Wolftrap Connection - September 9, 2019

Upcoming Events

Calendar Reminder

Sept 11: Walking Wednesday

Sept 13: PTA Meeting (8:45 AM)
Sept 13:  Wolftrap Under the Stars (6:00 PM)
Sept 13: Last Day to Register - After School Programs

Sept 16: Spirit Wear Order Deadline

Sept 18: Walking Wednesday
Sept 18: WatchDOGS Pizza Party

Sept 19: Picture Day


Message from the Assistant Principal

Dear Wolftrap Families:

Students in grades K-6 participate in Family Life Education (FLE) instruction through their classroom teacher and/or counselor. Students in Kindergarten through grade three receive instruction in an emotional and social health unit. Students in grades 4-6 receive instruction in a human growth and development unit and an emotional and social health unit. Parents and families can preview the materials used for this curriculum. Instruction is seen as a partnership among parents and guardians, the school, and the community in supporting the learning essential to the development of strong families, positive relationships, and a healthy community.

Parents/guardians may choose to opt their child out of all or part of the Family Life Education program. Students who are opted out are provided with age-appropriate, nonpunitive alternative health instruction, and every effort is made to foster respect for family choices. If you wish to opt your child out of all or part of FLE for this school year, opt out forms were sent out in your child’s back-to-school packets and are available online for Elementary (K-6) https://www.fcps.edu/academics/elementary-school-academics-k-6/elementary-family-life-education

Detailed grade-level program descriptions are available online at Elementary (K-6). FLE grade level-specific lessons and media that FCPS has streaming rights for are available for parents online in FCPS 24-7 (Blackboard) Parent View https://fcps.blackboard.com/. Account information is available at your local school or online at http://www.fcps.edu/is/instructionaltechnology/247help/parents.shtml. Grade level-specific lessons are also available at the Fairfax County Regional Library in the City of Fairfax (this location does not have media). Grade level-specific lessons and media that is not streamed online are available for review at your child’s school library. Due to copyright permissions, we are unable to stream all media online.

You are invited to attend a pyramid-wide evening opportunity to preview the Family Life Education media and lessons and to talk with school staff about the program. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 25 from 5:30-6:30 at Cunningham Park Elementary School. All program materials and media for all grade levels will be available for your review at this time.

 

Sincerely,

Maggie Grove
Assistant Principal


Wolftrap PTAWTE PTA Drive Week 2


Message from the PTA


Join The Pack
PTA Membership and Friends of Wolftrap

Wolftrap families, we are so close! This is the final week of the PTA Join the Pack drive. We are at 43% of families joined as of Sunday night, a good stretch away from the 60% of families that joined last year- please join this week! If it’s been on your to-do list, now is definitely the time. Every donation makes a difference what we can do this year.

 

Amazon Smile!


As a reminder, AmazonSmile is one of the simplest ways to earn 0.5% cashback for the school. A shortcut on your phone will route you to AmazonSmile, not just the regular Amazon app. It’s quick and easy to do: follow these instructions and earn cashback for the school all year!


Coming up this week, one of Wolftrap’s favorite events, Wolftrap Under the Stars is this Friday, Sept 13 6-8 pm. This is our kick-off fall event with games, food, dancing and more- a night not to be missed! We look forward to seeing you there.

That same Friday morning 8:45 am, join us in the Teachers’ Lounge for our first PTA meeting of the year. You can preview the agenda here. And If you aren’t able to make it, you’ll find our list of day and evening meetings and minutes of past meetings on the PTA website.

Ready to find your volunteer sweet spot? We still have openings on our list of specific volunteer needs. This a terrific year to shadow or co-chair, since a few committee heads will be retiring next year. In particular, that includes Yearbook, After School Classes, and Edison Expo.

Email Jean Lee at volunteer@wolftrappta.org or Jessica Jue at president@wolftrappta.org with interest!


Last, please be aware of two deadlines coming up soon:

Sept. 13, this Friday: After-Schools Registration closes.
Sept.  16, Monday, Spiritwear Sales close.


