The Lumberjack Log
Monthly Newsletter from the Principal for Woodside Families
Welcome to the 2023-24 School Year
This week is one of those that brings even more excitement; your child(ren) get to find out who their homeroom teacher is on Wednesday, August 23. Please use Skyward Family Access to check your child's homeroom teacher and the link in this newsletter to learn how to sign up to visit your child's classroom and drop off school supplies for our Meet and Greet on Wednesday, August 30 from 3-5:15. Though this is an optional event we hope you are able to join us and have a time to have a short personalized conversation with your child's teacher. There will be a book fair and popsicles with me in the gymnasium, as well as a time to visit specialists before or after your scheduled classroom time. Please no early arrivals in the building as we are working to get everything just right AND at 2:30 will be participating in our Outdoor Play Learning Activity Center GRAND OPENING with time to play after! (It's on the front blacktop, with Woodside Pride Fundraising bracelets and King Cone Ice Cream available for purchase from 2-5) 👏
My excitement this year is certainly due in part to our OPLAC as well. I am absolutely thrilled our dream of an inclusive outdoor play/learning/activity center (OPLAC) is becoming a reality! Leading this initiative has been an honor and a true testament to the power of teamwork. Knowing how this will impact the lives of countless students and our community fills me with immense pride. A huge shout-out to everyone involved, from those who crafted the compelling proposal for the $1.2 million grant to those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. This achievement underscores our school's commitment to creating meaningful change and enhancing educational experiences. 🌈🪁Thank you to all of our familes that have been so supportive of not just our fundraising, but our school, and our staff. The generousity and kindness in our community is incredible.
I know there is a lot to read in this newsletter on the ins and outs of the start of school, but I am also excited to share some of the many additional examples of generosity of our community with you that will set our students and community up for success!
- The Kevin and Christina Tritz family, Kasten and Declan Tritz, students at THINK Academy, will be purchasing crayons and glue sticks for our K-3 students. The children have raised money through a service project with the idea of making a donation that will help their greater community. Thank you Tritz Family!
- Our PTO has helped to create a welcoming environment through a welcoming bulletin board sign on our campus, a book fair during our Meet and Greet and continued partnership to work to provide additional academic and recreational opportunities that support and enhance the entire educational process. We are hoping you will join us in our monthly meetings--more details below and in the September's, The Lumberjack Log.
As thoroughly as we have planned and are planning for the upcoming school year, I know there will be successes, challenges, and changes. Regardless of what the fall brings, I have no doubt we will continue to do what we do best; meet students where they are at, build strong connections, and ensure their growth--academically, socially, and emotionally. 📚 I, and our staff, appreciate your grace and understanding as we work together to make our 23-24 school year the best one yet!
Yours in Partnership,
Julie Kolarik
Woodside Elementary Principal
Woodside Pride!
King Cone and Woodside Pride Bracelets Available for Purchase at Grand Opening!
Woodside Meet and Greet
In an effort for teachers to meet with families on a more intimate basis, we ask that you honor your scheduled time. (Scheduling details below with ability to schedule occuring no later than Friday, August 25.) There will also be a book fair, popsicles with me, Woodside Pride fundraiser bracelets to purchase ($5), an opportunity to stop by specialists between 3-5:15 and PLAY on our new PLAYGROUNDS outside your classroom time as well.
Scheduling
- 4K-5th grade Meet and Greet Date; Wednesday, August 30 3-5:15.
- Skyward Scheduling; Used to set a time to visit your classroom and classroom teacher. Scheduling will be available no later than Friday, August 25. Click on the button below for directions to reserve your time to Meet and Greet with your child(ren)'s classroom teacher(s).
- Times are classroom teacher specific and though they are most likely listed as "five minutes" they will be approximately 10 minutes in length and we invite you to drop off any supplies, stay, chat, look around in the classroom for the entire ten minutes.
Paperwork, Fees, Questions
- OLV: OnLine Verification. Please complete BEFORE attending Meet and Greet. Details were sent at the end of July and can also be found by clicking here. If you are unable to, we can help you do this at Meet and Greet--please stop in the office.
- Breakfast & Lunch; Please use the food services tab in Skyward to make payment for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is $1.50/ elementary student and lunch is $2.15 for elementary students. Extra milk is $0.45. Please see this link for district prices. Visitors are not allowed to eat breakfast/lunch at school. The menus are in Skyward and can also be accessed through this link.
