12/16/13

The Wonderful World of Wiley Updates

Volunteers Needed

We are in need of K/1 and Gr. 5 parent volunteers to participate in the WCPSS PreK Magnet Mini Fairs.  These fairs invite families of rising Kindergarten students to come learn about magnet schools.  Wiley will be represented at all PreK Magnet Mini Fairs.  Wiley volunteers are needed to talk with parents and help answer questions and concerns. Families who attend the fair appreciate talking to magnet parents about our program, how it works for their families, and knowing what to expect. 

We need two parents to attend each mini-fair. Volunteers will be given a Wiley "Cheat Sheet" and a list of FAQs to help prepare for the fair.  Sadie Hoover, our Magnet Coordinator, will be there to answer all the tough questions and share details about our International Studies magnet theme.  A teacher will also be present to help answer curriculum questions.  If you are interested in sharing your experiences with potential families, please email Sadie Hoover at shoover@wcpss.net.  The WCPSS PreK Magnet Mini Fair dates and locations are below. Both fairs are from 9:00 to 11:00 am.  

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014 at Highcroft Elementary School

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014 at Millbrook Elementary School

Magnet Schools of America Poster Contest

Magnet Schools of America (MSA) is sponsoring it's 8th Annual National Magnet Schools Poster Contest.  Wiley has been invited to participate!  

Project Objective:

To celebrate National Magnet Schools Month, MSA is sponsoring the 2014 Magnet Poster Contest. We are encouraged to involve students in this exciting and educational project. MSA is looking forward to receiving many innovative, student-created posters.

Entry Process:

Wiley will conduct a contest of it's own, announcing a school-wide winner.

The school-wide winner will be submitted to represent Wiley for the WCPSS district contest.  

The WCPSS district winners (one for elementary, one for middle, and one for high) will be submitted to MSA where they will compete in the MSA 2014 Magnet Poster Contest.

The final winners and the top winning poster will be recognized at the National Conference on Magnet Schools in Hartford, Connecticut May 15-18, 2014.  

How Can Wiley Students Participate?

K-5 Students must complete the poster individually.

The poster must match the 2014 theme. (see rubric below)

The final poster must be submitted to Mrs. Hoover no later than Friday, December 20th at 3:45 pm. Early submissions are welcome.

Please use correct poster size.

On the BACK of the poster, please neatly write in black pen: Student's First/Last Name, Homeroom Teacher, and Grade.

Scoring Rubric:

The 2014 Theme is "Magnet Schools- Creating Opportunities for All"

*Adherence to Theme (20 pts.)

*Adherence to Specifications (20 pts.)

Poster Board Size: 14x22

Orientation: Portrait

*Originality and Organization (25 pts.)

*Use of Color and Design (15 pts.)

*Clear and Concise Message (20 pts.)

TOTAL POINTS: 100 pts.

Other Important Information:

Please note that all entries submitted to MSA will become the property of MSA and will not be returned. Those submitted to WCPSS may be put on display in the Magnet Offices at Crossroads in Cary.  Mrs. Hoover will complete all necessary paperwork to submit to WCPSS and MSA.  Late submissions or those not meeting criteria will not be accepted.  

To see the 2013 top winning poster, visit the MSA Website.

Wiley Auditions for Broughton High School's "Seussical" the Musical 

We are looking for 10-12 students in 2nd-5th grade to be the "Who's" in the musical "Seussical" on March 13th, 14th, and 15th.  They need a 2nd or 3rd grader to be Cindy Loo Who and they need a chorus group of 2nd-5th grade children to be "Who's."  Auditions will be held in the music room at Wiley on Thursday, January 2nd from 3:45-4:30.  Rehearsals begin on January 9th.  The rehearsal/performance schedule is below.

The audition will include singing the song "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think" which is available for listening at wileymusic.weebly.com under the photo/video section entitled Seussical (password is learn).  If trying out for Cindy Loo Who, students will also need to read the narration part available on the Seussical webpage.  Let Ms. Pawlowski know if you have questions about this exciting opportunity!  She can be reached at epawlowski@wcpss.net.  Thanks, and good luck!

