The Cub Corner

I was so glad to see all of our returning families as well as meet our new Cubs! I hope everyone had a great summer! I will make this blurb short and sweet. Thank you so much for your support, especially during car rider and dismissal. Please see the blurbs below.

If you have any questions, please be sure to email me as communication is key. Last, but not least, please sign up for Parent Square so that we are all informed.

Have a great weekend!

Your Proud Principal,

Mission: To achieve academic and social excellence through quality instruction that promotes lifelong learning.

Vision: Woodward Mill will provide opportunities for all students to succeed to their fullest potential by enlisting combined support of teachers, parents, and community.

Theme: To S.E.R.V.E. our community with a purpose.

What is ParentSquare?

Gwinnett County Public Schools has adopted a new form of school-to-home communication called Parent Square. This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with your child's school and Gwinnett County Public Schools.

ParentSquare provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to receive and send information, such as:

• Weather-related closings and delays
• School and class information
• Share pictures and files
• See calendar items
• Upcoming class activities.

Beginning July 18, 2023, district and school information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text via ParentSquare. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free for iPhones and Android devices).

Please click here to learn:

• How to activate your ParentSquare account
• Customizing your ParentSquare Experience
• ParentSquare Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions

What does this mean for school communication?

Woodward Mill is moving towards using ParentSquare as the main platform for teachers and administration to communicate with families. School Messenger (the means in which you are receiving communication from the school) will transition to Parent Square as of today. Beginning August 11, 2023, Cub Corner will be delivered via Parent Square. Please make sure that you have signed up for ParentSquare. We want to make sure that we communicate efficiently and in a timely manner with our Woodward Mill community.

For those of you who have not registered for ParentSquare yet, an activation invitation will be sent to your emails. We encourage you to activate your account as well as download the app for your phone.

Thank you!

8/22 Cub Scout Sign Up Night (6:30p.m. - 7:30p.m.)

8/24 Curriculum Night (6:00p.m. - 7:00p.m.)

More information about these events will be sent out in next week's Cub Corner.

• Please use the entrance off Azalea Drive to enter the car rider line for student drop off and pick up.
• The front parking lot and bus lanes are only to be used by GCPS buses and other authorized day care providers. Students should not be dropped off in either of these two areas.
• Students should be dropped off in the car rider lane no earlier than 7:45 a.m. There is no adult supervision for students before this time. Car rider lane stops at 8:10 a.m.
• For the safety of all students, we kindly ask that all cell phone use be discontinued upon entering the car rider lane.
• Please have your child prepared to exit the vehicle once stopped and inside the unloading zone. Book bags, lunch boxes, and other items need to be in your child's hands or secured in his/her backpack.
• Goodbye hugs and kisses need to take place BEFORE entering the unloading zone! This will help keep our arrival process running smoothly and safely.
• Please do not exit your car during arrival or dismissal. Woodward Mill staff will be standing along the unloading zone to supervise arrival and dismissal. Allow your child to open and close the vehicle door. Thank you for your support!
• Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. must be walked into the building by an adult. Cars will be directed to the front entrance after 8:10 a.m. Any adult entering the building will be asked to show their ID upon ringing the doorbell.
• Please note there is no left turn between 7:45 a.m. - 8:25 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. This is for the safety of parents and students.

• There will be no student check outs after 2:15 p.m. in order to provide a safe and timely dismissal for all students.
• For the safety of all students, we kindly ask that cell phone use be discontinued upon entering the car rider lane.
• School dismissal is at 2:40 p.m. Car riders must be picked up before 3:15 p.m. At 3:15 p.m., car riders will be taken to the front office for parent contact/pick up.
• Once all vehicles are inside the loading zone and are stopped, your child/children will be directed to proceed to your vehicle and open the door.
• WMES Staff will be standing along the loading zone to supervise arrival and dismissal. Just as in the morning, please do not exit your vehicle. Allow your child to open and close your vehicle door. Thank you for your support.
• Please note there is no left turn between 7:45 a.m. - 8:25 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. This is for the safety of parents and students.

CLICK HERE to access the Parent/Student Handbook for additional information regarding arrival and dismissal.

Changes in afternoon transportation should be made in advance. Telephone requests for changes in student transportation arrangements will not be honored. Please send a written note with a phone number for the parent or guardian. The note shoud be brought to the front office by the child to be signed and verified by a school official. If no note is received, the teacher will follow regular transportation procedures for the child.

The Gwinnett County Public Schools Transportation Department works with local schools to ensure bus safety for all students. To help your child have a successful experience, please review the following information:

1. Make sure your child knows his/her bus stop location and time of pick-up. (It is listed on their bus tag attached to their bookbag).
2. Allow extra time during the first few weeks of school for your child to be dropped off at his/her bus stop. Bus drivers should carefully verify the names of all student bus riders and review bus safety rules.
3. Gwinnett county Public Schools Transportation Procedure: For student safety, students can only have one transportation dismissal tag (bus rider, car rider or day care rider). If a student has another form of transportation, a written parent note must be provided EVERY DAY the student's transportation changes from the dismissal tag. The student will then receive a bus rider, car rider, or day care rider pass.

