Weaverville Families:

Each morning, more and more students are late for school. Each student must sign in individually, typing in either their name or their lunch number. Sometimes there are over twenty students waiting in line. Fridays are definitely the most difficult. Our front office is often supporting parents who have come by, students with medical needs, and answering phones.

Not only is it important for students to start each day on time, but it's also important that students arrive on time so that we can operate our school and front office efficiently and effectively, each morning, as planned. Having this many students waiting in a line requires another adult to sign them in because if they must type all the information in on their own, it can cause a long wait for a long line of students. They end up missing even more classroom time.

Parents, please be prepared to walk your student in from now on if they are late. You will need to park and walk them in, and you will need to help them sign in. This has actually been our policy/practice, but we have neglected to really enforce it this year.

Thank you for understanding and for making sure your child arrives to school on time each day.

Thanks for your participation in our book fair! We had a great time seeing families and raising money for our library.

As we head into Winter Break, please know that we wish you lots of joyful times ahead with family and loved ones. While we love seeing our children at school every day, we also cherish this nice, longer break each winter to rest, rejuvenate, and prepare for a new calendar year.

Reminder:

Volunteer Opportunity:

• We have an event every year on the last day before winter break where our staff gather together and have a holiday brunch together (Sponsored by our PTO). This year we'll have our Holiday Brunch on Friday, December 20th, from 8:30 am - 10 am. We have volunteers lead holiday activities in the classroom while our staff are enjoying this event together. In order to volunteer to supervise children, you will need to have a Level 2 Volunteer Status. Level 2 is a more extensive background check. It does not require you to have more volunteer "hours." It takes more time (sometimes a week or more) to get cleared as a Level 2 Volunteer, so if you're interested in this opportunity, you'll want to fill out the application if you are not already a Level 2 Volunteer. Here the link to learn more about how to register as a volunteer! Teachers will be sending you an email requesting volunteers' help for this event.
  

As Always...

• Be sure to follow us on Facebook, AND take a look at our Weaverville Elementary Youtube Channel to see videos of all the awesome things from past years!
• Check out our PTO website AND our PTO Facebook page, too!

Previous Weeks' News from the Nest

Mary

December 9th - 13th

• Scholastic Book Fair

Thursday, December 12th

• PTO Meeting, 1pm at WPS

Thursday, December 19th

• School clubs 8:15-9:00 am

Friday, December 20th

• Staff Holiday Brunch (8:30 - 10:00 am)

Monday, December 23rd - Friday, January 3rd

• Winter Break (No School)

The Weaverville Elementary PTO is hosting a potluck-style brunch and cookie swap for our amazing staff on December 20th, and we would love your support! We’re asking for volunteers to donate brunch items and/or cookies to feed approximately 55 staff members. Your generous contributions will help make this special occasion possible for our wonderful teachers and staff. Please see below 2 sign ups for how you can help!

• Here is the Sign Up Genius for the Pot Luck
• Here is the Sign Up Genius for Cookies
• If you are able, please have your warmed/ready pot luck dish ready to serve delivered Friday morning by 7:45 am!
• Otherwise, please make arrangements to have brunch and cookie contributions to the school by Thursday, December 19th.
• 
  

If you'd prefer to donate money to this, or future Staff Appreciation events, please use this link and indicate "Weaverville Elementary Staff Appreciation" https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLNTDMSFJM3YT/checkout/77KQXALFWFO564BGHXAHNALF

A New Resource for Families & Caregivers

This Family Literacy Month, we’re thrilled to introduce Families and Caregivers, a new resource on The Reading League Compass. Families with young children want to know how to support them as they begin learning to read, but knowing how to find resources that align with research findings can be a challenge.

The Families and Caregivers page on the Compass is here to help. Explore topics like:

• Understanding reading assessments

• Partnering with libraries

• Advocating for support when needed

• Plus so much more!

• This google doc is updated daily with resources in our community!

• If you have a student who might be struggling emotionally (or even just needs a check-in from one of our caring staff members), you can reach out to Ms. Wheeless. We have a team of teachers who would love to visit and check in! Email Margery.wheeless@bcsemail.org.

