Wiley Wednesday
Renovation Updates
This is a repeat of a January update with a few updates noted in italics ... lots of good information about which we field frequent questions.
By and large, stick with us! It's going to be an exciting ride with a huge prize at the end of the journey! #WeAreWiley #WileyOnTheMove
When you finish reading this, don't forget to take your WCPSS family input survey.
Questions & Answers
What time will school start? This is a WCPSS Board of Education decision, and as far as we know, the start/end time will not change. Wiley was not on the list for schedule changes at last night's Board of Education meeting ... the 8:45/9:15 - 3:45 schedule will remain
Will there be an on-site playground (Wiley South)? Yes, the current drawings include two play spaces that will take over existing parking spaces on both ends of the modular buildings.
Will each teacher have his/her own classroom (Wiley South)? Each regular classroom teacher will have his/her own classroom in the modular buildings. In the permanent structure, there are additional classroom spaces that will house our Language Teachers, as well as designated spaces for Art, Music, PE, and a Media Center.
How long will the bus ride be for Cary students? I don’t know as the access points for Cary can vary widely. Many families/staff members that live in Cary have shared that their travel time will likely be the same as it is to the St. Mary’s Street campus.
How long do you anticipate the renovation will take? The timeline is approximately sixteen months, and construction will begin June 2018, as soon as students are out of the building.
Is Garner the finalized location for students? The Garner location will serve as the swing space for Wiley during the renovation project.
When will band be held? When we last spoke with our current band director, it was decided that band practice will be held two mornings a week - both advanced and beginner band will practice on the same day with Christina splitting duty with her husband. HOWEVER, please note that band is a PTA sponsored event, and major decisions regarding this program are decided by that body. We will work together to make things work! I do believe the contract is rolling! Hooray for band!
Where will the band hold concerts? There are two large assembly areas located at Wiley South - the gym and the cafeteria - that can likely accommodate a band concert. Partnering with neighboring schools can also serve as options that we will research.
Where will outside performers perform for students at Wiley South? There are two large assembly areas located at Wiley South - the gym and the cafeteria - that can likely accommodate outside performers.
Will there be an activity bus for band students before school or might there be a coordinated carpool effort? There will not be a WCPSS supported activity bus for band students before school. If parents wish to coordinate an effort, they are certainly welcome to do so.
Will bus routes be consolidated so there are more stops and potentially longer rides? Ultimately, we don’t know. This is dependent on several factors, one largely being the number of families that wish to take advantage of neighborhood bus service.
Is the walk zone bus transport express or does it make stops? All base students (including current ‘walk zone’ students) will receive neighborhood bus service. From the WCPSS website: With neighborhood busing, students may walk to a stop centrally located within the neighborhood. The bus travels to a number of neighborhood stops and then delivers students to their school. In the afternoon, students are returned to the neighborhood stop to make their way home.
What is the likelihood of the completion taking more than 18 months? What assurance can you provide families on the completion date? Since the original estimates, the Planning & Construction team added several projects for the current K/5 building including new roof and several additions that will bring the building up to code. As such the team estimates the renovation will take 16 months. In terms of assurances, it's like any construction project, we're at the mercy of many entities working to make this happen and we're hoping for the best!
Are there incentives for teachers to continue teaching at Wiley South? Of course … moving to Wiley South with the Wiley community allows our staff to continue teaching at the most magnificent elementary school in the world! If you’re worried about attrition, please do your part in continuing to make the Wiley community one that no one wants to leave! Help us show our staff the love! ;)
What are the expected times and proposed locations for morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off for ‘walk zone’ students? Walk zone students will fall into the category that allows them to take advantage of neighborhood busing. Bus stop locations & time estimates for routes are made available during the summer. From the WCPSS website: With neighborhood busing, students may walk to a stop centrally located within the neighborhood. The bus travels to a number of neighborhood stops and then delivers students to their school. In the afternoon, students are returned to the neighborhood stop to make their way home.
Will more magnet seats be opened for Wiley in order to keep enrollment up? Our hope is that families will stick with us through the renovation in which case it will not be necessary to open more magnet seats in 1st grade-5th grade! Nonetheless, I (Leslie) am meeting with Student Assignment this week to work through several scenarios that will help us maintain a healthy enrollment. Our magnet applications for the 2018/19 school increased over last year's applications! This is great news and demonstrates the commitment of families to Wiley ... regardless of its location!
