Wilder Elementary School

Dear Wilder Families,

To our returning families and those new to Wilder, WELCOME! We hope this message finds you refreshed and ready for an exciting 2024-2025 school year. Our current enrollment for 2024-25 is 180 students. As we begin this new journey together, we are thrilled to welcome each of our students back to school.

Please take a moment to read through the rest of this newsletter to ensure you have a clear understanding of our procedures at Wilder. Key things to know include arrival and dismissal times, information regarding breakfast, school supplies, and staff updates. Having this information will help us all get the year off to a great start.

We wish you all a fantastic return to school and look forward to a wonderful year ahead! As always, we appreciate your partnership in your children's education!

Leslie Bjelde

Principal, Wilder Elementary

We are also excited to share some fantastic news—In 2023, Wilder Elementary became the first school in North Dakota to be Blue Zoned Approved! This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of our students and the broader community.

One of the key steps we took last year was to focus on healthy snack options. We ask you to refer to the school-approved list of snacks, which includes fruits, plain popcorn, pretzels, cheesestick, or vegetables. Please note that snacks with sugar as the first ingredient, such as fruit snacks and Pop-Tarts, are not approved. Unapproved snacks will be saved for at home. We deeply appreciate your support in this initiative, which played a significant role in helping us achieve Blue Zoned status!

School Approved items to bring for snacks:

1. Any fruit or vegetable (most preferred)

2. Cheese sticks/beef sticks (kept in child's cooler bag/lunch bag)

3. Yogurt (that follows policy below - sugar not being the first ingredient, kept cool in child's lunch bag)

4. Pretzels or crackers (in the original container as stated below and not made in a nut facility)

**Please note: fruit snacks, cookies, pop-tarts, or items without a label will not be allowed for snacks as they do not follow the policy below. Plus, some fruit snacks are made in peanut facilities.

GFPS Policy

We recognize the important role of parents/guardians and school staff in educating our students about healthy lifestyles. Due to an increased number of students with severe food allergies and the higher levels of severity, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with a "birthday snack" in our schools. Parents are welcome to find other non-food items to send to school if they wish. For example, a book, game, or school supplies may be donated to your child's classroom.

Some teachers schedule a snack time during the school day. You are not required to provide a snack for your child. However, if you do, please send snacks in accordance with the following Nutrition Standards outlined in the Grand Forks Public School District Wellness Policy.

• Snacks should include a nutrition label
• *Sugar is not the first ingredient
• Candy is not allowed
• All snacks are peanut and tree nut free
• Any fruit or vegetable is allowable
• Yogurt and cheese are allowable (with freezer pack to keep cool)
• Plain water in any size is allowable
• Individual snacks requested by your child's teacher must come to school in the original packaging that includes a nutrition label. Snacks that contain or may contain peanuts or other nuts and/or do not have a nutrition label or do not fall within the nutrition standards listed above, will be sent home with your child.

** Different names for sugar include such names as brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, fruit juice concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, or syrup, to name a few.

Please find the updated handbook attached at the end of this newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact the Wilder Office at 701-746-2320

Please give a warm Wolverine welcome to new staff members or those who have changed assignments this year:

We have added a second 5th grade classroom and our new teacher is Mrs. Taylor Crowson.

Chantel Bergquist is new to Wilder this year in the Social worker position, this is a shared position with Twining Elementary.

We have a new evening Custodian - Susanne King .

We have a new Social Studies teacher - Ms. Hailey Robertson.

Thank you for joining me in welcoming these new staff members to Wilder!!

Date: Monday, August 26th, 2024

Time: 3:30-5:30pm

• Meet your child's teacher and visit the classroom (Parents will receive a notification from the school prior to the open house so that you will know which teacher / classroom to visit.)
• Finalize registration requirements/paperwork.
• Stop by the information booths in the gym to assist you with various back to school needs.
• Meet your PTO representatives (and consider joining!) on the playground.
• Also, if you would like, you can bring your school supplies at this time.

