Greetings Washington Families,

Welcome back to The Washington Weekly! Last week, we had an amazing Staff Appreciation Week at Washington! We are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the amazing donations and the time volunteered to celebrate and honor our incredible staff. Your support made the week truly special!

As we dive into this week's newsletter, here's what you can expect:

• Buy a 100th Year Photo: Don't miss out on the opportunity to purchase a special photo commemorating our school's 100th year anniversary. Details on how to purchase will be in the newsletter.

• Upcoming Book Fair: Get ready to discover new books and support our school library at the upcoming book fair. Add money to your child's eWallet or sign up to volunteer at the Book Fair!

• 24-25 Parent Input Form: We value your input! Take a moment to complete the parent input form regarding the upcoming school year. Your feedback helps us make informed decisions!

• Volunteer Opportunities with the PTA: Want to get involved? There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer with the PTA. Your participation is greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Let's make it a great week at 1000 Fayetteville Street!

Magically,

Catie Burnette

Principal

We still want to hear from YOU! Help us make your child’s school experience as positive and beneficial as possible by giving honest, thoughtful responses to the questions in our family survey. The survey closes on Friday, May 17. bit.ly/WCPSSFamilySurvey

Washington ES students and staff proudly took a school wide photo celebrating our 100th year! We would like to offer to you the chance to purchase this group photo. The photo will be available at $12 for an 8x10 of the group. You can purchase this online using the instructions below. (This is the preferred method!) We will have some envelopes in the office that a student can pick up for anyone where online is not a possibility. You will have until 5/17/24 to order this photo either online or bringing the envelope to school. After 5/17/24, you can order online but you will be assessed a “ship to home” fee so that the photo will be delivered to your home.

Families that already purchased online do not need to order again. They will receive a partial refund and also the picture. Cash and check order envelopes were returned in student bookbags. Please contact the teacher if you have not received the old order envelope.

Is your child currently in band or orchestra? Do you have a rising 2nd grader who is interested in joining band or orchestra? Please use THIS FORM to let us know if your child is interested in continuing with band/orchestra or starting out in the program. Due to scheduling, we encourage rising 3rd graders interested in band/orchestra to begin when they are in 3rd grade. If your child has not been in band/orchestra and is a rising 4th/5th grader please know that this is not guaranteed but will be considered on a case by case basis.

Also, please note the following:
1. Returning students will be pre-registered for continuing band/orchestra based on this form for the 24-25 school year.

2. For current 2nd grade students (3rd graders for 24-25 school year) you will be pre registered for beginning/band orchestra for the 24-25 school year.
3. It is the expectation of the program that if you are able to rent an instrument that you do so; however, we do have a limited number of instruments that can be borrowed from the school. Instruments do not need to be rented at this time. Instruments will be assigned for beginning band/orchestra during the first quarter.
4. Band and Orchestra are year long electives. It is the expectation that students are making a commitment for the year. Individual cases will be addressed as necessary after a discussion with the teacher and/or administration.

Get ready! The BOGO Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Everything sold will be buy one get one free! Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them on their journey to becoming lifelong readers. AND—as always—every purchase at the Fair benefits our school.

Here’s what you need to know about the big event, which will take place from Monday, May 20th to Wednesday, May 22nd in the Media Center. The book fair will also be open on Tuesday evening after Spring Fling (May 21) and you can shop with your kids during this time.

Say goodbye to cash and hello to eWallet—your child’s digital payment account. Before the Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases. Anyone can contribute! Share each child’s eWallet so friends and family can add funds and give your kids more books to enjoy.

If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Book Fair online. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Every online purchase will also benefit our school.

Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping.

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/washingtongt

With warm weather and sunshine in the forecast for the foreseeable future, please keep in mind the following reminders regarding the dress code:

• Students must wear clothing that covers their skin from chest to mid-thigh with opaque (non-see-through) fabric in front, back, and on the sides. Please no crop tops.
• Flip flops and slides are not safe for school. Students who choose to wear sandals should ensure there is a strap across the back. If your child has PE for a special, elective or focus special, please ensure they wear appropriate footwear in order to fully participate.

We value your feedback! Each year we take parent, student, and teacher input to design and build our elective schedule. Please click the image below to give us your feedback as we work to develop our schedule for the 24-25 school year.