Please review the information below from our WMES Cafeteria Staff.

Families must complete the Free & Reduced Lunch Application every year to qualify for free and reduced lunch prices. Please click here to access the application for the 2023-2024 school year.

Full Price

Breakfast: $1.50

Lunch: $2.25

Reduced Price (after qualifying through application)

Breakfast: $0.30

Lunch: $0.40

If you have any questions, please email snp.fr@gcpsk12.org or call 678-301-6307.

Please use the menus listed below for breakfast and lunch for the year. We will continue to post the lunch menu for each week in the Cub Corner as well.

• SY24 Breakfast
• SY24 Lunch

* Please note that all menu items for both breakfast and lunch are subject to change due to supply shortages.

Monday: Chix Bites Dill with Bread, or dumplings

Tuesday: Hamburger, or Lasagna

Wednesday: Boneless chicken, or Maxsnax

Thursday: Pizza, veggie bowl, or peanut butter & jelly

Friday: Calzonettes or rice bowl

Welcome back! We loved seeing everyone this week!

Each month, we will focus on a different character trait. The character trait for the month of August is “Kindness”. We are having a "Kindness Kickoff" the last three weeks of the month. Teachers will be looking for students that exhibit this trait during August to be recognized as the “Cub of the Month” with a certificate and free ice cream! Please click here for more information.

Parents, you can also encourage your child to practice the character trait of the month. A newsletter with ideas from Character Strong and Purposefull People is below.

If you need assistance with school supplies for your student, please reach out to your child’s counselor for support (Ms. Troy-K-1st, Royal 2nd-3rd, O'Rear 4th-5th).

MEET YOUR COUNSELORS

I grew up in Virginia and graduated from Livingstone College in North Carolina. Upon graduation I moved to the Washington, DC area, where I attended Howard University and graduated with my master’s degree in Counseling Psychology (Go Bisons!). I have 15 years of experience in mental health and education, from being a special education teacher to a therapist. This year will be my second year at WMES.

I love to travel with my husband and two amazing children around the world, enjoying family movie nights, exploring Georgia parks, and attending concerts. As the counselor for second, and third grade I look forward to connecting with and supporting all Cub-students, parents, and teachers. This will be a great school year!

This is my 14th year as a school counselor, and my 18th year in education. I have worked as a classroom teacher, but began my work as a school counselor because I saw so many kids that needed a little extra love and attention in my classroom. I received my Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Emory University. I have a Masters and an Ed.S. in School Counseling from Georgia State University. I am a Georgia Peach and love my hometown, though I wish we had beaches here! I love traveling, trying new brunch places, snuggling with and showing pictures of my dog, Cooper, and hosting events for my friends and family. I will be working with Fourth and Fifth grades. I look forward to a great year!

A big hello and a hug to my new Cub family!

My name is Heather Troy and this is my first year as a school counselor. I received my Bachelor's in Psychology from Hampton University with Honors and my Master's in Clinical Social Work from New York University. I have worked as a therapist in positions serving groups across the life span, from play group therapy with little ones to hospice social work in the Atlanta area. For me, this work only solidified the importance of giving children all they need in their formative years to create the best chance for continued success. I'm so very excited to start my dream job working in education and following in my family's footsteps. The best part is that I myself am a product of GCPS! I am also a proud parent of a GCPS elementary student. Now I get to bring it all full circle working for the school system that changed my life for the better as a student with its vast educational opportunities and stellar staff. This year I am honored to serve and support the Kindergarteners and First graders at Woodward Mill and their awesome families. Here's to a wonderful year ahead!

We hope you spent time reading and logging your minutes in Beanstack over the summer months! The Summer Reading Challenge dates were from June 1 – July 31. We look forward to recognizing the students that achieved their 600-minute reading goal! The GCPS BookMobile will visit our school as a part of our summer reading celebration in early September. Congratulations to our summer readers!

Join us on Facebook for more updates & upcoming PTA meeting information!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/363356410352065/

Click HERE to find out more information about our PTA Board

Woodward Mill would like to take this opportunity to thank the numerous business partners that support the students and teachers at our school. Our business partners support our school in various ways such as sponsoring after-school clubs, providing teacher appreciation gifts, donating supplies, and mentoring students.

Please click HERE to see how you can become a business partner.

A new list of the 2023-2024 Business Partners will be published soon.

Please click on the link to view the calendar for the 2023-2024 school year.

This approved calendar features seven days of preplanning for teachers, a start date of August 2, 2023, and four digital learning days. The four digital learning days are scheduled throughout the year, with two occurring in 1st semester and two in 2nd semester. The calendar also features a fall break in October, a two-week winter break, a three-day break in February, a week scheduled for spring break, and an end date of May 22nd, 2024.

• All GCPS students will have a Chromebook assigned to them for the 2023-2024 school year. Students can also check out a hot spot for internet access based on demonstrated need. Families may contact their schools to discuss options.
• If a GCPS technology resource is assigned to a student and taken home, it is the family's responsibility to monitor the use of the device to ensure that the device is returned in the condition in which it was received.

Click on the picture to visit the GCPS website for all updates regarding the 2023-2024 school year.