Our ability to do these things would hinge heavily on our ability to raise NEW money. It’s easy. Just email us at winterhillpta@gmail.com!
Become a Member Now!
Becoming a member is the best way for anyone to stay informed about things happening in our school. Only PTA members have the ability to influence what the PTA does to make our school community thrive and support all children. If you aren’t already a member, it is easy to sign up today! If you have already renewed but have not paid your dues, you can pay online or give us $4.50 cash in the schoolyard. Your dues go straight to Massachusetts PTA, our parent organization. Our PTA does not get to keep any of your membership dues. You do not have to become a member to volunteer at school. And you do not have to volunteer to be a PTA member. If you would like to connect with families and to advocate on behalf of your children and family, PTA is for you!
Sent on behalf of the PTA for Winter Hill Community Innovation School
WHCIS PTA // winterhillpta@gmail.com
Website: https://sites.google.com/k12.somerville.ma.us/winterhill/pta
Follow us for news and announcements! https://www.facebook.com/WinterHillSomervillePTA
Join the (private) WHCIS Families discussion group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/whcis.families
Lunches @ Capuano and @ the Edgerly
- The Capuano serves the district lunch provided by Food Services, which is posted on the website.
- At the Edgerly, we have had to make some adjustments to the lunch options as the kitchen was not fully operational when the school year started.
- Upgrades were needed for the electrical to support the types of ovens we need to provide the district lunch and those upgrades are almost complete. While the upgrades were happening, the district contracted with Stock Pot in Malden to provide hot lunches to our students.
- Winter Hill @ Edgerly Lunch Menu
- Last Friday, there was a mistake on the Edgerly menu and pizza was not served. Pizza was served today!
- Students at the Edgerly have the option of the hot lunch (from Stock Pot) and three options from district Food Services - salad with a protein, sandwich or a power pack.
- In mid-October, we are hopeful that we will have the kitchen ovens operating so that we can provide the district Food Services hot lunch.
- Please reach out if you have any further questions or concerns about lunches.
Governing Board
The Winter Hill Governing Board is a collaborative decision-making body comprised of parents/guardians, administration, teachers, staff and community partners. We meet once a month on the third Thursday of the month in person in the Winter Hill @ Edgerly library. We are looking for parents and caregivers from all grades PK - 8 and all programs including general education, AIM and the Newcomer Academy.
The first meeting will be Thursday, October 19th from 6 - 7:30. If you are interested in serving on the Governing Board, please email me at cgosselin@k12.somerville.ma.us by Friday, 6th. Returning members should email me as well to confirm they will be returning.
Wildcat Blog
We feature a different class on our Winter Hill Wildcat Blog each week.
This Week: Ms. Conner & Ms. Weaver
Next Week: Ms. Brown
Important October Dates
October 4, 2023 - Early Release Day
*PK dismissed at 11:30
*Kindergarten dismissed at 12:15
*Grades 1 - 8 dismissed at 12:00
October 5, 2023 - Back to School Night WHCIS at Edgerly - See Schedule Above
October 9, 2023 - No School (Indigenous People's Day)
October 19, 2023 - Governing Board Meeting @ Edgerly in Library 6 - 7:30 PM
October 25, 2023 - Early Release Day
Somerville Public Schools Calendar can be found here.
Attendance Reminders
We ask that all Wildcat Families continue your efforts this year to improve attendance and timeliness at WHCIS. Two of our school-wide R.O.A.R. expectations ask that students take Ownership of their learning and that they be Ready by coming to school consistently and on-time. Please help us to hold our students to these expectations for the 2023-24 school year.
For Edgerly, If your child is going to be tardy or absent please call (Or, Text!) our NEW attendance line: 774-613-0616.
For Capuano, if your child is going to be tardy or absent, please call 617-629-5480.
Shuttle Bus Update
We are very happy to share that as of Monday 9/25, the district appointed a new Transportation Coordinator, Erika Martinez, who will manage all aspects of WHCIS shuttle operations including bus monitors, bus schedules, and communications to and from families regarding the shuttle. Please reach out to her at emartinez@k12.somerville.ma.us with any transportation questions.
Winter Hill Community Innovation School
115 Sycamore Street
Somerville, MA 02145
School: 617-629-5680
Cell: 781-227-7861