The Avery Pulse
January 9th, 2022
Upcoming Dates
- January 17th - No School for MLK
- February 9th - Incoming Kindergarten Information Night (more details to come)
- February 14th - Valentine Parties (more details to come)
- February 18th - No School | Professional Development Day
- February 21st - No School for President's Day
A Note from Dr. Peterson and Dr. Winkler
It was absolutely wonderful seeing your families and children this first week back of 2022. As we continue to navigate the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, we ask for your partnership in ensuring your child has a mask on their face each day as well as reminders of frequent hand washing.
We understand these are challenging times to navigate as parents, and want to reassure you that while at Avery we are doing everything in on our control to follow the mitigation strategies in place and help your children thrive while in our care!
Our staff truly cares about the well being of your children. We are frequently reminded of how special the Avery community is. We thank you for the continued support.
Please reach out should you have any questions.
Thank you,
Hannah Peterson & Aaron Winkler
Mask Reminder
A Note from Nurse Vanessa Palmer, RN BSN
We appreciate the WHOLE Avery Elementary community coming together to help keep our school a safe and healthy learning environment. A few ways that parents and caregivers can help:
Please keep your student home if they are having any signs or symptoms of illness. Please see the attached Student Symptom Decision Tree for more guidance and to know when it’s safe for your student to return back to school.
If your student or anyone else in your household has a pending COVID-19 test or is planning to get tested, please keep all WGSD students home until your family has received a negative test result.
If your student has been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, please keep your student home and email the School Nurse to determine a return date for your student.
We do not accept home negative tests.
Allergy symptoms needs to be under control (asymptomatic). This allows for proper mask wearing at school and keeps everyone safe as allergy symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms are very similar. If allergy symptoms are symptomatic, we ask that you please work with your student’s Pediatrician on a better allergy management plan for home.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Vanessa Palmer RN BSN
Avery Elementary School Nurse
palmer.vanessa@wgmail.org
School 314-963-6425
Nurse 314-918-4202
Fax 314-963-6490
Quarantine Expectations
Information below is repeated from the previous Pulse.
The Webster Groves Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
The Webster Groves Parent Advisory Council (PAC) will meet on Thursday, January 13 at 6:00 pm over Zoom. Everyone is welcome! We will be joined by the Director of Special Education for WGSD, Shantay Wakefield, along with other SSD administrators who will give a brief presentation and answer questions. Zoom link: https://wustl.zoom.us/j/96063272230 (meeting ID 960 6327 2230). Please contact Rebecca O’Laughlin at rebeccamichellelinz@gmail.com with any questions.
The Webster Groves district PAC was formed by families who expect that children with disabilities and/or unique learning needs are educated effectively, afforded the dignity of belonging, and valued throughout all WGSD learning opportunities and experiences.
PAC representatives communicate regularly and directly with SSD and WG administrators about the needs and interests of students who have IEPs and 504 plans.
EFA Newsletter
Kindergarteners are learning to follow one or more origami algorithms with perseverance. Computer science is like origami. When something is hard we continue on. This was a challenge for some in the beginning but they continued moving forward and were able to create beautiful origami pieces. Way to persevere kindergarten!
1st graders have been working on building their collaboration skills using the coding mice. They had to decide in small groups how they were going to design their board along with creating a driver/navigator order. It was a challenge in the beginning but these awesome kiddos were able to work together to create a system that they all agreed upon. Go 1st grade!
Students in 2nd and 3rd grade are learning to be good digital citizens. They learn about being an ‘upstander’ by identifying and reporting inappropriate behavior. Also, students learn the implications of positive and negative digital footprints and that they never go away.
The goal for 4th and 5th grade students was to use code to create. Mission accomplished! Students enjoyed creating, sharing, and viewing each other’s basketball games, Star Wars games, Flappy Bird games, pieces of art and design, the ever-popular dance parties and more all created with computer programming. Ask your student to log into his or her code.org account and show you what they created with code.
Girls on the Run Coach Volunteers Needed!
Looking for volunteers who are interested in coaching a Girls on the Run Team this spring 2022! GOTR is for 3rd-5th graders.
Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. It is designed for girls of all abilities to recognize their strengths and grow confidence. At the end of the season, the girls compete in a 5K. There is also a community service project as part of the curriculum. You can find more information at Girls on the Run
Please reach out to Stephanie Toppins (toppins.stephanie@wgmail.org) for more information on volunteer responsibilities and your interest. Please respond before January 14, 2022.
PTO Trivia Night Survey
Equity in Action Committee Community Recognition
Counselor Corner
2021-2022 Buzz Book
PTO Fundraiser Information
- Mailed or dropped in the PTO Mailbox (located inside of Avery's Main Entrance) All checks should be made payable to Avery PTO
- Venmo: @averypto
- Paypal: pto.averyelementary@gmail.com
Arrival Reminders
Bompart Avenue
- Carpool drop-off only in front of school
- Parents to remain in vehicles with staff members assisting students
- No parking during arrival
- Staff members will supervise at the curb
Marshall Avenue
- Atrium entrance will be open for arrival for students dropped off on Marshall
- Staff members will supervise at the curb
Atalanta Avenue
- We strongly encourage families to travel only from Bompart towards Glen to alleviate congestion and increase safety
- No parking on sidewalks
- Staff members will supervise at the curb
Title I Program Parent and Family Involvement and Engagement
Please see the link below for Parent and Family Engagement Federal Programs:
https://dese.mo.gov/quality-schools/federal-programs/parent-family-engagement
Road Work Ahead
Please see the attachment for additional details.
Canvas Information
To stay connected with the learning in our classrooms, please create a Canvas Observer Account which is our district's learning management system. You will find attached three documents.
- Canvas Informational Letter
- Creating an Observer Account, Logging into Canvas, and Setting Notifications
- Student Accessing Canvas
If you have any questions please contact Tim Brown, Director of Student Assessment, Data and Learning Technologies at brown.tim@wgmail.org
Online Community Bulletin Board
Want to make a submission to The Avery Pulse?
To qualify for direct distribution to students and families, the
information must be:
- district-sponsored information
- something from a group affiliated* with the district.
- curriculum-related, as determined by the principal, including programs, events, contests and other activities.
*Affiliated is defined as a group recognized by the Board of Education and working
group created soley to work with district staff, students and parents
to raise fund for district activities (PTOs, booster clubs, the
Foundation)
Regarding signs, only signs for school or district groups (sponsored
or affiliated) can be placed on school grounds.
You can read the board policy here
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Policy/ViewPolicy.aspx?S=448&revid=6VcjbAkBf4Ls3Fs6CyIxFA==&ptid=amIgTZiB9plushNjl6WXhfiOQ==&secid=1QSfUuz8WRJ5slsh0xnyVwukQ==&PG=6&IRP=0
If you are a non-profit organization that doesn't qualify for direct distribution to students and families, you can contact Cathy Vespereny (vespereny.cathy@wgmail.org) who is our Director of Communication and she will ensure that your flyer is posted on the community electronic bulletin.
If your information fits the above criteria, you can make a submission to theaverypulse@gmail.com
Submissions are due on Thursdays at 5pm.
Avery Elementary
Location: 909 North Bompart Avenue, Webster Groves, MO, USA
Twitter: @avery_allstars