NEWS FROM WES

• Monday, December 16th: WCUD Board Meeting at RES, 6pm
• December 23-January 5: Holiday Break
• Monday, January 6th: School resumes
• Friday, January 10th: Winter Workshops Begin
• Monday, January 13th: WCUD Board Meeting at WUHSMS library, 6pm
• Monday, January 20th: No School

For the complete WES events calendar, click here.

For individual classroom news and events, click here.

Dear WES Families,

Years ago, Barb Leonard spearheaded the annual Helping Hands Project in Pomfret and it expanded to include Bridgewater when we became Prosper Valley. It was a whole school endeavor wherein every grade collaborated to produce thoughtful baskets of holiday cheer that were distributed to community members of Bridgewater and Pomfret. The recipients were generally those who were elderly, infirm, or alone for the holidays. Last year 39 baskets were delivered. This year the project will continue and will include Woodstock community members.

There are many amazing things about this project, but one of the highlights is the delivery. Families sign up to deliver the baskets. These few moments can brighten up someone's holiday season. Often, the same family chooses to deliver to the same recipient year after year.

This is where we need your help! The baskets will be ready for delivery on Thursday, December 19. They should be delivered that afternoon or Friday as they will have perishable items. If you have delivered in the past, are you able to do it again? If you are new to this tradition, are you willing to help?

Please email Jenny Hewitt @ jhewitt@wcsu.net or contact Dave in the office.

The WES Student Council is again sponsoring a Mitten Tree in the WES lobby to collect new or gently used hats, mittens, scarves, socks and other warm winter accessories. We are co-sponsoring the Mitten Tree with the Girl Scouts and will be donating items collected to the Haven in White River Junction. Items can be placed by the Mitten Tree starting Monday, and continuing until Thursday, December 19.

Changing Families is a small group counseling program at WES and one example of social and emotional learning that happens at WES.

This program will take place once a week, on Mondays during lunch (students eat in my office) for 8 weeks. The first group meeting will be Monday, December 16th.

During the Changing Families sessions, the group will be given a topic/question of the day, and students will take turns sharing responses. The questions will focus on topics related to changes that may take place in families, like divorce, separation, death of a family member, deployment, step-families, etc. In the past, I have found this group to be a very positive experience for students because it gives them an opportunity to share about their lives and hear from others who may be experiencing similar circumstances. Conversations are supportive and structured, and we often fit in various activities to learn and share more about ourselves. We have a discussion in the beginning about respecting boundaries and only sharing if you are comfortable to do so, and we also talk about protecting each other's privacy so we can share with trust. If you are interested in having your child be a part of Changing Families, please send me an e-mail or give me a call at WES.

Sincerely,

Erin Klocek

All students have been granted their first choice workshop except those who signed up for a workshop not open to their grade level. Teachers have lists of their homeroom students' workshop choices and are double checking with students that they know which workshop they are in. Please contact Mr. Miles or your child's homeroom teacher to confirm the workshop.

Ski Runners:

Parents/guardians should have already registered with Woodstock Ski Runners AND completed the attached bus form if your child will ride the bus from WES to S6.

Skis may be dropped off at WES anytime between 7:30am and 11:00am. There will be large bins on wheels near the drop off area to stick skis and snowboards into. The bus comes by to pick up skis and snowboards and take them to Suicide Six after 11. Please be sure your student has a helmet, boots, and ski equipment with them. Please pick up your students at Suicide Six at the conclusion of the program. They do not return to school. Ski Runners is looking for volunteers to supervise at S6 each week. Please sign up here: ttsu.me/hvrnrt

Art Runners: Please be sure you signed your child up with Artistree. Students will ride the bus over to Artistree. Please pick up your students at Artistree at the conclusion of the program. They do not return to school.

Skate Runners: Parents/guardians should have registered with the Arena on the online website at this link. Students need gloves/mittens, a helmet, ski pants, etc. to go on the ice. Students ride a bus to Union Arena and ride back to WES for normal dismissal from WES.

Winter Fitness Fun: Students should be prepared to dress appropriately for an hour outside. Students will dismiss at the normal time from WES.

Hands on History: Takes place at WES and sometimes walks to the Woodstock History Center. Students will dismiss from WES at the normal time.

Bridge Building: Takes place at WES and dismisses normally from WES. Later on, it includes an after school commitment on select days of the week in preparation for the competition in the spring. Please stay tuned for information from Ms. Gauvin about this. All participants should have completed a contract form.

Early Pick Up - dismissed from the WES library beginning at 1:05. Please meet your child in the library to sign out.

As a reminder, Ski Runners and Art Runners are run by outside organizations and run two weeks longer than WES Winter Workshops. (2/28 and 3/6).

Check out the board books written and illustrated by fourth grade students! The books feature two high frequency verbs that we studied at the beginning of the year: se llama and dice/dicen. In this project, students demonstrated their understanding of simple text by creating an appropriate illustration. Now, we will practice reading aloud and will share our stories with the kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.

If you you would like a copy of your child's class book, I am happy to order one on your behalf. Books are $24.95 each. Please email me at eleibly@wcsu.net to indicate 4H or 4M and the number of books that you would like. Class books will be available for students to look at and check out.

Sixth grade students recently explored how using prior knowledge aids reading comprehension and how to communicate with limited language by creating bilingual posters on the life cycle and migration habits of the Monarch butterfly. Students learned about the Monarch in life science with Mr. Hanson and made detailed posters in English. At the conclusion of their science unit, we read a non-fiction text about butterflies in Spanish. We all agreed that the pictures that accompanied the text, as well as what we already knew about butterflies, helped us to acquire new vocabulary in Spanish.

Next, working in small groups, students created bilingual posters using illustrations and simple language. They were encouraged to use classroom resources or to find another way to express an idea, rather than rely on dictionaries to communicate. Simple language allows us to focus on our overarching writing goal: to produce fully understandable text with some errors that do not impede comprehensibility. In this way, we value comprehensibility over correct grammar.

WCSU has adopted a Portrait of a Graduate, a vision that reflects the community's aspirations for our young people. Two of the skills outlined in the Portrait, values alternate perspectives and respects differing points of view, are also part of the culture element of the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.

The area outside of my shared office on the third floor will be deducted to highlighting the perspectives of those in Spanish-speaking countries, since we can't value points of view that we don't know about. The first installment, pictured below, is a lenticular drawing that depicts America from the point of view of a citizen of the US when looked at one way and from the point of view of people from other countries when looked at the other way.

All grade level concerts are held from 6 - 6:30pm in the WES gym.

Kindergarten: Tuesday February 4th, snow date: Wed. February 5th

1st Grade: Tues Feb 25 snow date Mon March 9
2nd Grade: Wed Feb 26 snow date Wed March 4
3rd Grade: Thurs Feb 27 snow date Thurs March 5

4th grade - 12th grade Band Showcase Tues March 10, snow date March 11 held at high school gym

4th Grade Tues March 24 snow date March 31
5th Grade Wed March 25 snow date April 1
6th Grade Thurs March 26 snow date April 2

May Day Wed May 27, rain date Thurs 28 10 - 11am in WES Playground

Email: mmills@wcsu.net
Website: www.wes.wcsu.net
Location: Woodstock Elementary School, 15 South Street, Woodstock, VT, USA
Phone: 802-457-2522
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wesvt/?ref=bookmarks