The Wellwood Globe
April 2026 Issue
Our School Mission
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.
Principal's Message
Dear Wellwood Families,
As we step into April, we are approaching an important milestone: the end of the third marking period on April 1. I am proud of the hard work our students and staff have shown, and our focus now is to finish strong as we make the final lap into the fourth marking period.
Before we begin that final stretch, I want to wish all our families a fun, safe, and rejuvenating Spring Break. I hope this time brings rest, connection, and joy. We look forward to welcoming our students back on April 13, refreshed and ready to make the most of these last months of learning.
There’s lots happening in April but please make note of the following:
- Report Cards post in the Focus portal on April 23 @ 4:00 p.m.
Please email the designated administrator if you want a paper report card:
Grades 1, 2, 4 – me Grades 3, 5 – Assistant Principal Moore: mmoore18@bcps.org
- Spring Conferences for students in PreK3, PreK4, and Kindergarten
Our goal is for 100% family participation so please be sure to respond to teachers’ requests to set up a meeting. If you can’t make it in person, a virtual or telephone conversation is just as meaningful! Our youngest learners are growing so much and there is much to share! Teachers will send information about dates and times.
- Our Book Fair returns on April 27! Students and families can browse a wide selection of books, build home libraries, and support our school’s literacy programs. This is always a very popular event, and we are excited to bring it back.
- STEM Night is April 29 from 5:30–7:00 p.m. Join us for hands-on activities, problem-solving challenges, and family-friendly science fun. An RSVP form will be shared soon so we can prepare materials for all participating students.
- MCAP Season For our students in grades 3, 4, and 5, MCAP testing begins in April. We encourage families to help students prepare by ensuring they:
· Get a good night’s sleep
· Arrive on time
· Eat a healthy breakfast
· Bring their best effort and confidence
MCAP is one of many ways students show what they know, and we are committed to supporting them every step of the way.
If your student is taking MCAP and you have not sent me your encouraging message, please email it by April 13. Our goal is for every student to see a loving message from home each day of testing.
Thank you for your ongoing partnership and for the countless ways you support our students and staff. After Spring Break, we look forward to pushing forward, together, to finish the year strong.
Warmly,
Mrs. Alonna Thompson
athompson8@bcps.org
Dates to Remember
April 1 (W): End of Third Marking Period - School Ends @ 12:25pm
April 2 - 12: Spring Break!
April 13 (M): School's Reopen
April 14 (T): Individual Student Picture Day
April 17 (F): Wellwood's Annual Earth Day Celebration
April 21 (T): PTA Meeting @ Wellwood & Online, 6:00-7:00pm
April 23 & 24: ELA MCAP for Grades 3, 4 and 5
April 23 (Th): Report Cards Available on Focus @ 4:00pm
April 24 (F): PreK3, PreK4 & Kindergarten Conferences - No School for these students
April 27 & 28: ELA MCAP for Grades 3, 4 and 5
April 27 (M): PreK3 & PreK4 Conferences - No school for these students
April 27 - 30: Scholastic Book Fair @ Wellwood
April 29 (W): STEM Night @ Wellwood, 5:30-7:00pm (Register Here!)
Moore's Message
Special Education
The Department of Special Education in Baltimore County has a Family Support Services Division that holds regular workshops for parents and families.
Upcoming workshops:
- April 14th 11:30-12:30 Understanding Autism: An overview of autism spectrum disorders and some effective strategies for home and school. Presented by Pathfinders for Autism
Testing Updates
MCAP
The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) is the umbrella for annual statewide assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. MCAP is a computer-based assessment. The English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA/L) assessments will be given in April and will focus on reading and understanding literature and informational text, as well as writing effectively when analyzing texts.
The April assessment includes 4 ELA sessions. Each regular session is 70 minutes in length. Students will take the Math assessment in May.
Wellwood Testing Schedule
3rd and 4th grade will be testing 9:00-10:30 AM
5th grade will be testing 10:45-12:15 PM
Thursday, April 23rd
Friday, April 24th
Monday, April 27th
Tuesday April 28th
On these days, we ask that students leave their cell phones and smart watches at home as they are not allowed to be with your child during the test. If your child brings their cellphone and/or smart watch to school, they will be asked to turn their device off and place it in their locker or in a basket in the front of the room during the test.
If you would like your child to practice and prepare for MCAP at home, you can visit https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/ complete practice tests.
Attendance Policy Reminders
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Winter BINGO Board Challenge! All students who turned in an eligible board received their prize in March. In addition, ten lucky students were selected to throw a pie in a staff member’s face during a school-wide assembly in March!
Check out Ms. Thompson getting pied by 1st grader, Lance!
Don't miss the Special Education Resource Fair!
See the flyer for details.
🏫 Wellwood PTA
🔬 Wellwood's STEM Night
Register by April 22!
Please register your family if you plan to attend!
We hope to see you there!
