December 3 - FCCPTA Advocacy Night
December 5 - Walking Wednesday
December 6 - Talent Show Previews
December 7 - Make-Up Picture Day and Education Survey Deadline
December 10 - Strings Concert, 7 pm
December 12 - Walking Wednesday
December 13 - Cultural Arts Assembly - LM Project
December 14 - PTA meeting -8:45 am / Student Early Dismissal -3 hr early release
December 21 - Winter Holiday Spirit Day -- wear your holiday sweater, antlers, jingle bells, etc.
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Dear Wolftrap Families:
MONTHLY UPDATES: Please take a moment to read the December updates from our grade level teams and specialists: https://wolftrapes.fcps.edu/resources/monthly-updates
COLD WEATHER AND RECESS: Cold weather is upon us and I have been noticing a large number of students arriving in the morning not appropriately dressed for the cold. Shorts, t-shirts, and a light sweatshirt is not enough clothing for students who spend at least 30 minutes outside daily for recess. Please ensure that students are prepared for cold weather and wind with winter coats, hats, gloves, scarves, etc. As a reminder, here are the guidelines set out by FCPS:
Please be advised that it is the intention of the school to hold recess during cold spells and children need to be prepared to play outdoors (jackets, gloves, and hats). We will limit outdoor activities during National Weather Service (NWS) issued Wind Chill Advisories and Wind Chill Warnings. Wind chill is the human perception of temperature created by the combination of the actual temperature and the additional heat loss from exposed skin caused by the wind. This is how cold it “feels” outside (the apparent temperature). The higher the wind speed and the lower the temperature, the greater the wind chill effect.
SAFETY AT KISS AND RIDE: As with bad weather, the cold weather is bringing a lot more cars to Beulah Road and Kiss and Ride. Unfortunately this is causing back-ups on Beulah and frustration for parents to get out of the parking lot. This frustration is evident when cars exiting Kiss and Ride are ignoring the stop sign being held by staff and blocking entry to the parking lot and to the crosswalk. This unsafe condition does not enable staff to see children who need to cross. Please take immediate action to leave the entry into the parking lot clear (meaning only two cars at a time stopped at the Beulah stop sign), to stay clear of the crosswalk, and to heed the stop sign a staff member is holding at the light pole. Thank you for your attention to this important safety message!
PROJECT BASED LEARNING: PBL stands for Project Based Learning. In Project Based Learning, students complete real-world tasks, create products, and present these products to an authentic audience. These projects typically begin with an entry event, which is sometimes led by a professional in the field to be studied. As Wolftrap teachers plan these projects, they often have to search the community for professionals to advise students or to be an authentic audience for student work.
As an example, second grade completed a PBL where students created a severe weather public service announcement (PSA.) The entry event was a visit from a local weather team. Once the projects are complete, second grade teachers would love to have people with a background in safety, weather, or media to give kids authentic feedback on the PSA they created.
If you have an area of expertise that you would be willing to share, please complete the short form below. The school will not reach out to everyone who completes this form, but rather teachers will contact you if you have an area of expertise that can support a project they have planned. https://goo.gl/forms/xpVW5Kk5EqE4osYB2
REMINDER: The deadline for submission of parent Advanced Academic Programs Level IV Referral form is January 10, 2019. Ms. Newman will be hosting a Parent Referral Information meeting on Tuesday, December 6 from 2-3pm in the Wolftrap Teacher’s Lounge. The purpose is to hear about the optional materials you can include in the AAP referral packet. For more information, click here.
The Wolftrap staff is looking forward to an enjoyable holiday season and to the next three weeks of school before break. Speaking of the holidays, if you use Amazon.com when making purchases this holiday season, please consider supporting Wolftrap’s PTA by using this link. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to Wolftrap Elementary whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
Sincerely,
Teresa Khuluki
Principal
 It’s December! With only 3 more weeks of school in 2018, we have just a few things to cover in this PTA message:
First- the last PTA meeting of the year will be held Friday Dec. 14th at 8:45 am in the teacher’s lunch room. Please join us to cover year end topics, discuss issues important to our school, and plan for upcoming events.
Second- there is no PTA meeting in January. This means the next PTA meeting is February 7th at 7 pm in the school library. Mark your calendars now for the first meeting of 2019!
Third- with the holiday season here, we wanted to remind you that you can earn money for Wolftrap Elementary School every time you shop on Amazon simply by using Amazon Smile. There is no fee and Amazon Prime members still get Amazon prime benefits. Visit smile.amazon.com and search for Wolftrap to set up our school as your benefiting charity. Make sure that you bookmark smile.amazon.com and shop through this link every time you need something from Amazon. Friends, family and neighbors may select Wolftrap Elementary and contribute every time they shop as well. Contact Amy Britton at rebates@wolftrappta.org with any questions.
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Spirit Wear Sale-Limited Time Only!
Kids 50th Anniversary Shirts on Sale: Starting November 1st, all KIDS 50th anniversary shirts (youth sizing: small, medium and large) will be 1/2 price ($10 each) while supplies last! If you are interested in purchasing a shirt for your child, please email spiritwear@wolftrappta.org & they will get you a shirt. We also have stadium chairs, blankets, water bottles, umbrellas & adult 50th anniversary shirts in stock. Email us if you need some new Wolftrap gear!
