News from the Nest
Big Announcement!
Weaverville Elementary EXCEEDED GROWTH for the 2022-2023 School Year!
We have an amazing faculty here at Weaverville Elementary! School Performance Grades were announced last week, and our school Exceeded Growth for the 22-23 school year! This means that our students exceeded the growth that they were statistically predicted to make. Additionally, our school had the highest PERFORMANCE score out of all elementary schools in Buncombe County Schools. A performance score is a combination score of growth and proficiency rate/achievement. Our overall performance letter grade was a "B."
I'd like to give a huge shoutout to our amazing staff - teachers and support staff alike - who pour so much passion, energy, and expertise into our students so that they do the very best possible.
Important Dates
- Tuesday, September 12th - Beginning of Grade Test - 3rd Grade only
- Thursday, September 14th - PTO Meeting, 8:15 am @ Weaverville Elementary Media Center
- Thursday, September 14th - Open House, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
- Monday, September 25th - Fun Run Kick-off Assembly
- Monday, October 2nd - Optional Teacher Work Day (No School for Students)
- Tuesday, October 3rd - Required Teacher Work Day (No School for Students)
- Friday, October 6th - Fun Run! *Much more info to come!
- Monday, October 9th - Fall Picture Day
- Tuesday, October 10th - School Health Fair (3rd Grade Only)
- Tuesday, October 31st - Early Dismissal (12:25 pm). All students served lunch.
District Calendars
Message from Weaverville Schools PTO:
Welcome back WES families. The first staff appreciation event is scheduled for September 15th. Please follow the link below to see how you can help. Items can be dropped off at the elementary school office by noon on September 14th.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090E4AA9A82DA5FE3-apple
Important dates:
September 14th- PTO meeting - Weaverville Elementary Media Room at 8:15am. *PTO will be alternating morning and after-school meetings so that more parents can join! Our next meeting in October will be in the evening.
We will host our Fun Run Fundraiser from September 25th - October 6th.
- Registration opens Monday, September 11th.
- Monday, September 25th- Fun Run KICK OFF!!
- October 6th - Fun Run
PTO Meeting Dates & Times
Meetings at 8:15 am
November 9th
January 11th
March 14th
May 9th
Meetings at 6:15 pm
October 12th
December 14th
February 8th
April 18th
A Note from Mrs. Nichols
Dear Weaverville Families,
We are gearing up for a fun week, and we're especially excited about Open House this Thursday, September 14th. We will start at 5:30 pm in the gym, and then we'll dismiss families to visit your child's classroom. We'll also have a treat for families that attend!
I also want to ask that cars not enter our car line from Main Street. I have a visual below that shows how to enter car line. If we allowed every car to use Main Street each morning and afternoon, then Main Street traffic would back up every day. Please use Yost St. to enter car line in the mornings and in the afternoon. Please also remember not to block driveways on Yost St. while you are waiting.
3rd Grade Families: Your child will be taking the Beginning of Grade Assessment this Tuesday at 8:00 am. Please have them arrive on time so that they can get settled before taking the assessment.
Our first PTO meeting is this Thursday in the morning at Weaverville Elementary Media Center. We'll start at 8:15 am. Our PTO received feedback that some parents can not attend in the mornings each month, so they will be alternating PTO meetings to be in the morning and in the evenings this year. This month's meeting will include share time for our PTO budget as well as important information about each PTO committee. There will be a volunteer sign-up at the end.
Field trips for the year are being planned! We will need Level 2 Volunteers for field trips. Weaverville Primary and Weaverville Elementary counselors partner to provide a Level 2 Volunteer training. Please do your best to attend one of these trainings, and if you can not, email our counselor Maggie Wheeless (Margery.wheeless@bcsemail.org) to let her know you're interested, but could not attend. Click on the link below for information about how to be approved as a Level 1 or Level 2 Volunteer! *You do not have to volunteer a certain amount of hours to be a Level 2 volunteer.
Volunteer trainings:
Tuesday 9/19 at 1:30 pm (at WPS)
Tuesday 9/20 at 8:15 am (at WvES)
Reminders from Last Week:
I've had a few inquiries about having lunch with your student. We like to hold off parents joining for lunch until later in September (I'll add it to my newsletter when we are open for parents to join if they wish). Our teachers like to get their routines set and in place before we add guests to our lunch routines, so thank you for waiting. Please read the section below about visiting your child for lunch so that you know the general expectations.
Arrival and Dismissal Note: Please use the car line if you are driving to our campus to drop-off or pick-up your child. Some families have been parking and walking their children to the front door, but please plan to use the car line this week as our morning and afternoon protocols can not accommodate for numerous cars parking during car-line.
