WGO - ES Archive: October 3

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Issue #8: October 3, 2024

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From the Principal

Ms. Michelle Alzamora

Dear Families,

As our Superintendent, Joelle Basnight, mentioned in her article this week, we are being thoughtful about how students and families may be feeling right now. We learned from our ES students last year that most of them wanted school to be a place where they can feel normal and focus on learning. On Wednesday morning students came into school a little quieter than usual, but as soon as they found themselves with friends on the playground and in classes, we saw students playing and engaging just like any other day. For the past two days we have set up a station at recess for students to write messages of peace or to sit in a peace circle. Many students and adults have taken advantage of these opportunities.

If you notice that your child needs support or someone to speak with, please reach out to Ms. Hayley or Mr. Tim. Additionally, they have created an Updated Resource Webpage for families. This page includes discussion ideas and coping strategies when approaching unfairness, violence, crime and war with your child. Talking about topics like unfairness, violence, crime and war can be hard. As a parent, you might not know what to say at the moment. Being ready for these talks can help. Please check out the resources on this page and let our counselors know how they can support you!

Yours,

Michelle

Reading for Refugees

Ms. Pachachi will be running Reading for Refugees with a few fifth graders as part of their current social studies unit. This initiative will run from September 29 - October 9. Students will be reading books to raise money for CRP. Let's get reading! Pledge forms will be sent home next week. Please see the links below for more information.

Preparing for Goal Setting Conferences

We are excited for our upcoming student goal setting conferences next week. These conferences are set aside for parents, teachers, and students to come together to determine some long and/or short term learning and social goals for the school year. It is imperative that students are involved in this process so that they understand what they are working towards and how we will collectively support them to reach these goals. Below are a few ideas for questions that you may want to pose at this meeting to help you better understand your child’s beginning of the school year experience as well as their goals.

What are some of my child’s relative strengths and areas for growth academically and socially?
Have you noticed any gaps in my child’s learning or learning behaviors that we can address to set them up for success?
Have you noticed any areas of learning or behaviors that my child has already mastered and if so, how can we extend their learning?
What can we do at home to help my child reach their goals? Might we add an additional goal that is just for home which would support my child’s learning in school?

It is important that students be involved in conversations about their learning, even when that might be a little uncomfortable for the children or their parents. If you have information that you need to share with a teacher without your child being present, please feel free to schedule a time to talk with the teacher. Our teachers are always happy to meet with you to share what they are seeing in class and to partner with you to support your family.

Parent Teacher Conferences

We invite you to participate in the Fall 2024 Parent Teacher Conferences. There are no classes for students on these dates.

** Please understand that the PowerSchool sign-up process applies only to Elementary homeroom, Learning Support, and Counselor conferences.

ES Students are expected to attend conferences with their parents, as they are student goal-setting conferences.
For Conference Manager support please contact Ms. Farhan
For PowerSchool support please contact Ms. Khuloud
Conferences with elementary classroom teachers, elementary counselors, and elementary Learning Support teachers are by appointment only; parents/guardians must book through the Conference Manager which opens for sign-ups on Saturday, September 21st at 12:00 pm and closes on Thursday, October 3rd at 3:00 pm. Click here for instructions.
The Arabic, Art, Music, and PE teachers look forward to meeting with you to talk about student goals. They will be available to speak with children and their parents in their classrooms for walk in conferences, the PE Teachers will be in the ES LC.
Last year we noted that many parents visited the Arabic, PE, Music, and Art teachers during their scheduled lunch breaks. To help with this, we will be scheduling the specialist teachers’ breaks when classroom teachers are meeting with families. To help you plan your time effectively, please note the following break times for specialists:

Morning Break:

Arabic and PE Teachers First Break 9:10 - 9:30
Art and Music Teachers First Break 9:30 - 9:50

Lunch Break:

Arabic and PE Teachers 12:15 - 12:55
Art and Music Teachers 12:30 - 1:10

Afternoon Break:

Arabic and PE Teachers Second Break 3:10 - 3:30
Art and Music Teachers 3:30 - 3:50

From the HS Student Council

ES Student Council - Messages for Peace

On Wednesday and Thursday a group of students from the ES student council set up a table set up at recesses where students wrote messages of hope and peace for all children. We are proud of our students for showing kindness and compassion. If your child has a passion that they would like to share with their peers, please encourage them to see Mrs. Alzamora. We hope to encourage students and help them see themselves as agents of positive change.

ES Day of Play - October 9th

Our ES Student Council Day of Play Committee has been working hard to organize a fun experience for their fellow students! On Oct 9 all students will get to come out to the field for an awesome hour of play. The student council would like to extend a BIG thank you to the PTG for sponsoring a bouncy castle for the day. Please note that we will not have water-related activities, but if it is very hot we will spray students who want to get wet with a hose.

On the Day of Play, students need to have tennis shoes, a water bottle, a hat, and sunscreen.

Day of Play Schedule -

KG-1 - 8:15 - 9:00
2-3 - 9:10 - 10:00
EYP - 10:10 - 10:40
4-5 11:00 - 12:00

A Note from our ES Counselors

Yesterday, our classes spent time allowing students to share what they saw on Tuesday night and how they felt. These discussions provided an opportunity for them to process the events and express their emotions as well as feel supported.

We understand that this is a difficult time for many families, and we want to make sure that your children feel safe and heard. At the same time, we kindly ask for your help in reminding your children that school is not the place to speculate about the war, who will win or lose, or what might be destroyed. While it’s important for them to process their feelings, hearing other children create stories based on incomplete information they may overhear can cause unnecessary fear and anxiety.

Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive environment where students can learn best. If your child needs additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our counselors have also curated some resources that you can access here to help guide discussions about war and violence and how to help children cope and build resilience.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this difficult time.

From the Counseling Department

Updated Resource Webpage - Discussion ideas and coping strategies when approaching unfairness, violence, crime and war with your child.

Talking about topics like unfairness, violence, crime and war can be hard. You might not know what to say in the moment. Being ready for these talks can help. Please check out the resources on this page and let us know how we can support you!

Tim Steadman and Hayley Jeanes