Week Ending January 29th

     

Dear Wawaloam Community,

I wanted to take the opportunity to update all families on our READ program this year. Students in Grades 1 and 2 are thoroughly enjoying the challenge of being added to the Hall of Fame for reading the most books in their class or in their grade. For every 10 books students read they will earn a colorful link, we are hanging all of these above student lockers and these links are starting to be a popular topic of conversation in the hallway among students!

Here are the hallway links! 

The student in each class who reads the highest number of books has the honor of having their picture hanging in the front foyer of the school! Please help us by encouraging your child to set a goal of reading more books each month than they did the month before. Classes as a whole are also recognized when we announce the winners over the intercom, you can hear the cheering from the classrooms all the way in the office!

Reading Hall of Fame

Our ultimate challenge goes back to answering the question we posed at the beginning of this school year:

How many books do we need to read at Wawaloam School to connect all of our links to make a "chain" around 

our entire school?

100th Day of School Wednesday February 3

We are loving the 100th day of school projects! Keep them coming until next Wednesday. The creativity and pride in these projects is what makes this SO MUCH FUN for our whole school. Classes have the chance to visit the "Hundredth Day of School Museum"  (cafeteria) at some point before the end of the week. We kindly ask that students bring their projects home before the February vacation if they plan to keep their project. Thank you for your participation! 

Our district just received notification we were chosen to represent excellence in Visual Arts learning through the "Gift of Art to the State of Rhode Island." Each year, the RI Alliance for Arts Education selects one District that best exemplifies the required criteria. More information is available on the Superintendent's Blog this week: http://erinakes.blogspot.com/

PTA UPDATES

Family Bingo is this Sunday from 1-3 in the Metcalf cafeteria. Room is still available, so please feel free to sign up or just walk-in and pay at the door (only $5 for the whole family) and remember that your donations to the RI Guard Food Pantry and Exeter Animal Shelter will earn you free tickets for our raffle! Here is the list of needed items:

RI National Guard Food Pantry (please, no expired items):

Pasta and pasta sauce

Peanut butter

Tuna and canned meat (ham, chicken, salmon, etc.)

Canned beans

Meals in a can (stew, chili, soup)

Canned fruits and dried fruits like raisins

Canned vegetables

Low-sugar breakfast cereals and instant oatmeal

Graham crackers

Powdered or evaporated milk

Snack items for kids: juice boxes, single-serve applesauce, granola bars

Toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels

Stop & Shop gift cards (can be used for food, gas and RIPTA passes)

Exeter Animal Shelter:

Dry cat food (Purina Cat Show)

Wet cat food (any brand of cans)

Dry dog food (Purina One, Rachel Ray or Pure Balance)

Canned dog food (Purina One)

Cat litter (Non-scoopable Special Kitty)

Dog treats

Laundry soap for HE washers

Bleach

Paper towels

The EWG-PTA annual fundraiser with BJ’s Wholesale Club ends Feb. 5th. More information about the special membership offer and application can be found on the EWG-PTA website. https://sites.google.com/site/exeterwestgreenwichpta/bj-s-fundraiser 

Consider attending the next PTA meeting, next Thursday, February 3, in the Metcalf library.  This amazing team will be talking about Family Bowling, Sweetheart Dance, and more!

Another note from PTA is that as a policy, they don't send home tickets for events as a way to cut expenses. Anyone who sends in their sign-up and money is all set to attend unless they get a phone call from PTA saying otherwise. We recognize that  there can be  confusion if new parents don't receive tickets, so we wanted to make sure you're all aware. 

See you all when we say goodbye to January and hello to February 1st! 

Melissa Marino

Happy Birthday John Hancock!

Dear Wawaloam Community, 

Although the week was short, we were still very, very busy! Teachers are spending lots of extra time preparing 2nd Quarter report cards which will be coming home on February 12th. 

As a school improvement initiative, we are placing extended emphasis on the importance of handwriting and a consistent approach from Kindergarten through Grade 2. Even though we are more emerged with technology everyday, it is the automatic formation of our letters that lays the groundwork for academic achievement. We know that if handwriting is taught consistently that students' writing quality, quantity and speed have been shown to improve. This is not about rushing students, but about helping them to develop these skills so that the act of handwriting becomes an innate ability that will positively impact performance across all subjects. 

Timing wise, an interesting fact is that tomorrow is the birthday of John Hancock, who is remembered for his signature on the Declaration of Independence. The date is now recognized as National Handwriting Day and in celebration, students will be receiving pencils that say, "I Love Writing". 