Hope everyone has a great week!

Your PTA Board,

Jessica Jue, President (president@wolftrappta.org)
Christine Harney, President-Elect (president-elect@wolftrappta.org)
Sarah Helou, Secretary (secretary@wolftrappta.org)
Katie Hunter, Treasurer (treasurer@wolftrappta.org


Wolftrap Under the Stars


Friday September, 13, 2019, 6-8 pm

Join us for a fun-filled night to welcome back Wolftrap! Come have dinner and enjoy a night to play and catch up with Wolftrap families. Food for sale includes Rocklands BBQ, Ooh Dat Chicken, The Big Cheese, Ben & Jerry’s, Kona ICE and Colonial Kettlecorn.

  • Obstacle Course
  • Food Trucks
  • PTA Raffle- Enter to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card
  • Moonbounce
  • Games Galore!
  • DJ and Dancing to dab the night away!

 

Volunteer Help: We are looking for a few more adult helpers with games, cleanup and setup. Please contact Sarah Helou (secretary@wolftrappta.orgif you are available to volunteer 45 minutes of your time between 5:30 and 8:30pm on the night of the event.  


After School Programs

Registration for Fall programs will begin at 7 a.m. September 3 and close on Friday September 13. Some classes fill up quickly! 

To register for the After School enrichment classes, log onto your PTA account and go to the “My Account” tab to register.

Some of the classes offered this Fall include: 

  • Coding with Fun 
  • Sensational Science
  • Petite Pom Pro
  • Spanish for Beginners
  • Comic Book Illustration
  • American Sign Language
  • Harry Potter Master Engineering
  • Beginner Debate
  • Rhythm and Drumming 
  • Mixed Media Art  
  • Chess 

 See the brochure with all available activities and more information here.


WATCH D.O.G.S.

Watch D.O.G.S. - Dads of Great Students

The Watch D.O.G.S. Committee is kicking off another year! We will host an orientation on Wednesday, September 18th from 6:30-7:30pm in the cafeteria. Feel free to bring your child(ren) and join us for pizza! This will also be the first opportunity to sign up for a Watch D.O.G.S. day at school!   

New this Year
I
f you want to volunteer but can't make the pizza party we are giving you early access to sign up for a day at 7:30pm on September 18th (sign up here for "I want early access to the signup").  The sign up genius will be available to the rest of the school on our website Thursday, September 19th.

Please sign up to attend the orientation/pizza party or early access!

Volunteers Needed
We are looking for volunteers to help with the WatchDOGS pizza party (2 adults and 8 students). It's a great opportunity for 6th grade and up to get service hours.  Access the sign up genius here to volunteer for the event.


Education Rebates

BoxTops for Education

The Box Tops for Education program is going digital! Download the NEW and improved Box Tops Bonus App, register our school, and scan all eligible receipts containing Box Tops products within 14 days of purchase. You'll earn 10 cents for each Box Tops product plus extra earnings for any Bonus Box Tops. Do you still have a collection of traditional Box Tops at home? Don't worry! We will continue collecting unexpired paper Box Tops as long as they still appear on products. During the transition from the traditional Box Tops to the new digital ones, you can “double dip” by clipping the paper ones AND scanning your store receipt! Learn more at www.btfe.com


Odyssey of the Mind

Save time for an ODYSSEY this year! Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving program involving students from kindergarten through college. Team members work together at length to solve a predefined long-term problem and present their solution to the problem at a competition. Wolftrap has a strong Odyssey program, and we sent six teams to the regional competition at TJHSST last year! If your child likes to build, or act, or sing, or write stories, or develop crazy inventions this might be the activity for them! We will start registering students and forming teams as soon as our region finalizes the tournament date in March. There will be a parent information session in late September-early October. Before you fill up your schedule with sports, lessons, and after-school activities – considering leaving a spot for Odyssey of the Mind!


