Wasco Families,

Approximately 77% of our students and their families attended our Back to School Night! I wish all the staff could have walked the building with me to view the excited faces of students giving their families a tour of the school. It was a marvel to behold the pride and enthusiasm the kids have for their school! We are grateful for our involved families who demonstrate and model the value of Wasco school and the education provided here.

Kind Regards,

Principal Brennan

stephanie.brennan@d303.org

331-228-6294

Mrs. Leigl’s students made math connections with their interests. In the project displayed here, the students debriefed about the math applications to charging time, height, and angles. They also talked about learner qualities such as focus and enthusiasm.

Dr. Gordon stopped by and helped us celebrate the “Book Tasting” in 5K. Students moved table to table sampling texts in various genres and wrote their reviews. Our goals are proficient and eager readers who sample widely and often!

At school, students use a portal called Class Link to access the Applications they use as learning practice. I have provided a screenshot (see photo below) of my Class Link screen for your reference. Your child should only be using the learning apps that are accessible through ClassLink. If your child is accessing YouTube, he/she is most likely accessing it through the internet. As a disclaimer, if your child presses on Google Chrome, he/she has access to the world wide web. Therefore, it is very important that an adult is monitoring your child when he/she is using their Chromebook. Please keep in mind that Chromebooks are school district issued devices and should be used appropriately. Our students learn digital citizenship and Chromebook expectations with their classroom teacher, Empower, and LRC instructors. We repeat our lessons often and monitor for student demonstration of choices reflecting our school expectations of Be Safe, Be Kind, Work Hard and Do the Right Thing. It applies to all our school activities.

Calling all 5th grade students! This year you have the chance to join our 5th grade choir! The choir program will run from late September through May, with our first rehearsal being Tuesday, September 27th! All 5th grade students are welcome to join!

For more information, read our welcome letter here.

To register your 5th grade student, please fill out this form by September 23rd.

Please reach out to Miss Zima with any questions at ashley.zima@d303.org

If you visited for Back to School Night, you may have noticed our hallways have a new, refreshed look. Thank you to our PTO who purchased banners to decorate our hallways. Two types of banners were purchased for us. One set provides a visual reminder of our Wasco Expectations and the other set matches our Social Emotional calendar- a character trait for each month of school. The words provide strong visual reminders of our values. Thank you PTO for supporting our school environment in powerful and meaningful ways.

We have lots of lost items! Come stop by our lost and found!

Take-home COVID test kits are now available upon request at Wasco while supplies last. These are rapid test kits that include two per box. Students can request take-home kits from the school nurse, or families can make a request by contacting the school.

September 16 Book Fair 5:00pm-8:00pm (See button Below)

September 23 Fire Practice Drill

September 28 Early release for students 2:10pm

October 14 Picture Retake Day

October 14 Fall Fest at Primrose Farm (See picture below)

When using the drop off lane, please drive all the way forward so that we can load/unload as many cars as possible. Please stay in your car. If you wish to get out and load your child, you are welcome to park in the lot. By following this procedure, we can expedite everyone’s waiting times in the car lane.

Absences should be called in by 7:45 AM if your child will be absent for any portion of the day. The number is 331-228-2900 and has voicemail. You can call during the evening or overnight and leave a message. Please leave your child’s name and the reason why your child is out. If they are ill, please indicate their symptoms. Even if you notify your child's teacher of an absence via email, we ask that you please still notify the office.

Also, if your child attends Baker Station, please remember to notify them if your child will not be attending.

If possible, please make sure to notify the teacher and the office if your student is leaving early.

Students are able to bring their lunch each day to school or they can get lunch at school through our food service provider, Organic Life. We do not accept fast food for students at Wasco. Please do not drop off or have food sent to Wasco for your child. If you would like to have lunch with your child, you can come to the main office and sign them out during their lunch period. Thank you for your cooperation. We love to celebrate birthdays at Wasco. Your child’s birthday will be announced on our morning announcements and your child will be able to choose a book from our birthday book cart. We do not allow in food for celebrations so please do not send them to school or drop them off, they will not be accepted. If you would like to send in items or a treat bag (such as a pencil or non food item) we can send that home with classmates to enjoy at home.

Technology can be a wonderful way to keep in touch with family members. However, smartwatches and phones can become quite disruptive to the learning environment when parents are contacting their children throughout the day (and vice versa). The Elementary School Handbook contains the following language:

Students are extended the privilege of possessing phones/smartwatches on school grounds;

however, their use is limited to after-school dismissal and non-school days. These devices must be in the off position, or not used once the student arrives on campus until the end of the school day.

Teachers will be requesting that students leave their watches and phones in backpacks or another class designated place each day when they enter the classroom so that learning can continue uninterrupted.

All parents, guardians, and other visitors to District 303 buildings are required to report to the main

office upon entering the building to sign in. Visitors must provide photo identification when signing

in and must wear a visitor identification tag at all times while in the building. Visitors may be escorted

by a building staff member while visiting the building. School-age visitors are generally prohibited

during the school day unless accompanied by a parent or guardian and approved by school staff. In

the event that permission is not obtained or is denied, visitors will be directed to leave the premises.

(Violators will be subject to legal action.)

Ways to receive Wasco News

• The Principal sends a weekly newsletter on Fridays

• Wasco Elementary has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WascoElementarySchool

• Twitter account: @WascoD303

• Join Membership Toolkit on the PTO site for ways to connect with parent community