The WES Parent Wildcat Weekly
Home of the Wildcats!
Week of December 7, 2020
Hello from Principal Holmes!
Dear Wildcat Parents,
Good morning and Happy Monday! A delayed start to the day for our students but we are back on track this morning with a full day of learning. I am so glad we did not get the snow that was in the forecast for this morning!
Two more weeks until winter break. We do encourage our students to keep focused so we can finish this semester strong! We will continue moving forward with instruction so our students are receiving what they need to be successful. We appreciate your support as we finish out this semester.
This week is Computer Science Education Week and we are attaching a flyer with some suggested activities your child can participate in at their leisure. Although they are optional, I encourage all of our wildcats to continue to learn and grow in these skills.
Our Virtual Reading Night is this Thursday and we have guest readers scheduled throughout the hours. Our guests (staff) will be reading holiday stories. What better way to spend an evening hearing festive stories read aloud by our school staff. It should be lots of fun!
Have a great week and we thank you again for all of your support of your child's learning!
With wildcat pride and spirit,
Dianne Holmes
Principal
A Message From our Superintendent Dr. Baker
As we are approaching the end of the first semester, I want to again express my sincere gratitude and admiration for the teamwork on continuous display from our students, families, and staff. We have completed a total of 15 weeks of instruction since August (8 distance learning and 7 hybrid in-person). Though it is a daily and weekly fluid struggle, it simply would not be possible without such cooperation and execution in alignment with our mission, “Together, we prepare our students for their future.”
Below are a few brief reminders as we look to the week ahead:
Announcements & Reminders
On November 30th, the school board conducted a special session to receive two reports for their consideration and input.
The first was regarding how our school division continues to monitor and evaluate health metrics in conjunction with the impact of rising cases of COVID-19 on our capacity to safely and effectively implement our hybrid instructional model. In addition, our acting regional health director, Denise Bonds, contributed to our presentation and discussion. As cases increase throughout our region and state, we continue to work in close collaboration with Dr. Bonds and local health officials. At this time, they continue to support and recommend our current course. However, we will continue to be vigilant in closely monitoring, in conjunction with local health officials, both external and internal data to determine when and what kind of adjustments should be made.
The second report provided to the school board involved recent decisions and guidance from the Virginia High School League (endorsed by the Governor’s office and VDH) regarding winter sports. As you are aware from the communications earlier in the week, the school board approved for winter sports to begin with tryouts on December 7th and the 14th.
Both of these presentations/reports are linked here and the meeting is also recorded for you to watch.
As we are currently evaluating both the school metric and the impact of rising cases on our students and staff, we are considering modifications to the instructional calendar. This may include altering the half days noted in December and January as well as potentially transitioning to predominantly distance learning prior to and/or following the winter break. No final decisions have been made. However, should we be in a situation that due to health concerns we need to make the shift for any period of time, it would be important to ensure a smooth transition in order to provide equitable services to all of our students. Any significant changes will be communicated promptly if such a decision is made.
As a reminder, our COVID-19 Dashboard is updated weekly and can be viewed in the Return to Learn section on each school’s website or by clicking this link: SCPS COVID-19 Dashboard. Also on our webpage is a link to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Dashboard. This site provides data and statistics regarding COVID-19 positivity rates and cases per 100,000 by locality, region, and state. We continue to remain in moderate ranges according to the 14-day averages.
On Tuesday, December 1st the Office of Student Support Services hosted our Family Connection webinar on Mental Health and Community Connections. If you were unable to view it live, you may view it any time at www.regionalwebtv.com/family-connection.
This past Thursday, December 3rd, the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Team met to receive and discuss the development of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 school division budget. Following a short summary of the process and timelines, parent representatives were given the opportunity to weigh in on preliminary thoughts on upcoming budget priorities as well as information needed for better understanding of the system budget.
Have a safe and productive week!
Dr. S. Scott Baker
What's happening at WES?
Computer Science Education Week - see attached flyer for all the exciting details!
School Counselor Corner
A very special thank you to our Wildcat community for supporting our students for the holidays. This Christmas Wilderness is supporting 75 kiddos! This could not be possible without the support of our Wilderness families and staff.
WES is taking canned food donations of canned tuna, canned chicken, Chef Boyardee, and Spaghettios! All donations can be dropped off in the labeled drop box located in the front of the school.
Interested in food support? At Wilderness on Thursday’s from 12:30 pm - 2 pm our food pantry is available for you. You can also schedule an appointment with Mrs. Elliott or Mrs. Burton (school social worker). To learn more: Food Distribution
Stop by our Wilderness counseling site for resources:
Wilderness School Counseling Website
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me. I am happy to help!
Tori Elliott
School Counselor
Our December Canned Food Drive is still happening all this month! See attached flyer for more details!
Spotsylvania Schools Family Connection Webinars
Contact Us!
Daniella Smith, Assistant Principal
Tori Elliott, School Counselor
Crystal Burton, School Social Worker
Email: dholmes@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Website: https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/Domain/23
Location: 11600 Catharpin Road, Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA, USA
Phone: 540-786-9817
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildernessWildcats
Twitter: @WESPrincipal