Washington Elementary
Boyertown Area School District - Home of the Bears
Washington Elementary School News - January , 2024- Mrs. Lisa DeRenzo, Principal
Calendar of Events
JANUARY
1 ......... Winter Break - District Closed
12 ......... Early Dismissal -K/12 - Professional Learning Day 1/2 PM
15 ......... Martin Luther King ay - Schools Closed/Offices Open
27 ......... Washington Elementary School Night at the Phantoms
Visit the calendar on our website for additional district events.
Early Dismissal Reminders/School Closed
School is closed on January 1, 2024
Early dismissal will be on January 12, 2024
Grades 1-5 will be dismissed at 12:25 pm.
Kindergarten dismissal is as follows:
PM 10:35-12:25 pm
It's Winter - Recess
Students go outside for recess unless the outside temperature/wind chill factor is 18° fahrenheit or below (real feel), or it is precipitating. It is most important that all students dress warmly so that they will be comfortable when they are outdoors. This includes having students bring coats, mittens, and hats. Please send warm clothing with your child for outdoor recess. Thank you.
Do you have a few hours each day to join us at WES?
We are in need of lunch/recess aides. Please email Mrs. DeRenzo (lderenzo@boyertownasd.org) if you are interested in working a few hours (10:45 – 2:15) each day supporting our kids.
Science Explorers After School Science Club
Tuesday Afternoons - 3:45-4:45 - Grades 1-5
Invention Lab - January 16, 23, 30, February 6
Blinded By the Light - February 13, 20, 27, March 5
Anatomy Academy - March 19, 26, April 2, 9
Earth's Mysteries - April 23, 30, May 7, 14
See PDF below for more information
NEWS FROM THE NURSE’S DESK January 2024
As we enter the winter months, here are some reminders to keep your children healthy during the cold & flu season. For additional insight, please review Flu Information for Parents | CDC .
Wash Your Hands! Teach your children the importance of covering their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze. This helps to keep germs from spreading. Frequent handwashing with soap and water is vitally important.
Get Active! Kids should get regular, moderate exercise to boost their immune systems. Studies have shown that being active can help reduce cold and flu episodes. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities that kids can enjoy during the winter months.
Get plenty of sleep! Children need between 9 and 14 hours of sleep a night depending on their age. Sleep deprivation can weaken the immune system and increase the risk of your child getting sick.
Eat a well-balanced diet! Provide meals with plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables to help boost your child’s immune system. Look for foods rich in Vitamins C and D, and avoid foods high in additives, preservatives and sugars.
Decrease stress! Elevated stress hormones can lead to decreased immunity. Give kids plenty of down time to rest and set aside quiet time for creative play. This can help to lower their stress levels and prevent them from getting sick.
Avoid sharing germs! Sharing is good for kids, but many commonly shared items can be breeding grounds for germs. Teach children to never share straws or drinks, hats and scarves, or anything that comes in contact with their mouth or face.
When kids do get sick, it’s important for parents to keep them home and take steps to prevent germs from spreading to others. If you’re unsure whether an illness requires a doctor’s visit or not, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
Wipe and Clean Frequently Touched Surfaces! Studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for up to 48 hours after landing on a surface. Germs often grow on multiple surfaces such as doorknobs, toys, handrails and countertops. Regularly sanitize often-touched surfaces using anti-bacterial cleaners.
Keep Your Child Home When They Are Sick! Does your child have a fever (100.4° F or higher)? Do they have a questionable rash? Are they acting unusual today? If the answer is “yes,” it is probably best to contact your pediatrician and consider keeping your child home from school. Make sure they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medications before returning to school.
Other Reminders
❖ Please send your child to school with weather-appropriate outdoor gear. Students will be outside for recess as long as the weather will allow!
❖ Please send your child to school each day with a refillable water bottle.
❖ Please encourage your child to apply chapstick and lotion at home to prevent dry, cracked and irritated skin. They may bring their own chapstick to school.
❖ If your child is new to the school, in kindergarten, or third grade, we need documentation of a dental exam. If your child is new to the school or in kindergarten, we need up-to-date immunization records and documentation of a physical exam.
We hope everyone enjoyed their winter break and is rested and ready to welcome in 2024!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the health room nurses.
Phone (610) 473-1970 Fax 610-754-8301
Desirée Wilson, BSN RN CSN Cathy Hackman, BSN RN
A Message from Your School Counselor, Mrs. Oxenford - January 2024
Happy New Year! Now more than ever we need more kindness in our world. This year The Great Kindness Challenge will take place on January 22 –January 26, 2024.
About: The Great Kindness Challenge is a positive and uplifting program that creates a culture of kindness in schools, communities, and the world. Using a 50-item checklist, schools and families are challenged to complete as many acts of kindness as possible.
How: It’s easy! Families sign up online, download, and print the kindness checklist or use an interactive Great Kindness Challenge app. Guided by the kindness checklist, families have fun and show the world that KINDNESS MATTERS!