Thank you for entrusting us with your child/ren every day. We promise to work hard to keep them safe and support them in the academic and social/emotional growth.
Mary Nichols
Specialists News
MUSIC: Everyone is having a great time in music! We are practicing finding and keeping the steady beat, listening to a variety of music (check out “Awkward Annie” by Kate Rusby, and “The Java Jive” by the Ink Spots!) as well as playing singing-games like (2nd Grade) “Frog in the Meadow” and (3rd Grade) “Son Macaron.” 4th Graders got their RECORDERS and are excited to serenade their families with the dulcet tones of “Hot Cross Buns.” Check out the information sheet they are bringing home, and thank you for being patient as they figure out how to make this instrument sound, if not good yet, not painful! (Soft air, y’all, soft air)
ART: Art is off to a great start! This year, we've started with exploring drawing, and students have learned about silhouettes and profiles. In the coming weeks we will be learning about several artists, including Laurel Burch, and Keith Haring. Students are looking forward to next month as well, as October will be "inktober" in the art room.
MEDIA: In the media center we have been working on how to find books that we are interested in, fiction by the authors last name, and non-fiction by looking for the topic on the shelf signs. Next week we will be working on how to pick Just the right Book.
PE: The start of PE this year we are working on learning how our bodies work (spatial awareness) and our locomotor movements by playing games that incorporate these skills such as our warm up Partner Run, as well as our games “Musical Hoops” and “Line Tag”.
Volunteer Information
Becoming a volunteer requires an application and a background check. We have two levels of volunteers. A "Level 1" volunteer can volunteer in our building, but can not be alone with students. A "Level 2" volunteer might work more closely with students, for example in a reading or math group, or supervising students on a field trip. If you want to attend field trips with your child, or if you want to volunteer in our school during the school day, a volunteer background check is required. The button above has all the information you need to guide you through the process.
If you have been an approved volunteer before, please know that you must update your application annually. You should get a reminder email to update your information each year.
Ms. Ashley Mendoza has access to our list of approved volunteers. Ashley.Mendoza@bcsemail.org.
Ongoing Reminders
- Please do not enter our car line from Main St. in the mornings or in the afternoons. Please use Yost St.
- Please do not check your child out between 1:55-2:55 so that we can have a safe and calm dismissal for students each day.
- Please always let us know in writing if there is a transportation change for your child.
- Please let us know by 1:00 pm if you are changing your child's regular dismissal procedure.
Masks Available
Don't forget that our students, staff, and visitors have access to masks all day long. We have regular 3-ply masks and KN95 masks available. Masks are available in the front office, and we have reminders at hand-sanitizing stations that you can get a mask in the front office.
If a student requests a KN95 mask, we must have parent permission since it is considered a respirator. Parents must complete the Voluntary Respirator Use Form and sign and return. Here is a link to the form. If a student requests a KN95 mask, and we do not already have the form on file, we will email it to parent/guardians for you to sign.
Support Weaverville Elementary While You Shop!
Ingles:
As we start another school year, remember it's time to link your Ingles Advantage Card to Weaverville Elementary School. This must be done each year to ensure the benefits from your card will support our school! Ingles Tools for Schools makes a huge difference in our school. Thanks for your support.
https://www.ingles-markets.com/tools-for-schools-link
Other Ways to Support WvES While You Shop:
- Publix: www.plublix.com/partners
- Amazon Smiles: www.smile.amazon.com
- Box Tops: www.boxtops4education.com
- Harris Teeter - www.tie.harristeeter.com
Family Handbook Information
The information below are parts of our Student & Families Handbook. It's important that our families know all the procedures and safety expectations. I'll leave these in our News from the Nest for a few weeks
Visitor Procedures
ALL parents and visitors to campus must sign in at the office and obtain a visitor sticker (or a volunteer pass if applicable). Please note that you must sign in even if you are only visiting the cafeteria. Your cooperation in helping us to follow Central Office policy and ensuring the safety of all children is expected and appreciated.
If you have an appointment or scheduled time to be at school in the morning, and wish to walk in with your child, please still plan to follow the established procedure of coming to the office, signing the visitor registry, and obtaining a visitor tag.
Visitors will only be allowed to visit a classroom if the visitor has scheduled the visit with the teacher beforehand or if the visitor is a scheduled volunteer.
Attendance, Tardies, and Early Dismissals
Students must be in attendance for more than half a day (11:30 a.m.) to be counted present for the day. On a two hour delay, the half day mark is considered 12:15. On a three hour delay, the half day mark is considered 12:45. Students arriving at school after 7:55 AM must report to the office and to sign in. Tardies will only be excused if accompanied by a medical (doctor or dentist) statement or if excused by the principal. These notes/statements should be presented to the office staff when signing in. Upon returning to school from an absence, students must bring their teacher a parent note or medical statement (doctor or dentist) giving the reason for the absence.
