Wilder School District News
March 2024
Read Across America Week March 4 - 8 📖
In the spirit of fostering a love for reading, Read Across America, established by the National Education Association (NEA) in 1998, is an annual nationwide initiative that typically coincides with Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2nd. The primary focus is on cultivating reading motivation and awareness among both children and adults.
Schools across the country actively participate in Read Across America, engaging students in a variety of activities and events. These include book fairs, book challenges, guest readers, and thematic book-related activities. The overarching goal is to underscore the significance of reading for both educational purposes and personal enjoyment.
For more details, you can visit the NEA's official Read Across America page here.
Wilder Elementary has been hosting reading activities throughout the week "reading challenge" at the elementary level. Students who read or listen to a new book during the week can fill out a "book report" form tailored to their skill level, submitting it to the office. Their names will be entered into a drawing, and selected participants will have the chance to pick a book from our special "Read Across America" prize/book bin.
Wilder Elementary will host the Idaho Book Fair in the library during Parent-Teacher conferences this month.
This celebration not only underscores the importance of reading in education but also provides a platform for our students to actively participate, discover new books, and share their reading experiences. Let's come together to make March a month filled with literary joy and exploration!
Happy reading! 📚
Dr. Dillon Reading to Mrs. Manning's Class
Mrs. Moreland Reading to Mrs. Anderson's Class
Upcoming Dates
March 13 - Parent University
March 15 - Wilder All Ages Carnival
March 19 - FFA Alumni & Supporters Meeting
March 20 & 21 - Parent Teacher Conferences
March 22 - 29 - Spring Break
March 24 - FHLA Event - Cesar Chavez Day
🥎🏃🏽♀️See Spring Athletics schedules here. 🏃🏾♂️⚾️
Coming in April... April 27 - Fun Run!
Attendance Update - 95% club!
In January Wilder Elementary had 86 students who made it into the 95% Club by missing 1 or 0 days of school during the month. 121 students missed 1 or 0 days during the month of February! AMAZING!
We're on the right track! More and more students are making the effort to be in school!
Thank you all for your hard work and support
~ Mrs. Moreland
95% Club
100% Attendance
Idaho Resilience Project Grant
Wilder School District seized a fantastic opportunity this school year by securing a grant to collaborate with St. Luke’s and Idaho Resilience Project on a project involving animated videos. These videos, set to be released later this month as part of an upcoming curriculum, were conceived and produced by about 20 students from 5th to 12th grade. The topics covered include stress response, social media and digital health, self-esteem and self-worth, and relationships, each lasting 3-5 minutes – perfect for social media sharing. Students engaged in various aspects of the project, contributing original artwork, voice acting, musical scores, and animation/puppeteering under the guidance of curriculum writers from IRP and WonderMedia.
Remarkably, one of our students had the chance to meet with a Hollywood composer for feedback on the music composed for these videos. This project has not only expanded their knowledge but also provided unique opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting.
Looking ahead, the students are transitioning from this project to working on a TV series centered around a family moving to the town of Wilder and their experiences. According to Animation Studio teacher Mike Nelson, this next venture will involve creative problem-solving and addressing challenging topics through student-written dialogues. Stay tuned for updates in May to learn about the progress on this exciting new project!
Welcome Coach Duty
Welcome aboard, Josh Duty – Wilder High's new head football coach! With 5 years of coaching experience in the Boise School District, Josh brings a wealth of knowledge having coached football and boys basketball, along with a year of girls basketball. Not only does he boast 8 years of semi-pro football, including two with the Treasure Valley Invaders, but he's also a proud graduate of Boise State with an English degree. Married for almost 9 years with three kids, the Duty family embraces the outdoors, enjoying lake trips, hikes, park outings, and the company of their four dogs – including a new 9-week-old black lab!
Coach Duty shared this statement with us:
“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to coach at Wilder High School. I have had the opportunity to watch a few games over the last couple of years and I think there is a huge amount of potential. I am looking forward to getting the kids in the weight room this summer and really getting some work in. It is going to be very important that we have great turnouts this summer so that we can start the season off strong. Also, there will be a parent/player meeting in the near future to discuss next season. The time and date for that will be put out as soon as we have more information. I look forward to meeting the players and having a great football season.”
FFA Updates
Wilder FFA had a great time celebrating National FFA Week (Feb.18th-24th) We had fun dress up days, practiced living to serve by making fleece blankets for the West Valley Humane Society, hosted a workshop led by National FFA Secretary Grant Norfleet, and ended the week by celebrating FFA with an Ag Olympics assembly. Students had a lot of fun and we plan to continue this next year.
Students are preparing to attend the Idaho FFA State Leadership Convention. This is a great opportunity for students to see what FFA is all about and work to improve their leadership skills through workshops, guest speakers, watching different events, and sessions. The convention is April 3rd to the 6th.
The next Alumni and Supporters meeting is March 19th at 6:00 pm. Please come and help support our program.
Save the Date: The Wilder FFA annual awards banquet is tentatively scheduled for April 25th. We are in the planning stages and will have more information out as soon as possible.
