Wolfsville Elementary News
August 18, 2020 - Back to School News!
Principal's Message
Greetings Wolfsville Families,
I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones safe, happy, and healthy. I would first like to share my appreciation for your patience and understanding as we plan for a school year like no other! We have been very busy working out the many moving parts that need to coordinate for a successful start to the school year. We are appreciative to our system leaders who have been working tirelessly coordinating plans among various district departments and our Board of Education, as well as designing high quality curriculum materials of instruction. Their positive support and guidance cannot be overstated. Frederick County has an amazing school system, and we are very excited to welcome your children to the 2020-2021 school year!
You will be receiving a Find Out Find communication from the school system some time today that provides you with some information regarding student schedules and Schoology passwords. WFES will not be mailing this information to you. Sample student schedules are included in this newsletter for your information and convenience. Specific student schedules will be provided by your child's teacher prior to the first day of school. The Schoology access code letter that contains your child's unique password will be sent home with student back to school bags that you will need to pick up from school on Wednesday, August 26th (*see detailed information in the "Mark Your Calendar" section below). This letter is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. Please be sure to find it in your child's back to school bag when you get home. It will be located in the pocket folder. You will want to put this letter in a safe place!
This newsletter is filled with important back to school information. It is my hope that your many questions will be answered, and that its contents will assist all families with planning and getting ready for an awesome school year!
Please feel free to contact me by phone (240-236-2250) or e-mail (linda.stuart@fcps.org) with any questions you may have.
I hope you all enjoy the remaining weeks of summer break. I am so looking forward to meeting you and your children!
Yours in Education,
Linda Stuart
Significant time and care has been put into creating daily and weekly schedules for our students and families. Providing structure and routines are essential for student success. Structure and routines give children a sense of security and teach kids how to constructively manage themselves and their environments. Schedules will help families maintain consistency in expectations. Although we recognize the challenge of joining all scheduled “live” online learning sessions, we ask that you prioritize your child(ren)’s participation. We believe that the Google Meet sessions with classmates will contribute to your child(ren)'s social emotional growth. The time spent with classmates will provide your child(ren) with much needed social interaction with peers, connection with teachers, and an overall sense of belonging. Efforts to provide flexibility (recorded sessions, teacher availability for office hours, additional support as scheduled with teachers, after hours tutoring for select students, for example) will be in place. The goal is to support our students, families, and staff so that distance learning can run smoothly and result in student confidence, learning, and success. We will work together to provide the best possible learning experiences for your child(ren). (Please see instructions on how to access all Google Meet sessions in the linked document located in the Parent Resources section of this newsletter).
We recognize and understand the importance of social emotional learning and well-being for our students, families, and staff. The first few weeks of school will be designed to provide opportunities for our school and our teachers to build a culture of connection. We will begin each day with Wolfsville Elementary School morning announcements, just as if we were together in the school building (you will receive information about how to access our daily morning announcements). Teachers will start each day with a whole class session on Google Meet to greet students, build community, and set learning goals for the day. Students will participate in weekly PATHS program lessons that are designed to support children's social emotional growth by teaching students how to handle emotions, resolve conflicts, empathize, and make responsible decisions. Our plans will support the growth and development of the whole child which is important during both traditional schooling and distance learning formats.
Schoology is the school system’s online learning management platform. Our students used Schoology in the spring during Continuity of Learning when schools closed in March, so most families are familiar with this platform. Family support videos are available to assist with navigating the system for successful use of Schoology with your child(ren). Staff will also be available for technology support via a virtual support room. You will be notified of daily hours of operation. Teachers will also be available during daily office hours (this will be noted on teacher specific student schedules each week). We will be providing virtual orientation to Schoology sessions next week (see Important Back to School Dates section below).
