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Wolf Pup Weekly
Woodriver Issue #14 - 11/17/23
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A WORD FROM MR. GUY
Hello Wolf Pup parents! Thank you for a wonderful first semester! I have been thrilled with the support from all of you, both at home, and in attending events at Woodriver. We have made a ton of progress with our K-3 students reading this semester. We started the year with 51 students being “well-below benchmark”, meaning they are more than a year below where they should be in their reading skills. At the end of the first semester we now only have 31 kids “well-below benchmark”. Additionally, we had 85 students either “well-below” or “below”, and we have now moved 24 students up to benchmark, or above benchmark. That is remarkable for only ½ a school year! We will do similar testing with all our 3rd-5th grade students when we return from winter break. I am excited to see their progress as well!
Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays! I hope each of you have a great time with family and friends. Students will return on January 9th, and I look forward to seeing everyone again “next year”!
WOLF PUPS IN ACTION
Third Grade Feast
A huge thanks to Mr. Kinder and Mrs. Rodgers for organizing a wonderful Family Traditions Feast! It was a wonderful experience for the students to learn more about each other's traditions and cultures, and a great opportunity for families to come together and eat some amazing food! Thanks to all the families for sharing your yummy food and traditions with us!
HOWLING HELPERS
Howling Helpers spread lots of Holiday Cheer this week! On Wednesday they delivered goody bags to all the teachers, and a peppermint to every student in the building! They also sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" with every delivery! Thanks HH's for making our school such a joyful place!
HOT CHOCOLATE!
Mrs. Stamps ER class delivered lots of Holiday Cheer this week! They took orders every morning, and delivered hot cocoa at lunch on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday! The students learned all about money, and how to count and calculate profits and earnings! Thank you for keeping us all supplied with warm, chocolately goodness this week!
1ST GRADE LANTERN PARADE
The first grade classes made some beautiful lanterns and treated the school to a festive holiday lantern parade this afternoon. What a beautiful end to our semester!
PTA UPDATES
REMINDERS
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY
BECOME A SUBSTITUTE!
EDUCATION BUDGET
The 2024 education budget has been released. Please note that with our current numbers of students, Woodriver will be operating at a deficit of $575,600 compared to our budget in 2012.
A NOTE ON ATTENDANCE
Please help us reach our attendance goals
“When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating." - Attendance Works
- For elementary students, regular attendance supports students' reading skills
- In Fairbanks, students with 90% or greater attendance were shown to have higher proficiency rates in reading.
- Chronic absenteeism is when students have lower than 90% attendance during the school year.
- There is growing consensus of research that points to chronic absenteeism as one of the most overlooked indicators that a student will become disengaged, fall behind academically, fail courses, and eventually drop out of school.
DID YOU KNOW....
We record absences and tardies differently depending on the reason? An absence due to illness or Dr. appt is recorded differently than an absence because of a family trip or event. And there is also a difference between a tardy and an early pick-up, and a half day AM or PM absence. Also, if your student is tardy, and you do not walk them in and fill out a tardy slip, or call the office, their tardy is coded unexcused.
We know students who attend school regularly see more opportunities for success and we want to partner with you to support you in making sure your student has access to whatever they need to get to school on time every day! Parents, please be mindful of appointment times, late check-ins and early check-outs to help our students be at school every day, and ready to learn the Wolf pup way!
Attendance Matters! #AlldayEveryday
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Connect with your student!
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is an important part of your child's education. Why is this important? It makes your child's school life better, improves their behavior, and helps them do well academically. To promote social and emotional learning in our students, as parents and caregivers, we can ask our children questions to start meaningful conversations.
Before asking your child about their day, make sure you set your phone aside and really pay attention to what they’re saying. Sometimes, children don’t want to talk because they don’t feel heard and other times, they say more with their body language than with words. That’s why it’s important to be fully present, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
Keep in mind that children, like adults, sometimes need some time to decompress before they want to chat. If your child is not very responsive after your first question, try again later.
If you’re still struggling with getting your child to open up about their day, try connecting first. Do a fun activity together that lightens the mood and creates an open environment. And then, ask any of the questions in the graphic and let the conversation flow.
BUS INFO
There has been a lot of concern over late buses and finding out when students will be home. If you have concerns you would like to share, please call Durham at 1(907)206-7789. This number can also be called for Dispatch if you would like to get an ETA on a route.
If you cannot get ahold of Durham, please call the transportation dept at (907)452-2000 ext 11351
There are a few tools available to help as well: One is to set up email notifications for late buses. Directions to set that up are below.
The other tool is a new system the district has set up that is a live bus tracking service. This allows you to see where the bus is along the route, the time it arrived at each stop, and even if the doors opened at the stop.
you can use this service at http://busroutes.k12northstar.org
Click on your school (Woodriver is WRV - Ryan is RYN), and then on the route you would like to view.
There are additional instructions on how to use it at: https://www.k12northstar.org/cms/lib/AK01901510/Centricity/Domain/1159/Bus%20Route%20Tracker_2023-09-06.pdf
Please note: Special Education buses are not listed on the live tracker. Please call Durham Dispatch or the transportation department with questions/concerns about those routes
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
LEARN AT HOME!
Want to access Classlink at home?
When your student puts in their username, please note that you will have to add the "@student.k12northstar.org". School computers do this automatically, so that is the most common problem families have at home
SCHOOL LUNCH MENU
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITES
CLUBS
AM Fitness
Grades K-5
Rom: Gym | Mon-Fri 8:45-9:15
Handwork CLub
HANDWORK CLUB IS FULL
$30/ QuarterGrades 3-5
Rm: 6 | Tues/Thurs 8:30-9:15
There are only 12 spots in this club. First come first serve, and spot must be paid for to reserve.
Game Club
Grades 2-5
Rm: 16 | Tuesdays 8-9:15
3rd Grade math tutor
3rd grade only
Room 16 | Thursdays 8:30-9:15
Band Club
5th grade
Band Room | Wed or Fri
STEM Club
STEM CLUB IS FULL
$25/Quarter
Grades 3-5
Room 16 | Wednesdays 8:00-9:15am
There are only 25 spots in this club. Lottery is held to determine selection. Those not selected will be placed on a waitlist.
DISTRICT SCHOOL CALENDAR
IMPORTANT DATES
December and January
Dec 25-Jan 5 - Winter Break | No School
Jan 8 - teacher work day | No School
Jan 15 - Holiday | No School
Welcome to Woodriver Elementary School
OFFICE HOURS: 8:45-4:15
SCHOOL HOURS 9:15 - 3:45
Email: nicole.wells@k12northstar.org
Website: www.k12northstar.org/woodriver
Location: 5000 Palo Verde Ave
Phone: 907-479-4211