Woodridge in October
Throw kindness around like confetti
Mrs Thistle's thoughts
All,
Happy October! We are off to a super year here at Woodridge Primary School. Thank you all for making our start to the school year successful. The three rules that we have at Woodridge are be respectful, be responsible and be safe. Please ask your child if they can show you the “Woodridge Wave.”
On our school webpage we have videos that show all of our “cool tools.” These are the systems that we teach our students, so that they know what the expectations are. Because we are a K-1 building, we try to teach and reteach students. If you’d like to check out the cool tools, please click here: https://sites.google.com/portage.k12.wi.us/cooltools/home.
This month we will celebrate Portage Homecoming, discuss fire safety and express our creativity with a Halloween parade. It is important for our Woodridge team to provide students with rigorous academics as well as incorporate fun activities for parents and staff.
If you would like to volunteer in our school please let me know. Another way for you to share your expertise with us is to volunteer at the Woodridge Parent Club. Our meetings are the first Wednesday of the month at 4:30pm in the Woodridge Conference Room.
Have a great month and thanks for all you do!
Salina Thistle
Endeavor/Woodridge Principal
608.742.3494 ext 3001
DROP OFF AND PICK UP
Thank you so much for making drop off and pick up at Woodridge run smoothly!
As the summer turns into fall, the morning sunshine can make it hard to see. Parking can be found in the Woodridge, Gerstenkorn or John Muir parking lots. If you are walking your child to school please try to use the crosswalks.
If you are walking your child into school or stopping by during the day please come into the Woodridge office, sign in and take an orange visitor's sticker.
If there is a change in your child's after school routine, please send in a note. Otherwise, if it is last minute you can call the Woodridge office at 608.742.3494 before 2:30 p.m.
Mark your calendars
OCTOBER
1: Picture Retake @ John Muir 8am
4: Homecoming parade for students during the school day
7: No school for students / Staff In-Service
21: Parent/Teacher Conferences and Book Fair 3-7pm
22: Parent/Teacher Conferences 3-7pm
23: Kindergarten Field Trip to Country Creek Bed Farmacy
24-25: No School
Secretary's Notes
Reporting an Absence
Please send a note with your child in their folder if there is a change in the way they normally go home.
If you are sending lunch money with your child please enclose it in an envelope with your child's name and teacher on the envelope.
MUSIC NOTES
The music students have been busy learning the rules and expectations of Ms. Yerke for the music room. This month the Kindergarteners will be learning the names of different instruments and how to play them responsibly. Then they will be playing the instruments to the beat of our chants and songs. The first graders will be working on finding their singing voice. They will also be reviewing the names of the different classroom instruments and playing them to the beat of our songs and chants. All of the students will be starting to work on their songs for our holiday program which is December 17th at Portage High School.
Ms. Yerke
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
With the weather changing daily, please remember to have your child wear or bring gym shoes on the days their class has physical education.
Apfelback: Monday, Tuesday, Friday
Calkins: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
Kane: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Fenske: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Reetz: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday
Hanson: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
Klafke: Monday, Thursday, Friday
Kruger: Monday, Tuesday, Friday
Lainberger: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
-Mr. Schuette
MUSIC NOTES
Stories, Snack and Snuggles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCkpBIa2O88
Story: Crankenstein
Snack: Frankenstein Grape Cup
Snuggles: Grab a blanket and curl up with your child, enjoy a story and make memories
Use a large, clear plastic cup.
Use a black sharpie and decorate your Frankenstein face and hair.
Fill the cup with green grapes.
Mathtastic Activity
Playground
Last summer the PCSD maintenance staff worked hard to update the Woodridge playground. We added new wood chips, resurfaced the blacktop, added fun games for students to play and added an area where the students can run safely. As soon as the grass is established, we will open up that area for students to play in.
Nurses Station
Student Immunization Requirements
The school nurses are reaching out to people who need to take action about their child's immunizations per Wisconsin requirements. There are many options to become compliant and the school nurses are here to work with you to accomplish this. This school, Portage Community School District falls under the statutory requirement to exclude children who are not compliant by the 30th school day or October 15, 2019.
Please call you school's nurse to create a personalized plan so your child is not excluded.
To be compliant, the parent (or guardian) must provide to the school one of the following:
- The date of vaccination (mm/dd/yy); or
- An indication that the child has a history of chickenpox; or
- A waiver for health, religious or personal conviction reasons.
Return paperwork to the school nurse immediately.
Click here for further resources on where to get immunizations, how to access your child's record on WIR or Infinite Campus, and forms.
https://www.portage.k12.wi.us/district/immunization.cfm
Please insert one of the following for your building's school nurse contact information
Kristal Summerton, 608/742-2165, ext 7008 / summertonk@portage.k12.wi.us
Jen Dallman, 608/742-5531, ext 2705
Valerie Hon, 608/742-4867, ext 4022 / honv@portage.k12.wi.us
Counselors corner
DAILY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE!!
