Timberwolf Times -September 2, 2024

"It's A Great Day to be a Timberwolf""

Dear Timberwolf Families,

As a reminder, Friday, August 30 and Monday, September 2,2024 are school holidays and PWCS will be closed for the Labor Day Weekend.

Thank you for your patience with our Transportation Department and buses as the bus drivers are taking time to learn all the students to make sure they are always safe and accounted. Hopefully, all will be even more quick this week. Please use this link to monitor buses.

https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/transportation/bus_delays

I also encourage you to download the Here Comes the Bus mobile app that allows you to track your student’s buses in real-time

Reminder. Our School Hours are 9:20– 4:00 pm. We open the doors at 9:10 am. Please do not drop off your students in the morning prior to 9:10 am. Car Duty Supervising Staff do not report until 9:10 am. We do not want any of our students standing outside unsupervised. Thank you in advance for helping use ensure the safety and security of all our students.

If you have not yet updated your ParentVue information, please do so as soon as possible.

Dr. McDade's August 30, 2024 Newsletter -

We truly do Everything Better Together as a Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Dr. Andrew Buchheit

Principal

#TimberwolvesROCK

“All are Welcome to T. Clay Wood: Learning and Leading with Kindness"

Only students who qualify for free and reduced meals will receive free meals. This year, students whose families qualify for reduced-price meals will also receive free meals, based on a Virginia General Assembly expansion of the program. Applications will be available in August.

Free and Reduced Price Meal Applications were mailed by the School Division to families with children registered in Prince William County Public Schools. If you did not receive an application, please contact School Food and Nutrition Services at 703.791.7314 or your school. You may also complete the application electronically. Visit the School Division Web site at https://pwcsnutrition.com/index.php?sid=0408101731444083to access the electronic application.

Following are the PWCS meal prices for the 2024-25 school year:

• Breakfast
  • Student full price - $1.60 (Second Breakfast entree is also $1.60 and side dish is $1.50)
  • Adult price - $2.75
• Lunch
  • Elementary student full price - $2.60
  • Middle student full price - $2.75
  • High student full price - $2.85
  • Adult full price - $4.65 (Note price increase)
• A la carte - Milk - $1
• Bottled Water - $1.00

• A la carte options
  
• Side dish - $1.50
• Strawberry shortcake - $2.50
• Cookie - $1
• Packaged snack - $1
• Condiment - $0.30

If you have questions, please contact the Food and Nutrition Department at 703-791-3151.

Free and reduced breakfast and lunch are free to those who qualify for Free and Reduced

Families can apply to receive free and reduced-price school meals online.

Click here to see the PWCS link to the lunch Menus - PWCS Lunch Menu Link

Pre-Payment Options- Online

Online payments are a simple, safe and secure way to make payments to your student's account, 24 hours a day, at your convenience!

Please visit MySchoolBucks.com to make prepayments online any time to your student's meal account.



Questions or assistance regarding MySchoolBucks.com may be sent to sommaf@pwcs.edu or 703-791-7242.

Once you have completed the Back to School Packet, you will be able to see your student's bus number, bus route, and bus stop information.

Transportation’s Late Bus Notification web page is now available for parents and schools. The page will list buses that will be late 15 minutes or more to start their run. Please use this link to monitor buses.

https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/transportation/bus_delays

I also encourage you to download the Here Comes the Bus mobile app that allows you to track your student’s buses in real-time. (In past years, it was not ready the first day of school)

Please contact the Transportation Department if you have any questions - 571-402-3940

Our Prince William County School Transportation Department continues to update and implement some tools to help us all when it comes to buses. I have included some helpful links below that are now on their PWCS Transportation Webpate. I believe these will help families throughout the school year. Please take a moment to check these out.

