Woodland Elementary Newsletter
September 6, 2023
October 11, 2023
Woodland Elementary Weekly Notes
Message from the Principal
Dear Woodland Elementary School Families!
Your children have had an awesome start to the year! It is hard to believe we are in our second month as we had a fast start to our learning journey. Our students are continuing to develop their independence, and we have had some great conversations around the Woodland Way and our community values of respect, responsibility, honesty, and kindness. I encourage you to ask your kids about these as they have been showing them each day at school.
We just completed our annual Fun Run and it was a success! This is always an exciting day for our children and we thank the PTO and the Fun Run coordinators for all of the planning and organizing that went into that event. I am continually thankful to our parents and community members for supporting our school. You are all outstanding and I appreciate the huge impact you continue to have on our students and school community.
Now that we are off and running, I am sure you have seen homework, writing, books, etc. from your children. The best way you can support their learning at home is by asking them questions about their day, about what they are learning, and about what they are working on to improve. In our classes, kids have set goals and are actively working on them each day. In the “hustle and bustle” of the school year it can be difficult to fit everything in! On those busy days, these conversations are the most impactful for our learners. Thank you for your support, and for helping us with this learning journey!
Woodland is a great place to be! I am so glad and appreciative that you give us your children each day, and that we get to be part of their development. They are on their way to great things!
Thank you again and as always, please contact me at any time!
Sincerely,
Timothy M. Doleysh, Ph.D.
Principal
Dates to Remember
October 12 - 2nd grade field trip to Barlow Planetarium
October 13 - 2:00 pm release
October 19 - Papa Murphy's Night
October 20 - PTO popcorn day
October 24 - 5K field trip to Heckrodt Reserve - Vanden Boom/Hietpas
October 25 - 5K field trip to Heckrodt Reserve - Czuma/Hermes
October 25 - Book Swap
October 25 - Trunk or Treat
October 26 & 27 - No School
October 31 - Spirit Day - wear black and orange
2:00 Release - Friday, October 13th
There will be a 2:00 pm release on Friday, October 13th. Please note that there will be afterschool care provided only if you have previously signed your child up for this service through the Infinite Campus annual update. Buses will only run at 2:00 pm. Children must be picked up by 3:35 pm. The YMCA will pick up those students signed up for Y-Care at 3:30 pm. Please contact the office or email your child’s teacher if they are signed up for care but will not be staying. Thank you!
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up for grades 5K-4. Conferences will be held in person on Thursday, November 9th and Monday, November 13th from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Woodland Elementary will be scheduling conferences through an online conference scheduler, PTCfast.com. Please see the letter with instructions on how to sign up. A copy of the letter was also sent home with students today. Once a time is selected, you will receive a confirmation email from PTCfast.com.
Please note: Students will be released at 2:00 pm on conference days. Unlike other Friday 2:00 pm release days, childcare is not available unless your child is enrolled in the YMCA after school program.
Veteran's Day Program
On November 10, 2023, Woodland Elementary School will be continuing the tradition of honoring and celebrating veterans from throughout our community for Veterans Day. This will be our sixth annual Veterans Day assembly, and one of the most impactful parts of our program has become the slideshow presentation showcasing veterans and active-duty military members with connections to our community.
*If you would like to include any service members who were not in the slideshow previously, send a photo of them, along with their name, branch, and how they are connected to your Woodland student, to the Veterans Day Program Committee at WDLveteransday@kimberly.k12.wi.us. Please do NOT send photos in a PDF format - they cannot be added into the slideshow that way.
*If you had photos included in the slideshow last year we will not include them again this year UNLESS you send an email to the Veterans Day Program Committee (WDLveteransday@kimberly.k12.wi.us) to confirm it.
***All pictures or emails MUST be received by FRIDAY OCTOBER 27th. Photos received after this date cannot be guaranteed to be in the slideshow***
PTO News
Trunk or Treat
The 2nd annual PTO sponsored Trunk or Treat event is coming up on Wednesday, October 25th from 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm. We are looking for anyone who is interested in hosting a trunk. Decorations should be kept elementary friendly and voting will take place to name the top 3 trunks. Enter if you dare....we look forward to a "spooktakular" evening of fun!
PTO Newsletter - October, 2023
Please see the PTO October newsletter to stay updated on activities sponsored by our Woodland PTO.
Counselor's Corner with Mr. Biolo
Scary Things In The News
The reality of today’s world is that news travels far and wide. Adults and children learn about scary things shortly after they occur, and live video footage with close-ups and interviews are usually part of the report. Children are often exposed to these events as soon as they can watch TV, go on the internet, etc... Here are some suggestions for when elementary students become aware of scary things in the news:
- Be aware of what children are exposed to. Stick to kid-friendly news sources or brief updates whenever possible.
- Put scary news in context. If major events are unavoidable, explain to kids what happened in a calm, age-appropriate way. Make sure they understand the event is unusual and far away.
- Focus on the helpers. When discussing scary news, emphasize all the people who are helping - responders, volunteers, donors. This gives kids a sense of security and compassion.
- Allow kids to ask questions. Let them voice any worries and provide reassurance. Don't minimize their fears. Offer hugs and comfort too.
- Shift to the positive. Shift their attention to something fun when possible. Nudge the subject to their interests.
- Emphasize positives. Following unsettling news, bring up good news and optimism. Share stories of human strength, kindness and hope.
The news can be overwhelming for adults too. With care and context, we can help children feel informed yet unafraid. Children often look to adults to see if they appear scared or worried. We (adults) are always modeling our behavior for our children. Using some or all of these suggestions, may help our children to feel more safe and secure.
Book Swap
Woodland Elementary will be holding its next book swap on Wednesday, October 25th. Your child can bring a book from home to swap for a book that is new to them. This is an optional activity.
Music Notes
Concert Dates
3rd Grade - Tuesday, February 27, 2024 @ 5:30 pm
4th Grade - Tuesday, February 27, 2024 @ 6:30 pm
5K - Wednesday, February 28, 2024 @ 2:30 pm
1st Grade - Thursday, February 29, 2024 @ 5:30 pm
2nd Grade - Thursday, February 29, 2024 @ 6:30 pm
Woodland & Kimberly Wear
The Woodland PTO has an online store with many options for Woodland/Kimberly wear.
Kimberly Lacrosse Informational Meeting
The Kimberly Area Lacrosse Board (KALA) board is holding an informational meeting on Monday, October 16th at 7:00 pm at Woodland School LMC; this meeting will be informal, and provide basic youth lacrosse information for the upcoming season. This is open to all youth parents, or parents of children that are interested in starting the sport of lacrosse. We will provide a FAQ with information and open the session to questions. We took feedback from previous years’ surveys and will present basic information at the meeting. Even if your child has never played before, but is interested, this is the meeting for you! We expect the meeting to last no more than one hour. Mark your calendars – and we hope to see you there. Invite your friends! It’s never too early to start thinking about lacrosse! Thank you!
KALA Board
Additional Information
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