The Wonderful World of Woodbury
Weekly Update for Families: October 3rd
A Message From Mrs. Kern
October is here! Chilly weather and warm jackets, apple orchards and falling leaves showing us all the colors! The trees in our area make for the best piles with leaves as big as your head! On a just right windy day you will find the students in the corner of the building throwing them in the air and giggling over the tornado swirl of leaves. It's a wonderful time! Students have become more acclimated to school and are building stamina through all of their hard work throughout the day. We have loved getting to know our students and have been excited to have visitors back in our building.
Coming home today in your student's backpack will be a progress report. We have updated our process, which we feel will be helpful for parents/guardians. As you all know, at the beginning of the school year, much of our time is spent learning and practicing new classroom routines and reviewing/practicing skills learned in the previous school year. Therefore, the most accurate reflection of your student's progress thus far can be seen in the learner traits portion of our report card.
You are also receiving regular feedback on your student(s) progress as you look over the variety of artifacts that make their way home in their take-home folders. We encourage you to speak with your students about what they bring home. Question them about a specific activity, ask them to teach you what they learned in math, or inquire about their independent reading. These are valuable conversations that strengthen the home-to-school connection.
Next month, you will receive another copy of your student's report card, which will update your student(s) acquisition of essential learning standards. We encourage you to look over these standards on your progress report and become familiar with what your student(s) are working towards mastering.
Below is a description in our student handbook of the rating scale used on our progress reports and report cards.
PERFORMANCE
Academic growth is the primary goal established for each student in our setting. Your child’s demonstrated efforts will be judged on established grade-level standards, using the following performance indicators:
- SECURE: Student performance meets the demands of the task and demonstrates a firm grasp of the concepts and procedures involved. Students can independently apply understanding in different contexts.
- PROGRESSING: Student accomplishes part of the task independently. Students can sometimes explain or demonstrate the process but may need prompting to complete it.
- BEGINNING: Students seldom demonstrate an understanding of concepts and procedures, while requiring consistent support.
- X: Not assessed this reporting period
When you see these letters on your child’s assessment, please understand what they mean for your child. Also, please make sure that you are reviewing all daily work that is being sent home in your child’s take-home folder. These daily assignments reflect how well your child is grasping the curriculum and the lessons being taught. Daily work does not receive a performance standard indicator.
Friendly Reminders
Walk & Roll to School Day is October 12th: We will meet at Knight's Park to walk together to school at 7:30 a.m. You may choose to walk or roll (ride a bike, scooter, etc.). Families are welcome to walk with us!
Reminder CITY SIDEWALK CONSTRUCTION: From October 3rd-October 10th, the City of Sandwich will be fixing sidewalks on both Lafayette and Washington St. Please use caution when dropping of your students. Streetside parking will not be available on those dates while that work is being done.
Happy Homecoming Weekend!
Friday, September 30, after school events
3:00 - Parade line-up.
3:30 - Parade steps off from the school parking lot.
4:00-7:00 - Food trucks in the SHS parking lot.
6:00 - 2023 Class Olympics on the football field and the first ever Doc’s (senior students) versus Zog’s (junior students) flag football game.
Saturday, October 1
1:00 - Homecoming Game
Did you miss a weekly update? All previous weekly newsletters can be found on our website.
Spirit Week Dress Up FUN! Happy Homecoming weekend!
Third Grade Art Experience
Custodian Appreciation Day October 2nd!
Thank you Mr. Kurtz & Mrs. Latham for all you do to keep our building looking great each and every day! In addition, our custodians build great rapport with our students and positively interact with them throughout the school day. They both take on the role with pride and enjoy the relationships they build with both students and staff.
HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES
We will be enjoying Halloween festivities this year on Monday, October 31st. In addition to afternoon Halloween Festivities, the reading room will once again be transformed into a BAT CAVE and classrooms are invited to come experience life as a bat and participate in DEAR time in the dark with finger lights. So fun! We will also have our annual Costume Parade. The parade will begin around 1:00. Parents/Guardians are welcome to attend along with younger children to see their older sibling(s) and their classmates! Guests of the parade can line the sidewalk around the building and students will be making their way around the building on the sidewalk by classroom. If we have inclement weather, we will parade around in the gym and hallways.
