Washington Woods Family Newsletter

Website: https://wwe.wws.k12.in.us

Location: 19750 Grassy Branch Road, Westfield, IN, USA
Phone: 317-867-7900
Facebook: Washington Woods Facebook

What a great start to the school year!

We have officially made it through our first full week, and I continue to be so impressed by our Washington Woods community! Our students are settling into routines, building relationships, and showing us what it means to Show the Woods Way. Our staff has worked incredibly hard to create a welcoming, positive start, and our families have been patient, supportive, and flexible as we all settle into a new school year.

Thank you for everything you are doing to help make Washington Woods such a special place. We are off to a great start, and I am excited about all that is ahead!

This Week at Washington Woods

Tuesday, September 1 — PTO Meeting
Our PTO will meet Tuesday evening. We are grateful for the many ways our PTO supports our students and staff, and we would love to see families who are interested in being involved! See more information from PTO below.

Thursday, September 3 — Picture Day 📸
Say cheese! Picture Day is Thursday. Be sure your student comes ready for their big smile!

You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVTN6ND8B. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!
Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online on mylifetouch.com

Thursday, September 3 — Parent Information Night | 6:00–7:00 PM
Parents of students in Grades 1–5 are invited to join us for Parent Information Night. We will offer two identical sessions so you can choose the time that works best for your family:

• 6:00–6:25 PM
• 6:35–7:00 PM

There is no need to attend both sessions—choose either one!

This evening is designed for parents/guardians only, so please plan to attend without students. We look forward to sharing information, answering questions, and partnering with you for a great school year!

Friday, September 4- Fun Run Kick Off

Please see more details from PTO below.

Remember, there is no school on September 7, in honor of Labor Day.

Thank you again for helping us make the start of this school year such a positive one. There is so much to look forward to at Washington Woods!

Mrs. Libby Baud

Principal, Washington Woods Elementary

Parent drop off and parent pick up are going well! Thank you for your support in following the traffic flow, and dropping kids off at the correct doors. If you arrive after the doors or gate have closed, please walk your child into the office.

If you line up early for the parent line in the morning or afternoon, please be sure to leave an opening for the first part of the parking lot so cars can still get in and out of our lot while you are waiting.

New Attendance Procedure

Please use our new School Dismissal Manager app to enter absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals. When you use the SDM app to enter your absence, please include the reason. Once the absence is entered in the SDM app, you will not need to email or call the attendance line.

Traveling for a family event?

If your child will be out for an elective absence—such as a vacation or sports event—those absences are considered Excused if:

• Your child has fewer than 7 total absences, and

• You notify our office at least 2 days in advance.

If you have any questions about your child’s attendance, please reach out to Becky Garver by email at garverr@wws.k12.in.us.

Monitoring Attendance

Please refer to the Elementary School Handbook on the District Webpage for details of attendance policies.

We will be monitoring attendance this year. Students who have missed five, nine, and/or fifteen total days or more during the school term will be informed in writing. As this is cumulative throughout the year and not within one single grading period, this may not require further action unless otherwise indicated.

We want to partner proactively with families this year to assure our students are at school as much as possible!

Voting is one of the most important ways we participate in our community and our democracy. As a school district, we believe in preparing students to be engaged, informed citizens, and we encourage every eligible member of our community to exercise that same civic responsibility.

The deadline to register to vote in Indiana for the November 3 General Election is October 5, 2026.

Whether you need to register, update your registration, or simply check your voter registration status, visit IndianaVoters.in.gov.

Be informed. Be engaged. Make your voice heard.

Hello Washington Woods Families!

We still have two resources open if you are needing weekend food assistance or a one-time home supplies kit!

Our Shamrock Care Kits provide basic household and hygiene essentials, including laundry detergent, dish soap, deodorant, bath soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and more. Please note, Shamrock Care Kits are a one-time resource, with one kit available per family.

If you are interested in this resource, please do not hesitate to reach out to me either by phone or email.

johnsonsa@wws.k12.in.us

317-867-7900 ex. 19006

______________________________________________

Weekend Food Program Beginning Soon!

The Weekend Food program will begin in September! This program allows students to bring home a bag of food each Friday, containing non-perishable breakfast and lunch/dinner meals for the weekend. For a little more information about the BackSack program, click HERE.

If you would like your child to participate in this program, please click on the link below to complete the Google Form.

Weekend Food Sign Up Form

Interested in supporting the Weekend Food program?

Open Doors of Westfield partners with our schools to support our students and families. Approximately 800 bags of food are distributed district-wide each month, so that's a whole lot of applesauce, ravioli, and granola bars (among other items)!! To make this happen, they rely heavily on the support and generosity of our community. Want to pitch in? Go to https://opendoorswestfield.org/ to find out how. Putting together everyone's "little bit" makes a BIG difference!

Lunch time portal is the place you can manage your child's lunch account, including putting money in the account and marking restrictions to your child's lunch choices. Please make sure you also check your child's transactions. If they take two entrees, they will be charged for both.

You can find the monthly lunch menus on our school website. A La Carte will begin September 1.

The Powerschool Parent Portal is an essential part of every WWS student's journey. Please visit and bookmark the link below for easy access. New families should have received a Parent Portal Letter via email, so please check for that (check Spam too!). You can alwaus email our Secretary at garverr@wws.k12.in.us for help. Also, you can now find your student's ID number in the upper right hand corner of Powerschool!

Log into Your PowerSchool Parent Portal Here

Do you know your A,B,C's? Do you know your 1,2,3's? Do you like to create bulletin boards? Come help in the library! Looking for help with shelving books, shelf reading (making sure books are in the right place), and keeping bulletin boards current. Please reach out to Ms. Ottinger. ottingers@wws.k12.in.us

Our biggest fundraiser of the year kicks off on 9/4, with Fun Run Day happening on 9/18! Students will have the chance to earn individual prizes and help unlock school-wide incentives by registering and raising money. More information, including the signup link, will be coming Friday!

And a HUGE thank you to all of our amazing sponsors so far for supporting Washington Woods. We are so grateful for our community!

Stay in the know and up-to-date on school events and activities without ever lifting a finger. You can now subscribe to the PTO calendar on either Google or Apple! Just click the link for the format you want, and you'll always see what's ahead! Don't want to subscribe? The calendar is always viewable from the PTO website under the Calendar tab.

Subscribe to Google Calendar

Subscribe to iCal for Apple

After an incredible inaugural season, Rhythm Rocks! is returning this fall for another exciting year of music-making!

Last year, fourth and fifth graders from across Westfield came together to learn, laugh, make new friends, and perform on the stage at the Westfield High School Holiday Festival. From their very first rehearsal to their final standing ovation, our students discovered the joy of creating something bigger than themselves.

Now it's your turn!

If your child loves music, enjoys a challenge, and wants to experience playing xylophones, glockenspiels, drums, and other percussion instruments in a fun and engaging ensemble, Rhythm Rocks! is the place to be.

Open to all Westfield 4th and 5th graders.

No auditions.

Perform at the Westfield High School Holiday Festival.
Enrollment is limited to 50 students to ensure every musician has an instrument and an active role in the ensemble.

Registration is open now through September 11! We can't wait to welcome our newest musicians! Click here to learn more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTthAlLWBxM