Updates 10/29/13

Wonderful World of Wiley Updates

Halloween Costumes
Halloween costumes (in part and in full) cannot be worn to school. Please save them for home activities. 

Guest Blog Post by Mrs. Hahner and Mrs. Brandt

Learning Labs in the Classroom

“Like our students, teachers need brain-based learning experiences that are relevant and challenging and that provide opportunities for active participation (Sousa, 2006).”

That is exactly the opportunity we have been offered here at Wiley. Wake County has partnered with Discovery Education in training teachers from all schools in the district. Four teachers from each school have been selected as members of the Teacher Leader Corps. 

What is a Learning Lab Classroom?

“Lab classrooms give teachers opportunities to share effective teaching practices and learn from colleagues.” (Houk, 2010)

Learning Labs provide teachers with the ability to go into other teachers' classrooms during the normal school day. They have the chance to watch how their colleagues integrate not only technology in the classrooms, but also the global competencies.  It is a time for all teachers to take risks with their own learning. 

“Like surgical theaters where doctors observe actual operations in progress to hone their techniques, the lab classroom provides an authentic opportunity for colleagues to see ideas in practice.” (Houk, 2010)

What Does This Look Like at Wiley?

The first round of Learning Labs was held in September.  The next round of sessions will be in November; each set of sessions has a new focus.  In September, we concentrated on how to integrate digital media into lessons to make learning more relevant. Images, audio clips, videos, songs and WebQuests were at the heart of learning.  Teachers had the opportunity to observe 2 of 12 sessions that were offered in 4 Teacher Leader Corps classrooms.  Our sessions spanned all grade levels.  In November, Wiley teachers will have another opportunity to observe Learning labs focused on integrated centers.  It will be an exciting time to see our global matrix come to life!

Learning Labs at Wiley, present teachers with the gift of reflection. In a fast paced world full of online resources, we often forget that we are our own best teachers! It is essential for teacher to have opportunities to discuss and share what is working and not working in the classroom. It is rare that we get to share our learning experiences in real time.  Reflecting on planning, strategies and learning leads to continual professional growth. This is true not only for the teachers observing, but for the teachers being observed as well.  As a direct result, motivation and learning increases for both teachers and students.

References

Sousa, D. (2006). How the brain learns (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Houk, L. (2010). Article: Demonstrating Teaching in a Lab Classroom. Magazine: Educational Leadership 

Welcome Mrs. Bartley
Today, Mrs. Ute Bartley joins the Wiley family as our German teacher! Students in the German program will bring home a letter from Mrs. Bartley today in their Monday folder. 

Donate Excess Halloween Candy to US Soldiers 

For the second year, Wiley will collect your unwanted (or unneeded:) Halloween candy beginning November 1 until November 5. Please bring all donations to the main office by 10am on the 5th. We will take them to a local dentist who will ship them to US troops.

Ways to Help the Wiley Community

Socks/Underwear/Coat Drive:

Sock/Underwear/Coat Drive the week of November 4. Drop off at carpool and walkers. Bring NEW socks and underwear and new or gently used coats. Buy the size you would get for your own child. Let's help meet basic needs for our kids! All donated items will go to Wiley children needing them!

Backpack Buddies:

Feed the need.

Wiley Elementary is partnering with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to offer "Backpack Buddies." The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle provides bags of nutritious food to go home with participating children on the weekends. Studies show many students who are provided meals through school programs often don't have enough to eat outside of school. Many of our students’ only meals are the two they get at school.

Wiley's social worker, counselor, principal, and assistant principal have identified 25 children whose families have been given the opportunity to participate in this program. The privacy of these children is of the utmost importance, so only those school officials and their teachers will know which children are participating. There are an additional 25 hungry children on a waiting list. The Wiley parents working on this initiative are committed to providing food to these children through the end of the school year at a cost of $350.00 per child. They need the support of our community. Make checks payable to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and be sure to write Wiley in the memo line. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is a 501c3 so donations are tax deductible. 

There are many levels at which you can donate:

• $10 for one weekend
• $39 for a month
• $90 for the rest of the current school year
• 175 a semester
• $350 for an entire school year  

Send checks in a sealed envelope to Ms. Hahner’s third grade class. NOTE: DO NOT to send checks directly to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Those donations won't be counted toward what Wiley raises toward sponsoring its own students. 

For more information on Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, visit www.foodshuttle.org. If you have any questions about Backpack Buddies, contact

Julie Cox - jcox143@nc.rr.com, Ilina Ewen - theewens@gmail.com, Kathleen Lowe - kathleen.e.lowe@gmail.com.

