WES Weekly Update

January 20 - NO SCHOOL - MLK HOLIDAY

January 24 - Wear GREEN for EAGLES!

January 24 - WES Bingo Night

January 31 - Report Cards released

February 4 - PTO Meeting, 6:00pm

February 5 - WES Wednesday (wear WES cares shirt or other spirit wear)

February 13 - Valentine's Day Classroom Parties

February 14 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Teacher In-Service Day)

February 17 - NO SCHOOL - President's Day Federal HOLIDAY

Dear WES Families,

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I hope this snowy Monday in January allows for some sips of hot chocolate between shoveling, salting, sledding, and playing in the snow!

We want to mention and celebrate the fantastic job by our second grade team of students and teachers, who last week led the school in our MLK Recognition assembly on Thursday, January 16th. The singing, recitation of poems, and opportunities for reflection it provided all of us were meaningful and focused on the change and impact that Dr. King made; bringing focus to issues of racial equality and civil rights, by practicing empathy for others, and by working towards a greater future together. Our 2nd grade team organized the campaign to collect monetary donations for flood victims in the Carolinas, and the entire school community participated in a school supply drive to benefit students in need at the Chester Community Charter School. The afternoon of the 16th was spent organizing and packing new bookbags generously donated by members of the WES PTO. Thank you for making this Day of Service meaningful to our students and others! We felt it was a huge success and something to build on in future years.

Report cards and special education progress reports will be released and sent on Friday, January 31st. (Additional benchmark assessments will be conducted in late January and early February, allowing further analysis that will be communicated to families as appropriate).

This week is looking bitter and cold! Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we will get outside for recess, particularly early in the week, and I would recommend students dressing warmly for school this week with the fact that it will be unseasonably cold.

And with the Eagles big win on Sunday evening, we will encourage a Green OUT this Friday, January 24th in anticipation of their next game! Kelly green, Midnight green, neon green… it all counts! Let’s bring the Birds a swell of green luck on Friday!

Have a great week and stay warm!

Mr. Stephen Krall

Principal

Wallingford Elementary

In honor of Dr. King’s legacy of love and service, the students at WES participated in efforts that raised over $2300 for the fundraising service project lead by our 2nd Grade Teachers. During school, children created a paper “Chain of Love,” where each student added four links that indicated their specific dream for a better world. The links were connected and displayed in our hallways. The collected donations will be sent to the NCCF Disaster Relief to help those affected by the floods. Thank you for your generosity!

To help keep indoor recess stimulating and fun, we would love some new (to us) or novel games to play at school in the cafeteria. Although we want to be outside as much as possible during recess, our district elementary schools follow the same protocol of remaining inside when the "real feel" temperature is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

So as you are cleaning out and decluttering for the new year, please keep WES in mind for any used board/card games we can use during this time. Thank you!

Morning rehearsals for the WES Chorus will begin on Friday, January 24 at 8:00am in the music room. New members are welcome, but need to see Mrs. Haley for a contract. Please contact Mrs. Haley with any questions.

Wallingford-Swarthmore Kindergarten Registration for 2025-26 is open. To be eligible for kindergarten admission in September 2025, children must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2025. NO EXCEPTIONS. Students must be registered by Friday, February 28, 2025 to be eligible for the lottery to select AM/PM sessions. The district offers online registration. This can be accessed at https://www.wssd.org/registration.

Questions concerning online registration should be directed to Derrick L. Clements at dclements@wssd.org or 610-892-3470 ext. 1203. If you are unable to register online, please call the Educational Data and Registration Office at 610-892-3470 ext. 1304 to schedule an appointment to complete the registration online at the Administration Office.

Food service is exited to announce that our website has been updated. We now have an ala carte drop down that includes all snacks for sale in the cafeteria, as well as how to set up restrictions for your students. This information can be found at https://www.wssd.org/Page/1049.

Please feel free to reach out to Kate Rittler, Director of Food and Nutrition, with any questions! krittler@wssd.org, 610-892-3470 ext. 2151 or visit the WSSD Food Services website.

We are urging parents/guardians to complete the process for clearances if you have not already done so. Clearances are mandatory, are good for 5 years, and are kept at the district level. Volunteer clearances are required for anyone volunteering to work with our students or be present in our school; whether that is in school, on a field trip, or at an athletic event/practice, etc. Essentially, everyone who is volunteering with our students or in a school is required to obtain volunteer clearances.

You will not be permitted to volunteer without valid clearances on file with the district.

PeachJar is our community digital flyer system that brings important information about events and programs directly to our families! Click on the image to see the latest community flyers.

WES’ Annual Bingo Night is back! Register here! Advance registration is required as this event usually sells out with the gym capacity.

Join us on Friday, January 24 for Bingo Night! Session 1 is SOLD OUT, but seats are still available for the second session starting at 7:30pm. Mr. Fantozzi and Mrs. Gaur will continue their tradition of leading the fun! Dinner is covered, too! Order a cheese pizza in advance (sold by the pie, plain only, must order in advance) to enjoy while you play. Please consider donating gently used books to the bin in the lobby as they are used for prizes.

Don’t forget the raffle tickets! You can purchase raffle basket tickets in advance or during the event to try your chances at one of our great raffles. Among the prizes: Breakfast with Mr. Krall, the perennial favorite “Principal for a Day”, and many more! Prizes will be on display during the event. 3 tickets for $5 or 7 tickets for $10. 50/50 will be sold at the event only.

We are hoping the WES community will help make this event a success with volunteering, contributing baked goods or donations towards each grades' raffle basket. Check out the sign ups below to support us:

• WES BINGO Night Volunteer Signup 2025
• WES BINGO Night Bake Sale Donations 2025
• KINDERGARTEN - WES BINGO Raffle basket donation
• FIRST GRADE - WES BINGO Raffle basket donation
• SECOND GRADE - WES BINGO Raffle basket donations
• THIRD GRADE - WES BINGO Raffle basket donations
• FOURTH GRADE - WES BINGO Raffle basket donation
• FIFTH GRADE - WES BINGO Raffle basket donations

Please contact Jessica Diamond with any questions.

The snow’s falling and so are the temps – grab a pair of **NEW** flannel PJ bottoms from the WES store! Soft, comfy, and perfect for PJ days, cozy nights and weekends, or those ‘nope, not today’ moments. Order this week and we’ll send them home in backpacks. Any questions, email Kristina Dechter.