- Snack Milk; Please use the food services tab in Skyward to make payment for a milk to have during snack time. This is determined by semester, not day by day.
- Fee Payment; Book and material fee of $20 for each K-5 grade student can be paid on line via Skyward OR exact change or check in an envelope with the students name, grade, and family name on it.
- Questions; Please stop by the office during Meet and Greet or call during the school year.
The School Day
Though most of families are eligible to ride the bus and our end of the day pick up line is done in right around ten minutes, we have a large amount of familes that choose to pick up their students from school daily. I encourage every applicable family to take advantage of the opportunity to ride the bus to and from Woodside. Busing information should be available in Skyward on the 23rd--please contact Safeway regarding bus schedule and routes if you have any questions.
If you must drop your child off, it must be later than 8:30 and prior to the start of school at 8:45 T-F, school starts at 9 on Mondays (see late start Monday information below for details). ALL drop-offs are in the front of the building. There is no parent drop off in the back of the building.
Arrival
- Drop off; Must occur in the line in front of the building. Please be patient, take turns, and follow the car in front of you. (There is no drop off in the back parking lot). There is always an influx of parent drop offs at the beginning of the year.
- Drop-off; Please do not get out of your car in the pick up/drop-off line. If you must, please park in our parking lot.
- Walkers; Please use cross walks. Bikers; Please park bike in racks that are at the South of school.
- 4K AM and PM students enter the front doors upon arrival from drop off and the back doors from the bus- AM no earlier than 8:30. There will supervision starting at 8:30. PM 4K drops off at 12:55.
- K-1 students do not enter school; they go to their playground (the back) to play until the first bell. At the first bell, they will line up. There will be supervision starting at 8:30. Breakfast will be available. Student breakfast is $1.50.
- Grades 2-3 students do not enter school; they go their playground (the front) to play until the first bell. At the first bell, they will line up. There will be supervision starting at 8:30. Breakfast will be available. Student breakfast is $1.50.
- Grades 4-5 students enter the 4/5th grade doors (by the former front playground) and go to their classroom/lockers, and then to breakfast. Student breakfast is $1.50.
- Students arriving after 8:40, should use front entrance and check in at the office.
Rest assured we have your child(rens) educational needs and safety at the top of our list. Parents are able to walk their child to the front door, but not into our building.
Dismissal
- Please let the office know if your child(ren)'s end of the days plans change prior to 2PM. Also communicate those changes with your child(ren)'s classroom teacher.
- Appointments; Please continue to drop off and pick up students by calling the office and we will sign students out for you. Please no early pick ups after 3PM. If you need to pick up your child up early for an appointment, please do so prior to 3PM.
- End of the day student pick ups; All 4k-5th grade student pickups will be picked up in the pick up line in the front of school. The line is the same pattern in our lot as it has been (see pic below). There is always an influx of parents at the beginning of the year and we ask you to please be patient, take turns, and follow the car in front of you, the stop/go signs, and turn RIGHT outside of driveway. It is helpful to everyone if your child(ren) are within the bus routes to ride the bus.
- End of the day student pick ups; Please display the sign on your dashboard. Any updates to the signs will be given out at meet and greet; if not, please use your old signs. Please do not get out of your car in the pick up line. Thank you!
- WRPD will be ticketing cars parked along the yellow curb along Two Mile. I encourage families to take advantage of bus transportation if applicable, line up on 7th street, or come from the South on Two Mile and turn left into our lot.
- All vehicles must turn right onto Two Mile after pick up.
- End of the day student pick ups; Walkers and bikers are dismissed after all vehicles have picked up our students.
As we look forward to the first day of school, the safety and security of our students and staff are a continued priority. Our drop off and pick up procedures are desgined to keep our entire student body safe and accounted for. Your support through following the designated procedures is appreciated. As with all WRPS K-5 elementary schools, parents are able to walk their child to the front door, but not into our building. All our staff will be out and about to help our students get to where they need to go during the first few weeks. Rest assured we have your child(rens) educational needs and safety at the top of our list.
WRPD will be ticketing cars parked along the yellow curb along Two Mile from 8th Street. I encourage families to take advantage of bus transportation if applicable, line up on 7th street (yellow line), or come from the South on Two Mile and turn left into our lot (green line). All vehicles must turn right onto Two Mile after pick up.
Welcome to Our New Staff!
