Woodland Watch
A Woodland Wildcat Always R.O.A.R.S.
November 20, 2020
Upcoming Events
- November 20: HALF DAY - Dismissal @ 11:45am; PM Teacher Records
- November 24: HALF DAY - Dismissal @ 11:45am; End of 1st Trimester
- November 25-27: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Recess
- November 30: ESL Parent Meeting via Zoom at 6:00pm
- December 4: Student Material Pick Up @ 12:30pm-3:30pm
- December 11: NO SCHOOL - Teacher PD Day
- December 21-January 1: NO SCHOOL - Winter Recess
- January 4: Return to Learning
- January 7: Early Dismissal @ 1:35pm
- January 18: NO SCHOOL - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A Note from Mrs. Schneider
Dear Woodland Families,
I can hardly believe that we are at the end of our first trimester! This week I have virtually observed students sharing notes of appreciation to teachers and fellow students, learning about adding tens, and writing about Save the Turkeys. Students were discussing fiction vs. nonfiction, sharing ideas about gratitude as part of P2, and solving math problems on Prodigy. Everywhere I turned students were engaged in learning activities. I am so very thankful to the inspiring teachers, dedicated parents, and hardworking students that make up our Woodland community.
We have a half day next week as well. On Tuesday afternoon, our elementary teachers will be completing report cards for your student during the 1/2 day. (Report cards will be sent home in your child's packet at our next Student Materials Pick Up on December 4th)
Have a great weekend and Happy Thanksgiving!
Arryn Schneider
ESL Parent Night-Monday, November 30th @ 6:00pm
- Adaptive
- Personalized
- Strategic first-language support in 15 languages
- Vocabulary and Grammar directly taught through reading, listening, and speaking
Arryn Schneider, Monika Puskarz, and Sandi Murphy are inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Monday, November 30th @ 6:30 pm
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 942 1051 4121
Passcode: Woodland
Woodland Bridge Buddies
Dear Parents,
Here at Woodland, we have a long-standing peer to peer mentoring program called the BRIDGE Buddies (Building Relationships, Independent Development, Growth and Excellence) . This program is utilized to help support students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other learning challenges.
The goal of this program is to develop the leadership skills of typically developing students, while also fostering communication and social skills for the individuals with disabilities. Research has shown that peer to peer mentoring is one of the most highly successful and reliable interventions to significantly improve the learning of both the individuals with disabilities, as well as the typically developing peers. This research has also proven to establish leadership skills of typically developing peers who participate in peer to peer programs.
BRIDGE Buddies tend to work in cohorts by grade level with students in both general education and special education. The cohort will be given an assignment to one specific time block. During their time block, students will have the opportunity to interact with other students and work on conversation skills within the zoom setting. Teams will have the option to participate in the program for one trimester, or longer.
The time blocks will be as follows:
Grades 1 and 2: Wednesday afternoon from 1:30-2:00*
Grades 3, 4, and 5: Wednesday afternoon from 12:45-1:15*
Training will be provided by the ASD teacher, paraprofessionals, and the school social worker to develop the skills of fostering peer to peer friendships. This training will take place once a month and will begin 15 minutes prior to the scheduled Bridge Buddy group time.
If your student is interested in becoming part of the BRIDGE Buddy program, please fill out the sign-up form. Thank you for allowing your child to participate in this important program. Feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Sincerely,
Tamara Yaxley
ASD Teacher
tamara.yaxley@avondaleschools.org
Jacqueline Victor
ASD Paraprofessional
jacqueline.victor@avondaleschools.org
Raelynn Buczkowski
School Social Worker
Woodland Directory OPT OUT form
The Woodland PTO is compiling information for the 2020-2021 edition of the Woodland Student Directory. Included in the directory are student name & address, parent/guardian name, phone number and email. We hope to have this year's directory available very soon. Please remember that this directory is intended for personal phone calls and mailings, and is NOT to be circulated outside of your household. It is absolutely NOT to be used for any commercial purposes.
If you DO NOT wish for your child to be listed in the Woodland Student Directory, please click on the link below and submit. If you do not return this form to us by Tuesday, November 24th, your family WILL BE included in the directory. You DO NOT need to submit the form if you are okay with your child's information included in the directory.
