WhatNot!
January 29, 2025
Message From the Principal
Dear Wildwood Families,
Sickness is hitting our school pretty hard! Many students have been out and some are leaving during the day. Now the staff are getting sick, too. We are doing what we can to keep everyone healthy, cleaning and masking, but the illness is out there and it hits some pretty hard. Please take care of yourself and your family. If your child isn’t feeling well, keep them home. Once they come back to school, encourage them to take it easy, too. I see students running around at recess when they’ve just been out sick for days! I guess they bounce back quicker than adults.
On the happier side of things, I have two wonderful 5th graders who have been organizing games at the 4th and 5th grade recess. The students played Capture the Flag and then Dodgeball. We are working on the rules and our sportsmanship but I think they’re having fun. I hope so. Our wonderful PE teacher is reviewing the rules and also teaching, or reteaching, games during PE this week. Having some of these structures in place helps our playground to be a positive environment - we’re working on that. The playground can be tricky for some, so we will continue to incorporate games, review playground expectations, and encourage good sportsmanship.
Superintendent Hawn attended the Wildwood Parent Club meeting last night and discussed the hiring process for the Wildwood principal. If you were unable to attend the meeting but would like to give input and/or wish to participate in the interview process, you can do that HERE. We will keep the community informed as the process unfolds over the next couple of months.
Thanks for all your support of Wildwood!
Beth Rhine
Calendar
January
31 Mileage Club
February
5 Vision and Hearing Screening
12 MLK Jr. Oratorical Fest
17-21 February Recess - NO SCHOOL
Spelling Bee
Last week, fifteen 4th and 5th grade students represented their classrooms in the 14th Annual Wildwood School Spelling Bee during their lunch recesses. This year's Classroom Representatives were impressively well-prepared for the event, and can be very proud of their participation. By Friday afternoon, 5th grader Anya Giri earned the title of Champion, and 5th grader Parker Chu was named Runner Up. Both of them will represent Wildwood School in the online Regional Qualifier Round during the week of February 10. We congratulate Anya and Parker, and all the participants in this year's School Spelling Bee, 4th graders Soli Araujo, Rohan Bora, Blake Chao, Jaxon Farboud, Ben Gupta, Dax Nisenbaum, Reyaan Sabnani, and Connor Tornatore, and 5th graders Thomas Hayes, Milana Miller, Olivia Ong, Emilio Perez, and Tillie Selvidge. We're very proud of everyone who participated in any level of our Spelling Bees this school year!
Read-A-Thon Update
A big thanks to everyone who was able to participate in the recent Read-a-thon to raise funds for the World Central Kitchen to help folks affected by the recent wildfires. If your child participated and you’re wondering what to do with the pledges…
Please send in the pledge form to school. (We are trying to get an idea of how much we have raised so we can share that with the community.)
Donation process: Please go directly to the World Central Kitchen website to make donations. https://wck.org/donate
If you sent in a check or cash this week, we sent those directly to WCK, don’t worry.
Thank you for supporting the cause!
We Want to Hear from You! - California School Parent Survey
Parent involvement is a Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) State priority. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey link below. This short survey provides a means to confidentially obtain:
parent perceptions about the school's learning environment;
school climate;
student supports; and
parent outreach and involvement efforts (e.g., how welcoming, communicative).
It also provides data on the scope and nature of parent involvement at the school (relationships, activities) and in the child's education in general.
CSPS identifies which needs and concerns of parents schools should address in promoting greater involvement. Asking parents to provide their perceptions of the school is an empowering parent-involvement activity. For more information, check out the website, https://calschls.org/about/the-surveys/
Survey Link:
https://wested.ugam-apps.com/wested/ts/e2bp
(Staff will also be taking a survey similar to this one, but from the staff perspective. 5th grade students will also be taking a survey but from a student perspective. Some 5th grade families opted their child out in the beginning of the school year and those students won’t take the survey. Survey results are usually available in the Fall and will be shared with the community at a future date.)
ASE Spring Enrollment
Wildwood Parent Club is pleased to share the After School Enrichment (ASE) classes for our SPRING SESSION. Enrollment opens on Tuesday, February 4th at 8pm.
ASE offers a variety of art, music, performance, STEM, and athletic programs at Wildwood directly after the end of the school day. New classes include Drama and Storytelling (Grades K-4), Beginner and Intermediate Tennis (Grades 2-5), Puppetry (Grades K-3).