Wiley Children’s Chorus for Broughton HS production of “Seussical, The Musical”

Rehearsal Dates:

Thursday, January 9, 3:45-4:30 PM at Wiley

Thursday, January 23, 3:45-4:30 PM at Wiley

Thursday, February 13, 3:45-4:30 PM at Wiley

Thursday, February 27, 3:45-4:30 PM at Wiley

Thursday, March 6, 4:00- 5:30 PM at Broughton

Monday, March 10, 3:30-6:00 PM at Broughton, Dress rehearsal              

Tuesday, March 11, 3:30-6:00 PM at Broughton, Dress rehearsal

Wednesday, March 12, 3:30-6:00 PM at Broughton, Final Dress rehearsal

Thursday, March 13, 6:00 call/7:00 Show                           

Friday, March 14, 6:00 call/7:00 Show                                

Saturday, March 15, 6:00 call/7:00 show                 

Wiley PTA Updates

Boosterthon Fun Run Coming in February!

The Wiley PTA is proud to announce that the "Boosterthon Fun Run" fundraiser is coming to Wiley in February (27th)! After consultations with other area schools, the Wiley PTA board unanimously decided to implement a Boosterthon Fun Run to help raise money for needed technology updates at Wiley. Specifically we are looking to add 300-400 tablets over the next few years to enhance project-based-learning and differentiated curricula among other benefits.

 

The Wiley PTA is in need of a few creative volunteers to help with promoting, decorating, handing out/collecting info to teachers/parents, etc. If you can help, please join us at our first planning meeting on Tuesday, Dec 17th at 9:15am in the Media Center. 

More information on the Fun Run can be found at www.boosterthon.com. Please contact Kristine Flora on kristineflora@hotmail.com to help with this healthy Fun Run!

 

In addition, Boosterthon, as a company, will be donating meals to those children in need.

 

Wiley Wear is Here--Pick Up Your Orders!

The new orders for Wiley Wear will be in this week! If you have ordered something as a gift and DO NOT want it delivered to your child’s homeroom, please come to the area outside the media center on Wednesday, Dec 18th from 8:45 - 9:30 am to pick up your order.

All orders that have not been picked up will be delivered to your child’s homeroom by end of day on Wednesday, Dec 18th, so look for your new Wiley Wear soon! Thank you to all supporting Wiley!

 

Thanks to All Teachers, Volunteers, and Donors!

Thanks to everyone who has volunteered / donated to the Wiley PTA during the first half of the school year! We have had a large variety of successful events this year which would not have happened without your support!

 

A special thanks goes out to the teachers who have helped facilitate all of the events. Special thanks go to Mrs. Jones, Ms. Tucker, Mrs. McCann, Mrs. McMillan, Ms. Ross, Mrs. Ware, and Mrs. Ziada-Brandt, who took an evening to present and help at our Fall technology night.

 

Have a wonderful winter break! The PTA is looking forward to a great spring semester of activities!                           

Updates 12/9/13

Wonderful World of Wiley Updates!

Coding, Anyone?
We’re trying something new and exciting this week and wanted to let you in on the fun:  we’re participating in Code.org’s Hour of Code campaign during Computer Science Education Week!  This initiative has an audacious goal: to introduce 10 million students to one hour of computer science education.

Some CS Education Facts:

• Coding is a GLOBAL "language" and is transferable across the world.
• Software jobs outnumber students 3-to-1. The gap is 1 million jobs over 10 years- and these are some of the highest paying jobs.
• 90% of schools in the US do not teach computer science.
• In many countries, it’s required (China, Vietnam, Estonia. Soon UK, Australia).
• The basics can be learned by anybody, starting in elementary school. But fewer than 10% of students try. Only 2% are women. 1% are students of color.

While your children will have the opportunity to participate at school, I  encourage you to participate in two ways:

1) As a family: set aside an hour in December to learn the basics with your children.  Coding can be fun for everyone!

