WATTLES EXPRESS Wattles Elementary School

2014 National Blue Ribbon School, Michigan Blue Ribbon School 2013 and 2014 State of Michigan Rewards School

FEBRUARY 7, 2017 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 3

DR. JOYCE BRASINGTON – PRINCIPAL MRS. SHARON KREZA - SECRETARY

MRS. DEB HAZEN - SECRETARY

Dr. Joyce Brasington

Principal

Main Office

248.823.3400

Attendance Office

248.823.3401 FAX: 248.823.3413

Our mission statement

is an acronym for

WATTLES.

Working

All

Together

To

Learn,

Ensures

Success

From the Principal

Dear Wattles Parents and Students:

Honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the

highlights of the month of January. Students in different grades did different activities but all had the same message—acceptance and tolerance.

My two favorite quotes of King’s are, “The time is always right to do

what is right,” and “Intelligence + character—that is the true goal of education.”

Our second grade students completed the sentence, “I have a dream….” Some of the responses include:

“I have a dream the world will talk to each and be friends.” Lidwina B.

“I have a dream to stop people from throwing trash into the sea and ocean.” Lily H.

“I have a dream to end world hunger because it’s not fair that others can’t have food and others can.” Jadyn F.

“I have a dream to stop people from using their phones while they

are driving because you can get into an accident.” Krisanto B. Dr. Joyce Brasington, Principal

Grade Placement Process for 2017-2018

With the school year half-way through, parents tend to have questions regarding our “Grade Placement Procedures” for moving students to their next grade level teacher for the following school

year. Please do not approach your child’s current teacher asking for a specific teacher placement. The following systematic procedures

are used to appropriately place students:

1. Current teachers complete a student profile form for each

student in his/her class. The profile sheet allows teachers to identify individual student strengths and needs.

2. A team consisting of the current grade level teachers and

other pertinent staff such as the reading specialist, special

education personnel, and/or ELL teacher will meet to place students into classes based on information from the profile

sheets and additional insights provided from a variety of sources. The class lists are constructed so that each class is relatively equal with regard to gender, ethnicity, academic

abilities, and social-emotional developmental levels.

3. A team consisting of pertinent staff will meet a second time to review the class lists and make any necessary changes to reflect any changes in enrollment, personnel, etc. that take

place during the summer.

4. Requests for a specific teacher cannot be considered; however, parents may send a letter to the principal describing information regarding their child’s learning style. This should

be submitted before April 1.

5. Parents and students will be informed of the placement for the school year in late August.

Thank you for your time and interest regarding grade placement procedures. We are looking forward to once again using this process

and feel confident that each student will be placed in a classroom that will allow him or her to have a successful school year.

Wattles Wolves

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Your Help is Needed Please consider volunteering in the office clinic. We are in need of

parents to help out with bumps and falls, ice packs and band aids, and an occasional hug. Contact Mrs. Kreza at 248.823.3400 to get on the clinic volunteer schedule as little as one day a week or as

often as your schedule permits! Help is needed Monday thru Friday, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm.

No School – Mid-Winter Recess

All Troy Schools Will Be Closed

Monday, February 20 and Tuesday, February 21

Classes Resume Wednesday, February 22

When to Keep Your Child Home Schools bring children into close physical contact, thus giving communicable diseases an opportunity to spread quickly. Keep your

child home if he or she has any of the following symptoms: Fever

Pain and stiffness of neck and headache

Sore throat

Swelling/tenderness of neck glands

Cough, if persistent and productive

Nausea and vomiting

Diarrhea and persistent abdominal pain

Jaundice (yellowing of eyes or skin)

Rash

Any skin eruptions, if red, swollen and draining

Red or runny eyes

Sneezing or discharge from nose

Following the above guidelines will help prevent a child from developing possible complications and will keep the school

environment a healthy one. More information about communicable disease can be found at www.oakgov.com/health or by contacting

the nurse at (248) 858-1406 or 1-800-848-5533.

Twitter Account

Please follow our school happenings through Twitter. @OneWattles @TSDThinkers @DrJBrasington

Individual teachers may also have twitter accounts which they have shared with their parents.