Grade level schedules are created to provide a balance of virtual face to face instruction (“synchronous”) and offline learning (“asynchronous”), with consideration given to regular breaks and reasonable expectations for students. Please note that each teacher's daily schedule varies depending on art, music, physical education and media schedules, intervention schedules and small group/assessment schedules. On Wednesdays, teachers will have 45-minute blocks of student support time for ELA and Math. Teachers will invite students to attend based on their needs.
The full schedule will be phased in, with expectations for time spent in virtual learning increasing as students become comfortable with the digital tools. This will vary depending on the student’s age and developmental level. Each schedule includes a balance of virtual real-time instruction, completion of assigned tasks, and non-screen time activities in all content areas included on the sample schedule.
Click on the link below to view the appropriate grade level sample student schedule:
Important Back to School Dates!
- All students K-5 will receive a Back to School Goody Bag filled with instructional materials, reading texts, and important notices.
- Individual Schoology access/login information will be provided in each student's Back to School Bag. This letter is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - it contains your child's password to get into the system. All passwords have been updated!
- Chrome book distribution for families who indicated their need on the FCPS Student Information form will occur at the same time.
- Our AWESOME PTA has supplied the student bags and added some special surprises for students!
Please follow this pick-up schedule:
3:00-4:00 - Student last name A-H
4:00-5:00 - Student last name I-P
5:00-6:00 - Student last name Q-Z
Thursday, August 27 - Schoology Orientation Sessions for Families
Join Mrs. Dill to get the basics on how to navigate Schoology.Optional Sessions:
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Schoology Refresher - For parents & families who are familiar with Schoology
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - Schoology for parents and families who are new to Schoology (*another session will be offered Thursday, September 3rd from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm)
How to join the meeting:
1. Log in with your child's FCPS account.
2. Go to meet.google.com
3. Click "Join or Start a Meeting"
4. Enter the Meeting Name wfes-dill and Click "Continue"
Thursday, August 27 - Virtual Back to School Night via Google Meet
During this time, students will meet their teacher, and we will review important information for the beginning of the school year. You won't want to miss this! If you can't make it, sessions will be recorded for later viewing.
6:00 - Welcome Session - Join Mrs. Stuart for greetings and opening school announcements via Google Meet. To join, please use your child's FCPS login and follow these steps:
1. Go to meet.google.com
2. Click "Join or Start a Meeting"
3. Enter the Meeting Name wfes-stuart and Click "Continue"
6:30 - Meet Your Teacher! Session One Please use your child's FCPS login, follow the steps above, and use the appropriate grade level Google Meet name :
Kindergarten - Keary: wfes-keary
Grade One - Macierowski: wfes-macierowski
Grade Two - Dawson: wfes-dawson
Grade Three - Butler: wfes-butler
Grade Four - Fogle: wfes-fogle
Grade Five - Oman: wfes-oman
7:00 - Meet Your Teacher! Session Two (for families who have more than one child) Please use your child's FCPS login and use the appropriate grade level name from the list above.
Monday, August 31 - First Day of Virtual School!
- 8:50 - Be sure to join us for our virtual WFES morning announcements.
- 9:00 - Log into Schoology and join your class meeting via Google Meet.
Resources for Virtual Learning
WFES Google Meet Session Names - This document contains instructions on how to access Google Meet sessions with teachers. We are using consistent Google meet session names to provide consistency for families. Please use the teacher's name link to join all "live" instruction sessions each day.
Schoology Support for Parents & Families
2019-2020 Yearbooks have arrived at our school!
If you ordered a yearbook and have not picked it up, please call the main office to arrange pick-up. We have a few yearbooks available for sale if you did not pre-order. Linda Loun, our school secretary, can assist you with purchase. If you are in contact with any of our last year's fifth grade families, please let them know!
Thank you!
Food Pantry
Remains Open
(Serving the Myersville, Smithsburg, Sabillasville Zip Codes)
Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 PM
Salem Church
12479 Wolfsville Rd.
Wolfsville Elementary School
Email: linda.stuart@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/wfes/
Phone: 240-236-2250
Twitter: @WolfsvilleES