August 31, 2007

A Message From Mrs. Starr

The first week of school has gone very smoothly. We begin the year with 406 students and 50 staff members. We are fortunate to have Ms. Daniel (Kindergarten); Mrs. Paciotti (First Grade); and Mrs. Walker (counselor) join our staff. All staff members have devoted many hours to ensure that all students began the school year with many positive experiences. It was so good to see many happy students during Open House last Friday as they met their new teachers and visited their classrooms. Very few kindergarten students showed any anxiety about their first day in school. (I can’t say that the same was true for their parents! However, that is typically the norm.) An assembly was held to greet and cheer in the new school year. We are already in full swing with students beginning working in all subject areas this week. Students have now mastered indoor line-up every day in the gymnasium and procedures for dismissal. We are off to a wonderful start!!

Back to School Nights

Back-To- School Night, by request of both staff and parents, is early again this year. This night provides you an excellent opportunity to get to meet your child’s new teacher(s), tour the classroom and discover all the exciting learning experiences that await your child this year at Woodfield.

                                                            Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2

Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2 will hold their Back -To - School Night on Thursday, September 11^th. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., Grade 1 and 2 parents will be provided with an opportunity to learn more about how your child’s progress will be assessed in a brief Grading and Reporting meeting. While the Grading and Reporting procedures have not changed for students if your child was in first grade last year, it will be different for those students who just entered first grade. So first grade parents are highly encouraged to attend this brief meeting prior to the official 7:00 p.m. time for Back to School Night. At that time, you will be introduced to your PTA president and meet the Woodfield staff. Then at 7:30 p.m., you will go to your child’s classroom to meet the teachers. During the first session, you will meet the Reading Teachers. In the second session, you will meet with the homeroom /math teacher.

 3^rd, 4^th  and 5^th Grade

3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade Back-To-School Night will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 6^th.Prior to that meeting at 6:30 p.m., parents of third graders are encouraged to attend a Grading and Reporting session to address the new procedures this year in third grade. These are similar to the manner in which your students were evaluated last year.  You will also be meet Cora Horst, PTA president, and be introduced to the Woodfield staff. There will be two sessions available beginning at 7:30 p.m. Your child’s teacher will share the same information during both of these sessions thereby enabling you attend two different grade level presentations, if needed.

Please make sure that you sign up for your November parent conference at Back-To-School Night. Tables will be set up in the main hallway for you to schedule your parent conference.

Back to School Night Childcare

The PTA has arranged with Bar-T to provide Back-To-School Night Childcare Services for ages 4 and older on both nights in the All-Purpose Room. The cost per child is $2.00. A flyer is attached to sign up.

We ask that children do not attend the Back-To-School Night presentations. Others find it highly distracting when children are present in the classroom. This childcare service in the all-purpose room is an excellent way to make sure that your children are safe and entertained while you learn more about their school day.

                                                            It’s Picnic Time!!

Please join us for the Beginning of School Family Picnic on Friday, September 7^th from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. There will be lots of fun and food to purchase. Another great option is to pack a delicious picnic basket and blanket. Please come out and join other Woodfield families as we celebrate the start of another school year.

                                                            “It Takes A Village”

This year, you will see the quote, “It takes a village” throughout our school. No where is that more obvious than at Woodfield where students, staff and parents join together to provide the very best education possible for all of our students. This year was no exception. We greatly appreciate the help from all of our parents during the summer, in so many different capacities. The list compiled below represents the wonderful support that was available to the students and staff at Woodfield Elementary, even during the summer.

The staff enjoyed a delicious breakfast last Thursday provided by the PTA. 

