Winter Hill Wildcat Weekly
November 1, 2024
Happy November although it does not feel like November at all!
This week, the CTE (Career & Technical Eduacation) students from Somerville High School delivered a beautiful bookcase that they built for us here at the Edgerly. The bookshelf holds our "birthday books" - each student receives a free book on the their birthday. A huge wildcat ROAR to our 8th grade students for organizing the new bookcase.
Reminder that there is no school on Tuesday, November 5th because of election day. Have a wonderful weekend!
Over the last few weeks, we have seen an increase in older students bringing "snappers" to school. These are tiny fireworks, that when thrown at the ground or wall, make a loud popping sound. We have addressed this with students and want to remind all families that these are NOT allowed at school.Be sure to talk to your children and remind them of these expectations. See below for pictures of what they look like.
What is MLPAC?
MLPAC is composed of caregivers of current and former multilingual learners across the district. MLPAC provides advice and insight on topics important to MLs within their school and district community. MLPAC is a key element of effective family engagement for MLs in Somerville, fostering strong school-family partnerships. By engaging caregivers in their children's education, schools can better serve MLs, enabling them to acquire English and succeed academically while preserving their unique cultural and linguistic identities. For more information, review ELPAC (MLPAC) FAQs for Districts and Schools.
Families and educators who are interested in participating are welcome to attend any meeting. If they have any questions, please direct them to Gladys Valle (gvalle@k12.somerville.ma.us).
Our specialist teachers (Ms. Dixon, Ms. Stier, Ms. Jen, Mr. Bliss, and Ms. Rogers) also known as the "Fab5" have created a monthly newsletter to highlight all of the amazing work our students are doing in specialist classes.
Click https://www.canva.com/design/DAGUZq0c2to/YSyOB1-Vnw7Z746deHgaCg/view?utm_content=DAGUZq0c2to&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor below for the inaugural edition!
This Month:
- Monday, November 11th - No School in honor of Veteran's Day
- Thursday, November 14th - Governing Board 6:00 - 7:30 in Winter Hill @ Edgerly Library
- Wednesday, November 20th - K - 8 report card distribution
- Wednesday, November 27th - 1/2 Day --> PK dimissed at 11:30, Grades K - 8 dismissed at 12
- Thursday, November 28th & Friday, November 29th - No School in honor of Thanksgiving
School-Based Health Screenings
Please find an imMassachusetts requires the screenings listed below. These screenings are important because vision and hearing have a crucial impact on learning. Please note that if your child wears glasses, the vision screening will be performed with glasses on. This screening does not replace the comprehensive vision exam (performed by an eye doctor) that is recommended for all children with neurodevelopmental delays. In order to minimize stress to students, we won’t screen children who do not want to participate. If you do not want your child to participate, you may opt out of all screenings, or just specific screenings Opt-Out.
Pure Tone Hearing (ability to hear sounds at different frequencies): Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 7, 10.
Near Vision (for reading): Grades PK, K, 1, 2, 3
Far Vision (for seeing things that are far away): Grades PK, K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10
Stereopsis (how well the eyes work together): Grades K, 1, 2, 3
Height & Weight (identifies trends in weight and height): Grades 1, 4, 7, 10
If your child’s results indicate the need for further evaluation by a specialist, you will be notified. Please feel free to contact your school nurse if you have questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
School Health Services 617-625-6600 ext 6967
Election Day Fundraiser – WHCIS PTA Needs You!
On Election Day, the WHCIS PTA will be holding a fundraiser featuring a variety of delicious treats, snacks, and drinks for sale to benefit our school! We need your help to make it a success by donating, or by volunteering to help staff the table during the event.
Date: Tuesday November 5, 2024
Location: Igreja Presbiteriana de Boston (Outside the Polling Station), 212 School Street, Somerville 02145
This is a great opportunity to contribute to our school while supporting voters in the community!
How you can help:
Donate baked goods, snacks, or drinks for the sale (individually wrapped preferred).
Volunteer your time to work the table for a shift or two.
Please sign up using the link below:
https://forms.gle/fnCrFKzJo62s75Bx5
Membership Drive
Our annual Membership Drive is still underway and we want YOU to join us! Memberships do not roll over from one school year to the next, so forms must be completed yearly. You can find the form HERE, or email us at winterhillpta@gmail.com to rejoin. If the cost of dues is a barrier, please write “scholarship” in the payment section of your member form and we will cover it. Please note that PTA membership is open to all family members, as well as community members, after school care providers, and faith leaders. We strongly encourage educators to join us!
Breakfast Club Stickers
PTA encourages all students to eat a healthy breakfast every morning before school! Cafe staff will now give out fun, food-themed stickers to all students who show up for school breakfast. If you want to donate some stickers please contact Cassie at pta-news@winterhillpta.org
Caffeinating and Feeding Our Beloved Staff!
If you would like to donate plastic storage bins, drinks and snacks, supplies, or funds to help PTA treat our amazing educators, please email Cassie at pta-news@winterhillpta.org
First General Body Meeting of the Year
At our PTA meeting on October 1st, we passed our Work Plan and Budget and secured our Nominating Committee and Liaison to the Somerville Council of PTAs. Please find our meeting minutes HERE.
PTA Calendar
Thanks to Co-Vice President Emily Spicer Hankle for creating this calendar! If you have questions or want to put something on the calendar, please email Emily at vicepresident1@winterhillpta.org
As a reminder, all PTA volunteers must check in with Mrs. McWeeny in the front office and get a name badge before entering the building.
Important Documents and Links
