NEWS FROM WES
From Principal Maggie Mills ~ October 25, 2019
Upcoming Events
- Monday, October 28th: PreK-4th grade to SculptureFest
- Monday, October 28th: School Board Meeting at WES, 6pm
- Thursday, October 31st: Halloween Parade, 2:10pm
- Friday, November 1st: First Trimester Ends
- Week of November 4th: Report cards emailed home
- Thursday, November 7th: Parent/Guardian/Teacher Conferences
- Monday, November 11th: No School - Veteran's Day
- Tuesday, November 12th: School Board Meeting at WUHSMS library, 6pm
- Thursday, November 14th: Parent/Guardian/Teacher Conferences (contact your child's teacher to schedule a conference)
- Friday, November 15th: Harvest Hoedown
- Monday, November 25th: WCUD Board Meeting at Killington Elementary, 6pm
- November 27-29: No School - Thanksgiving Break
For the complete WES events calendar, click here.
For individual classroom news and events, click here.
Traveling Back to the Middle Ages!
Trimester 1 Closing: Report Card Information
Trimester 1 ends on November 1st prior to our conference dates on November 7th and 14th. If you have not heard from your child's teacher about a conference, please connect with him/her as soon as possible. Teachers are actively scheduling conferences.
K-6 report cards are sent home three times per year on a trimester system. Classroom teachers coordinate completion of the report cards for the students in their classes. Unified Arts teachers contribute to the report cards for the 2nd and 3rd trimester. Spanish reports out all three trimesters. Report cards are completed on a web based service called ALMA and can now be emailed home. The report card will also be mailed to those families with limited or no email access. Teachers are asked to make comments on a report card when a student scores below the standard, which is a 1 or 2 on the report card (3 is meeting the standard and 4 is above the standard). The comment regarding a 1 or 2 should be actionable feedback that explains the areas for growth and steps the student, teacher, and parents can take to make progress toward the standard. Teachers may opt to put additional comments, but only comments for 1s and 2s are required.
At WES, we send report cards directly to parents/guardians in an effort to stress that it is an important form of communication between teachers and parents. With your thoughtful guidance, your child will be much more likely to find the report card a helpful tool in his/her learning process (if you choose to share the report with your child.)
Here are some things that are important to keep in mind in thinking about your child’s report card and in communicating with your child about the report card:
The report card is what we call standards based. Key standards from our curriculum are referenced in each subject area. Your child’s progress is assessed based on the skills and concepts articulated in the standard.
Marks of “3” and “2” BOTH indicate that a student is working within the expectations of his/her grade level. The difference is the level of independence, support, and consistency with which the student works.
Marks of “4” and/or “1” indicate student performance is above or below grade level expectations.
Expecting to receive all “4’s” on a report card is not a realistic goal.
A score of “2” is not a “bad” thing and should not be interpreted to mean the child is not making their best effort.
It is good for children to have to work at learning. Learning and growth occur through productive struggling with concepts. When children feel that to be “smart” things need to be easy, it is counterproductive to their long-term learning.
Supporting children with their feelings of frustration is very helpful whereas eliminating the source of frustration is not helpful. We can encourage the children to keep trying and believe that they can learn concepts and skills they have not yet mastered.
New: WES Spanish Blog
Lost & Found Donation Trimester 1
The Halloween Parade is Coming
All WES students are invited to participate in our annual Halloween Parade on 10/31. We have some exciting musical accompaniment planned! The high school band will march in front of us. (Their bus will park on School Street, so please do not park on School Street the afternoon of the parade.) The parade begins at roughly 2:10pm and goes down South Street by the Inn, past the Norman Williams Library, circles the intersection of Central and Elm Streets, and comes back through the center of the Green to the school. We do not wear costumes during the day until the parade is about to start. All students put on costumes at about 1:45pm. It is best to send your student with a version of their costume that your student can independently put on. If adult assistance is required, please contact your classroom teacher about the right time to come by and help. No fake or real weapons props are allow. We hope to see you there!
The Norman Williams Public Library also invites students and their families to trick-or-treating at the library Thursday from 4:30 to 6:15pm.
And finally, regarding Halloween, there is a candy collection bin in the front entryway sponsored by the Woodstock Police Department. The donated candy will be distributed to Woodstock families in the local neighborhoods that are heavily trafficked by trick-or-treaters. Please consider donating!
Marty Kelley, Author in Residence is Coming!
Community Presentation: Drug Trends and the New Marijuana Laws in Vermont
November 6, 2019 6pm-7:30pm, WUHSMS Library: Detective King has been a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) for over 10 years. The community presentation will cover drug trends with a concentration on Vaping, THC concentrates such as dabs, butter, shatter and edibles. New marijuana laws and the changing the age limit to 21 for smoking, tobacco products and vape products. Please RSVP event to aluke@wcsu.net or 457-1317, ext 1163. Snacks and dinner provided.
Contact Us!
Email: mmills@wcsu.net
Website: www.wes.wcsu.net
Location: Woodstock Elementary School, 15 South Street, Woodstock, VT, USA
Phone: 802-457-2522
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wesvt/?ref=bookmarks