Wood End Wildcat News
February 21, 2021 ~ Cohort A In-Person This Week
Welcome back to school! I hope many of you found time to unplug, recharge, and have some fun over this past week. We had some new snow to enjoy! I know a few members of the Wildcat family, me included, spent much of the break in quarantine dealing with the dreaded COVID virus! I know most have fully recovered and can now enjoy a few months of immunity. There must be a slight silver lining here! I'm truly hoping the rest of the school year is more positive and less stressful for everyone.
As we start back on Monday, please continue to be super vigilant with COVID practices to keep yourselves and everyone around you safe. Trust me, you don’t want to catch this virus! We continue to follow all the guidelines at Wood End, and both students and staff do their very best every day! Please wear your masks at all times, wash hands, socially distance, and stay home if you don’t feel well. Although we are getting closer to the finish line, we’re definitely not there, YET! The vaccine is coming, but we still need to follow all the precautions for the next several months!
Here's wishing you all healthier days ahead!
Dr. King
Wood End Wildcats Continue to Show Core Values
Changing from Remote to Hybrid Learning
WE Wins Bruins Spirit Contest!
To accommodate all students in-person and those working remotely, our entire school will be given a zoom link to access this assembly. We are currently working with the Bruins to finalize a date, so stay tuned for more information.
Pooled Testing Coming Soon
The Reading Public Schools will begin COVID pooled testing this week beginning with students who participate in person for athletics or extra-curricular activities as they are required to be tested to continue to participate in these activities. We will also begin testing staff and if all goes as planned, we will begin student testing the week of March 1st.
If you have not done so already, please complete the COVID Consent Form. For information and details about pooled testing please refer to Dr. Doherty's February 6th blog post.
Wildcat Spirit Wear On Sale Now!
We know many students and families have been patiently waiting to show their school pride. Wildcat Spirit Wear is here! Order now through March 7th. Orders will be distributed after March 21st. There are both youth and adult sizes available! Check out the Wildcat T-shirts, sweatshirts, pajama bottoms, beanies and more! Click HERE to place your order!
5th Grade Celebration Planning Underway
We had a very productive time at our first planning session thanks to our many willing parent volunteers. Knowing we will likely still be following the social distancing protocols, we are planning for these end-of-year activities to be outdoors. The following parents have stepped up to take on some leadership roles, though we need everyone's participation to make this year's activities a success:
- Co-chair of Committee - Lisa Caraviello and Cristina Prior
- Yearbook - Cassie Dealy, Susan Stathoulopoulos and Amy Croot
- Photo Collection - Cristina Prior
- T-Shirts - Nicole Barletta and Michelle Mini
Meal Train Has a Few More Dates Available
If you are interested in providing a nutritious meal, or gift cards to some local restaurants, please click on this link and join the meal train. We thank you for any support you can provide, as well as your thoughts & prayers.
School Photo Day Coming Soon!
MWRA Student Contest
All entries must be postmarked no later than March 12th.
Student Services Office Hours
Dear Families,
As we move into February next week, we wanted to share the Students Service's Office Hours for the next month. We have found these times to individually connect with families very valuable. Below please find dates and times of February's Office Hours as well as the link to the DOODLE Poll. Please use the DOODLE Poll to select a time to meet with us. Prior to your scheduled time, a ZOOM link will be sent to you via email. Please be sure to include your email address when you sign up!
If you have any questions regarding Office Hours, please contact Allison Wright, Assistant Director of Student Services @ Allison.Wright@reading.k12.ma.us.
Office Hours for February 2021
Wednesday 2/24 @ 9-10 am
Link to the Doodle Poll to sign up for Office Hours:
Thank you,
Jennifer Stys and Allison Wright
PTO Reminders
Amazon Smile
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to the PTO. Bookmark in your browser for every time you shop Amazon. Save this link as a shortcut on your phone desktop!
Shutterfly
Be sure to use our school's Shutterfly & TinyPrints Storefront when ordering cards, photos, gifts, invitations, etc. Did you know that 8% of your purchase gets donated back to Wood End for our kids? Please feel free to share our storefront with family members and friends.