Students are invited to wear their costumes with the following guidelines:
Students will change into costumes after lunch and must be able to put on independently over their clothes.
If a student's costume includes a mask it will not be able to be worn while at school except for a picture and the parade.
Please limit costume accessories, as these can potentially serve as a distraction to our daily learning. Weapons (play swords, knives, guns, etc.) are not allowed.
Halloween parties will be coordinated by the classroom teachers. Due to limited space, only designated adult helpers who have been approved as volunteers will be able to accompany the students back to the classrooms for the parties. Please note that we are unable to approve last minute volunteers. Due to our new district handbook treat policy (seen below), we will not be having treats during our classroom parties.
Treat Policy:
Celebrations and positive reinforcement are an important part of our district’s culture of supporting students. Often students bring treats or snacks to school to share on special occasions. Due to food allergies and other health concerns, we do not permit students to bring in food items or treats to school to share. We would like to encourage healthy eating habits and promote non-food items such as pencils, stickers, bookmarks, or other small items in place of food treats. Curricular activities involving food will be dealt with individually.
Safety provisions will be set up for food or environmental allergies on an individual basis.
Curricular activities involving food will be dealt with individually.
Halloween Trick or Treating Safety:
Some tips from the American Safety Council for a safe and fun Halloween:
Stay in groups
Costumes should be well-fitting and flame resistant
Always test makeup so it doesn’t irritate skin
Remember to look both ways before crossing the street
Examine all treats before eating
Stay on the sidewalk
Avoid dark houses
Flashlights and glow sticks for visibility
Enjoy with caution!
Upcoming Dates to Remember
10/4: Fall Pictures
10/7: Institute Day NO SCHOOL
10/9: Fire Prevention Week
10/10: Columbus Day NO SCHOOL
10/12: Walk & Roll to School Day, Meet at Knight's Park at 7:30 a.m.
10:13: Fire Safety Presentation with SFD, 10:00 a.m.
10/14: End of First Quarter
10/21: Kindergarten Field Trip to Kuiper's
10/24: Red Ribbon Week, Social Emotional Screener SAEBERS
10/27: Woodbury PPA Meeting
10/31: Outdoor Costume Parade 1:00 p.m., Halloween Classroom Parties to follow,
Pumpkin Storybook Contest
Kiwanis Club Donation
Our local Kiwanis club donated $1,835.00 to our school! These funds will be used towards our student's social-emotional and physical well-being. Thank you very much to Mayor Latham and all of his fellow Kiwanis club members for their generosity. A shout out to Mr. Ryan for accepting the donation on behalf of of our K-3 elementary buildings.
Updates from the School Nurse
All Kindergarteners and any student attending school in Illinois for the first time are required to submit a State of Illinois Eye Exam or Waiver by October 15, 2022.
Flu season is around the corner! Protect yourself and your family this season with an annual flu vaccine for everyone who is 6 months and older. Seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Visit www.flu.gov or talk to your healthcare provider for more information.
Click to magazine check out the most recent BASICS Newsletter
Parent/Guardian Teacher Conferences
Fire Prevention Week
National Fire Prevention Week is the week of October 10th. This year is the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week. The 2022 campaign is titled "Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape." For additional information, including documents you can use to reinforce fire safety in your household, please visit https://www.nfpa.org/Events/Events/Fire-Prevention-Week. On Thursday, October 13th, the Sandwich Fire Department will be visiting Woodbury for an assembly to teach and reinforce fire safety with our students.
District Updates
Free and Reduced Breakfast/Lunch
The carry over period for students who were receiving free/reduced lunch for the 2021-2022 school year will end on October 3, 2022. If a new 2022-2023 application has not been submitted by that date your child will automatically be put on paid breakfast and lunch beginning October 4, 2022.
Please click on the link below to apply for free/reduced breakfast and lunch:
2022-2023 Free/Reduced Application
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, and Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Woodbury Elementary School
Email: jkern@sandwich430.org
Website: https://ww.sandwich430.org/
Location: 322 E 3rd St, Sandwich, Illinois, USA
Phone: 815-786-6316
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wwwoodburyschool/
Twitter: @Woodbury430