Wilder Elementary School - October

Happy October, Families!

We had a fantastic first month of school! Our classroom teachers dedicated a lot of time and effort to building strong relationships with students and teaching the routines and expectations of the school day. We wrapped up September with an exciting first HOUSE assembly of the year, where students found out which HOUSE they are in. Our theme this year is "Going for the Gold!"~ going for gold in improving attendance, academics, and behaviors at Wilder! Every student received a gold medal with a scratch-off reveal of their HOUSE color. Be sure to ask your child which HOUSE they belong to! And don't forget, students can proudly wear their HOUSE colors every Wednesday!

This year, we've made a slight shift with our Wellness Wednesday tradition. Since our HOUSE meetings now happen on Wednesdays and students may want to wear their HOUSE colors, we’ve moved Wellness Wednesday to Fitness Friday! Starting in October, students can wear their BLUE Blue Zones Project shirts every Friday to promote health and wellness.

Lastly, a big thank you to everyone who participated in the PTO's Coupon Sales Fundraiser! The coupon sales are now closed, so please return any unsold coupon books and the money collected from sales. Funds raised help support classroom supplies, teacher-requested materials, field trips, and so much more. We appreciate your continued support!

Looking forward to an amazing October! As always, thank you for your partnership in your child's education! We look forward to seeing ALL of you at conferences starting on Thursday, October 3rd.

Warm Regards,

Leslie Bjelde

Principal

Please take some time to review the standards for what your child should be learning at their grade level. By familiarizing yourself with these standards, you may find helpful ideas and strategies to support their learning at home. This will allow us to work together to ensure your child's success both in and outside the classroom.

Important School Times

Daily attendance is very important. If your child is not in school, he/she is missing out on very important learning. Tardies and early pick ups also result in lost instruction.

• Breakfast: Served from 7:40-8:15 am -- Use Door #1
• Students not eating breakfast should wait until 8:20 to arrive. If they arrive before 8:20, they will wait outside in their designated line area.

• First Bell: 8:20 am -- Use Door #4 (if not having breakfast at school)

• School Begins: 8:25 am

• Tardy Bell : 8:25 am

• School Dismissal Time: 3:00 pm -- Students will be dismissed through Door #4. It is important to be on time as our staff has meetings that begin by 3:10 pm.

Absences and Tardies:

If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please inform the school office at 746-2320 before 8:25 am. Wilder attendance line is 701-746-2324. Communication between home and school ensures student safety. If the school does not hear from you, the office will call to make sure your child is safe. If your child arrives after 8:25 am to school, a family member will need to walk the student in to sign them in. If you are taking your child out of school early for any reason, come to the office to sign them out. Please let your child's teacher know ahead of time if possible.

Please join us at our October meeting on October 15th, 2024 from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm.

We will meet in the Library at Wilder with free pizza and childcare provided!

We look forward to seeing you there!

President: Whitney Miller

Vice President: Amanda Vingelen

Secretary: Sonja Brandt

Treasurer: Tim Prescott

Wilder Social Media: Cindy Prescott

PTO Members: All parents/guardians, teachers, and staff of Wilder Elementary

Contact: wilderelementarypto@gmail.com

**Like us on Facebook @ Wilder PTO

Dear Guardian,

October 10th is Walk and Roll to School Day for Wilder Elementary! We are thrilled to

be partnering with Safe Kids Grand Forks and Blue Zones Project Grand Forks to

offer this fun event for all students. Why bike or walk to school? We want to encourage our students to add movement to their day and feel comfortable with the rules of the road! If your student does not have or want to bike to school, we will also have walk leaders so all students can participate. Parents are welcome to join on the bike or walk with their students. We encourage all bikers to always wear a helmet, at or away from school.

We will meet at the Riverside Tennis Courts for a remote drop off location that day, where there will be school staff, GFPD, Central High School students and faculty advisors, and Blue Zones Project volunteers to greet your students, from 7:30AM to 7:55AM. You can drop your students off here, instead of the school entrance, on the morning of October 10th, 2024. Groups of students will be escorted safely to the school (utilizing the tunnel under Gateway Ave.) at 8:00AM, where they will be received by additional exciting guests and a morning snack.

We look forward to Walk and Roll to School Day with your student(s)!

To volunteer to take part in this fun morning for Wilder students, visit:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A8A92BA6F9C16-51664056-walk

If you have any questions or for more information, please contact Safe Kids Grand

Forks at 701-780-1849.

As per school policy, household pets are not allowed on school property. If you have a pet with you, your child can meet you on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. Please ensure your child knows where the designated pick-up location will be.

GFPS does allow Pet Therapy in the school. To read more information about the program, click here: Pet Therapy

Snack Policy: Please Read Carefully as this policy will be enforced

Please Send a School Approved Snack to School Everyday:

1. Any fruit or vegetable (most preferred)

2. Cheese sticks/beef sticks (kept in child's cooler bag/lunch bag)

3. Yogurt (that follows policy below - sugar not being the first ingredient, kept cool in child's lunch bag)

4. Pretzels or crackers (in the original container as stated below and not made in a nut facility)

**Please note: fruit snacks, cookies, pop-tarts, or items without a label will not be allowed for snacks as they do not follow the policy below. Plus, some fruit snacks are made in peanut facilities.

GFPS Policy

We recognize the important role of parents/guardians and school staff in educating our students about healthy lifestyles. Due to an increased number of students with severe food allergies and the higher levels of severity, we no longer celebrate student birthdays with a "birthday snack" in our schools. Parents are welcome to find other non-food items to send to school if they wish. For example, a book, game, or school supplies may be donated to your child's classroom.

