Upcoming Events

April 2 - GRACE Art Jam Session April 3 - Walking Wednesday April 4 - End of Quarter 3 April 5 - Student Holiday, Kindergarten Orientation April 10 - Walking Wednesday, Purple Up! For Military Kids - wear purple to honor military families  April 12 - PTA meeting, Progress Reports Sent Home April 15-19 - Spring Break

Principal's Message

Dear Wolftrap Families,

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT:  Please mark your calendars for our 2019-20 BTSN which will be held on Thursday, September 5, 2019. It will begin at 6:00 PM and conclude at 7:30 PM. This is a parent-only event. 

OPEN HOUSE:  The 2019-20 Open House will take place for students and parents on Friday, August 23, 2019 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM. As a reminder, school begins on Monday, August 26^th this year. The full school year calendar can be found here.

PINE TREE PRESERVATION:  Please be mindful of allowing students to climb the pine trees that are on the side of the Wolftrap property. Students have been observed bouncing on the bottom limbs, and the result is some damage to the branches. Also, please be mindful of allowing students to climb up in the trees. While we love having our students commune with nature, students are making it quite far up from the ground. We do want to make sure children are being supervised by their parents during and after dismissal. 

PARENT VISITORS:  In case you were not aware, parents are welcome to come and eat lunch with their children any day! You do not need to notify the teacher or office in advance, but you are required to sign-in at the main office after entering the building at Door #1. Parents are not allowed to accompany their children at the playground for recess. If you are interested in volunteering, there are many opportunities to include your child’s STEAM time in the Candace Leyton Innovation Learning Lab, GRACE Art, library assistance, Wolfie Time, etc. Field trips and grade-level events are other great options. Please remember that younger siblings cannot accompany you during your volunteer time and that you are only allowed visit the location as indicated on your sign-in badge. This security measure is in place for the office staff and administrators to know where parent visitors are located in the building in case of an emergency. Thank you for understanding the need for these policies.

Thank you for your continued support of Wolftrap and here’s to sunny spring days ahead! 

Sincerely,

Teresa Khuluki

Principal

Message from the PTA

Hello from the PTA!

Winter is gone (at least here in Vienna, maybe not for those in Westeros)! A few reminders about this month:

1. Spring Break is finally here this month- YES!- Reminder- April 15th-19^th is Spring Break – am sure the kids won’t let you forget it.
2. April = the Wolftrap 5K (Sunday April 28^th). If you haven’t started training yet, you only have a few weeks left, so get started! That said, never fear, if running is not your thing, there is something on race day for everyone, with a host of other activities including cheering on the runners! For more details head to the 5K page on our website: https://wolftrappta.membershiptoolkit.com/5K_Fun_Run
3. Mark your calendars for the April PTA meeting: Friday April 12^th, 8:45am, Teachers’ Lounge.  We will be nominating officers for next year’s PTA board, discussing updates to the Beulah Road Safety Initiative, volunteer needs, as well as other topics. 

Finally for this edition, below are a few more details from our PTA Survey (as promised in the last Connection)- this month we focus on PTA Spending Priorities.  Next month:  PTA Communication. 

Wolftrap Community Priority For PTA Spending:  In order to understand the Wolftrap community’s priorities for PTA spending in the 2019-2020 school year, we asked each responder to prioritize ten items for possible investment. These ten items were identified from the PTA spending in prior years, discussion in PTA meetings or through emails to the board.

As shown in Figure3, the top five items ranked #1 for PTA spending were:

1. Technology resources (e.g. computers, software) [example cost is purchase of laptops for entire grade ~$45,000] – 34.51%
2. Classroom grade and school support (e.g. Steam lab, class level funds) [~$15,000 annually] – 19.82%
3. Teacher professional development, teacher grants, grade level classroom support [~$6,000 annually] – 14.55%
4. Family-focused social events (Family nights, BINGO etc) [~$7,000 annually across all events] – 8.18%
5. Outdoor enhancements (e.g. shaded area for playground) [range $30,000 - $50,000] – 7.02%

Figure 3- Distribution of priority of each PTA Topic for investment; Ordered by Priority 1

The top five items ranked #2 for PTA spending were:

1. Library books/materials [~$2,000 annually] – 25.69%
2. Classroom grade and school support (e.g. Steam lab, class level funds) [~$15,000 annually] – 20.72%
3. Teacher professional development, teacher grants, grade level classroom support [~$6,000 annually] – 13.45%
4. Outdoor enhancements (e.g. shaded area for playground) [range $30,000 - $50,000] – 10.35%
5. Technology resources (e.g. computers, software) [example cost is purchase of laptops for entire grade ~$45,000] – 8.85%

The top five items ranked #3 for PTA spending were:

1. Teacher professional development, teacher grants, grade level classroom support [~$6,000 annually] – 15.45%
2. Outdoor enhancements (e.g. shaded area for playground) [range $30,000 - $50,000] – 13.16%
3. Provide Staff appreciation (e.g. Teacher Appreciation Week, teacher lunches) [~$5,000 annually] – 13.51%
4. Technology resources (e.g. computers, software) [example cost is purchase of laptops for entire grade ~$45,000] – 12.61%
5. Classroom grade and school support (e.g. Steam lab, class level funds) [~$15,000 annually] – 12.61%

The top four items most commonly chosen across the top three rankings were:

1. Technology resources (e.g. computers, software) [example cost is purchase of laptops for entire grade ~$45,000]
2. Teacher professional development, teacher grants, grade level classroom support [~$6,000 annually]
3. Classroom grade and school support (e.g. Steam lab, class level funds) [~$15,000 annually]
4. Outdoor enhancements (e.g. shaded area for playground) [range $30,000 - $50,000]

We will be discussing priorities for PTA spending at future meetings, so please review the above and if you have more to add, either reach out to your PTA board (ptaboard@wolftrappta.org) or come to the  next meeting (April 12^th, 8:45am, Teachers’ Lounge) to discuss in person.