2) In our community: the Hour of Code campaign extends beyond students and you can help introduce others to computer science, whether in an after-school club, your neighborhood, a veterans group or more!

For more information, see http://hourofcode.org for details. If you’d like to help a teacher as a classroom volunteer, www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C49A8A629ABF58-hour! Also, we need Solo sized plastic cups. Please send in cups to your child's homeroom teacher.

Lost and Found

Please check the Lost and Found for your child's missing clothing, water bottle, lunch box, etc. Items remaining in the Lost and Found will be donated next Monday to a local charity.

Wiley PTA Updates

Winter Thanks Needs Your Help!

Winter Thanks is THIS Thursday. Please take a look at the sign-up genius and help us get volunteer parents in ALL the classrooms!  Parents are welcome in any classroom!  

Monetary donations, food and door prizes need to be in by Thursday morning at 9:00. 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040448ABAA292-food

Winter Band Concert December 12th

Join the Wiley Band for an exciting Winter Concert!  The concert will be on Thursday, December 12th at 7pm in the Media Center, and will feature exciting music from the Beginning and Continuing Bands, plus a special performance by Wiley alumni.  To learn more about band, please visit http://www.wileyelementaryband.com. 

Updates 12/2/13

Wonderful World of Wiley Updates

Guest Blog from Ms. Kurtz and Ms. Jeffries
Specialized Instruction at Wiley
The special education team at Wiley provides specialized instruction and related services to meet the individual needs of Wiley students who qualify for services according to the mandates of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act. Students in grades K-5 receive individualized academic assistance developed by their IEP (Individualized Education Plan) team.  Instruction is provided on a continuum of services, from consultation to full day support, to meet the varied needs of our learners.  Students who qualify may also receive support in Speech, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy.  

Wake County also provides parent and family support. Special Education Services maintain a Parent Information Center Blackboard site with a wealth of information, including the Special Education testing and eligibility process as well as a guide to the commonly used forms and acronyms.  You can visit the site at:  http://www.wcpss.net/what-we-teach/services/special-ed.html.  Additionally, Special Education Services has established the Office of Family and Community Connections as a clearinghouse for community resources, procedural advice and general questions.  They can be reached at (919) 431-7334,  (919) 431-7143 (Spanish line) or by e-mail facc@wcpss.net.

Wiley has a rich history of meeting the needs of all students and the special education team is proud to be a part of that tradition.  

Good study habits are important for all students:

--Establish a study time. Choose one that works best for your child. Some kids need to blow 
off steam right after school, while others like to finish homework right away. 

-- Create a study space.  Make sure your child has a quiet, comfortable, well-equipped place to work. It 
should be free of distractions, especially noise from the TV. 

--Take study breaks.   Help your child determine a strategy that works best for them.  Some students enjoy setting a timer while others prefer to take breaks after completing activities such as taking a breather between math and social studies activities.

--Role play.  Your child may enjoy pretending to be the teacher and recite what he has just learned.

-- Plan ahead. Long-term assignments are perfect opportunities to teach the value of 
planning. If your child has to write a book report, for example, split the project into parts 
and set a deadline for each one. 

--Celebrate effort.  Use phrases such as “You really worked hard on that assignment” or “I notice you put a lot of thought into this project.”

Fifth Grade Williamsburg Field Trip Fundraiser this Saturday, Dec. 7

To take advantage of the Jingle Bell Run taking place this Saturday, 5th grade students and parents will be holding a bake sale Dec 7, from 8:30 - 11:30 am at the corner of St. Mary's and College Streets.  100% of the proceeds will go toward the 5th graders' Williamsburg overnight field trip in the spring.   Many of our Wiley families already participate in the run - come out to support all of our Wiley runners and the 5th grade students' fundraiser.  Thank you!

If you are a 5th grader's parent, we hope you'll volunteer with your child - please use this LINK to sign-up. 

