Woodridge in February
Throw kindness around like confetti
Portage Community School District Goals
District Curriculum Goal: Each student will make at least one year of growth in each curriculum area.
District Behavior Goal: As a school community, we will increase behaviors that promote learning and respectful interactions.
District Professional Development Goal: We will provide Professional Development for staff that increases learning for all students.
Mrs. Thistle's Thoughts...
Greetings!
The staff at Woodridge are finishing up winter assessments. These assessments help us to guide the instruction in the classroom. It is so important for us to partner with you at home. Research shows that the more books students read, and then re-read the more quickly they will gain the necessary literacy skills.
This year we decided to bring back our “Woodridge Reads,” contest from last year. The contest will run throughout the rest of the school year. Beginning in February, every time your child reads a book at home, they can write their name on the back of the movie tickets that we will provide. Then the tickets can be sent into school and collected in the Woodridge office. At the end of each month, two tickets will be selected and those students will win a free adult and child’s admission to the Portage Theater. The more books that students read at home, the more chances they have to win.
In addition to our contest, we sent out a form titled “Woodridge Reads,” with the report card. This is where you can request that we send home- alphabet letters, sound cards, sight words or A-Z guided reading leveled paper books for your child that they can keep at home. Please feel free to send those forms in at any time and we will send the materials home as they become available.
Have a great month and thank you for helping us to celebrate reading!
All the best,
Salina Thistle
Principal at Woodridge and Endeavor
PCSD 4k Coordinator
Mark Your Calendars
14th: PBIS Fun Day
21st: Assembly
24th: No school for students / staff In-service
School Spirit Fridays!
Office Notes
Reporting an Absence
Change in Transportation
Please send a note with your child in their folder, or call before 2:45 p.m. if there is a change in the way they normally go home.
Music Notes
The First graders have been learning to play xylophones using two mallets. This is a great activity because they work together as partners. One student plays and the other one watches and helps them if they need help. They have been working hard learning to keep a steady beat this year and now they will learn what our beat is called and how it looks in notation. They continue to explore the range of their voices to help them find their singing voices.
The Kindergarteners are using their imagination and moving around the music room imagining it is filled with honey, or jello, or ice. They continue to work on moving to the beat using scarves, or their bodies. They also will be learning about different instruments of the orchestra as we listen to the story of Peter and the Wolf.
Email: yerkeb@portage.k12.wi.us
Reading Activity Story, Snacks and Snuggles
Story: If I Ran for President
Snack: President’s Day Cookie
Snuggles: Grab a blanket and curl up with your child, enjoy a story and make memories
Use a vanilla wafer for the face.
Use mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips for the beard and hair.
Take a hershey bar and make a hat.
From the Nurses Station
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, Prevention each and every day.
Everyone in the family needs to have a daily plan to prevent tooth decay. Teeth play an important role to:
Chew food we eat
Say sounds and words correctly
Hold a place for adult teeth
Give the face a nice shape
Daily activities for everyone should include:
· Brushing teeth twice a day for two minutes with fluoridated toothpaste
· Flossing between the teeth once a day
· Eating nutritious foods and limiting sweetened foods and beverages
· Drinking water
· Protecting teeth from harm by using a mouthguard during activities
Email: summertonk@portage.k12.wi.us
Phone: 608-742-2165
Counselors Corner
Beginning in February, in kindergarten and first grade classroom counseling lessons, we will be learning about the Zones of Regulation. This is a continuation of Zones lessons for the first grade. If you hear your child talk about what zone they are in, or “being in the blue/green/yellow/red zone” they are talking about how they are learning to identify their feelings and self regulate. Below is a brief explanation of what the Zones of Regulation are about. If you find your child, taking deep breaths, getting a drink of water, or counting to 10, they just might be using one of the tools to help regulate
their brain and body.
Zones of Regulation Information for Parents
Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. -Charles Swindoll
A little bit about Self Regulation and the Zones of Regulation from the website describing it in more detail. Self-regulation is something everyone continually works on, whether we are cognizant of it or not. We all encounter trying circumstances that test our limits from time to time. If we are able to recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to feel better and get ourselves to a better place. This comes naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced. This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation (or Zones for short).
