Wrightstown Ravens' News
January 29th Edition
Early Dismissal for Students on Friday, January 29, 2021 (12:15) PM Kindergarten Attends
Dear WES Families,
The frigid temperatures have arrived with the possibility for snow this weekend. I am sure students are hopeful for some fun outdoors! Our early dismissal today signifies the end of the second marking period and the midway point of our school year. Report cards will be available to view in the Home Access Center on February 12th.
Starting next Monday, we will welcome more children back into the building for in-person learning for the third marking period. Even with the increase in students in school, we're still able to seat all of the children in the cafeteria for lunch with six feet of physical distancing. In addition, all elementary schools in Council Rock will continue with Virtual Wednesdays.
As a reminder for families who have registered their children to be part of in-person learning, it is important to communicate with teachers when your child will be learning from home on specific days or stretches of days. This is incredibly helpful for the teachers in their planning of their lessons and activities. I know that this may not always be possible, but advanced notice to teachers could benefit your child's learning. Thank you for your continued support and partnership!
Stay warm and have a great weekend!
Beth
Dates to Know!
Monday, 2/1 - Friday, February 5th - Student Council Soup Collection
Tuesday, 2/2 - 5th & 6th Graders - GEO BEE Preliminary Test
Friday, 2/5 - Energy Conservation LiveStream Assembly
Friday, 2/5 - Student Council Sports Spirit Day!
Monday, 2/8 - Virtual PTO Meeting at 7:00 pm
Wednesday, 2/10 - Virtual Valentine's Day Celebrations
Thursday, 2/11 - 100th Day of School virtual Celebrations
Friday, 2/12 - Report Cards Released in HAC at 4:00 pm
Monday, 2/15 - ALL SCHOOLS/OFFICE CLOSED - President's Day
Thursday, 2/25 - GEO BEE Final
A Message from CR Transportation
Please log in to HAC this Friday, January 29th, to check for your student’s updated bus schedule. These new schedules begin on Monday, February 1st.
Outside of valid safety concerns, beyond the close of business Friday, January 29th, we cannot implement changes again until Monday, February 15th once the updated routes have settled.
If your student is assigned transportation but you do not plan on using it, please email us directly at Transportation@crsd.org, and we will remove them from the bus roster.
As a reminder, eating on the bus is not allowed and students are required to wear masks at all times while on the bus.
4 Day In-Person Learning Continues
Attention all Car Riders!
VIRTUAL ASSEMBLY
Student Council Corner
Souper-Bowl Drive: 2/1 - 2/5
Did you know that after Holidays are over, food pantries often see a decline in donations? To help do our part, Wrightstown Elementary’s Student Council will be holding a “Souper-Bowl” soup drive. We will be collecting canned, boxed, and cups of soup all next week February 1st through the 5th. Donation boxes will be located in the front hallway by the office and at the car rider doors. All donations will be given to the Wrightstown Food Pantry. Thank you for your support!
Spirit Day - 2/5
Can you feel the Spirit? The Student Council is hosting a spirit day next Friday, February 5th. Please join in on the fun by showing your support of your favorite team by wearing your favorite sports team gear. We can’t wait to see everyone’s Team Spirit!
Valentine's Day Celebrations
This year all CR elementary schools will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, February 10th. Homeroom Parents and teachers can coordinate virtual celebrations and/or activities. Unfortunately, the guidelines in the school district dictate that there will be no physical exchange of items for Valentine's Day. This means that children will not be able to distribute items to their classmates.
Geography Bee
While National Geographic is not hosting their annual Geography Bee this year, Wrightstown Elementary will still be holding their own Bee!
On February 2, all 5th and 6th graders will take the preliminary test during their Social Studies block with their homerooms. The top ten finalists will then compete on February 25. The event on February 25 will be live-streamed to all 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade classrooms as well as to the families of the finalists. We are looking forward to another year of competition!
CR Spirit Wear Sale
Yearbook Photos Needed
Families, we need your help! We would like to provide students with a memorable yearbook this year. Due to the restrictions that prevent parent photographers from being in the building, we need your pictures throughout the year. These photographs should only include students at Wrightstown Elementary School. Please upload your photos below. Thank you in advance for your help to create a memorial yearbook for our students!
Raven Ready - PBIS Information
Our Positive Behavior Intervention Support program (PBIS), otherwise known as Raven Ready is up and running again! With PBIS, students are explicitly taught the expectations and procedures for each area of our school. Teachers are in the process of teaching and reviewing with students the expectations in areas such as the classroom, hallways, bus, cafeteria, etc. Through this explicit instruction, students learn about expected and unexpected behaviors in each area of our school. PBIS strives on being a positive support system, where the adults in the school are recognizing good behavior and decision-making. Your child may have already earned a Raven Reward!
PBIS is enforced school-wide by every member of the Wrightstown Elementary School staff. Please click on the button below for more information. You can also find this information on the WES website, tabs on the left side.
Our board is starting to fill up! Keep up the great work, Ravens!
