Wonderful Wellsville

Today we kicked off our One District One Book and discovered our book this year is Ranger in Time Rescue on the Oregon Trail by Kate Messner.

On January 31, each family should have received a copy of our super secret book. Students should have brought those home today. If you have siblings in the building it will go to the oldest sibling. These books were purchased compliments of our amazing PTO. Thank you! Our children should have also brought home a letter and a reading calendar so you can read with your child(ren) each night. The district website will have lots of information including audio recordings of each chapter.

Students will have an opportunity to earn prizes with trivia each day and we will complete our book by the end of February. We hope you enjoy the book as much as we do!

We often have the most beautiful art pieces displayed in the building and this is thanks to our very talented students and also our art teacher, Mrs. Getz. Thank you all for contributing to making our building beautiful and showing off our artistic talents.

On Wednesday, February 5th, 2025, our school will be participating in Global School Play Day

(GSPD.) GSPD has been promoted by Psychology Today and is being celebrated at schools around

the world. You can learn more about the benefits of unstructured play by visiting the official GSPD

website in the link below. I am inviting all of our students to bring in things to play with on this very

special day. Please make sure your child knows how to play the games they bring in. Northern

York County School District is not responsible for lost or stolen item. Here are some examples of

things your child may bring in (be sure your child’s name is clearly marked on all items):

Non-Violent Toys (no weapons)

Legos, blocks, cardboard boxes, etc.

Dress-Up

Puppets

Stuffed Animals

Board Games

Puzzles

Sports equipment

*No electronic devices*

*No Twister Game*

*No Slime*

Though our play day will be unstructured, it will still be supervised by teachers. It is my hope that

this one day of play will inspire families to plan for more unstructured playtime during non-school

hours.

Sincerely,

The Wellsville Teachers

**If you are on the fence about sending a game in, please contact your child's homeroom teacher to

verify this would be an acceptable game to bring in.

Valentine's Day is February 14th on an In-Service Day with no school, so we will celebrate on February 13th this year. Our students will share a Valentine's Day treat and have an extended morning meeting. This is not a party but we are extending our morning meeting for 30 minutes to talk about kindness and enjoy a snack. Students are welcome to exchange Valentines. This meeting will help kick off our Random Acts of Kindness Week February 14-20. Help make kindness the norm at school, home, and work. for more information about Random Acts of Kindness see the link below for activities you can do at home.

Each year we celebrate the 100th day of school. This year it also falls on Valentine's Day. But we hope you have some fun and dress up like you are 100 years old or for Valentine's Day

An essay contest for Elementary Students focused on civics, citizenship, and the concept of "We the People" - which are the the first three words of the Preamble to the United States Constitution.

The essay prompts is: "How did our Nation's Founders envision "the People" when they drafted the Constitution, and how should we interpret their vision in our country today?

For more information about the essay contest, please visit the Third Circuit Court of Appeals website at https://ca3ccrofl.powerappsportals.us/ or contact 267-299-4306

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that all PSSA testing must be completed online beginning in the Spring of 2026. In order to help us prepare for this transition, NYCSD will pilot online testing at the elementary level in Spring 2025. At Wellville our 5th grade class will take the Math, ELA and Science assessments will be online. We do not believe this will be a huge change for our students as they currently complete some local assessments already. However, we will be providing training for our teachers and students to support them in this required shift.

You are welcome to contact myself or Dr. Meakin if you have any questions about the requirement.

mmeakin@northernyork.org

Grades 3 and 4 will take the PSSA with paper and pencil versions for this year and then we will shift to online next year as required by the state.

Education Trips (Grades 3-5) are not approved during the PSSA window.

Absences/Lateness: Please notify the office if your Grade 3-5 student has an appointment.

Testing Time is scheduled from 9 AM to 12 PM on the days below.

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out. mvazquez@northernyork.org

The Scholastic Book Fair will be from February 18-20. Homeroom teachers will be able to provide you more information on the date your child's class goes to the book fair, closer to the date. Students may bring money to buy books.

