 WFES fifth grade student Natalie took advantage of a beautful day to practice on her driveway!
Dear Families,
We definitely felt the outpouring of appreciation last week. Thank you for making the teachers and staff feel appreciated.
We have now had several weeks of successful distance learning. Distance learning is made up of several components: the packets that arrive in the mail, teacher provided direct instruction, small group/office hours with teachers, and materials posted in Blackboard 24/7 and GoogleClassroom. All of these components are intended to engage students with learning and support them through the academic content. If you have questions about your child’s distance learning experience, please email your child’s classroom teacher.
While we are not permitted to troubleshoot personal electronic devices, we do have a number of help documents that we can share that will help you troubleshoot those issues at home. On Friday, May 8, Barbara Brand and Brian Hubler, the Wakefield Forest Tech Team, will hold a Distance Learning Help Session for WFES Parents. Currently, the session is scheduled for 10 AM, but if there is sufficient enrollment, we will be able to have a second session at 1:00 PM. Registration is required. Please complete registration by noon on Thursday, May 7. Register with this link to attend.
Remaining active is a critical component of wellness during quarantine. The specialists (Art, Library, Music, PE, STEAM) have posted fun activities on each grade level Blackboard site. These activities may help further engage your child’s creative and energetic side. We hope you will seek safe opportunities to be outside. We had fun just washing the car this weekend!
We miss you all. Stay well.
Sharyn Prindle
Principal
Parent Input for Class Placement Form
We value and welcome your insights regarding your child’s learning needs. We will use this information in collaboration with staff input as we create class placements for the 2020-2021 school year. Many factors are considered in determining class placement. We have an amazing staff and ask respectfully that you do not indicate teacher names on this form. In order to be considered, this Google form must be submitted no later than Tuesday, May 19, 2020.
Please access the form here
New deadline for Yearbook orders – May 15
Yearbooks may now be ordered online through Friday, May 15, 2020. Once completed, the yearbooks will be delivered to the school and we will determine a plan for distribution. If you would like to confirm that you did submit a check to WFES before March 13, please email Julia Ruskin at jsruskin@fcps.edu . Ms. Ruskin has a list of names that she took off orders that were sent from the office; she cannot confirm online orders.
Go to www.scherlingschoolpics.com
Click Order Pictures and Yearbooks
Enter code: FM111429
Kindergarten Orientation & Registration
We will host a virtual Kindergarten Orientation on Wednesday, May 13, 2020 at 4:00 PM. At this event, we will review information about our school and answer questions specific to kindergarten.
Families can join the virtual orientation on CHROME by clicking this link: https://us.bbcollab.com/guest/c6eb13c163f94257988ff37ed4783154
The orientation will be recorded and posted to our website afterward.
If you have a student to register for kindergarten next year, please scan a copy of all required documents to our School Registrar, Ms. Holmes, at KSHolmes@fcps.edu . Original documents will need to be shown prior to the start of the school year, but we can begin processing this information from scanned documents. Early registration for next year is important as it supports the number of teachers for which we are staffed. Information on required registration documents can be found here: https://www.fcps.edu/registration .
Not returning to WFES for SY 20-21?
For membership and staffing purposes, we would like to hear from families who are not returning to Wakefield Forest in August for the 20-21 school year. If your children (K-5) will not be attending WFES in the fall, please let Ms. Holmes know by emailing her directly at KSHolmes@fcps.edu
Progress Reports
Third quarter grades will be available in ParentVUE/StudentVUE on Saturday, May 9. Report card mailings will begin on May 12, 2020.
Announcement from the WFES Specialists
All WFES specialists will begin holding daily office hours the week of May 4. All WFES students should have received a Blackboard Collaborate link to a course titled “Specialist Office Hours” in an email to their fcpsschools.net Gmail account. Each of specialists can be seen by accessing that link according to the set schedule. The schedule can be found on the specialist tab on each grade level’s Blackboard 24/7 courses, or by clicking here (you must be logged in to your child’s fcpsschools.net account in order for the link to work):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZHtRl96nlwUGFosUpFciOj87nFEtjqF8zSOMDJNKVwE/edit#gid=634347005. If your child did not receive the link, please contact Amy Rapuano at alrapuano@fcps.edu.
Each of the specialists also has optional lessons, activities, read alouds, and other resources available on the specialist tab on each grade level’s Blackboard 24/7courses. These resources will be updated weekly, so be sure to check them often! They can also be found by clicking on this link, which is also posted in each grade level’s Google Classroom (you must be logged in to your child’s fcpsschools.net account in order for the link to work): https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q4a3iccSt8ypgE4hUFId0Jy--crqwRZ0GayFNUnx6EE/edit#slide=id.p
Emails from Blackboard Collaborate
It is likely that many students have received several different emails on their fcpsschools.net Gmail account inviting them to various different class sessions, class meetings, and drop in hours with teachers and specialists. Gmail “stacks” multiple emails that come through from the same sender, which may make it difficult for students to see all of their different links. Please refer to the video below if you need help navigate this Gmail feature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=830QSdI-kRs
Attendance
During the direct instruction sessions, WFES staff will be taking attendance and entering it into our online system. This is to allow us to know which students we need to follow up with. We do understand that not all families can attend the direct instruction sessions.
Access to Non-essential Items
Wakefield Forest is closed based on the Governor’s Order and Health Department restrictions, with the exception of activities designated as essential. At this time FCPS is working to develop a plan for returning non-essential items to families. When more information is available, we will let you know. If there is an urgent need, please email me directly at sbprindle@fcps.edu.
Mental Health Support
We understand that this is a stressful time for students and families. If your child needs a check in from a member of our mental health team, please complete this survey and one of our staff will reach out.
If you are seeking supports for working with your child during this time, there are some at this link towards the end of the webpage: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/distance-learning/instruction/learning-at-home
Additionally, the FCPS Parent Resource Center is offering a Wellness Webinar this Friday, May 8:
Maintaining our own mental health and wellness during this time can be challenging, let alone supporting our children and family members. The first step to taking care of our families, is to take care of ourselves.
Webinar Highlights:
• Strategies for maintaining wellness for self and family
• How to talk to my child about COVID-19
• Activities that will foster resilience during this time
• What does stress look like in children?
• Resources to support my child
Presented by Bethany Koszelak, Mental Wellness Specialist for FCPS.
Friday, May 8, 2020, 10 a.m.- noon. Register at link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedQPwtGZdR_ki7FAHzz40iNRI0vqPWUaBQcVvD2VD7I5tqlw/viewform
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