The Wonderful World of Woodbury

Updates & Friendly Reminders

We are finishing up our holiday fun this week. We have had a great time with our dress up days and fun activities at school. We most recently decked the halls with holiday lights and decor, many made by our students. We will have our holiday sing along on Wednesday which will be live streamed on Facebook if you are interested in watching.

Reminder that Wednesday is an early release at 1:10. School resumes on Thursday, January 5th. Happy New Year!

We are making bread on Monday and Tuesday. If you volunteered and signed up for a time, please come join us on that day and time.

Monday, December 19th: 9:30 2nd Grade, 10:30 Kindergarten
Tuesday, December 20th: 9:30 3rd Grade, 10:30 First Grade

Our lost and found is now overflowing and we are anxious to clear the table and free up space in our little building. We will have our students walk the collection before break and take what is theirs. We wanted to inform our families one last time and let you know that anything left after the New Year will be collected to donate on January 6th.

A note went home about our One School One Book bookmark contest. Please see details below. Bookmark submissions are due on December 20th.

Cold weather reminder: As we prepare for the weather in the midwest to change, we want to communicate our plan for possible inclement weather days (snow days). Last year we used an eLearning Day for our inclement weather days (snow days). After a discussion within the district about the benefits and obstacles of this practice, we have decided that inclement weather days will be emergency days this year. Students will not have any academic tasks on inclement weather days (snow days). If we cancel school due to inclement weather, we will add a day to the end of our school calendar. The district will communicate the last day of school once the winter season is over. This will allow us to maximize our in-person learning days for students.

The City of Sandwich is asking that our parents/guardians be mindful when parking in the residential area around the school, avoiding parking on parkways/grass of neighbors in order to avoid tearing up grass. Thank you for your help in this matter. We know drop off around our little school is not ideal, please help us by considering our student safety as a priority as you drop off each day.

Our little school is in need of donations of new/gently used basic sweatpants/leggings and new underwear for both girls and boys for our extra clothes closet in sizes 6-14. If you know anyone looking to donate please send them our way! We are also in need of smaller sized gently used tennis shoes in sizes 11, 12, 13, & 1. Thank you!

Since first sharing our staff shout out form (button below), we've received many shout outs from our beloved families to our staff. Those who have received that special feedback have appreciated the positive and are incredibly grateful. As we enter a time of giving, please take a moment to fill out a shout out form. Sometimes kind words are the most valuable gift one can receive.

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: A Note Regarding Attendance

As an ongoing review of our attendance continues, we know that we have experienced some illness both from a student and staff standpoint. It seems to have tapered off and we are so thankful for that. Doctors notes are helpful to excuse absences, so if you have those, please be sure to send them in or drop them off. Thank you to all who have done so so far! Please note that no call in or unreturned calls are mark as unexcused. You can check your student's attendance at anytime in Tyler. Please also note we take the social emotional well being of our students very seriously and are required to check in on students when they are called in for mental health days.

We have many supports available if you are in need from our school nurse, to our principal and social worker, our truancy outreach case manager as well as our DeKalb County Family Success Liaison. Please do not hesitate to reach out. Unfortunately, we are experiencing a higher volume of unexcused absences than in a typical year. We are obligated to report attendance that is excessive and without valid reason or proper documentation to our DeKalb County Truancy Outreach. Each day missed during these early years are so critical to our students learning and can have lasting impacts on school attendance and both academic and social emotional well being in the future.

Hello Woodbury Families! While I’m missing the warm sunshine, there are so many things to look forward to during this season. I love seeing our hallways filled with cheer and excitement. I love the warmth that strung lights bring to a classroom. Our teachers and staff have decorated their doors to embrace and celebrate holidays around the world, everywhere from Brazil, Iceland, Japan, to Australia. And I am a sucker for a good dress up day to wear red and green!

In my social work world, I have started more small groups. While each group is a little different, we are working on various skills such as emotion regulation, friendship, and expected classroom behavior. Right now I have 6 groups running and I'm hoping to add a few more to my schedule soon. Second Step lessons in the classrooms have been going well! Being in the classroom is my favorite part of my job. While we are wrapping up unit 2 in most rooms, we are starting unit 3 in others. Unit 3 is a great topic that aligns well with our school theme of “plant kindness.” We will be focusing on kindness and empathy over the next few weeks. Kindness and empathy are so important! Kindness and empathy help children build stronger relationships, resolve conflicts more effectively, engage in positive behaviors, and overall be more connected and compassionate towards others. Parents, you can help with this at home too. Notice and praise your child when they notice how others are feeling and they respond with kindness and empathy. When reading books or watching a movie, help your child practice having empathy for the characters.

Make sure to take extra time to rest and recharge during the busyness of the holidays! I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday season.

Fox Valley Therapy Dogs Return!

Our special friends from Fox Valley Therapy Dog Club returned for our monthly visit! This time they joined each classroom. We can’t say enough about this extraordinary service and the positive impact this has on our students and staff. As a bonus, upon leaving our students received several compliments on their outstanding behavior during the visits! We are sure our little friends slept well on Friday night. We now have consent for nearly all students. We will not ask for this consent again for future visits. We are scheduled for visits the third Friday of every month.

One School, One Book

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we prepare to kick off our annual One School, One Book program after break, we are going to do a bookmark decorating contest. Each student will have the opportunity to create a bookmark about reading. This can include both words and drawings. Bookmarks are encouraged to be colorful (students can use crayons, markers, or colored pencils) and have a positive message about reading.

Students will use the framework provided on the backside of this page. All CUT OUT bookmarks are by DUE DECEMBER 20, 2022. After winter break, staff will vote to select a winner from each grade level and winners will be announced at our kickoff assembly on January 17, 2023. In addition, all students will receive the winning bookmark for their grade level and winners will be framed outside the office.

Sincerely,

Dummer School

Haskin School

Prairie View School

W.W. Woodbury School