The Monthly Mustang
The Official Newsletter for Wedgwood School Families
MARCH 2023
Health & Wellness Fair Makes Its Return On Thursday, March 23
Our Wedgwood Health and Wellness Fair will make its long-awaited return this Thursday, March 23! As part of our school's onoing commitment to provide opportunities for Wedgwood Families to foster healthy habits and lifestyles, our Wellness Committee has planned an evening of fun and informative sessions facilitated by a variety of community partners.
The evening will be sure to hold something for everyone, with a wide variety of session topics and booths for our Wedgwood Families to visit.
Health and Wellness Fair Schedule
6 Sessions 18 mins each with 2 mins transition
- 6:00 PM-6:18 PM
- 6:20 PM-6:38 PM
- 6:40 PM-6:58 PM
- 7:00 PM-7:18 PM
- 7:20 PM-7:38 PM
- 7:40 PM-7:58 PM
Presentations Include:
- FURever As Friends - "Pet Assisted Therapy"
- Bitt Nutrition - "Healthy Lunch Box Ideas"
- Rowan Music Therapy Club - "The Benefits of Music Therapy"
- WT Police Department - "Social Media and Cyberbullying"
- The Growth Dojo- “Too Fit to Quit”
- Calandra Dental - "Dental Hygiene"
- Jefferson Health - "Plant Power"
- WT Fire Department
- Virtua Health - "Pulmonary Hygiene"
- "Kids Yoga and Mindfulness with Mrs. Raines"
Booths to Visit:
- Shoprite Nutrition
- Duffield’s Farm Market
- The Gentle Giant Café
- Kelly Delizza-Essential Oils
- Gloucester County Health Department
- TWP Lunch & Food Services
- Mosaic Family Success Center
- Broderick Family Chiropractor
- Laughing Buddha Yoga Studio
- Jefferson Health
We look forward to seeing our Wedgwood Families at this Thursday's Health and Wellness Fair!
Wedgwood's ELEMEnTS Students Place Second in Statewide Mock Trial Competition
The budding attorneys in Mrs. Colligan's fifth-grade ELEMEnTS class recently placed second in the fifth-grade competition of the New Jersey Bar Association-sponsored New Jersey Law Fair. The students will appear at the New Jersey Law Center on May 16th to present their case, “The Case of the Missing Bag: State vs. George Williams,” in person.
The students were tasked with writing an original mock trial that demonstrated their
understanding of the legal system and courtroom.
“We were very fortunate to have some advice and support from Attorney Dana Szilier, who earlier in the school year spoke to both Wedgwood and Hurffville schools about the courtroom and listened to potential ideas for cases,” Mrs. Colligan said.
Members of the Wedgwood School ELEMEnTS Mock Trial team included: (back row left to right) Jonathan Coyle, Connor Moffitt, Nathaniel Torres, Lucas Gould, Jude McGlinchy; (front row left to right) Aria Reitano, Carolotta Costello, Jordyn Gorski.
Kickball Kraze Registration Opens For Fifth Graders
Wedgwood School Participates in Junior Achivement Day
Junior Achievement is faciliated by our High School Heroes program, in which WTHS Business Education students give of their time for six hours to teach the elementary students a little about what they know about the business world. Different activities are planned for each grade level and individual classroom. While first-graders might just be learning what an entrepreneur is and some of the terms used in creating business, older students have a chance to complete activities such as building a neighborhood as a city planner, or creating their own business idea, including a logo and marketing plan.
For the Wedgwood alumni below below, Junior Achievement Day provided these students with a chance to return to the familiar surroundings of our school and give back to younger learners in their school community.
Wedgwood Yearbooks Are On Sale!
Don't miss your chance to order a 2022-2023 Wedgwood School Yearbook! Place your online order today by visiting ybpay.com. Be sure to enter the Yearbook ID Code 1504323. The deadline to order is April 7, 2023.
