Mr. Burns's Sunday Message

Hi Wims Families,

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We just returned from another great Family Weekend at Salisbury University visiting our daughter, Riley.

On Thursday we will have our Fall Festival/Halloween parade. We will begin the parade promptly at 2:00 p.m. with our PEP and Kindergarten students (rest of the grade levels to follow). The students take a lap around the blacktop area in the back of the school and re-enter through the side of the school (near bus loop). The parade goes pretty quick so I recommend being at the school before the parade begins so you can get a great photo of your child:)

Finally, we are wrapping up the first making period this week. Throughout the month of November, our teachers will hold parent/teacher conferences. If you have not signed up for a dater/time, please reach out to your child's teacher. We look forward to meeting with you!

-Mr. Burns

Topics in this Issue

National Bully Prevention Month/Spirit Week

Fall Festival/Halloween

Spirit Week

Holiday Giving Project

MCPS Mental Health Awareness Week

November Open House

Attendance Information

ParentVue Accounts

Important Information from our PTA

October is National Bully Prevention Month. Throughout the month of October students have been participating in different activities to learn more about the meaning of bullying, the impact it has on others, and how we can all be upstanders if we feel it is taking place. The theme we have used this month is, “Don’t stand by! Stand up, stand strong, and stand together against bullying!” We will be having a spirit week this week to culminate our month-long theme, and to celebrate & show our commitment to making safe and kind decisions. We look forward to seeing all of the school spirit! The spirit week schedule can be found HERE.

Date: October 31, 2024

Parade: 2:00 p.m. (back of school)

Parties: Teachers will lead students with a Fall Festival themed-party

Costumes: Students can wear costumes to school. Also, we are encouraging students who don't want to wear a costume to wear Wims gear or join in the activity for Spirit Week.

Snacks: PTA will provide snacks/goodies for all students. No additional snacks are needed.

Families: Families can join us outside for the parade. Unfortunately, we are not having families in the building during the parties.

The Holiday Giving Project has provided Thanksgiving and December holiday assistance to low-income households for over 30 years. A network of social workers, school counselors, and human service professionals refer families in need of assistance. Local non-profits, faith-based organizations, and public agencies serve Holiday Giving recipients, as donations are available.

If you and your family are in need and would like to be referred for possible assistance for the holiday season, please complete this referral form to provide the required information. This information will be sent directly to our School Counselor, Mrs. Ioli, who will then enter it into the Holiday Giving Database on your behalf. While a referral is not a guarantee of assistance, the Project helps as many families in need as donations allow. Please complete this form no later than WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Ioli at Lauren_A_Ioli@mcpsmd.org.

Holiday Giving Project Referral (English)

Holiday Giving Project Referral (Spanish)

Please find out more information here.

MCPS and the Montgomery County School Psychologists’ Association will host Mental Health Awareness Week Oct. 21–26 to give youth and families the opportunity to hear from mental health experts on a variety of issues. A Mental Health Resource Fair and Student Forum will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Seneca Valley High School, 19401 Crystal Rock Drive in Germantown. The event is open to students, families and staff and will include MCPS and community partners sharing information about mental health and wellness, as well as a student-lead forum focused on issues impacting Montgomery County youth. Students may earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for participating in the resource fair. For more information, visit the Mental Health Awareness Week website.

October is National Bully Prevention Month. Throughout the month of October students have been participating in different activities to learn more about the meaning of bullying, the impact it has on others, and how we can all be upstanders if we feel it is taking place. The theme we have used this month is, “Don’t stand by! Stand up, stand strong, and stand together against bullying!” We will be having a spirit week this week to culminate our month-long theme, and to celebrate & show our commitment to making safe and kind decisions. We look forward to seeing all of the school spirit! The spirit week schedule can be found HERE.

We will have our annual Open House from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Feel free to stay as little or as much as you want within the timeframe:)

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!

