The Wellwood Globe

At Wellwood International, our mission is to help students grow into knowledgeable, kind, and confident learners. We provide a challenging and supportive education in a multicultural setting, where every child learns to respect and value differences. We want our students to feel safe, cared for, and inspired to do their best every day.

Dear Wellwood Families,

As we slide (literally!) into February, I want to extend my gratitude to each of you for your continued collaboration and support. Because of your partnership, encouragement at home, and communication with our staff, our students have grown in remarkable ways. Thank you for attending school events, checking in on progress, or simply making sure your child arrives each day ready to learn. It truly makes a difference.

Believe it or not, we are officially halfway through the school year! This is always a moment to pause, celebrate how far we’ve come, and refocus our efforts for the months ahead. The second half of the year often brings tremendous academic and social growth, and together, we can help our students finish strong.

Tips to Keep the Momentum Going

Here are a few simple ways families can help students stay on track and continue thriving:

• Keep routines steady. Consistent bedtimes, mealtimes, and homework habits help students stay focused and energized.
• Talk about school each day. A quick conversation: “What did you learn today?” or “What made you proud today?” builds confidence and connection.
• Check progress regularly. Reviewing classwork, grades, or teacher notes helps you catch small concerns before they grow.
• Encourage reading at home. Even 15 minutes a day can make a powerful difference across all subject areas.
• Celebrate effort, not just results. Praise persistence, problem-solving, and improvement to strengthen motivation.

As always, we’re grateful to be your partners in this work. Thank you for everything you do to support our school community.

In Partnership,

Mrs. Alonna Thompson

athompson8@bcps.org

Feb 3 (T) - Marking Period 2 Report Cards Available in Focus

Feb 13 (F) - PTA Black History Month Sip & Paint, 5:30 pm @ Wellwood - RSVP

Feb 16 (M) - Schools & Offices Closed - President's Day

Feb 17 (T) - Schools & Offices Closed - Lunar New Year

Feb 20 (F) - School Closes @ 12.25 pm - Staff Development

The annual BCPS Climate Survey is available now through Friday, March 6. The survey focuses on school climate and engagement and is for all stakeholders: students in Grades 3-12, parents/guardians, community members, and all staff.

The survey is for all stakeholders: students in Grades 3–12, parents/guardians, community members, and all staff and focuses on school climate and engagement. It takes three minutes or less to complete and is anonymous.

The Department of Special Education in Baltimore County has a Family Support Services Division that holds regular workshops for parents and families.

Upcoming workshops:

• February 12th 11:30-12:30: Creating a Vision Statement for Your Child's Education and Future
• 🔦February 18th 6-7PM Spotlight Series: Through their Lens Featuring Sophia Cox. Come connect with or be inspired by one mother's journey with her 18-year-old daughter from the initial autism diagnosis to now.
• February 25th Understanding Your Child's IEP: Participate in discussions and decisions more confidently by becoming familiar with each section of your child's IEP.

Click here to register for a workshop

WIDA Access:

WIDA continues in the month of February. Students receiving ELD services will take the WIDA Access assessment. WIDA Access is the collective name for WIDA's suite of summative English language proficiency assessments. WIDA Access is taken annually by multilingual learners in kindergarten through grade 12 in WIDA Consortium member states. WIDA Access provides this flexible suite of tests because we know that no single test is suitable for all students. Educators use WIDA Access results, along with other WIDA resources, to make decisions about students' English academic language and to facilitate their language development. Students' scores reflect proficiency levels ranging from Level 1 (Entering) to Level 6 (Reaching). Wellwood students will take the assessment in small groups with Ms. Nimer and Ms. Johnson throughout the month and score reports will be provided in the spring.

STAR:

K-5 Students will take the Winter administration of the STAR Suite of assessments to monitor their achievement and growth in reading and math. The Winter testing window runs from the end of January and will continue through mid-February. Below are a list of the assessments given in the winter:

• STAR Math (Grades K-5): Adaptive computer assessment measuring counting and cardinality, operations and algebraic thinking, geometry, expression and equations, number and operations, functions, ratios and proportional relationships, the number system, measurement and data, statistics and probability.
• STAR Early Literacy (Grades K-2): Adaptive computer assessment measuring print concepts, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary acquisition and use, and early Numeracy.
• STAR Reading (Grades 3-5): Adaptive computer assessment measuring vocabulary, comprehension strategies and constructing meaning, analyzing literary texts, understanding author’s craft, analyzing argument and evaluating text
• STAR CBM (Grades K-3): One on one paper assessment measuring rapid automatic naming (RAN), phoneme segmentation, letter sounds, passage oral reading, expressive nonsense words, sight and high-frequency words, encoding.