Upcoming Important Dates
Winter Food Drive begins Dec. 2
Preliminary Spelling Bee Test, Dec. 4 (only for students who have entered)
PTA Executive Board Meeting, Dec. 5 6:30pm
Wiley Band Holiday Concert, Dec. 12, 7:00pm

Winter Break, Dec. 23-Jan. 1

Wiley PTA Updates

Winter Thanks Needs You
Don't forget Winter Thanks is coming up on December 12th. This is Wiley's way of saying "THANK YOU" to all of our Wiley teachers and staff. Attached is a doodle poll if you would like to sign up to bring food the morning of the 12th. Also attached is the Winter Thanks flier,a hard copy of which went home in Monday's folder a couple of weeks ago. Let's let our Wiley family know how much we appreciate them. 

Sign Up for Winter Thanks food donation HERE. 

Thank you,
Tina Hlabse
Co-chair Winter Thanks

Updates 11/25/13

Wonderful World of Wiley Updates

Media Center Needs Volunteers
The media center is looking for volunteers! We need assistance with book shelving, repair, organization, and displays. If you have a little time to help in the library after you drop your children off at school or before you pick them up, please contact our media specialist, Jill Molloy jmolloy@wcpss.net. Thank you!

Guest Blog Post by Mr. Schisler and Ms. Bennett
Establishing a Lifelong Commitment to Health

       This year in all PE/Healthful living classes, students are learning that being healthy is a lifelong commitment.  Starting in Kindergarten, students learn about the different ways to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Students learn about diet and exercise, and in particular, about health related assessments and connected exercises. We focus on muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and aerobic capacity in some manner for every class.  Fourth and fifth grade students are completing health assessments this year which include the mile run.  

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “The current generation of school-age children is the first generation with a lower life expectancy than their parents”.  This takes in to consideration several factors, but the main culprit is childhood obesity.  As part of Wiley’s quest to think globally, we encourage our students to investigate the world and take action and what better way to do this than the Jingle Bell Run in Raleigh.  Many of Wiley’s families take part in this event every year, and it is a great way for students to see not only other students, but adults as well, taking care of their bodies.  Most of the participants from Wiley are members of the afterschool runners club, but any student/family is welcome to participate.  

The Wiley Running Club is an organization that meets in the fall and spring.  This past autumn it was “postponed” due to Ms. Bennett having knee surgery.  However, the plan is to have the group begin meeting in spring 2014.  Running club encourages students to set personal goals and build confidence.  No one’s running ability is compared or judged.  There are health benefits, stress relief, and social interaction with other runners which have inspired many people to become active runners.  Studies have shown when children are physically active, they perform better in school.  

Having students and families participate in the Jingle Bell Run would be a great stepping stone for the pending running in spring.  Although Ms. Bennett can’t run until the spring, she will be at The Jingle Bell Run cheering on the Wiley Runners.  We welcome everyone to participate or come support the runners/walkers.  For more information on the Jingle Bell Run please search for the Raleigh Jingle Bell Run 2013 or contact:                          Candy Fuller, 919-250-0433, cfuller@arthritis.org.

Snowflake Gift Drive

As in years past, Wiley will be providing assistance so that all Wiley students may enjoy the holiday season.  Through the Snowflake Student Gift Drive, toys or gift cards will be collected for Wiley students who would benefit from a holiday giving program. We think this will be a fun and meaningful way to help others in our Wiley community, so we hope you (and your child) will be able to participate.

If you would like to help with this effort, please:

1. Come by the main office between Wednesday, November 20 and Friday, Dec. 6 to select a special snowflake. Each snowflake will contain information about what to buy for a student (based upon receiving parent’s preference).
2. Buy the gift(s) or gift card.
3. Wrap your gifts (include gift receipts if possible) and put a note on the outside of the package listing the item(s) inside.  Return them to the main office  December 6 - 10 (at drop off or pick up time) with your snowflake attached.

A couple of notes:
*Students will need a parent with them in order to take a snowflake.
*The snowflakes will not have actual students’ names on them (to protect confidentiality) but instead will have a number and Ms. Williams will have the “key.”
*There will be a sign-out sheet so that we know who has signed up for which child.

Requests from families are high this year.  
Thank you so much for helping with this worthwhile project!  

