Back Pocket
December 2, 2016
Be Your Best...
School Calendar
Principal's Message
At Windsor Knolls Middle School, we have established the goal of exceeding a 96% annual attendance rate. Our attendance rate is currently 96.7%. We are ahead of our goal, and want to keep it that way. So, what can you do to help promote regular school attendance?
- Let your child know that school attendance an expectation and an important priority. You should continue to explain to them that school is similar to a job and that their attendance is required for success.
- Participate and connect with the school. When parents visit school, communicate regularly with teachers, and attend school-related events, students attend school more regularly.
- Establish routines for completing homework, going to bed, and waking in the morning. We all tend to thrive in routines.
- Encourage healthy living habits. The importance of regular exercise, a balanced diet, proper hygiene, and sleep can't be over-stated. Practicing healthy habits keeps us from becoming sick and missing school.
- Keep your child home if they are truly sick. As we enter into the cold and flu season, it is important to monitor your child's health closely. If your child does need to be absent from school, please send in a note upon their return and remind them to check-in with their teachers so they can gather any missed work.
Together, we can continue to promote regular school attendance, support students to find success, and help us achieve our attendance goal. As always, please contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your child's attendance.
Pre-ordering is the only way to guarantee that your student receives a yearbook
at the end of the year celebration. The cost is $35.00.
Counselor's Corner
Please help WKMS and the Greater Urbana Area Food Bank support local families during the holiday time. A Giving Tree is now located in the WKMS front office! Please stop by the front office and pick up an ornament to purchase an item for a family in need in our school community. Wrapped gifts are due back by December 14.
The WKMS Peer Ambassadors and Student Government Association will also be collecting supplies this holiday season for the Greater Urbana Area Food Bank. Please consider donating one or more of the items below to support families in need in our area. All items may be dropped off to WKMS by December 14th.
Black contractor trash bags (available at Costco)
Aluminum foil
Ziploc freezer bags – in gallon and quart sizes
Canned tuna
Canned chicken
Vienna sausages
Chef Boyardee pasta products
Condiments – ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise
Flour
Sugar
Powdered coffee creamer
Meals ‘in a box’ such as cans of beef stew or chili or Hamburger helper type foods
Thank you!
Literacy Specialist Updates
Mrs. Clardy in the Media Center
Give Your Child a Visiting Author Steve Sheinkin Book for the Holidays:
With PTSA funding, WKMS will be hosting award-winning author, Steve Sheinkin, on April 5, 2017. Steve writes non-fiction titles and has been a National Book Award Finalist multiple times as well as winning the Newbery Honor Medal. It will be such a treat to have Steve visit WKMS. We will have grade level sessions on the 5th and an author lunch as well. All students can attend Steve's visit. Students are encouraged to read one of Steve's books before attending an author session. Thanks to the WKMS PTSA for offering our students this phenomenal opportunity. Steve's books will be available for checkout from the media center. But, to offer students a chance to purchase one of Steve’s titles so that they can have it signed during Steve’s visit, I am having a book sale of Steve’s books. I’m working with Curious Iguana bookstore and offering Steve’s books at a tax-free 20% discount to students. If you’d like to purchase a Steve Sheinkin title for your student, simply send in the attached book order to me with your payment. Cut off date: Wednesday, December 7th, 2016.
Feel free to contact me anytime you need to at: mary.clardy@fcps.org
Math Specialist Message
WKMS Math Specialist, Mrs. Thereault hopes that you will join her for a Book Club discussion about Balancing the Equation. If you question why math instruction is different now than when you were growing up, why students learn different strategies to solve problems, and why students need to be able to explain "why" in math class, then this book is for you!
This book focuses on math education in grades K - 12 and discusses:
- Reasons why expectations for mathematics teaching and learning must be raised.
- The history of the progression, changes, and disputes in K-12 mathematics education.
- Insights about mathematics education in an era of mathematics reform.
- Mathematical literacy and what elements are part of effective mathematics instruction.
- The steps that must be taken to support the teaching and learning of mathematics, so all students can be college and career ready.
Introduction
1. Why Mathematics Education Needs to Improve
2. A Brief History of Mathematics Education: Lessons to Learn
3. The Common Core Mathematics Debate
4. The Equilibrium Position and Effective Mathematics Instruction
5. How to Help Your Child Learn Mathematics
Epilogue: Conclusion and Action Steps for Educators and Parents
Appendix: Additional Resources for Parents
The book can be purchased at the following link.
Please email christine.thereault@fcps.org if you would like to join her!
Positive Notes to WKMS Staff Members
Would you like to share a positive note to a staff member of Windsor Knolls? If so, please click on the link. You do NOT have to include your name.
PTSA Updates
Attention all PTSA Members, Directories will be distributed the first week of December through your child's advisory teacher.
We have our first volunteer request from the school. Click https://goo.gl/YU0KMo to sign up to volunteer in the cafeteria during lunch.
We would also like to take this time to go over how volunteering works at WKMS.
1. All volunteers need to review the ?Welcome Volunteers? presentation found on the WKMS school website (http://education.fcps.org/wkms/volunteer ).
2. You will then need download and return to WKMS the Volunteer Confidentiality Agreement and Volunteer Emergency Form also located on the WKMS school website.
3. Both these documents need to be signed and completed before volunteering at the school.
PTSA Events: to volunteer at PTSA events you must be a PTSA Member. Membership information can be found on the WKMS PTSA website (http://windsorknollsmiddle.my-pta.org). You do not need to be a PTSA member to volunteer at the school during regular school hours or at school sponsored events.
Finally, to make collecting unlogged hours easier for you and the PTSA, we have set up a google doc (https://docs.google.com/a/fcps.org/forms/d/1C4d4JKG1n7DvzolDQtTIpabWG4sY6MOT7bVvDdPiqRI/edit) that will be sent out each month to remind you to report your hours for that month. This google doc can also be found on the WKMS PTSA website under the volunteers tab. Unlogged hours are those hours not captured by signing in at the front desk at school, and make up most of the schools volunteer hours at the middle school level. Reporting volunteer hours to central office is very important since grants can be awarded based on the number of volunteer hours a school has received.
If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact Michele Jaeb (PTSA Volunteer Coordinator and Secretary) at mdjaeb@gmail.com or Christine Thereault (WKMS Volunteer Coordinator and Math Specialist) at Christine.Thereault@fcps.org.
CHECK THIS OUT!
http://nrich.maths.org/12956/index