The Monthly Mustang
The Official Newsletter for Wedgwood School Families
NOVEMBER 2020
Wedgwood's Problem Solvers Find 2,000,000 Solutions With First In Math
In the first two months of school, Wedgwood students in grades 1 through 5 have solved more than 2,000,000 problems using the First in Math online program!
This dedication to problem solving has made Wedgwood the #1 First In Math school in the state of New Jersey, and the #12 school in the entire nation!
First in Math was designed with focus, coherence and rigor as its cornerstones. Self-paced activities target mastery of procedural skills and fluencies that are essential for internalizing and demonstrating conceptual understanding in mathematics. Students earn virtual stickers for each problem solved correctly.
Every Wedgwood School student has a First in Math login and password to utilize at home. Students can go to www.firstinmath.com to play and earn stickers to compete for Player of the Day.
Teacher of the Year Nominations
In addition, nomination forms for the 2020-2021 Educational Services Professional of The Year are available here. This award recognizes those adults who impact students outside of the classroom setting, including instructional media specialists, nurses, counselors, speech-language therapists, etc.
All forms must be completed and returned by Friday, December 4, 2020.
Picture Day Dates
- Cohorts A & C - Monday, December 7 during school
- Cohort B - Friday, December 11 during school
- Cohort D - Monday, December 7 from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Retakes will take place on January 11 & 15, 2021. More information will be released prior to our Picture Days.
Coronavirus Health & Safety Reminders
With cold and flu season upon us, and an increase in cases of COVID-19 cases within our community, it is important to remember the COVID Pledge that all Wedgwood Families were asked to sign prior to the start of the school year. It is critical that all students are checked for the following symptoms every day before school:
Please keep your child home from school if he or she is experiencing TWO or MORE of the following...
- Fever greater than 100
- Chills
- Shivers
- Muscle aches
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Congestion/Runny nose
OR at least ONE of the following...
- Cough
- Shortness of Breath
- Difficulty Breathing
- New loss of smell
- New loss of taste
In addition to staying home if your child is exhibiting the symptoms described above, please notify our Wedgwood Health Office at (856) 227-8110; press 2 when prompted.
Close Contacts and Potential Exposures
Please notify our Wedgwood Health Office is your child had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of at least 15 minutes) within the past 14 days with a person with confirmed COVID-19. Likewise, please notify our Health Office if someone in the household is diagnosed with COVID-19.
Travel Advisory
If you and your family are planning on traveling, please continue to adhere to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommended safety guidelines, such as wearing a mask, frequent handwashing, social distancing, etc. If you are travelling to an area on New Jersey's Travel Advisory List, please consider the State of New Jersey's recommendation to quarantine your family for 14 calendar days upon your return. If you do so, please notify our Health Office. For more information regarding our travel advisory recommendations, please see Superintendent Bollendorf's recent letter to Washington Township Families.
Looking Ahead
In November, our calendar features a number of dates to note. School is closed for staff and students on Wednesday, November 11 for Veterans Day. We have three fully remote days on November 23-25 prior to our closure for Thanksgiving Break on November 26-27.
Additional Reminders
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
Free and reduced breakfast and lunch are available for those who qualify. Click here for more information about the program and to download the 2020-2021 application.
Signing Students In Late/Out Early
All students being signed in/out of school must be accompanied by an authorized adult. After being buzzed into the building, the parent/guardian will remain in the vestibule, asked to present ID, and will sign out the student out without entering the main lobby. Please know that students who arrive tardy or leave early for in person instruction may be marked absent for the day as the schedule is already abbreviated. We ask that families make every effort to arrive and leave Wedgwood on time.
If your student is planning on attending in person instruction days, please be sure to send them to school with their fully charged district-issued device so that they may participate in all of the day's lessons.
Families in need of tech support during remote learning are asked to submit their request, including your child's name, PIN/ID number (if available), and a description of the issue to studenthelp@wtps.org.