New in STAR testing: 2nd grade students who score at or above 862 on the Early Literacy Assessment will also take the STAR Reading Assessment at the end of February or Early March.

The Attendance Bingo Board continues in February! The board tracks student attendance throughout January and February, and students can win school prizes for completing it! Here are the rules:

1. Keep the board at home and hang it on your refrigerator.

2. Each time your child attends school on one of the dates listed on the Bingo Board, have a parent or guardian initial or sign the date.

3. Turn in the completed board on Friday, February 27th or Monday, March 2nd.

4. Prizes will be awarded based on the number of boxes initialed:

• If all squares are initialed: Students earn a multicolored pen with 10 ink options and be entered into a drawing to “pie” the principal and assistant principal.
• If three complete BINGO rows have signatures: Choose from the 2nd Place Prize options. Rows may be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.

5. Prizes will be distributed to students in March.

The Y Swim Center in Randallstown is partnering with Subaru and their Operation Warm program to provide free, brand‑new winter coats for children ages 2–17.

This event will take place on:

Wednesday, February 11

Families who attend can also enjoy an Open House with fun activities for children, swimming opportunities, and more. All attendees will receive a Free “Try the Y” Membership, and everyone will be entered into a drawing for a Family Fun Gift Basket.

Please note:

• You do not need to be a Y member to participate.
• All children must be present with a parent or guardian so they can select and try on their new coat.
• Registration is required.

To register, please stop by the Randallstown Y or call the Welcome Desk at 410‑496‑4272. Be prepared to provide your child’s name, age, gender, and coat size.

We are so proud of our school community for rising to the challenge of our first virtual learning day. Thank you to our students, parents, and teachers for your patience, adaptability, and commitment to learning.

We wrapped up a joyful and busy holiday season—Harvest Boxes, toy and clothing donations, a successful coat drive, and a cozy hot cocoa and cookies bar at the winter concert. Thank you to our amazing members and fundraiser supporters for making it all possible!

We kicked off January with Donuts with Grown‑Ups and are excited for our Black History Month Sip & Paint on February 13—come enjoy trivia, painting, dinner, and great community energy. Click here to sign-up.

Our next PTA meeting is February 3 at 6 p.m. (virtual only). We look forward to seeing familiar faces and welcoming new ones.

There’s always room to grow—new members are welcome anytime. Our strength is our community!

Throughout the month, students will learn about Black inventors, artists, scientists, leaders, and changemakers whose ideas and actions helped make life safer, fairer, and more inspiring for everyone.

Each day, we will highlight a different individual and explore how their contributions shaped our communities and our country. Classroom door displays, daily trivia, and schoolwide activities will help students see the many ways people work to build a better world and how they can practice kindness, curiosity, and respect in their own lives.

We also encourage families to join in the learning by asking their child each day, “Who did you learn about today?” This simple question helps students share new knowledge, deepen conversations at home, and connect classroom learning to the world around them.

We look forward to a meaningful month of learning and celebration!

Being able to quickly and easily add, subtract, multiply and divide is very important to math

success. To encourage all 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to memorize the facts, all students will take a weekly fact quiz.

When a student scores 94% (47 out of 50) or better on a quiz two weeks in a row, they will become a fact star for that set of facts. They will then move on to the next set of facts.

At the end of the year we will have a special fact star celebration to acknowledge students’ hard work and accomplishments!

Here is the day each grade is planning on giving their fact quiz:

1st: Tuesday

2nd: Wednesday

3rd: Tuesday

4th: Friday

5th: Wednesday

Look for fact quizzes to come home every Thursday so you can see how your child is doing! We want every student to grow from where they started, so our expectation is that students’ scores will get better every week.

Our Fact Star program is off to a great start with over 100 students already becoming Level 1 fact stars! Keep studying those basic facts!

Program Information available in English, Uzbek and Spanish

Hi Wellwood Families!

Welcome to the Counseling Corner, where we will showcase helpful tips and information about Social Emotional Learning.