Spirit Wear

Wolftrap Spiritwear

Show your School Pride and order your Spiritwear today!  Orders can be placed online here or by filling out the paper order form sent home in folders. These items are only available for a limited time so DON’T WAIT, ORDER NOW!

ORDER DEADLINE: 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th 

 


Safe Routes

We are proud to announce that Wolftrap's Safe Routes to School program was just awarded a $1,000 grant from the State of Virginia!  These funds will be used to encourage more students to walk/bike to school and to help improve the safety of those doing so. Per grant requirements, these funds must be spent during the school year.  If you have any suggestions, please let me know: peterwintermute@gmail.com

 

Reminder:

Please do NOT drop off/pick up students along the school side of Talisman between Beulah and St. Roman. 

No Parking on Talisman

Walking Wednesday

Walking Wednesdays are back and will be held every week outside Door 2 throughout the school year to encourage walking & biking to school! Caffe Amouri has kindly offered to donate coffee to us again on a weekly basis. For those of you who enjoy coffee at WWs and want it to continue, please consider signing up to help with coffee pickup. Sign up here.


Help Wanted: Cafeteria Assistant

Cafeteria Volunteer

Wolftrap Elementary is looking for Two Cafeteria Assistants for this year. Do you know someone who might like to work a few hours during the day? Assist students during lunchtime and help with student clean-up, keep order and dismiss students to their teachers.  $11.22/hour. To apply, please send resume to Dr. Maggie Grove mcgrove@fcps.edu.  


WTE New Staff

New Staff

Ginny Terwelp, Third Grade Teacher:
My name is Ginny Terwelp and I will be teaching third grade at Wolftrap this year. I grew up in Richmond, went to Virginia Tech, and taught Kindergarten in Blacksburg for ten years before moving to Florida. We were in Florida for 6 years and I taught 5th grade, 1st grade, and Kindergarten. We just moved back to Virginia this summer and we are so excited to be part of the Wolftrap community. I have a husband, two daughters, and a dog. My oldest daughter will be a fifth grader and my youngest daughter will be a third grader at Wolftrap! In my spare time I like to run, paddleboard, travel, and spend time with my family.


Amanda Hall, First Grade Teacher:
I grew up in Maryland and attended Stevenson University (in the suburbs of Baltimore—go Ravens!!) where I studied Early Childhood Education.  My first teaching job was in Maryland, where I taught first grade for 3 years.  After getting married, I moved to Virginia and have been teaching first grade right around the corner at Westbriar Elementary School for the past 4 years.  I am so excited to be part of Wolftrap because I have heard so many great things about how this community works together.  I am looking forward to building relationships with the students and families here. 


M
aire Morrison, Special Education Teacher:
Hello! My name is Maire Morrison. I live in Reston with my husband, and our one year old Boston terriers Kona and Lucy. I hold a B.A. in Elementary Education from Goucher College in Maryland and a M.A. in Special Education from Towson University. Previously, I was a special education teacher in Loudoun County. Before moving to Virginia, I was a head Lower School teacher at the Baltimore Division of the Lab School of Washington-a private arts-based special education institution. I am so thrilled to be teaching at Wolftrap this year! I can already tell what a supportive, caring community it is!

 


Community News

For more information on community new and events such as scouting, programs for special needs students, Stemtree opportunities and more, go to: https://wolftrappta.membershiptoolkit.com/


Harlem Wizards vs Marshall Stars

Harlem Wizards vs Marshall HS

Come see Mr. Bechtle, Mr. Campet and Mrs. Stubbs show off their basketball skills as they play against the Wizards!!

Friday Oct 11,2019 7:30pm Marshall High School Gym.  Doors open 6:30!

Come for a fun night filled with tricks, hoops and Alley Oops!  A variety of concessions and dinner available. Order tickets early by clicking here, limited seats available!

Funds benefit the GCM Class of 2020 All Night Grad Celebration and Wolftrap Elementary will receives a portion of tickets sold to Wolftrap families.

Visit www.harlemwizards.com for more info on this amazing team!

Questions?  Please contact Liz Margiotta ecmargi@gmail.com