We have it set up for February 18-19 for individual classes to attend, look around and purchase what they would like. February 20 is the make up day for anyone who didn't get an opportunity to go with their class or forgot their money on that day.

PTO Board:

Co-Presidents: Kristen Louder and Jenelle Hood

Vice President: Jillian Roof

Secretary: Briana Smith

Treasurer: Jen Latchaw

Help up fund Raise while you shop! All year long!

It’s easy—and it works. By using gift cards to pay for everyday (and not-so-everyday) expenses, you can help us earn percentages back on your purchases. Raise Right will give the percentage back to our PTO for every gift card purchase you make. These can be purchased online and delivered right to your house.

Simply create an account, and use our enrollment code to start purchasing gift cards.

Giant foods, Weis, Target and many more!

Our Northern York County School District website is a wonderful resource for this information. Click the links below for the most up to date information and to access flyers and other opportunities for student engagement pre and post school hours.

As the crispness of fall settle in, we want to remind everyone to please dress your children in appropriate attire for the cooler weather. Morning and evenings can be quite chilly, and layering is a great way to ensure that our students stay comfortable throughout the day.

Please consider sending your child to school with:

• warm jackets or coats
• sweaters or hoodies
• long pants
• closed toe shoes or boots
• hats and gloves on particularly cold days

We want our students to enjoy the outdoor activities and recess while staying warm and cozy. Thank you for your continued support in preparing our children for the changing seasons!

Wellsville Elementary is a Title 1 School which means we receive Federal Title 1 funds to to assist students in meeting state achievement standards. Throughout the school year, we will provide you with important information about these services and your child's education.

• Below you will find a letter that lets you know about your right to request information about the qualifications of the classroom and building staff working with your child.
• You will also find our Parent and School Compact, Parent and School Engagement Policy, Resolution Process for ESSA Programs, and Right to Know Letter using the blue hyperlink below.

Transportation and Dismissal:

If you are not able to reach us at the school, please contact:

(Monday-Tuesday) Mrs. Esser at 717-432-8691 ext 1116.

(WEdnesday- Friday) Mrs. King 717-432-8691 ext. 1108

They will also have a direct line to our buses and can support you.

Our number one priority is to always get your students back home safe to you. Thank you from Wellsville and our Transportation Department.

New Hope Ministries would like to share with the Wellsville community, that their Mobile Food Pantry comes to Wellsville First United Methodist Church, the first Tuesday of every month from 3-4pm. Just show up and get food if you need! If you have any questions please reach out to them at 717-432-2087

NYCSD has partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of students, staff, and their family members. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service that can help you find mental health or substance abuse treatment options matched to your needs regardless of circumstance.

Care Solace has Care Companions (customer service) available 24 hours/7 days to assist students, staff, and their families. Care Solace is not a treatment provider. Rather, it acts as a care coordinator by connecting the user to the provider.

If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:

• Call 1-888-515-0595,
• Visit www.caresolace.com/northernyork and click the “Search On Your Own” button, or
• Visit the Care Solace link found on our District Homepage: https://www.northernpolarbears.com/Page/14714

Mrs. Heather O'Toole, school counselor, can provide any additional information. Please reach out to her at hotoole@northernyork.org or X 1636 with questions.

Below is a copy of our NYCSD Strategic Plan. If you have not have a chance to review it, we welcome you to take a look at this time. Each year we review and work to make improvements, gather feedback, and adjust to support our families, students, staff, and community. Our plan is based off of a shared partnership with home, school and the community. review here.

Taking care to honor the strengths of our district, Superintendent Mr. Kirkpatrick and Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Meakin, along with our Strategic Planning Committees, sought to garner feedback and insight on areas for District growth and refinement.

We look forward to keeping you updated, as well as, partnering with you on this blueprint for district and building action.

We have one open position in our MDS classroom. The pay is $140/day. This is a full time position.

Website: https://www.northernpolarbears.com/Domain/606
Location: 1060 Zeigler Road, Wellsville, PA, USA
Phone: (717) 432-8691 ..1600
Twitter: @WESpolarbears