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News from PTO All parents are welcome to attend a PTO meeting. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 28 at 6:30 p.m. in the media center.

Daycare will be provided.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have made the PTO a great organization!

Please be sure to mark March 24 on your calendar for our first ever Spring Fling Silent Auction Event. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. at the

MSU Conference Center in Troy. While you are enjoying appetizers, you will have a chance to bid on several items such as gift

certificates from local restaurants, Zoyo party for 10, spa services, and much more. Tickets are on sale now. The flyer is included at the back of this newsletter.

Our President, Lori Sisk, can be contacted at sisklori@gmail.com.

Kindergarten Round-Up Kindergarten Round-Up will be held on Tuesday, March 21 at

6:30 pm at Wattles. We are so excited to have this opportunity to welcome Kindergarten parents to Wattles. Parents will hear from our

PTO, principal, classroom teachers, and learn more about the opportunities their child will have while at Wattles. This event is for parents only.

Student Drop Offs

Please do not drop off your child before school until 8:30 am. This is the time we have adult supervision available. Please patiently wait

in line for the drop offs and do not attempt to cut in front of cars. Also, please give pedestrians the right of way.

We move the line as quickly as possible.

COSI (Center of Science and Industry) COSI on Wheels will be visiting Wattles again this year. Our PTO will

once again be providing a day of science, learning, and fun on Friday, March 3. A sign-up genius will be coming out shortly for

parents to assist in this very special program.

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C.A.T. Award Winners

The following students were caught acting terrific. Kindergarten: Ezra Baraiac, Santiago Laredo, Kamal Maheswaran,

Selena Matta, Dean Nowak, Rohan Pavuluri, Joshua Piby, Donovan Ramirez-Vanegas, Samina Reza, Charlotte Riffe, Joshua Sahaya

Arulraj, Arianna Saracevic Grade 1: Tanmayi Anna, Gabriel Bishay, Violet Camus, Tristin

Ecklesdafer, Nya Glenn, Oliver Ivan, Everett Lowrie, Polina Kanivets, Jonah LaPado, Lauren McGlinnen, Mabintou Toure

Grade 2: Sophia Cekaj, Kevin Garay-Estupinian, Lillian Heron,

Gabriel LaPado, Riya Muddulur, Emerson Townsend, Jackson Woods, Nathen Sidelko

Grade 3: Briana Dalziel, John Ghally, Brendan Jaskulka, Phillip Kanoza, Dillan Lindberg, Ariel Ma, Mia Sadowski, Morgan Valle,

Londyn White-Morton, Hannah Roy, Joseph Young Grade 4: Yousif Awni, Mackenna Doyle, Mariam Ebada, Phuong

Giang, Leonard Jones, Juliana LaPado, Sarah Maiteh, Joanna Mathews, Hannah Stevens, Reid Weber, Julianna Zaiat

Grade 5: Isaac Baraiac, Hudson Chavez, Min (Grace) Dai, Olivia Dziewit, Cassidy Horton, Lauren McBeth, Avram Joshua Tarun, Faith

Thomas, Trisha Wright

Students from Wattles have been Published! The following fifth grade students and their invited guests will be honored at a special author luncheon on Monday, February 13. Ian Babcock, Anika Iyer, Medhana Kethamreddy, Sritha Neelam, Ashley

Jaskulka, Faith Thomas, Maya Abbou, Donald Horne, and Avery Gole have stories appearing in, “Does a Cat Really Have Nine Lives?: And

Other Interesting Animal Facts.” The book is published by Capstone. Congratulations authors!

Spring Conferences All kindergarten parents will be invited to attend spring conferences at the end of March. Please be on the lookout for a special sign-up

genius to sign up for your conference time. Teachers in Grades 1-5 will also be holding afternoon and evening

conferences on Thursday, March 30. These conferences are by invitation only and teachers will be sending a sign-up genius to

invited parents over the next few weeks.

Leasing Information This reminder is for our families who lease homes or apartments in

the area. Please remember to turn your new lease in when it expires. We must be able to verify you have a current lease.