Grand Forks Public Schools will once again use TeacherLists (link: https://www.teacherlists.com/content/homepage-families/) to share 2024-2025 school supply list information with our families! This free tool allows families to find and shop their student's supply list easily with the convenience of one-click shopping or in store pickup from several national retailers, including Target and Walmart. If you'd rather complete your shopping in-person, just visit the TeacherLists website to view/print your students supply list.

Please take note of these important upcoming dates!

August

Monday, August 26th - Back to school Open house - 3:30-5:30pm

Tuesday, August 27th - First day of School grades K-9 only

Wednesday, August 28th - First day of school grades 10-12

September

Monday, September 2nd - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day Holiday

Wednesday, September 18th - Early Release at 1:30pm

Wednesday, September 18th- Flu shot clinic AM (more information to come)

Friday, September 27th - RED Event

October

Wednesday, October 2nd - Early Release at 1:30pm

Thursday, October 3rd - All Schools PT Conferences

Friday, October 4th - No School & Parent Teacher Conferences 8-4pm

Tuesday, October 8th - PT Conferences (Evening times)

Wednesday, October 16th - Early Release at 1:30pm

Friday, October 18th - No School (Admin Convention)

Friday, October 25th - RED Event

If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please inform the school office at 746-2320 before 8:25 am, if you are able. Communication between home and school ensures student safety. If the school does not hear from you, the office will call to make sure your child is safe.

If your child arrives after 8:25 am to school, a family member will need to walk in with the student and sign them in.

If you are taking your child out of school early for any reason, come to the office to sign them out. Please let your child's teacher know ahead of time if possible.

Daily attendance is very important. If your child is not in school, he/she is missing out on very important learning. Tardies and early pick ups result in lost instruction as well.

As a Title I school, Wilder receives federal funding that is directly related to the number of families eligible for free and reduced lunch. The Title funding supports our Reading Specialist position, Social Worker, and allows us to purchase necessary supplies for the classrooms. Please take a moment to fill out the form- it will be included in the packet you receive at our Open House, or you can download from this link, which includes a full overview of Free and Reduced Lunches.

Important School Times

Last year, with your assistance, we we able to decrease chronic absenteeism by 3.9%, just shy of our 5% goal. Please continue to do your part to ensuring your child(ren) are at school on time and are only absent for illness related reasons.

• Breakfast: Served from 7:40-8:15 am -- Use Door #1

• First Bell: 8:20 am -- Use Door #4 (if not having breakfast at school)

• School Begins: 8:25 am

• Tardy Bell : 8:25 am

• School Dismissal Time: 3:00 pm -- Students will be dismissed through Door #4. It is important to be on time as our staff has meetings that begin by 3:10 pm.

Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up

Our students' safety as they arrive and dismiss from school is very important to us. Please note the following expectations to ensure that we are working together to keep kids safe at these busy times of day.

Before School:

• Our doors open for breakfast at 7:40 am, please do not allow them to exit your car until 7:40 am, especially in cold or rainy weather. The doors will not open until 7:40 am.
• If you arrive prior to 7:40 am, you must wait in your car on the street rather than block the driveway in the parking lot as this causes traffic to be backed up or delays staff from arriving on time.
• Students who do not eat breakfast at school wait outside by Door #4 (south side of the building). Please wait until closer to 8:20 to drop these students off.
• When dropping off on the street, students must exit your vehicle from CURBSIDE ONLY. Please arrange carseats or other objects on the side that will allow your child to get out along the curbside.
• Students are not allowed to arrive early or play on the unsupervised playground. They will stand nicely in a line outside door #4. Drop off your child along North 4th St.

After School:

• Pick up your child along N. 4th Street. Students are dismissed through Door #4. Parents are expected to promptly meet their children outside at dismissal time. Each grade level will be lined Dismissed at 1:30 pm on the following days up on the grassy area near the sidewalk along N. 4th St.

• If you or your child need to cross the street to return to your car, use the crosswalk. Staff will redirect you if you are crossing in the street as it is a city ordinance and should be followed for safety reasons. Please show kindness if you are given a reminder.
  
• When picking up along the street, students must enter your vehicle from CURBSIDE ONLY. Please arrange carseats or other objects on the side that will allow your child to get out along the curbside. Again, staff will provide a reminder to follow this guidance and offer solutions as it is for the safety of your child.

