Pray-Woodman Elementary School
A message from Principal Mr. Nils Gabrielson
A Note from Nils
Welcome to the last quarter of this school year.
It has been a great year at PWS! Our staff continues to work hard to meet the needs of all of our students.
We are in the process of evaluating the 2023-2024 school year, and preparing for the 2024-2025 school year. We would appreciate getting your honest feedback about the things you like about PWS as well as areas that need improvement by taking the PWS Parent Survey.
Completing this survey will also help meet our requirements as a school-wide Title I School.
Please fill out the online Pray-Woodman Parent Survey 23-24 by Monday, April 15, 2024.
We really appreciate your help as we all strive to work together to make PWS a great place for kids to learn!
Our Building Site Council and our Building Leadership Team will analyze these results as we prepare for next year.
We truly appreciate and value your feedback.
Stay Connected
Visit our website at www.usd266.com/pws.
Connect with Mr. Gabrielson at ngabrielson@usd266.com or call 316-721-0902.
Pray-Woodman Elementary School is located at 605 W. Academy Ave. in Maize.
A message from Assistant Principal Callie Harris
Catching up with Callie
Hello, Pray-Woodman!
I hope you had a relaxing and rejuvenating spring break! My family and I spent a lot of time outside, played lots of games and enjoyed each other’s company.
I thought this month I would tell you about all the fun we have in the lunchroom.
We have one or two licensed staff members in the lunchroom, as well as, many paras for every lunch period. We have a weekly calendar of events to ensure this time is one that is enjoyable for everyone! We listen to music, play games like, I Spy, Would You Rather, and Where’s Waldo, go outside for Picnic Day, watch movies and sometimes even play BINGO!
All adults in the lunchroom discuss food groups, main entrees and work to ensure students are eating a good portion of their lunch. Another thing we monitor for is positive student interactions. The PWS lunchroom is a fun place to be!
We love to have parents join us for lunch. Please see the guidelines below, and please be sure to notify the office in advance if you plan to come so we can be prepared for your visit.
Stay Connected
Visit our website at www.usd266.com/pws.
Connect with Mrs. Harris at charris@usd266.com or call 316-721-0902.
Pray-Woodman Elementary School is located at 605 W. Academy Ave. in Maize.
Yearbook Sale Ending Friday, March 22!
Order your softcover yearbooks for $25 each. Please visit inter-state.com/order and enter code 83275K. Buy your child's keepsake yearbook today to preserve memories of friendships and events that your child will look back on in years to come.
PTO Spring Fundraiser
Spring fundraiser kicks off on Monday, March 25!
We are raising money to purchase a rock-climbing wall and PA system for the gym, dynamic shelving for our library, as well as providing grants, conference meals, and other special treats for our staff throughout the year.
Please Register on mybooster.com where you can share about our fundraiser with your family and friends.
When we reach our $30,000 goal we will have a Fire Truck Spray Event at Pray-Woodman Palooza! A fire truck will come celebrate with us giving students a spray from their truck! PWS Palooza will be held April 18, 2024.
Thanks so much for your support! Contact PTO at pwspto@yahoo.com.
Media Center with Mrs. Trish Shields
It sure was BLOOMTASTIC to see so many students, families, and staff enjoy our spring book fair, help us reach our goal of getting books into the hands of our PWS Pride, and enjoy a planting activity! So many contributed to the success of our PWS BLOOMTASTIC SCHOLASTIC spring book fair. The PWS staff, office staff, and administrators promoted and encouraged our students to attend and to find the right books! Several CHSM students assisted our youngest students with creating wish lists. The MHS FFA students helped teach at our planting stations. Woodard's and Trader Joe's donated supplies. And the families of PWS showed up big to encourage and enhance literacy in our young readers!
Here are some fun stats for our spring book fair:
- 457 students and families shopped at the book fair on Wednesday and Thursday.
- 370 students entered our estimation contest. Kashton, from Mrs. Higgins class was our grand prize winner, guessing 237 items.
- 114 staff books were purchased by our awesome PWS families and through the coin collection to benefit PWS classroom libraries.
- So far, we have purchased 34 books to add to our library circulation from the coin collection funds and have plans to purchase many more titles for our library as we finalize our book fair proceeds.
- We were able to spoil our teachers with a fresh flower bar to provide a fresh flower bouquet for their conferencing table. I hope you were able to enjoy this at your conference!!
- Check out these photos from our book fair.