Wiley PTA Updates

Chess Club Coming To Wiley

The Wiley PTA is happy to announce the formation of a Chess Club at Wiley. Chess Achieves will be offering instruction on Friday mornings 8:00 - 8:45, beginning on November 8th.  Tuition will cost $110 per 9 week session.  Parents interested in registering their student(s) can do so directly on the Chess Achieves website at:

www.raleighchessacademy.com

In order to offer this service to Wiley students, parents of Chess Club members will be asked to volunteer their time to assist in supervising the children at one or more morning sessions. For more information about the Chess Club, you may contact Melanie Harsch at gharsch@nc.rr.com. A limited number of scholarships are available for families who are experiencing financial hardship. If you would like to learn more about Chess Scholarships, please contact Teresa Jones, at VP.Services@wileypta.org.

Phantom Fundraiser Halfway to Goal:

We're more than half-way to our goal!  So far we have received $7300 to support the amazing programs we offer at Wiley.  It's that time of year when extended family begin to ask about holiday giving.  Please continue to keep Wiley in mind for your own tax-deductible, end of year giving.  And, please encourage extended family to give to the Phantom Fundraiser to support our ability to provide the highest quality educational experience for our children!

 To donate online via Paypal, please go to:

 http://tinyurl.com/WileyPhantom

You can also donate by sending a check or cash in your child's Monday Folder.  Write checks to "Wiley PTA" and put "Phantom Fundraiser" in the note. 

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

Updates 10/21/13

Updates 10/21/13

A Celebration 30 Years in the Making

After 25 years at Wiley and 30 years in education, Ms. Powers will retire January 1 and transition to fulfilling her dream of being a full time professional artist. This is certainly a lifetime achievement milestone to reach and we are more than proud to celebrate with her. Please take a moment in the next couple months to give Ms. Powers a high-five and share warm wishes as she prepares for this transition.

Guest Blog Post by Mrs. Abel and Mrs. Fortune 

Second Grade is Crazy for Monarchs!

Our second graders are participating as citizen scientists in a global study of wildlife migration through the Journey North Symbolic Monarch Migration project.  This is Wiley’s third year participating.  The project unites children throughout North America, as they learn about conservation and ambassadorship. Over 60,000 children participate each year. 

This project provides a fantastic opportunity to investigate the world by learning about the monarch sanctuaries located in Angangueo, Mexico and the people who live in the community.  We will learn about the conservation efforts of the community members and how they are using adobe bricks to build houses and wood-saving stoves to cook and heat their homes. Without these conservation efforts, the monarchs would be losing their winter home. Some Wiley students were inspired to do their part, and to take action, by planting milkweed plants for the monarchs returning from their winter grounds!

Last week our classes sent symbolic butterflies to students in Mexico as a sign of ambassadorship.  We sent messages of thanks for their conservation efforts.  In return, students from Mexico and other parts of the United States, and Canada, will send symbolic monarchs back to us in the spring as the real monarchs are making their journey back to the north. 

We are so excited about following the monarchs’ migration to Mexico and we can’t wait to get butterflies and messages back from students all over North America in the spring!  You can join us on this journey if you’re interested by visiting www.learner.org/jnorth/sm/index.html.

Upcoming Events

3rd grade parents AIG information/CogAT test results explanation; October 23, 5:30pm

Fall Pictures, October 25th

Teacher Workday, No School, October 28th

Wiley PTA Updates

International Book Fair a Success

Thanks to all of the volunteers, staff, teachers, students and parents who made the book fair a big success. Thanks to generous donations, 99 students at Wiley (who  otherwise cannot afford a book at the book fair) received a book through the book fairy program. These students chose some great books, including a geography atlas, Japanese and Chinese story books, leveled readers and Joan Holub books. In addition, 131 books were donated to teachers and the Media Center.

Thanks also to special guest, Joan Holub, who came on Tuesday night to read from / sign books from her Goddess Girl and Heroes in Training series. It was great to have a real, live author present for the event. The food truck event was fun and gave parents, students, teachers and staff a chance to connect outside of school. Thanks to Chirba Chirba and Jam ice cream for providing food and sharing a portion of their profit that evening with the PTA.

Updates 10/14/13

Wonderful World of Wiley Weekly Updates

Conscious Discipline for the Global Learner, Guest Blog

This week's guest bloggers Mrs. Ware and Mrs. Swartz share insight on how Conscious Discipline impacts Global Learners at home and at school. Check out the "vlog" (video blog) HERE.  

Wiley Student Artists on Display

Congratulations to Nehemiyah, Ruth, Madeline M, Catie, and Aline for having your art selected to represent Wiley in the North Carolina State Fair Art Exhibit!! The art work is on display in the Kerr Scott Building during the NC State Fair, October 17-27.