Edison Expo and Egg Drop Competition

A HUGE thank you to all the students, parents and Wolftrap staff who participated in the Edison Expo on March 20. The Edison Expo gave students a chance to showcase a project in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, or Math. Over 60 fantastic students presented an experiment or display on a variety of STEAM topics including crystal growing, volcanoes, geodes, feeding plants and flowers, Big Nate, a robotic hand, the brain, and more. Volunteer reviewers visited each presentation to ask the students questions about their displays. Thank you, Jo, Mariam, and Erin!We also had a great time with the first annual Edison Expo Egg Drop for 5th and 6th graders! Please stop by to take a look at the Egg Drop Hall of Fame in the display case. Special thanks to our Edison Expo Planning Committee -- Christine Harney, Amy Herr, and Jessica Jue. It’s never too soon to start thinking about your project ideas for next year!   

School Supplies

Wolftrap Elementary PTA is partnering with Sprout School Supplies again this year to make back to school shopping quick and easy for our families.  Our online store will be open beginning April 1st!  Simply log onto www.sproutsupplies.com/supplykits and use our school code WES002.  Be sure to choose next year's grade level. A portion of your purchase comes back to our school.  More info in this flyer.  Your student's kit will be delivered to Wolftrap in August!    

Spirit Wear

Available for a Limited time! Introducing Hoodies (youth and adult sizes available) with a new Wolftrap SpiritWear Logo! Colors available: Green, Purple & Black with White Logo Deadline to order 4/12/19. When ordering Size UP! The sizing runs small. To order, click here!!

Wolftrap 5K

The 14th Annual Wolftrap 5K is only one month away(Sunday, April 28th.  Fun Run at 8 AM followed by the 5K at 8:30 AM)!  This is our biggest fundraiser and a really fun event including:   music by DJ Darin Pusker, a cake walk face-painting/glitter tattoos games basket raffles teacher pie-in-the-face raffle food for purchase an all-new silent auction (with prizes collectively worth over $20,000 -- such as Disney passes, a ride to school in a Vienna police cruiser and private station tour, handyman-for-a-day, restaurant gift cards, camp gift certificates and more!), plus, returning this year, the teacher pie-in-the-face raffle! Register by Sunday, April 14th to receive your free race shirt before the race!  Click here to register. We need your help!   BASKET RAFFLE DONATIONS - Please consider donating item(s) for your child's grade level (or any grade level).  For a complete list of basket themes by grade level and shipping/drop-off instructions, please see this flyer, which also has info on our RAFFLE TICKET PRESALE, so you can purchase tickets in advance for a discount! VOLUNTEERS- We will need volunteers for the day of the event as well as baked goods for the "Cake Walk".  This is a great opportunity for kids that need volunteer hours. Please sign up here.  TEACHER SPONSORSHIPS - Thank you to those who have already sent in a donation to support your teacher! The two classes that get the most money pledged and the highest participation rate will receive a PJ/pizza/popsicle party!  Check the race page for continued event updates. If you have any questions, please feel free to email funrun@wolftrappta.org.

Camp Invention

Registration is now open for Camp Invention @ Wolftrap Elementary. The camp is offered July 22- July 26 from 9:00 - 3:30pm. You can register here. 

We are looking forward to another great camp this year!

Community News

For more about events going on in our Wolftrap community visit our PTA website homepage and check the Community News section. 

Thank You to Our 5K Sponsors

Friends of Wolftrap -- A huge thank you to our Platinum Sponsors!

The Air Treatment Company has been providing top-quality heating, cooling and indoor air quality services to Northern Virginia since 1958.  Headquartered minutes from Wolftrap Elementary, The Air Treatment Company provides fast and friendly service, and gets the job done right the first time.  Many Wolftrap families use the Air Treatment Company -- if you'd like to join them, click here to learn more.   

Founded in 2000, Acclaim Technical Services (ATS) is a leading language and intelligence services company supporting a wide range of U.S. Federal agencies. They are experts in providing integrated intelligence solutions comprising highly-qualified personnel, leading technologies for data collection, visualization, and language processing, and secure and effective exploitation practices (AKA “tradecraft”). The company provides support to the U.S. Government in over 100 languages. In 2014, ATS restructured to become an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) company, which is uncommon within its business sector. ATS is consistently ranked as a top workplace among DC area firms and continues to grow.  Click here to learn more.

Laura Schwartz has been selling real estate since 2008.  She has sold over 200 homes, mostly by referral.  Laura’s focus is Northern Virginia, in the Arlington, Falls Church, McLean and Vienna corridor.  She has consistently been named a top agent across several major publications including Northern Virginia Magazine and Washingtonian Magazine.  Laura's 1 mission is to help guide you in your real estate transaction - whether it's deciding to buy, sell or stay, she will give you all the information you need to make the right decision for you.  She's also a Vienna Mom.  Click here to learn more.

1903 Beulah Road, Vienna, VA 22812  |  Main Office: 703-319-7300

Attendance: 703-319-7373 | School Website | Twitter

PTA Facebook Page | PTA Website

Join us in our Facebook Group for Wolftrap Families and Staff!