🌎 Wellwood Community Clean Up!
Register by April 22!
Please register your family if you plan to attend!
We hope to see you there!
🏡 Community Chat
Wellwood’s Wellness Night on March 10 was a wonderful evening with a great turnout from families and many of our community partners. JCS led a session from their “Growing Resilient Kids” program, sharing helpful strategies with parents to support their children’s social and emotional well-being.
Families also had the opportunity to connect with partners including the American Red Cross, Baltimore County Department of Health, University of Maryland Poison Control, Total Health Care, Lifebridge, Johns Hopkins Pediatric Injury Prevention Program, Kids with Safety, Be Smart Safe Gun Storage, Baltimore County Parks & Recreation, Pikesville Fire Department, Coppermine, and the University of Maryland Department of Nutrition & Food Science. It was great to see families learning about health, safety, and resources available in the community.
A big thank you to the Wellwood PTA for providing snacks and always being there to support our events.
Wellwood was also recently featured by BCPS for the impact of our Community School work and partnerships. You can read the story by clicking here!
As always, please be in touch with any needs or ideas. I’m here to help connect your family with resources and support! Mfriedberg@bcps.org
Wellwood's Annual Diversity Day Celebration
Wellwood International cordially invites you to its
Annual Diversity Day Celebration
May 8, 2026
Featuring:
FOOTWORKS PERCUSSIVE ENSEMBLE
Presenting
Keeping The Beat: Multicultural Influences in American Music and Dance
Parade Schedule
12:30 - 12:45: Parade of Nations #1
12:45 - 1:30: Assembly - Grades PreK-2
2:00 - 2:15: Parade of Nations #2
2:15 - 3:00: Assembly - Grades 3-5
💖 Counseling Corner
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.
In the month of April, the theme is coping skills. Students will explore ways to manage their feelings in difficult situations in order to make safe and healthy decisions and foster positive peer interactions.
- Kindergarten: A Little Spot of Feelings: Emotions Detective by Diane Alber
- 1st grade: Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Back Away by Howard Binkow
- 2nd grade: A Little Spot of Anger by Diane Alber
- 3rd grade: Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
- 4th grade: Recipe for an Apology (activity)
- 5th grade: Marble Jar Friends (video and activity)
Parent University Events
Bloom – Spring Special Education Resource Fair Oakleigh Elementary School
April 15th – 5:00- 7:00 PM
Oakleigh Elementary School
Lunch & Learn: You’ve Found a Job – Now What?
April 17th- 12:30 PM
Virtual- Presented by Joe Harber, the Center for Family Success
Dine & Learn: Brain Health
April 22nd – 6:30PM
Virtual- Presented by Emily Kearns, Dementia Specialist, Baltimore County Department of Aging
Click here to register for any of the events
Resources
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 March – April: Relationship Skills
Definition: The ability to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups. This includes the capacities to communicate clearly, listen actively, cooperate, work collaboratively to problem solve and negotiate conflict constructively, navigate settings with differing social and cultural demands and opportunities, provide leadership, and seek or offer help when needed.
Contact Info
🌟 The Wildcat Den: Family Spotlight
Celebrating Arab American History Month
Hello Wellwood families! Welcome to “The Wildcat Den: Family Spotlight of the Month" where we will celebrate many wonderful Wellwood families! This section of the newsletter will showcase the voices and experiences that make Wellwood special!
This month we are featuring:
The Hassan Family
Students: Omar (3rd grade), Yaseer Prek 4), and Youssef (PreK 3)
The Hassan family shared that they have many traditions and cultural celebrations that are meaningful to their family. In particular, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr are especially important for the family. They emphasized that honoring the traditions and customs of their heritage is an important way they stay connected to their Arab identity. When asked what the family enjoys most about Wellwood, they expressed their appreciation for Wellwood’s commitment to upholding all the values and principles of all cultures.
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We are grateful to the the Hassan family for being an important part of the Wellwood community!
Be on the lookout for next month’s Family Spotlight survey—we can’t wait to highlight even more of our wonderful Wellwood families!
🩺 Nurse's Notes
Seasonal Allergies
No matter what the weather brings,
playing outside is good for kids!
However, sometimes outdoor allergies can strike which takes away from all of the fun.
Getting outside provides more than just a fun break for children. It is good for their physical and mental health and development. Children who spend time playing outside are more engaged in learning and more positive in behavior.
What Are Seasonal Allergies?
It may look like the common cold but it’s not. Seasonal allergies strike at different times of the year. In the spring, flower and tree pollen are common culprits. Grass pollen starts in late spring and peaks in the summer months. Weed pollen (such as ragweed) and mold spores plague kids mainly in the late summer and fall.
Signs Your Child May Have Seasonal Allergies
Symptoms occur when airborne irritants, or allergens, enter the eyes, nose and throat, setting off an allergic reaction. Symptoms include a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, sore throat, cough, and dark circles under the eyes. Asthma exacerbations and behavioral issues from discomfort and lack of sleep can happen as well.
