The Wise Owl 🦉 Newsletter
11/8/26
#Owls in Flight: Futures are Bright!
*Check out our 2026-2027 Planning Calendar to explore the year ahead at WAAS!
*Check out our Resources Section for helpful 2026-2027 documents.
*Click Here to review previous Wise Owl Newsletters from 2026-2027.
Birthdays This Week!
Nicholas Kinoshita- November 13th
Over the next few weeks we will continue to review our five plays for success and excellence that we highlighted at our Back to School Night in August 🙌
Play 4- Care for Yourself and Others
You perform your best when you take care of yourself and support those around you.
Get enough sleep.
Exercise regularly and eat nutritious foods.
Balance school, activities, and free time.
Choose healthy, positive friendships.
Be a positive influence on others.
Have fun and enjoy the learning journey.
Interim Reports for the 2nd academic quarter are available in Jupiter Ed. Our Interim Report release is not a physical report like report cards, but rather a time in which grades for each class are up to date in Jupiter Ed, to reflect the midway point of the quarter. The end of the 2nd academic quarter will be Friday, December 18th. Report Cards for the 2nd quarter will go home on Friday, January 8th.
Mrs. McCoy and Mr. Fischetti will be hosting our second cohort of WAAS' Leadership Lab 1 course this Winter. We are very excited to offer this course to 7th and 8th grade students who want to take their high school and future leadership preparation to the next level!
Leadership isn’t just about being in charge; it’s about knowing yourself, working well with others, and making a positive impact. Students will further reflect on and develop 21st century skills, with a specific focus on confidence, self-awareness, integrity, communication, teamwork, initiative, resilience, decision making, and problem-solving.
Students will participate in interactive activities, team challenges, discussions, and real-world leadership scenarios all in a supportive and engaging environment. The course will be held over 4 sessions on the following dates from 3:30-4:45 pm. A study hall will be offered beforehand.
Thursday, December 10th
Thursday, January 14th
Thursday, January 28th
Thursday, February 25th
At the end of the course students will receive a certificate of completion, and the ability to use this experience on their resumes, and future applications. Leadership Lab 1 graduates will be eligible for our Leadership Lab 2 course beginning in March. Parents or students, please use the link below to sign up.
A reminder on upcoming Counseling dates, as well as the next series for middle schoolers.
11/5/26 Last session of Study Habits and Executive Functioning Skills series
11/12/26 Last session of Organization/Time Management series
11/19/26 First session of Empowerment, Wellness, and Confidence Series. You can sign your child up here... Empowerment, Wellness, and Confidence Series Sign-Ups
Remember, even if you didn't sign your child up for the series, they are always welcome to attend any of the sessions. The sign-ups are simply to help Mrs. McCoy anticipate about how many students will be present.
WAAS Drama is hosting its annual cabaret event Tuesday, November 24 from 6-8 pm. The cabaret is at the North Front Theater, 21 N. Front St, on the 5th floor. Students performing or attending must be supervised by a parent chaperone. At least one parent chaperone is required for every five students (1:5).
The theme is "My Dream Role." To sign-up, performers need to schedule a time with Ms. Jamie via this link: https://calendly.com/j-nelson-andseentheater/30min
Students can dress as the character they are portraying, or in concert attire (like church or dance attire.)
Our 7th Grade students enjoyed a fun trip to Medieval Times and the Myrtle Beach Aquarium this past Thursday. Adding to the excitement, the groups assigned knight won the competition and 7th Grader Harper Hembree was crowned Princess of the event! Thank you to Ms. Dee, Mr. Gibble, and our parent chaperones for making this trip possible for our students.
Thank you so much to everyone who donated to our Owl Outreach Socks & Stuff Drive and our First Fruit Ministries Back Pack Drive! We received a very nice collection of "Socks and Stuff" for the Good Shepard Center and over 25 backpacks for First Fruit Ministries. Way to go Owls!
Our Miracle League WOW event that was rained out has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 14th. If you are interested in signing up, please use the link below. Thank you!
Each week we are highlighting up to three heartfelt "Thank You's" as we spread gratefulness at WAAS this holiday season.
Thank you to the teachers for making going to school a delight. - Pip Day, 6th Grade
Thank you to mom and dad, my sister, my 2 dogs, my 1 cat, all of my amazing friends, my teachers, WAAS in general and all the opportunities it gives to me. I am so grateful for everything that they have done for me and they help me to be the best version of myself.- Eliza Evans, 8th Grade
Dear Ms. P, I would love to give you my thanks, you are a great teacher and a great person. I look forward to seeing your smile each day.- Maeve Doyle, 6th Grade
Owl Family Book Club
This week we had our opening Owl Family Book Club meeting! It was a great time building community and discussing important reflections around screen time and technology use. We still have plenty of space for more families to participate if you would like to. Please reach out to Mr. Fischetti if you would like your free copy of the text and to join us on January 27th, for our second and final meeting.
Middle School Study Habits and Executive Functioning Skills Lesson
We continue to have great turnouts for our Middle School Counseling Series and appreciate all who are attending! We wrapped up our study habits and executive functioning series this week and are proud of the reflections the students have had about their approach to studying, mindset, and structures they rely on for their learning. To wrap up our series, we did several activities to demonstrate the illusion of multi-tasking. They discovered how multi-tasking can prolong achieving goals, while also reducing clarity and efficiency. We determined that attention is best when we focus on one activity at a time.
Spread Thanks Throughout the WAAS Community!
As we enter a season of thankfulness and gratitude, WAAS students and our school community members are encouraged to spread thanks to one another. Use the form linked below to share a heartfelt thank you to a classmate, teacher, club advisor, coach, etc. Over the next few months we will select up to three earnest "thank you's" each week to feature in the following Sunday newsletter. Those whose "thank you's" are selected will also receive a point for their Nest.
After submitting your note of gratitude please make sure that you also tell them "thank you" in person. This will mean a lot to them!
WAAS annually contracts with a family life teacher, Mrs. Margie Shuffler, to offer our middle school students Growth and Changes classes. Mrs. Shuffler has over 20 years of family life teaching experience within New Hanover County Schools.
Growth and Changes is an optional afterschool opportunity for middle school students. Students are given the opportunity to learn important developmental information in a structured, positive environment, with follow up dialogue recommended at home.
Specific topics for each grade level can be found within the sign up form linked below for parents. 6th Grade courses are taught in separate genders, and 7th & 8th grade courses are co-ed. 6th Grade courses will be taught in late November-December, and 7th/8th Grade courses will be taught in January- Early February.
Parents, please use the link below for more details and to sign up if you are interested in this course for your student.
6th Grade Growth and Changes Sign Up
