News from the Nest
September 5, 2022
Important Dates
Please mark your calendars for these important dates coming up.
- September 19-23 - Spirit Week (North Buncombe Homecoming Week)
- September 19 - Health Fair
- September 20 - Weaverwood Auditions (see interest form below) - 3rd & 4th Grade Only
- September 23 - Volunteer Training 8:15 am at Weaverville Elementary School
- September 23 - Homecoming Parade - Weaverville Mainstreet
- September 26-30 - Bus Ridership Count (see letter below)
- September 28 - Chorus Auditions 2:45 - 3:30 pm
- September 29 - 2 hour Early Dismissal Day & Fun Run Kick-off
- October 4 - Fall Picture Day
- October 4 - Volunteer Training 1:30 pm at Weaverville Primary School
- October 7 - Fun Run
- October 31 - 2 hour Early Dismissal Day
A Note from Mrs. Nichols
Weaverville Elementary Families,
We loved getting to see so many of our families at Open House! I hope you enjoyed some time in your child's classroom and seeing what they're learning and doing. One of the most important topics of the night was our need for families to complete the lunch application. Even if your child brings their own lunch, completing the lunch application allows us to continue to receive federal funding that our school relies on. All Weaverville Elementary students benefit from this funding. Don't forget to return the compacts given out at Open House. If you weren't able to make it, these were sent home with your child.
As I prepare our newsletter with dates for the next few weeks, I realize how busy our Fall is looking! One of the biggest events of the school year - Fun Run - is coming up in the next two weeks. Mark your calendar for our LAUNCH date (September 29th) and our actual Fun Run event at WPS (October 7th). This PTO event is not only a fantastic fundraiser, but it's also a super fun day for ALL of our students!
This week is spirit week and NBHS Homecoming, so please note the spirit days flyer below. The North Buncombe High Homecoming parade is this Friday and will go from North Buncombe Middle School, starting at 3:45pm, and end at Weaverville Elementary.
Have a great week!
-Mrs. Nichols
Find all previous newsletters here.
Weaverville Elementary Chorus Auditions
Calling all 3rd and 4th Graders! We will hold our CHORUS Auditions on Wednesday, September 28th from 2:45 - 3:30 in the music room. Audition Permission Forms will be sent home within the next week - please read and sign the form, and return by September 26th to qualify for auditions. Students should plan to sing a short song (examples: Jingle Bells, Twinkle Twinkle etc. as long as the song/lyrics are appropriate - the simpler the better!). Students will sing for Mrs. Dauphinais and Mrs. Benfield only.
Please contact Mrs. Dauphinais [ maegan.dauphinais@bcsemail.org ] with any questions. Hope to see you there!
Picture Day October 4th
4th Grade Baby Pictures for Yearbook
Parents and Caregivers of 4th Grade Students,
It's already time for our school yearbook team to start working on the 22-23 yearbook! Every year we have several pages of yearbook devoted to fourth-grade students' baby photos. It's always so much fun for students and staff to guess who each student is!
If you would like your child to be included in this part of the yearbook, please email a BABY photo of your child to Karen Adair, WvES staff member. Her email is karen.adair@bcsemail.org.
If you are not able to scan or upload a photo for us, please let us know and we can do this for you in our front office. Go ahead and start searching for that favorite baby photo to send to us!
The deadline for accepting photos will be October 30th.
Joining Your Child for Lunch
We will begin allowing parents to join their child for lunch starting the last week of September (week of September 26th). We wanted to give our students and teachers time to get settled in their routines.
- Please always schedule ahead of time with your child's teacher. This is important as some days schedules are different or there are other activities that make having visitors more challenging.
- Please plan to sit with your child's class in the cafeteria.
Here is the section from our Student & Parent Handbook about visiting for lunch:
Parents are invited to eat with their child in the cafeteria; however, as a courtesy to other students, we ask that you do not bring outside food such as fast food and/or sodas into the school cafeteria. Parents should arrive at school in time to get a visitor’s pass and report to the lunchroom hallway five minutes before the scheduled lunch time. Please always let the teacher know ahead of time if you plan to eat with your child.
Parents are invited to have lunch with their child at the end of September. Please wait for an announcement from the principal that parents/family can come to school to have lunch with their child.
Due to possible COVID precautions, WvES might modify these protocols for eating lunch with your child at school.
Bus Ridership Week
Dear Parents:
Approximately 750,000 students ride more than 14,000 school buses each school day in North Carolina. State funding for pupil transportation in each school district is determined by three factors: number of school buses operated, total expenditures, and number of students riding. The number of students riding is determined by an actual count taken in September each school year.