3rd Marking Period Rainbow Rotating Schedule
A Note from the Nurse's Office
As you know, starting this year we asked that there be no food sent in with birthday celebrations. In the interest of Covid precautions, we are asking that nothing be brought in for distribution to the class. Thank you for understanding and helping to keep our WES community safe.
Counselor's Corner with Ms. Gulnac
February 1-5 is National School Counseling Week. Check out the links (Links 1 & 2) below from the American School Counselor Association to learn more about the role of a school counselor!
Mrs. Etgen's Literacy Corner
With the winter winds blowing outside, it is a perfect time to sit down and read a book! Make reading a fun family activity by building a reading fort, or making some hot cocoa and popcorn before sitting down to read. If you are struggling with screen time and reading is competing with Fortnite or Roblox, then make some deals - one hour of gaming for one hour of reading and reading games. Reading games can consist of anything from an old fashion Scrabble or Boggle game, to letter bingo and sight word memory games. There are some great make your own word games on this site.
Remember our kids need to read in order to become better readers! So please do your best to make reading a fun family activity.
Stay tuned for information about our “Virtual” Reading Camp In this year!!
REMINDERS!
Car Rider Drop Off and Pick-Up Procedures
If you are new to Car Pick Up Only: During the first week of school, every car rider family received two (2) placards. Students will be given these placards to take home. Please note, these placards will be distributed per family, not students. We appreciate your patience as we transition to these new procedures. It will take some time for this new process to become routine.
- Two (2) placards will be provided per car rider family.
- Placards must be displayed in the car windshield in full view for staff to see when picking up students.
- Remember to remain in your car during this process. Staff members assigned to this area will assist your child to your vehicle.
- If you don’t have a placard displayed and the staff doesn’t recognize you, you will be asked to park and visit the main office in the front of the building to provide identification to sign your child out.
Here is how car rider dismissal procedures will work:
-Display your school-issued placard in your car windshield so that it is visible.
-Upon entering the school site you will turn left (there is a sign on the right of the driveway indicating this) and drive through the front parking lot.
-Once you come to a stop sign you will cross over the bus lane into another parking lot and turn right.
-You will proceed down toward the gym entrance and pull your car up as far as you can go. Cones will be stationed in this area.
-Please remain in your car.
-A staff member will write down your child’s name and radio the office to call for your child/ren to be dismissed from their classroom to the gym doors.
-Depending on the time that it takes your child to exit the building, you may be asked to move your car out of the line and park in a parking space. Staff will direct you.
If your child is a car rider, you will no longer be permitted to park in the staff/visitor parking lot, walk up and receive your child. You must remain in the car line to pick up your child/ren. No child will be released to a parent/person outside of their car.
Car rider procedures for morning drop off remain the same.
-Once on site follow the signs for car rider drop off located on the gym side of the school.
-Parents pull their car up to the gym side of the school where you will remain in your car.
-Children exit the car from the passenger side only and enter the school through the gym doors.
A directional map is provided below for your reference.
Updated CR Health & Safety Plan
On 12/3/20 the district's Health and Safety Plan was updated. Please CLICK HERE to read the updated version of the plan.
Counselor's Corner
Flexible thinking is an important skill for both academic and social success. This skill focuses on a student's ability to be adaptable, to improvise, and to shift approaches to meet different kinds of challenges. A student who struggles with flexible thinking may have a hard time adjusting to these changes. Follow the links below for activities and insights to improve your child's flexible thinking skills.
Face Covering Requirement - PA Revised Order
Please be advised that based on the recently revised PA Department of Health's face-covering order put into effect on November 18, 2020, all staff and students must wear face coverings while on school district property or riding school buses. A plastic face shield may NOT be worn in place of a face-covering unless wearing a face covering is not possible. Families should contact their building principal if their child must wear a plastic face shield due to an inability to wear a face covering. Staff should contact their supervisor for the same circumstance.
From the Governer’s November 17, 2020, Face Covering Order
“Face covering” means covering of the nose and mouth with material that is secured to the head with ties, straps, or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face. A “face covering” can be made of a variety of synthetic or natural fabrics, including cotton, silk, or linen. A “face covering” may be factory-made, sewn by hand, or be improvised from household items, including, but not limited to, scarfs, bandanas, t-shirts, sweatshirts, or towels. While procedural and surgical masks intended for health care providers and first responders, such as N95 respirators, meet those requirements, these specialized masks should be reserved for appropriate occupational and health care personnel.
“Alternative to a face covering” may include a plastic face shield that covers the nose and mouth, extends below the chin and to the ears, and leaves no exposed gap between the forehead and the shield’s headpiece. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised there is currently not enough evidence to determine how much protection a face shield provides to individuals around the person wearing the face shield, because of gaps where respiratory droplets may escape. The CDC does state, however, that face shields may still be an option in situations where wearing a cloth face covering is not otherwise feasible.
Revised Out of State Travel Guidelines
Please refer to the following link for updated information related to the Travel Order:
Guidelines for Students Traveling
As per Governor Wolf, it is no longer necessary for a child who is under the age of 11 to quarantine for 2 weeks or produce a negative Covid test result following out of state travel.
