The Woodland Weekly

Dear Woodland Families,

We hope the long, freezing, windy month of January came and went with minimal frostbite and sickness in your house. Here's hoping February brings us snow and sunshine so we get lots of outdoor recess!

One thing we ARE looking forward to in February is holding our First Annual Arctic Antics on Thursday, February 13. Kindergarten, first and second grade teams will compete in a variety of winter themed games such as Marshmallow Mug Toss, Snowball Relay, Igloo Building and Snowman Bowling! Everyone wins when you're having fun!

Another exciting development happening in February is introducing a therapy dog to Woodland! Details are below in the Therapy Dog Visits section!

Finally, for those of you who pick up your student from school, thank you for all your patience in car line dismissal. We know this process can take some time, and we wanted to give a few quick reminders to ensure that car line is as efficient and safe as possible.

• Please be sure to have the dismissal number that goes with your child. If you need another car line dismissal number printed for you, please email Becky in the office at: rhinckley@stgrsd.org and she will send one home with your child.
• If someone else is picking up your child, please be sure that the school knows there is an alternative person dismissing and that they have the car line number.

• When students come to your vehicle, please be sure they are getting in safely and quickly, so the car line can keep moving. If you see a vehicle parked in line that has not moved, please feel free to go around that car slowly and carefully. We do not generally encourage people to go around vehicles, but when you see someone still clearly waiting for a student to come out or a student to load into a car, please feel free to exercise good judgement and go around. Just not the buses!

• And finally, please remember that parking is not allowed at the bus garage parking lot as there is no crosswalk.

Warm regards,

Emma and Kayla

February 10-14 Spirit Week

February 12 - PTO Meeting @ 5:30 Woodland School

February 13 - Artic Antics Assembly

February 13 - Game Night - @ 5:30 Powder Mill

February 17-21 Winter Break

February 20 - Paint Night

During the month of February, preschoolers will learn about Healthy Habits (Healthy Foods, Personal Care and Exercise). The children continue to use Braidy, our story grammar marker, to retell stories. We practice our Heggerty words, letters, and letter sounds everyday. The children will be introduced to shapes- circle, square, triangle and rectangle. We will celebrate Valentine’s Day with cards and treats! The children are continuing to build friendships and learning how to share and take turns with their peers.

Math: Kindergarteners will begin to explore how to "make" or "break apart" numbers in our next unit called, Composing and Decomposing Numbers to Ten. While working with physical manipulatives such as counters and connecting cubes, students will understand that there are different ways to compose and decompose a given number. For example, 2+4=6, 1+5=6, 6+0=6, and 3+3 can also equal 6.

ELA: Our next Module is titled, "Home of the Free and the Brave." Students will explore the essential question, "What makes the USA special?" Through stories and read alouds, students will meet some of our great leaders and discover unique symbols of our country. They will also explore different landscapes and diverse people that contribute to making the USA special.

Science/Social Studies:

Kindergarteners will continue to explore animal habitats. Specifically, the habits of wolves and owls. Along with their discovery, they will learn about how these animals live within their habitat and what makes each animal special. Structured play centers such as building a woodland habitat in block center and exploring the importance of the animal features in Discovery Table are among the several activities that kindergarteners will get to participate in.

First graders continue to work hard as we enter the second half of the school year!

As readers and writers, we continue to practice blending and segmenting our sounds. We have learned all our long vowel patterns with VCe, and continue to practice reading and writing these words. In our new module, we are learning all about our country and national symbols. We will read about ways we celebrate our country and then write our own personal narratives about family celebrations.

In science, we read and explored all about light and what causes day and night. Now we are moving into learning all about sound and how sound travels.

As math thinkers, we have begun our work in base ten and are learning that numbers are composed of tens and ones. We will work on place value and comparing numbers throughout this unit.

It's hard to believe that second grade is more than halfway over! Students are continuing to exhibit effort and are working on some new topics. In ELA, Module 7, "Everyone Has a Story," is underway. During this module, students will be learning about how people’s life experiences shape and create their life stories. They will read biographies about people who overcame obstacles to make their dreams come true. Children will also write a story about an imaginary character’s adventures. To support this work at home, try reading biographies or stories about people who overcame challenges. Encourage your child to make connections to the people/characters you read about.