The student ridership count this year will be taken the week of September 26-30, 2022.
Funding from the state is based on the number of students that we transport daily. It is important for us to operate as efficiently as possible to work with current funding and bus allotments. If your child is going to ride a school bus to and/or from school anytime this school year, it is very important that he/she ride as many days as possible during the week of the count. Changes in service (e.g., combined routes, double runs, and a reduction in the number of buses operated) may be required if ridership and/or state funding is insufficient to justify our current service schedule.
I encourage you to let your child ride a school bus. The school bus is a safe form of transportation to and from school. It is our goal in the transportation department to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transportation service to our state’s most valuable resource (OUR STUDENTS).
Sincerely,
Jeremy Stowe
Director of Transportation
Buncombe County Schools
Reminders
Weaverwood Announcement
Auditions: September 20th
WHEN? Tuesday, September 20th, 2:30 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
WHERE? The Media Center, Weaverville Elementary School
Come ready to show us your acting skills! Students will be given short written pieces to read aloud.
The club will work together to make a short film written by Mr. Martin. The film will be shown to the school and will be posted online on our school website, facebook page, and the Mister Martin youtube channel (without the scrolling name credits at the end). We also plan to submit the finished film to local film festivals!
We will be choosing 16 students based on acting skills, leadership qualities, and good behavior. This club is only for 3rd and 4th grade students. Auditioning does not mean students will get a spot in the club. Former drama club members are not permitted to audition this year. If your child is selected to be in the club, they will receive an acceptance letter by Friday, September 23rd.
The Film and Drama club will meet on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 3:30. Please only audition if you are able to attend our Tuesday meetings regularly.
This form must be completed and returned to school before students are allowed to audition. The last day to turn in this form is Monday, September 19th. (form is attached to this newsletter right under the title to this section.)
Ongoing Reminders
- Free/Reduced Lunch Application: www.lunchapplication.com
- Please do not check your child out between 1:55-2:55 so that we can have a safe and calm dismissal for students each day.
- Please always let us know in writing if there is a transportation change for your child.
- Please let us know by 1:00 pm if you are changing your child's regular dismissal procedure.
Multiple Visitors Policy
Reminder
We are asking for your assistance in keeping our schools safe. As you know, our schools are usually bustling with activity such as visitors dropping by for various reasons. As a reminder, here are our guidelines when multiple people are arriving at the same time.
If you have buzzed in and are being screened and you notice another visitor is arriving, please don’t hold the door and allow anyone in without being screened first.
If the other visitor is 15 feet or less from the door, please buzz in and be screened together. If the visitor is more than 15 feet from the door, please buzz in and ensure the door is closed completely after you enter.
We certainly want to encourage politeness and our visitors understand that it is unsafe to hold doors and allow visitors in without being verified by front office staff first. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Important Links for Parents/Caregivers
Parent Advisory Council
Contact Weaverville Elementary School
Phone: 828-645-3127
Address: 129 South Main St., Weaverville, NC 28787
Email:
Mary Nichols - Principal (Mary.nichols@bcsemail.org)
*Please email both office staff if you have a dismissal change.
Dawn Flanigan-Bryson - Data Manager (dawn.flanigan-bryson@bcsemail.org)
- attendance
- student information/records
- immunizations
- enrollment
Ashley Mendoza - Head Secretary (Ashley.mendoza@bcsemail.org)
- general inquiries
- money questions related to school
- bus questions
COVID Updated Protocols
If a student tests positive for COVID (at home or at a healthcare provider), they would isolate for 5 days from when their symptoms began. We will recognize the guidelines established by the CDC and NCDHHS regarding the use of a face covering to be worn for days 6-10 upon return to school.
Our normal exclusionary symptoms of fever, diarrhea, and vomiting are in effect. If a student has a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting, they must remain at home until symptoms are resolved for 24 hours.
Hand hygiene, enhanced cleaning protocols, and improved ventilation are all still priorities and important mitigating strategies.
Face coverings remain optional, to be worn by anyone at anytime.
Physical distancing such as 3 ft or 6 ft apart is no longer required.
Contact tracing is not required.
Following the guidelines established by the CDC and NCDHHS, MAHEC will not be providing rapid antigen testing in our schools. Staff and families may order at home tests for free via this link: https://www.covid.gov/tests.
MAHEC will send home further guidance regarding when students need to stay home due to an illness.
For students where an absence is Covid related please indicate this in your parent or health provider's note.
Students/teachers will follow the same guidelines for makeup work as they would for any other illness or injury.