Safety
Reminder: We
love that our Wiley students adore Wiley so much that they want to stick around
after dismissal to play with their friends.
If your child/ren take advantage of this opportunity, please remain
vigilant in keeping a close supervisory eye on them. Play on the front lawn
around the electric box and around the bricked area of the gardens (near the
cafeteria) is discouraged. Further, please remember that students are not
permitted to stay on the grounds after school hours without adult
supervision.
It’s
March and that means it’s time for the Books Are Magic book drive at Wiley!
Books
Are Magic builds home libraries for kids who need them.
Wiley is once again partnering with Books Are
Magic to ensure that all children at Wiley have home libraries! As we have done for the past two years, we
will be having a book drive and asking members of our Wiley family to donate
gently used books between March 30- April 2.
How
it Works
Students will bring donated books into their
classroom during the book drive. After the collection period has ended, the
organizers will transform Ms. Taylor’s office into a beautiful “book store” in
May. Homeroom teachers will pick six
books for each child in the program.
Next, the children will have the chance to “shop” in Ms. Taylor’s office
by picking six more books to bring home.
This is great fun for the children and the adults! When the shopping is complete, every child at
Wiley will have books at home!
History
Books Are Magic is a 501(c)(3) and was modeled
after a landmark study that gave
disadvantaged students 12 books at the end of the school year for 3 years in a
row. The students became owners of home
libraries with a total of 36 books each by the end of the three years—books
they could read, organize, and take pride in. Reading researchers at the
University of Tennessee–Knoxville then tracked the students' performance in
school.The
results were incredible. Reading scores improved significantly. The summer
reading proficiency slide was arrested.
In fact, just having those 12 books in the first year seemed to have as
much positive effect as attending summer school. In addition, the students with home libraries
indicated that they perceived themselves as readers.
Building home libraries for children is a
low-cost effort that gets invaluable results. Books are Magic is determined to
duplicate those results for as many kids as possible.
Volunteering
We would love help
with this program at Wiley! If you can help, please contact Lea Roark (lea@booksaremagic.org).
2014/15
Wiley Yearbook: The
Wiley yearbook committee is excited about this year’s yearbook. It’s
bursting with photos, student portraits, activities, highlights, and of course,
space for special autographs.
To order a yearbook(s) for your student(s),
please complete and return the Yearbook Order Form that is coming home today.
But act fast, the deadline to order is Monday, April 6, 2015.
End of Grade
Testing: Our End of Grade (EOG)
testing dates have been set. Please mark these dates on your calendar
now! Below you will find the the list of specific dates. If you are a K-2
Wiley family, please keep reading! This year we have a greater need for
volunteer test proctors. While proctoring is not the most fun you will ever
have, it’s essential to providing all students with a positive testing
environment. The more volunteer proctors we have, the more teaching assistants
we can leave in your child’s classrooms. Also, by having K-2 families proctor,
this will provide you with insight into the world of EOGs. As a Wiley
family, we look forward to another opportunity to pull together to support our
school!
Calling all volunteers
. . . WE NEED YOU! Please visit this
link to sign up to proctor.
Proctors will need to
attend a one hour training prior to EOG testing. The training consists of a 30
minute security video and 20 - 30 minutes of talk time. Proctor trainings will
be scheduled the week of May 4th at various times throughout the week.
Tuesday, May 19th: 3rd Grade
ELA and 4th Grade Math
Wednesday, May 20th: 3rd Grade Math
and 4th Grade ELA
Thursday, May 21st: 5th Grade
ELA
Friday, May 22nd: 5th Grade Math
& Makeups
Monday, May 25th: No School -
Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 26th: 5th Grade Science
& Makeups
Wednesday, May 27th: Makeups
Please contact our Testing Coordinator, Chris Hahner, with any questions. You may email her at chahner@wcpss.net or leave a message in the office with your name and phone number.
Broughton Baseball Camp: Broughton High
School is sponsoring a FREE Baseball Camp on Saturday,
April 18, from 8:00 am - noon, for students ages 7-12. Instruction will include
fielding, throwing and batting. For questions
and preregistration: contact Chris Newton at enewton1@wcpss.net
Chess: WOW time students
in Chess Around the World have been busy exploring the history
and strategies of chess. As students continue their studies, they will compare
chess to other board games. If you have a complete set of checkers, Chinese
checkers, or other similar board games, please consider donating to the class.
When gathering donations, keep in mind that students will be using the games in
a group setting and pieces could be lost or damaged. If you have any board game
donations, please contact Karen Rose at krose@wcpss.net to coordinate efforts.
Students are excited to start building on their knowledge of board games.