1. The main Transportation Website - most of the below links can be accessed from this site: PWCS Transportation

2. Delayed Bus Page will inform you of any buses that are expected to arrive at least 15 minutes late. Delays will be removed after 12pm for morning runs and after 5:30 pm for afternoon runs. Bus Delay Site

3. Here Comes the Bus APP - See real-time map location for students' buses and get push notifications when the bus gets close by - Info on Here Comes The Bus App

4. Looking for your student's bus schedule? Remember it is located in the Hub which you can access in your ParentVUE account -

5. Transportation Contact for T. Clay Wood (PWCS Western Area Transportation): trns-westernbusroutes@pwcs.edu or 571-374-6593

Some additional Reminders:

• Bus route information can change in the beginning of the school year due to student enrollment and The Hub offers parents and students the ability to receive the most up-to-date bus information.

• Bus schedules will not be emailed to parents/guardians and due to security reasons, we will not post bus routes to our website. During the school year, you can get real-time information on bus routes via Here Comes the Bus.

• Please note, buses may be arriving later than expected during the first few days of school while bus drivers are learning students, routes, and families. If your entire bus has not arrived, please be patient.

I hope this information is useful and will help you have a great start to your school year.

If you have a concern about the bus stop - you can share the issue here - https://pwcs.zendesk.com/agent/dashboard

However, please note, Route Managers cannot make any changes if the new stop meets the new criteria.

Please note at some point Prince William County Department of Transportation will look at turning on the Speed Zone Cameras on Kettle Run Road. Speed limit is 25 MpH during arrival and dismissal times of both T. Clay Wood and Patriot HS.

Having up-to-date emergency contact information for our families is vital. We need all families to complete the annual Back to School Packet. Until this packet is complete, parents/guardians will be unable to access important information in ParentVUE to start the new year (including student schedules and bus information). If you do not have an active ParentVUE account, please call our office. For questions about ParentVUE, please contact the Help Desk at 703-791-8826.

The Annual Back to School Packet,, where parents/guardians can review emergency cards, update contact information, and complete annual policy reviews and acknowledgements, is now available in ParentVUE. It will need to be completed by September 15, 2024.

This year all of our students are being issued iPads. Each iPad comes with AppleCare already purchased to cover physical damage to the device or charger. Make sure to report any physical damage (cracked screens, frayed chargers, etc) to your child’s teacher ASAP so that it can be repaired using AppleCare coverage. AppleCare does not cover total loss of the device, however. If you would like to purchase additional insurance for total loss or theft of the device or charger, please consider the Securranty supplemental coverage for $29.95. Insurance is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase and must be purchased prior to damage/loss of the device. While physical damage to your child’s iPad will be covered through AppleCare, if you choose not to purchase additional coverage, you may be financially responsible in the event of loss/theft of your child’s iPad, in accordance with PWCS Device Handbook, Section 7.1.

Lock Down Drill - September 13, 2024 -. During a lock down drill, classroom doors are locked, and lights are turned off in the classroom. Students move away from the any windows and remain silent during the duration of the drill.

Kindergarten and Preschool students will not participate in the first two lockdown drills. However, they will participate in any lockdown drills after January.

We are required to practice two lockdown drills during the first 20 days of every school year. All PWCS schools shall also conduct one additional drill after the first 60 days of the school year and one during the 2nd semester of school.

Kindergarten students shall be exempt from mandatory participation in the first two lockdown drills but shall participate after the first 60 days in the drills.

Throughout the school year we will practice a variety of drills in order to make sure all our staff and students know what to do in case of a real emergency. We will practice fire drills, additional lock down drills, tornado drills, earthquake drills as well as other types of drills.

We explain these drills as a way for us all to know what we need to do in case of a fire or emergency and as an extra layer of protection and security similar to homes which have more than one lock on their front door and to make sure all students and teachers are always safe at school. If your students has any concerns with any of these drills, please let your child's teacher and/or one of our school counselors know so they can follow up with your child.

Please understand that Prince William County Public Schools requires each school to participate in these drills for the safety and protection of all our students, staff, and visitors.

I have included the link to the PWCS Crisis and Emergency Information Webpage which provides additional information – https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/risk_management___security_services/crisis_preparedness/index

As well as the link to PWCS Regulation 401.01-2 Crisis Management Readiness - https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/pwcs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BKF3TF08698D

The safety of our students and staff is always our highest priority.

Thank you for your support.

We truly do everything better together as A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence.

Dr. Andrew Buchheit, Principal.

