WALTER J'S NEWS YOU CAN USE
MARCH COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL BARNETT
Can you believe March is here and spring is right around the corner? Happy Women's History, Irish Heritage, Nutrition, Reading Awareness, Music in our Schools and Art Month! Just like February, there is much to celebrate in the month of March. Please take the time to celebrate the beautiful women in your families who make our world a better place to live in. Spring also comes in March along with all things new, please take time to enjoy and celebrate new life and new beginnings.
Interims were released on February 26. Be sure to access your Parent Vue account if you have not done so already. The Interim Report will give you a preview of your scholar's progress thus far in the third marking period. You may contact your scholar's teacher to schedule a conference to discuss progress, questions and additional support.
There are many wonderful things happening at Walter J! Be sure to review our important dates and staff updates below for important information. Please continue to encourage your scholars to BARK!
Mrs. Diedra Barnett
IMPORTANT DATES
MARCH 4TH -15TH MARYLAND INTEGRATED SCIENCE ASSESSMENT(MISA) FOR FIFTH GRADE
MARCH 5TH PTO SPIRIT NIGHT @ PIZZA HOTLINE
MARCH 7TH PTO MEETING @5:30
MARCH 8TH PTO SPIRIT WEAR FUNDRAISER ENDS
MARCH 13TH TWO HOUR EARLY DISMISSAL
MARCH 15TH SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY: GREEN DAY
MARCH 19TH SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY: SPRING COLORS DAY
MARCH 21ST SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY: CRAZY SOCK DAY
MARCH 25TH - APRIL 1ST SPRING BREAK
APRIL 2 AUTISM AWARENESS DAY: WEAR A FUN HAT
TIDBITS FROM ILT
FROM MS. ROBERTS, READING RESOURCE TEACHER
Reading at home is vital for fostering a lifelong love of learning and literacy. Here are some effective strategies to promote reading at home:
Lead by Example: Demonstrate your own passion for reading by sharing your favorite books and discussing what you're reading with your children. When children see adults enjoying books, they are more likely to view reading as a valuable and enjoyable activity.
Make Reading a Family Activity: Read aloud to your children, regardless of their age. Family read-aloud sessions provide an opportunity for shared enjoyment and help improve listening skills and vocabulary.
Create Reading Challenges and Incentives: Set reading goals or challenges, such as reading a certain number of books per month or exploring different genres. Offer incentives or rewards to motivate your children to achieve their reading goals.
Connect Reading to Real-Life Experiences: Integrate reading into everyday activities, such as reading recipes while cooking, following instructions for DIY projects, or exploring informational texts related to family outings or vacations.
Engage in Meaningful Discussions: Discuss books with your children by asking open-ended questions about the plot, characters, and themes. These discussions help children develop critical thinking skills and deepen their comprehension of the text.
Celebrate Achievements: Recognize and celebrate children's reading accomplishments, whether it's finishing a challenging book, reaching a reading milestone, or discovering a new favorite author. This reinforces the value of reading as a rewarding and fulfilling activity.
FROM MS. SMIGAL, LEARNING RESOURCE TEACHER
Testing Season is upon us. Our Bulldogs are ready to SHINE and you can help by ensuring they have a working pair of headphones at school for their upcoming testing sessions!
FROM MS. MOHLER, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCE TEACHER
🌟 Nurturing Math Thinkers: A Guide for Parents 🌟
We believe that math is not just about numbers—it’s a journey of exploration, curiosity, and problem-solving. As partners in your child’s mathematical adventure, we’re thrilled to share some powerful questions you can ask to ignite their mathematical thinking. These questions work wonders for students in Grades K through 5:
- Starter Questions:
- 🌈 “How could you sort these…?”
- 🌟 “How many ways can you find to…?”
- 🌼 “What happens when we…?”
- 🎨 “What can be made from…?”
- 🌸 “How many different… can be found?”
- Questions to Stimulate Mathematical Thinking:
- 🌿 “What is the same? What is different?”
- 🌟 “Can you group these… in some way?”
- 🌱 “Can you see a pattern?”
- 🌠 “How can this pattern help you find an answer?”
- 🌼 “What would happen if…?”
- Assessment Questions:
- 🌟 “Could you explain how you arrived at your solution?”
- 🌸 “What strategies did you use?”
- 🌿 “How are the two strategies related to each other?”
Remember, these questions spark mathematical conversations, deepen understanding, and encourage creative thinking. Feel free to weave them into everyday moments—while cooking, shopping, or even during a cozy bedtime chat.
🌟 Math is Everywhere! 🌟
- In the kitchen, explore fractions while measuring ingredients.
- At the store, estimate totals and compare prices.
- In the garden, measure plant growth and observe patterns.
🌟 Celebrate Effort and Curiosity! 🌟
- Math isn’t about getting it perfect—it’s about trying, learning, and growing.
- Praise their persistence, resilience, and problem-solving spirit.
Let’s make math magical together! 🌟🔢🌈
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
FROM MS. HERLINGER, SCHOOL COUNSELOR
March's character trait is Peace, which means proving you care more about each other than winning an argument.