Lost and Found

Please check the Lost and Found closet for missing clothes, books, hats, etc. The closet is located on the top floor in the 1923 building. Just remember to sign in to the office before heading up. You may consider writing your child's name on the tag of sweatshirts, jackets, and hats so clothing can be returned to the rightful owner. Thanks!

Upcoming Events

International Book Fair, begins October 14th

Evening Book Fair shop night (with food trucks!!), October 15th until 6:30pm

Fall Band Concert, October 17th, 7:00pm

Early Release, 1:15pm dismissal, October 18th WEAR YOUR WILEY GEAR

3rd grade parents AIG information/CogAT test results explanation; October 23, 5:30pm

Fall Pictures, October 25th

Teacher Workday, No School, October 28th

Wiley PTA Updates

Fall Band Concert October 17th

Join the Wiley Band for our first concert of the year!  The concert will be on Thursday, October 17th at 7pm in the Wiley Media Center, and will feature exciting music from both the Beginning and Continuing Bands.  To learn more about band, please visit http://www.wileyelementaryband.com.

International Book Fair Starts Today!

The International Book Fair starts today! A few key items to note:

·         Your child will come home with a wish list in their folder with details on how / when to purchase

·         The fair is open late on Tuesday until 6:30 p.m. We’ll have two food trucks (Chirba Chirba Dumplings and Joe’s Ice cream) there to provide dinner and dessert options.

·         If you can’t make the fair, shop online at www.quailridgebooks.com or in the store. Mention Wiley at checkout (or in the notes section) and Wiley will get 20% of your purchase!

We look forward to seeing you at the fair!

Stay Warm while Being Cool!

Wiley parent, Jenn Marks is currently donating 30% of sales of her super cute and environmentally friendly coffee cup sleeves to the Wiley PTA! Check them out HERE, buy for yourself and friends, and support the PTA! 

Classroom Cleanup a Success

Wiley Goes Green would like to thank all the parents and students who came to help clean classrooms on October 3rd. We had 56 volunteers participate in this event and cleaned 28 classrooms! This is a wonderful turnout. I have heard from one teacher that she was thrilled with how nice her classroom looked the next day.

Update 10/7/13

Updates 10/7/13

THANK YOU!

We had a great turn out for the classroom and gardens and grounds clean up events last week. Thank you to all that participated in helping make our learning environments better and brighter for our teachers and students. Your help made an immediate impact! We would like to extend a special thank you to Patricia Brenzy for organizing the classroom clean up and Hisayo Tago for organizing the gardens and grounds clean up!

Wiley is an Election Day Polling Location 

Wiley is a polling site for tomorrow's elections. This may slightly effect carpool in the morning and afternoon. Thank you for your patience as we participate in the democratic process! Going to vote? Click here to find your polling place. 

Tutor Training

Tutor training will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 3:00-3:45 pm, in the French and Spanish rooms.  All tutors, whether working one-on-one with the same student each week OR providing in-class support to various students, are strongly encouraged to attend.  Please RVSP to Judy Williams, jwilliams7@wcpss.net.

3rd Grade AIG Informational Meeting 

There will be a meeting for parents of 3rd graders interested in the AIG identification process and services on Wednesday, October 23 at 5:30 pm in the Media Center.  Any 3rd grade parent interested in the AIG program is invited to attend.

Invite an International Student to Your Next Family Meal

The Office of International Services at NC State is working to recruit more involvement in their Break Bread program. This program finds volunteers at NC State and in the Raleigh community who are willing to share a meal with international students and introduce them to American culture. Since Wiley shares in their global focus, they would like to extend an invitation to our families to host international students at a family or community meal. Please find more information here . 

Walk to School Day Weather Worries

Heavy rain is possible Wednesday during our planned Walk to School Day. IF we determine the need to cancel the event we will do so Tuesday evening and make a phone call home to all families. 

Walk to School Day Details

Please join us in celebrating International Walk to School Day with others around the world at Cameron Village Library! Our walk will begin at 8:30 and staff will be at Cameron Village at 8:20 to help supervise students.

•Please check in with your child’s teacher upon arrival.

•We will begin our walk at 8:30am.

•Permission slips were due October 2nd and parents / guardians are welcome to share this experience with their child.

•Bus Routes will be routed to Cameron Village Library.

•Scheduled Walking Route - Cross the street at the library (Clark) and then turn Right onto Johnson St.  We will then turn Right onto East Park and Left onto Valley View up to the school.  The trickiest crossings are Clark St. and then again where East Park crosses Park.