In math, students are working on Unit 5: Numbers to 1,000. In this unit, students extend their understanding of the base-ten system to include numbers
to 1,000. They will practice representing 3-digit numbers in a variety of ways, including base-10 numerals, base-10 block drawings, expanded form, number words, and on a number line. Towards the end of this month, we will begin Unit 6: Geometry, Time, and Money.

In science, students are working on our weathering and erosion unit. This is an exciting unit with lots of opportunities for hands-on learning! Students will create models and maps of landforms, investigate how wind and water can change the shape of land, and use their imaginations to create ways to prevent this change.

Many early elementary students are still improving their speech intelligibility. Below are some speech sounds with cues that can be practiced at home. This can be done in isolation (repeating a sound) or in a short word (see sample words below).

January 30th was National Draw a Dinosaur Day and we had a school-wide dinosaur drawing contest! Everyone had three minutes to draw their favorite dinosaur and the winners from each class were able to come to the office and choose a prize!

Parents, we heard you! Powder Mill and Woodland will try to make our Spirit Weeks match as closely as possible to make the cheer a bit easier on you! Let us know if this helped.

Woodland has partnered with the Hampden County Sheriff's Office to bring a therapy dog to school! We will have visits for six consecutive Thursday mornings and are so thrilled to have our students interact with this adorable pup. Below is a description of the program:

We are excited to announce a new Community Outreach Therapy Dog Program offered by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, designed to provide emotional support and foster positive connections between students and local law enforcement. This program uses specially trained therapy dogs to help create a safe, welcoming environment, especially for students dealing with stress, anxiety, or other emotional challenges.

Law enforcement therapy dogs play a crucial role in enhancing the safety and emotional well-being of students in the school system. These specially trained dogs help create a positive, non-threatening atmosphere, allowing students to feel more comfortable and secure. By offering a source of comfort, therapy dogs help reduce anxiety, stress, and fear, particularly for students dealing with trauma, bullying, or other mental health challenges. Their presence fosters a calming environment and allows students to open up more easily to counselors or other professionals, creating an opportunity for early intervention and support when needed.

In addition to their emotional support roles, therapy dogs can also improve overall school climate by strengthening the bond between law enforcement and the community. When officers bring their dogs into schools, it humanizes their presence, breaking down barriers between students and law enforcement while promoting trust and communication. This connection helps students feel more at ease around police officers, and it can provide a platform for learning about responsible behavior and safety in a positive, approachable manner. Ultimately, therapy dogs not only offer vital emotional support but also contribute to building safer, more inclusive school environments.

Woodland School is excited to announce that enrollment for kindergarten for the 2025-2026 academic year is now open. Families with children who will be five years old on or before September 1, 2025, are encouraged to register their child by May 1, 2025. Early registration ensures eligibility for the Kindergarten Screenings, scheduled to take place on May 29 and 30, 2025.

How to Enroll To begin the enrollment process and learn more about the requirements, you can tap the picture above or visit the Woodland School enrollment page at:

https://www.stgrsd.org/community/enrollment

The enrollment page includes detailed information about necessary documentation and the steps to complete the registration process. Families are encouraged to complete all required forms promptly to secure their spot in this exciting program.

Don’t miss this important milestone in your child’s education! For questions or assistance with enrollment, please contact Woodland School at 413-569-6598 or WES_Office@stgrsd.org.

We look forward to welcoming your family to Woodland School and partnering with you in your child’s educational journey.

If you know families with kindergarten-aged children, please spread the word about this important opportunity!

Woodland School needs substitutes for the 24-25 school year. Being a substitute offers great flexibility, because you can choose the days you want to work! When teachers are absent, they leave the substitute a detailed lesson plan to follow. Interested? Have questions? Give us a call at 413-569-6598 or apply online: https://www.stgrsd.org/departments/human_resources/employment_opportunities.