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Washington Elementary
Boyertown Area School District - Home of the Bears
Washington Elementary School News - March 2024
Mrs. Lisa DeRenzo, Principal
Calendar of Events
MARCH
1 .............. Book Bingo @ 6:30PM-8:00PM @ WES Cafeteria
7 .............. Dairy Queen Fundraiser to honor Luis Day 3PM-7PM
9 .............. PTO Purse Bingo @ State Street Bingo 6:30PM (Doors open @ 5PM)
22 ............ Early Dismissal/K12 - Professional Learning Day 1/2 PM
25-28 ....... Spring Break - Schools Closed/Offices Open
29, 1 Apr.... Spring Break - District Closed
Visit the calendar on our website for additional district events.
Early Dismissal/School Closed Reminder
Early Dismissal School is on March 22, 2024
School is closed on March 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and April 1, 2024
PSSA Testing 2024
English/Language Arts: April 22, 2024 – April 26, 2024
Math/Science: April 29, 2024 – May 3, 2024
Please know that Educational Trips are strongly discouraged for students in Grades 3-5 during the testing weeks.
Lost and Found
Attention parents and students! The lost and found collection is growing, and we want to reunite these items with their rightful owners. From backpacks to lunchboxes, jackets to water bottles, the lost and found rack is brimming with treasures waiting to be reclaimed. If anything looks familiar, encourage your child to swing by the lost and found area and reclaim their belongings. Let's make sure everything finds its way back home!
Dairy Queen Fundraiser to honor Luis
Dairy Queen of Gilbertsville will also honor Luis Day on March 7, 2024, with their own fundraiser. They have pledged to donate 20% of all sales from 3 - 7 PM to help Luis and his family. No flyer is necessary. We hope to see you there in your Miracl4Luis shirts!
PTO News - March, 2024
- Book Bingo - Friday March 1st at 6:30 in the school gym. Please bring a new or gently used book to donate to the event.
- Designer Purse Bingo - Saturday March 9th at 6:30pm Please plan to attend and bring friends to our BIGGEST fundraiser of the year! Visit PTOofWES.org for more information and ticket links.
- Gertrude Hawk fundraiser pick up night will be Thursday March 14th from 5-7pm in the school lobby.
- Thanks to Wendy's Flowers for partnering with the PTO for another Easter Flowers sale. Stay tuned for details coming very soon.
Purse Bingo
Purse Bingo is March 9, 2024. Tickets are now on sale. There are a limited number of tickets available, get yours before they sell out! PTO is also taking donations for the basket raffle that will be held during purse bingo. Please click the sign up genius for more information and to sign up to donate!
Purse bingo tickets:
https://www.statestreetbingo.com/event/4754
Basket donation sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4FA8AB28A2FCC70-43829044-wespto
March “Helping Children Learn” Title I newsletters and daily planners
Dear WES Families,
Please enjoy the March “Helping Children Learn” Title I newsletters and daily planners at the links below. These Title I resources are provided each month to involve families in their child’s education. Here we will share with you simple ideas for nurturing literacy, as well as effective work habits and study skills. In March’s edition, you will find information about helping to keep your child calm as they take standardized assessments, boosting reading for deeper meaning, and how to support your child when they procrastinate.
Helping Children Learn March Title I Newsletter
Title I Daily Learning Planner March
Please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Ramirez at jramirez@boyertownasd.org with any questions or concerns.
Feeding School Kids Campaign
The GIANT Company is excited to kick off its Feeding School Kids Campaign to support our district’s meal program. The campaign kicked off on January 1 and will run through the end of March. One hundred percent of the proceeds raised at our local GIANT store on Holly Road in Gilbertsville through ‘round up’ will benefit our school district.
‘Round up’ is Giant’s program of asking its customers if they want to round up their grocery bills for non-profit organizations. BASD has been the recipient of their winter program generosity in the past. Through their giving, we have offset the rising cost of food and provide nourishing meals to all students regardless of their ability to pay.
Along with customer generosity, The GIANT Company will match up to $100,000 of dollars raised across their stores.
Thank you for your ongoing generosity!
It's Winter - Recess
Students go outside for recess unless the outside temperature/wind chill factor is 18° fahrenheit or below (real feel), or it is precipitating. It is most important that all students dress warmly so that they will be comfortable when they are outdoors. This includes having students bring coats, mittens, and hats. Please send warm clothing with your child for outdoor recess. Thank you.
NEWS FROM THE NURSE’S DESK March 2024
Below you will find information regarding health room procedures. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the health room nurses at 610-473-1970.
Medication Information: If your child requires prescription or over-the-counter medication while at school, a medication authorization form must be completed by your physician. Once completed, please submit the paperwork, then contact the health room to schedule an appointment to drop off your child’s medication. Prescription medications must be in an original pharmacy labeled container. Over-the-counter medication must be in original packaging. Please refer to the BASD website for more information.
Returning Paperwork: Please return any health room forms (Physical, Dental, Medication) via email if possible. You can scan and email the original document or email a photograph from your phone to dwilson@boyertownasd.org or chackman@boyertownasd.org
* Change of clothing: Please keep a change of clothing in your child’s backpack, regardless of their age. Clothing can become soiled due to a bathroom accident, fall outside in the mud, or because of spilling food/drink. The health room may not have appropriately sized clothing, so if your child does have an accident of any sort, a parent will be called to bring clothing in for the child.
A Message from Your School Counselor, Mrs. Oxenford - March 2024
7 questions to ask your child about how school is going
It can be tough to get kids to talk about their day at school. But when they don’t share any information, it’s hard to know how things are really going. Asking open-ended questions can help get conversations about school rolling. Often, when parents ask about their child’s day at school, they don’t get a big response. It might be just a shrug, or a quick “fine.” Open-ended questions can help make kids think about what’s going on. And they can let you get more than a one-word answer.