Each month, one or two students are recognized from each class for displaying a particular character trait. They receive a certificate and have their picture taken.
Congratulations to all of the students who got recognized in February for showing Kindness!
Bi-Monthly Counseling Lesson
- I will be going into each classroom once every other month to teach the students various social-emotional topics.
March and April's lesson is going to be surrounding growth mindset and goal setting. We will be discussing the importance of having a "flexible brain."
Career Day
- We will be hosting a Career Day on Friday May 3, 2024!
- We are looking for presenters that would be willing to discuss their job with our students.
- The event will run from 9:30-11:00 AM.
- We are asking presenters to arrive between 9:00 and 9:15 AM.
- If you are interested in being a presenter, please fill out this Forms: https://forms.office.com/r/zm7ebSaLDE
- A form will also be coming home in the students' Thursday folders. If you submitted the online Form, please do not submit a paper form.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Herlinger.
MEDIA CENTER UPDATES
Spring is almost here! It’s hard to believe that we’re well into the third quarter of this school year. Our Bulldogs have been enjoying our collection at least once a week and they love when new books arrive. Our goal this quarter is to persuade them to try different genres to increase their vocabulary. So far this school year they have circulated 11,284 books. Our teachers are using treasure slips during reading groups and seat work. Thank-you for encouraging our students to read and write. This motivation will be an investment in their future success. Spend time unplugging as recent research has found that this makes a huge difference in our mental health. These studies have confirmed that when phones are put down everyone feels that they’re being heard.
Read Across Mitchell/Read-a Bration
Our annual reading tradition was great fun for our Bulldogs! All week our classroom teachers participated in reading activities and all week we celebrated with spirit days. Friday, we had so many wonderful guest readers and our entire special areas team created a multitude of activities centered around reading teamwork. It was so amazing to see our Bulldogs working together and reading to complete a task.
Upcoming Event:
Our Spring Scholastic Book-Fair is March 18th-March 22nd and begins with pre-viewing on Monday and Tuesday, March 18th & 19th during the school day. Tuesday, March 19th from 4pm-6pm will be our traditional Family Night. This is the first opportunity to purchase. Look for more information and an opportunity to volunteer coming soon.
Library Website:
Destiny is our Library Website. It is an App on our student's Office 365 account as well as Clever. Our students in grades 2-5 use their Office 365 often in school as they become familiar with it from hone. You can also access it by using your child's Clever account which is also an App.
Once you have logged on using either way, click our school to reach WJM's page and log -in to read electronic books as well as utilize our many databases. Students can log their reading minutes onto Beanstack also found on Clever and complete a treasure slip once they have finished reading a book. (Treasure slips are grade specific k-5 and they are turned into the LMC.) Our county has added SORA, a new electronic book resource.
If you should have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to contact me at bjarboe@ccboe.com. Let’s make this an amazing last half of the school year filled with fun and exciting reading! Because books show us every color of the rainbow! Don’t forget to fill out treasure slips! Happy Reading and staying safe on-line!!! Ms. Jarboe, Ms. Escanilla and Ms. Young
News from Donna McPherson, PPW
5th grade Transition to Middle School
Charles County Public Schools requires all students entering the 6th and 9th grades to provide two current (a category 1 and category 2, dated within 45 days) proofs of domicile as a way to update school records and ensure that students are attending schools in the proper zones. Acceptable proofs of domicile include:
Category 1
· Deed
· Current verifiable lease or rental agreement (with appropriate signatures and contact information)
· Current mortgage statement/bill (within 45 days)
· Settlement papers (within 45 days and with appropriate signatures)
· Foster care placement letter / McKinney-Vento Homeless documentation
· Assignment of Ownership Agreement (for properties in cooperative homeowner’s associations (e.g., Potomac Heights))
· Most recent property tax bill for domicile or Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation Form
Category 2
· Most recent utility bill in its entirety (within 45 days) that includes name and service address (examples are electric, water/sewer, trash, oil, gas, cable, security system, and solar bills)
· Current wage statement (within 45 days) with name and address of employee and employer
· Most recent W2, 1098, or 1099 statement
· One of the following government-issued statements with name and address (within 45 days):
o Documentation of benefits from the Social Security Administration
o Documentation of benefits from the Department of Social Services
o Official correspondence on letterhead mailed from local, state, or federal court
This information must be presented to the school your child currently attends. Please upload your documents to Synergy or send copies to the school with your child and place them in an envelope that has your child’s name printed on the front. Proofs must be received no later than April 5, 2024. Parents that have presented two proofs of domicile this school year (after the first day of school) do not need to resubmit the information, unless you have moved. If you are unsure if you have already submitted proofs, please contact the school.
If you feel you have a unique situation, please contact the school’s Pupil Personnel Worker, Mrs. McPherson, for assistance.
IMPORTANT UPDATES
Lunch
Parents continue to be welcome to join their children for lunch, but please be mindful that any food brought in may only be shared with your student.
Bus Evacuations
Spring bus evacuations are scheduled for Friday, March 8th. Please note that this may cause minor delays in our normal arrival procedures. The rain date for bus evacuations is scheduled for Friday, March 15th.