We are trying to get outside as much as we can but on some days it is just too cold! Here is a picture of some Kindergarten friends getting the wiggles out using a 2 minute GoNoodle video. Check out that website, it is free and you can use it at home too! gonoodle.com

Mrs. Caron's class getting the wiggles out! 

I hope you all have a great weekend and that we are not hit with too much snow! Enjoy the playoff game this weekend! 

Melissa Marino

Community Announcement Links

http://s3.amazonaws.com/EWGRSDweb/contentweb/CommunityAnnouncements/EWGLL%20Spring%202016%20Registration%20%281%29.pdf

http://s3.amazonaws.com/EWGRSDweb/contentweb/CommunityAnnouncements/EWGLL%20Spring%202016%20Registration%20%281%29.pdf


There is going to be a parents night out event on February 13th. The student police academy along with SGT Petrarca (safety officer) and Sean Fay (firefighter) are hosting this event to allow parents of elementary school children to enjoy a night out for Valentine's Day. SGT Petrarca has reserved the Gym at Exeter West Greenwich High School for the event. The times will be from 6-10 pm and the cost will be $15.00 per child. 

EWG PTA FUNDRAISER WITH BJ'S WHOLESALE CLUB

Open a new or renew your existing BJ's membership and save at least $15!   EWG PTA will receive $5 from BJ's for every participant.  Please send your completed form and payment to Metcalf Elementary School, c/o EWG PTA.   Open to all!  Offer expires February 5, 2016.   

Get Out and Play!

Bundle up for cold day outdoor recess. 

Dear Wawaloam Community,


We would like to let you know that one of our goals is to get our students outside during our scheduled recess time every day. That being said, please be sure they come to school with the layers that will help keep children as warm as possible when it is cold outside. We will gladly accept any warm gear that your children have outgrown as we always have someone who can benefit.

We recognize that playing outside for recess as often as possible is an important goal that we must strive for. Plenty of sources state that getting outside even when it is very cold will help to build up the immune system, provide exercise, encourage the imagination, improve problem solving skills and afford children healthy amounts of Vitamin D. Obviously, we will not go outside during inclement weather or when temperatures are dangerously cold. Thank you for your help with making sure we are bundled up.

During the month of January we are required to practice a second Lock Down Drill.  You may hear about this at some point in the next week or so. Our students always do such a great job following the expected protocol during these drills. Overall, the entire drill takes about 5-7 minutes.

In grades 1 and 2 it has been very popular to write letters about how students have been kind to each other. During whole grade meetings, I have been reading these out loud and it is heartwarming to see the faces of the students light up when they learn that a friend has written about them. This was an idea that stemmed from our PBIS team and so far it has been a tremendous success!

Finally, this week I had the chance to check in with some Kindergarten students who came to show me their outstanding work in their science notebooks. I would encourage you to ask your Kindergartener about the different shapes of leaves. They can also tell you about what trees need to survive! I was very impressed with these little scientists!

Thank you for all that you do to support your children, we truly value this partnership. Your children are AMAZING!

Have a great weekend!
Go Pats!! 

Melissa Marino

January 8, 2016 Wawaloam Information

Happy Friday and Happy New Year! 

We are overwhelmed at Wawaloam by the never-ending Box Tops that come in to our school. We just received a check for over $2000.00 which continues to serve as a support to our student activities and special presentations that we have. Keep these  coming! 

Be on the lookout for information coming home soon about our 100th day of school museum!  The date as of now is February 4th, hopefully the weather will not have an impact on that date. 

EWG Girl Scout Troop 963 is holding a blanket drive through the month of January. New Blankets will be made available to the families in need in the EWG Community. Gently used blankets will be donated to the RI homeless shelters. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated! We have a bin right in the main hallway of our school. 

A special thank you to PTA for the recent approval of an upcoming whole school field trip! More details soon but we are thrilled! 

Community Announcements

There is a notice on the district website under the Community Tab regarding North Kingstown Youth Lacrosse registration. NK is the official league which covers our two towns. Boys and girls in Grades K to 8 can register and play.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/EWGRSDweb/contentweb/CommunityAnnouncements/Lacrpsse-NKYL%20registration%202016.pdf

EWG Girls Softball 2016 Registration: http://s3.amazonaws.com/EWGRSDweb/contentweb/CommunityAnnouncements/EWG%20Softball%202016%20Registration%20form%20%282%29.pdf

​EWG Girls Softball 2016 Winter Clinic Registration:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/EWGRSDweb/contentweb/CommunityAnnouncements/EWG%20Softball%202016%20Winter%20Clinic%282%29.pdf

Have a great weekend! 
Melissa Marino