• Students enrolled in Encore, the after school program on site, will not begin until Tuesday, Sept. 3rd.

• In order for safe habits to be established, it is especially important that parents help their children follow our pick up and drop off routines and procedures.
  

Absences and Tardies:

If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please inform the school office at 746-2320 before 8:25 am, if you are able. Communication between home and school ensures student safety. If the school does not hear from you, the office will call to make sure your child is safe.

If your child arrives after 8:25 am to school, a family member will need to walk in with the student and sign them in.

If you are taking your child out of school early for any reason, come to the office to sign them out. Please let your child's teacher know ahead of time if possible.

Daily attendance is very important. If your child is not in school, he/she is missing out on very important learning. Tardies and early pick ups result in lost instruction as well.

ENCORE operates from 3:00pm-5:30pm. On days that school is in session (there are a few days occasionally that we are closed due to staffing). Registration is required, including re-registration if enrolled last year. Registration will be onlineAbout ENCORE:

Starting Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024.

• This is an academic-based program,

• We are mandated to provide two hours a day of academic, regardless of grade level,

• Not all spots are guaranteed,

• Some locations may have a waiting list due to space and staffing

Daily Schedule (each school does change):

• 3-4 p.m: Homework assistance (Monday-Thursday)

• 3-4 p.m: Academic clubs (Friday)

• 4-4:15 p.m: Snack/Socialization

• 4:00-5:00 p.m: Theme-based enrichment activities aligned to standards

• 5:00-5:30 p.m: Free time

ENCORE Early Dismissal Program

We will also continue to offer The Early Dismissal Program at Wilder. This program operates from 1:30-3:00 p.m. on 1:30 p.m. early dismissal Wednesdays for the 2024-2025 school year. This free program is being offered in cooperation with Grand Forks Public Schools. Registration is required, including re-registration if enrolled last year. Registration options will be either online.

Please note:

• Early Out Club provides participants with organized and active after-school activities, arts and crafts, and various STEM activities.

• All students enrolled in ENCORE will report to ENCORE at 3 p.m. All other students not registered for ENCORE must to be picked up no later than 3 p.m.

ENCORE & Early Out Waiting List Registration 2024-25: https://forms.gle/GfuUqCNfsGnuG1odA

The Blue Zone Project is a well being initiative that has partnered with Wilder Elementary to further enhance the health and longevity of all students and their families. We encourage students to wear blue shirts on Wellness Wednesdays in support of Blue Zones. If your student would like a Blue Zone T-shirt to wear for Wellness Wednesdays, they can get one by completing a Blue Zones bingo sheet which is attached below for printing or pick up a hard copy in the office. There is no timeline in submitting the bingo card.

You are always welcome at Wilder! As we continue to pursue our safety and security efforts, if you come into the school, please use Door #1 and use the sign in/out in the office. Adults are asked to wait in the entryway or office when picking up their student(s) or will be escorted by a staff member to their desired location. Please do NOT walk down to classrooms without a school employee escort.

Grand Forks Public Schools has determined a number of early release days to allow for teacher collaboration time. Wilder Elementary School is committed to providing the instruction and support needed for all students to achieve high levels of academic success. This collaboration schedule and what we do during this valuable time is vital to that commitment.

On early release Wednesdays, students who are walking home or being picked up will dismiss from Door #4 promptly at 1:30 pm. Please plan accordingly.

• September 18
• October 2, 16
• November 6, 20
• December 4,18
• January 15, 29
• February 19
• March 5,
• April 9, 30
• May 14th

Students enrolled in ENCORE's Early Out Club will report to their designated attendance location at Wilder at 1:30 pm. Early Out Club will dismiss at 3:00 pm. Parents (of children not also enrolled in Encore) are to come to Door #1 (parking lot door) and sign their child out.

Please see the office for a form to fill out for your child to receive these services. The date is pending the number forms returned between different schools.

Email: jhouser060@mygfschools.org
Website: https://www.gfschools.org/Domain/1087
Location: 1009 North 3rd Street
Phone: (701) 746-2320