Woodland Student Directory OPT OUT Form
Any questions or concerns can be directed to the Woodland office by phone at 248-537-6900, or email denise.scrase@avodaleschools.org or dawn.montano@avondaleschools.org.
Woodland Material Pick Ups
Friday, December 4th - 12:30pm-3:30pm
Wednesday, December 16th - 12:30pm-3:30pm
Teachers will be sending home materials to support classroom instruction. Ms. Green sends home the materials for student Art projects as well.
Please make sure all classroom library books and folders are returned to school ASAP.
If you are unable to pick up materials during the given times due to work, please call the Main Office and we will make arrangements.
Letters To Our Troops
The third graders and the Leadership Team at Woodland Elementary have teamed up to write letters to soldiers who are either deployed or will be alone for the holidays. They are also sending a small care package as well which will include trail mix, gum, candy, books (slightly used or new), word search books, pens, and stationery. The students are really excited to spread some love, kindness, and appreciation to each and every one of our troops for the holidays. The letters will be sent to a base in Eagle River, Alaska.
Help With Our Yearbook!
We need your help! With the school year starting off remotely (and now continuing remotely), we have no fun photos of our students to include in the 2020-2021 yearbook. We still want to have fun memories of this school year that include our amazing students! It would also be a great way to include pictures of your children if you were not able to attend Picture Day.
Below will be a google link for you to attach pictures of your children. There is a folder for each grade, Leadership, Girl Scouts, and Spirit Week. Please send any photos you have to these various folders. We can’t guarantee that we can use all the photos shared with us, but we will do our best to include as many as we can.
If you’re unable to attach your photo, please feel free to email a copy of the photo to Denise.Scrase@avondaleschools.org with your child's name and which grade or group you would like the picture to be added.
Here is the link to the folders, please place your photo in the proper folder.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p_yaTP_jnNDOajyLjyuUpD-H1gZ3oVUc?usp=sharing
Thank you for helping us create memories of this most unexpected school year.
Positivity Project (P2) #Other People Mindset
To access P2 for Families (password: P2), click here.
This week, we focused on Gratitude.
This means that you are aware of and thankful for good things that happen. Gratitude is the quality of feeling and expressing thankfulness and appreciation. It is an affirmation that there is goodness in other people and the world, and that we have received that goodness. People with the strength of gratitude have a readiness to show appreciation for kindness and also to return kindness. A leading expert, Robert Emmons, calls gratitude a “relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we’ve been supported and affirmed by other people.”
Gratitude is sometimes resisted, especially in more self-sufficient and independent cultures, due to not wanting to experience a sense of indebtedness. However, gratitude is less about feeling indebted and more about being aware of the consideration, kindness, and generosity of others. It’s also important to note that gratitude is not about ignoring the negative aspects of life; it’s simply being aware of and thankful for what is good.
Next week, we will focus again on Gratitude.
Happy Birthday!!
November 20: Alonso A.
November 22: Alivia C., Alexa D.
November 24: Sidh B.
November 25: Sarah D.
November 26: Arlea B., Lavaia P.
November 27: ArMani T., Mrs. Genslak
November 30: Muhammad K.
PTO Corner
Avondale High School News
ATC Fundraiser
Helping Our Avondale Community
Free or Reduced Lunch Program
Please see the UPDATED pick-up schedule below:
Blessings In A Backpack Program
Blessings in a Backpack provides simple meals at NO COST each week during the school year for families who need assistance. While Avondale Schools is conducting remote learning, meals will be disbursed in conjunction with the Chartwells Food Service Breakfast and Lunch distributions. (Watch for details about distribution dates, times, and locations). Sign up today!
Employment Opportunities
Avondale GATE Magnet School
COVID-19
Helpful Hints if Your Child's Teacher is Using Google Classroom and Seesaw
Staying Connected
Please see the the Woodland Elementary website and the Avondale School District website as resources for valuable information. We also post reminders and information on our Woodland Facebook Page. Please like us to stay connected with Woodland and the community.
Woodland Elementary School
Email: arryn.schneider@avondaleschools.org
Website: avondaleschools.org
Location: 6465 Livernois Road, Troy, MI, USA
Phone: 248-537-6900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WoodlandROARS/