Theme of the Month

As part of our School Counseling Program, your child’s class will have the opportunity to engage in a counseling core curriculum lesson each month based on a different theme. It is our hope that the core curriculum counseling lessons will help to promote the social emotional, academic, and career development of our students. We hope that you can help your child reflect on these lessons by discussing their content together.

The topic for February is celebrating differences. These lessons open students’ eyes to the ways communities can be diverse and develop a deeper appreciation for their unique school family. Students will learn about the ways we are all unique and the importance of accepting cultural differences even if you do not understand them. Below is the list of books/resources used in each lesson.

• Kindergarten: The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane Derolf
• 1st grade: Mixed by Arree Chung
• 2nd grade: The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
• 3rd grade: The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad
• 4th grade: Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor
• 5th grade: Equity and Equality (activity)

Parent University Events

*Dine & Learn: An Introduction to Education Savings with the Maryland College Investment Plan

February 3rd – 6:30 PM

Virtual Presented by Michelle Winner, Director of Marketing, State Treasurer’s Office – Maryland 529

* Lunch & Learn – Easy, Cheap, and Healthy Meal Planning

February 6th- 12:30 PM

Virtual- Center for Family Success

* Lunch & Learn: Sleep Tight: Powering Up with the American Heart Association

February 11th – 12:30 PM

Virtual- Kate Poole, American Heart Association

*Lunch & Learn: Service Learning in BCPS

February 13th – 12:30 PM

Virtual- Office of Family and Community Engagement

(This session is best for families of students in grades 3 -12)

*Dine & Learn: Service Learning in BCPS

February 19th – 6:30 PM

Virtual- Office of Family and Community Engagement

(This session is best for families of students in grades 3 -12)

*Lunch & Learn: Here For It! Supporting Strong Attendance

February 26 – 12:30 PM

Virtual- Emily Caster, Coordinator, BCPS Department of Student Support Services

* Lunch & Learn: Bullying in the Age of Social Media

February 27 – 12:30 PM

Virtual- Amanda Tennant, LMSW, Thrive Behavioral Health

Click here to register for any of the events

Resources

• BCPS Virtual Calming Room

• Baltimore County Crisis Response: 410-931-2214

• Crisis text line: Text the word "TALK" to 741741 for free 24-hour support

• Maryland Food Bank: 410-737-8282

• 211 Maryland: dial 211 or https://211md.org/

• Maryland Suicide and Crisis Hotline: dial 988

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK

• Trevor Lifeline: Text “START” to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386

• Baltimore County Department of Social Services: 410-853-3000

• Sheppard Pratt's Urgent Walk-In Clinic is available through virtual appointments. https://www.sheppardpratt.org/care-finder/virtual-crisis-walk-in-clinic/

Mind Over Matters is an ongoing movement to raise awareness about mental health and promote wellness for students, staff, and families.

Theme for January and February: Social Awareness

Definition: The ability to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts

Social Awareness could look like:

• Taking others’ perspectives
• Recognizing strengths in others
• Demonstrating empathy and compassion
• Showing concern for the feelings of others
• Understanding and expressing gratitude

Lindsey Delis

ldelis@bcps.org

443-809-1167

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Every February, the American Heart Association (AHA) observes American Heart Month, a time to focus on the importance of heart health for people of all ages. It’s important to teach children about heart health from a young age. After all, heart health isn’t just for grown-ups—it's something every family can start thinking about early.

Why Heart Health is Important for Young Children

Healthy habits in childhood can help reduce the risk of heart disease later in life. Studies show that things like poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity can lead to the development of heart disease. But the good news is that many of these risk factors are preventable—and the earlier we start, the better!

4 Steps to a Healthy Heart!

During American Heart Month, you can help your child start building heart-healthy habits. Here are some simple and fun ideas to get your family moving in the right direction:

1. Encourage Physical Activity

Getting kids active is one of the most effective ways to keep their hearts healthy. Physical activity helps maintain a healthy weight, strengthens the heart, and boosts overall well-being. Fun activities like playing tag, riding bikes, or even dancing to music can be great ways for kids to get moving.

2. Make Healthy Food Choices

What your child eats plays a big role in their heart health. Eating a balanced diet that’s rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins is important for maintaining a healthy heart. Try involving your kids in meal planning and preparation. When children help pick out healthy ingredients, they are more likely to be excited about eating them! You can also create fun, heart-healthy snacks like fruit kabobs, veggie wraps, or homemade trail mix.

