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

Updates 11/4/13

Wiley World Updates 11/4/13

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.

Socks/Underwear/Coat Drive

The Wiley Sock/Underwear/Coat Drive is THIS WEEK. 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!

Upcoming Important Dates 

November 7 PTA Executive Board Meeting, 6:30pm
November 8 Early Release, dismissal begins at 1:15pm
November 11 Veteran's Day Holiday, no school
November 21 PTA General Membership Meeting, 7pm
November 27-29 Thanksgiving Holiday, no school

Wiley PTA Updates 

WCPSS Board Advisory Council Meeting
The 2nd District 6 BAC meeting is Thursday 7 November at Stough  
Elementary.  WCPSS Superintendent Dr. Merrill will be the main  
speaker.  The meeting will be a great chance to welcome him to Wake  
County and to ask him questions.  HomeBase and PowerSchool will also  
make short presentations.

The meeting will begin @ 12 pm and will end promptly at 1.15 pm.  All  
are welcome.

If anyone has any questions they would like me to ask Dr. Merrill  
please e-mail me at advocacy@wileypta.org

Thanks,

Meredith Nelson