ADHD
Seminar: Broughton Special Education Department is
hosting a seminar about ADHD by Dr. James Wiley. The seminar is
called "Relook at ADHD", a Physican's view of child, teen and adult
ADHD. The seminar will be at Broughton on April 9th at 7:00 pm in the
media center.
Wiley
International Carnaval: Please
save the date for Wiley’s International Carnaval (formerly International Night)
scheduled for the evening of Friday, May 8.
It will be another great year of International themed activities and
food trucks!
Parent volunteers are an important part of the
success of an event this size. Please
consider helping our teachers & parents to plan and execute the May 8th
event. Opportunities include sharing parent and student perspectives regarding
ideas, helping to make decisions, and organizing items needed to make
International Carnaval a success. The committee has created sub groups. If you
are interested in participating, please contact the sub group's leader soon.
Meetings have already begun and will continue up until the event. Even if you
are not available for face-to-face meetings, we welcome your assistance in
other ways.
Parade and Props Group- Zandra
Henderson - zhenderson@wcpss.net
Nightly Schedule and Program- Ute
Bartley - ubartley@wcpss.net
Booths and Tents- Matt Schisler - mschisler@wcpss.net
Spirit Week- Jill Molloy - jmolloy@wcpss.net
Volunteers- Sadie Hoover - shoover@wcpss.net
Parent Contact – Stef Reed - jeffandstef@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you there!
Tech
Night Follow-Up: Recently, Wiley parents and teachers
learned about internet safety, being a model digital citizen, and experienced
technology based learning labs and other interactive tech activities. Wiley
students often explore other cultures and ideas through internet-based
research. Students can continue the study at home. As we consider keeping our
children safe while they explore the world through vast online information, we
extend the learning opportunity for Wiley families. Learn more with this
resource: 5
Myths and Truths About Kids' Internet Safety. How are
you sharing truths with your child?
Wiley Spotlight
This week’s spotlight shines on kindergarten
teacher, Molly Strom.
What do you like to
do during the summer? Who doesn't like to travel? Still on my bucket list
are Australia, Greece, and Italy, as well as the Grand Canyon and other
National Parks of the southwest. However, life with a 3-year-old as reduced our
summer travel down to weekend trips to the beach or the mountains, day hikes,
and visits with Grammie, Granddaddy, Nana, and Papa.
If you could teach
anywhere (other than Wiley), where would it be?
I miss being able to use what is left of my Spanish, so I would like to go to a Spanish-speaking country to refine my skills. That's really more about teaching me, than teaching others, but isn't that what this is all about--creating lifelong learners!
I miss being able to use what is left of my Spanish, so I would like to go to a Spanish-speaking country to refine my skills. That's really more about teaching me, than teaching others, but isn't that what this is all about--creating lifelong learners!
Who was your most
memorable teacher? My first
grade teacher, Mrs. Gehring in Columbus, Ohio. She is largely the reason I am a
teacher today. I revisited her class often, working with her in high school
during a career mentorship class and having her over to our house for dinner.
Our family has still kept in touch with her to this day!
What is something that you are most proud of, that most people don't know about you? I've always been a go-getter. When I've decided I'm going to do something, I'll go after it. That's what made possible a couple of opportunities to travel abroad, move to NC 13 years ago, earn my Master's, have children, and most recently landed me at Wiley Elementary! (Unfortunately, I think it often times drives my husband nuts.) :)
If you could have
any teacher, who would it be? I'm a closet actress/performer, so it would
probably be a teacher outside of the educational world. Maybe Julia Roberts
would have some tips on how to sharpen my craft. :)
Upcoming Events
Monday,
March 30: Case
21 assessments
Tuesday,
March 31: PTA’s
Frozen Skate Night @ United Skates – 6-8:30, Case 21 assessments
Wednesday,
April 1: Case
21 assessments
Thursday,
April 2: Case
21 assessments
Friday,
April 3: Holiday – No
School
Please consult our website: www.wcpss.net/wileyes for additional
upcoming events.
AND, follow us on Twitter @WileyElementary!
AND, follow us on Twitter @WileyElementary!
News from our Wiley PTA
Frozen Skate Night is ON—Join Us
This Tuesday March 31st! The much anticipated skate night is here!
Come celebrate Spring at the Wiley Frozen skate night on Tuesday
March 31st from 6-8:30 p.m. at United Skates, 2901 Trawick Rd in
Raleigh. The event is free of charge for
all Wiley families with $3 skate rentals.
It will include an appearance from the Frozen characters. At this point,
we think Elsa has been stripped of her snowstorm-making powers, so we’re
planning on a fun evening!
Continue Collections for Fun Run: We had a great first collection day and have collected over three
quarters of our pledges, but need your help to meet our goal of 100%
collection. If we can collect 100%, Wiley will profit over $20,000 for
much-needed technology updates.