What Steps Can I Take To Prevent Allergies From Acting Up?
Speak with your child’s health care provider about preventive measures and safe, effective allergy medicines that target specific symptoms your child is struggling with the most.
To Promote Physical Activity, Make Sure Your Child Receives Their Allergy Medicine Before Coming To School.
🍃 Green School
Recycling Program
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!
Cafeteria Composting Program
Wellwood is proud to be one of the first schools in Baltimore County to participate in school-wide cafeteria composting!
💻 Practice at Home Online!
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!
🌟 Special Area News
Library & eCSI with Mrs. Garde
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Read Across America Spirit week during the first week of March. I was excited to see some fellow Pete the Cat fans on Book Character Day. 🙂
Our 4th graders are becoming "Genre Geniuses" by exploring books and learning how to identify the genre of a book and how to explain how they know the book's genre. They have really been applying their critical thinking skills!
Our 3rd and 5th graders have been using their strategic thinking skills to learn how to code Edison robots and how to create programs to have the Edison robots complete a task such as follow a flashlight or wrestle another robot out of the ring.
SAVE THE DATE!
Wellwood's Annual Reading on the Lawn
will be held on Friday, May 22!
We can't wait to see you there!
Vocal Music with Ms. Marcussen
Ms. Wolinski's fourth-grade class practiced performing syncopated rhythms on buckets with Ms. Marcussen. They were able to play the rhythms while they sang the song "Shake the Papaya" - we had to use lots of brain power!
Inquiry with Mrs. Lugli
In Inquiry this month we welcomed Spring with color and rainbows! We explored the spectrum of colors and found many ways to brighten our space with rainbows.
eCSI with Mr. Burrows
Coding Fun in 2nd Grade!
Ask your child about Scratch Jr! Our 2nd graders have been using this fun coding app to bring their own stories and animations to life. They are building critical thinking and problem solving skills and loving every minute of it
Instrumental Music with Ms. Sterling
4th Grade Exploratory Music
Students are starting to work on our Strings Family unit! We are learning how to play the violin and all about the other instruments in the String Instrument Family. 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!
5th Grade Instrumental Music
Students have received concert music. Please make sure they continue to practice over spring break!
Make sure students are checking the calendar and bringing their instrument when they have instrumental music! Please make sure to encourage them to practice 10-15 minutes 5x per week at least. We want to give you the best 5th grade concert we can, so practice, practice, practice!
🌟 Classroom Highlights
Pre-Kindergarten 3
PreK 3 had a great time learning about animals on our recent field trip to Oregon Ridge Nature Center!
Pre-Kindergarten 4
Mrs. Waesche’s PreK 4 class is digging into an exciting unit on dinosaurs and fossils! 🦕 Our little paleontologists are on a mission - these dinosaurs are trapped and need to be freed! Through hands-on exploration and discovery, students are carefully excavating fossils and learning all about these amazing creatures from long ago.
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, we’ve been exploring the wonders of weather and learning all about the powerful effects of the sun! ☀️ During science, students put their creativity and problem-solving skills to the test by designing and building structures to protect themselves from the sun. It was exciting to see their ideas come to life as they experimented, collaborated, and discovered how to stay cool and shaded!
Kindergarten also took their first field trip of the year to the Baltimore Museum of Art. They discovered and interacted with different types of artwork!
First Grade
First grade students teamed up to create group comics all about protecting the environment across different regions of the United States! Through their stories, they explored important topics like fossil fuels, saving energy, and reducing water use. It was inspiring to see their creativity shine as they worked together to share big ideas for taking care of our planet!
Second Grade
Second grade had a busy and exciting March full of creativity and healthy choices! Students designed and built their own math games using recycled materials, showing off their problem-solving skills and imagination. They also enjoyed a special visit from SNAP-Ed, where they learned about healthy eating and even got to taste a variety of vegetables. It was a fun month of learning, creating, and trying new things!
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
In March, fourth graders explored a variety of engaging topics across subjects. In ELA, students read tall tales and trickster stories, discussing the lessons these narratives teach and how characters use cleverness and exaggeration to solve problems. In math, they continued developing their understanding of area and perimeter, applying these concepts to solve real-world problems. They also practiced using area models and ratio tables to strengthen their division skills and deepen their problem-solving strategies.
Fifth Grade
Our fifth grade students have been busy wrapping up their exciting Becoming Banneker unit, where they explored Earth and space science concepts. They recently completed the MISA Maryland Science Assessment and celebrated their hard work with a fun MISA celebration! Students also had a memorable experience in the Star Lab, where they explored and identified constellations, bringing their learning about the night sky to life. We are so proud of their curiosity, effort, and enthusiasm throughout this unit!
About Us
Wellwood International
2901 Smith Avenue
Baltimore MD 21208
Phone: 443-809-1212 | Fax: 443-809-1213