Timberwolf Times -November 20 ,2023

Welcome Back to School - 2023-2024

"It's A Great Day to be a Timberwolf""

Dear Timberwolf Families,

This is a shorter week - Students and teachers are off for Thanksgiving/Fall Break on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week. I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving Break. I am so thankful I get the opportunity to work with our amazing students and to all our families! We have a wonderful school with the best teachers. We have a lot to be THANKFUL for at T. Clay Wood and our surrounding community. I am thankful that I get to be the Principal and work with all our Timberwolves.

I am also thankful to our PTO Board and our families for their support of our students, staff, and school. This year in collaboration with our Staff Leadership Committee, we made the decision to maintain our kindergarten and first grade staffing even though enrollment was lower than PWCS projections for this school year. Instead of overstaffing a teacher and an assistant, our PTO Board voted to fund some of the many resources and needs of our school that we usually fund directly from the school budget. These resources include: Raz-Kids, Brain POP, Math IXL, Dreambox, Scholastic News, SOL Pass, Pebble Go, Leader in Me, Friday Folders, Readers Notebooks, Walkie Talkies for all staff, Math Manipulatives, a portion of field trips, Journals, Words I use, Book Flix, Technology updates, and start up materials for each grade and department.

We appreciate this commitment the PTO and our School Leadership Committee made to help keep our Kindergarten and 1st grade classes smaller this year. In Prince William County classes are funded at 24:1 for Kg-3rd grade and 25:1 for 4th and 5th grade. About 95% of our budget goes to staffing. The rest is used to operate our school and includes purchasing resources and materials, hiring substitutes, leasing our copiers, purchasing copy paper, paper towels, custodial supplies, medical supplies, and everything else need to maintain a school building. The PTO helped fund a lot of these important resources and supplies so that this year, we were able to keep staffing lower in the primary grades of Kindergarten and 1st while still ensuring that we provide the high quality of instructional resources and materials as we had in the past.

Sincerely,

Dr. Andrew Buchheit, Principal

We truly do Everything Better Together as a Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence.

I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Dr. Andrew Buchheit

Principal

#TimberwolvesROCK

“At T. Clay Wood, Everyone Belongs”

The T. Clay Wood Light House Leadership Team is sponsoring the annual Toys for Tots drive from November 20- December 15. Please send in new, unwrapped toys to support our local community. We appreciate your assistance in making children in need smile this holiday season.

Dear Timberwolf Families,

I hope you all have had a positive experience during the 1st 9 weeks of school. We have accomplished quite a bit during this 1st quarter. I always like to take a quick status check on how our families are feeling about the school after the 1st report card goes out. I have created a quick Needs Assessment Survey that you can access via the link in this message. I will share the information with our Parent and Teacher Advisory Council and Leadership Committee. Please complete the survey by Thursday, November 30, 2023. If you have any questions, please let me know. Here is the link to the survey - First Quarter T. Clay Wood Needs Assessment

Participating in the survey is optional. I want to thank you in advance for providing this information to us. My goal is to always make sure we are doing the best we can and that our families, students, and staff recognize our school in a positive way!

Thank you,
Dr. Andrew Buchheit, Principal

On December 20, we will have a school wide Holiday sing along. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Meyer and your classroom teachers.

If you do not want your student to participate in any of these activities or assemblies please let your child's teacher know.

Social Media Reminders: T. Clay Wood ES only puts up photos or videos on the Official T. Clay Wood Social Media Sites - on the T. Clay Wood Facebook, X(Twitter), Instagram, and You Tube.

You will see the following Notice on our Official Site -

“This PWCS social media account has been approved by the PWCS Communications Department.”

Social Media sites have to be approved annually by the PWCS Communication Department. Regulation 790-3 , Section B of the Attachment provides further information as well as information about Opt-Out. When filling out the Back to School Packet, information is included that discusses and references this regulation.

SEP Oct 23 - Dec. 8, 2023

TOYS for TOTS - Nov. 20 - Dec. 15, 2023

Tuesday, November 21, 2023 Day 5

Wednesday, November 22,, 2023- Day -

• Thanksgiving Break - no school for students and staff

Thursday, November 23, 2023 - Day -

• Thanksgiving Break - no school for students and staff

Friday, November 24, 2023 -Day -

• Thanksgiving Break - no school for students and staff

Habit Three - Put First Things First

The Habit of Integrity and Execution

People who put first things first focus on the important, not just the urgent, act on priorities, plan weekly and act daily. You are putting first things first when you organize your time around the most important things and eliminate the unimportant.

Kid Language

Work First, Then Play: I spend my time on things that are most important. This means I say no to things I know I should not do. I set priorities, make a schedule, and follow my plan. I am disciplined and organized.

Ways to practice Put First Things First:

• Talk with your family about your most important jobs or responsibilities, such as doing homework, making the bed, or taking out the garbage.
• Do your chores before being asked.
• Do the hardest part of your homework first.
• Think of something you’ve been putting off for a long time, like cleaning up your room or pumping up the flat tire on your bike. Go do it right now!

PWCS has a late bus link for buses that will be late 15 minutes or more - https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/transportation/bus_delays

You can also sign up for the Here Comes the Bus App at - https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/transportation/here_comes_the_bus

For more information about buses - please the Transportation Website -

https://www.pwcs.edu/departments/transportation/index

Our 2023-2024 PTO BOARD

President - Kate Case

VP - Kelsey Fisher

Treasurer - Beth Feliciano-Rivera

Asst Treasurer - Cooper Waterman

Secretary - Sandra Oviedo

Director - Amelia Hunter

Teacher Director - Tiana Marshall

Upcoming Dates:

Moving forward we have decided to merge the Advisory Council meetings with the PTO meetings to offer families one combined meeting to get all the information they need for happenings at the school and in the community. Due to this change, some of our meeting dates have changed. Please see the schedule posted for new meeting dates. We hope you'll be able to join us!