• A BIG Thank you goes out to Karen Myers, Audrey Hill, Mary Busche, Nives Bidwick, Mindy Conway, Lori Slingluff, Katherine Wells, Marla Johnson, Sandy McDarby, Debbie Harner, Betsy Paul, Deb Krizman, JoAnn Wardlaw and Pam Clay for helping with the breakfast.
• Tracy Rogers, Jack Rogers, Abby Rogers, Sean Rogers, Heather Gottfredson, Josh Gottfredson, Emily Gottfredson, Abby Gottfredson and Hunter Gottfredson provided the popsicles, beautiful flowers, and cookies and drinks at Friday’s Open House. Dee Dauber, Mindy Conway, Kim Garrison, Sue Wood, Marianna Osterman, Sandy McDarby and Tina Atkinson welcomed and directed families as they arrived. Cora Horst, PTA president greeted parents and students new to Woodfield and spoke to them about our school.
• Thank you to Cora Horst, Yamile Rojas, Paula Roberts and Kim Mayo for assisting us in preparing this summer for the development of this year’s School Improvement Plan. They will continue throughout the year to meet with us to assist in the development and monitoring of this year’s plan.
• Without Terri Knox and Anne Reinhold there would have been no Summer Reading and Writing Program. Thanks you to these two moms for making sure that our students continue to read and write during the summer.
• Cora Horst met with Dawn West, administrative secretary, and me to plan the master calendar for the year.
• Sue Wood helped Mrs. McGreevy Dorfman and Kim Garrison assisted us in preparing the office for the staff’s arrival.
• Thank you to Jim Fraser and Deb Krizman for our new, colorful rainbow. This involved many hours of very long, detailed work. It is still a work in progress and when completed will say, “Welcome to Woodfield Elementary” in the space just below the rainbow.

Similar efforts, throughout the school year on the part of so many wonderful parents, are one of the reasons why Woodfield Elementary is such a special place.

Safety First:

                                                            Crocs, Sandals, Flip Flops

Some parents have called and asked if their children can wear crocs, sandals, or flip flops to school. The answer is yes. However, students who wear such shoes are asked not to climb on the playground equipment during recess. These shoes make the likelihood of an accident while climbing this equipment more likely. Students, while wearing these shoes at recess, are encouraged to engage in other fun activities at recess. As always, all students are expected to wear sneakers during physical education.

                                                Questions Regarding Emergency Procedures

A parent contacted me via e-mail to inquire regarding the school’s crisis plan in the event that we had to evacuate the school. With three possible sites listed for possible relocation, the parent wanted to know how you would know where the students had been moved. She then suggested that I share this with all parents who may have a similar question. My reply to this parent is written below:

“Depending upon the situation, a site will be chosen from those listed. Parents could be notified through Connect Ed, the school’s voice mail system, or their will be school or county personnel available at the school site to advise parents where to go to meet their children. It all depends upon the emergency as to what site is needed. School buses would be used to transport students to DHS, in case it is ever needed. I hope that this information helps. If you need more, please let me know. Thanks.”

Later,during the school year, the school will hold a drill of either code red or blue with parent reunification. We will solicit the help of a few parents to help us in this mock drill. This will assist us in perfectly our plan. Please make sure that you have listed all names of individuals that you give us permission to release your child to in the event of an emergency. It is much better to be prepared for emergencies, and hopefully, we will never have to use it.

Birthday Celebrations

If you are planning to celebrate your child’s birthday at school with his/her classmates, please remember that you may bring in a treat for the entire class. This treat will be served the last fifteen minutes of lunch. Only store bought items may be given to the students. A cookie or cupcake is sufficient. You do not need to provide a drink because students will have their beverage from lunch. Parents of children with allergies should note that they can send in treats that can be stored in the health room and distributed to the allergic student whenever birthday treats are shared with the rest of their classmates.

                                                            Your Reading Specialist Writes:

Dear Woodfield Families,

Welcome back to the 2007-2008 school year!  I hope that you all found plenty of time to unwind and read a good book or maybe cheerfully write in a journal while you enjoyed the serenity of a quiet, warm retreat.  As we embark on a new school year and new routines, I look forward to seeing the familiar and new faces of Woodfield.  If your child would like to share a book or writing he/she completed over the summer, I would love to hear about it all.  I’m looking forward to celebrating the successes and accomplishments of our students and hope to see you soon!