Some teachers schedule a snack time during the school day. You are not required to provide a snack for your child. However, if you do, please send snacks in accordance with the following Nutrition Standards outlined in the Grand Forks Public School District Wellness Policy.

• Snacks should include a nutrition label
• *Sugar is not the first ingredient
• Candy is not allowed
• All snacks are peanut and tree nut free
• Any fruit or vegetable is allowable
• Yogurt and cheese are allowable (with freezer pack to keep cool)
• Plain water in any size is allowable
• Individual snacks requested by your child's teacher must come to school in the original packaging that includes a nutrition label. Snacks that contain or may contain peanuts or other nuts and/or do not have a nutrition label or do not fall within the nutrition standards listed above, will be sent home with your child.

** Different names for sugar include such names as brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, fruit juice concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, or syrup, to name a few.

Please take note of these important upcoming dates!

October

Wednesday, October 2nd - Early Release at 1:30pm

Thursday, October 3rd - PT Conferences 4:00-7:00pm

Friday, October 4th - PT Conferences 8-4pm (No School)

Monday, October 7th - Vision Screening for grades K, 1st, 3rd & 5th.

Tuesday, October 8th - PT Conferences 4:00-7:00pm

Thursday, October 10th - Walk & Roll to School Day (Riverside Tennis courts 7:30-8am)

Tuesday, October 15th - PTO Meeting at 5:30pm (Wilder Library)

Wednesday, October 16th - Early Release at 1:30pm

Friday, October 18th - No School (Admin Convention)

Friday, October 25th - RED Event at 2:15pm

• 2:15 families meet in the library to hear about what students are learning/doing at Wilder
• 2:30 RED event begins

November

Monday, November 4th - Picture RETAKE at 8:45am

Wednesday, November 6th - Early Release at 1:30pm

Thursday, November 7th - Veterans Program at 10:20

Monday, November 11th - NO SCHOOL (Veterans Day)

Thursday, November 14th - Turkey Bingo at 5:30PM

Friday, November 15th - End of 1st Trimester

Wednesday, November 20th - Early Release at 1:30pm

Friday, November 22nd - RED Event at 2:15pm

• 2:15 families meet in the library to hear about what students are learning/doing at Wilder
• 2:30 RED event begins

Wednesday, November 27th - NO School (Thanksgiving)

Thursday, November 28th - NO School (Thanksgiving)

Friday, November 29th - NO School (Thanksgiving)

Grand Forks Public Schools has determined a number of early release days to allow for teacher collaboration time. Wilder Elementary School is committed to providing the instruction and support needed for all students to achieve high levels of academic success. This collaboration schedule and what we do during this valuable time is vital to that commitment.

On early release Wednesdays, students who are walking home or being picked up will dismiss from Door #4 promptly at 1:30 pm. Please plan accordingly.

• October 2, 16
• November 6, 20
• December 4,18
• January 15, 29
• February 19
• March 5,
• April 9, 30
• May 14th

Students enrolled in ENCORE's Early Out Club will report to their designated attendance location at Wilder at 1:30 pm. Early Out Club will dismiss at 3:00 pm. Parents (of children not also enrolled in Encore) are to come to Door #1 (parking lot door) and sign their child out.

Intramurals is on Tuesdays and Thursdays 3pm-3:55pm for 4th and 5th graders who have registered and paid.

🛑🛑 NO INTRAMURALS: 🛑🛑

Oct 3rd - due to conferences

Oct 8th - due to conferences

Buckle Up! Should your child still have a booster seat? Read below!

Stay at Home if Sick

We encourage all students to wear their Blue Zones Project Grand Forks t-shirts, or any blue shirt, on Fridays (starting in October) to show your participation and support for Fitness Friday at school. Fitness Friday is in support of Blue Zones Project, a well-being initiative that has partnered with Wilder Elementary School to further enhance the health and happiness of all students. Wearing blue connects us, promotes conversation around healthful topics, and shows our commitment to living longer, better in Grand Forks.

Please download the PDF for access to the Blue Zones Project Bingo card to participate and earn a free t-shirt!

1. Anyone who is not a regular staff member, volunteer, or student of the school will be deemed a "visitor;"

2. Visitors to the school during the designated school day must report to the administrative office upon arrival. Visitors are required to sign in and out of the building using the Visitor Management System, or as otherwise directed, and to wear a visitor identification name tag at all times while in the school or on school grounds.

3. Visitors attending school functions that are open to the public, such as parent-teacher meetings,

conferences, school programs, assemblies, graduations, and athletic events, are not required to register.

4. All families should wait in the office when picking up or dropping their child(ren) off at school.

North Dakota Century Code requires fire, tornado, and other emergency drills, including an unannounced lockdown. Wilder will hold four fire drills during the year.

Lockdown Information: Wilder practices Lockdown drills two times a year. During a lockdown, no one is allowed in/out of the building. At times, Lockdowns may be called for medical reasons. If a real lockdown occurs, families will be notified via email.

Waterford Upstart is an at-home early learning program that gives you the tools, coaching and resources so you can put your child on a path to academic success. Click here to learn more

Email: jhouser060@mygfschools.org
Website: https://www.gfschools.org/Domain/1087
Location: 1009 North 3rd Street
Phone: (701) 746-2320

Attendance line (701) 746-2324