Nominations are now open for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards! To submit a nomination for a Wolftrap Outstanding Employee in one of the categories below, please complete the nomination through this Google form link: https://goo.gl/forms/o4iLC1uwE8PVqoRj2 You may nominate multiple employees as there are several categories. All that is required for a preliminary nomination is a paragraph or two about how this employee demonstrates exceptional work in the criteria for that category. The google form link has more information regarding the criteria for each of these awards and the eligibility requirements are below.
It is not too late to register for this Years Wolftrap Talent Show which will take place January 12th at Madison High School. We are looking for all kinds of family friendly acts preformed by your students, be it dancing, singing, musical instruments, or something we've never seen before.
Previews will be on Thursday in Wolftrap ES room 32, December 6th from 3:30-6:30 (during six different 30 minutes time slots). Please sign up on the PTA Website - sign up located here no later than Tuesday December 4th. You need to sign in to see the sign up. Time slots are handed out based on the order you sign up. Music (if needed) must be either emailed to talentshow@wolftrappta.org or dropped off at the front office by no later than December 5th. You will not be assigned a time slot without your music already in hand.
For more information, please email talentshow@wolftrappta.org.
The PTA's Teacher Appreciation Committee will host "Holiday Delights" on Thursday, December 20th for all teachers and staff at Wolftrap Elementary School.
Our monthly lunches are hosted by each grade level. For this event, we are inviting anyone who has a favorite holiday cookie recipe to participate. We will provide the teachers with small boxes so they can each take home a few holiday treats - like a cookie exchange.
Please use the signup below to share some holiday cheer with our tireless staff!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e094bacae2da02-holiday
The Faculty Volleyball Event Committee is looking for volunteers to help coordinate this fun school spirited event. The event will be Saturday, March 9, 2019. Volunteers will participate in two to three face to face meetings leading up to the event in March to plan music lineups, concessions, half-time shows, school pep rally, anthem singing and local troops for color/guard, and work with our own Wolftrap teacher volunteers to outfit them for the fun event. Please contact Christine Harney (christinejharney@gmail.com) for more information and future meeting times over January - March. It will be fun!
The LM project will be perform at the December 13 Assembly.
LM Project is a highly interactive and engaging show which brings the audience into the world of Broadway while learning a wide spectrum of how-to’s on viewing, performing, and creating shows through collaboration. Our host along with the dancers take the audience on a journey to the world of “Broadway” bringing an opportunity to the students that many never get!
Walking Wednesdays will continue weekly through the end of the year. Caffe Amouri will continue their donations.
 Important Safety Note:
Please do NOT drop off/pick up students along the school side of Talisman between Beulah and St. Roman.
For the safety of our Wolftrap students, please use the designated kiss and ride or park in permissible areas.
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 Box Tops for Education
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Fall Box Tops contest! Together, we collected 5,029 Box Tops and earned $502.90 for our school. Congratulations to the winners of the contest: Mr. Painter's class contributed 632 and Ben Myers collected an amazing 395. Kaylin and Marshall Johnson were close runners-up with more than 250 each. That's a lot of Box Tops! Everyone did an awesome job raising money for the school. Keep up the great work and remember to ask friends, family, and neighbors to clip and save their Box Tops for you.
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Giant A+ Rewards and Harris Teeter Together in Education
Thanksgiving is almost here! Don't forget to register your grocery cards to support Wolftrap Elementary. For Giant, sign up now at https://giantfood.com/school-rewards with Wolftap's School ID: 02136. If you do not know your Giant number, please call 1-877-366-2668, option #1. For Harris Teeter, visit https://www.harristeeter.com/together-in-education#/app/cms and use the code #5578. Don't forget to ask friends, neighbors, and relatives to register their cards too. With 300 families registered, we already have earned almost $1,450 from Giant purchases this year! Contact Amy Britton at rebates@wolftrappta.org with any questions.
Amazon Smile
The holidays are approaching, which means you probably will be shopping on Amazon! You can earn money for Wolftrap Elementary School every time you shop simply by using the Amazon Smile link. Visit smile.amazon.com and search for Wolftrap to set up our school as your benefiting charity. Make sure that you bookmark smile.amazon.com and shop through this link every time you need something from Amazon. Also, share this website with friends, family members, and neighbors. Contact Amy Britton at rebates@wolftrappta.org with any questions.
After School Programs Announcement: Be on the lookout for our new Winter/Spring After School Programs flyer coming up in the December Connection. Some of our new classes will include: Kaizen Karate, Lacrosse/Basketball,Calm Art by Ms. Mallino, American Sign Language by Ms.Robb and Ms. Stubbs, Study Skills by Ms. Kassing and Escape Room Jr!!! Registration opens the middle of December and classes will begin the week of January 28, 2019!
 Save the date! This year's annual Wolftrap Elementary 5K & Fun Run will be on Sunday, April 28th! Last year's race had over 650 registered runners and raised over $45,000 for the school -- this is an event you won't want to miss!
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 Our second orientation event is on Thursday, January 10, 2019 from 7:45 am – 8:45 am in the library. We welcome dads, uncles and grandfathers to join us for donuts and coffee! Please rsvp here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4DA8A92EA1F49-watch2
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Students will be dismissed from school three hours early on December 14 for a school planning day. Classes will resume on Monday, December 17.
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