Wrightstown Ravens' News
April, 2017
Beth A. Fox, Principal
Wrightstown Elementary School
729 Penns Park Road
Wrightstown, PA 18940
(215) 944-2306
FAX (215) 944-2397
A Message from the Principal
Dear Wrightstown Families,
It is hard to believe the 3rd Marking Period has concluded. Report cards will be open for viewing in the Home Access Center (HAC) starting at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 7, 2017. While it seems we are quickly winding down the school year things will surely pick up this month. Students in third and fourth grade will take the PSSA test for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In addition, students in fourth grade will complete a Science component of the PSSA test. Attendance is especially important during these testing windows. Please avoid scheduling vacations during this time and help ensure the following:
Be sure your child is well rested
Students should arrive on time (Testing will begin at 9:30 a.m.)
Children should eat a nutritious breakfast
Students have worked very hard all year to show what they know on this test. We wish them the best of luck!
We are excited to resume the Ravens Running Club this month. Fresh off of Spring Break, Running Club will start the spring season on Monday, April 17th at 8:30 a.m. Running Club will be held on Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. until the end of May.
On behalf of the Wrightstown Staff, I would like to wish you and your family a safe and relaxing Spring Break. It is important for students to take this week to step away from school and recharge. Whatever your plans may be, enjoy the time with your children!
Spring Break: April 10 – 14, 2017
WES Office will be closed April 12 - April 14, 2017
Sincerely,
Beth A. Fox
Principal
Highlights
April 3rd - PSSA Testing for ELA Grades 3 & 4
April 4th - PSSA Testing for ELA Grades 3 & 4
April 5th - PSSA Testing for ELA Grades 3 & 4
April 6th - PSSA Testing for ELA Grades 3 & 4
April 10th - April 14th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)
April 12th - April 14th - WES School Office CLOSED
April 19th - STEM Night 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m./PTO Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Art Room
April 21st - Camo (Brown/Green) Day for Staff & Students supporting the Travis Manion Foundation/3rd Grade Field Trip to Lost Rivers Cavern
April 25th - PSSA Testing for Math Grades 3 & 4/NES Open House for WES 4th Grade Transition at 7:00 p.m.
April 26th - PSSA Testing for Math Grades 3 & 4
April 27th - PSSA Testing for Math Grades 3 & 4
April 29th - PTO Family Movie Night at the Newtown Theater at 4:00 p.m.
Wrightstown PSSA Testing Dates
English Language Arts: April 3-6, 2017 Grades 3 & 4
Mathematics: April 25-27, 2017 Grades 3 & 4
Science: May 2 & 3, 2017 Grade 4
Make-Up dates: May 8-12, 2017
STEM NIGHT
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS!!
STEM NIGHT
**April 19, 2017**
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Come and engage in several STEM experiences with your child!
* Catapults * Towers * Coding
* 3-D Shapes * Car Races * Origami
* Ozobots * Meet Ollie
**Please note: This is a change in date from March 14th because of a snow day!**
A Message from Student Council
Student Council is proud to announce that each month from March until the end of the year we will be working to raise money for the Travis Manion Foundation! On Friday, April 21st, our day will be Dress Camouflage! Don’t have camo? Wear green or brown! Students are invited to pay $1 (or more) to participate. Donations will go to the Travis Manion Foundation. See more information about the Travis Manion Foundation at http://www.travismanion.org/about-travis/
~Mrs. Murray & Miss Udis
Grandparents' Day Breakfast
Reading Enrichment Book Bowl
Our Reading Enrichment Book Bowl took place on March 22nd at CR South. What a wonderful way to celebrate our love of reading!
We capped off our love of reading with a wonderful breakfast celebration!
Notes on Music
It’s time! We are celebrating the coming of spring in the General Music Classroom!
Kindergarten is learning all about Camille Saint-Seans’ “Carnival of the Animals”. Every week, we look at a different animal portion of his famous work. We read about it, listen to its music and participate in games and activities geared toward that animal. There are fifteen sections in all. That’s a lot of animals!