Saffron Oil Many thanks to Saffron Oil for their donation of $500 to support student learning in the areas of math and science. Your support is

greatly appreciated and Wattles is pleased to once again be the recipient of the Math and Science Grant from Exxon Mobil.

Upcoming Events

February 13 – Author Maria Dismondy visits Wattles

Week of February 13 – Book Drive by Girl Scouts

February 14 – Students Wear Red to Show They Care

February 16 – 5th Grade Band and Strings Concert at Athens

February 20 and February 21 – No School – Mid-Winter Break

February 28 – PTO Meeting (6:30-7:30 p.m. in Media Center)

March 3 – COSI Day at Wattles

Week of March 13 – St. Jude Fundraiser

March 15 – School Dismissed at 11:57

March 21 – PTO Meeting (8:45-9:45 a.m.)

March 21 – Grade 5 Parent Math Talk at Troy High

(7:00-8:00 p.m.)

March 21 – Kindergarten Round-Up for Parents (6:30 p.m.)

March 24 – Spring Fling Silent Auction Event (6:00-9:00 p.m.)

March 30 – School Dismissed at 12:17

March 30 – Afternoon/Evening Parent Teacher Conferences

(By invitation only through sign-up genius)

March 31 – No School for Students – End of Third Card

Marking

Future Chef Competition Congratulations to 5th Grader Lindsay Burke for being selected as

one of the twelve finalists in the Future Chef Competition. Lindsay will be competing on March 1 at Athens High School for top chef

honors in the Troy School District. Congratulations and Good Luck!

The rest of this document includes information on the following topics:

Kindergarten Enrollment Information

Watch D.O.G.S. Sign-Up Information

Parent Program from Troy Youth Assistance

February Breakfast and Lunch Menu

Spring Fling Silent Auction Event

The Troy School District is preparing for

“February is Kindergarten Enrollment”

We will meet with WATTLES Kindergarten parents to

enroll their students at:

Central Enrollment Troy School District

Administration Building 4400 Livernois Troy, MI 48098

Please see schedule below:

*These dates are specifically set aside for Wattles families.

DAY/DATE HOURS

Monday, February 13 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, February 14 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 15 8:00 a.m.-11::00 a.m.

Thursday, February 16 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.

12:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Watch D.O.G.S. at Wattles Elementary

Calling all fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, and other significant male father-figures in a Wattles student's life! The Wattles Watch D.O.G.S. wants you to join the pack!!

Watch D.O.G.S.® (Dads of Great Students) is an innovative program being used by schools across America which helps them to be positively impacted by the committed

involvement of fathers and father-figures in their student’s life. Not only will you spend meaningful time with your student(s) in the school setting, but the other students gain a

positive male role model. Some students do not have a father-figure present in their

homes. Volunteering just 1 day will make a huge difference.

The Wattles program started this school year with tremendous success - for the school (both students and teachers) as well as for those individuals that had the opportunity to

volunteer as Watch D.O.G.S. All D.O.G.S. will have the opportunity to support students

and teachers in classrooms or in small groups, help in the media center, patrol the halls and parking lot, provide assistance at lunch and even participate during recess – yes,

you can play tag or quarterback again. The possibilities are endless! The children, especially your own, will love having you! And, once you’ve volunteered, the National

Center of Fathering provides you with lots of resource information on fathering and child development.

Please take a moment to sign up for at least one (1) day to be a Watch D.O.G. using Sign-Up Genius from the Wattles website. Select your preferred date(s) and click on the "sign up" button. Then, click on submit

and sign up button at the bottom of the page. Type your child's name in the "my comments" section. Complete the contact information so you'll receive a reminder

email.

If you need assistance or have questions, please contact our parent coordinator, Bob

Schneeweis at rschneeweis@gmail.com, or contact Michael Upton at uptoncm@hotmail.com. If D.O.G.S. can only volunteer in the morning or

afternoon, simply contact the office at 248.823.3400, and office staff will sign

you up directly! It’s that easy.

Join in. Come to Wattles!