                                                                                                                        Mrs. McGreevy-Dorfman

                                                                                                                        Reading Specialist

Community Forum

There will be a community forum on Monday, September 10, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. sponsored by the Offices of the County Executive and the Office of Community Partnership to discuss criminal justice and its effect on the African American community.  The forum will take place at the Germantown Library, 19840 Century Boulevard, Germantown, MD. 

Johns Hopkins Talent Search

CTY Talent Search 2008 for Grades 3-5 is sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.  The purpose of the Talent Search is to identify, assess, and recognize the academic abilities of highly able students.

To qualify for the Talent Search, a student must have scored in the 95^th percentile or higher on any standardized test.

Brochures and applications are now available in the school office. The application deadline is November 20^th.   More information on CTY can be found by visiting the website: www.cty.jhu.edu.

Please feel free to contact Pat Calvin (301-253-7085) if you have any questions about the application process.

Have a wonderful long Labor Day weekend!!

2007-2008 Important Dates

Friday, August 31 – Friday, Sept. 1            Sally Foster Fundraiser

Monday, September 3                                   Holiday – Labor Day – No School

Tuesday, September 4                                   Instrumental Music Program Meeting 2 p.m.

Wednesday, September 5                              Flyer Distribution Day

Thursday, September 6                                 Back to School Night – Grades 3 – 5

Friday, September 7                                      Woodfield Picnic 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 10 – Wednesday, Oct. 5       MAP R testing for grades 3, 4, 5

Tuesday, September 11                                 Back to School Night – Grades K – 2

Thursday, September 13                               Rosh Hashanah – No School for students and teachers

Thursday, September 13 – Sat., Oct. 13       Ramadan

Friday, September 14                                    PTA Golf Tournament – Challendon, Mt. Airy

Friday, Sept. 15 – Oct. 15                              National Hispanic Heritage Month

Saturday, September 22                                Yom Kippur

Friday, September 28                                    Early Release Day 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday, October 2                                       PTA Meeting

Wednesday, October 3                                  Walk to School Day

Monday, October 8                                        Columbus Day – Open House

Monday, October 8 – Friday, Oct. 12         Fall Book Fair

Tuesday, October 9                                       Fall Book Fair  Open in the evening

Tuesday, October 9                                       Fall Portraits

Tuesday, October 9                                       1^st Grade Field Trip – Rock Hill Orchard

Tuesday, October 16                                     Diabetes Walk during recess

Wednesday, October 17                                NAACP Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Friday, October 19                                         MSTA Convention – No school

Friday, October 19                                         School Beautification Day 9:00 a.m. – 12:00  p.m.

Tuesday, October 23                                     Sally Foster Distribution

Friday, October 26                                         Fall Family Fun Night

Sunday, October 28                                       American Education Week

Wednesday, October 31                                First marking period ends

Wednesday, October 31                                Halloween

Wednesday,October 31 – Friday, Nov. 9     Square 1 Art

Wednesday, November 1                              American Indian Heritage Month

Thursday, November 1                                  Professional day for teachers – No school for students

Tuesday, November 6                                   PTA Meeting

Wednesday, November 7                              Flyer Distribution Day

Friday, November 9                                       Early Release Day 12:35 p.m.

                                                                        Parent Conferences – Report cards distributed

Monday, November 12                                  Early Release Day 12:35 p.m.

                                                                        Parent Conferences

Monday, November 12                                  Veteran’s Day

Tuesday, November 13                                 Fall portrait make-ups

Tuesday, November  13                                5^th Grade In-School Field Trip – Building Bridges  

Tuesday, November 20                                 Grandparent’s Day

Thursday, Nov. 23 – Friday, Nov. 24            Holidays – Thanksgiving – No School

Friday, November 30                         Damascus High School Chorus visits

Sunday, December 2                                      National Inclusion Week

Tuesday, December 4                                    PTA Meeting

Wednesday, December 5                              Talent Show Auditions

Thursday, December 6                                  Talent Show Auditions

Tuesday, December 11                                  Woodfield Concert    

Friday, December 21                                     Damascus High School band visits              

