Please make sure you have plans to either pick your child up at school at 12:25, or to be at (or have a trusted adult at) their bus stop waiting for them. We want to avoid having students waiting for hours in our office on the last day of school!

It's amazing to think tomorrow is our last day of school! This has been a truly wonderful year with your children, and while we know that summer break gives our students and staff a chance to refresh and recharge, we will definitely miss your little ones. Working in a school each day is such a privilege. Children add a special layer of joy to the day, and our building is not the same when they have gone home for summer. Best of luck to our rising 5th graders as they transition to North Windy Ridge, and we can't wait to see our new 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders in August!

I will be sending you a few "News from the Nests" this summer to fill you in all things "Back to School." Our front office will be open daily if you need to reach us here at school.

Enjoy this special time of the year, and thank you for trusting your children with us every day!

Sincerely,

Mary Nichols

Previous Weeks' News from the Nest

*Check out information below about North Buncombe Athletic Camps!

Girls Basketball: June 17-19 from 6-8 PM with a cost of $60

Boys Basketball: June 10-12 from 6-8 PM with a cost of $65

Baseball: June 17-19 from 9-11 AM with a cost of $60

Football: July 9-11 from 6-8 PM with a Cost of $50

Girls Basketball Registration Form:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xD2iAaFq2e8Dz8GmtsC1_oT9u8pG_Rnq/edit

If your child did not receive a report card, but instead received a letter about a missing book from our library, please plan to return or pay for the book so that you can receive your child's report card. We'll have them in the office for pick-up if you are not able to get it on Monday.

We will be donating all Lost & Found items at the end of each week for the remainder of the school year. Please have your students check before Friday each week.

• Monday, June 10th - Last Day of School & Early Dismissal. Please make sure your child has a way home OR that you are ready and waiting on them at their bus stop at the early dismissal time.

District Calendars

• 2023-2024 Academic Calendar- English

• 2023-2024 Academic Calendar- Romanian

• 2023-2024 Academic Calendar- Russian

• 2023-2024 Academic Calendar- Spanish

Update (added information): In preparing the News from the Nest for this week, I left out some important information about a new bus app: Edulog Parent App. Our district is in the process of introducing the Edulog Parent App for our North Buncombe District buses. With this SmartPhone app you will be able to receive specific live information about your child’s school bus ride. Please keep in mind that this is a new app we are introducing before the close of the school year and be aware that the scheduled bus times, bus number, or route plan may appear a bit different on the app; but our bus routes and times will remain consistent with what they currently are. We are in the early stages of becoming familiar with this app and its features and are not changing our current routes and times. Thank you for your patience as Buncombe County Schools introduces this great new feature for our parents to see their child’s bus ride in real time.

Here are directions for downloading and setting up the app:

Edulog Parent Portal Information.docx

Here it is! The 10th anniversary production of the Weaverwood Film & Drama Club- “Freeze Force 2: Trial of the Time Drake”.

We made the original Freeze Force 6 years ago and to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we brought back some familiar faces for this one!

Hope you enjoy it.

Mr. Martin

Being on time is important. Parents and students, please work together to arrive to school on time. We have had upwards of thirty students in our office waiting to check in each morning. Our front office staff spend the first hour of the day checking students in, answering phone calls, making sure students have access to our breakfast, etc. All students should arrive in time to start class at 7:55. Please plan so that your child gets to start the day with their peers. Starting behind schedule is so hard on our students, especially if it is a frequent occurrence. Arriving on time also instills good habits that will help them later on in life.

• Please do not enter our car line from Main St. in the mornings or in the afternoons. Please use Yost St. This keeps children and families safe.
• Please do not check your child out between 1:45-2:25 so that we can have a safe and calm dismissal for students each day.
• Please always let us know in writing if there is a transportation change for your child.
• Please let us know by 12:30pm if you are changing your child's regular dismissal procedure.

Did you know that if a student picks 3 items from our lunch line, it counts as a lunch? I share this because participation in our "everyone eats school lunch free" can affect how long we have access to FREE lunch for ALL students. We want as many students as possible to participate. 3 Items can look a lot of different ways. If your child brings their lunch, they can get a free fruit and milk, as well as another item, to add to their meal from home. Encourage your child to take advantage of these free items in our lunch line!

Remember, ALL students eat free!

• August:
• What does the Science of Reading mean for parents?
• September:
• Expert Answers to Family Questions About Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency
• October:
• What does the Science of Reading mean for parents - https://sites.google.com/dawsonesc.com/risearkansas/family-resources
• Expert Answers to Family Questions About Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency - https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-sos-with-experts/phonemic-awareness-phonics-fluency#readslowly
• Expert Answers to Family Questions About Vocabulary and Comprehension - https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-sos-with-experts/vocabulary-comprehension
• December: Tips for Supporting Reading Skills at Home

• https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/practiceguide/wwc_fr_tips_022118.pdf

  
  

Don't forget that our students, staff, and visitors have access to masks all day long. We have regular 3-ply masks and KN95 masks available. Masks are available in the front office, and we have reminders at hand-sanitizing stations that you can get a mask in the front office.

If a student requests a KN95 mask, we must have parent permission since it is considered a respirator. Parents must complete the Voluntary Respirator Use Form and sign and return. Here is a link to the form. If a student requests a KN95 mask, and we do not already have the form on file, we will email it to parent/guardians for you to sign.