Our First Advisory Council and PTO Meeting will take place in our Art Room on Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 6:30pm. All parents are invited to all PTO and Advisory Council meetings.

Our library circulation system provides the option for parents to restrict access to specific titles in circulation in our school library, if they choose that option for their child. While the school shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the student is not provided with access to such materials, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure that the student understands the restriction and does not attempt to access the materials.

If you are interested in restricting specific library titles for your student(s), please visit the “Parent Library Controls” webpage for more information. See link here: Parent Library Controls Webpage

Restriction of library materials using the “Additional User Type” is a parent's responsibility. Librarians and school administrators can provide access to the link but cannot provide support within the system.

Our school social worker Katy McHugh can help families access community resources and provide referrals for mental health and medical care. In addition, with the support of local community organizations, we provide weekly backpacks with shelf stable food to help families in need. We can also provide support with Thanksgiving meals, holiday presents, and clothing if needed. Please reach out to Ms. McHugh at mchughkh@pwcs.edu or 703-594-3815 if you would like support from any of these programs or need help accessing community resources.

Hello Fourth and Fifth Grade Families!

It is my pleasure to invite your student to join the 2024-25 edition of our Timberwolf Chorus! The Timberwolf Chorus is an extracurricular singing ensemble open to interested fourth and fifth grade students. Chorus rehearsals will take place on Tuesday mornings before school from 8:15 – 9:10 a.m. in the music room (doors open at 8:05 a.m. for chorus arrival). We will have a variety of performances this school year! The first chorus rehearsal is Tuesday, September 24! For more detailed information about the Timberwolf Chorus including the full schedule for this year, please click here:

2024 TCW CHORUS Schedule and Information.pdf

To have your fourth or fifth grade student join our Timberwolf Chorus, all you need to do is complete the 2024 Chorus Sign Up Form! The Chorus Sign Up (Microsoft Form) will be available today, August 29 through Friday, September 13. Sign up by 9/13 if you want to join!

Microsoft Form link here: 2024 Chorus Sign Up Form

Please email me with any questions. Thank you so much!

Ashley Meyer

Music Teacher

T. Clay Wood Elementary School

703.594.3990

MeyerAH@pwcs.edu

We will have a 5 day rotation this school year

PTO Boosterthon Fun Run Begins Wednesday, September 4, 2024

• No School - Labor Day Holiday

Tuesday, September 3, 2024 - Day 5

Wednesday, September 4, 2024- Day 0

• Day 0 - today
• Boosterthon Begins

Thursday, September 5, 2024 - Day 1

Friday, September 6, 2024 -Day 2

• Murphy, the T. Clay Wood Therapy Dog, turns 2 today! Happy Birthday!!!

Our T Clay Wood Elementary School Fun Run fundraiser kicks off soon! This fundraiser usually takes place in the spring but this year we've moved it to the fall! What a great way to kick off the school year!

We’re raising $30,000 for Major IT resources for the school (e.g. iPad carts & poster maker) and we need your help!

Our fundraiser kicks off at T Clay on 9/4 with the big event on 9/12! 👟

PK, Kindergarten and families new to T. Clay Wood, please click here to learn more about the fun run! https://vimeo.com/968771426/b042777aec

Registration is open NOW! Head to mybooster.com to register your student(s)!

Space Week is returning to T. Clay Wood ES! We will be celebrating as a school from October 7-11, 2024. Last year was our first year celebrating! We had theme days, a poster contest, lessons in the class, a special space lesson in drama class, and guests share their love/knowledge of space with the students! This year the goal is to GET BIGGER and EVEN BETTER! To do so, we are looking for experts in the Space Field to share their love and knowledge with the students! This big goal is to have many people share/educate students about space, professions in space, and how space research affects everyday life and our future. If you work in the industry or have a connection, please contact Mr. Johnson at JohnsoPV@pwcs.edu

At T. Clay Wood Elementary School, we love to have visitors and volunteers every day. To help ensure the safety of our students, visitors to Prince William County Schools are expected to report promptly to the school’s main office when entering school buildings. Visitors and volunteers will be asked to provide a valid government issued photo identification. There are no exceptions. Every visitor to our school must bring with them a photo id. Visitors will then be issued a temporary identification badge. We will not permit any visitor or volunteer into the building without this identification. Our main goal is to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff at school.

