Wattles Park Parent Connection

Students will continue MAP testing this week. Our KG-4th students take this test 3 times per year to measure academic progress. The Fall results will be shared at Parent Teacher Conferences in October. Please see the testing schedule below:

There is still time to create your child's account. As of September 15th, we have 146 out of 386 students with accounts. Our goal is to have 100% of our students create an account. Use the flyer that came home last week, or go to the link below to create your child's Read-A-Thon account. It just takes few minutes to complete, and it is very easy to use. All the reading minutes are tracked through your child's account.

Create your child's account here: Read-A-Thon Fall 2024

Would you like to win an all-expense paid trip to Walt Disney Theme Park for your family? We'd love to make that dream come true!

As a special bonus, any child who sends 10 text messages through their dashboard to promote our fundraiser will automatically be entered into a nationwide drawing for a magical trip for four to Walt Disney Theme Park.

We'll select one lucky winner each season from all the Read-A-Thons held during that season.

To create your student account, click on the link below (less than 5 minutes):

https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/nnwPZa/2

Our Fall Read-A-Thon will begin September 6th and go until September 16th. During this event, we encourage families to read together and experience the joy of literature with each other. Reading with your child for just 15 minutes per day can have huge implications for their overall success at school. When parents take the time to read with their child daily, it instills the importance of reading that can last for a lifetime! Please look for a flier coming home that gives the instructions for setting up the online account that tracks reading progress. There is also a video below that explains how to set-up your student's account. Wattles Park Elementary does Read-A-Thon two times per year to promote family reading time, and raise funds that support teachers and students during the year. Last year we used the money raised by Read-A-Thon to purchase books for students and to purchase a book vending machine. We also used Read-A-Thon dollars to support teachers with extras that they need throughout the school year.

Please see the arrival and dismissal procedures below. We observed that the Early Release Wednesday pick-up had some non-regular family that might not be aquainted with our procedures. Share these procedures with anyone that might be picking up your child from school. It is always best to let the teacher know if someone different is picking up also.

Arrival Car Riders

Kindergarten and 1st Grade

At 8:40 AM, the classroom teachers will be at the playground gate to greet their students and walk them into the building. Parents are encouraged to say goodbye at that location.

2nd Grade

Parents should walk students in 2nd grade arriving in cars to the back entrance door(back parking lot) near the cafeteria beginning at 8:40 AM.

3rd and 4th Grade

Students in 3rd and 4th grade arriving in cars will line up at the door entrance at the end of the 3rd and 4th grade wing beginning at 8:40 AM.

Please do not drop your child off before 8:40 AM, because doors are not supervised by school staff until that time.

Families with multiple children can drop off all children at the youngest child's location.

Dismissal Car Riders

Kindergarten & 1st

Classroom teachers will bring students to the playground gate at 3:45 PM to match students to the adult picking them up. Parents should stand outside the blue circle so that teachers can more easily recognize parents.

2nd Grade

Car riders will be released to parents from the exterior classroom door in the back parking lot at 3:45 PM.

3rd and 4th Grade

Car riders will be released to parents at the end door of the 3rd and 4th grade wing at 3:45 PM.

Siblings being picked up by car will go to the youngest siblings' dismissal area to be picked up at that location.

Elementary and Middle School Students may not enter the football game without a parent or adult supervision.

Students may not bring backpacks or balls to throw into the stadium.

Students are not allowed to play in the open areas.

Middle School Students must remain in the student section or the main stands with adult supervision, and elementary students should stay with their parent or guardian.

No students are allowed to sit or stand on the playing field when the game is in progress.

One initiative that we are working together with parents is to improve our school's attendance rate. Since the pandemic, the number of chronically absent students(10 or more days in a school year) has tripled when compared to before the pandemic. We want to reverse this trend to get more students to off the chronically absent list. Research is clear that strudents that miss less than 10 days of school in a year perform better than students that are absent more often. If you having trouble bringing your child to school, please call the Operation Concern line(269-441-5855) and ask for someone to call you back to discuss your situation. We have some exciting plans to promote better attendance for the upcoming school year. Watch for upcoming newsletters with more announcements regarding attendance.

Email: swanb@harpercreek.net
Website: wpe.harpercreek.net
Location: 132 S Wattles Rd, Battle Creek, MI, USA
Phone: (269) 441-5850