We are excited that our students are using this opportunity to explore new books and genres that interest them. Thanks again for your part in making our book fair so wonderful at PWS! Please see this slideshow. Thank you!
STEAM with Mrs. Christina Eck
Grade levels have been studying weather, Earth’s climate zones, pollination, shadows, renewable energy sources, and have participated in other fun team-building activities this past month!
Stay tuned for the return of STEAM-Lympics (Summer Edition) at the end of April! We are still collecting paper towel rolls for various projects. If you would like to send them with your student it would be much appreciated!
Physical Education with Coach Schuette and Coach Hubert
Welcome to March Madness!
In this edition, we're putting a spotlight on the exciting fusion of math and bowling in our physical education program. Through addition, subtraction, and a little multiplication, our students are not only honing their bowling skills but also flexing their mathematical muscles in a fun and engaging way.
Bowling Math: Striking a Balance Between Fun and Learning
Bowling isn't just about knocking down pins; it's an excellent opportunity to integrate math into physical activity. Through bowling, students can apply mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, geometry, and even probability in a real-world context.
Empowering Students Through Bowling Math
By integrating math into bowling, we're empowering our students to:
- Strengthen their arithmetic skills in a dynamic and interactive environment.
- Develop a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts through hands-on experiences.
- Recognize the relevance of math beyond the classroom, connecting classroom knowledge to real-world applications.
- Cultivate problem-solving and critical thinking skills as they strategize and analyze their bowling performance.
Let's Roll Towards Success!
Together, let's celebrate the intersection of math and physical education as we bowl our way to academic achievement and fun-filled memories.
Sincerely,
Coach Hubert and Schuette
Counselor's Corner with Mrs. Carrie and Mrs. Haley
The Capturing Kids' Hearts word of the month is courage, with the slogan “step up.”
Our counseling lessons focus on encouraging students’ strengths to equip them with tools to face something that may be difficult or challenging. At this time, the Tier 2 counseling groups have concluded. We are currently inviting all students for lunch with the counselors.
Please reach out now if you have questions or concerns for your child regarding teacher placement for next year.
As always, we are here to partner with you for the success of your child. Please call or email us if you have any questions or concerns.
Carrie Heide cheide@usd266.com - grades 1,3.
Haley Spears hspears@usd266.com - grades K,2,4.
Maize USD 266 Family Big Truck Night
This free event will be help April 2 from 5-7:30 p.m. at the Maize Performing Arts and Aquatic Center. To view the full list of family fun and resource booths visit the Family Activity and Resource Booths list.
Pre-K and Kindergarten Enrollment
Pre-k and kindergarten enrollment is happening now through March 31!
Read more about enrolling your child by visiting our enrollment page at usd266.com/enrollment.
Question about enrollment?
- For kindergarten enrollment, contact the Enrollment Center at 316-350-2050 or enrollment@usd266.com.
- For pre-K enrollment, contact the Maize Early Childhood Center at 316-722-3105 or enrollment@usd266.com.
- Visit the Enrollment Center at 201 S. Park in Maize.
PTO NEWS
You can Support Pray-Woodman PTO while you Shop at Dillons!
Dillons Community Rewards: Register your Dillon's Plus Card with "Pray-Woodman Elementary Parent Teacher Organization" and it automatically donates a percentage to PWS every-time you shop! Our organization number is TH774.
Visit PWS PTO on Facebook!
March
- Tuesday, March 26: Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night 3-10 p.m.
- Friday, April 5: Professional Development – NO SCHOOL
- Friday, April 26: School is in session
April
- Mon., April 8: NO SCHOOL
- Thur., April 25: PTO Meeting (4-5 p.m. STEAM room)
- Tue., May 7: 4th Grade Music Program (Maize Performing Arts & Aquatics Center)
- Fri., May 17: Talent Show (Maize Performing Arts & Aquatics Center)
- Thu., May 21: Pray-Woodman Elementary School: noon dismissal
Helpful Reminders
- After school transportation changes please call the Pray-Woodman student pick-up line (316) 721-0902 (option 5) by 2 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday please call by 3 p.m. Wednesday please call by 2 p.m.
- All visitors and volunteers who wish to enter the school during school hours must present a government issued photo ID, such as a driver's license. This includes parents, guardians and grandparents. Please allow for extra time to either run the driver's license or to look up their information if already in our system.
No cell phones/communication devices allowed during the school day. The use of cell phones/communication devices during the school day is prohibited. Phones should be turned off and kept in student backpacks during the school day unless special permission has been given by the administration for use in classroom projects directed by teachers.