Upcoming Important Dates
Thanksgiving Holiday, Nov. 27-29
Winter Food Drive begins Dec. 2
Preliminary Spelling Bee Test, Dec. 4 (only for students who have entered)
PTA Executive Board Meeting, Dec. 5 6:30pm
Wiley Band Holiday Concert, Dec. 12, 7:00pm
Winter Break, Dec. 23-Jan. 1

Food Drive for Wiley Families

We are kicking off our holiday food drive! Food Friends: Fighting Hunger Together, is an annual initiative to help our Wiley community.

We have 70 students in need

of food to help them through the winter break.

We can help ensure that no bellies grumble over winter break! We can rally together to contribute food to help our fellow Wiley families have a healthy and happy holiday season. Thanks for helping make our Wiley community so special.

Next time you go to the store, pick up something to contribute to Food Friends. Drop off the food any time Monday, December 2 - Wednesday, December 13. You can also send grocery gift cards and leave the shopping to us!

Examples of food donations that are non-perishable (NO GLASS -- non-breakable packaging only, pop tops are a plus!):

●     canned soup/stew

●     tuna fish

●     canned meat

●     canned beans

●     canned fruit/vegetables

●     fruit cups/apple sauce

●     peanut butter (in plastic jars!)

●     cereal

●     granola bars/cereal bars

●     crackers

●     shelf stable milk/powdered milk

●     macaroni and cheese

●     pasta or rice

●     pasta sauce (in plastic jars!)

●     nuts/dried fruit/raisins

●     can openers

Together we make a huge difference in the lives of our fellow students! 

Updates 11/18/13

Wonderful World of Wiley Updates
Snowflake Gift Drive

As in years past, Wiley will be providing assistance so that all Wiley students may enjoy the holiday season.  Through the Snowflake Student Gift Drive, toys or gift cards will be collected for Wiley students who would benefit from a holiday giving program. We think this will be a fun and meaningful way to help others in our Wiley community, so we hope you (and your child) will be able to participate.

If you would like to help with this effort, please:

1. Come by the main office between Wednesday, November 20 and Friday, Dec. 6 to select a special snowflake. Each snowflake will contain information about what to buy for a student (based upon receiving parent’s preference).
2. Buy the gift(s) or gift card.
3. Wrap your gifts (include gift receipts if possible) and put a note on the outside of the package listing the item(s) inside.  Return them to the main office  December 6 - 10 (at drop off or pick up time) with your snowflake attached.

A couple of notes:
*Students will need a parent with them in order to take a snowflake.
*The snowflakes will not have actual students’ names on them (to protect confidentiality) but instead will have a number and Ms. Williams will have the “key.”
*There will be a sign-out sheet so that we know who has signed up for which child.

Requests from families are high this year.  
Thank you so much for helping with this worthwhile project!  

Upcoming Important Dates
Piccola Italia & Ten Thousand Village Night, Nov. 19th (% of sales go to PTA)
Digital Learning PTA Night, Nov. 21, 7:00pm
Fall Make-Up Pictures, Nov. 25
Thanksgiving Holiday, Nov. 27-29
Winter Food Drive begins Dec. 2
Preliminary Spelling Bee Test, Dec. 4 (only for students who have entered)
PTA Executive Board Meeting, Dec. 5 6:30pm
Wiley Band Holiday Concert, Dec. 12, 7:00pm
Winter Break, Dec. 23-Jan. 1

Wiley PTA Updates

Join in supporting our teachers through the Phantom Fundraiser

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I know you are reflecting on how fortunate you are to be a part of the Wiley community. We have low teacher turnover (even with frozen salaries and increasing work demands, great results from testing with every grade level exceeding national expectations for progress, and fabulous, international cultural arts events throughout the year. You, grandparents, aunts and uncles may be wondering how you can support Wiley and these achievements. You can do so by donating to Phantom. Phantom supports teacher grants, cultural arts events, the talent show, international night and teacher thanks among many other items at the school.

