Clay Academy Bulldog Bulletin

The Elementary students have had a fantastic start to the school year! One new thing we are doing is highlighting one elementary student each week, with the Bulldog of the Week. Please keep an eye out on Facebook to see who is being highlighted each week. Packets needing to be finished will be sent home with your child. Please help your child with the packet and return it by the listed date. If you are unsure when your child's turn is, please reach out to their teacher.

It is so exciting to begin STEM classes at Clay! In Ms. Krzeski’s class, students have explored the world, looking at how animals adapt to environments in the Arctic, the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon Rainforest, Sahara Desert, and the African Savanna. In Ms. Stewart’s class, students are learning about human traits, dominant and recessive genes, and how genes are passed down from parents to offspring. Students have enjoyed creating their own “eggies” as a part of this unit. In Mr. Hartwig’s class, students have dipped their feet into coding via code.org and how smart appliances may enhance a living space. Students are currently working on building a model of a ‘smart room.’

Elementary students have been drawing/painting snails, jelly fish and rainforest frogs.

Mr. Achey, Physical Education Teacher

Welcome back! The following units have been or will be discussed in Physical Education

1. Understanding personal and general space while learning about locomotor skills, levels and different directions or pathways.

2. Soccer skills: passing, trapping, kicking, shooting, gameplay, and sportsmanship while understanding directions of pathways.

3. We are also starting a bike unit. Students will learn the rules of the road while being safe and engaged in aerobic activity.

4. The importance of Health Related Components of Fitness (HRCF) and lifelong physical activities. HRCF consists of physical strength, physical endurance, flexibility, cardiorespiratory endurance and body composition.

Middle school is back in full swing and we are so happy about it! The students have jumped right back into learning with math, reading, science, social studies, life skills and PE.

We are so excited to announce we have a new member on our middle school team! Miss Davis is joining us as the middle school science teacher and 5th grade case manager. Miss Davis spent many years as an associate on the elementary team here at Clay before getting her teaching degree and returning to us. Students and staff alike are beyond thrilled!

Art

Middle school students have been working on very artistic self portraits. Families should look for those to come home in the near future!

Mr. Achey and Mr. Mickey, Physical Education Teachers

Welcome back! The following units have been or will be discussed in Physical Education

1.Soccer skills: passing, trapping, kicking, shooting, gameplay, and sportsmanship while understanding directions of pathways.

2. We are also starting a bike unit. Students will learn the rules of the road while being safe and engaged in aerobic activity.

3. The importance of Health Related Components of Fitness (HRCF) and lifelong physical activities. HRCF consists of physical strength, physical endurance, flexibility, cardiorespiratory endurance and body composition.

4. Our fitness days will typically be Tuesdays and Thursdays either in the gym or outside (weather permitting), so please dress your student appropriately as the seasons change.

World History

In World History we began by learning about Otzi the Iceman who is the oldest known person whose remains are still intact today. He is estimated to have lived 5,000 years ago! We are also starting to learn about Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt.

High School English

These classes are co-taught as bibliotherapy classes. Mrs. Pedersen and Mrs. Kraneman, the social worker, work in tandem to create a safe environment in which to share very personal topics.

• 3rd/7th Period English: Students are beginning to read a book by Josh Shipp called The Teen's Guide to World Domination. This book breaks down villains that you might find invading your life and teaches you how to notice them, and stop them from being a negative impact. Later, it will teach how to dominate your own world in order to become a hero!
• 5th Period English: Students are reading the book Butter by Erin Jade Lange. Butter is a student in high school who is obese. He becomes the butt of many jokes and is in a lonely, depressed state. Butter decides to eat himself to death...but along the way, things twist and turn in ways which he didn't even expect or see coming!

Geoscience

This month in Geoscience we are studying all the introductory things that tend to annoy high school students. No matter what they truly do not know it all so review is good. It will get more interesting as we move forward. I am anxious to focus on how we can connect Geoscience to being better stewards of our environments and resources.

Math

In Math we are also in our review chapters and will be moving forward into the early concepts in Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2.

Life Skills

The students are doing life skill inventories. studying Maslow's Hierarchy of needs and will complete a unit of digital literacy.

Pre-Vocational

Students have been using Xello, the district's career program. They have completed learning styles inventories, skill inventories and identified career clusters. The students will be exploring communication skills and the workplace.

Art

High School Art students have learned about color schemes and created colorful collages, as well as learning to do contour line drawings of their shoes. Lastly, Photography students have been learning how to take a good picture and how the Elements and Principles of Art work in making good photographs.

Mr. Tschappat, Physical Education and Health Teacher

This month our high school PE classes will be focusing on Fitness. Students will have the opportunity to walk and count their steps and work on core strength exercises.

We are so excited to welcome a few new people to Clay Academy for this school year! We have new teachers, classroom associates, and office and custodial staff. Joining Clay Academy this year are

• Mr. Achey, Elementary and Middle School Physical Education Teacher
• Ms. Brunken, Middle and High School Teacher
• Mr. Cuevas, Head Custodian
• Ms. Davis, Middle School Teacher
• Ms. Dolumba, Elementary and Middle School Teacher
• Ms. Hedke, Elementary School Associate
• Mrs. Kerns, Main Office Secretary
• Ms. Pickering, Middle and High School Associate
• Mrs. Stahl, Elementary School Associate

Welcome back! The 2023-2024 school year is off to a fast start! Please make sure all of your child’s health records and medication orders are up-to-date in the health office by October 13th in order to avoid school exclusion starting October 16th.

• Medication Authorization Forms and Emergency Action Plans need to be completed and submitted to school every school year.

• October 13th is the last day to submit required health forms in order to avoid school exclusion beginning October 16th per IDPH. Updated school physicals and up-to-date immunizations are required for students

• New to Illinois and for students entering Kindergarten, 6th, & 9th grades

• 2nd dose of Menactra vaccine is required for 12th grade

• Dental exams are required by May 15th for Kindergarten, 2nd, 6th and 9th grades.

• September 21, 2023: 12:00pm dismissal; school improvement day
• October 4, 2023: 12:00pm dismissal; parent/teacher conference day
• October 4, 2023: 4:00pm-9:00pm Parent/Teacher Conferences
• October 5, 2023: 9:00am-9:00pm Parent/Teacher Conferences
• October 6, 2023: No School; No Student Attendance
• October 9, 2023: No School; No Student Attendance

Mission

To provide a learning environment which fosters individual growth, lifelong learning and social accountability to meet future responsibilities and challenges of adulthood.

Core Foundations

• Character Building

• Social Skills Development

• Living Skills Development

• Relationship-Building

• Coping Skills Development

• Academic and Vocational Training

• Recreational and Activity Skill Development

Website: woodstockschools.org/clay
Location: 112 Grove Street, Woodstock, IL, USA
Phone: (815) 337-2529
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clayacademywoodstock