As we approach the start of the school year, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our veteran and new staff for sharing their time and talents with our students, our families, and one another. As you may know, there are many schools throughout Wisconsin and the entire USA that will be starting the year without permanent teachers in their classrooms. I am pleased we are going to be fully staffed in classrooms (though we do have recent openings for educational assistants), with many of our teachers having Master's degrees in education. On top of that, the number of professional development hours completed by our teachers this summer, during their time off, is not only remarkable but an indication of their dedication to our community and their profession. While we many not be perfect, I can promise you that your children are always our number one priority and I am confident in every teacher's ability to reach and teach your children. I hope that you all share the same pride in this incredible staff as I do! Woodside PRIDE!!
Kindergarten; Ms. Gethers
Kindergarten; Ms. Knoeck
Third Grade; Mrs. Martinez
Fifth Grade; Mr. Rodriguez
Teacher of Students with Disabilities; Ms. Zemke
Physical Education Teacher; Mr. Hoth
Occupational Therapist; Mrs. Graf
Safety & Security
Our safe and secure entrance and front office area are no doubt impressive. All visitors will need to check into the office upon arrival and departure. Be sure to bring a state issued ID with you on the day of your visit and register in the office. Parents/Guardians are not able to walk their student to their class/locker at the start end of the day, including the first day of school.
Volunteers; All volunteers are required to have a background check through the District office completed and approved prior to volunteering,
Regardless of your interests or talents, we can find a position that will benefit our students and will be enjoyable for you. Further in this newsletter is form that can explain some of our volunteer opportunities and where you can share your interests. Outside doors are locked at 8:40 a.m. until the end of the day for the protection of our students and staff. All visitors are to check in the office upon their arrival and departure.
Communication
Please contact the office for any immediate communication needs as our classroom teachers and specialists are working with our students and typically unable to respond to messages until the end of or the following day.
5th Grade Cadets
Attention all 5th grade students!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kissner and Mr. Dorshorst
Cadet Supervisors
Breakfast and Lunch
Student Elementary Lunch: $2.15; Reduced Lunch.40 cents
Student Elementary Breakfast: $1.50; Free/Reduced Breakfast: No Charge
Extra Milk: .45 cents
If you haven't applied for free/reduced meals for last year, in order to qualify this year parents would need to complete the application as soon as possible, here's the link: https://www.wrps.org/foodservice/freemeals.cfm
Late Start Mondays
Your memories of elementary school are most likely not the experiences of your child(ren). School has moved away from the days of “sit and get” where there was emphasis on memorizing content. Today, our 21st century learners are learning about and applying strategies, using opportunities to create with a variety of tools and technologies, and doing it all in learning spaces that are evolving to meet their social and emotional needs.
Though elementary school, students, and families have changed over time, our priorities have not; Helping your child succeed and your child’s safety have been and are our top priorities at Woodside Elementary School. At Woodside, our mission is to build strong connections and ensure growth--academically, socially, and emotionally--for all our students. We know the best way to build those connections and cultivate student growth is to work together as a team; A team with you, a team with our community, and a team within our building.
A strategy used in schools across the nation is a once-a-week time for staff to focus on student growth. This is called Professional Learning Community Collaboration. This format is in place at many of our WRPS schools;
Grove Elementary (Monday late start)
Howe Elementary (Wednesday early release)
Mead Elementary (Monday early release)
WRAMS (Every other Wednesday early release)
Lincoln High School (Pre-covid; Wednesday late start Currently; Every other Wednesday early release)
With your support (thank you!), we have modified our weekly schedule to include time for staff to communicate, review data, and plan for individualized student success to ensure learning. This time for Professional Learning Community Collaboration is Monday mornings where teachers will be coming in 15 minutes earlier and school will be starting 15 minutes later.
L is for “Late Start MONDAYS”
On Mondays Woodside 5K-5th grade students will start school at 9:00, there is NO CHANGE for 4K start times. The first Late Start Monday is Monday, September 11.
A few things to know about Late Start Mondays;
Busing; All buses run at the normal time. All buses run the normally scheduled routes, so all bus students will enter the building. 4K students go to the 4K classroom, add in new locations
Parent Drop Off; Please drop off at 8:50-8:55. Though no earlier than 8:30. Your partnership is integral to the success of our students.