Here are seven simple questions you can ask to learn more about your child’s day at school. If your child has trouble picking one thing — the best, the least — you can ask it a different way: “What was a good part of your day today?”
1. “What made you laugh today?”
Asking kids to think about a happy topic can make them more eager to share, and not just shoot off an answer.
2. “Which subject was your favorite today?”
This question can give you an idea of strengths and interests you might not know about. You can follow up with “Which was your least favorite?”
3. “What was the best part of your day?”
Starting with the positive may make it easier for your child to talk about negative things that happened, too.
4. “Who did you sit with at lunch today?”
This is a gentle way to find out whether your child is making friends and feels like part of the group.
5. “What was the most interesting thing you learned today?”
If the answer is often “nothing,” it could mean your child isn’t tuned in or doesn’t fully understand what’s being taught. Or, it could be that your child just doesn’t like to think back over the day.
6. “What did you like most about school today?”
Your child can go anywhere with this question, and you may learn new things about what your child is thinking and doing.
7. “What was the hardest thing you did today?”
This question lets your child talk about things that were challenging in a good way and also things that were a struggle.
Continuing to probe when you’re not getting much in return can feel uncomfortable. But there are benefits to asking about school on a regular basis. Asking questions lets you:
- Get insight into a part of your child’s life that you don’t normally see. You’ll have a better sense of what your child is experiencing — positive and negative.
- Spot problems your child might be having with learning or in social situations.
- Show that you’re interested in your child’s thoughts and feelings, and that you’re always available to talk.
Get more tips on how to get your child to talk about school.
Source: www.understood.org
REVISED SESSION DATES DUE TO SNOW/FID DAYS
Science Explorers After School Science Club
Tuesday Afternoons - 3:45PM-4:45PM - Grades 1-5
Blinded By the Light - February 27, March 5, 12, 19
Anatomy Academy - April 2, 9, 16, 23
Earth's Mysteries - April 30, May 7, 14, 21
See PDF below for more information
Board of School Directors Meetings
To see the scheduled Board Meetings for the 2023-2024 school year please visit the district website: www.boyertownasd.org/Domain/60
Visitors and Volunteers
All visitors and volunteers must report to the office whenever entering the building during school hours. This includes before and after school. Before visitor or volunteer badges can be given, a valid driver’s license must be presented and scanned into the Raptor system. Once the badge is given it must be worn throughout your stay with us. Please remember to sign out in the office before leaving. We will be looking for badges on all visitors in our building as a safety precaution.
For information regarding Raptor, please visit the district website. On the district home page click on the parents tab and then click on Raptor/Visitor Management.
Tardy Students
Attendance at school is important. This includes arriving on time in order to be ready to start each school day properly.
- School begins each day at 8:45 AM. Any student being transported by private vehicle who arrives after 8:45 AM will be considered tardy.
- He/she must report to the office with the transporting adult before going to the classroom.
- The adult will need to sign your child in and indicate the reason for the tardiness. When you sign your child in late at the office, please make sure you have recorded the arrival time.
Family Trips
When planning a family trip, please refer to the Elementary Handbook. It is very important to remember that an educational trip form must be submitted to the building
principal at least two (2) days prior to the trip. Failure to submit a trip form prior to departure date will result in trip days being counted as an unlawful absence.
Please note that although permitted, we do not encourage absence from school. The activities of the classroom can never be fully made up.
Trip forms are available in the school office or downloaded below. Once completed please turn it into the school office or email it to the attendance secretary Report an Absence .
WES Dismissal Plan 2023-2024
Parent/Guardian Pick-up Procedures
1. Everyone must complete WES Dismissal Plan Form-2023-2024 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgYnVe9ItrM0uqMtioc5yTbWNzCt9X0VYccUWDvymz9exOqw/viewform for each child. If you already completed this form by the August 17th at 12 PM due date, please do not complete again. If you still have not completed this form, please complete.
○ Sets plan for student transportation for the 2023-2024 school year.
○ You may specify 1 day of the week or select multiple days for parent pick-up.
○ All families must complete this form for each WES child.
○ Any and all changes to the plan must be communicated by completing the form found in
Item #2 or by emailing Cheri Cronrath ccronrath@boyertownasd.org and Lisa Erb
2. Daily Pick-Up Form 2023-2024. Complete this form when the mode of transportation is changing for a single day. The form is linked https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepfkrSmxRV7XDpVZJxNj0aOu86NfCvIY8TRrqywZMA_SRjfg/viewform
○ There will be no paper forms. We ask that you do not send a note with your child when there is a
change of transportation.
○ Use the form linked above (Daily Pick-Up Form 2023-2024) to communicate with us, or email Mrs. Cronrath at ccronrath@boyertownasd.org and Mrs. Erb at lerb@boyertownasd.org.
Attendance Information
If your student will be absent or late, please complete one of the following before 9 AM on the date of the absence/tardy event:
- Complete the online attendance form
- Email the attendance secretary: attendanceWES@boyertownasd.org
Please remember - every day your student is out, you must report the absence as noted above.
Absences due to trips or vacations: Educational Trip forms must be submitted prior to the departure date. Failure to submit a trip form prior to departure date will result in trip days being counted as an unlawful absence.
Community Bulletin Board
BASD is proud to host our online Community Bulletin Board. The electronic bulletin board features district and community activities, events, clubs, resources, and more. The board is updated regularly and is an excellent source of information regarding things happening throughout our community and beyond. Be sure to check it out regularly!
#BASDBEARSCareAboutOurCommunity
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Washington Elementary
1406 Route 100
Barto, PA 19504
(610) 754-9589