3. Model Healthy Habits

Kids learn by watching the adults in their lives. If you make heart-healthy choices, your children are more likely to follow your example. Show them how fun it is to be active by going on family walks, cooking healthy meals together, and choosing healthy snacks.

4. Teach Your Child About Their Heart

Explain to children that their heart is the “pump” that keeps their body going and that it needs healthy foods, exercise, and plenty of rest to work its best.

• Join a Family Fun Run/Walk: Many communities host heart-themed events in February, such as fun runs or walks that raise awareness and funds for heart disease research.
• Host a Healthy Snack Party: Gather friends and family for a heart-healthy snack party! Make nutritious treats together and teach kids about how food helps fuel the heart.
• Learn with Arts and Crafts: Use the heart symbol as a fun and educational craft project. Make paper hearts while talking about ways to keep hearts healthy.

Check out our new recycling bins in the lobby! If you have sneakers or used ink cartridges at home, Wellwood would love to recycle them for you!

Sneaker Recycling: Do you have any old sneakers or tennis shoes and don't know what to do with them? Drop them off in our lobby in our collection bin to be recycled!

Ink Cartridge Recycling: We take LaserJet and inkjet cartridges. Drop them off in our bins in the lobby to support Green School activities at Wellwood!

Wellwood is proud to be one of the first schools in Baltimore County to participate in school-wide cafeteria composting!

Looking for ways to support your student in math and reading at home? Students can access all the same apps that they do in school from their personal devices. Check out the How To guide below!

During Library class, Second grade and kindergarten students have been immersed in reading books about snowy weather. Second graders focused on describing cause and effect relationships and kindergartners worked to sequence the main events.

Happy reading! 😁 Mrs. Garde

Students in Ms. Young's first grade class experienced the three ways of playing a percussion instrument - hitting, shaking, and scraping. Students took turns experiencing instruments from around the world as they improvised to Bossa Nova beats with Ms. Marcussen

Our highlight this month is celebrating two talented student artists who were selected to represent our school in the BCPS Art is for Everyone! Exhibition at The Baltimore Museum of Art.

Congratulations to Amy S. and Chije K. for having their artwork chosen for this special exhibition. Their creativity and hard work truly shine, and we are so proud!

Exhibition Open:

Reception:

Please join us on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Baltimore Museum of Art for the BMA reception from 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.

Throughout the month of January we explored loose parts and art materials to create snowflakes, we were getting ready for the winter weather!

Our students are officially becoming "mouse programmers!" We’ve been using our Code & Go robots to build foundational computer science skills through hands-on play. This month, students practiced sequencing by planning step-by-step paths and problem-solving by "debugging" their programs whenever the mouse missed the cheese. It has been a joy watching our students take their first steps into the world of computer science!

We are working on our Woodwind Family Unit! We are learning all about the flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and bassoon. We are also learning to play the clarinet. This gives students exposure to an entire instrument family so that they can make an informed decision about the instrument they decide to play in 5th grade!

PreK students partnered with our 5th graders for a special collaboration, working together to build toys as part of the 5th grade Unit 3 project. It was a wonderful opportunity for creativity, teamwork, and learning across grade levels!

PreK students are exploring their creativity and problem-solving skills by building with a variety of materials. They also enjoyed a special visit from Nurse Seidler, who helped them learn all about proper hand washing to stay healthy!

Our kindergarten students are learning more and more letters every week with fun multisensory ways.

First graders are busy building their math skills by exploring place value with base 10 blocks! In reading, students are strengthening comprehension by comparing and contrasting two texts. We also had fun celebrating Twin Day, with lots of smiles and matching outfits!

Second graders took on the challenge of building the tallest snowman and enjoyed getting creative with painting during indoor recess. It was a fun mix of problem-solving and artistic expression!

Students in 3rd grade designed, built, tested and modified a vehicle that would keep an egg safe in a crash while also covering a long distance when launched from a ramp. The top cars went over 800 cm!

This month, our fifth graders explored urban gardens and discovered the many ways they help cities thrive. In writing, students focused on crafting multi-paragraph persuasive essays, learning how to support their opinions with strong reasons and evidence.

In a wonderful example of collaboration, Ms. Berkun’s class partnered with our 3-year-old students to help them build the toys they invented, showing leadership, creativity, and kindness along the way.

2901 Smith Avenue

Baltimore MD 21208

Phone: 443-809-1212 | Fax: 443-809-1213