Windermere Family Update
Windermere Weekly Parent Update 10.10.24
Happy Fall! It sure does feel like the seasons are changing before our eyes. I wish each of you a wonderful, extra long weekend with tomorrow and Monday off school. Enjoy the cooler temperatures and the sunshine this weekend. Monday, teachers will be participating in a professional development day. We appreciate this time to learn more about the best ways to support our Windermere students. Thank you!
We know how important our partnership is with you, as your child’s first and best teacher. Thank you so much for taking the time to come in this week for parent teacher conferences. Our two way communication is what allows us to create an optimal learning environment for our students. A huge thank you to PTO co chairs, Sarah Skomorowski and Amy Slanker for our wonderful lunch on Tuesday. It was delicious. We sure do love and appreciate our PTO. Thank you!
With eight weeks of school underway, it’s exciting to see the growth in our students. Enjoy the long weekend, and we can’t wait to see you on Tuesday.
Julie
Upcoming Dates:
10.11.24 - NO SCHOOL Students
10.14.24 - NO SCHOOL Students
10.31.24 - Harvest Parade and Parties - UA Beggar’s Night
11.5.24 - NO SCHOOL Students
11.14.24 - Family Cultures and Traditions Night 6-8 pm
11.26.24 - Scarlet & Gray Day
11.27 - 11.29.24 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL
News from our School Counselor:
Please take some time to read our Counselor Connection Newsletter for parents where you will find updates about monthly counseling lessons and parent resources.
Walk Bikes/Scooters
As a reminder, please walk bikes and scooters on school sidewalks and crosswalks.
Explorations:
The theme for the lesson is "Applying The Engineering Design Process to complete the Windy City Design Challenge".
- Students can apply The Engineering Design Process in order to create, modify, and test multiple designs to successfully complete the Windy City Design Challenge.
Students will...
- Apply the Engineering Design Process.
- Collaborate with their team and follow the steps of the engineering design cycle to create a tower that can withstand high wind speeds.
Here is a link to the latest issue of the Elementary Explorations Newsletter
Screenagers showing and panel discussion
On Tuesday, October 15 will be the community showing of Screenagers from 6:30-8:00 PM in the UAHS Performing Arts Center. This free event will be followed by a panel discussion that includes local experts in the areas of children’s mental health, safety, district device management, and administrative and student perspectives.
Upper Arlington Schools ATTENDANCE POLICY regarding 10 Medical Occurrences:
A medically excused absence occurs any time a student is out of school due to an illness or medical visit/appointment (physician, dentist, or therapy). A medical excuse for personal illness will be accepted in the form of a doctor’s note within five (5) school days of the absence or parent email (or phone call) on the day of the absence due to illness or doctor’s visit.
A student may have up to ten (10) medically excused absences WITHOUT a doctor’s note, as long as we receive an email or phone call from a parent or guardian. After 10 occurrences, a doctor’s note is required to be marked as an excused absence.
This policy only applies to medical absences, not pre-planned absences. Please call or email Ms. Maria for further clarification.
Food Rescue is Back
After lunch, students have the opportunity to donate any unopened food, which will be delivered to the Heart to Heart Food Pantry. We’re looking for volunteers to help with deliveries! It’s a simple, one-hour commitment, typically on Thursdays at 11:15 AM.
If you're interested in volunteering, please sign up here! For any questions, feel free to reach out to Sarah Wood at sewood@uaschools.org.
Library Media Center News:
Thank you for supporting our annual book fair! Our efforts will help us fund over $3,000 in new titles for our collection! If your reader placed a "paid order" due to inventory shortage, these are expected to arrive in 7-10 days. The books will be delivered to classrooms.
Coming up next week all classes are invited to prepare for our annual Family Culture & Traditions Night! Throughout our preparation, we’ll dive into four anchor texts that explore the rich themes of food, family, and culture. We hope these conversations will open the door for students to share their very own "recipes" so we can discover all the flavors that make up Windermere! The event will culminate in a Tasting and Book Buffet on the evening of November 14th, where students and their families will celebrate with food and stories. Come taste some local specialties: fresh Challah Bread from the Jewish Community Center, delicious ramen from Fukuryu Ramen on Lane Avenue, and refreshing frozen paletas from Diamonds Ice Cream on Bethel Road! This is an event you won’t want to miss—we can’t wait to see you there!
Family Support - Food Resource
For a second year, the district is partnering with the Tri-Village Packers (TVP), a group of community volunteers who work to reduce food insecurity in Upper Arlington. Families with UA students can register throughout October and early November to receive grocery items that supplement their pantries during the upcoming Thanksgiving break. This is not a Thanksgiving meal but support to offset food insecurity by providing breakfast and lunch items during the extended break from school.
Last year, TVP provided food for more than 90 students during Thanksgiving break, and we believe there will be a greater need this year.
Please review and share the linked flyer and registration form weekly through November 1st. In the coming weeks, forms and flyers will be shared in additional channels and languages. Please reach out to Kristyn Anderson at kmanderson@uaschools.org if you have any questions or need support in a particular situation related to this program.
Lost and Found:
Please label your students sweatshirts, water bottles, lunches, etc. so we can return them if they get lost. Our lost and found is beside the office and starting to fill up, please remind your students to check for lost items. We donate all items during winter break, spring break and the end of the school year.
From the Nurse’s Clinic:
Any prescription medication administered at school requires written authorization from the student’s physician as well as written parental permission. Per Ohio Revised Code, the Prescribed Medication must be received by the health office in the container in which it was dispensed by the provider or pharmacist (we cannot accept medication in baggies). Medication authorization forms and other health forms can be found on the district website at: UA Health Forms. Should you have any questions, please contact the Windermere Health Office at 614-487-5060.
Stop, Drop and Go:
Please refer to this arrival and dismissal doc for guidelines on keeping everyone safe during our drop off and pick up times.
Wireless Usage/iPhones/Gizmos:
As smartwatches become more common among students, parents have asked about settings that might reduce the risk of the device causing a distraction during school. Here are links to information about school-time settings for two devices we see here at school, the Apple watch and the Gizmo watch. We kindly ask that students use these settings. Please know we will always call you or allow your child to call you during the day, if needed. If a Smartwatch becomes a distraction, we may ask a child to keep it in their backpack.
Student Absences:
Please email windermereattendance@uaschools.org along with your child’s teacher, any student absences. For extended absences (vacations, travel, etc.) please submit a pre-planned absence form. For more information on the district attendance policy, please visit the district's attendance web page. For all medical appointments, please provide a doctor’s note.
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