When will the final decision be made about where the before- and after-school programs will be located for the next Wiley traditional calendar school year? By the end of the week! Before- & after-school care will be "housed" on the campus of the Alexander YMCA (Hillsborough Street) ... the Y will shuttle students to and from the Wiley South campus.
Will it take more than one academic year to complete? The anticipated timeline of the project is 16 months with construction beginning June 2018 (as soon as students get out for the summer). Yes; Wiley will open the 19/20 school year in the Garner location and will move back to St. Mary’s Street during the school year when construction is complete.
Can the walk zone bus and magnet zone bus be one and the same? How long does it take to get between the current Wiley location and the Wiley south location by bus? How are buses supervised? It’s possible, but routes will not be determined until the summer. It takes about 15 minutes to travel between Wiley proper and Wiley South. Supervision on the bus is the responsibility of the bus driver, and all buses have cameras. Additionally, the district provides an app that provides real-time tracking of buses - ‘Here Comes the Bus’ is the app.
If we are ‘magnet with transportation’, will be able to use the shuttle bus option? It’s highly likely - will depend on ridership.
Is it possible that there could be one designated spot where kids could be dropped off and picked up near Wiley instead of having to wait at individual bus stops? Base students are offered neighborhood busing and magnet without transportation students will be offered a satellite location to ride a shuttle bus to Wiley South.
Neighborhood busing as defined by the WCPSS website: With neighborhood busing, students may walk to a stop centrally located within the neighborhood. The bus travels to a number of neighborhood stops and then delivers students to their school. In the afternoon, students are returned to the neighborhood stop to make their way home.
What is the location for bus departure for the shuttle bus (for magnet w/out transportation families) to Wiley South? We are continuing to work with the Transportation department to identify this location … as you can imagine ‘empty, accessible parking lots’ are hard to come by near the downtown area, and the one we have requested will require approval. We’re doing our best to make sure that it’s as close to Wiley as possible to keep the drive times fairly comparable for our magnet w/out trans families. At this time, the WCPSS Transportation has identified Fred Fletcher Park (Washington Street, between St. Mary's St.and Glenwood Ave) as the in/out location for the shuttle bus.
When will we know what the start/end times for school will be in 2018/19? At this point, it is reasonable to assume that they will not change. Changes to our schedule were NOT suggested at the recent Board of Education meeting
Will Wiley's student body expand during this construction/off-site phase, or can we expect to see similar size number of classrooms for each grade and similar number of students per class? Overall, our capacity (sheer number of students enrolled at Wiley) will not increase. Interestingly enough, the answers to the questions about size/number of classrooms are more dependent on the legislature’s class size mandate than the actual renovation project … so, we’re awaiting news from Jones Street. Stay tuned and keep an eye on the news! WCPSS is embarking on a 4-year journey to help lower the district's class size average to meet legislation requirements. A report was presented at last night's BOE meeting to discuss the impact and plan of the legislation. More information can be found here.
Our family is interested to participate in community-building activities surrounding the final good-bye to current Wiley facilities (ie, chance to take a brick/memento as a souvenir, chance for one last giant school student body photo on the front stairs, demolition party!) - please keep us in the loop as opportunities are crafted and as you need help with preparation/execution. You bet! Love it! Any takers ... let me know if you're interested in planning a big party! Who doesn't love a farewell party?
Can the address be provided for planning purposes? Sure - 2600 Timber Drive - it’s located behind the stores in the Garner Town Square shopping center.
Will the playground area be available for after school play like the current playground in case parents wish to continue the practice of allowing kids to play with schoolmates after school while also building community with other parents? I can’t anticipate a reason that will prevent us from making that happen.
Will the renovation project ensure safety when implementing playground for recess time and/or before and after care? Student safety is always a priority.
Will portables be used? There are three modular buildings (each with 8 classrooms) located on the campus that will house our classrooms.
If, because of transportation problems, we decide not to attend Wiley South and go back to our base school, do we lose our "magnet status"? Yes
What are the approximate times when the shuttle-bus will leave to Wiley South and bring back the kids from Wiley South at the bus stop near Wiley Proper? As an approximate time, we’re looking at around 8:30am and around 4:05pm.
Wiley International Studies Magnet Elementary School
Email: ltaylor2@wcpss.net
Website: www.wcpss.net/wileyes
Location: 301 St Marys St, Raleigh, NC, United States
Phone: 919-856-7723
Twitter: @wileyelementary