Here's what your donation can cover:

·         $15 covers the cost for one child to attend PTA events (cultural arts, international night, talent show) during the year

·         $50 covers 1/3 of the cost of running the talent show

·         $75 covers the cost of eight students to attend cultural arts performances during the year like Wire Man and Hobey Ford Puppets

·         $100 covers a portion of a teacher grant for training or new programs in their classroom

·         $150 covers half of a teacher appreciation event like winter thanks

·         $250 supports a supply grant for one teacher so that our teachers can afford items like new books, technology subscriptions and basic classroom supplies without using their own money.

Full- or half-sponsorships of cultural arts events are also an option. If you would like to be a named sponsor for one of the upcoming events, reach out to vp.waysandmeans@wileypta.org to discuss the required donation.

The Phantom is currently our only major fundraiser--it allows Wiley teachers additional resources / allows students who otherwise might not be exposed to cultural events to experience them at school. Please donate or consider an additional donation to push us closer to our goal.

To donate, send a check or cash in your child's folder. Write checks to "Wiley PTA" and put "Phantom Fundraiser" in the subject line. If you'd prefer to pay by credit card, you can do so via PayPal: http://tinyurl.com/WileyPhantom

Contact Phantom Co-Chair Heather Davis Bauer:phantom@wileypta.org with any questions.

Wiley Wear Store Open Friday!

It's time to order your fall Wiley Wear!  Check out our new Wiley Logo, cool tie dye shirts, great quality hoodies and long sleeve t-shirts brought to you by BaySix.   We have lots of color choices and are even offering the Wiley name in silver sparkles (yes, I said SPARKLES)!!!  There is something for everyone on your holiday list.  A portion of the sales goes to the Wiley PTA. 

The Wiley Wear store will be open on Friday, November 22nd, outside the media center from 8:45 - 9:30 am.  Come visit to place your order or to check out sizes. You can also print a copy of the attached order form and return it with a check or cash to your child’s teacher.

Draft Wiley Directory

The draft 2013-2014 Wiley Family Electronic Directory is attached for your review.  Please review your child’s information and verify that it is correct.  If you child’s information is missing and you’d like to be included in the printed version please complete the online survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WileyDirectoryInputForm.

If you need to make corrections please send an email to directory@wileypta.org 

Just a friendly reminder that the information in this directory is confidential and for Wiley Use Only.  The information is NOT to be shared with third parties or used to solicit anyone in our Wiley community. Our parents trust us with their personal information, and we honor that privacy.

District 6 Board Advisory Council Updates   
The District 6 BAC met on November 7 for what turned out to be a very  
informative meeting.  Here are some highlights:

1.  The School Board will be focusing on grading in the new year. They anticipate parents will have a lot to say once they receive the report cards.  Christine Kushner, our Board rep, has asked parents to send her their comments to help guide the Board's discussion (ckushner@wcpss.net).  Alternatively, send any comments to me and I will collate them and get them to Christine.

2.  Jim Merrill, our new superintendent, spoke to us about his priorities for the upcoming years. He is working on developing a community-based strategic plan and envisions the following priorities:
a) K-2 readiness:  ensuring these children have the foundation they  
need to succeed throughout their school career
b)  improved high school graduation rates
c)  provision of tools/support to help teachers with the Common Core

3.  Finally, we learned about Powerschool, the state's new education software program. Despite its promise, the implementation is proving challenging.  Bugs in the software are keeping many teachers from entering grades in the system as required, hence the delay in report cards.  My takeaway, be patient and let's all SUPPORT our teachers through this.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Meredith Nelson advocacy@wileypta.org

Update 11/12/13

Wiley Updates

Can you spell B-E-E?
Wiley wants to send a student to the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.! To prepare for this, the First Annual Wiley Spelling Bee will be held on January 16, 2014.  3rd-5th graders who are interested in participating in the schoolwide bee need to turn in a permission form to participate in a preliminary spelling test now.  Notes went home in November 4th's Monday Folders and the permission slip must be returned to Dr. Cecconi-Roberts by Wednesday, November 13.  The preliminary spelling test will take place on December 4.  The top 6 students from the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will be invited to participate in the schoolwide Spelling Bee on January 16.  The Wiley champion will represent our school in the county spelling bee on March 15 and the winner of that bee will be invited to attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. over Memorial Day.

