The Puma Pride
Week of December 31, 2018
Pictures from December
Family Reading and Writing Ideas for the Winter Holidays
Winter break means a well-deserved reprieve from homework and daily obligations. But before you know it, the holidays will be over and it will be back to the bus stop. To prepare for a smooth re-entry and a successful second semester, don't let school skills like reading, writing, and math slide completely during winter vacation. Try these family-friendly activities to keep skills sharp:
Read for pleasure. Whether your child is in the mood for holiday stories like The Night Before Christmas or the newest installment from his favorite series, winter break provides the perfect opportunity to stash schoolbooks and read for fun. Encourage relatives to give books as holiday gifts or gather in front of the fire (big kids too!) to take turns reading from classic tales.
Cook up an easy lesson. Invite your child into the kitchen to help you whip up a special dish — from Christmas cookies to potato pancakes. All of those half-tablespoon and quarter-cup measurements are great practice with fractions.
Write thank-you notes. Penning notes of appreciation to gift-givers teaches gratitude and helps polish writing and spelling skills. One final tip: a mug of hot cocoa can make this task feel more festive!
Make the most of car rides. Turn the drive to or from a holiday get-together into an opportunity to practice letters and numbers. You can look for license plates from different states, try to find the alphabet on the license plates, or count the number of red (or white or green) cars you see.
Maintain reasonable bedtimes. With no school to get up for in the morning, it can be tempting to let kids become night owls. A few days before school starts up again, ease back into the regular bedtime schedule so your child can start the year bright-eyed.
Have a family game night. Chances are many of your family's favorite board and card games reinforce skills such as counting, reading, and drawing. Gather the group to play games you usually don't have time for on school nights.
Below are some great electronic sites or apps that will reinforce what’s being instructed on in school. Your child’s teacher can supply you with passwords for any site that requires a login and password and he/she can’t remember!
- Khan Academy www.khanacademy.org
- Lexia www.lexiacore5.com
- RAZ kids (for K-2) www.kidsa-z.com (see teacher for log in information)
- ST Math (‘Gigi’) (for K-1) www.stmath.com
- Epic www.getepic.com
- Starfall www.starfall.com
- ABCya www.abcya.com
Service Project Opportunity, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for all Willow Dale students & families
Between now and January 21, 2019, our school will be holding our annual used children’s clothing and equipment drive for:
Cradles to Crayons
Cradles to Crayons is a local organization that provides, free of charge, the basic essentials that low-income and homeless children need to be safe, warm, valued, and ready to learn.
Here’s how you and your whole family can help:
Bring in gently used or new items (see list);
Come to WDES on Monday, 1/21/19, 9 – 12 noon, to sort and bag all the donations; and/or
Volunteer to drive to the C2C local site to drop off our school’s donations that same day.
We need to know who can help on MLK Day, (all children must be accompanied by an adult), and who is willing to drive to the drop-off site. If you would like to volunteer for either or both, please let Mrs. Kerber know at: kerbha@centennialsd.org.
Sponsored by Willow Dale’s No Place for Hate Committee.
Cold Weather Guidelines for Recess
Below 60 degrees—Jacket or long sleeves
Below 50 degrees—Coat and long pants
Below 32 degrees—Gloves and hats to go outside
Below 20 degrees—Shortened recess (5-10 minutes)
Below 10 degrees—Indoor recess
All temperatures represent the “feels like” number
*If you you are in need of coats, hats, gloves- Contact the School Counselors:
Ms. Hopkins: hopkle@centennialsd.org
Ms. O'Brien: obride@centennialsd.org
A Message from the School Nurse
Cold and Flu Season
We are entering cold and flu season! The best prevention against
illness is of course vaccination so don't forget your yearly flu shot!
The flu vaccine is also available as a nasal mist for some patients.
The best way to prevent the spread of germs is, of course, hand
washing. Stress the importance of this to your children in order to
keep them healthy and able to learn! Make it fun for them and sing
songs to make sure they are doing a good job!
The Willow Dale Nurse’s office does not keep cold and cough medicine in stock. If your child requires over the counter medicine, we advise they take it prior to the school day. Please be careful when administering any medication that may make your child drowsy.
If your child is having any fever or vomiting, they should stay home
until symptom-free for 24 hours. We are trying to keep all of our
students happy and healthy during this time of year!
If you have any medical questions, please contact Mrs. White - whitde@centennialsd.org or 215-441-6093.
All Schools Open - Day 1
Wednesday, Jan 2, 2019, 08:45 AM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
Home and School Meeting
Monday, Jan 7, 2019, 06:15 PM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
Candy Bar Bingo
Friday, Jan 18, 2019, 06:30 PM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
ALL SCHOOLS AND OFFICES CLOSED
Monday, Jan 21, 2019, 08:45 AM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
Cradles to Crayons - Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Monday, Jan 21, 2019, 09:00 AM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
Spelling Bee
Thursday, Jan 24, 2019, 01:30 PM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
Crazy Hair Day
Friday, Jan 25, 2019, 08:45 AM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
All Schools Closed - Teacher In-Service Day
Wednesday, Jan 30, 2019, 08:45 AM
Willow Dale Elementary School, North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
January Rotation Calendar
Willow Dale Elementary School
#Puma Pride
Email: perkca@centennialsd.org
Website: https://www.centennialsd.org/Domain/692
Location: 720 North Norristown Road, Warminster, PA, USA
Phone: 215-441-6093
Twitter: @Willow_Dale_ES