You should have
received a list of outstanding pledges on Friday, March 20th. Please
help your child connect with their sponsors and send in payments . Payments
should be in a sealed envelope with student's name and teacher on the outside. Please
bring in pledges by Wednesday, April 1st in time for our next count
day.
Spring into Reading at Wiley’s
Spring Book Fair on April 7th: The Spring Book Fair starts Tues., April 7! Come to Wiley’s Media Center
to Spring into Reading and browse the selection of books for sale.
Book Fair
Hours:
Tuesday
8:45 AM – 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:45 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
8:45 AM – 4:30 PM
Friday
8:45 AM – 10:00 AM
•The fair is open late on Wednesday until 6:30
p.m. Food trucks will be on campus for
dinner and dessert (Captain Ponchos and JAM Ice Cream), with 10-20% of their
profits going to our PTA. Plan to take a
night off from cooking and enjoy an easy meal with friends at Wiley!
•The book fair is always FUN, but we need your
help for it to be successful. We
especially need help during preview day (9:30 am – noon, when the K-2 students
come to look), before school sales (8:45-9:30 am), and after school sales (3:30
pm until closing). To sign up for a time
that works for you, please visit www.SignUpGenius.com/go/8050C48ADAA229-spring
We look forward to
seeing you at the fair! For more information or with questions about volunteering,
please contact Lisa Fultz or Wendy Worley at spring.book.fair@wileypta.org.
2015 Wiley Science Night April 16th,
Including Family Project: Wiley’s
Science Night is coming up soon on April 16th at 6:00 p.m. The event
will begin with a quick PTA meeting to elect our Executive Board for the
2015-2016 school year. Then, we’ll launch into a fun-filled evening with plants,
animals, demonstrations, activities, and lots more! Take part in the family
cardboard challenge! This event is not to be missed!
As inspired by Caine’s
Arcade, Wiley is holding its own Family Cardboard Challenge this year to
celebrate the creativity and innovation of science and engineering. We would like
to invite you to view these videos together as a family for inspiration and to
get those wheels turning to create a cardboard creation to bring in to share at
Wiley’s Science Night. Pick one or both options! All projects may be brought to
the media center April 14th and 15th between 8:45 and 9:30am. A parent
volunteer will be there to check in the projects. **Make sure all projects
include your child’s name, their teacher, and grade level.
Project 1
Option: Create a GAME out of
cardboard and recycled materials. Include directions on how to play, place game
pieces in a labeled bag, and be sure to creatively name your game.
Project 2
Option: Build a new INVENTION out of cardboard and
recycled materials.
Use
recycled materials when possible. Include an explanation of the model and its
purpose, and be sure to creatively name your invention.
Take a
look at the following links for inspiration:
Email Ms.
Ross at gross2@wcpss.net with any
questions.
BAC 6 Meeting Summary: Dr. Marvin Connelly, Chief of Staff and Strategic
Planning, presented the new WCPSS Strategic Plan to the Board 6 Advisory
Council on Thursday 12 March at Lynn Rd. Elementary. Dr. Connelly began by outlining the process
followed to develop the plan. He
stressed that stakeholders (e.g., students, parents, recent graduates, staff)
were involved at every step, and emphasized that this plan reflects their
priorities, and not simply the priorities of the School Board and staff.
The plan's vision is
that "All WCPSS students will be prepared to reach their full potential
and lead productive lives in a complex and changing world." Its mission is that "WCPSS will provide
a relevant and engaging education and will graduate students who are
collaborative, creative, effective communicators and critical thinkers"
(also known as the 4 c's). The plan
seeks to move away from data driven metrics (e.g., standardized test scores)
towards more qualitative metrics (e.g., are students prepared for the real
world).
The Board is committed
to measuring goals, and staff is working to develop appropriate metrics. Staff is also working on aligning the 4c's
with objectives in the curriculum. Teachers
and other school staff will then have opportunities to be trained in how to
translate the 4c's more effectively into the classroom. Schools are also going to be expected to link
their individual improvement plans to the County's strategic plan.
The plan sets out five
focus areas: Learning and Teaching,
Achievement, Balanced Assessment, Human Capital and Community Engagement. These focus areas reflect stakeholder
priorities and are not listed in any particular order. Instead, the Board hopes to make progress
across all five.
Dr. Connelly ended his
presentation by explaining that while the Board has always had a Strategic
Plan, previous plans were more work plans than strategic documents. They set out everything the Board hoped to
accomplish and did not identify true focus areas or priorities. The new document is more fluid, and hopefully
it will help shift the focus of the school system in a way that benefits all
students.
Reach out to our Wiley
representative, Meredith Nelson at meredithnelson1@bellsouth.net
with any questions.