Official rules, spelling/vocabulary lists and supplemental information are available from Dr. Cecconi-Roberts' website (follow her teacher link on the Wiley website).  Check out the documentary "Spellbound" or the feature film, "Akeelah and the Bee" for a better idea about how official spelling bees operate.  If you would like more information, please feel free to contact Dr. Cecconi-Roberts at lcecconi-roberts@wcpss.net.

Remember, permission slips must be returned to Dr. Cecconi-Roberts by Wednesday, November 13.

Let the s-p-e-l-l-i-n-g begin!!!

National School Psychology Awareness Week: 
Helping Students, Staff and Families Make the Connection!

My name is Mary Whitehouse, and I am Wiley Elementary’s school psychologist. Helping our students and schools focus on recognizing and developing team players is at the heart of national School Psychology Awareness Week, November 11–15, 2013. School psychologists work on teams and collaborate with teachers, counselors, aides, administrators, and parents.  We provide services such as serving on school problem solving and leadership teams, analyzing and explaining educational data, developing classroom accommodations and modifications, and meeting with parent teams and community groups. School psychologists are in a unique role to help students’ identify their team-building skills at school and at home. We work directly with students providing educational assessments, leading individual and group social skills sessions, guiding learning strategies and problem solving skills, and helping students develop positive self-concepts by linking effort to achievement. 

The theme of School Psychology Awareness Week, “We’re all in!  Teams work” is directed to students, but also carries an important message to all adults. Teaching our children the importance of building relationships through positive teaming helps them to develop interpersonal skills and a commitment to the group. Teamwork can build resiliency in children as well as the ability to meet challenges successfully. Parents, you can help us build and celebrate your children’s participation on teams and building effective teamwork!

• Discover effective team building skills your children already have (explore your child’s team building skills and how they differ from those of others).
• Come together for a good cause.  Show the strength of working together as a family, a group, or a team to help the community.
• Join a team!  Model effective team work by joining a team or group such as the PTA, coaching a recreational team, or even joining a book club.  Help your children understand the qualities needed to be an effective team player by watching you participate in a variety of teams.
• Use your team work skills to make a difference.  Give students the opportunity volunteer with a local cause such as Special Olympics, local fundraising campaigns, or Habitat for Humanity.  They may be surprised how much of a difference they can make using effective team work skills.
• Link up and connect with me, Mary Whitehouse. I am your school psychologist and I would love to talk with you about your child and all the ways Wiley helps to encourage all of our children to participate in and work effectively on teams.  We can celebrate these collaborative characteristics across our school community.

Mary Whitehouse, PhD
School Psychologist

mwhitehouse2@wcpss.net 

919.355.6222

Guest Blog Post, by Mrs. Fleener and Ms. Oliver

Great books and carefully planned literacy experiences takes us places…

As a instructional resource teacher and kindergarten teacher we’ve worked together to make reading exciting and engaging at Wiley. At the beginning of the school year we talked about how to engage students in reading. This led us on a journey into finding rich texts for students to read. We read research that resonated with us about how young children acquire literacy skills. 

“Literacy skills improve when multicultural literature is used in the classroom because students develop a sense of identity, welcome and embrace diversity, begin to challenge stereotypes, and make connections between the text, themselves, and the world around them. Authentic multicultural literature can provide an inside perspective into a different culture than one’s own.” (Brinson, 2012)

After reading this we knew we needed to fill classrooms with multicultural literature and plan great lessons with the new resources.

Definition of Multicultural Literature:

Texts written about diverse groups of people (Stotsky, 1999; Au & Raphael, 2000; Yokota, 1993; Lowery & Sabis-Burns, 2007) in which diverse groups means a culture different than one’s own. Multicultural literature includes different ethnicities, family structures.