Parent Drop Off of students in grades 4K, K, 1, 2, 3; Please drop off at 8:50-8:55. Drop off is located in the front of the building and students should come right inside regardless of the time they are dropped off (no earlier than 8:30) Students in grades 4k, K, 1, 2, 3 enter the front doors. 4K students go to their classrooms, K-1 students to
Parent Drop Off of students in grades 4 and 5 ; Please drop off at 8:50-8:55. Drop off is located in the front of the building and 4th and 5th grade students should enter their doors near the front playground and go right to the IMC (no stop at locker or classroom at this time).
Breakfast will still be available ($1.50/student)
There will be supervision and adults to help students find their locations.
Jumpstart is available every school day, including late start Mondays (before school care at Woodside through the Boys and Girls Club)
School starts at 9:00 on Late Start Mondays.
The first Late Start Monday is Monday, September 11.
More information to come in September's The Lumberjack Log.
Woodside PTO
Your involvement in our fundraising campaigns is greatly appreciate, but do please keep in mind the possibility of taking an active role in our Woodside PTO. We are looking for Woodside adult family members to not only help with the variety of activities, but also leadership roles as well. This can include helping with popping popcorn for popcorn Fridays to organizing fund raisers and activities to setting up our volunteer programs. More info. about PTO to come in my September newsletter. Thank you for all you do for us!
23-24 Woodside PTO Officers
President: Becky Wyscocki
Vice-President: Madel Olivares
Secretary: Alicia Pavelski
Treasurer: Kendra Ennett
News from Nurse Nichole
Medications
Students requiring administration of prescription medication at school must have a PHYSICIAN/ DENTIST ORDERS FOR ADMINISTERING PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION IN SCHOOL form on file in the nurse’s office. This form and additional health forms (seizure, migraine, food allergies, bee allergies) may be found on the WRPS Webpage here. Prescription medications need to be brought in before the first day of school to insure everything is in order. Any medication identified as a controlled substance, such as medication for treatment of ADD/ADHD, anxiety, or pain,
must be delivered to the school office by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult. These medications must be in a pharmacy-labeled container, placed in a sealed envelope, labeled with your child’s name, and if in pill form, the number of pills sent.
Medications classified as non-controlled substances, such as antibiotics, eye drops, and inhalers for treatment of asthma, may be sent to school with a student, although we prefer to have them before the first day of school. These medications must be in a pharmacy-labeled container, placed in a sealed envelope, labeled with your child’s name, and if in pill form, the number of pills sent.
Elementary school students may not self-administer medications; this includes those purchased over-the-counter. All medications brought to school must be given to the nurse/office staff in the original labeled bottle.
If your student has a known food/bee allergy or history of seizures or migraines, please fill out the health forms that can be found on the WRPS Webpage here and return to the nurse before the first day of school so our staff can adequately treat your child as needed.
Vaccinations
Students preparing to start school or those going into 6th grade will need to be up to date on their immunizations (see list below). Instead of waiting until your child’s yearly wellness check, you can schedule a “nurse only” visit for needed vaccinations. Children who do not have the required vaccines or waiver on file will be excluded from school after 2 legal notices have been sent. If you don’t plan to immunize your student there is a waiver available that must be filled out and returned before the start of the next school year (You can open the link here).
Age/Grade Required Immunizations (Number of Doses)
2 years through 4 years
4 DTP/DTaP/DT, 3 Polio, 1 MMR,
1 Var, 3 Hep B, 3 Hib4, 3 PCV5
Kindergarten through grade 6
4 DTP /DTaP/DT/Td1, 4 Polio,
2 MMR, 2 Var3, 3 Hep B
Grade 7 through grade 8
4 DTP/DTaP/DT/Td, 1 Tdap2,
4 Polio, 2 MMR, 2 Var3, 3 Hep B
Grade 9 through grade 12
4 DTP/DTaP/DT/Td, 1 Tdap2, 4 Polio, 2 MMR, 2 Var3, 3 Hep B
COVID Guidelines
Students will just stay home if not feeling well and are unable to participate in class (or if they have a fever). If a fever is present, they should stay home until fever free for 24 hours (without using fever reducing medication). There are no masking stipulations. We are not tracking cases at all.
Please email me with any questions or medical concerns: (nichole.fuller@wrps.net)
Nurse Nichole
Thank You for Sharing Your Child with Us!
About Us
Website: https://www.wrps.org/schools/woodside/index.cfm
Location: 611 2 Mile Avenue, Wisconsin Rapids, WI, USA
Phone: 715(424)-6793
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRPSWoodsideElementary/?ref=nf