• If you have a question about community assistance and resources for Hurricane Recovery, including what you’ll find at the FEMA center now open at A.C. Reynolds High School, please visit the Hurricane Resources link at BuncombeSchools.org. It’s updated daily. Also, you may reach out to our School Social Worker, AnnMarie McBride, or myself so that we may work to assist you with resources.

• If you or someone you know is asking how they can specifically help Buncombe County Schools, our Buncombe County Schools Foundation is set up to receive donations directly to our school system for Hurricane Helene relief.

Our school needs funding now more than ever, but we want to find the right time to host a fundraising event. Since our mybooster.com platform is on hold, if you know of anyone moved to contribute to our school’s PTO during this time, please encourage them to use our online donation platform found here on our website: https://weavervilleschoolspto.org/contact/

We are currently collecting contributions for the following initiatives. Please indicate one of the below 4 initiatives in the "Which school is this for” and “What's this donation for" line. We THANK YOU for your contribution!

• Both schools, General PTO
  
• Both schools, Minigrant Program
  
• WvES, Weaverville Elementary Staff Appreciation
  
• WPS, Weaverville Primary Staff Appreciation
  

All parents are automatically members of the PTO! Come to a meeting to learn more about how our PTO supports our students, staff and families. We have one of the best PTOs around!

Here's a PTO Letter for November with a lot of information and updates! Be sure to check this out!

Check out our PTO Website for all things Weaverville Schools PTO!

I know that many families plan trips throughout the year. Please work to plan trips around school days. Our students have missed so much school, and we rely solely on parents/caregivers to make sure their students are present. Our teachers work so hard to prepare engaging and rigorous lessons. Being absent/missing too much school can cause unnecessary stress for students. If you are planning an extended absence, please email Dawn.Flanigan-Bryson@bcsemail.org (our data manager) so that we can document your trip with the correct paperwork.

We are waiting to hear about our Annual Holiday Luncheon where we invite 3rd and 4th grade families. I will let you know as soon as I know something. Typically we have our spring Holiday Lunch for 2nd grade families.

Additionally, as we prepare for potential school delays or closures due to Winter Weather, please be sure to have a plan for your family in the case of a LATE START (usually a 2-hour delay) or an EARLY DISMISSAL. Make sure your chid's teacher knows the plan as well. Our district might have "remote learning" during winter-weather school cancellations, but this year we will only have "asynchronous" learning, which means they will not need to join in a virtual classroom during the day. More info to come!

Verb: To call forth or produce, to bring to the conscious mind.

Click here for more PARENT information about our Math Curriculum, Illustrative Math.

• Girls on the Run
• Playground Stage (meets until 4:30)
• Zaniac

Tuesdays -

• Tennis Time
• Disc Golf Club with Ms. .Wheeless

Wednesdays -

• Battle of the Books (4th only) - 7:30 am - 8:15 am (Starts Wednesday, November 6th)
• Girls on the Run
• Chess Club

Thursdays -

• Lego Robotics (4th Grade Only) - You will hear from Ms. Moran

Weaverville families, please be on the lookout for Parent-Teacher conference information. During this time you will receive two documents that need your signatures. One of the documents is our Title I Compact, this is a document that is signed during our Open House Event but because of Hurricane Helene these will need to be signed during your parent teacher conference. If you aren’t able to make a parent-teacher conference then this document will be sent home with your child. Please sign and return it back to school!

The second document that you will receive is a Parents Right to Know letter. As a parent and family member of a student at Weaverville Elementary School as part of our beginning of each school year notifications, you have the right to know about the following:

1. Professional qualifications and licensing criteria of the teachers who instruct your child.

2. Information regarding student participation in mandatory state or local testing and affiliated policies.

3. Language instruction and English learner identification protocols and services, and our assurance that such information will be in an understandable language and accessible format.

You will receive a half sheet of paper that states you received this documentation, you will need to sign this sheet and return to the school as well.

Thank you for your continued support of Weaverville Elementary and our school wide Title I program.

• If you need to check your child out early, please check them out BEFORE 1:45 pm. We will not be checking students out the last 30 minutes of the day as this interrupts instruction for all students.
• If you need to make a dismissal change for your student, please call the front office before 12:30 each day.
• Do not enter the car line from Main Street. Please use Yost St. Please respect our school rules that keep others safe.