What are The Zones of Regulation?
The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavior approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete zones. The Zones curriculum provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of, and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone.
The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, one has some control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.
The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. This is the zone where optimal learning occurs.
The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings, such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.
The Zones can be compared to traffic signs. When given a green light or in the Green Zone, one is “good to go”. A yellow sign means be aware or take caution, which applies to the Yellow Zone. A red light or stop sign means stop, and when one is the Red Zone, this often is the case. The Blue Zone can be compared to the rest area signs where one goes to rest or re-energize. All of the zones are expected at one time or another, but the curriculum focuses on teaching students how to manage their Zone based on the environment and people around them. For example, when playing on the playground or in an active/competitive game, no one would think twice about one being in the Yellow Zone but that would not be the same in the library.
Email: brownd@portage.k12.wi.us
Snack Pack Program
The Portage Weekend Snack Pack Program, a Portage Child Hunger Committee project, provides a weekend supply of nutritious food for children when school lunch and breakfast is unavailable on a weekend. Each food bag will contain some food for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, for each weekend for your child(ren). All food is nonperishable and provided to children free of charge. It is our hope these resources will support the health, behavior, and achievement of every student that participates. All children are eligible for this program. The program is run completely by wonderful volunteers who help pack the food bags, shop, recruit etc. The program is funded through the generous gifts from The Rotary Club of Portage, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Portage, Columbia County UW-Extension and the community at large. Please note, that the program is always looking for more sponsors and volunteers! We look forward to working with staff, teachers, and you for your children!
For more information or questions, please contact Caitlin Richardson, Columbia County UW-Extension FoodWIse Coordinator at 608-742-9693. To sign up for the program, please contact John Muir Elementary front office at 608-742-5531 or Woodridge Elementary front office at 608-742-3494.
Wellness
The Portage Community School District believes that nutrition and physical activity influence a child’s development, well-being, and readiness to learn. The District will promote healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular physical activity as a part of the total learning environment. The District supports a healthy environment where students and staff members learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. By facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity, our schools contribute to the basic health status of students and staff. Improved health optimizes student performance potential and contributes to the success of all students.
Classrooms/School and Celebrations:
Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will meet the District Nutrition Standards (Healthy Snacks for Children).
During occasional celebrations (i.e. birthdays, holidays) items that do not meet the District Nutrition Standards may be acceptable for student consumption within moderation. However, the District will encourage a healthy snack item to be offered in conjunction with other offerings.
Strong consideration should be given to nonfood items (see Non-Food Rewards for Children Guide) as part of any Teacher-to-Student Incentive programs. If a teacher feels compelled to utilize food items as an incentive, they are encouraged to adhere to the District Nutritional Standards.
The School District is concerned with the dietary and lifestyle practices of its staff, as well as its students. In order to promote wellness among its staff, the district will continue to provide opportunities for staff to become physically active. Staff is also encouraged to model ideal behavior for students by making food and beverage choices that align with the District Nutrition Standards outlined in this policy.
The Board Policy 537 is the official wellness policy of our school district.
Resources available for you...
Columbia County Health and Human Services
111 E. MULLETT STREET,
PORTAGE, WI, 53901
608-742-9227
- ADOPTION SERVICES
- AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
- CHILD CARE PROVIDERS
- COUNSELING
- CRISIS PROGRAMS
- DENTAL–FREE OR LOW COST SERVICES
- DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
- FAMILY RESOURCES AND SERVICES
- FOOD PANTRIES
- GOVERNMENT OFFICES
- HEALTH CARE-FREE OR LOW COST SERVICES
- HEALTH CARE-GENERAL
- HOUSING
- LEGAL SERVICES
- LIBRARIES
- PARENTING EDUCATION AND SUPPORT
- PEER SUPPORT SERVICES
- PREGNANCY RESOURCES
- RECREATION
- SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS
- SEXUAL ASSAULT
- SOBER LIVING
- SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCES
- THRIFT STORES/RESALE STORES
- TRANSPORTATION
- UTILITIES
- VETERANS
Go to this link to learn more:
http://www.co.columbia.wi.us/columbiacounty/Portals/7/Resource%20Guide.pdf?ver=2019-04-10-153102-620