Our day starts promptly at 7:55 am. Please work together as a family to have your child arrive on time, with time to get settled in their classroom, and ready to learn at 7:55 am. If your child plans to eat breakfast at school, please do your best to have them arrive with time to eat before lessons begin at 7:55 am.
Parent Portal Account
Check your child's grades, attendance, and more! Email powerschoolteam@bcsemail.org and our BCS staff will email you a link, login, and password for your account. If you email this week, please be patient as they respond to many requests, especially right before school starts.
You can also manage your contact information through parent portal.
Not Getting Info From School?
Email Dawn.Flanigan-Bryson@bcsemail.org, WvES Data Manager, to check your Powerschool settings and contact information.
Safety at our School
Safety is one of my top priorities, and I want to be very clear with all of our families about the ways we will keep our students safe on our campus. The following procedures and expectations are in place with safety in mind. Please support our staff and students in keeping our campus safe by following these expectations at all times.
- All visitors must check in each time with no exceptions. You'll get a badge to wear, and you must wear the badge at all times. If you do not have the badge on, our staff will politely ask if we can help you, so please be kind to staff in response.
- Visitors are only allowed to visit a classroom if they have a scheduled appointment with the teacher. We want to protect the instructional time of all students.
- All doors will remain locked at all times.
- Please do not enter the front door unless you have been buzzed in by an adult. It may seem easy to slip in with someone else who is being buzzed in, but please help us keep our safety practices in tact by following this simple request.
- If you are already inside the school, please do not open the front door for others. Please allow our office staff to safely screen each person entering the building.
Please follow this "Multi-visitor Entrance Procedure:"
- If you have buzzed in and are being screened and you notice another visitor is arriving, please don't hold the door and allow anyone in without being screened first.
- If the other visitor is 15 feet or less from the door, please buzz in and be screened together.
- If the visitor is more than 15 feet from the door, please buzz in and ensure the door is closed completely after you enter.
We certainly want to encourage politeness, and we also want our visitors to understand that it is unsafe to hold doors and allow visitors in without being verified by front office staff first. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
School safety is the most important component of our day. We know we must balance safety with having a welcoming school building so that parents and community members can be part of our school. Please help us do this by honoring these safety protocols about entering our building.
Lunch With Your Child
Parents are invited to eat with their child in the cafeteria; however, as a courtesy to other students, we ask that you do not bring outside food such as fast food and/or sodas into the school cafeteria. Parents should arrive at school in time to get a visitor’s pass and report to the lunchroom hallway five minutes before the scheduled lunch time. Please always let the teacher know ahead of time if you plan to eat with your child.
Parents are invited to have lunch with their child at the end of September. Please wait for an announcement from the principal that parents/family can come to school to have lunch with their child.
A monthly menu will be posted in the classroom and the daily menu will be read during morning announcements. Occasionally there will be a menu change due to late deliveries or snow days.
You can find links to BCS menus here: https://www.buncombeschools.org/page/menus-and-pricing
Please note that any outside food brought in for special snacks or birthday treats cannot be consumed until the last student has been served lunch. This will be at approximately 12:30 PM. Should you desire to bring in a special snack for your child’s birthday or another event, please coordinate this with your child’s teacher so as not to conflict with our lunchroom policies. In addition, any food brought into the school to be shared with students must be store bought with ingredients listed. Please allow school staff to distribute snacks due to their knowledge and understanding of students’ allergies and dietary needs. Our school also encourages healthy snacks and choices. Please refer to the School Wellness section in this handbook for more information.
Ongoing Reminders
- Free/Reduced Lunch Application: www.lunchapplication.com
- Please do not check your child out between 1:55-2:55 so that we can have a safe and calm dismissal for students each day.
- Please always let us know in writing if there is a transportation change for your child.
- Please let us know by 1:00 pm if you are changing your child's regular dismissal procedure.
Important Links for Parents/Caregivers
Contact Weaverville Elementary School
Phone: 828-645-3127
Address: 129 South Main St., Weaverville, NC 28787
Email:
Mary Nichols - Principal (Mary.nichols@bcsemail.org)
*Please email both office staff if you have a dismissal change.
Dawn Flanigan-Bryson - Data Manager (dawn.flanigan-bryson@bcsemail.org)
- attendance
- student information/records
- immunizations
- enrollment
Ashley Mendoza - Head Secretary (Ashley.mendoza@bcsemail.org)
- general inquiries
- money questions related to school
- bus questions