Wade King Elementary
March 2019 Newsletter
A Note from the Principal
Dear Wade King Families,
A few weeks ago, we hosted a Technology Information Night for families. Our goal was to share how Wade King staff and students are using technology, as the result of our community passing the Technology Levy in 2017. During the Technology Night, we shared ways that technology is being used to develop 21st-century skills and to support our I.B. Units of Inquiry. I hope you will watch the video below as it shows how technology is a tool for collaboration and communication, in addition to enhancing learning. Amazing things are happening!
Stephanie Johnson
Principal, Wade King Elementary
Important Dates in March and April
3/13 Field Trip to Fairhaven Park for Mr. Livezey's Class 9:10am-1:00pm
3/13 Hungry Minds Luncheon sponsored by the Bellingham Foundation
3/14 PTA Meeting 6-8pm in the Library - childcare provided
3/20 5th Grade Exhibition 6:30-7:30pm in the Gym
3/22 1st Grade field trip to WWU 10am-1pm
3/25 Mrs. Mungarro's class performs Anansi in the Music Room at 1:50pm
3/26 Talent Show Rehearsal 2:30-3:30pm in the Library
3/26 Mrs. Samuelsen's class performs Anansi in the Music Room at 1:50pm
3/27 Mrs. Fleenor's class performs Anansi in the Music Room at 1:50pm
3/27 Spring After School Activities Catalog available on-line
3/27 Spring Concert for King Consort 6:30pm in the Music Room
3/28 Mobile Dental Clinic 8:45am-12:30pm
3/29 Field Trip to Fairhaven Park for Mrs. Gutierrez's Class 9:10am-1:00pm
4/1-4/5 NO SCHOOL: Spring Break
4/8 Welcome Back!
4/8-4/12 Spring Snack Drive
Snow Fun
Bellingham Schools Foundation - Hungry Minds Luncheon on March 13th
The Hungry Minds Luncheon, the Foundation’s annual fundraising event, is just around the corner on March 13th and seats are filling up. This year, one of our 5th Exhibition groups is going to be sharing their learning about equity in elementary schools as part of the luncheon. Luncheon guests always leave feeling inspired and knowing that they have played an important role in supporting an excellent education for all students. Click here to reserve your seat.
PTA Meeting - This Thursday, March 14th
We invite you to join us for our PTA Meeting this Thursday Night from 6-8pm in the Wade King Library!
The Bellingham Foundation has been working with elementary school PTA's and PTO's across the district to set up a fundraising pilot. Elizabeth Boyle, from the Foundation, will be joining our PTA Meeting this week to share details of the pilot and how it is an opportunity for parent organizations across our district to work together to create equity for students in all our elementary schools. It is truly a One Schoolhouse effort and something that our Wade King PTA is wanting to support. We hope you can join this week's meeting to learn alongside us.
At our January PTA meeting, we talked about ways to increase the number of parents who attend our meetings. If you have come before, we hope you will come again... and encourage a friend to come with you! If you haven't ever come, we hope you'll be a risk-taker and try to join us this week. PTA meetings are a way to connect with other families and learn about things that are happening in our school. There are always delicious treats and childcare, and there is never pressure to take on responsibility.
5th Grade Exhibition Evening - Wed., March 20th from 6:30-7:30 pm
What causes poverty?
What prevents some students from participating in after-school activities?
How can you prepare for an emergency?
What causes homelessness?
Why are service dogs important?
YETI SUCCESS!!
After a winter full of reading 12 exciting novels, and meeting weekly to play games and solve puzzles, the 2019 YETI has come to a satisfying conclusion. On February 28th, our 5th-grade school champions, Grace Christensen, Isabel Stiehl, Mia Vodopich, Jessie Sawyer and Elizabeth Young, known as The Lampshade People, represented our school in the district-wide competition, graciously congratulating the top two finishing team from Lowell and Columbia. On March 7th, our 4th-grade school champions, The Kangaroo Commando Quad Squad, made it to the final round of competition resulting in an exciting 4 question tie-breaker with the tenacious team from Roosevelt, emerging victorious! Congratulations to our 2019 Bellingham YETI Champions, Silas Marston, Dean Sutherland, Andrew Mao, and Luca Pasquini.