Please feel free to coordinate times to volunteer in the classroom with your child's teacher. Teachers and students appreciate our volunteers. Thank you again for everything you are doing to help us build our Positive School Community. I want to formally invite all parents to become involved in your child’s education at T. Clay Wood Elementary School. It has been shown that strong parental involvement and interest in education is a crucial factor in student success. There are many ways to volunteer at T. Clay Wood Elementary School as well. Joining the PTO or Advisory Council, helping out in your child’s classroom, volunteering in the library, working at our Welcome Table Counter and chaperoning field trips are just a few of the many, many ways you can become a part of our Community of Leaders and Learners. Please review the regulation on volunteering: Regulation 511-10 Please always bring your photo identification.

The T. Clay Wood procedures for Cell Phones and Smart Watches will remain similar as in past years:

Cells are off and stored away during the school day.

• All functions within personal wireless communication devices must be silenced and stored away during the school day.
• Dual-purpose watches may be worn at school, but wireless/cellular features must be turned off during the school day (e.g., must be placed in airplane mode). If students choose to use their watches as a cell phone, then these will also need to be put away while at school.

If a situation occurs which makes it necessary for your child’s transportation home to change, please send in a note with your child in the morning giving clear directions as to how your child should go home at the end of the day. Only a parent/guardian can change their child’s transportation plan for any given day. A note from the parent must be received by the office AND the teacher before noon that day indicating the change. This is for the safety of the children and will alleviate any confusion at the end of the day.

Changing Dismissal Routine – Parents, if you are changing your child’s dismissal, you must send an email/note to the office or notify the office by 3:15 pm. The teacher and bus driver cannot accept a change if a student just tells him or her about the change without a note. In these cases, students are sent home the original way. In addition, please try to avoid changing dismissal procedures in the middle of the day and please send all dismissal changes to our office by calling our office at 703.594.3990 or sending a note in the morning. Emails sent to the teacher in the middle of the day may be missed if there is a substitute that day or if the teacher is not able to check his or her email.

3:30 pm - If you must pick your student up early, please arrive before 3:30 pm. We will not be able to call students to the office after 3:30 pm until all car riders are picked up. Students called for dismissal after 3:30 pm will be sent to the car rider area and will be brought up after all car riders are dismissed with the supervising teachers. This way we can reduce interruptions to the classrooms, provide continual supervision for all our students and give our focus in the office to dismissing students. Parents coming in after 3:30 pm will be asked to wait in the vestibule outside of the office and once their students are brought up to come in and sign their students out.

If it is necessary for a student to ride a bus home other than the one he/she is normally assigned, a bus pass is required and must be approved by the office. A note must be sent to school indicating the bus number that the child should ride and a phone number to verify the information. Thank you for helping us ensure the safety of all our students.

2024-2025 – Calendar link: https://www.pwcs.edu/calendars/school_calendar/index

You can also subscribe to the PWCS Calendar. To learn how, you can go to this PWCS Site and then follow the directions - How to Subscribe to the PWCS School Calendar

Code of Behavior link: https://www.pwcs.edu/about_us/code_of_behavior/index

Link to Family Life Education objectives and Opt out - You can also use opt out form to opt out of social media posts

https://www.pwcs.edu/academics___programs/science___family_life_education/family_life_education

All Students in Prince William County Schools will be issued an iPad. Families are responsible for any damage to the IPAD

Also this is a good time to remind all families to always know what your students are doing when they are on the internet, using devices to complete their school work, using social media, texting with friends, or playing online games. We continually are reminding our students about appropriate and acceptable use of technology. I encourage all parents and guardians to regularly check what their students are doing on the internet and while using technology -(school devices, gaming systems, home devices, phones, etc). Just as you monitor where your children go in person, I encourage you to monitor where they go on the internet.

I would also encourage all families to consider adding parental controls on their personal devices that students use. If you have any questions about student devices, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Taylor, our Instructional Technologist at TaylorBi@pwcs.edu. Thank you.