Students who are 11 years old and over:
Students who are 11 and over need to produce a negative COVID test or quarantine for 2 weeks prior to returning to school.
Family Trip Request Form
Please ensure the Family Trip Request Form is completed prior to the start of your trip. This form is located on the front of the WES website and is also provided directly below.
Recess Outdoors!
It's cold outside! Please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for outside weather. Warm jackets, hats, sturdy shoes, pants, and gloves are essential for the children to safely enjoy their recess. Unless the weather is extreme (rain or excessive cold – 22 degrees or below), children will have recess outside. Please send your child in with appropriate clothing daily so they are prepared.
PTO Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for:
Monday, February 8th at 7:00 p.m.
Zoom link to join the PTO meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2860676322
Meeting ID: 286 067 6322
Library News for Virtual Students
Virtual students are able to check out Library books. If you are interested in learning about how to do this please visit your child’s Library Google classroom. The link is in the classroom under the heading Virtual Book Check out or click the button below.
Free Lunch for Every Student in CR Extended through End of School Year
CRSD has communicated information to families about our free lunches for all students. It really is FREE and it is for ALL students! Through a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, CRSD will be able to provide all students in the District with lunch on school days at no cost to families. The free lunches are available to both in school students and 100% virtual students.
In addition to the great choices available for children, each day they have the option of pizza or a fun lunch. Also, all meals come with fruit, vegetables, and milk.
A la carte items (e.g., snacks, ice cream, and certain drinks) are NOT included as part of the free meal and must be paid for the student’s lunch account. A la carte purchases will be deducted from the account after purchased.
Please contact the cafeteria manager at Wescafeteria@crsd.org if you have any questions.
If you would like your child to purchase snacks or additional menu items, you may add them to your child's lunch account using the button below. Please note, you do not need to add to this account to take advantage of the free lunch program for all students.
Chromebook Support
Students/parents should use our help desk system at the following link: https://crsdstudent.sherpadesk.com
The system will allow students/parents (student ID is required to submit a ticket) to submit a ticket for help. It will also allow them to see the status of existing tickets.
The first time they use the system, they will need to set up their account. This will require a unique email address, the location where the student attends school (this is a required field), their first and last name, a phone number where they can be reached (if additional/different contact information/preferences are desired, they can be included in the body of the request), the type of issue (called class on the form - this is also required), the student ID (this is required), a subject or brief description of the issue, and then the details about the issue.
To see the status of a ticket that was submitted, they can click on that option, log in with their email address and password (set during account creation).
We will continue to monitor the chrome support email address but will refer parents/students to the ticketing system if they have an issue or problem that needs to be resolved.
The two biggest advantages to this system are that the ticket will go directly to a technician, and the parent/student will be able to see the status of the tickets they have entered.
WiFi Issues: Contact your provider (Comcast, Verizon, Xfinity, etc.)
Password Issues: Contact our Librarian Assistant, Kristi Marino at kristi.marino@crsd.o
COVID-19 Daily Screening Tools for Parents
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a disease capable of rapidly spreading to other persons with whom you come in contact. If you have been infected, you are capable of exposing other people to COVID-19, even if your symptoms are mild, such as a cough. Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Early symptoms may also include chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and runny nose. Given that COVID-19 is a threat to the public’s health, staff members are asked to perform the following self-symptom assessment prior to entering school. Similarly, guardians are asked to conduct symptom assessment of children each morning prior to the students entering school.
Symptom assessment:
Do you or your child have any of the following?
Fever (body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.0 degrees Celsius)
Cough
Shortness of breath
New loss of/altered taste or smell
Fatigue
Chills
Body aches
Sore throat
Headache
Diarrhea
Nausea/vomiting
Runny nose
If you answered yes and do not have another explanation for that symptom (e.g., allergies), please remain home until symptoms improve or medical documentation for alternative diagnosis is provided and notify the school nurse of the reason for remaining at home. If you have any questions or concerns, contact your primary care physician and/or school nurse.
Thank you for helping to keep our entire Council Rock community healthy and safe!
Elimination of Schoolwide Letters for Positive COVID Cases
The district will no longer require principals to issue schoolwide letters when we learn of one or more positive cases amongst students and/or staff. Rather, we ask all stakeholders to stay abreast of trends in positive cases via our CRSD COVID-19 Dashboard. This dashboard is updated on a daily basis for each of our schools. Regarding the above stated, please know that we will continue to issue classroom-specific letters where contact tracing was needed/needs to occur so that families are informed of situations that directly impact them.
Struggling at Home with how School has Changed?
Having trouble managing your school day? Struggling with emotions and feelings related to COVID? You’re not, but you know someone who is? Don’t do it alone! Let’s work through it together! We want to help! Please contact your school principal, counselor, teacher, or another trusted adult in the school so we can talk.
Wrightstown Elementary School
Principal
Email: bfox@crsd.org
Website: http://crsd.org/wrightstownes
Location: 729 Penns Park Road, Wrightstown, PA 18940
Phone: (215) 944-2300
Twitter: @BethFox_WES