The Puma Pride
Week of September 17, 2018
Principal's Message
It was a pleasure seeing so many parents/guardians on Thursday at Back to School Night. If you were unable to attend the evening, you can email your child's teacher or check the teacher website for information. School is in full swing. We have had a great week of teaching and learning. Benchmark testing has started in most grades. The FastBridge Assessment is administered in grades one and two. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is given in grades three to five. Students will take these assessments three times this year (fall, winter, and spring). These assessments provide teachers with information to assist them in personalizing learning for your child by identifying areas of support or enrichment. They also measure student growth over time. More information on MAP assessments can be found by accessing the Parent Toolkit. If you have further questions, please feel free to reach out.
We had quite a bit of excitement last week as we implemented our School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support Program. Many of our students received a "PawSome" sticker for their positive behavior throughout the school.
Mr. Julius and I are looking forward to seeing everyone at the Willow Dale family picnic on Friday.
Have a great week!
Health and Physical Education Classes at Willow Dale
Health and Gym with Mrs. Jenkins
Grades K and 1 started off the school year in the health room listening to the story "Oh, The things you can do that are good for you!" Then they participated in a story about Squish, the fish where they left their grownups to go to the beach by themselves while doing Yoga moves. They had to be brave and worked on some breathing and calming strategies for when they get nervous or scared.
In the Gym, the word in this cycle for grades 2 & 3 is TEAMWORK. They participated in an activity where the had to spell the word TEAMWORK to find out what exercises they had to complete to become stronger. Afterward, they participated in an activity called Pass The Frog. They had many challenges to achieve as a team before they could move on to the next challenge. This group progressed to challenge 3 and had to pass the frog only using their feet. Not only did they have to work together, but they also had to figure out strategies to be successful.
Grades 4 and 5 started the year working on reaction time by playing Rock Paper Scissors Partner Tag. The winner became the tagger and the partner who didn't win, had to turn, pivot and try to get to the blue line behind them before getting tagged. They are also working on getting their Pre-Test of the PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run). We are looking to get into the Healthy Zone or increase by 10% when we retake the test in April.
Health and Gym with Mr. Krasna
In Gym with Mr. Krasna, kindergarten and first-grade students are learning how to properly warm their bodies up before engaging in physical activity, as well as increasing spatial awareness, coordination, and timing. We are off to a great start in developing a lifelong love for exercise!
In Health with Mr. Krasna, students in grades 2-5 are sharing ways they stayed healthy and safe over the summer. As we progress through the fall and approach flu season, students will be learning how to improve their hygiene and begin forming healthy habits to stay germ-free. It has been great to see the students again and I look forward to building on the material that was covered last year!
Meet Ms. Mumford, the Willow Dale School Psychologist
As the School Psychologist, I am able to work individually with students to determine cognitive, academic, and social/ emotional strengths and needs and make recommendations to the school team. I thoroughly enjoy getting to know your children and hope that my evaluations can provide some direction and answers. I also participate on the PBIS Committee to implement a school-wide positive behavior program, co-run groups with the other School Psychologist, and am a member of the MTSS student support team. We are a team here at Willow Dale and I look forward to meeting you.
Home and School Meeting
Join us for the first Home and School meeting of the year.
Monday, Sep 17, 2018, 06:15 PM
Willow Dale Elementary School Library
Mark your Calendar
- Home and School Meeting: Monday, September 17, 2018, 6:15 PM
- Yom Kippur Holiday: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 (Schools & Offices Closed)
- Family Picnic: Friday, September 21, 2018, 5:30 PM