Cell Phones and Watches with text/calling capabilities

Phones - Reminder: If students bring in phones to school they must remain in their backpack and turned off. Please let all your family members know not to call your elementary school student during the day. If you need to change dismissal, please let our front office know by calling 703.594.3990.

Over the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in students using watches to text during the instructional school day. In order to preserve instructional time, students are not permitted to text, on a phone or watch, during the school day.

If you need to relay a message to your child during the school day, please call the front office.

Please refer to the Parent Handbook regarding the use of Cell Phones (which includes calling and texting on watches). It states, "If cell phones are brought to school, they should be turned off and kept in book bags during the school day."

Students may continue to wear the smart watches but calling should be turned off. Our Elementary school students should NOT be receiving messages (or calls) during the school day. If students misuse the watch by sending or receiving calls and/or messages, taking pictures or videos, or making recordings, playing on games or searching the internet, etc.; the teacher will need to have the student put the watch in their backpack similar to a cell phone or another device.

We thank you for your support in ensuring our students are focused on the learning process while at school. We want to be sure watches, phones, other devices are not used to distract from the learning environment or used in a way that is not appropriate for school. I appreciate all our parents and guardians taking the time to have these conversations with their children prior to allowing their students to come to school with a cell phone, smart watch, or other device.

Phones and watches can be removed if students are using them in ways that are distracting or not appropriate to their learning or the learning and safety of other students.

Phones - Reminder: If students bring in phones to school they must remain in their backpack and turned off. Please let all your family members know not to call your elementary school student during the day. If you need to change dismissal, please let our front office know by calling 703.594.3990.

Also I recommend that all parents and guardians turn off the Air Drop feature on their Iphones. I have heard of students at secondary schools air dropping inappropriate photos into all phones that can receive airdrop and then other students accepting those photos. You can turn this off on your students' device.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Did you know attendance is the number one predictor of dropout and graduation rates? That’s why this year we are increasing communication to our parents and students around the importance of attendance- a critical indicator of success. Attending school every day helps our students build a solid foundation for their future in school and in life.

Our new strategy includes an attendance management system that carefully tracks attendance and ensures that parents are notified in a timely and consistent manner. Our goal is to connect with parents quickly so that we can remove any barriers that families face in getting students to school on time, every day.

You may receive a letter regarding your students’ attendance in the mail. Please understand that these notifications are to bring awareness on how much school has been missed this school year. We pledge to partner with you to find solutions and resources to support your student. If you feel that you have received the letter in error or have questions, please contact your school directly.

We understand there are unavoidable illnesses or other times when your child should remain at home. We also know that absences add up quickly, and that “showing up” is critical to your child’s success in school and in life.

We are committed to achieving our goals and supporting our Prince William County Public School families. Our students stand to benefit the most from this!

Together, let’s create a culture of showing up. Thank you for your continued support.

It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to see that their child attends school regularly and on time every day. Research tells us that the best learning takes place during the interaction of the teacher and child during class discussions. Children who are not in school each day miss important educational opportunities and learning experiences. Simply making up the missed work does not begin to take the place of actual class attendance. Students who enter class tardy are disruptive to classroom instruction and can have a challenging time getting into the classroom routine. The same holds true for students who leave early. We urge you to schedule medical and other appointments so that they do not conflict with class time.

It is important to note that Prince William County policy states that: “students in kindergarten through grade eight, who miss ten or more days of school for the year, excused or unexcused, and who have completed little or no make-up work may be considered for retention.” In addition, we are required to notify our Attendance Officer in cases of excessive absences.

Preapproved absences, such as vacations are discouraged and are only granted in extraordinary circumstances. The principal is not allowed to approve absences for family trips unless accompanied by extraordinary circumstances. The school principal can approve no more than 5 days of these type of absences. Additional absences beyond 5 days will need approval by student services. Please send a note or letter in advance to the teacher and the principal informing the school of your plans. Teachers are not required to provide assignments in advance. We would encourage students to read, keep a written journal and practice math facts while out of school. Students can complete make up assignments when they return.

