Wolf Creek Weekly
Building Pathways To Success
From The Principal's Desk January 6, 2020
Happy New Year!
"Let's Finish The Race Strong!" Welcome back to the 2nd Semester of the 2019-20 school year. Staff, students and parents are moving WCES from Good To Great! Our wish is that each WCES family spent some time refreshing, relaxing and recharging this holiday season.
Thanks for the wonderful cards, gifts and well wishes! Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated.
We would also like to thank you for your participation and support of the many activities during the holiday season! We had so much fun. The parent volunteerism at the Math Extravaganza was AMAZING!!! Thanks so much. What an awesome day of learning and fun. We are looking forward to the Spring Reading Carnival. We hope you will join us in May.
Time will move swiftly this semester. Please remember to mark your calendars for the various school activities.
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.
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.
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. Help us by supporting them in learning the Wolf Pack Creed by hard! We are looking for the 1st class at each grade that learns the creed and can recite by hard.
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
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 establishthe 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:
1/13/2020 Report Cards Go Home
1/14/2020 Reading Strategies Parent Workshop 6:00 PM
1/20/2020 Schools Closed MLK Holiday
1/21/2020 Linda Bryant Community Meeting 6:00 PM @ Randolph Elementary
1/24/2020 Student Progress Reports and papers go home
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 you child's teacher how you can help at home with increasing your child's score.
1. Point out words. Start by helping children understand that print is all around them and that letters of the alphabet combine to make words. Labeling objects around the house is one way to increase print knowledge – as is pointing out words wherever you see them on clothing, signs and more.
2. Identify new words. As you read to your child, point out new and exciting words by putting a strong emphasis on the word. Tell your child what the word means and continue using the word throughout your daily activities.
3. Let kids read what they like. Don’t get too hung up on the reading level of the material your child chooses at home, especially as they are just beginning to read independently. It’s more important that children are reading about topics they are interested in. As they get more competent, you can introduce more challenging texts slowly by reading them aloud. Help your child by suggesting chapter-style books that have large print text and some illustrations on the pages.
4. Visit the library. Children should choose their own reading material. Spend afternoons at the library and encourage your child to browse through shelves that they would not normally visit.
5. Make reading interactive. Some kids balk at sitting still for an extended period of time and reading quietly. Instead, toss around a beach ball that has vocabulary words written on it, read words on the sidewalk in a hopscotch fashion, or use everyday items like a baking tray filled with shaving cream or rice to read and write words.
6. Seek additional resources. Keep an open dialogue with your child’s teacher and ask what you can do at home to offer additional literacy practice. If your child is still struggling, ask about additional resources at school or seek a reading tutor on your own.
7. Use technology. Technology can boost kids’ reading skills. Try an iPad Scavenger hunt. Take pictures of different things around the house, have your child find the object and then record the word for the object in a journal or piece of paper. And remember that reading a book on a tablet is still reading – some tablets allow you to block all “fun” apps until they’ve spent a certain amount of time reading. Phonics apps and programs such as Teach Your Monster to Read, Starfall.com, and abcya.com can foster learning while also being enjoyable for kids.
8. Encourage writing. Writing is a critical part of literacy and can feel scary for younger children. Natarajan says making beginning writing feel “safe” helps to foster a sense of confidence within children. Save the spelling lessons for after they are comfortable with sounding out words.
9. Let kids guide you through a story. Sometimes kids are wildly excited about a book you can’t stand. Ask kids to discover the lessons in the story, tell you about the character’s journey from beginning to end, or ask them to make up a different ending.
10. Read a funny book. Joke books are a fun way to get children reading. They might be frowned upon since they do not deliver anything educational, but if they can help your child learn to read and have fun at the same time, then by all means!
11. Establish routines. Set routine times during the day where the whole family reads in or around the house.
12. Start a ‘book club.’ Read the same texts as a family and discuss the story during meal times.
13. Have a movie night. Watch the movie version of a book you love together.
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!
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