ASE Spring Session begins after President's Day break on Monday, February 24th until Friday, May 30th. ASE is run by the Wildwood Parent Club (WPC) and all funds raised go directly to Wildwood Elementary School. ASE is the WPC's biggest fundraiser! Contact us at wwafterschoolenrichment@gmail.com with any questions.
Cell Phone/Watch Request
Students should leave cell phones and smart watches at home. Cell phone and connected smart watch use by students is not allowed on campus during the school day. If you need to contact your child during school hours, please call the office to leave a message. Office staff are very good at taking messages directly to classrooms in a timely manner.
Some families have already chosen to keep Apple Watches (or other smart watches) and Gizmos at home. If you decide to send your child to school with their device, they will need to turn it off and put it in their backpack the entire time they are on the Wildwood campus.
Through dealing with many issues over the past few weeks, we have realized that the kids are gaming, texting, sharing text strings with others, excluding people from text strings, using inappropriate language, sharing videos, trying to "one up" each other, and otherwise becoming distracted by their devices. It seems evident that technology use needs to be monitored. Their job at school is to engage, learn, and socialize off screen with their peers. (This is more applicable to our older students but can trickle into our younger students, as well.)
We want to emphasize The Wildwood Way -- Inclusivity, Responsibility, Respectfulness and Problem Solving -- is not just for school time. It's a model for behavior both in and out of school (for adults, too!). Our hope is that these tech guidelines at school, along with explicit teaching and modeling of appropriate communication and relationships, will both increase their focus on schoolwork and help students think through their decisions outside of school (which is much more difficult, we realize).
Thank you for discussing this policy with your child and for understanding the need for us to establish guard rails around technology at school.
Mileage Club Parent Help Needed on 2/14/25
Hello Wildwood! I am in need of 2 Mileage Club parents to help run Mileage Club on Friday, February 14th. I will be absent that day but would love to still hold Mileage Club if possible.
If you think you could get to Wildwood at 7:40 to set up and then bring all materials back to the PE shed at 8:20, please email me at amatarazzo@piedmont.k12.ca.us and I’ll provide you with all of the info you need.
Thank you!
Ms. Matarazzo
Bell Schedule
See above for our recess and lunch schedule. If you need to pick up a student for any reason please try to avoid lunch and recess times. Thank you!
Lunch Volunteers Needed!
Calling all parents! Come help our kids fill their bellies with hot lunch so they can be the best learners they can be!! We are looking for volunteers daily for both our lunch programs. Please sign up for one of the open slots for the remainder of January and/or in February using the links below. It will only take 1-hour out of your day to help support our school and children!
SignUpGenius for Parent Volunteers - 1st to 5th Grade Lunch Program - we need 1 volunteer daily between 11:30am to 12:30pm
SignUpGenius for Parent Volunteers - Kinder Lunch Program - we need 2 volunteers daily between 11:20am to 12:15pm
Vision and Hearing Screening
Hearing and Vision Screenings Coming up at Wildwood School
Students in grades K, 2, 5 and all new students will undergo state required hearing and vision screenings on Wednesday, February 5th. If your student wears glasses or contacts, please make sure they wear them or bring them to school.
If you do not wish to have your child participate in these screenings and would like to provide your own hearing and vision assessment report through an outside provider, please contact the District Nurses at nurses@piedmont.k12.ca.us. Thank you!
Reminder: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Fest
In honor and in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., all Wildwood students are invited to perform a speech, poem, spoken word, song, or skit written by themselves or someone else.
The celebration will be on February 12 at a school assembly.
If your child is interested in performing, here is the permission form that needs to be completed and turned in.
Enrollment for New Students is Open!
New student enrollment opens January 15th, 2025
We are thrilled to announce new student enrollment for the 2025-26 school year will open January 15th, 2025! Families with children not currently attending Piedmont schools - new kindergarteners or a student switching to Piedmont schools - are invited to start the enrollment process then.
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Program for 2025-26:
- If your child is four years old by September 1st, 2025, they are eligible for our District’s outstanding Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program. This specially designed program ensures a solid foundation for your child's educational journey.
We genuinely look forward to welcoming your children into our school family next year. The journey of education is a collaborative effort, and we are excited to partner with you in nurturing the potential within each child.
In preparation for enrollment opening, check out the resources on our website https://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/about/enrolling/enrolling-info, gather the required documents, and mark your calendars for January 15th. Families will be notified of their successfully processed application on a rolling basis. Families can enroll at any time after January 15th, but please note that priority for neighborhood schools is determined by the date of the complete application. We encourage you to complete the application promptly to secure your preferred school placement.