Kids who have good daily attendance that begins in Primary/Elementary School, are more likely to master reading skills by 3rd grade, have positive social interaction with their peers, graduate and find success in their jobs/careers.
Some absences are unavoidable, we can’t control when our kids get a fever! Yet we can do a few things to help our kids (and us!) have a smooth start to our mornings;
-Make sure our little ones are getting 10-11 hours of sleep.
-Lay out clothes the night before.
-Sign any papers or agendas the night before.
-Pack backpacks the night before.
It is also important to have a backup plan for getting the kids to school, just in case they miss the bus, or the neighbor or relative that usually picks them up cancels at the last minute.
We want your kids at school every day! They are missed by their teachers and their classmates when they are absent!
The school year is off to a great start! Routines and learning are well under way.
One strategy that may help with the transition to school would be, for those families that drop their children off at school, when you drop him/her off, you could drop them at the front doors near the gym/cafeteria. The best practice is to share your hugs and goodbyes by the entry doors and allow your child to walk to the gym, where they line up by class before their teachers walk them to their classrooms. It is also fine to drop them off at the front door and allow them to enter the building on their own. Your child may only be in kindergarten or first grade, yet they are already learning skills to build independence.
Portage Snack Pack Program
The Portage Weekend Snack Pack Program, a Portage Child Hunger Committee project, provides a weekend supply of nutritious food for children when school lunch and breakfast is unavailable on a weekend. Each food bag will contain some food for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, for each weekend for your child(ren). All food is nonperishable and provided to children free of charge. It is our hope these resources will support the health, behavior, and achievement of every student that participates. All children are eligible for this program. The program is run completely by wonderful volunteers who help pack the food bags, shop, recruit etc. The program is funded through the generous gifts from The Rotary Club of Portage, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Portage, Columbia County UW-Extension and the community at large. Please note, that the program is always looking for more sponsors and volunteers! We look forward to working with staff, teachers, and you for your children!
For more information or questions, please contact Caitlin Richardson, Columbia County UW-Extension FoodWIse Coordinator at 608-742-9693. To sign up for the program, please contact John Muir Elementary front office at 608-742-5531 or Woodridge Elementary front office at 608-742-3494.
Wellness
The Portage Community School District believes that nutrition and physical activity influence a child’s development, well-being, and readiness to learn. The District will promote healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular physical activity as a part of the total learning environment. The District supports a healthy environment where students and staff members learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. By facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity, our schools contribute to the basic health status of students and staff. Improved health optimizes student performance potential and contributes to the success of all students.
Classrooms/School and Celebrations:
Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will meet the District Nutrition Standards (Healthy Snacks for Children).
- During occasional celebrations (i.e. birthdays, holidays) items that do not meet the District Nutrition Standards may be acceptable for student consumption within moderation. However, the District will encourage a healthy snack item to be offered in conjunction with other offerings.
- Strong consideration should be given to nonfood items (see Non-Food Rewards for Children Guide) as part of any Teacher-to-Student Incentive programs. If a teacher feels compelled to utilize food items as an incentive, they are encouraged to adhere to the District Nutritional Standards.
- The School District is concerned with the dietary and lifestyle practices of its staff, as well as its students. In order to promote wellness among its staff, the district will continue to provide opportunities for staff to become physically active. Staff is also encouraged to model ideal behavior for students by making food and beverage choices that align with the District Nutrition Standards outlined in this policy.
The Board Policy 537 is the official wellness policy of our school district. http://www.portage.k12.wi.us/district/wellness2.cfm
Columbia County Resources
Columbia County Health and Human Services
111 E. MULLETT STREET,
PORTAGE, WI, 53901
608-742-9227
- ADOPTION SERVICES
- AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
- CHILD CARE PROVIDERS
- COUNSELING
- CRISIS PROGRAMS
- DENTAL–FREE OR LOW COST SERVICES
- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
- FAMILY RESOURCES AND SERVICES
- FOOD PANTRIES
- GOVERNMENT OFFICES
- HEALTH CARE-FREE OR LOW COST SERVICES
- HEALTH CARE-GENERAL
- HOUSING
- LEGAL SERVICES
- LIBRARIES
- PARENTING EDUCATION AND SUPPORT
- PEER SUPPORT SERVICES
- PREGNANCY RESOURCES
- RECREATION
- SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS
- SEXUAL ASSAULT
- SOBER LIVING
- SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES
- THRIFT STORES/RESALE STORES
- TRANSPORTATION
- UTILITIES
- VETERANS
Go to this link to learn more:
http://www.co.columbia.wi.us/columbiacounty/Portals/7/Resource%20Guide.pdf?ver=2019-04-10-153102-620
Portage Community School District Goals
District Curriculum Goal: Each student will make at least one year of growth in each curriculum area.
District Behavior Goal: As a school community, we will increase behaviors that promote learning and respectful interactions.
District Professional Development Goal: We will provide Professional Development for staff that increases learning for all students.