If your child is absent, please call the school Attendance Line at 703.594.3992 or email cwes-timberwolf-attendance@pwcs.edu. This is for your child’s safety. If you do not contact the school, it will be necessary for the school office to contact you. Students with excused absences are allowed two days for every day of absence to make up work. Students are responsible for making up work when they are absent. Students are marked unexcused if parents do not call the school to inform us that their child is out.

For students who have missed a number of days of school, have been tardy a number of times, or have a number of early dismissals we will be sending letters to parents informing them of the number of missed days or days tardy from school. Thank you for your cooperation and support.

Next PTO Meeting, September 12, 2024 at 6:30 pm

Art ROOM

:2024-2025 PTO Board members:

President: Julia White

Vice President: Lauren Bell

Treasurer: Beth Feliciano-Rivera

Asst. Treasurer: Kate Case

Secretary: Crystal MacCallum

Directors: Amelia Hunter & Tiana Marshall

Your PTO will have a table set up at the upcoming back to school events!

Please visit our table to:

• introduce yourself,
• check out what we have to offer,
• drop off your non-perishable snack and drink donations to stock the lounge,
• and enroll in your new 2024-2025 school PTO membership!

If you haven't already, please 'like' our Facebook page for the most up to date information as we navigate through the new school year together.

At T. Clay Wood Elementary School, we remind all our stakeholders to remember the 3 B’s:

1. Be Safe

2. Be Kind and Respectful

3. Be Responsible and Ready to Learn

Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into your school!.

Thank you for always being kind and respectful to all our staff members, adults, and children in our building.

We all may get frustrated from time to time, especially when it comes to our own children and students.

However, we believe all schools should be places where mutual respect is practiced and reinforced.

We strive to promote an environment in which all members of the school community treat each other with courtesy & respect.

Disrespectful, rude, and abusive behavior or language is unacceptable and creates an unsafe environment.

Any person who exhibits unacceptable behavior may be directed to leave the premises.

Unacceptable behavior includes but is not limited to:

Using loud and/or offensive language, displays of temper, speaking in an insulting or demeaning manner, through personal actions, spoken words, pictures, email, social media messages, in writing, or threatening or trying to intimidate office , professional, and administrative staff, students, parents, visitors, and other members of the school community.

Our People are People Too! – Your words and behavior matter!

It is also important to remember that our students are always watching and learning.

We want our students to learn to be respectful and kind even when frustrated, worried, upset, or disagreeing.

At T. Clay Wood, Everyone cares deeply about your children and our students!

Please treat Everyone with Respect!

Please take a moment to view our 2023-2024 T. Clay Wood Continuous Improvement Plan by clicking this link: T. Clay Wood 2024-2025 Continuous Improvement Plan

We have three Academic Goals this year - Increase Reading, Math, and Science Achievement Rates for all students at T. Clay Wood to at least 85% or higher.

We also are focused at increasing student satisfaction rates to 90% or higher and increasing number of active business partnerships at T. Clay Wood.

A Prince William County School of Excellence

“A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence”

10600 Kettle Run Road; Nokesville, VA 20181

Andrew Buchheit, Principal - buchhear@pwcs.edu

Melissa Yuditsky, Assistant Principal yuditsml@pwcs..edu

“A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence”

School hours: 9:20 am – 4:00 pm

(Office hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)

SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Doors Open: 9:10 a.m.

Students tardy after: 9:20 a.m.

Dismissal: 4:00 p.m.

School Phone Number: 703.594.3990

School Fax Number: 703.594.2653

Attendance Email: cwes-timberwolf-attendance@pwcs.edu

Attendance Phone Line:– 703.594.3992

Motto: “I seek to make a POSITIVE DIFFERENCE AT SCHOOL”

Website: http://tclaywoodes.schools.pwcs.edu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TClayWoodES

Twitter @TClayWoodElem

Instagram: tclaywoodelementary

Email: buchhear@pwcs.edu
Website: http://tclaywoodes.schools.pwcs.edu
Location: 10600 Kettle Run Road, Nokesville, VA, USA
Phone: 703.594.3990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TClayWoodES
Twitter: @TClayWoodElem