Gearing up for another year!
It is time to officially welcome all of you to the 2019-2020 School Year and update you on some news from WES. This is an exciting year for WES as our enrollment has grown from 210 to 280 students with this year’s merger of RES 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, TPVS, and WES. We extend a warm welcome to our new families from Bridgewater, Pomfret, and Reading, our new prekindergarten and kindergarten students, and those families who have moved to the area from other regions and states. For all families who were previously a part of RES, TPVS, or WES, this year represents quite a change to a larger, combined school. Our staff is optimistic and enthusiastic about the opportunities presented in this collaboration, and we look forward to building a vibrant, cohesive community with you all.
Teachers New to the District: Please help us welcome the following WES teachers who are new to Windsor Central: Eirene Mavodones, Art; Patrick McDonough, PE (Never fear, Mr. T will still be at WES, too); and Amanda Rank, Special Educator. As announced last spring, we have a group of talented teachers who have joined us from TPVS and RES. This summer, we hired several new paraeducators and support staff your children will get to know soon.
Here are some orientation dates to be aware of as the school year approaches:
PreK Playground Social: Thursday, August 22nd: 4-5 PM
Kindergarten Playground Social: Friday, August 23rd: 5-6 PM
PreK Orientation for PreK students and families: Monday, August 26th: 3-4 PM
K-6 Meet Your Teacher Night: Monday, August 26th:
- 4:30 PM for new-to-WES students and families (school tours, smaller group introductions
to teachers and new peers)
- 5:30-6:30 PM for new and returning WES students and families to mingle
Information about the school and classrooms can be found in a variety of places. A link to the school district calendar PDF can be found here. We also have a WES Google events calendar you can add to your computer, tablet, or smartphone to follow school events, and a PTO Facebook page. Many class newsletters and blogs can be found here and will be updated soon by the teachers. Teachers will share information with you about how to access their class news online. For general school information, your best source is the WES Admin Assistant David Miles (davidmiles@wcsu.net, 457-2522).
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 28th with school starting at 7:55 AM and dismissal at 2:50 PM. Children may be dropped off starting at 7:30. The playground opens at 7:40. We will send bus route information out as soon as it becomes available to us.
Parking: Parking for drop-off and pick-up at WES is very limited and can be challenging. There is a drop-off zone in front of the school where no parking is permitted between 7:30-8:00am. Woodstock Police are working with us to create an additional drop-off zone if possible. The best way to ensure a smooth drop-off is to arrive early! The back-ups tend to happen from 7:50-8:05. Please read and follow the parking instructions found here.
PBIS Updates: The merger of students and staff from three schools presents the opportunity to revisit our school culture systems. WES is proceeding into our third year of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) but with some revamped procedures thanks to the input of our new staff. As always, the emphasis is on explicit teaching school expectations and recognizing students with verbal praise when expectations are met. In place of our previous paper paw prints to accompany student recognition, we will use a penny system. Pennies will not be given to individual students but will go into a communal class jar.
Classes will be working towards school-wide charitable donation goals. We hope that students will earn over $500 worth of pennies this year to be donated to charitable causes the students will select. We estimate that we will need over 70,000 pennies this year and will seek donations from local banks and families. If your family has a penny collection you would be willing to donate to this project, we will gladly take your pennies off your hands at Meet Your Teacher Night on 8/26.
Playground Updates: This summer, the WES PTO helped launch a fundraising effort for short-term and long-term improvements to the playground. Through the funds raised thus far and a grant from Vermont School Board Insurance Trust, we were able to fix the erosion under the treehouse, relocate some climbing boulders, build up the sandbox, create an auxiliary sandbox, and repair the swingset. This summer, we also anticipate relocating some trees that inhibit ball sports in the small playing field area.
Playground fundraising will continue this year with the hopes of implementing long-term projects such as addressing the hillside trails and purchasing a climbing structure. Information about how to donate can be found here. We are always eager to have volunteers help with the upkeep of our gardens and grounds if you can offer time with projects such as pulling weeds, sweeping sand, and raking mulch.
August 28th will be here before you know it! Enjoy your remaining family time before we kick off the school year. We look forward to seeing you soon. As always, if there are ways we can collaborate to best serve your child, we want to hear from you. Please be in touch if you have questions, concerns, or ideas for us.
Sincerely,
Maggie Mills
Principal