CALLING ALL WADE KING TALENT!
We also need MCs to announce acts during the Talent Show. Any 4th or 5th Grade students who are interested in being an announcer need to submit the Talent Show form and explain why they want to MC.
Rehearsal times are Tuesday, March 26th from 2:30-3:30pm in the Library and Thursday, April 11th from 12:45-2:30pm in the cafeteria. The Dress Rehearsal is Thursday, April 25th from 12:45-2:30pm in the cafeteria. The big show will be on Friday, April 26th at 6:30pm on our stage.
State Assessments for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders
Across our school district, students in grades 3 through 8 and high school, will be taking state assessments this spring to measure English language arts (ELA), mathematics and science proficiency. We encourage students and families to keep these assessments in perspective, remembering that state tests are only one benchmark. Your child’s teacher is the best resource for a complete picture of your child’s academic proficiency, and most importantly, can share the growth your child has made this year.
Students at Wade King will be testing on the dates below. Short test sessions will occur in the mornings on the following days.
· 3rd Grade - April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, April 29, April 30, May 21, May 22, May 23
· 4th Grade - April 17, April 18, April 22, April 23, April 24, April 25, May 7, May 8, May 9
· 5th Grade - April 10, April 11, April 15, April 16, May 1, May 2, May 14, May 15, May 16
As with any day of learning, a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast are an essential part of every school day. We recommend parents and guardians encourage students to do their best learning every day and avoid overemphasizing testing.
If you have questions about testing at Wade King, please connect with your child's teacher and/or Mrs. Johnson, our principal.
PTA Needs a Web Master-- Could it be YOU??
If you might be able to help, please contact our PTA president, Rebecca Hutchison or Greg Mroz at wadekingpta@gmail.com.
Labeling Is A Good Thing!
Art Walk Coordinator Needed
Thank you, Kathleen and Cate, for all you do to support our school's participation in this great community event.
Box Tops - An Easy Way To Earn Money For Wade King PTA
Do you want to help out the school, but don’t have the time?
Did you know you earn $.10 per BoxTop and can easily earn 2-5 times more just by using the BoxTop app? Yes, there’s an app for that too, and it’s EASY! Check it out:
https://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp/how-it-works
Here’s the quick run down on how it works!
Check out all the products you get Box Tops for.
Buy the products you want.
Take a picture of your receipt.
Earn extra money for the school!
Seriously, it’s that easy!
Then, turn in the BoxTop to school and our PTA can collect even more!
Here's another tip... Trim your box tops well! BoxTops have to be trimmed before mailing them in so they can be bundled and to save on shipping costs.
Link Your Fred Meyers Rewards Card & Use Amazon Smile - Easy Ways To Support Wade King PTA
If you link your Fred Meyer Reward Card to Wade King PTA, every time you shop a portion of your purchase will be rewarded back to our school. It’s simple, takes only a moment, and has a positive impact on our fundraising efforts.
If you linked your card last year, you will need to re-link it again this year!
To link your Fred Meyer Reward card...
- Go to Fred Meyer Community Rewards: www.fredmeyer.com
- Follow the links to COMMUNITY REWARDS and link your card to Wade King
If you shop Amazon.com, you can also earn money for our PTA.
- Go to Amazon Smile: www.smile.amazon.com
- Search for Wade King PTA
- Start shopping... and 0.5% of your purchase will come back to the PTA!
Don’t forget to tell your friends and family about these programs.
They can link their cards to Wade King too!
Wade King Elementary School
Email: Stephanie.Johnson@bellinghamschools.org
Website: http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2155 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 647-6840
Facebook: facebook.com/WadeKingElementary
Twitter: @WadeKingElem