Mr. Burns's Sunday Message

Good Evening! Sorry for the delay in sending this message out. My family traveled up to Long Island, NY to celebrate my niece's wedding. I love the opportunities when our whole family can be together since that seems to be more challenging as our kids get older. However, I don't miss the long car rides:) Anyway, I hope your family had a wonderful weekend, as well.

Our annual Fun Run Fundraiser is underway. The funds raised are pivotal in maintaining all the wonderful programs our PTA puts together for our students and Wims community! Please see more information in the PTA section below.

As I stated last week, our School Safety Week is this week. The purpose of School Safety Week is to prepare students and staff for different emergency situations by practicing emergency drills. Each day of the week will focus on a different emergency drill that students and staff will practice during the school day. Here is the schedule for the week:

Monday- Fire Drill Evacuation
Tuesday- Shelter and Lockdown Drills

Wednesday- Earthquake and Severe Weather Drills

Thursday- Reverse Evacuation Drill

Friday- Make Up Drills (if needed)

If you are interested in learning more about the different emergency drills, you can learn more through the following resources:

• MCPS Emergency Preparedness Videos
• A video explaining the different emergency drills is available.
• Directions for Receiving MCPS Emergency Information
• You may sign up to receive emergency text alerts from Montgomery County.

- Mr. Burns

Topics in this Issue

Covid 19 Guidance

Attendance Information

ParentVue Accounts

Community Message

Important Information from our PTA

Last spring, MCPS updated their Covid 19 guidance for schools. The updated guidance states that students and MCPS staff no longer need to follow the minimum 5-day isolation period. Students and/or staff may return to school after being fever free for at least 24 hours and with improving symptoms. As with any illness, we ask that the community exercise precaution and make sure that our children are aware of the importance of handwashing, sneezing into your elbow, blowing their nose when it is running, and not sharing food, drinks or lunch utensils. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Alexander or Ms. Fort in the Health Room.

The school must be notified any day your child will be absent. You may call the school office at 240-406-1670 or email the classroom teacher and the Attendance secretary Mrs. Norton; christine_e_norton@mcpsmd.org

When reporting the absence please include the following:

• Child’s first and last name

• Grade Level

• Teacher’s name

• The reason for the absence

If we do not receive a call from a parent, the absence or tardiness will be considered unexcused. A written explanation of each absence is required from the parent/guardian within three days of the student’s return to school (email is acceptable)

Please click on the follow link for directions on activating your ParentVue account.

ParentVue Directions

Greetings, Wildcats!

Thank you to everyone who supported the PTA by dining at The Clark’s Lodge last week - we earned $334.65! The Lodge was a wonderful partner for this event and your support not only helped the PTA, but also made for a successful evening for our new, local restaurant.

It’s officially FUN RUN SEASON! Fundraising began last Wednesday and as I type this message, we are about 17% of the way to our goal. This is wonderful, but we have a way to go and we are asking ALL families to participate! The PTA relies on Fun Run to fund our operating budget for the year, which enables us to offer both fun and academic events as well as assemblies, teacher appreciation, and more! To get started, visit www.mybooster.com and log in (if you participated last year) or sign up (free). Select “I am a Parent,” select Wilson Wims, and complete the registration process - then start your Wildcat off with a donation and SHARE to everyone in your circle! Each Friday (9/27, 10/4, and 10/11) incentive winners from each grade level will be announced and later this year, students will enjoy a dance party in the gym if we meet our goal. Then on October 11th, families are invited to watch the classrooms storm the Wims field through our NFL-style tunnel and complete their laps! Many volunteers are needed for Fun Run - as soon as we receive the schedule, we will open the volunteer sign up form and share the schedule with families - the Fun Run takes place one grade level at a time.

It’s also Movie Night this Friday! Thank you to all who signed up to donate concessions and volunteer. Movie Night takes place on the Wims field behind the blacktop. This event is FREE and no registration is required. Movie Night is not a drop-off event - students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. We hope to see you there!

Stay connected by following the PTA on our Facebook Page (@wilsonwimspta)and join our brand new WhatsApp Community (https://bit.ly/WWESPTAchat) or by emailing us at any time at pta@wwespta.org.

Have a Wonderful Wildcat Week!

~ Ashley Zuraf, President

2024-25 School Year

Grab your lawn chairs & fuzzy blankets and get ready for one of our FAVORITE events - Movie Night on the Lawn! Join your fellow Wildcats and catch Inside Out 2 on the giant, inflatable screen. “Doors” open at 6pm and spirit wear will be available from 6pm to the start of the movie. The concession stand, offering fresh popcorn, and more will be open from 6pm to the end of the movie (cash and credit card accepted). The movie will start at dark (approx. 7:15-7:30) ** Please note the 27th is an early dismissal day.

Please mark your calendar for our first PTA meeting of the year on October 1 at 6:30pm in the Media Center. A zoom link will be shared in next week’s Sunday Message for those who cannot attend in person, but we strongly encourage in-person participation as this better facilitates our family environment. Free childcare will be provided by Global for the PTA Meeting! The first meeting will introduce the PTA Board and provide an overview of what we do at Wims as well as upcoming events and needs. While we work hard to keep our meetings to an hour, the first meeting tends to run slightly longer, so please keep that in mind for your planning.

On your mark, get set, GO! The Wildcat Fun Run is scheduled for Friday, October 11th during the school day. Visit www.mybooster.com to register your Wildcat(s) (the site opens on Wednesday), start them off with a donation, then share with your family, friends, and neighbors and ask them to support our school by sponsoring your student. Fun Run is a wonderful day of camaraderie, fun, and fitness and the PTA relies on Fun Run to support our operating budget for the year and keep our events free to our Wims community. Please register today and help us meet our $20,000 goal!

Calling all non-5th grade families!

The PTA is putting out an early call for a 5th Grade Promotion Chair! 5th Grade Promotion is a very special event for our outgoing Wildcats and we need a parent (or team of parents) to help make this an unforgettable evening as these students head off to Middle School. This is what we refer to as our “pay it forward” event, as when your student enters the 5th grade, the hope is that there are families willing to make their night unforgettable, too. Promotion Night has a lot of moving parts and since teamwork makes the dreamwork, consider working as part of a team - co-chairs are totally welcome. Our chairs from last year are on hand and ready to guide you and also serve as volunteers that evening. As always, Committee Chairs will be fully supported by the PTA Board throughout the duration of these roles. Please contact us at pta@wwespta.org if interested!

Did you know that you can earn for our school simply by shopping at Harris Teeter? HT has donated over $32.8 million to Together in Education schools since 1998. By simply visiting the website & linking your Harris Teeter VIC card, a percentage of your purchase is automatically donated to Wims (TIE #2814)! Our school relies on these funds and we hope to increase participation! Visit the TIE website today to start earning for Wims. Returning Families: Please note VIC cards must be re-linked annually!

We want to hear from you and be sure you are hearing from us!

Stay connected to the PTA and other families by joining our *new* WhatsApp Community (https://bit.ly/WWESPTAchat) and by following us on Facebook (@wilsonwimspta).

If you have any questions regarding the PTA or our supported activities, please reach out to us at pta@wwespta.org and you are also welcome to contact the PTA President, Ashley Zuraf, at president@wwespta.org.