Turtle Talk 02/14/2025
Watershed's Newsletter
Pokemon Club
The next round of Pokémon Club will be for 4th and 5th grade students. The club will take place on Mondays (February 24 and March 3, 10 and 17) from 3:15-4:30 . The Pokémon club will run in 4-week cycles. The purpose of Pokémon club is to learn how to play the card game using math, reading and problem-solving skills. Students do not need Pokémon cards to participate. The club will be open to the first 10 students using the signup genius link below.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040C49AAAB2EA3FC1-46594247-4th6th
Take a Plant, "Leaf" a Plant
Ms. Lauren has created a plant propagation station in the Watershed front doorway. Plant cuttings are growing in the window and available for anyone to adopt a plant cutting and take it home. Families are also welcome to leave their own plant cuttings for others to take. If you are looking for a new houseplant, check out Ms. Lauren's display!
Trex Plastic Recycling Program
Watershed participates in Trex's plastic recycling program. There are 2 tall white containers in the front lobby to collect plastic bags and plastic wrap. Each week, a Watershed volunteer collects the plastic, weighs it, takes a picture of it and drops it off at a local grocery store for recycling. Watershed logs our plastic donations each week. If we reach our goal of recycling 1,000 lbs. of plastic by the end of August, Watershed would receive a composite bench for our campus made out of plastic bags like the ones that we have been recycling. Please help us reach our goal and bring your clean, dry, and food-free plastic to recycle at school. Thank you!
Diverse Charter Schools Convening & School Visit
Principal Lori Widney, Music Teacher Jasmine Hogan, and Executive Director Dave Miller attended the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition’s Annual Convening (Jan. 29–31), connecting with charter leaders nationwide and gaining insights to strengthen Watershed’s engagement, accessibility, and inclusivity.
During the trip, Dave Miller also visited Tennessee Nature Academy, a nature-based charter school in Nashville, sparking exciting ideas and potential collaborations.
February PTO Meeting
Thank you to those who were able to attend our February PTO meeting on Tuesday, February 4th. We were able to discuss exciting upcoming events like the Cleaning Supply Drive, Spelling Bee, Read-A-Thon, our upcoming Five Guys and Skyzone fundraisers, and more! You can find the minutes for the PTO meeting HERE!
Join us for our next meeting Tuesday, March 4th at 7:00 PM! meet.google.com/uvx-zqmz-rcd
Homework Club and Career Fair
Two new exciting initiatives are coming to Watershed and Ms. Rives has invited PTO members to come be a part of them!
The first opportunity is to volunteer to help with the Homework Club! Homework Club will be held weekly on Wednesdays (beginning February 5th) 2:15-3:15pm at the school. Homework Club volunteers will supervise middle school students as they work with younger students to help them build their math skills, engage in the activities, and help with their work. For more details and to sign up, please visit this link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0845ABA823A7FCC52-54522206-homework#/
And the second opportunity is to be a part of a planning committee for the Career Fair that will be held during school on May 28th. Committee members will help with the planning and completion of delegated tasks. Work on this committee is scheduled to begin in mid-February. If you are interested in participating, please contact Ms. Rives at rhennessy@bcps.org.
Box Tops
Are you looking for a quick and easy way to support our school? We are excited to announce that Watershed Charter School is now part of the Box Tops for Education program!
When you buy participating products, use the Box Tops app to scan your store receipt. The app identifies eligible products and earnings are credited to your designated school online. Even if you’re shopping online or doing grocery pickup, you can still submit your digital or email receipt with the Box Tops app and earn. Twice a year, the school gets a check! Box Tops earnings really add up, and the more people that participate, the bigger the impact we can make.
See a list of participating products at BTFE.COM/PRODUCTS. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Melinda Warth.
Cleaning Supply Drive Extended through February 18th!
Due to the winter weather this week, we're extending the Cleaning Supply Drive until Tuesday, February 18th. We hope this extension helps us collect plenty of donations we can share with the staff when they pick up supplies on February 19th. Bins will remain outside the main entrance, ready to receive supplies, through next Tuesday. If possible, donating unscented supplies would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!
Help Plan Staff Appreciation Week!
Staff Appreciation Week will be here before we know it!! Staff Appreciation Week wouldn't be possible without an incredible team of people to come together to help plan it! Please join us for the next Staff Appreciation Week planning meeting, Thursday, February 20th at 7pm using this google meet link:
https://meet.google.com/kyp-bjgo-nnk. If you are not able to attend, but are interested in working on Staff Appreciation Week, please send an email to kara.falck@gmail.com.
Watershed PTO 2025 Spelling Bee
Classroom tests have been taken and classroom winners have been announced! Now it’s time to join us for the Watershed PTO Spelling Bee on Thursday, February 27th from 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the WPCS Gym.