Stop and Shop A+ School Rewards
Once registered, Stop and Shop will donate to the school when you use your card and shop, sign up now! Go to: https://stopandshop.com/school-rewards/
Please join the SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) at our next business meeting on
Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM!
New business for this meeting includes an update from our reading/literacy subcommittee
and a brief presentation by Alice Gomez, School Psychologist,
on community resources, followed by a parent discussion regarding the same.
Please join us for this presentation and discussion and feel free to share any
additional resources that you think other parents may find helpful.
All are welcome!
This meeting will be held virtually, via Zoom.
Join us for our next
VIRTUAL SEPAC MEETING
on Tuesday, March 9th at 7 PM.
Meeting link: Join Zoom Meeting
All are welcome and ENCOURAGED to attend!
Connect with SEPAC by clicking these links:
- Join SEPAC's mailing list by emailing SEPACREADING@gmail.com
- Follow SEPAC on Facebook (please adjust settings so that you are sure to see our posts)
- Visit SEPAC’s website
The mission of the Reading Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is to work for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community.
Technology Help
If you have any technology issues with your student's laptop, please contact our IT department HELP DESK or by calling 781-670-2888.
Remote Access for In-Person Students Who Are Absent From School
Below are the remote criteria that will be used when students who are in person during a particular week are absent from school.
Students will have live remote access under the following conditions:
- He/she is quarantined due to testing positive for COVID-19.
- He/she is quarantined due to being in close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
- He/she is being quarantined for being out of state and is waiting for a negative COVID test per DPH guidelines.
- He/she is showing symptoms of COVID-19 and is awaiting test results.
- He/she has another medical condition that prevents them from coming to school.
Students will not have live remote access under the following situations:
- He/she is absent for any reason other than described above.
- He/she is quarantining for 10-14 days because of out of state travel as defined by the MDPH Travel Order and is not getting a COVID-test.
- He/she is going on a family vacation or other non-school activity during school days.
Please note that there may be extenuating circumstances in a school that would require a different action than above. These decisions are at the discretion of the building principal.
MCAS Update
We are beginning preparations now for the spring administration of MCAS testing in grades 3-5. More information will be coming from the State, but the testing schedule is below:
- April 5 to May 7 English Language Arts - Grades 3, 4, and 5
- April 26 to May 28 Math - Grades 3, 4, and 5
- April 27 to May 28 Science, Technology Engineering - Grade 5
DESE is making adjustments to the number of sessions due to the shortened testing window. Please keep these testing windows in mind when scheduling appointments or other school absences for your child.
About These Services...
The Town of Reading contracts with William James College to offer a special service for our residents. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service maintains a mental health and wellness referral help line Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for individuals across the lifespan living in Reading. Callers are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database. Each referral meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller. Click here to learn more!
Family Resources
Please be reminded of these amazing resources, if your family is in need:
- RPS Behavioral Health Resources linked here.
- Town of Reading: compiled resources linked here.
- RCASA and Mental Health Support linked here.
- St. Vincent de Paul linked here.
- Free & Reduced lunch access: sign up here.
- Reading Food Pantry linked here.
- Project Bread link here.
- Residential Financial Assistance (Rent/Mortgage) link here. (New resource! Check it out!)
Upcoming Events:
February
22: Welcome back to school!
24: All-School Meeting, 8:30-9:00
March
1: Read Across America Week Begins
2: Grade 3 Enrichment, Author Visit Scott Magoon
11: Grade 2 Term Closes
17: Happy St. Patrick's Day; All-School Meeting, 8:30-9:00
23: School Pictures for Cohort A
26: Teacher In-Service: No school for students; Term 2 Report Cards sent to families
31: School Pictures for Cohort B
About Us
Email: joanne.king@reading.k12.ma.us
Website: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us/woodend/
Location: 85 Sunset Rock Lane, Reading, MA, United States
Phone: 781-942-5420
Twitter: @WoodEndSch