Ingles:

As we start another school year, remember it's time to link your Ingles Advantage Card to Weaverville Elementary School. This must be done each year to ensure the benefits from your card will support our school! Ingles Tools for Schools makes a huge difference in our school. Thanks for your support.

https://www.ingles-markets.com/tools-for-schools-link

Other Ways to Support WvES While You Shop:

• Publix: www.plublix.com/partners
• Amazon Smiles: www.smile.amazon.com
• Box Tops: www.boxtops4education.com
• Harris Teeter - www.tie.harristeeter.com

The information below are parts of our Student & Families Handbook. It's important that our families know all the procedures and safety expectations. I'll leave these in our News from the Nest for a few weeks

ALL parents and visitors to campus must sign in at the office and obtain a visitor sticker (or a volunteer pass if applicable). Please note that you must sign in even if you are only visiting the cafeteria. Your cooperation in helping us to follow Central Office policy and ensuring the safety of all children is expected and appreciated.

If you have an appointment or scheduled time to be at school in the morning, and wish to walk in with your child, please still plan to follow the established procedure of coming to the office, signing the visitor registry, and obtaining a visitor tag.

Visitors will only be allowed to visit a classroom if the visitor has scheduled the visit with the teacher beforehand or if the visitor is a scheduled volunteer.

Students must be in attendance for more than half a day (11:30 a.m.) to be counted present for the day. On a two hour delay, the half day mark is considered 12:15. On a three hour delay, the half day mark is considered 12:45. Students arriving at school after 7:55 AM must report to the office and to sign in. Tardies will only be excused if accompanied by a medical (doctor or dentist) statement or if excused by the principal. These notes/statements should be presented to the office staff when signing in. Upon returning to school from an absence, students must bring their teacher a parent note or medical statement (doctor or dentist) giving the reason for the absence.

Our day starts promptly at 7:55 am. Please work together as a family to have your child arrive on time, with time to get settled in their classroom, and ready to learn at 7:55 am. If your child plans to eat breakfast at school, please do your best to have them arrive with time to eat before lessons begin at 7:55 am.

Check your child's grades, attendance, and more! Email powerschoolteam@bcsemail.org and our BCS staff will email you a link, login, and password for your account. If you email this week, please be patient as they respond to many requests, especially right before school starts.

You can also manage your contact information through parent portal.

Email Dawn.Flanigan-Bryson@bcsemail.org, WvES Data Manager, to check your Powerschool settings and contact information.

Safety is one of my top priorities, and I want to be very clear with all of our families about the ways we will keep our students safe on our campus. The following procedures and expectations are in place with safety in mind. Please support our staff and students in keeping our campus safe by following these expectations at all times.

• All visitors must check in each time with no exceptions. You'll get a badge to wear, and you must wear the badge at all times. If you do not have the badge on, our staff will politely ask if we can help you, so please be kind to staff in response.
• Visitors are only allowed to visit a classroom if they have a scheduled appointment with the teacher. We want to protect the instructional time of all students.
• All doors will remain locked at all times.
• Please do not enter the front door unless you have been buzzed in by an adult. It may seem easy to slip in with someone else who is being buzzed in, but please help us keep our safety practices in tact by following this simple request.
• If you are already inside the school, please do not open the front door for others. Please allow our office staff to safely screen each person entering the building.

Please follow this "Multi-visitor Entrance Procedure:"

1. If you have buzzed in and are being screened and you notice another visitor is arriving, please don't hold the door and allow anyone in without being screened first.
2. If the other visitor is 15 feet or less from the door, please buzz in and be screened together.
3. If the visitor is more than 15 feet from the door, please buzz in and ensure the door is closed completely after you enter.

We certainly want to encourage politeness, and we also want our visitors to understand that it is unsafe to hold doors and allow visitors in without being verified by front office staff first. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

School safety is the most important component of our day. We know we must balance safety with having a welcoming school building so that parents and community members can be part of our school. Please help us do this by honoring these safety protocols about entering our building.

Parents are invited to eat with their child in the cafeteria; however, as a courtesy to other students, we ask that you do not bring outside food such as fast food and/or sodas into the school cafeteria. Parents should arrive at school in time to get a visitor’s pass and report to the lunchroom hallway five minutes before the scheduled lunch time. Please always let the teacher know ahead of time if you plan to eat with your child.

Parents are invited to have lunch with their child at the end of September. Please wait for an announcement from the principal that parents/family can come to school to have lunch with their child.

A monthly menu will be posted in the classroom and the daily menu will be read during morning announcements. Occasionally there will be a menu change due to late deliveries or snow days.

You can find links to BCS menus here: https://www.buncombeschools.org/page/menus-and-pricing

Please note that any outside food brought in for special snacks or birthday treats cannot be consumed until the last student has been served lunch. This will be at approximately 12:30 PM. Should you desire to bring in a special snack for your child’s birthday or another event, please coordinate this with your child’s teacher so as not to conflict with our lunchroom policies. In addition, any food brought into the school to be shared with students must be store bought with ingredients listed. Please allow school staff to distribute snacks due to their knowledge and understanding of students’ allergies and dietary needs. Our school also encourages healthy snacks and choices. Please refer to the School Wellness section in this handbook for more information.

Phone: 828-645-3127

Address: 129 South Main St., Weaverville, NC 28787

Email:

Mary Nichols - Principal (Mary.nichols@bcsemail.org)

*Please email both office staff if you have a dismissal change.

Dawn Flanigan-Bryson - Data Manager (dawn.flanigan-bryson@bcsemail.org)

• attendance
• student information/records
• immunizations
• enrollment

Ashley Mendoza - Head Secretary (Ashley.mendoza@bcsemail.org)

• general inquiries
• money questions related to school
• bus questions