This month we asked kids "what is a random act of kindness you could do for someone?"

Some answers were:

"Give someone a hug."

"Help get something for someone."

"Help my mom."

"Bring my brother snacks."

"Give someone a compliment."

"Encourage a friend who is having a hard time."

"Sharing my candy."

We are seeing an increase in illnesses, including Covid-19, in our district. If your child is not feeling well please keep them home and notify your school. Contact us if you need a Covid-19 test. We can provide them for you free of charge.

🔸 February Highlights

🔸 Counselor Spotlight

🔸 Counselor Message

🔸 Superintendent Message

🔸 Idaho Future-Ready Academy Update

🔸 Wilder Elementary Update

🔸 Wilder Mid/High School Update

🔸 Habits of Mind Door Competition in High school

🔸 Athletics

🔸 Student Stories of Kindness
🔸 Black History Month

🔸 Parent University

🔸 School Choice Rally

🔸 Strategic Planning Survey

🔸 Social Media

🔸 Contact Information

💕 February 6th-10th - School Counselor Week

❤️ February 14th - Valentine's Day

💕 February 14th - Regular Board Meeting

❤️ February 15th - Parent University

💕 February 17th - Random Acts of Kindness Day

❤️ February 20th - President's Day - No School

💕 February 24th - Wilder Elementary PTO Event

~ Ms. Albor is an Idaho native, raised in Homedale. She graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and Spanish. She knew she wanted to be a school counselor, and earned her Master’s in Social Work from Idaho State University. Ms. Albor has been able to serve as a K-9 school counselor and K-12 school social worker over the past three years virtually and is excited to be back in person serving the Wilder community. She has a passion for helping others and loves being able to make a positive impact in the lives of others. In her free time, Ms. Albor enjoys going on walks, watching movies, reading, and trying different restaurants.

~ Mrs. Loera is proudly serving Idaho Future Ready Academy as the K-12 school counselor. What Mrs. Loera loves most about her job is connecting with students, families, and staff. She believes that every student deserves a safe and welcoming environment where they can flourish academically and personally.

Mrs. Loera is originally from Nyssa, Oregon. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology from Park University, in California and a Master’s in Counseling from Boise State University.

Mrs. Loera has been married for 30 years and together they share 3 boys ages 27, 21 & 19, and 2 dogs named Cocoa and Stella Luna. Mrs. Loera has a passion for traveling and enjoys watching sports with her family and listening to music.

There are so many things to celebrate this month! February is national Black History month, national Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (see event below), among many others. Staff in the Wilder School District encourage you to practice kindness throughout this month as we celebrate our relationships with ourselves and others, such as our friends, pets, and family.

Random Acts of Kindness, what a powerful practice! In an article for the Mayo Clinic by Steve Siegle L.P.C. he states that kindness is good for the mind and body. It positively impacts the neurotransmitters in your brain and gives you a sense of satisfaction and acts as a pain reliever. For the body, he states that it can increase self-esteem and decrease blood pressure, just to name a couple of positive attributes of kindness. If you are interested in reading more I have posted the link below.

I know most of you practice random acts of kindness quite often with your families and community. And this is very evident in the children that you send to us each and every day. I know kids are not perfect, but if you got the see their daily interactions from our perspective, you would agree that your students are examples of your hard work. MOST times we see loving and caring students who are willing to help each other. Thank you parents/guardians for instilling such a powerful practice in your children that will produce more productive and healthy lives.

Keep up the culture of Random Acts of Kindness here in Wilder and the Wilder School District.

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-art-of-kindness

Hopefully, as an IFRA student, you have taken advantage of the fun in-person activities, and the engaging in-person labs we host each month. Moreover, our Advisors are a wealth of knowledge. If you need guidance, reach out to your Advisor ASAP so they can guide you to our various resources.

Also, interested in exploring post-high school experience? Students are never too young to start researching for their futures. This state website, https://nextsteps.idaho.gov/, is a great resource to begin the search. Also, our IFRA school counselor, Mrs. Loera, can help curate information for our students, too!

~ Principal Zamora

Wilder Elementary is committed to the joy of reading! Starting February, each class is scheduling dedicated DEAR time. What is DEAR? Drop Everything And Read! Each day, each class will have even more concentrated reading time. On Wednesdays, this is a whole school effort, too! Students will be sitting in the hall, library, and classrooms reading along side our LDAs, nurse, and maybe the principal. As the adults in the school, we want to exemplify the importance and our love for reading!

Additionally, the Wilder Elementary PTO is hosting an awesome event on Friday, February 24, 2023. Join us from 6 pm - 7:30 pm in Mercer for a free dinner, STEM activities, and an art show created by our elementary students! This is a free, fun family event. Mark your calendars today!

~ Principal Zamora

Our district has been practicing the 16 Habits of Mind, based on the book by Bena Kalick and Art Costa, for several years now. And even though the “Habits” have been a common thread in our daily practice, below is a brief refresher of their purpose. According to The Institute for HABITS OF MIND:

“When we commit to growing the habits both individually and as a community, we become more thoughtful, responsive, and innovative. Over the years during many social, political, scientific, and economic changes, the 16 Habits of Mind (HOM) still stand and the application in practice has grown our thinking (https://www.habitsofmindinstitute.org/learning-the-habits/)."

In an effort to review our 16 Habits of Mind, our middle/high school held a Habits of Mind door decorating competition. Advisory teams decorated 16 doors across the building to showcase the 16 Habits of Mind. The goal was to create enthusiasm and instill a deeper understanding of the HOM’s that support our building and district culture.

The judging took place on Friday, January 27th. The panel of judges was from within the district, and they used a rubric for judging as they listened to students present. Although we need to continue working toward mastering the HOM, the students did a nice job and enjoyed the competition.

A special shout out to Miss Crow for overseeing this competition. And congratulations to the first-place winners, the Advisory class of Teacher Hathaway! Enjoy the pizza party!

~Principal Lindsey

Are you interested in live-streaming Wilder games from home? Check out the NFHS Network.

Search for Wilder High School to support our school.

See our website for the most up to date schedule and catch the last basketball games of the season!

A storm had recently moved in on the beach. In this storm, hundreds of starfish had washed up on the shore. After the storm was over an old man walked out onto the beach. Desperate to help the starfish the old man started throwing them back into the ocean. After 30 minutes or so a young man walking along the beach saw the old man throwing these starfish back into the ocean. The young man realized that there were hundreds of starfish on the beach. He was confused by the old man’s attempt to save the starfish.

“Why are you working so hard to throw all these starfish back into the ocean? Surely you will never come close to saving them all. Your efforts won’t make a difference so why bother?” The young man asked.

The old man looked over to the young man and bent over to pick up a starfish. He threw it back into the ocean. “I made a difference to that one.” The old man said with a smile.

Sometimes even the smallest of good actions can impact people's lives. You can always choose to do what is right.

Click the icon below for more information.

Contact Anna Cruz for more information.

acruz@wilderschools.org

208-337-7400 ext. 1503

Idaho Future-Ready Academy was invited to attend the School Choice Rally at Idaho's capital. There was a great turnout of students, families, and teachers from all over the valley that came to support parents' right to choose the best-fitting education for his/her child.

Check out this link for more information about school choice.

https://schoolchoiceweek.com/

Watch for a survey from the Wilder School District Strategic Planning Committee. We appreciate your feedback on how our district can continue to improve.

Email: communications@wilderschools.org
Website: wilderschools.org
Location: 419 Huff Rd, Wilder, ID, USA
Phone: 208-337-7400