Watch as talented students show off their spelling skills, competing for the title of champion! The top 2 spellers of the school-wide spelling bee will have the chance to advance to the 2025 Maryland Sports Commission Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 22, 2025, 9:00 AM, at The Warehouse at Oriole Park at Camden Yards!
Whether you’re a fan of spelling or just love a good competition, it’s sure to be an entertaining experience for the whole family. Don’t miss out on the excitement – come cheer on our spellers and celebrate their hard work and dedication!
RSVP Here: https://tinyurl.com/WPTO-SpellingBee-RSVP We can’t wait to see you there!
We could still use some amazing volunteers to help make this year's Spelling Bee the best yet. Sign up at this link to help with setup, passing out some snacks, cleanup, etc. https://tinyurl.com/WPTO-SpellingBee-2025
Read-A-Thon
Get Ready! Read-a-Thon is happening starting on March 3rd, 2025 during Read Across America Week! From Monday, March 3rd - Monday, March 10th students will have the chance to fundraise and log their reading minutes, with exciting prizes up for grabs.
75% of all donations will go directly to the Watershed PTO, while 15% of each student's fundraising total will be allocated in Read-A-Thon bucks to spend in a prize store, where they can redeem that 15% in exchange for some fun prizes.
About one week before our Read-A-Thon starts, we will send home instructions on how to activate your reader's personal page. This is where you will be able to view and record their progress.
If you’d like to get a head start and be ready for March 3rd, we encourage you to activate your reader’s account today by clicking on https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/ULxkes/1 and following the simple instructions.
In addition, students, teachers, and classrooms will have the chance to log reading minutes(either through the site, physical log, or google form) and earn exciting prizes, all separate from the PTO's fundraising efforts! We believe in the power of reading and want to celebrate it in every way we can!
Be on the lookout for more information on how to set up your Read-A-Thon page, how to log minutes, and about a fun-filled week of themed days and activities happening the week of 3/3 -3/7 to go alongside the fundraiser.
Five Guys Fundraiser
Come support the Watershed PTO at our March Restaurant Night Fundraiser at Five Guys on Wednesday, March 12th, coinciding with the Unit Showcase! From 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Five Guys will donate 20% of Watershed Family’s purchases to the PTO. Simply show the flyer above or mention you're with the Watershed PTO when placing your order to ensure your purchase counts. Ordering online? Don’t forget to bring the raffle ticket attached to this flyer so the PTO can receive credit for your purchase. We can't wait to see everyone there!
Sky Zone Fundraiser
Sky Zone Fundraiser
Looking for a fun way to spend time with the kids while supporting the Watershed PTO? Join us on Wednesday, March 19th, from 4:30–6:30 PM at Skyzone in Columbia! Every 90-minute jump pass and new membership purchased during this time will help benefit the PTO. Please note: all jumpers must wear grippy socks, which are available for purchase at Skyzone if needed. Can’t wait to jump with everyone!
Address: 7175 Oakland Mills Rd. Columbia, MD 21046
School Volunteer Opportunities and Raffle
There is still time to win a $10 gift card and make a positive impact on Watershed at the same time!
Sign up for a school volunteer opportunity through the SignUp Genius link below, and you'll be entered into a monthly raffle for a chance to win a gift card! The winner will be drawn at each PTO meeting. January’s winner will be announced at the February PTO meeting on February 4th. Each month's raffle is separate, so the more you sign up, the more chances you have to win! January entries are open now!
Let’s come together and make a difference in our school community—sign up today!
👉 https://tinyurl.com/Watershed-School-Volunteer
Just 1 Committee Chair Needed
Sign up to lead our Spring Dance Committee (April 1st- May 23rd) and let the fun you had at the winter dance be the inspiration to lead the team that will prepare the spring dance! As the chair, the facilitating officer would work with you as you lead committee meetings, create a planning timeline, manage a committee budget, and complete a committee wrap-up summary.
If you are interested in leading the spring dance committee or want to learn more before committing, please send an email to president@watershedpto.org.
Parent/Caregiver Led Clubs
Looking for more after-school opportunities for your student? Do you have a really awesome idea for a club?
The PTO is currently looking for enthusiastic members of our community to lead some clubs. We’re excited to offer Parent/Caregiver Led Clubs for Watershed students, and we’d love for you to share your talents, skills, or hobbies! If you're interested in running an after-school club, please check out the details here. For any questions, feel free to
contact us at president@watershedpto.org.
LinkTree: One link for all our links!
Did you know that the Watershed PTO has a linktree? Visit https://linktr.ee/watershedpto to find an up to date list of all our links including the Fall Fest RSVP, Room Rep Contact Information, volunteer sign-ups, our Mabel’s Labels fundraiser, and more!