Woodfield Wire
September 24, 2023
Message from the Principal
Dear Woodfield parents and caregivers,
It is hard to believe that we have already completed four weeks of school! I have enjoyed getting to know you and your children. There is lots of learning happening in the building:
- 4th graders made solar ovens and then took them outside to collect data while they were making smores.
- Our instrumental music students are using their instruments and beginning to read music.
- We started composting during lunch - on the first day, a student looked into the green collection bin and commented, "That's a lot of wasted food."
- Our kindergarten students are getting to know each other, where everything is in the building, and they are working on classroom routines and expectations, they are doing GREAT!
- Our third graders are reading about animal adaptations, they were surprised to learn that camouflage means "disguise" in French!
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing your children talking with a partner about what they just read or heard, or seeing a student excitedly raise their hand to contribute or answer a question. I am proud of the work that is happening at Woodfield!
It was wonderful to see over 150 parents and caregivers at our Back to School Night! We want to continue to engage with you throughout the year. We are finalizing our plans for our Fall Open House, it will be held on November 10, details will be coming soon, please save the date!
Please email, call or stop by if you have any questions or concerns. Katherine_A_Schwartz@mcpsmd.org
Katherine Schwartz
Acting Principal
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, September 25
No School
Thursday, October 5
Interims available on ParentVUE
and mailed home to nonactivated
ParentVue households
Monday, October 9
No School
Here is the link for the MCPS calendar.
Our Vision
Woodfield is a community school where engaged students, supportive parents, and a dedicated staff work together to provide a safe, nurturing environment where all students achieve the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote lifelong learning.
Our Mission
The mission of Woodfield Elementary is to provide a nurturing environment that enables all student to experience success. We will prepare students for the future by:
- communicating high expectations for all students to become "College and Career Ready."
- sharing the responsibility for all students' learning.
- collaborating in the analysis of data to make informed decisions for instruction.
- recognizing our successes and accepting new challenges.
PEP Family Resiliency Program
FREE 8-week program for parents and caregivers to support your child’s mental wellness, resiliency, and success in school!
Here is more information.
MCPS has created a new guide to help students, teachers and families work together for students to reach specific academic standards, concepts and milestones. The Pathway to College, Career and Community Readiness helps measures student success, as well as to address any academic gaps so that students get the resources and supports they may need.
Interested in becoming an MCPS Volunteer? There are a few steps to complete before beginning your service as a volunteer in our schools.
Complete the mandatory online Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training. This training is required for any volunteer who regularly supports schools, chaperones a field trip, etc. and is available in multiple languages. When the course is completed, a report is created to serve as proof of satisfying the training requirement.
Proof of COVID vaccination is no longer required.
Fall Picture day is October 4th. We will be using Lifetouch photography! Look for the flyers to come home.
Personal Mobile Devices
Personal mobile devices (PMD) can include cell phones, smart watches, etc. Please consider these MCPS personal mobile device procedures when making the best decision for your children. To receive approval to bring a personal mobile device to school, please complete this document. You must have approval to bring a personal mobile device to school. In accordance with the Montgomery County Public Schools Student Code of conduct, elementary students cannot use or possess PMDs (e.g. smart watches, mobile phones, etc) during the student day. Any PMD must be turned off and kept out of sight during the student day.
Birthday Policy
As a reminder, families are not permitted to bring in food or organize parties for their child's birthday. Instead, we will continue to recognize students’ birthdays within our school by reading their names aloud during our Morning Announcements and providing a birthday book. Within classrooms, students' birthdays will be recognized and celebrated by a method agreed upon by the teachers within each of our grade level teams. Teachers will communicate this information to families. Examples may include the wearing of a birthday crown/sticker or having students read their favorite book (or excerpt) aloud to the class.
School Lunch
The Department of food and nutrition encourages all families to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application.
All meals are free for students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.
- MCPS cafeterias use a computerized Point of Sale (POS) system. Students use either an ID card with a specialized barcode or their student ID number to access their account at mealtime.
- A student's Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARM) status is always confidential.
- Students who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged that cost—students approved for reduced-price meals will eat for fee!
- Any student can make deposits into their account, either ahead of time, on My School Bucks, or by our online payment system (see below).
To learn more and apply for FARMs, click here.
MySchoolBucks instructions:
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- MySchoolBucks is an optional service for parents to view recent purchases and make prepayments to a student's school meals account for breakfast, lunch, and à-la-carte meals online, using a credit or debit card.
- Parents can manage their child's school meal payments by creating a secure online account, .
- You can submit a check, made payable to the school cafeteria, and give it to the cafeteria manager. The check funds will be placed on student accounts for immediate use and the checks will be deposited in the bank the same day.
- Email refund and balance-transfer requests to DFNSHelpDesk@mcpsmd.org.
Mental Health Resources
Always seek immediate help if a child engages in unsafe behavior or talks about wanting to hurt themselves or someone else. Refer to this list of local and national resources: Where To Get Help
It can be hard for families to tell the difference between challenging behaviors and emotions that are consistent with typical child development and those that are cause for concern. In general, if a child’s behavior persists for a few weeks or longer, causes distress for the child or the child’s family, and interferes with functioning at school, at home, or with friends, then consider seeking help.
Listed below are informational resources on a variety of mental health topics to help families and educators support student success.
- What is Mental Health? | Español
- Supporting Children’s Mental Health | Español
- What to Expect: Healthy Mental and Emotional Development
- Facts for Families: Early Childhood Mental Health
- Facts for Families: When to Seek Help
- Facts for Famlies: Well-being and Resiliency
- Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers
- The Road to Resilience | 10 Ways to Build Resilience
- Parents Guide to Getting Good Care
- Finding Culturally Proficient Mental Health Providers
- Therapy in Color
- ADHD | Español
- Anxiety | Español
- Autism
- Bipolar Disorder | Español
- Care for the Caregiver
- Child Abuse and Neglect
- Depression
- Divorce
- Eating Disorders
- E-Cigarettes
- Grief | Grief after a Traumatic Event | Helping Children Cope
- OCD
- Oppositional and Defiant Disorders
- Psychosis
- Self Injurious Behavior | Español
- Stress
- Substance Use | Español | Keeping Youth Drug Free
- Suicide | Start the Conversation | Support for Suicidal Thinking and Threats | Español
- Tourettes and Tics
- Trauma | Español | Adult Survivors of Trauma