The Edulog Parent app is AWESOME if you have a student who rides a bus! I use it for my own children. Take a moment to explore it. You can see where the bus is, and this is helpful when your bus is running late (or even if you're running late!).

• For accurate drop off /pick up times, and bus number, sign up for the edulog app. Edulog directions click here.
• Bus # Update: Bus 302 is now Bus 86.

Free Lunch Info from Lisa Payne

Do you want to know more about free lunch? I recommend every parent read through this newsletter (above) from our Child Nutrition department. You can learn how lunches are paid for, and what constitutes a whole lunch. This program depends on participation, so the more students who participate and get “free lunch” (which is at least 3 items) - the longer this program will continue. The document above has good information for parents!

Breakfast and lunch will be provided at no cost to all students this school year!

We are pleased to inform you that Buncombe County Schools will be implementing a program available to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Programscalled the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP).

What does this mean for you and your child(ren)?

Great news! All enrolled students at Buncombe County Schools are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no cost to your household each day of the school year. Weaverville Elementary School Parents, there are no action steps for you to take at this time to participate in this program.

K-12 Prepayment will remain active allowing parents and guardians to place money on their students accounts to purchase a la carte items if they would like too. We look forward to serving your students during the 24-25 school year. If you have any questions about this letter, please contact us at Buncombe Schools Nutrition Office, 828 255-5932.

Participation matters! The more students who eat lunch and breakfast at our school increases the likelihood that this program will continue.

The WvES campus will open at 7:15 (9:15 on 2-hour delays) for morning arrival. No students may be dropped off prior to 7:15 AM (9:15 am for 2-hour delays). Students will wait in the cafeteria until they are dismissed to their homerooms at 7:40 AM (9:40 am for 2-hour delays). All students should be in their classrooms and ready to learn by 7:55 AM (9:55 AM for 2-hour delays).

Car Riders:

Please remember that all school traffic should use Yost Street (which is off Merrimon Avenue) when dropping off students and picking up students as car riders. In the morning, cars must use Yost Street to enter our car rider line, and then use Yost again when exiting the car rider line.

Please be respectful and patient. The first weeks of school are always a little bit confusing for everyone, and wait time can be longer. I promise it will improve as we move into the school year.

Students will be dismissed from class at 2:25 pm. Buses will load in the bus lane, and car riders will wait in the gym for their names to be called when their ride arrives.

All parents of car riders must use the car rider line to pick up their child(ren) in the afternoon.

Please view the illustration above to see how the car line works.

Dismissal Car Line Pro Tips:

• Pull all the way forward to the empty space, and a staff member will call for your child to come out.
  
• Please use your car tag each afternoon if you plan to use the car line. This will help the line move swiftly and efficiently.
• Please use YOST ST. to both enter and exit the car line. Use the illustration above for reference.
• If you have someone picking your child up that is not YOU, make sure this person is listed in powerschool as someone who can pick up your child. We will ask for their ID to make sure they are who they say they are. We appreciate your patience and kindness in these circumstances; we definitely want to make sure we're sending kids home with adults who have permission to pick them up!
• If you do not have your car tag with your child's name, we will ask you to come into the office and get one, and we'll ask you to show and ID. We can't do this in the car line because only our office staff have access to that information in powerschool. Please remember that this is a commitment to keeping each child safe. We only want students going home with grownups who are approved for pick-up.
• Please be patient during the first few weeks of school. The car line always take a bit longer in the beginning, but we'll get the hang of it! After a week or so, it's usually about 15 minutes.
  

Walkers:

A few WvES families live next door to the school and they are considered 'walkers'. Parents of 'walkers' may come to the gym door with their green card to collect their child/ren. If you do not walk to campus to pick up your child, this does not apply to you so you must use the car rider line. Please do not park your car and walk to the gym door to collect your child/ren.

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.

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.

Phone: 828-645-3127

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

Email:

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

Whitley Burleson - Administrative Intern (Whitley.burleson@bcsemail.org)

Maggie Wheeless - Counselor (Maggie.wheeless@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