The WES Parent Wildcat Weekly
Home of the Wildcats!
Week of November 2-6, 2020
Hello from Principal Holmes!
I'd like to give a Shout Out to our PTA and staff who supported the curbside trick or treat on Friday evening. We estimated over 350 students stopped by. Even though we did run out of candy, we managed to find other goodies to pass out to our wildcats. Parents a big thank you to you for your participation so your child(ren) could be a part of this community event. It was so heartwarming to see so many of our wildcats even from the car! We miss them so much!
As we move into the holiday season of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the many blessings that I have each day. I encourage each of you to find the positives within the challenges and share kindness with each other. It is the support of others that will help us get through the toughest of times.
Picture days are this week on Monday and Friday. Any student who is 100% distance learning can come by the school on either day to have their picture taken as well. These are the pictures that we will use for our school yearbook. We hope everyone who needs their picture taken or retaken will be available on these days.
K-2 interims will be going home next week on Thursday, November 12th and 3rd-5th grade parents can check ParentVue for updated student progress.
We thank you for your continued partnership to ensure the success of our wildcats. Together, we prepare our students for their future!
With wildcat pride and spirit,
Dianne Holmes
Principal
Message from our Superintendent Dr. Baker
SCPS has completed three weeks of hybrid in-person learning! While challenges persist, there also continue to be many positives reflected in the work of our teachers, leaders, and staff across the school system. This week, we had the opportunity to hear directly from our parent, teacher, and student (STAND) advisory teams regarding specific feedback prompts connected to the transition to the hybrid instructional model. There were some similarities as well as differences in the feedback across the three representative groups. Below are the most frequent and common responses discussed with the advisory teams:
What is going well? Successes?
PARENT - communication has increased - feel more connected with what students are working on. Transition to hybrid went well with minimal impacts. Children are excited to be able to come to school.
TEACHER - excited to be back with students. The small groups have been beneficial to students. Students are meeting expectations of following mask wearing and social distancing.
STUDENT - teachers love having students in class. Love the Wednesdays to catch up on work, meet up with counselors / apply for colleges (HS).
What are the current and on-going challenges and needs?
PARENT - Asynchronous time is harder at the elementary level. Scheduling has been difficult for some classes. Long times on the computer are difficult for students.
TEACHER - Accountability of student assessments. Too much computer time for students on asynchronous days. Hard to teach to red dots - when students turn off their cameras.
STUDENT - now with both hybrid and distance learning students at the same time, interaction between all students and teacher is sometimes a challenge. Long stretches on the computer on virtual days are tiring.
What are your best ideas or recommendations for continuous improvement?
PARENT - look at purchasing “owls” (360° smart conference cameras) to enhance the experience for online students and make them feel part of the classroom.
TEACHER - continue to share parent expectations for support.
STUDENT - would like even more interactive assignments.
By no means do these comments represent the totality of feedback, both positive and constructive, we have received. We will continue to utilize and incorporate this feedback for continuous improvement.
Announcements & Reminders
As a reminder, our COVID-19 Dashboard is updated weekly and can be viewed in the Return to Learn section on each school’s website or by clicking this link: SCPS COVID-19 Dashboard. We have added to our webpage the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) Dashboard link. This site provides data and statistics regarding COVID-19 positivity rates and cases per 100,000 by locality, region, and state. Along with cases identified in our own school division, we monitor this data in cooperation with the local VDH. We continue to remain in moderate ranges according to the 14 day averages.
As we navigate through the continued changes from CDC regarding COVID-19 mitigation and contact tracing recommendations, one thing remains constant - our commitment to provide a safe environment for our students and staff. To that point, we need your help. It is extremely important that if someone in your immediate family is diagnosed positive or is pending a test for COVID-19, even if your child has no symptoms, please keep your child home for 14 days and notify their school nurse. Taking these measures will help minimize the spread of COVID-19 and assist us with continuing the hybrid in-person instruction model.
We have provided just under 700 personal hotspots to families and have additional ones that can be provided based on requests to schools and building principals.
Two overarching goals or intentions we have as we continue to navigate through this remarkable time include building on our culture of staff, student, and family collaboration/teamwork (“Together, we prepare our students for their future.”) and identifying the many ways we can positively transform the quality and capacity of educational services to further realize equity in the future. Thank you so much for your continued partnership and support!
Take care and have a great week!
Dr. S. Scott Baker
What's happening this week at WES!!
Students Keep Those Cameras On
Counselor Corner
Thank you for participating in Red Ribbon Week! 4th and 5th-grade students got the opportunity to plant red tulips in our garden for awareness. Ask your student about their experience!
An awesome new opportunity to explore careers is coming! Join us Wednesday, November 4th at 11 o’clock for a tour of one of our local companies. Students can click the Google Link to join in. This is a great way to learn more about careers in our community! See attached invite for more information!
The holidays are coming! Please reach out Mrs. Elliott if you need some holiday assistance.
Interested in food support?
At Wilderness on Thursday’s from 12:30 pm - 2 pm our food pantry is available for you. You can also schedule an appointment with Mrs. Elliott or Mrs. Burton (school social worker). To learn more: Food Distribution
Stop by our Wilderness counseling site for resources:
Wilderness School Counseling Website
If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email me. I am happy to help!
Tori Elliott
School Counselor
Social Worker Spotlight
School social workers serve as liaisons between the school, home, and community. In addition to assisting families with meeting basic needs, school social workers also provide critical mental health support to students and their families.
Crystal Burton, MSW
Supervisee in Clinical Social Work
School Social Worker
Wilderness Elementary School
540-786-9817 x8667
Contact Us!
Daniella Smith, Assistant Principal
Tori Elliott, School Counselor
Crystal Burton, School Social Worker
Email: dholmes@spotsylvania.k12.va.us
Website: https://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/Domain/23
Location: 11600 Catharpin Road, Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA, USA
Phone: 540-786-9817
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildernessWildcats
Twitter: @WESPrincipal