Winter, 2012

Dear Parents,

Happy  Holidays!  We have had such a great beginning to our year, it is hard to believe that it is time to start the holiday season.  As our students venture into the second semester, you will note that increased demands are placed upon thinking, as the students are working hard to apply the basic skills that they have learned – especially in the area of mathematics and problem solving.  When helping your child with these types of higher order thinking problems, try leading them with questions so that they can determine the answers, instead of showing them how to do it…. We want them to learn to think, which can be tough for them as they look at problems from different points of view.  In the long run, it is the most powerful way for them to truly understand the concepts!

As the school board is in the process of approving a student assignment plan for 13-14, it looks like all K-4 students who are currently enrolled at Willow Springs will be able to stay here next year.  On January 8 at 6:30, we will be having an information session for you regarding details if you would like to request to go back to your base school, or choose a different school for your child for next year.  In addition, we will also be holding an information session about the transition to Middle school for 5^th grade parents on two dates:  December 13 at 8:00 and January 8 immediately following the assignment information session. 

If you would like to make a track change request for your child, please call the office by January 25^th at 557-2770 and we will send home a request form!

If you have a rising Kindergarten student, 5 years old by August 31,  please come to school to register him or her on Monday, Janaury 7 between 8:15 and 4:00.  This prompt registration will help us to ensure there is room on the same track as their siblings.  Remember to bring the birth certificate, your proof of residence, and your photo id..

Our second annual Boosterthon will be coming up soon – Feb. 25-March 8.  Based on parent feedback, we have extended it to two full weeks in order to ensure that all tracks have a chance to participate.  We are so excited about what the Boosterthon team has in store for us this year, so mark your calendars!

We look forward to seeing you around the Springs!

Sincerely,

      Camille Miller

May

What an amazing school year!  This year we have seen so much growth with the students, particularly with their reading and fluency skills!  Thank you for reading with your child at home and helping him or her select books that are increasing their endurance.  There is no better way to increase a student's reading skills than to read with them!  We hope you have enjoyed this year and were able to participate in many of our family events.  In the fall, we held our annual Math and Science Night.  In the winter, the grade levels invited you in for a literacy event and we had our Boosterthon, which was a phenomenal event!  In the spring, we have had our first ever movie night, our field days and our Spring Festival.  In addition, we have had student performances, Fairy Tale Tea Parties, Jumping Joeys, our winter program and on June 7, we will have our final program of the year, presented by our 2^nd grade students.  These are all events that we encourage you to participate in and hope to see you at some of them again next year!

Our PTA has been hard at work supporting our students with Cultural Arts programming, like the Tarradiddle Players and our Writer in Residence.  Did you know that they also provide a $10 payment for each child towards their field trip – which reduces the cost for every parent and allows us to take some great trips!  With the success of our Boosterthon, they have been able to provide great support for us in our Media Center and in classroom libraries and they are working on plans to fund some serious technology for our classrooms next year.  We also have a very active Dad’s Club, and if you are looking for a fun group – then you should find out how to engage with these guys!  They meet once a month and have really been supportive of our students this year with Dad’s Reading Day, Morning Greetings in Car-Lines,  Lunch with Dads, and taking care of our grounds!  If you would like to get involved with the PTA, they would love to have your help – they are a great group of inviting parents who work great together, so come on out for a meeting!  Our first general meeting for the 2012-13 school year will be July 16 at 7:00.

As we wind down, I’d like to share that our test scores so far indicate phenomenal growth with our students – you should be very proud of their efforts!  Thank you for your continued support of this amazing school, and incredible community.  We are indeed blessed!