Sunday Message from Mr. Burns

Hi Wims Families,

I hope all of our families who celebrated Diwali had a wonderful celebration last week! It is an honor to serve as principal of a school rich in diversity, where we can celebrate and learn from one another’s traditions.

Since today is Election Day, I hope our families had the opportunity to get out and vote. It’s powerful for our students to see us actively participating in this important democratic process!

-Mr. Burns

Each year, Niche releases it's school rankings. According to Niche, these ranking include academic performance, extracurricular activity opportunities, data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education and user input from current students, alumni and parents. We are excited to share how our Wildcats performed:)

Wilson WIms Elementary
Overall Niche Grade: A

Best Public Elementary Schools in Maryland: #29 (of 870)

MCPS Ratings: #23 (of 130)

Best Public Elementary School Teachers in Maryland: #12 (of 857)

This is a great celebration of our wonderful students, staff, and community!

Link to Niche rankings

Grandparent’s Day is Monday, November 25!

Grandparent’s Day photos will be available for purchase through LifeTouch this year! Parents and Grandparents who wish to purchase photos will have the option to purchase custom photo packages and gifts using the LifeTouch Photo Day site.

In order to access the gallery when it is published, parents and grandparents will need to text access code 477657GPD24 to 900738, or visit https://my.photoday.com/g/477657GPD24 on your phone or computer.

Want to save on your purchase? Sign up for an AdvancePay credit before November 25 to use when your photos are ready and you’ll receive a special offer! (Orders must be $35.00 or more to receive this offer) You will get a text message when the gallery is published, and the credit will be automatically applied- just sign in with your phone number at checkout! Use the same access code above to purchase an AdvancePay Credit before November 25.

Questions? Email LThelp@lifetouch.com or visit https://media.photoday.io/pdfs/FALLLTFAQ.pdf for more information.

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 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2023. If you have any questions, please contact our School Counselor, Lauren Ioli at Lauren_A_Ioli@mcpsmd.org.

Holiday Giving Project Referral (English)

Holiday Giving Project Referral (Spanish)

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

ParentVue Directions

Click to Join:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/767544047325701/

Greetings, Wildcats!

We hope you all had a wonderful long weekend! I may have put my holiday decorations up. They make me happy, and I am not ashamed:-)

With so many activities going on and the November PTA Meeting canceled, it’s extra important to read the Sunday message each week and to keep an eye on our Facebook page and WhatsApp Community – there is a lot to track!

On 11/3, we launched a new fundraiser with just a two-week duration, so you don’t want to wait on this one: Welcome to the WWES Dave & Buster’s Power Card fundraiser! For just $20 each (value $25), the PTA is selling 100-chip power cards, which will make excellent stocking stuffers and gifts! D&B gives $10 back for every power card purchased, allowing the PTA to establish a fund to help Wildcat families in need with registration fees for Wims’ after-school programs. This is a win-win for everyone, and we hope you will participate. The purchase link appears below.

Calling all artists! Last call to register for PTA Reflections to showcase your interpretation of the 2024-25 school year is "Accepting Imperfection," a theme which serves as a powerful reminder that our flaws and mistakes are just as much a part of us as our strengths and are a natural and beautiful part of being human. More information is shared below.

Registration is open for Grandparents’ Day! This beloved tradition returns on Monday, Nov. 25 from 8-9:30am (Wims’ Open House starts just after Grandparents’ Day, at 9:30). We do kindly remind all families that Grandparents’ Day is for grandparents and students only due to capacity in the all-purpose room. The event will fill, so please be sure to register early. Once the event is sold out, the form will be closed, and we are unable to take additional guests - we appreciate your understanding in advance. Please see below for more information as well as the registration link.

Finally, the sign up to donate a pie for Pie Time is still open (we still need 53 more pies!) and the volunteer sign up for Book Fair is open. We need a LOT of volunteers - both day & evening shifts available - for Book Fair. If you have never volunteered at Book Fair, don’t let that stop you from signing up. For many, it is their favorite event and certainly one of mine.

Have a Wonderful Wildcat Week!

~ Ashley Zuraf, President

2024-25 School Year

Get pumped for a FUNdraiser - the Dave & Buster’s Power Card Fundraiser Campaign! When you purchase a $20 power card from our link (value $25), the PTA will receive $10 back, which will be used to assist Wildcat families in need in registering for Wims’ after-school programs. The power cards are good at any D&B location nationwide - so sales are not limited to family & friends in the DMV only. Get a jumpstart on your stocking stuffers and holiday gifts while supporting fellow Wims families. This fundraiser goes through Nov. 19 only! Order your power cards here → https://bit.ly/WWESnDB24!

The PTA is excited to announce the return of the PTA Reflections Program at our school. Each year, students in Grades K – 12, are recognized for bringing the Reflections 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. The theme for the 2024-25 school year is "Accepting Imperfection," a theme which serves as a powerful reminder that our flaws and mistakes are just as much a part of us as our strengths and are a natural and beautiful part of being human. If your student is interested in participating in the PTA Reflections Program, please complete this interest form by November 8, 2024. School entries are due to mailto:mreflections@wwespta.orgby 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! Join us from 8:00-9:30am for a special day honoring our grandparents including free breakfast, coffee, tea, and juice, photo ops from Lifetouch (photos can be purchased later, online), and exclusive shopping at Book Fair! This is a free event, but RSVP is mandatory. Please RSVP here → https://bit.ly/WWES24GDAY Once the form shows as closed, this means the event has reached capacity and we are unable to accommodate any additional guests. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Volunteers are needed - look for the signup in next Sunday’s message. This is another event brought free to our families, from funds raised during the Wildcat Fun Run!

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

We’re excited to announce this year’s Winter Wonderland Book Fair – a magical event where students can discover new books and dive into winter-themed activities! The Book Fair will be open to families from 4-6pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (Dec. 2, 3, and 5) as well as from 4-7pm on Wed., Dec. 4 for Family Night, with a special event starting at 6pm (more information coming soon). Please join us in creating a festive, memorable experience for our school community.

To make this event a success, we need your help! We’re looking for volunteers to assist with both set-up and hours throughout the fair. Whether you have an hour or a day to give, your support makes a huge difference! Volunteer duties will include helping students browse and select books, running the checkout, and setting up/packing up the fair. Please consider signing up here à https://bit.ly/24WWESBookFair

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.

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.