Who: For everyone, everywhere.
When: The Family Edition is year-round. The School Edition is an annual one-week challenge during the last week of January.
Share: Inspire others with your kindness by posting your photos online and including the hashtag, #GKCfamily. You can also upload your content directly through the Family Edition website page.
Let’s create a kinder world! Take a week, a month or a year. Have fun and complete as many acts of kindness as you can. Your family has the power to change the world!
Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the
second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.
Henry James
Source: www.greatkindnesschallenge.org
PTO News - January, 2024
- Upcoming Meetings
Important Dates: January 11, 2024, February 29, 2024
Meetings will be held in person at 7:00pm in the faculty lounge.
Zoon links will be posted on www.PTOofWES.org
- Holiday Shop
Purse Bingo
Purse Bingo is March 9, 2024. Tickets are now on sale. There are a limited number of tickets available, get yours before they sell out! PTO is also taking donations for the basket raffle that will be held during purse bingo. Please click the sign up genius for more information and to sign up to donate!
Purse bingo tickets:
https://www.statestreetbingo.com/event/4754
Basket donation sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FA8AB28A2FCC70-43829044-wespto
Board of School Directors Meetings
To see the scheduled Board Meetings for the 2023-2024 school year please visit the district website: www.boyertownasd.org/Domain/60
Visitors and Volunteers
All visitors and volunteers must report to the office whenever entering the building during school hours. This includes before and after school. Before visitor or volunteer badges can be given, a valid driver’s license must be presented and scanned into the Raptor system. Once the badge is given it must be worn throughout your stay with us. Please remember to sign out in the office before leaving. We will be looking for badges on all visitors in our building as a safety precaution.
For information regarding Raptor, please visit the district website. On the district home page click on the parents tab and then click on Raptor/Visitor Management.
Tardy Students
Attendance at school is important. This includes arriving on time in order to be ready to start each school day properly.
- School begins each day at 8:45 AM. Any student being transported by private vehicle who arrives after 8:45 AM will be considered tardy.
- He/she must report to the office with the transporting adult before going to the classroom.
- The adult will need to sign your child in and indicate the reason for the tardiness. When you sign your child in late at the office, please make sure you have recorded the arrival time.
Family Trips
When planning a family trip, please refer to the Elementary Handbook. It is very important to remember that an educational trip form must be submitted to the building
principal at least two (2) days prior to the trip. Failure to submit a trip form prior to departure date will result in trip days being counted as an unlawful absence.
Please note that although permitted, we do not encourage absence from school. The activities of the classroom can never be fully made up.
Trip forms are available in the school office or downloaded below. Once completed please turn it into the school office or email it to the attendance secretary Report an Absence .
WES Dismissal Plan 2023-2024
Parent/Guardian Pick-up Procedures
1. Everyone must complete WES Dismissal Plan Form-2023-2024 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgYnVe9ItrM0uqMtioc5yTbWNzCt9X0VYccUWDvymz9exOqw/viewform for each child. If you already completed this form by the August 17th at 12 PM due date, please do not complete again. If you still have not completed this form, please complete.
○ Sets plan for student transportation for the 2023-2024 school year.
○ You may specify 1 day of the week or select multiple days for parent pick-up.
○ All families must complete this form for each WES child.
○ Any and all changes to the plan must be communicated by completing the form found in
Item #2 or by emailing Cheri Cronrath ccronrath@boyertownasd.org and Lisa Erb
2. Daily Pick-Up Form 2023-2024. Complete this form when the mode of transportation is changing for a single day. The form is linked https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepfkrSmxRV7XDpVZJxNj0aOu86NfCvIY8TRrqywZMA_SRjfg/viewform
○ There will be no paper forms. We ask that you do not send a note with your child when there is a
change of transportation.
○ Use the form linked above (Daily Pick-Up Form 2023-2024) to communicate with us, or email Mrs. Cronrath at ccronrath@boyertownasd.org and Mrs. Erb at lerb@boyertownasd.org.
Attendance Information
If your student will be absent or late, please complete one of the following before 9 AM on the date of the absence/tardy event:
- Complete the online attendance form
- Email the attendance secretary: attendanceWES@boyertownasd.org
Please remember - every day your student is out, you must report the absence as noted above.
Absences due to trips or vacations: Educational Trip forms must be submitted prior to the departure date. Failure to submit a trip form prior to departure date will result in trip days being counted as an unlawful absence.
Community Bulletin Board
BASD is proud to host our online Community Bulletin Board. The electronic bulletin board features district and community activities, events, clubs, resources, and more. The board is updated regularly and is an excellent source of information regarding things happening throughout our community and beyond. Be sure to check it out regularly!
#BASDBEARSCareAboutOurCommunity
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Washington Elementary
1406 Route 100
Barto, PA 19504
(610) 754-9589