Attendance Matters at Wedgwood
Regular attendance at school is critical for every student’s success. Parents are required to call the school and report student absences or tardiness. When a child is absent and the Attendance Office has not been notified, every attempt is made to notify parents by 11:00 a.m. Parents may call (856) 227-8112 at any time to leave a message at the attendance office, explaining the reason for the absence. In accordance with District Policy 5200 - Attendance, a student’s absence can be excused by administration when a note is provided upon return from an absence for one of the following reasons:
- Student illness
- Death in the family
- Excused religious observances, pursuant to N.J.S.A 18A:36-14 through 16
- Out of School Suspension
- Required attendance in court
- Necessary and unavoidable medical or dental appointments
- Theatrical productions when student holds a Theatrical permit
Documentation should be submitted on the student’s first day back to school. All other absences are unexcused. Students with ten (10) or more unexcused absences are considered truant, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:38-27. Truancy may result in the involvement of additional agencies to help return the student to regular school attendance. Please make every effort to maintain high attendance rates for your child.
Early Dismissal/Sign Out Procedures
You are encouraged to schedule appointments for your child outside the scheduled school day. However, whenever it is necessary for you to pick up your child at school, please plan to do so prior to dismissal. Parents are not permitted to meet their child as the students are exiting the school building, walking to their assigned bus or waiting at the bus loop. If an emergency exists and you must pick up your child at dismissal, please phone the school ahead of time to make these arrangements.
In order to ensure the safety of all students, we must insist that the following procedures be followed whenever you pick your child up from school during school hours:
- The parent/guardian must submit a Wedgwood Change to Dismissal Form to make any changes to a student’s regular dismissal procedure. This form is always available on our school’s website. Please send the completed form in with your child on the morning the dismissal change is to occur. Calling in dismissal changes to the main office should only be done in emergency situations.
- A parent/guardian must report to the Wedgwood Vestibule and sign out the student. If an adult other than the custodial parent/guardian is to pick up the student, the parent/guardian must authorize the student’s release in writing or by a phone call ahead of time. The authorized person must show Identification. No student will be released to a minor or an unauthorized adult. All authorized persons must be listed in the emergency contact information in PowerSchool.
- Please know that students who spend less than four hours in school (not including lunch) due to arriving tardy or leaving early will be marked absent for the day.
- Parents may not pick up their children from a classroom, a hallway, the bus loop, or any other part of the building or school grounds.
Changes to Breakfast and Lunch Program for 2022-2023
This year features changes made to our lunch and breakfast program. The federal government has discontinued Universal Free Meals for this school year. Therefore, families will need to plan accordingly for their children to be able to purchase breakfast or lunch at school.
Meal prices for 2022-2023 are as follows:
- Lunch - $3.50
- Breakfast - $2.50
To view the monthly lunch menu, to apply for free/reduced lunch, and/or to place money in your child’s account to purchase breakfast and/or lunch, please visit the WT Food Services website at: https://www.wtps.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=31979
You will find the information you need on that website! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our district's Food Services Department directly at 856-582-4010.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Please review the following information regarding Wedgwood School's arrival and dismissal procedures.
Walking Students
- Walking students are to arrive at the school not earlier than 9:20 AM
- The dismissal of walkers begins at 3:45 p.m.
- Students walking home will exit down the walkers' path at the back of the school, toward Dorado Avenue.
Students Dropped Off
- All traffic must enter the Wedgwood parking lot through the entrance designated in the diagram above.
- Cars are to move all of the way forward in the drop off line before releasing students for arrival.
- Students who are dropped off to school will enter the building via the door by the playground.
- Students are to be dropped off to school no earlier than 9:15 a.m.
- Parents/Guardians who are dropping students off must do so by allowing them to exit the vehicle along the sidewalk on the side of the building. Please do not park your car and drop off your child from the parking lot. Once your child has exited the vehicle, please continue on the drop-off loop as detailed in the illustration above.
