1/11 School Improvement Plan Meeting 8am Media Center
1/15 Early Release Day Dismissal at 1:15pm
1/15 End of the 2nd Quarter
1/18 Martin Luther King Jr Day No School
1/19 Teacher Workday No School
1/22 2nd Quarter Report Cards
1/22 PTA General Membership Meeting 9:30am Media Center
1/27-28 Roger Day Cultural Arts Assemblies and Workshops
1/29 Spirit Day Backwards Day
2/2 WES PTA Box Tops Social 10am-2pm
2/4 100th Day of School
2/11 International Festival Family Night 6pm
2/12 Early Release Day Dismissal at 1:15pm
2/15 Teacher Workday No School
2nd Quarter Reading Bookmarks
As we continue to celebrate reading this school year, please remind your child to turn in his or her 2nd quarter bookmark on Thursday for a prize. These bookmarks are a great reminder for our students to read each day. We will be passing out new ones next week!
Early Release Day and Holiday Reminders
Please note that this Friday is an Early Release at 1:15pm followed by no school next Monday and Tuesday for the holiday and a teacher workday.
Mid-year Assessment Information
During January students will receive mid-year formal and informal assessments to measure growth and determine where students are at in learning the appropriate grade level curriculum. The information from these assessments will be used by teachers to plan future lessons for their classes and will be shared with families as well. Most of the results will be reported around the end of the month or the beginning of January. If you have any questions about the assessments that will be given for your child please contact your child's teacher directly.
News for the WES PTA
PTA General Meeting
The PTA would like to invite all parents to our next PTA meeting. It will be held on Friday, January 22nd starting at 9:15 in the Media Center. All WES families are welcome to attend (even if you aren’t a PTA member too!) We look forward to seeing you there!
International Festival Planning Committee Members needed
One of the things that makes Weatherstone Elementary School so aWESome is the diversity of our students and their families! The school and the PTA would like to celebrate the cultural backgrounds of all our students with an International Festival to be held on February 11th at 6 pm. We need many volunteers to help with the planning of this event, so if you are able to help out, please fill out this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1unPAc5f6XyGRURy71WqUKswNUC8cgnCISJFujiHeufc/viewform or contact our International Festival chair, Kayte Thomas, at [email protected]. More information will be coming home in the Tuesday folders soon!
January Spotlight Volunteer - Karen Kirby
by Tanya West
Karen has been volunteering at WES since 2013. Karen’s youngest child is in 3rd grade.
Karen has co-teamed as a room parent for the past 2 years, volunteered at the Book Fair, and co-chaired the GoPlaySave fundraising event this past fall.
Karen says, “I think it is important to volunteer because, “Life is never so busy that there is not time to serve. -Author Unknown””
Thank you, Karen, for all your hard work and dedication at WES!
Reflections Update
by Anna Wirth
I would like to extend warm thanks to all students who participated in the WCPTA Reflections Program "Let Your Imagination Fly." All of you put forth a great effort and we will have a small celebration in the coming weeks to recognize you and your participation. Weatherstone had one county-level winner! Congratulations go out to – Raj Kirtikar – Grade 5 Weatherstone Elementary for his 2nd Place Tie in the music category - way to go Raj! He is invited to the county celebration on March 17th at Cary High School.
Again, a big thank you and congrats to all of our participants. The theme for next year (2016-17) is "What is Your Story."
Culture Arts Events at Weatherstone
Did you know that the WES PTA organizes and sponsors the majority of the STEM-focused activities and Cultural Arts Assemblies that come to Weatherstone? This school year our school theme is R.E.A.D – Read, Explore and Dream – so the programs have been focused towards the subjects of reading and writing. We have also tailored each program specifically to the needs of each grade, inviting visiting artists and authors to build on curriculum-specific criteria. In November, kindergartners and 1st graders got a special concert about the joys of the library. Events for 2016 include: 4th grade song-writing workshops (January 27-28), 3rd grade author-in-residence writing workshops (April 11-22), 2nd grade STEM in Ballet workshops (March), and 5th grade artist-in-residence (February). So, stay tuned for more news from your child as they take part in these PTA-sponsored activities.
The PTA would like to thank you, the parents, because it is through your membership dues and contributions that we are able to bring events such as these into our school. We would also like to recognize the United Arts Council in Raleigh for providing a financial grant through their Artist in Schools program and for their ongoing commitment to bring arts to the community.
Catherine Smith,
PTA Volunteer, Cultural Arts Chair
Harris Teeter Take Charge of Education
Harris Teeter is one of our best no-fuss fundraisers— no fuss meaning that once you sign up, Harris Teeter will automatically give a small percentage of your order back to Weatherstone Elementary School. This program requires that you relink your VIC card each year starting in August. If you are a regular Harris Teeter shopper, please make sure that you are linked to WES! All you have to do is go to the customer service desk, show them your VIC card, and ask them to link you to Weatherstone Elementary School or give them our ID code of 4768. It’s that easy to make a difference! Thank you for your help in raising no-fuss funds for Weatherstone Elementary!
Box Tops Collection Forms
Thank you for all your help in continuing to submit Box Tops! If you need additional forms, they can be printed from our website. Go to http://www.weatherstonepta.com/ and click on the Box Tops logo in the upper right hand corner. All box tops must be clipped neatly (otherwise a volunteer has to re-clip) and if you print out the form… please only print a collection form on one side of the paper as double sided entries are not permitted. It is also fine to still submit your boxtops in a zip lock baggie too. This year we have made $1,133,40 from Box Tops, which is amazing! We will have a Box Tops Social on February 2nd from 10-2 to prepare our next submission. A sign up genius will be posted on the PTA’s website soon. If you have any questions, please contact our Box Tops chair, Laura at [email protected].
Baked Goods for Staff
It is school policy for home baked goods to not be shared by the students in the classrooms, but did you know that we can still send in baked goods or treats for the staff to enjoy in the Teacher’s Lounge? If you are ever interested in doing this, all you have to do is drop off your baked item to the main office and one of the front staff members will put it in the lounge for the staff. Please, no items that require refrigeration (they need to be able to sit on the table for the day). If you have any questions, please contact Erika at [email protected]