In First Grade we are learning about Antonio Vivaldi and his famous “Spring” from the Four Seasons. We learned about its main themes and invented our own movement to perform with the song.
Second Graders have moved from learning to read space notes to reading line notes on the treble clef staff. We’re also working hard on half notes and half rests. It’s like learning a foreign language! We also have learned all about the Brass family of instruments. Ask us about it!
In Third Grade, we are playing recorders. We get to practice all of that music reading we learned in second grade. They are so much fun that we can’t wait to play them each week!
Fourth grade students are working three different techniques for reading melodies on our keyboards. We use note names, finger numbers or steps/skips. This will help us to work on music concepts in the future. We are also studying the Woodwind family of instruments. Have you ever heard of an English horn or a bass clarinet? We have!
~Mrs. Nanette Lutz
News from the Art Department
Save these dates for the District Art Show in the Gym at Council Rock South:
· Thursday May 11-- Opening Night 6-8 p.m.
· Friday May 12 5-8 p.m.
· Saturday, May 13 10 a.m.-2 pm
Everyone is invited to view the exhibit of selected works from grades 1 through 12 highlighting the Council Rock Visual Arts Curriculum.
I am looking for a several volunteers to help with the set-up of the show at South on Wednesday, May 10 anytime between 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
If you can help hang the work and position sculpture according to a photo such as the one here, please email me with your contact number at mheffren@crsd.org . It would be really nice to have some Wrightstown parents to help our show look great! BTW the photo is a sneak preview of the ceramic sculpture from 4th grade students. Their work on a Pop Art unit culminated with tantalizing results!
T-shirt orders are expected to arrive sometime in April.
Happy Spring!
~Mrs. Marian Heffren
Library News
This past month has been a whirlwind of activity in the library. We started the month off with an informative visit from local author/ illustrator Kim Kurki and ended it with our Scholastic Book Fair. A special thanks to all the students, families, volunteers, and teachers who made the book fair a success. April looks to be just as eventful as we celebrate National Poetry Month and National School Library Month in our library classes!
Also in April is D.E.A.R. day or “Drop Everything and Read” day. D.E.A.R. day takes place on Beverly Cleary’s birthday, April 12th, in honor of her reference to D.E.A.R. in Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Falling right in the middle of spring break, D.E.A.R. day provides us with a perfect reminder of the importance of reading for fun even when school is out. Below are some resources to help encourage your child to read for pleasure over the break.
Reading Rockets - D.E.A.R. Day
Counselor's Corner with Mrs. Jachimski
Battle the Tattle!
In first grade, we will read and discuss the book A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue by Julia Cook. Josh tattles on absolutely everyone. He tattles so much that nobody wants to be around him, and he loses all of his friends. Then one day he wakes up to discover that his tongue has grown incredibly long, turned yellow and is covered with bright purple, itchy spots!
I'm sure you "battle the tattle" at home as well. Your children will learn the "tattle rules" below so that they will know when they are telling and when they would be tattling. Keep in mind that telling is important and should be encouraged.
Rule # 1: BE A DANGER RANGER
If a person is in danger, you must warn someone!
Rule # 2: BE A PROBLEM SOLVER
If the problem involves you directly, take charge and try hard to solve it yourself first.
Rule # 3: NOW OR LATER
Is the problem a "Now" problem or a "Not Now" problem? Can your problem be solved at a later time?
Rule # 4: M.Y.O.B. (Mind Your Own Beeswax!)
If the problem is not dangerous and it does not involve you...DO NOT TATTLE! You can help be a problem solver with your friends too.
7 Habits of Happy Kids - Home Connection
Thank you for participating in March’s challenge for Habit 6: Synergize – Together is Better. We hope you enjoyed creating your Dream Team and discussing the strengths and talents of your family members!
We look forward to seeing how your family incorporates a healthy balance for our last Home Connection challenge for Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw – Balance is Best!