We used this definition to find appropriate materials and plan literacy time in classrooms. Ms. Oliver’s students are learning critical thinking skills as they connect texts to their lives and the world. Ms. Oliver says that using rich texts to plan lessons has created a more diverse and respectful classroom community. Her students receive affirmation of their uniquenesses through the connections they make with texts. These affirmations help them change their existing thinking about the world and connect with their classroom and school community each day. We are excited to help other teachers in our school learn more about using multicultural literature to teach literacy skills. Creating these kinds of classrooms helps students recognize perspectives which is part of our mission at Wiley.

References

Au, K.H., & Raphael, T.E. (2000). Equity and literacy in the next millennium. Reading Research Quarterly, 35(1), 170-188.

Brinson, S.A.  (2012). Knowledge of multicultural literature among early childhood educators. Multicultural Education, 19 (2), 30-32.

Lowery, R.M., & Sabis-Burns, D. (2007). From borders to bridges: Making cross-cultural connections through multicultural literature. Multicultural Education, 14(4), 50-54.

Stotsky, S (1999). It is really multicultural illiteracy. The Education Digest 65(4), 17-21.

Backpack Buddies
Backpack Buddies needs help delivering weekend food to Wiley children every Thursday afternoon. The task entails delivering bags of food to classrooms after school on Thursdays. The food will be packed and stored in a bin with the class list attached. It generally takes 20 minutes, and it's a great activity to do with your children. Specific instructions and the sign up schedule are here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D44A9AD2DA75-delivery Contact Ilina Ewen if you have any questions: theewens@gmail.com or 919.632.2915 Thank you for helping our Wiley community.

Wiley PTA Updates

11/21 7 p.m. General PTA Meeting—Leveraging Technology to Help Students Learn, Free Babysitting Available
Save the date for the second general PTA meeting of the year—Thursday, November 21^st at 7 p.m. in the Media Center.  We’ll kick off the meeting with a quick update on PTA events and an introduction to the topic for the evening—how to use technology to help your child learn effectively. After the brief meeting, you’ll be able to select two out of three breakout sessions to attend. Topics (presented by experts in the field (including Wiley Staff!). We can’t thank the presenters enough for taking an evening to help us out. Topics will be: 

• Effective Apps for Elementary School Students
• Internet and Social Media Safety
• The Role of Digital Learning at Wiley

The YMCA will be offering babysitting free of charge  for Wiley students. To register for this option, fill out a quick survey at the following link so that we know how many children to expect. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WileyPTAMtgChildcare

Drop your child / children off any time after 6:45 p.m. in the cafeteria. You’ll need to leave a cell phone number for the YMCA staff and remain on campus during the time your child is at the cafeteria with the YMCA. 

Let’s Share a Meal And Get Our Holiday Shopping Started!!!

On Tuesday, November 19^th Piccola Italia and Ten Thousand Villages are once again donating percentages of their sales to the Wiley PTA!

Ten Thousand Villages will donate 15% of sales from 2 pm-7pm. 

Piccola Italia will donate 20% of ALL DAY including take out orders.

***Don’t forget to mention Wiley when you pay for your order***

New Wiley Wear!

It's time to order your fall Wiley Wear!  Check out our new Wiley Logo, cool tie dye shirts, great quality hoodies and long sleeve t-shirts brought to you by BaySix in the attachment to this email.   We have lots of color choices and are even offering the Wiley name in silver sparkles (yes, I said SPARKLES)!!!  There is something for everyone on your holiday list.  A portion of the sales goes to the Wiley PTA.  

The Wiley Wear store will be open next Friday, November 15th, outside the media center from 8:45 - 9:30 am.  Come visit to place your order or to check out sizes. You can also print a copy of the attached order form and return it with a check or cash to your child’s teacher. 

Target Donation to Wiley

THANK YOU…  Wiley just received a $265 check from Target Corporation just by choosing “like” ---Wiley--- on Target’s “Give With Target” campaign. I would like to thank families, teachers and other big fans of Wiley who voted for Wiley. This nationwide campaign allowed anyone in the U.S. to vote for their favorite K-12 school on Facebook. Each vote was worth $1. -Stef Reed