Parents as Partners~ December 2024

It’s hard to believe that December is almost upon us! It is a great time of year, and we are looking forward to a happy and healthy season ahead! As the winter season approaches, we want to remind families that students should dress warmly for the weather and should practice good hygiene to help prevent the spread of cold and flu. Together we can help keep one another safe and healthy. We also want to stress the importance of maintaining regular school attendance during this busy time of year. Let's make it a December to remember! Wishing you and yours all of the joys of the season!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As part of our School Counseling Program, your child’s class will be participating in a counseling core curriculum lesson during the month of December on personal safety and decision-making. The lessons are based on Baltimore County Public Schools’ Personal Safety Program PreK-5: Making Healthy Decisions curriculum. This program includes age-appropriate information on body safety and neglect and abuse prevention strategies and highlights the importance of telling a trusted adult about uncomfortable situations. Our goal is to help children be better able to handle the issues of personal safety should they arise.

Keeping your child safe is a priority to all of us at Winand Elementary. It is our hope that these lessons will help to reinforce the information and strategies that you have already given your children, and that your family can discuss together the important information presented in these lessons. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about the program. I can be reached via phone at 443-809-0763 or via email at shiestand@bcps.org.

Sincerely,

Samantha Knight

School Counselor

Greetings from Nurse P.!

Hello parents and guardians! Just a few quick reminders from the health suite. For students with asthma who are playing recess outside, some students are having flare-ups/exacerbations of asthma due to the cold weather outside. Cold air combined with running around constricts airway vessels, making it harder to breathe.

Suggestions for winter include covering the nose and mouth with a scarf or mask to keep the air they inhale warm, thus keeping the airway vessels open. This is also helpful if they walk to school and home. If your child needs an inhaler at school, a medication order form will need to be filled out by their doctor and provided to nurse.

Also, there are some students with complaints of stomachaches in the morning and not having breakfast at home or school. Please try to encourage your child to eat something before school, as some of their lunchtimes are later in the day.

For students who are ill and need to be picked up from school, we respectfully ask that you try to come asap, not to exceed 45 minutes. There may be other students in the health suite that are directly exposed to illness and spread illness to others.

Lastly, Winand will have vision and hearing screening for students who are in Pre-K-4, 1st and 4th grades on January 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th, 2025. We will send notifications of any failures after those dates. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at school or by email, Npugliese@bcps.org. Thank you for your continued support!

Nurse P.

Take a break this month and holiday season to catch up on reading some of your favorite stories. All of us have books that help us celebrate the season. Family gatherings are a great time to share books, poems, recipies, directions and reading is involved in all of those activities.

Think about spreading your love for reading and the treasured stories you adore by giving books as gifts. Books are a perfect gift for your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, friends, coworkers, and yourself.

Also, don't forget to keep reading with the AT HOME reading challenge. The goal for December is 50 steps or 750 minutes. I hope to see your child make the this goal so keep reading each day!

Ms. Rhoten

trhoten@bcps.org

Reading Specialist Winand Elementary

The committee charged with examining attendance areas and considering boundary options among nine northwestern-area elementary schools will continue its work at its fifth meeting. The group is scheduled to meet six times, including a public information session that was held November 6.

The study seeks to expand attendance areas for the new Deer Park and Scotts Branch elementary replacement schools, to provide capacity relief for participating schools in the northwest, and to enable the move of students currently attending Campfield Early Learning Center to attend their home schools or nearby regional programs.

An online survey to solicit option feedback is currently open but is scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, 2024.

When: 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 (Snow date: 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024)

Where: Milford Mill Academy cafeteria 3800 Washington Ave., Windsor Mill 21244

Background:

Schools participating in the study are Church Lane, Deer Park, Hernwood, Lyons Mill, New Town, Randallstown, Scotts Branch, Winand, and Woodholme elementary schools, as well as Campfield Early Learning Center. If needed, a final committee meeting will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at Milford Mill Academy.

The committee welcomes the public to attend and observe all committee meetings or to view the meetings online. The Dec. 4 meeting will be livestreamed as well. All information, including a calendar of meeting times and all meeting materials, may be found on the Northwest Area Elementary School Boundary Study No. 2 website.

Consider making some chili for the teachers and staff for their holiday luncheon. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0845ADAB23ABF8C16-53445177-chilli

Consider donating your time to support our Winand students for the Winter Wonderland.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0845ADAB23ABF8C16-53443191-winand

Please add this reminder to your calendars, that order pickup for Joe Corbi's is Tuesday, November 26th from 4:20-6:30pm! Families are welcome to pick up their orders after dismissal when the building clears of students. Please come to the main entrance to check in, orders will be in the Cafeteria.

Please collect your orders promptly, as they contain perishable items. As noted on the original flyers, we are unable to store anything at the school, and as the items arrive frozen in the a.m., any unclaimed orders by 7:00pm will be donated to charity.

If you anticipate a delay, kindly notify us via phone or email at 443-499-2442 or winandespta@gmail.com.

We appreciate your patience during pickup, as this is directly after dismissal and may require some waiting time for our children to exit the building.

Thanks, and see you soon!

--

Shauntae Adams

President, Winand ES PTA

(443) 499-2442
www.WinandESPTA.org

November

11-27-2024 3 Hr. Early Dismissal (1:05 p.m.) for Schools and Offices-Thanksgiving Holiday after School

11-28/29 Thanksgiving Holiday-Schools and Offices Closed

December

12-20-2024 Winter Break Begins at the end of the day-Schools and Offices Close 3 Hr. Early (1:05)