December 4-8 - Penguin Patch Holiday Shop

January 10 - Chipotle Spirit Night

January 18 - Advisory Council/PTO Meeting

Join Zoom Meeting

https://pwcs-zm-edu.zoom.us/j/84553248885?pwd=Z3hQMUhCSFc2ZG91Z3pOdjF1SEx1UT09

Meeting ID: 845 5324 8885

Passcode: Advisory

https://www.tclaywoodpto.com/

Email tclaywoodpto@gmail.com for more information!

PTO Membership is still open!

Membership (tclaywoodpto.com)

As always, keep an eye on our T Clay Wood PTO facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/timberwolvesrock) and our website (https://www.tclaywoodpto.com/) for up to date information

*Every Tuesday - Every Tuesday during the school year Gainesville Papa Johns will give you 40% off your order and donate 10% back to the PTO!

In case of inclement weather when school is closed, PWCS will provide live virtual (Synchronized) instruction to all students through ZOOM. PWCS Expectation is that all students participate. Attendance will be taken. Students must keep their cameras on to be counted as present. Instruction will take place between 9am - 2pm with 1 hour for lunch and recess time.

Prior to late fall/early winter, please make sure you are able to access the internet. Any family needing assistance with home internet should contact their school during the first month of school to receive a school-issued take-home “hotspot.” If you are not able to access the internet, please reach out to Mr. Taylor at taylorbi@pwcs.edu or 703.594.3990.

At T. Clay Wood Elementary School, we love to have visitors and volunteers every day. To help ensure the safety of our students, visitors to Prince William County Schools are expected to report promptly to the school’s main office when entering school buildings. Visitors and volunteers will be asked to provide a valid government issued photo identification. There are no exceptions. Every visitor to our school must bring with them a photo id. Visitors will then be issued a temporary identification badge. We will not permit any visitor or volunteer into the building without this identification. Our main goal is to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff at school.

If a situation occurs which makes it necessary for your child’s transportation home to change, please send in a note with your child in the morning giving clear directions as to how your child should go home at the end of the day. Only a parent/guardian can change their child’s transportation plan for any given day. A note from the parent must be received by the office AND the teacher before noon that day indicating the change. This is for the safety of the children and will alleviate any confusion at the end of the day.

Changing Dismissal Routine – Parents, if you are changing your child’s dismissal, you must send an email/note to the office or notify the office by 3:30 pm. The teacher and bus driver cannot accept a change if a student just tells him or her about the change without a note. In these cases, students are sent home the original way. In addition, please try to avoid changing dismissal procedures in the middle of the day and please send all dismissal changes to our office by calling our office at 703.594.3990 or sending a note in the morning. Emails sent to the teacher in the middle of the day may be missed if there is a substitute that day or if the teacher is not able to check his or her email.

3:30 pm - If you must pick your student up early, please arrive before 3:30 pm. We will not be able to call students to the office after 3:30 pm until all car riders are picked up. Students called for dismissal after 3:30 pm will be sent to the car rider area and will be brought up after all car riders are dismissed with the supervising teachers. This way we can reduce interruptions to the classrooms, provide continual supervision for all our students and give our focus in the office to dismissing students. Parents coming in after 3:30 pm will be asked to wait in the vestibule outside of the office and once their students are brought up to come in and sign their students out.

2023-2024 – Calendar link: https://www.pwcs.edu/calendars/school_calendar/index

You can also subscribe to the PWCS Calendar. To learn how, you can go to this PWCS Site and then follow the directions - How to Subscribe to the PWCS School Calendar

Code of Behavior link: https://www.pwcs.edu/about_us/code_of_behavior/index

Link to Family Life Education objectives and Opt out - https://www.pwcs.edu/academics___programs/science___family_life_education/family_life_education

Please take a moment to view our 2023-2024 T. Clay Wood Continuous Improvement Plan by clicking this link: T. Clay Wood 2023-2024 Continuous Improvement Plan

We have three Academic Goals this year - Increase Reading, Math, and Science Achievement Rates for all students at T. Clay Wood to at least 85% or higher.

We also are focused at increasing student satisfaction rates to 90% or higher and increasing number of active business partnerships at T. Clay Wood.

A Prince William County School of Excellence

“A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence”

10600 Kettle Run Road; Nokesville, VA 20181

Andrew Buchheit, Principal - buchhear@pwcs.edu

Melissa Yuditsky, Assistant Principal yuditsml@pwcs..edu

“A Community of Leaders and Learners Achieving Excellence”

School hours: 9:20 am – 4:00 pm

(Office hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)

SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Doors Open: 9:10 a.m.

Students tardy after: 9:20 a.m.

Dismissal: 4:00 p.m.

School Phone Number: 703.594.3990

School Fax Number: 703.594.2653

Attendance Email: cwes-timberwolf-attendance@pwcs.edu

Attendance Phone Line:– 703.594.3992

Motto: “I seek to make a POSITIVE DIFFERENCE AT SCHOOL”

Website: http://tclaywoodes.schools.pwcs.edu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TClayWoodES

Twitter @TClayWoodElem

Instagram: tclaywoodelementary

Email: buchhear@pwcs.edu
Website: http://tclaywoodes.schools.pwcs.edu
Location: 10600 Kettle Run Road, Nokesville, VA, USA
Phone: 703.594.3990
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TClayWoodES
Twitter: @TClayWoodElem