We will need volunteers to serve as hall monitors for EOG (End of Grade) testing for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders. Please click here to learn more about how you can help!

Each year, we provide an opportunity for parents to provide input about their child's learning needs and classroom environment considerations for the following school year. If you are interested in providing this feedback, please click the button below. Requests for rising 1st-5th grade students are due by JUNE 7, 2024. Forms received after this point will not be awarded full consideration since classes may have been finalized. Forms for rising kindergarten students may be submitted until August 28, 2024.

Throughout the week of May 13-17, different Letterlanders can be found at various locations around Pullen Park. Join us each day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for a scavenger hunt to locate your favorite Letterlanders. On May 13 and May 16 from 5 to 8 p.m., additional fun and exciting themed activities will be located at stations around the park. Register for Letterland Activity Nights.

The end of the 5th grade year will be an aWESome week-long celebration! They will have shirts to tie-dye with names on the back, special pens for their yearbook signing party, cupcakes, games and more! A suggested minimum donation of $10 will cover the cost of this memorable experience. If we get enough donations, we can even have a pizza party! You can donate online here: 5th Grade Donations. Or you can give the teacher cash or check payable to Washington PTA. DUE DATE IS FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024!

Thank you to all the families who donated their time, food, money, or school supplies for Teacher Appreciation Week! The teachers really felt the love and many smiles were had during the week.

The Spring Book Fair is coming up in a few weeks. The evening book fair will be the night of Spring Fling. This book fair is only 3 days, but could still use some volunteers during the day as well as at night. The library provides an opportunity for all kids, and reading helps grow the mind! And the bonus?… It’s BOGO (Buy one, get one free!)

Reminder for our Rescheduled Washington Earth Day, on Sunday afternoon, May 19th between 2-4. Help us make a positive impact at Washington, and for the community, as we tidy up our school! Sign up below!

Please bring gloves, water bottles, shovels, and any tools you may use for gardening or clean up. Thank you for your support! (If you signed up for the April session and can no longer due the May session, please edit your sign up!)

PTA needs support with supervising children from 3:30-5:15pm on Tuesday, May 21st prior to Spring Fling. If you can help supervise children after school, please let us know. Spring Fling begins at 5:30.

We are especially looking for volunteers that have children performing at Spring Fling and/or will be attending Spring Fling. Thank you so much for your support. If you can volunteer please email Laura at lab.walton@gmail.com. (*Volunteers must have registered with Wake County and filled out the background check at the beginning of the year.)

K: Remi

1st: Sean

2nd: Anastasia

3rd: Adam

4th: Aarushi

5th: Varun

Staff: Mr. Harrell, 5th Grade Teacher

Wednesday, May 15: Spring Band Concert, 6:30pm

Thursday, May 16: Spring Orchestra Concert, 6:30pm

Tuesday, May 21: SPRING FLING, 5:30-8:00pm

Thursday, May 23: Spring Theater Production, 6:30pm

Monday, May 27: Holiday- School Closed!

Friday, June 7: FIELD DAY

Wednesday, June 10: Last Day of School

Thursday, May 30th: 3rd ELA and 5th Science, EXTEND 1

Friday, May 31st: 3rd Math, EXTEND 1

Monday, June 3rd: 4th and 5th ELA, EXTEND 1

Tuesday, June 4th: 4th and 5th Math

Wednesday, June 5th: Make Ups, Read to Achieve Testing

Thursday, June 6th: Make Ups, Read to Achieve Testing

Friday, June 7th: Make Ups

Field Day needs volunteers to make this event the best Field Day ever! Field Day will be on Friday, June 7th (rain date 6/10).

*ALL field day volunteers must be a registered WCPSS volunteer. Please visit the front office OR click here to register as a Washington Elementary/WCPSS volunteer by April 26th.

• If you believe that you have already registered this school year and would like to confirm, please contact Ms. Maggie by email (mkrakowiak@wcpss), phone or Talking Points.
• A formal Field Day volunteer sign-up will be posted via Talking Points with time slots (morning/afternoon) in mid May. Volunteers will lead/supervise an activity or game. All materials and instructions will be provided.

Thank you for your time & support in this AMAZING & memorable day for our students!

• 2023-24 WCPSS Student/Parent Handbook (English)
• 2023-24 WCPSS Student/Parent Handbook (Spanish)
• 2023-24 Washington Student/Parent Handbook