Monday, December 24- Tuesday, Dec. 25   Holidays – Christmas – No School  

Wednesday, Dec. 26 – Friday, Dec. 29        Winter Break – No School

Tuesday, January 1                                       Holiday – New Year’s Day – No School

Thursday, January 3                                      PTA Meeting

Monday, January 7 – Tuesday, Jan. 8         Hearing and Vision Screening (K, 4, and new students)

Wednesday, January 9                                  Talent Show Rehearsal at Woodfield

Thursday, January 10                                    Talent Show Rehearsal at Woodfield

Thursday, January 10                                    Class and Group Picture Day

Thursday, January 17                                    Talent Show Dress Rehearsal @ Damascus High School

Friday, January 18                                         Talent Show @ Damascus High School

Friday, January 18                                         2^nd Marking period ends

Monday, January 21                                      Holiday – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 22                                     Professional Day for teachers – No school for students

Wednesday, January 23                                Flyer Distribution Day

Tuesday, January 29 – Friday, Feb. 1          PTA Book Exchange

Wednesday, January 30                                Report cards distributed

Friday, February 1                                         African American Heritage Month

Tuesday, February 5                                      PTA Meeting

Monday, February 11                                    Hearing and Vision Rescreening (K, 4, and new students)

Tuesday, February 12                                    Holiday – Presidential primary election

Thursday, February 14                                  Valentine’s Day

Monday, February 18                                    Holiday – Presidents Day

Tuesday, February 19                                    DHS and ES choral concert @ DHS

Thursday, February 21                                  Science Expo

Wednesday, February 27                              Early Release Day – 12:35 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4                                          Spring Portraits

Tuesday, March 4                                          PTA Meeting

Thursday, March 13                                      Donuts for Dads

Friday, March 14                                           Donuts for Dads

Monday, March 17                                        St. Patrick’s Day

Monday, March 17 – Thurs., March 20       Terra Nova Testing

Friday, March 21 – Monday, March 24      Holidays – Easter (Note: Passover begins at sundown 4/19)

Tuesday, March 25 – Friday, March 28       Spring break – No school for students and teachers

Tuesday, April 1 – Wednesday, April 30    Autism Awareness Month

Tuesday, April 1 – Wednesday, April 30    Arab American Heritage Month

Tuesday, April 1 – Wednesday, April 30    Month of the Young Child Celebration

Tuesday, April 1                                             PTA Meeting

Tuesday, April 1 – Thursday, April 10          MSA Testing

Friday, April 11 – Wednesday, April 16       MSA Make-up

Monday, April 14 – Friday, April 18 Staff Appreciation Week

Thursday, April 17                                         Kindergarten Orientation – No School for Kindergarten

Friday, April 18                                              Kindergarten Orientation – No School for Kindergarten

Thursday, April 24                                         Take Your Child to Work Day

Friday, April 25                                              PTA International Night

Thursday, May 1 – Sunday, May 31            Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Thursday, May 1                                           5^th Grade Picture – 1:45 p.m.

Friday, May 2                                                Field Day Grades K, 1, 2

Tuesday, May 6                                             PTA Meeting

Thursday, May 8                                           Muffins for Moms

Friday, May 9                                                Muffins for Moms

Friday, May 9                                                Field Day Grades 3, 4, 5

Friday, May 16                                              Rain date for Field Day K, 1, 2

Saturday, May 17                                          School Beautification Day 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Monday, May 19 – Friday, May 23             Spring Book Fair

Thursday, May 22                                         Woodfield Art Show

Friday, May 23                                              Rain date for Field Day Grades 3, 4, 5

Monday, May 26                                           Holiday – Memorial Day

Tuesday, May 27                                           4^th & 5^th Gr. Band, Strings, & Chorus Concert

Wednesday, June 11                                      5^th Grade Promotion

Thursday, June 12                                         Last day of school for students – Dismissal 12:35 p.m.

Friday, June 13                                              Professional day for teachers

Saturday, June 14                                          Flag Day

Thursday, June 19                                         Report cards mailed