Stay in the know about Wilder FFA Events: Follow us on social media:
Click here for link on FFA store.
~ Mrs. Kala Hernandez
Idaho Future Ready Academy
Hello IFRA Coyotes!
I wanted to share that we are working on a logo to exemplify our new Coyote mascot. The products we've seen so far have been exciting. We are looking forward to sharing a final product soon.
Also, IFRA will hold Parent-Teacher Conference on Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday March 21. IFRA teachers will schedule with their Advisory students, and will be available until 8 pm on those days to help accommodate your schedules.
In April, IFRA will be hosting our IRI and ISAT testing at the Nampa campus. During those days, the lab won't be available for our drop-in sessions; however, teachers certainly will be available online to support students. Details on those specific dates will be sent to you through your Advisors.
Lastly, this spring we anticipate having 2 more social events: one in April and one in May. Keep your eyes peeled for these dates and activities.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
~ Dr. Zamora
Wilder Elementary
Hello Wildcats!
With Spring just around the corner, I have a few great highlights to share. First, on April 27, the Wilder Elementary will be bringing back the Wilder Fun Run for Education. This 5K (3.1 miles) fun run, walk, or stroll will raise money for future Wilder Elementary family nights, such as evenings of STEM activities. See the flyer on this newsletter for more information.
Additionally, after Spring Break, we start entering our spring assessment season. Kindergarten through third grader students will complete their Idaho Reading Indicator spring assessment in May, and our third through fifth graders will complete the ISATs in April through May. We know these assessments are only a snapshot in time, and we also want to leverage our Habits of Mind (HoM), including Persisting and Thinking About our Thinking, to help students try their best. To that end, more info to come on fun and engaging HoM promotion efforts during this Spring season.
Last, but certainly not least is Parent-Teacher Conferences. These meetings will be on Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday March 21. If you haven't yet heard from your student's teacher, you'll be contacted to schedule a time to talk about your student's progress. We will also be hosting a Book Fair from 4 pm - 8 pm during our two conference days in the Elementary library.
As always if you have any questions, please reach out to me.
~Dr. Zamora
Fun Run
Find fun run registration forms here.
Wilder Mid/High School
Greetings, Wilder Families!
A warm welcome to our new high school football coach, Josh Duty! We look forward to him and his team building a solid program that will instill teamwork, confidence, discipline, and school spirit into our athletes and school!
Thank you to Mrs. Carrier and Mrs. V. Hernandez for participating in Scratches for Schools! They earned $307.00 for our school!
Juniors tackled the SAT on Tuesday, 3/5/24
Please come out to support our annual Junior Carnival on 3/15! There will be games, prizes, and the dunk tank!
The Sources of Strength group is diligently preparing to present insights from the program to middle and high school students and staff. Students have taken the initiative to prepare & create an excellent presentation for their peers. Peer leaders, who are the students involved in the program, will present the meaning and purpose of Sources of Strength during the advisory on Tuesday, March 12th. Keep an eye out for posters and upcoming campaigns to learn more.
It's already that time of year; parent-teacher Conferences will be on Wednesday, March 20th, and Thursday, March 21st.
Our students have a Career Fair scheduled for April 3rd, between 9-11. Our students will be able to listen and interact with specialists in the workforce, such as cosmetologists, teachers, chefs, nurses, architects, and engineers, to name a few of our volunteers. We will also have colleges, and the armed forces represented.
Please stay tuned for more news and updates from Wilder Middle/High School. Our dedication remains steadfast in delivering enriching experiences for our students. Please don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything I can assist you or your family with.
FHLA Celebrates Cesar Chavez Day
FHLA along with other sponsors are celebrating Cesar Chavez Day on March 24, 2024. It's a day to celebrate and appreciate the importance of our farm workers as well as Cesar Chavez. Chavez was a Latino civil rights activist, farm labor leader, who traveled the migrant streams throughout California laboring in the fields, orchards and vineyards where he was exposed to hardships and injustices of farm worker life. He founded the National Farm Workers Association and started the Farm Workers Movement.
~ Mrs. Longest
A Message From Superintendent, Dr. Dillon
The new Ag. building is under construction at this very moment. We are excited about the combination of funds being used to erect the building. It is a combination of district funds, the Idaho Career Ready Students fund, and local in-kind and product donations. The most notable donation was the steel for the building, which Robert Roberts of M&M Steel donated. More about the donations from our local patrons will be forthcoming. We anticipate the construction to wrap up by early summer and be ready for students in the fall of 2024.
Another amazing piece of information has just been completed and approved by students and the board of trustees. That is the Students Education Bill of Rights. If you are interested in the autonomy and agency for student ownership of learning, check out the Bill of Rights on the website. Coming soon will be the Parents' Education Bill of Rights.
Finally, we will soon be posting and sharing individual student success stories about their journey and evidence of co-authorship of learning and how they have used a very specific habit of mind to reach their personalized learning or life goal. This is an exceptional look into and celebration of students in our district. We will also highlight the teacher who has supported the student in becoming victorious goal reachers.
~ Dr. Dillon
Expand the pictures below to see the Student Bill of Rights.