Willow parent Bulletin #21

February 4, 2022

Happy Hundreds Day-ish

February is a month with a lot going on. Leave it to Mother Nature to not care that the 100th day of school is a BIG DEAL! Fortunately, your child has an amazing teacher who still made sure celebrate all the learning that has been packed into the last 102 days! Take a moment to think about where your wildcat was academically in August, and where he/she is currently. Be sure you are celebrating, too!

Valentine's Day is also this month. Students will still exchange valentines. Parties, planned by the room parents, will be from 9-10AM on the 14th. Please remember that, per District policy, NO FOOD can be brought in and passed out. Room parents need to present their license and proof of vaccination, unless we already have it on file.

This month also has Twos-day. February 22, 2022.... and it's on a Tuesday! We've been thinking about how to make this a fun dress up day for students. So here we go: ties, tutus, tennis shoes and twins... we figure there's got to be something in there that appeals to every child.

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K-2nd grade iPads

Your wildcat should be bringing his/her iPad ( and the cord and brick)back and forth to school each day in the bag provided. Please make sure the bag is sealed to prevent any damage from a leaky lunch or water bottle. Please be sure they are in a safe place at home and charged each night. In a few weeks when the weather settles down, we will have them all returned to school on a permanent basis. Students will receive their prize from tech when we do the complete return to school.

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Spelling

One of the phrases I hear from parents is, "That's not how we did it when I was in school." I completely understand. The curriculums we use are research based and focus on teaching students how to think and apply instead or memorizing one way to do something. That can be frustrating since it's a lot easier to memorize a math algorithm or a set list of spelling words. If you think back to your own school experience, you can probably come up with a time where you learned something for a test and promptly forgot the content. Instead we work on strategies to help our wildcats to both figure things out and apply over time.

Ms. Mingo, one of our Reading Specialists, shared this website to help with spelling:

https://educationandbehavior.com/how-to-help-a-child-learn-to-spell/

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Parking in the Staff lots and side streets

All of the morning drop off areas are "kiss and drop" areas... stay in line, pull up, and a staff member will let your child out. We are there every morning until 8 AM. If you are going to walk your child to his/her door, please do not park in designated staff areas. (All parking lots on the north side of the building.)

When you do park on the side streets, PLEASE be good to the neighbors. Their driveways are being blocked and a few of their cars have been hit. We have always had a great relationship with them and ask that you help us maintain it.