The WES Parent Wildcat Weekly
Home of the Wildcats!
Week of October 26-30, 2020
Hello from Principal Holmes!
We have made a smooth transition into our hybrid model of learning. It is so refreshing to see our wildcats in the building while they are also seeing their friends who join virtually. Classroom community is so important and helps foster a healthy mind. Thank you for making sure your child stays connected even on Wednesdays so they can continue to foster their relationships with their classmates.
Communication between home and school is very important especially during these different times. We have a variety of ways that we are communicating with our parent community. We appreciate that you are reaching out to teachers through Class Dojo, email, phone, and/or during our Parent Power Hour on Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00. If you have any concerns during the school day especially with technology issues please give the office a call. Our teachers are providing instruction throughout the school day so they are very limited to provide any communication during that time. We appreciate your patience in awaiting a response from teachers as they are working very hard to prepare authentic and engaging lessons for our learners.
As we continue with virtual learning, a few gentle reminders.
- Make sure your child has a quiet place to learn while they are online with their teacher and classmates.
- Be mindful of any background noises or distractions within your child's learning space.
- Be mindful of how others are dressed in the home as sometimes these people are visible to our teachers and students.
- We appreciate you picking up materials to support your child's learning.
- Frequently check email/Class Dojo on a weekly basis so you are aware of the expectations for each week.
Safety continues to be our first priority. It is extremely important that if someone in your immediate family is diagnosed positive or is pending a test for COVID-19, even if your child has no symptoms, please keep your child home for 14 days and notify their school nurse. Taking these measures will help minimize the spread of COVID-19 and assist us with continuing the hybrid in-person instruction model.
We want to thank each of you for your continued support of your child's education. We know these times are challenging for you all as well. We appreciate all that you do!!
With wildcat pride and spirit,
Dianne Holmes
Principal
Message from our Superintendent Dr. Baker
We experienced another strong week of hybrid and distance learning thanks to our amazing students, staff, and community!
As we navigate through the continued changes from CDC regarding COVID-19 mitigation and contact tracing recommendations, one thing remains constant - our commitment to provide a safe environment for our students and staff. To that point, we need your help. It is extremely important that if someone in your immediate family is diagnosed positive or is pending a test for COVID-19, even if your child has no symptoms, please keep your child home for 14 days and notify their school nurse. Taking these measures will help minimize the spread of COVID-19 and assist us with continuing the hybrid in-person instruction model.
Below are a few highlights and reminders for this week:
We celebrated Bus Driver’s Appreciation Day on October 21 and Principal’s Appreciation Day on October 23. Our work and service to students would not be possible without the invaluable contributions of both of these groups! Thank you to everyone who joined us in recognizing the great work they do for our students.
Every year, SCPS replaces some of the student and staff technology device inventory. This week, we received a shipment of student replacement devices. We are hoping that the arrival of the replacement devices is a signal that the industry is beginning to catch up on orders. At this time, we do not have an estimated date of arrival for the additional student devices that were ordered in July. As a reminder, the hotspots have arrived and were provided to students last week. If your family is in need of a hotspot to access your child’s education, please contact your child’s school.
On October 22, we hosted our second Family Connection webinar. The topic for this session was “Mental Health and Wellness During a Pandemic.” If you were unable to view it live, it was recorded and posted at www.regionalwebtv.com/family-connection and may be viewed at any time. Below are the resource links that were shared in the webinar:
We continue to distribute FREE breakfast and lunch grab and go meal bags to all children age 18 years and under as well as to any enrolled student who participates in SCPS support services programs, such as REACH. Food distribution takes place on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at 13 schools and 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. at 5 schools. Each Wednesday bag contains: 7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches, a Snack, and a Dinner Meal Kit. Food may be picked up at any location regardless of where your child attends school. One bag will be provided per child. For additional information and food distribution sites, visit our website.
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.
As was shared in our recent Family Connection webinar, it’s important for all of us to have a routine, but we also need to make time to connect with our families. Now is the perfect time to enjoy this beautiful weather, take a walk, and talk with one another. Remember, our staff is here to help so please reach out to your child’s teacher, counselor, or principal.
Take care and have a great week!
Dr. S. Scott Baker
What's happening this week at WES!!
Basic Care - Student Take Home Technology
School Counselor Corner
I had a blast with 4th-grade students this week virtual and hybrid! Hybrid students got the opportunity to work in our garden, plant red tulip bulbs, and talk about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. We’re ready for Red Ribbon Week!
National Red Ribbon Week is celebrated every October around the country. It is a time for us to show our commitment to helping our children and our community to be drug-free. It is also an opportunity to educate students about the dangers of substance use and to encourage healthy life choices. For more information, you can visit: www.redribbon.org. This year, WES is celebrating Red Ribbon Week with these spirit days in school and at home!
Monday 10/26: Hats off to making healthy choices: Wear your favorite hat
Tuesday 10/27: Let’s dream about our drug-free future: Wear your favorite pajamas
Wednesday 10/28: Wildcats are crazy about being drug-free!: Show your WES spirit! Wear your white/blue spirit wear
Thursday 10/29: Team up against drugs: Wear your favorite sports team jersey or shirt
Friday 10/30: Books are better than drugs: Book character day
Interested in food support?
At Wilderness on Thursday’s from 12:30pm - 2pm 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
News from our Social Worker
School social workers serve as liaisons between the school, home, and community. In addition to assisting families with meeting basic needs, school social workers also provide critical mental health support to students and their families.
Crystal Burton, MSW
Supervisee in Clinical Social Work
School Social Worker
Wilderness Elementary School
540-786-9817 x8667
ParentVue
Parent Vue is a live version of your student's grade book. 1st quarter report cards are available in Parent Vue. If you need a printed copy, please contact your child's teacher.
Are you accessing Parent Vue? If not, please refer to this document for directions of how to access this platform. Here is a spanish version of the direction if needed.
Contact the main office if you are having trouble accessing Parent Vue.
Suggestion Box
Tips for Helping your Child Stay Organized
Now that hybrid instruction has begun, some students may struggle with keeping up with both online and in-person learning. Staying organized when school is in two different places can be a challenge. Here are some tips and tricks to help your student stay on track for success:
Have a designated space at home where school work and supplies are kept. If your child accesses online learning from home, then this area should be near where the student logs in to a device. Check your child’s pencil box to make sure that there are enough supplies such as glue and scissors to use at home and school.
As soon as online learning is finished for the day, make sure all important papers, notebooks, and supplies are put back in your student’s book bag. This way, your child is less likely to forget important supplies when headed into school for face-to-face learning.
Regularly check your student’s notebooks and/or folders to make sure he or she is completing online work in the correct place. A common student mistake is for a student to complete math work in a history notebook, or to skip pages in the notebook between assignments. Many teachers have pictures of expectations located in Google Classroom to help your student know what to do.
Check Class Dojo or your child’s Google Classroom frequently. Teachers use these mediums to communicate what your student will need for each day, whether they are doing online learning or face-to-face instruction.
Finally, make sure you are aware of what asynchronous assignments are due for the week, and make a visual for your child. This could mean writing assignments down on a dry-erase board or creating a checklist that he or she can use as assignments are completed. Keep the visual in your child’s at-home workspace, or in your child’s tracker for easy access.
Thank you for all you do to support your child’s learning especially in these times of COVID!
Distance Learning Information for Parents
The following two links are to sites that include pertinent distance learning information for parents and students such as tutorials on Canvas and Google Classroom, along with other important information
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