Looking forward to a fantastic 2025-26 school year together!
*Currently enrolled students will receive registration information before the start of school.*
Library News
Parents Club Update
On-site school volunteers needed for next week! Wildwood and district staff are in need of five volunteers in shifts from 8:20am-12:30p next Wednesday, Feb. 5, for the Kinder/2nd/5th grade Vision and Hearing Screening tests.
Four volunteers would work in two-hour shifts, helping to usher students to and from the screening. An additional volunteer would ideally work the entire day as a notetaker for the optometrist.
Please email here if you are able to volunteer. Our kids are counting on you!
Community Coffee meet-ups are a great way to casually meet other parents while warming up with a free hot coffee and pastry.
Please mark your calendars for these fun Friday gatherings for the rest of the school year: Feb. 14, March 21, April 18, and May 16.
Dad's Club
🌴 WILDWOOD DADS’ CLUB PRESENTS: ISLAND VIBES CRAB FEED 2025! 🦀 🍹
Come join us for our monthly meeting is on Wednesday January 29th from 8:30-10PM @ Ben 'N Nick's (5612 College Ave, Oakland 94618). And don't forget...
🌴 Mark your calendars for a night you won’t want to miss:
Set sail on Saturday, February 8th for an unforgettable evening of flavor, fun, and island adventure!
Grab your tickets now before they sell out!
[Click here for tickets]
Here’s what’s on deck:
A feast of mouthwatering crab, fresh salmon, and delectable sides
Endless good vibes
Costume fun: Dress as a pirate, sailor, crab, or channel your inner island adventurer!
This is the perfect way to warm up your winter and shake off those January blues! Don’t wait—tickets are moving fast. Grab yours now and make this the highlight of 2025!
Check out the full Wildwood Dads’ Club event calendar here.
We can’t wait to see you there—costumes, claws, and all!
Lunar New Year Celebration 1/31 at 5:30pm
Piedmont Makers
Here are Piedmont Makers newsletter items for this week including our Call for Makers for the upcoming School Maker Faire on Sunday May 18 at Piedmont High! Students and teachers can submit their projects to exhibit at the Maker Faire!
Please let me know any questions.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15SUAEtWnzylHrigrQkeKrai9XEPSUHTLBxfb-2b2shc/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks!
-Dave
President, Piedmont Makers
P.I.E. - Neurodiversity Speaker Series
Sign Up Now for Piedmont’s 2025 Math Kangaroo Competition
Do you know a student who might benefit from a fun challenge in math? Math Kangaroo is a low-stakes, international math competition for students in grades 1-12 that takes place on the third Thursday in March. Kids are given 75 minutes to solve interesting problems involving math and logic. All participants receive a t-shirt and prize to reward their efforts. Responses are scored after the event so students can track their progress from year to year. High scorers receive additional recognition later in the Spring.
Regular Deadline: December 31, 2024
Late deadline: February 1, 2025
Try out some sample questions from last year’s test.
Piedmont ALPS is excited to host our local Math Kangaroo testing site.
When: Thursday, March 20, 2025, 4 - 5:15PM
Where: Havens Elementary, 323 Highland Ave, Piedmont
Register at this link: https://mathkangaroo.oasis-lms.com/Users/LearningActivityInformation.aspx?LearningActivityID=LdNW4r5uklGMGTEuIlhpSA%3d%3d
Enter this invitation code: PIEDMONT94611@25MK
Cost: $18 by December 31 (late registration is $35 by February 1)
Questions? piedmontalps@gmail.com
Attendance
ATTENDANCE REPORTING
- Please report your student's absence or tardiness - and include the reason.
- You are welcome to email your teacher, but you must also report by either calling
(510) 594-2719 or emailing: wwdattendance@piedmont.k12.ca.us
INVITATIONAL: DONATE FOR ABSENCES
- Parents, please remember that if your child needs to be out of school, you can submit
donations for the lost revenue. - Each day that a student is out of school (for any reason, including illness) means a loss of
revenue in the following amounts per day:
K-3rd Grade = $61.32 - 4th-5th Grade = $56.39
Important Links
- Wildwood School Calendar
- Hot Lunch Order (pw: Wildwood)
- Attendance Reporting
WHATNOT submission requests must be received by Tuesday at 12:00 PM,
whatnot@piedmont.k12.ca.us