The WES Parent Wildcat Weekly
Home of the Wildcats!
Week of February 22-26, 2021
Hello from Principal Holmes!
Dear Wildcat Parents,
Happy Sunday! Wow, snow/ice last week and more snow on the way. Winter sure has shown itself during the month of February. I hope everyone has stayed warm and safe.
Our hybrid, in person, learning continues on Monday, February 22nd. We are looking forward to having our wildcat learners back on campus. Please read over the reminders below for the safety mitigations that we have in place. We have ensured the building has been thoroughly cleaned and stocked with PPE for the arrival of staff and students. Bus information should be the same as in the fall. Virtual learners' schedules will not be impacted as we make this transition into the hybrid model.
Our Read-a-Thon is rolling along. Our wildcat families are amazing! As of today, we have raised over $7,000 and have 283 wildcats registered. Most important, we have over 12,000 minutes of reading logged! That is amazing. We are hoping we can hit 25,000 for minutes read by March 5th. I know we can do it! Keep reading wildcats for the love of reading!!
To support our Read-a-Thon, we are hosting a virtual reading night this Thursday. It will be hosted through a Google Meet and staff members will be reading some of their favorite books. We will also be sending out a link to video recordings of books being read by our staff. These minutes of listening to others read will count toward your Read-aThon minutes so be sure to log them in!
Thank you for all you do to support our wildcat learners. It is through your support and dedication that we can continue to navigate this unique year to ensure our wildcat learners are successful. We appreciate you!
With wildcat pride and spirit,
Dianne Holmes
Principal
A Message from our Superintendent Dr. Baker
I hope that all of our students and families have remained safe and healthy during these recent winter weather events. We are monitoring another potential weather event and hoping Monday is able to start and end as currently scheduled (Hybrid). Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Below are some announcements and reminders as we look to the week ahead, including reminders of messages sent out earlier in the week:
Announcements & Reminders
Monday, February 22nd will be our transition back to full Hybrid In-person Learning Pre-k-12. We have been working with the schools requesting them to spend the first few days re-acclimating staff and students to the five mitigation protocols to include proper mask wearing, social distancing and movement around the building.
This year’s Race for Education will be virtual. This family-friendly 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk raises funds to enhance the quality and impact of student learning experiences in Spotsylvania County Public Schools (SCPS) through the Spotsylvania Education Foundation (SEF). Participants will complete their 5K or 1 Mile during April 16-18. All participants will be eligible for prizes and one elementary, one middle, and one high school will each receive $300 for the most school participation. For complete details or to register for the race go to: https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Fredericksburg/SpotsyRaceForEducation.
Looking for a way to support our families in need? We’re excited to announce our new partnership with @purposity! To support our mission, just download the Purposity app and follow Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Your donations will help fill the shelves of our Treasure House, which directly supports our students in need. To get started, download the Purposity app in the App Store or Google Play and be sure to follow us.
The latest Family Connection webinar is available for viewing and focuses on Academic and Career Planning for middle and high school students. Be sure to check it out at https://amsva.wistia.com/projects/7ofldfzadl. As a reminder, previous Family Connection webinars are available for viewing any time using the same link.
Our COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily and can be viewed in the Return to Learn section on each school’s website or by clicking this link: SCPS COVID-19 Dashboard. Also, on our webpage is a link to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Dashboard. This site provides data and statistics regarding COVID-19 positivity rates and cases per 100,000 by locality, region, and state.
Important Budget Dates for Information & Engagement:
On February 8th, at the school board’s general monthly meeting, the school board unanimously approved the FY2022 budget. This meeting was held virtually and is linked here.
As a reminder, the below are upcoming important budget dates:
The next step in the budget process is for the School Board to present their approved budget to the Board of Supervisors. The meeting can be watched here on February 23rd at 6:00pm.
Please see the detailed calendar here: FY 2022 Approved Critical Budget Dates.
School Board meetings can be viewed online at https://www.regionalwebtv.com/spotsysb. Meetings are live-streamed. Recordings of each meeting may be accessed at the same link. Additionally, meetings may be viewed on cable channels: Comcast Channel 17, Cox Channel 18, and Verizon Channel 36.
Spotsylvania County Public Schools has been recognized as one of Forbes 2021 America’s Best Midsize Employers. This news follows our recent award as one of Forbes 2020 Best In-State Employers for Virginia. On Monday, we will share additional information regarding this recent achievement.
Have a great week!
Dr. S. Scott Baker
What's happening at WES the next two weeks?
Hybrid Reminders and Updates
- Our hybrid learners return to our in-person model on Monday, February 22. 2021.
- Families need to monitor their child daily for symptoms and fever. If your child is sick, please keep them home and call the main office.
- Group 1 will have in-person learning on Monday/Tuesday, asynchronous learning on Wednesday, and distance learning on Thursday/Friday.
- Group 2 will have distance learning on Monday/Tuesday, asynchronous learning on Wednesday, and in-person learning on Thursday/Friday.
- Wilderness continues to implement mitigation strategies to help prevent illness from spreading including social distancing and frequent cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing.
- Students will need to wear a face-covering that covers their mouth and nose and provide their own water bottle.
- Breakfast and lunch continue to be served free daily.
- Classes will have the opportunity to transition to encore classrooms for art, music, PE, and library. We are excited to safely transition students to their encore classrooms with strict cleaning protocols in place between classes.
- If your child is a parent pick up- please make sure you have your curbside car tag. If you need a replacement, please call the office at 540-786-9817.
- Bus information continues to be available in ParentVue.
The Read-A-Thon is Here!
- All students registered to participate in the Read-a-Thon will receive a FREE BOOK!
- All students that log reading minutes will be entered into a drawing to be the PRINCIPAL for the day. We will draw one name per grade level!
- The top 3 readers per class will be invited to have LUNCH with the Principal and Assistant Principal!
- The top reader for each grade level will receive a FREE one-year MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION!
Reading Support Videos
Letters b and d
If your child is struggling to tell the difference between the letter b and the letter d, this video may be helpful. Watch one of our reading specialists working with her first grader to help her tell the difference between the letter b and the letter d. https://youtu.be/pllZAoBM23I
Lexia Tips
This video shares some useful tips about Lexia created especially for parents It was created by our Reading Specialist, Mrs. Torres, Lexia is a research-based reading program that supports intervention. Check it out here!. https://youtu.be/uKt7DX2bbsc
From Nurse Stevens
Training Announcement: Stress and Stress Management in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond. Register at: https://tinyurl.com/y2tydmbm
Text Message Principal Holmes at 540-846-6075 or E-mail: dholmes@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
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: @WESwildcats98