•Please remember to wear your Wiley T-Shirt.

Upcoming Events

International Walk to School Day, October 9 

International Book Fair, begins October 14th

Fall Band Concert, October 17th, 7:00pm

Early Release, 1:15pm dismissal, October 18th

3rd grade parents AIG information/CogAT test results explanation; October 23, 5:30pm

Fall Pictures, October 25th

Teacher Workday, No School, October 28th

Wiley PTA Updates

Grand Opening of the Wiley PTA Student Store

Grand Opening of the Wiley PTA Student Store is on Friday, October 11th!  Parents and students please come and visit us outside the media center from 8:45-9:30am.  We will have Vintage Wiley Wear T-shirts on clearance for 8.00 per shirt to make room for our new and improved Wiley Wear Fall Line coming soon!  In addition to t-shirts, we will have other Wiley goodies on sale and you may also stop by to check out sample colors and sizes of the new Wiley Wear Fall Line!  This is your chance to help us clean out the old and bring in the new!  Last minute chance to purchase a Wiley Wear t-shirt to wear for early release day on Friday, October 18th!   See you all there!

Wiley International Book Fair 2013

The Book Fair Starts Monday, October 14!

Joan Holub, author of The Goddess Girls and Heroes in Training series will be joining us on Tuesday, October 15^th for a reading and signing at 4:00 pm.  Be sure to purchase your books to have her sign.

The international book fair starts next Monday. Our local Quail Ridge Book store will provide a great selection of internationally themed books. There are many ways for you and your friends/family to participate:

-Visit Quail Ridge Books online at www.quailridgebooks.com  or in person from October 14^th and 18^th to purchase books. Mention Wiley at checkout or in the online notes section, and the school will receive 20% of your total purchase. Please forward this information to friends and family.

-Come to the book fair! Hours are below and include a late evening (6:30 close) on Tuesday. We will have food vendors in the teacher’s parking lot.  Dinner from Chirba Chirba Dumplings and dessert from the JAM ice cream truck www.jamicecream.com will be available and 15 – 20% of their profits will go to our PTA. 

-Select some books for your child to purchase. All children will come home on Monday with a wish list they have created.  To purchase, either send a check (payable to Wiley PTA), cash or come by the media center with a credit card to take a look at the book selection.  We will be collecting donations for the Book Fairy Fund to ensure that each child goes home with a book.

In addition, our library and classrooms desperately need new books.  The teachers have created WISH LISTS.  Let’s fill their classrooms and our library with their wishes!  We need your donations!

Wiley Media Center October 14 – 17

Monday 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM

Tuesday 8:45 AM - 6:30 PM

Wednesday 8:45 AM – 4:30 PM

Thursday 8:45 AM – 9:45 AM

For more information or to volunteer, please contact: Elyse Lyons (vp.communications@wileypta.org) or Heather Nguyen (vp.waysandmeans@wileypta.org).

Phantom Fundraiser

The Phantom Fundraiser is off to a great start!  Over the past two weeks we have raised over $5500. That is more than 1/3 of the way to our goal ($13,400)!  Thank you to the families who have already donated.  If you have not yet donated, please consider all the Wiley programs you love (like our Cultural Arts programs and International Night). What would Wiley be like without them? Phantom funds directly provide for these amazing programs!  Consider giving just $10 this week to secure the programs that make Wiley such a special place to learn and grow! Our Paypal link was recently down but it is up and working again! To download a donation form or donate using Paypal, please go to: http://tinyurl.com/WileyPhantom.   

Link your Harris Teeter VIC card

Harris Teeter will give Wiley money for every purchase you make of a Harris Teeter Brand product during the school year.  All you have to do is ask them to link your VIC card!  Last year, Wiley earned almost $900 from Harris Teeter.  At checkout, simply tell the Harris Teeter cashier to link your card to Wiley (#2920), or link on-line atwww.harristeeter.com and press the re-link button on right, You have to relink your VIC card every school year!

Sat. October 12 and October 26 – You can help Wiley earn even more money at the Harris Teeter VIC Link events at Cameron Village Harris Teeter, 500 Oberlin Road, Raleigh.  You and your Wiley students can help shoppers link their VIC cards to Wiley (to raise funds for all of our students), it is that easy!!!  Please RSVP to Stefanie Reed, jeffandstef@gmail.com - We need to have at least 4 families volunteer to make it worthwhile.  The event will be on October 12 from 11am to 1pm and October 26 from 10am to 1pm, and don't forget your Wiley wear!  You do not have to work both days or the entire 2 to 3 hours when you sign up. Please let Stefanie know the best day and time.  We can’t do it alone – we need our Wiley parents!!!