Monday, January 27, 2014

Update 1/27/14

Wiley Updates 1/27/14

Read to Achieve Implementation
As you know new reading guidelines are now in place for third grade students. "The goal of the Read to Achieve program, a North Carolina initiative, is to ensure that every student read at or above grade level by the end of third grade and continue to progress in reading proficiency so that he or she can read, comprehend, integrate, and apply complex texts needed for secondary education and career success (WCPSS, 2013)." Tuesday night (Jan. 28th) at 6:30pm in Wiley's media center, hear more information about what this looks like at Wiley for our current 3rd graders. The target audience is current 3rd grade parents, but all are welcome. More district information can be found here: http://www.wcpss.net/parents/guides/read-to-achieve/

Enjoy Great Food and Help Wiley Kids Travel!
Sosta Café is an international coffee bar, serving breakfast, lunch and pastries in a trendy decor with world music. Located at 130 E. Davie Street in downtown Raleigh, Sosta offers vegan, vegetarian and traditional food options. 

Sosta is supporting fifth grade's capstone field trip to Williamsburg by donating 30% of proceeds fromWiley customers* the entire first week of February.  Grab a coffee, breakfast or lunch and it will make a difference to Wiley Elementary!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Monday, February 3, 7:30am - 3:30pm
Tuesday, February 4, 7:30am - 3:30pm
Wednesday, February 5,  7:30am - 3:30pm
Thursday, February 6,  7:30am - 3:30pm
Friday, February 7,  7:30am - 3:30pm
Or consider placing a take-out order for your office at 919-833-1006.

* Be sure to tell the cashier you want your purchase to benefit Wiley Elementary and forward this message to friends who work and/or regularly dine downtown. 

                                   Thanks for supporting Wiley kids!

Upcoming Important Dates
January 28, 6:30pm Third Grade Read to Achieve Parent Information Session
January 28, Report Cards go home 
February 14, Early Release, dismissal at 1:15pm
February 17, Teacher Workday, no school for students