Students Picked Up
- Students who will be picked up by a parent will exit the school from the door by the playground. Wedgwood staff will supervise all students until a parent comes and personally escorts the child to the vehicle.
- The dismissal of walkers will begin at 3:45 p.m. This includes those who will be picked up by a parent/guardian.
- All parents/guardians who wish to pick up their students at dismissal or who require alternative arrangements for pickup must notify the main office in writing. All written notification should be directed to your child's classroom teacher as well as our main office secretary, Mrs. Crosby, so that your child's needs can be met. She can be reached at bcrosby@wtps.org. Students are not permitted to verbally tell Wedgwood staff that they require alternative arrangements for pickup; all requests must be made in writing by the student's parent/guardian. If a teacher does not receive a note about the change in the child’s regular dismissal, the child will be sent home on his/her assigned bus.
- Students who are scheduled to be picked up and do not have a parent/guardian present at the time of dismissal will be brought to the main office. As per district policy, we will attempt to contact the parent(s) and/or emergency contacts on file. If no contact can be made within 30 minutes following school dismissal, the main office will coordinate efforts with the Washington Township Police Department to make contact with the student's parent/guardian.
- Parents/guardians are responsible for reviewing the school calendar and complying with all school dismissal times and procedures.
Regular Dismissal
- Students will board the buses in the loading area at the front of the school. Wedgwood Staff will escort Kindergarten and First Grade students to their buses to help build dismissal routines for our youngest learners.
- If a teacher does not receive a note about the change in the child’s regular dismissal, the child will be sent home on his/her assigned bus. Students are not permitted to ride any other bus but the one that is assigned to them.
District Device Tech Support
All Washington Township Public Schools students are issued a tablet or laptop device by the district! Please contact our Technology Department at studenthelp@wtps.org if you need to pick up your child's device or require tech support. Be sure to submit a description of your request, along with your child's name and Student ID/PIN number (if available).
PTO Reminders
PTO MEMBERSHIP
Please join the PTO and help make this school year amazing for our students and staff. PTO membership is only $10.00 for the year per family. Please include your Mustang's Name(s), Grade(s) and Teacher(s) with payment. Payment can be sent to school with your child, via Venmo at @wedgwood-pto, or mailed to the school at 236 Hurffville Rd., Sewell, NJ 08080.
FIFTH GRADE ACTIVITIES
Fifth grade families! Stay tuned for information about end-of-year fifth grade activities!
DINE AND DONATE
Our next Wedgwood PTO Dine and Donate event will take place on April 19 at Polizzi's Brick Oven in Sewell! Mark your calendars and don't cook dinner that night!
WEDGWOOD PTO EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTIONS
The Wedgwood PTO is preparing for elections for our 2023-2024 Executive Board. Please email wedgwoodpto@yahoo.com if you're interested in running for office!
STAY CONNECTED
Follow our Wedgwood PTO on Facebook and Instagram. Also, sign-up for your grade level PTO reminds. Email wedgwoodpto@yahoo.com with any questions.
Important Dates
- March 21 - Washington Township Board of Ed. Regular Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
- March 22-23 - EARLY DISMISSAL - Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences - 2:10 Dismissal
- March 24 - EARLY DISMISSAL - Staff Inservice - 2:10 p.m. Dismissal
- March 31 - Marking Period 3 Ends
- April 7-16 - SCHOOL CLOSED - Spring Break
- April 18 - Washington Township Board of Ed. Work Session - 7:00 p.m.
- April 19 - Marking Period 3 Report Cards Issued
- April 25 - Washington Township Board of Ed. Regular Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
- April 27 - Spring Picture Day
Wedgwood Elementary School
Email: czimmerman@wtps.org
Website: wtps.org/wedgwood
Location: 236 Hurffville Road, Sewell, NJ 08080
Phone: (856) 227-8110
Facebook: facebook.com/wedgwoodwtps
Twitter: @wedgwoodwtps