What a chilly and windy weekend! With the fall chill in the air, it’s hard to believe that the forecast for Halloween is 80 degrees. I am pretty sure that in Maryland, we call this “fake fall” and “second summer” though with the ups & downs lately, I am pretty sure we’ve had more than two summers. The good news is it will be quite pleasant (albeit hot) on the blacktop watching the annual Wilson Wims Fall Parade on Thursday! I love seeing the creative costumes our students come up with as well as our spirit wear on display. Thank you to our team of volunteers who assembled almost 500 goodie bags last week, which will go home with each student on Thursday after their classroom fall celebrations. A huge thank you to June Tiet, our goodie bag chair (and Treasurer), for coordinating!

Due to the MCPS closure on Tuesday, November 5, we are unable to hold our PTA Meeting and with difficulties in aligning schedules, we have decided not to pursue a rescheduled date – so we’ll see you in December for what will be a rather robust meeting.

The holidays are right around the corner and the seasonal hustle and bustle extends to Wims. We have a lot on the horizon - from a purposeful fundraiser, Grandparents’ Day, Pie Time, and Book Fair to Wimsy’s Holiday Shoppe and our staff “You’re One Smart Cookie” cookie exchange, oh my! So please be sure to read the Sunday message and stay tuned to our PTA Facebook page and WhatsApp Community so you don’t miss anything. The PTA needs your help and support and as always, we are grateful to our Wonderful Wims Families.

~ Ashley Zuraf, President

2024-25 School Year

We hope your students are enjoying our after-school programs! New to Wims this year, You Too Can Sew offers a 3-week Holiday Sew. This is for grades 3-5 only and classes will be held on 12/6, 12/13, and 12/20. Please contact sewgeniusnow@gmail.com to register. The cost is $80, and all supplies are included. For those interested in sewing for a younger student, please also reach out to sewgeniusnow@gmail.com for her "in studio" intro to sewing opportunities. If you have any questions about after-school programming, please reach out to Danni.

We are pumped to launch a brand-new fundraiser - the Dave & Buster’s Power Card Fundraiser Campaign! When you purchase a $20 power card from our fundraiser (retail price $25), Dave & Busters will donate $10 per card to the WWES PTA! These will make awesome stocking stuffers and gifts or simply provide fun for the whole family during winter break (or anytime)! The PTA plans to designate a portion of the funds raised through this campaign to cover after-school program registration fees for Wims students who may not be able to afford them otherwise. Your support will help the PTA make these wonderful opportunities available to ALL students. Please keep an eye on your students’ take-home folders as well as our social channels for more information. The best part is the power cards are good at any D&B location nationwide - so this fundraiser is not limited to family & friends in the DMV.

The PTA is excited to announce the return of the PTA Reflections Program at our school. The National PTA Reflections program is PTA’s cornerstone arts program. It was developed in 1969 to encourage students to explore their talents and express themselves. Since then, the Reflections program has inspired millions of students to reflect on a specific theme and create original artwork. Each year, students in Grades K – 12, are recognized for bringing the theme to life in the following six categories: dance choreography, film production, literature, musical composition, photography and visual arts (including 3D Art). The Free State PTA website includes the guidelines for each competition category. If your student is interested in participating in the PTA Reflections Program, please complete this interest form by November 4, 2024. School entries are due to reflections@wwespta.org by December 2, 2024. More details will be provided to those who have completed the interest form. Please reach out to Reflections co-chair, Kaitaia Fu, with any questions.

CALLING ALL GRANDPARENTS! Save the date for Monday, November 25 from 8:00 to 9:30 AM for the return of this beloved event. Our committee is hard at work to plan an amazing morning for our students and their grandparents. More details will be provided, as well as a link to RSVP, in next Sunday’s message.

What are you thankful for this year? Help us show our Wims staff how thankful we are for all they do every day with a special treat for their Thanksgiving celebrations. We are asking our community to donate a pie (or pies) for our staff! Pies can be of any variety and can be either homemade with love or store-bought. Pies can be dropped off to the front office on Monday, November 25 between 8am-4pm and will be distributed to the staff on Tuesday. Please sign up here to donate pie → https://bit.ly/PieTime24

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.