Parent Resources
- Learning from home is definitely different than learning at school. It requires students, families, and teachers to work together like never before in order to overcome challenges and make instruction happen. Check out these helpful tips for establishing virtual meeting etiquette with your children at home.
- Here is a one-stop shop for information about how to support your student's use of programs like Schoology, ClassLink, Seesaw, FlipGrid, and PowerSchool! Be sure to bookmark this EdTech Resource Guide For Parents
- Remote Wednesdays are one of the key features of our Hybrid Schedule. Click here to learn more about how all of our students will learn on Wednesdays this school year.
- Looking for a quick reference to help plan for holidays and confirm which days students are in person versus remote? Our WTPS Cohort Calendar for the 2020-2021 school year (pictured below) is a great resource for families. Here's a link for a printable PDF copy.
PTO Update
VIRTUAL PTO MEETING
Our Wedgwood PTO will hold a virtual meeting on Monday, November 16, at 7:00 p.m. If you wish to attend, please click this link at that time to join our meeting.
DINE AND DONATE AT CHIPOTLE
Wedgwood PTO is hosting a Dine and Donate Night at Chipotle on Egg Harbor Road in Sewell! Stop by any time between 4:00-8:00 p.m., on December 03, 2020, and tell them you're there to support Wedgwood! All proceeds benefit our students!
HOLIDAY FUNDRAISER AT AR WORKSHOP
Just in time for the holidays, our friends at AR Workshop are selling easy and fun DIY kits for all ages to enjoy at home! These fancy holiday-themed projects include all materials and instructions with every kit! A percentage of your order will be donated to Wedgwood PTO!
For more information, click here: https://www.arworkshop.com/event/?loc=turnersville&ev=201201
JOIN OUR WEDGWOOD PTO
Our Wedgwood PTO would like to welcome back all returning Wedgwood families and extend a warm greeting to those who are joining us for the first time. The Wedgwood PTO is an organization made up of parents, teachers and administrators who work together to enhance the learning environment at Wedgwood School.
This year may be starting out differently, but you can help make it special for the kids by contributing to our annual membership drive. For just $5.00 per family you can become members of our PTO and help us provide our students and staff with the resources we need for a successful school year. Please return our PTO Membership form along with cash, check, or Venmo payment by November 13, 2020. For more information, please see the Membership Form, linked below.
Click here to access the 2020-2021 PTO Membership Form.
WEDGWOOD PTO REMIND
Due to changes with the Remind system, we must archive our old Remind account from which we used to send text message reminders. We are now limited in how many people we can have in a group, and therefore we must create individual grade level groups. You will need to sign up for your child’s individual grade level group. School-wide PTO messages will go out to all groups.
It is important to note that the old Remind account will be archived soon so please sign up for the new accounts as soon as possible.
If your child is attending Wedgwood this year, please identify his/her grade level for 2020-2021 and sign up for that specific group. If you have children in multiple grade levels, feel free to sign up for each group. The information is as follows:
- Send a text to the number 81010.
- In the body of the text message, type the following information (PLEASE BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CORRECT GRADE LEVEL FOR 2020-2021!):
- Grade 1 - @wedgpt
- Grade 2 - @wedgpto2
- Grade 3 - @wedgpto3
- Grade 4 - @wedgpto4
- Grade 5 - @wedgpto5
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Please review the following information regarding Wedgwood School's arrival and dismissal procedures. For the safety of all, it is critical that both students and families practice social distancing during arrival and dismissal at Wedgwood.
Walking Students
- Walking students are to arrive at the school not earlier than 9:20 AM
- The dismissal of walkers will be staggered in the afternoon. Students whose last name begins with letters A-L will be dismissed at 1:20 p.m. Students whose last name begins with M-Z will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m. This includes those who will be picked up by a parent/guardian.
- 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 be staggered in the afternoon. Students whose last name begins with letters A-L will be dismissed at 1:20 p.m. Students whose last name begins with M-Z will be dismissed at 1:25 p.m.
- 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. Parents who are picking students up must their child’s teacher and the main office prior to the start of that school day.
- Parents must personally sign their child out of school.
- 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.
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