Wiley PTA Updates
PTA Thanks Parents for Phantom Donations
Dear Wiley Parents, 
In behalf of the PTA, we are excited to announce that we have met our Phantom Fundraiser goal for 2013-2014!  Thank you, so very much to everyone who contributed to Phantom and Winter Thanks!  (Of course, it is never too early to begin donating for 2014-2015!) 
Because of your donations, we have been able to make Wiley an amazing place for students to learn and staff to work.  Staff Appreciation is a year-long commitment the PTA makes to our staff.  It began this year with the Back To School Breakfast, and included honoring our custodians during Custodian Appreciation Week, and celebrating other key events. 
On the morning of Winter Thanks, the PTA was able to award $7600 in teacher grants purchase resources that will directly impact student learning.  Materials included drums for music electives, iPod touches, Thinkpads, math subscriptions, reading literature, and other curriculum resources.  Finally, your generous donations have supported our cultural arts assemblies throughout the year and will be used to support Curriculum and International Nights this spring.
We are in the process of finalizing 2013 Tax Letters for donations made to Phantom and Winter Thanks program.  If you do not receive a tax receipt letter and were expecting one, please contact us at phantom@wileypta.org.
Thank you, again, for making Wiley an amazing place to learn and teach!
Your Phantom Co-Chairs, 
Heather Davis Bauer and Catherine Bray
Boosterthon is coming to Wiley—Information on this PTA Initiative
Wiley Family-
As you may have heard, Boosterthon is coming to Wiley during the month of February. The PTA wants to provide you with an overview before the formal program begins. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions. If your question is not addressed below, please email vp.program@wileypta.org with your additional questions: 
 What is Boosterthon? 
A Boosterthon is a fundraising event and school fun run. It encourages physical fitness, teamwork, leadership and character all while raising funds for the school. The company that runs our Boosterthon has a proven track record of organizing successful fundraising fun-runs for over 650,000 students a year. Many of our local schools have utilized Boosterthon to successfully manage this fundraising effort. 
The Boosterthon Fun Run program is a healthy alternative to traditional product sales that raises much-needed funds for our school. The Boosterthon program also promotes three specific values during the fun-filled experience:  Fitness, Leadership, and Character. This year’s character theme is CAMP HIGH FIVE, and it’s all about FRIENDSHIP! But not just developing the friendships students already have; it’s about viewing EVERYONE as a friend, no matter who they are, or how different they may first appear to be. The event will focus on the following values: 
  • Friendship
  • Respect Others
  • Don’t Bully
  • Shout Out Strengths
  • Stick Together
  • Show Sportsmanship
When will the event take place?
The event will kick off with a 30-minute school-wide Pep Rally on February 18th, 2014 and conclude on 
February 27th, 2014 with the Boosterthon Fun Run event.
Why did the PTA decide to undertake a new fundraiser this year in addition to Phantom and other fundraising activities (e.g., restaurant nights, book fairs)?
We all know that school budgets are under strain, and although we'd rather not have to raise funds at all, our school and kids need us to!  Recent state-wide budget constraints made this year’s PTA realize that additional fundraising is necessary to meet the needs of teachers and students.  Our Boosterthon run will be a Fun Run for Technology.
How will the funds be used? Why did the PTA decide to hire a company that takes a portion of the profits to run the event? 
Wake County’s education system is quickly teaching in a blended learning environment with book and technology based learning. While the core to the learning experience will still be student-teacher interaction, without appropriate technology resources, students will not have access to necessary digital learning tools. Wiley’s current plan is to have a 3:1 (students to device) ratio. With aging computers, this is not so in many classes.  Our goal is to raise $10,000 to be used to replace and enhance technology resources for our kids at Wiley. We can do it with the Boosterthon Fun Run, and we need your help!                   
Historically, other schools report earning 3-4 times as much on this event after the Boosterthon cut than on other types of fundraising activities. Boosterthon (the organizing company) does take a portion of the profits from the event as compensation for management of the event. In exchange, the company provides a turnkey fundraising event, providing everything from online management of pledges, organized school spirit rallies, prizes  and management of the event itself. The Boosterthon Fun Run team spends 300 hours organizing the event, freeing up our teachers and administrators to focus on education!  The PTA did consider running this event internally, but, there were not leaders willing to step up to run the event. Our hope is that, in future years, the PTA can manage it internally. 
Will my child be asked to fund raise? 
Families will be asked to fund raise, but will certainly not be required to do so. It is your decision as a parent whether or not your child solicits donations for the fun run. With that said, the PTA felt that an advantage of an event like this is directly helping our students in their classrooms.
How does the event raise money? 
Students will be asked to solicit pledges towards the number of laps they will run at the Boosterthon Fun Run. Students will run between 30-35 laps.  35 is the lap max.
Is successful fundraising required to be a part of the fun run?
No, even if a student does not participate financially every child receives a complimentary Wiley customized Boosterthon t-shirt, daily character stickers, participates in the fun run, and attends the character-building events . Students will not be singled out in the run for successful fundraising, nor will other students know how much each child raises individually.  
How much class time will be missed due to Boosterthon? 
Three short events will pull students out of class: character activities, an all-school pep-rally, and the actual fun-run itself are held in large groups.  About 75% of the time during these events is spent on physical fitness and character-building. The focus of the rally, materials, and run itself align well with Wiley’s Mission and Values. Other than short announcements during the standard morning announcement period, other class time won’t be impacted. 
How much running will the students do?
The Boosterthon course is 1/16 of a mile, and most students end up running 30-35 laps, so just over 2 miles. 
Are pledges tax-deductible?
Yes, pledges and payments will be made to the Wiley PTA so your donation is tax-deductible. You won’t be receiving any goods (e.g., wrapping paper) in return for your donation, so every dollar you spend is tax deductible. 
What should I do If I am unhappy about the Boosterthon Fun Run?
Your PTA is comprised of volunteers who share a passion for improving the education at Wiley. However, we realize that there are many ideas and opinions about the best way to support the school. We welcome your feedback, even if negative. The PTA is a democracy and our strength is determined by the involvement of you, the parents. Please feel free to contact Tom at president@wileypta.org with concerns not related to the technical execution of the Fun Run itself.
How can I help?
  • Help your child to fund raise and ask for donations. A packet will be provided to help with this effort when we kick off the fun run in February.
  • Email vp.programs@wileypta.org if you would like to help with the events. We need lots of volunteers and a strong cheering section to make the event a success!
  • Come and cheer on your child at the Boosterthon Fun Run on February 27th, 2014!
Where can I learn more?

This is THE major fundraising event for the semester. Thanks in advance for supporting Wiley International Magnet!