January 27, 2017

In honor of Groundhog Day, and in an effort to understand the dynamics of a day in the life of a student at Wawaloam School, I will be participating in the SHADOW A STUDENT CHALLENGE. I am looking forward to this experience and hope to gain new insight to reflect on and share with you soon! Here is the challenge information that inspired me: 

This February join school leaders like you who will participate in the Shadow a Student Challenge! This year, our goal is for even more of you to put on sneakers, learn about your students’ needs, and take action. Be sure to sign up before Groundhog Day on February 2 to connect with other Shadowers and be part of a collective movement of educators making a positive change in their schools.    

http://shadowastudent.org/

Thank you to everyone for all of your survey responses! We take these very seriously and we are working as part of the School Improvement Team to address some of the comments and suggestions. We also truly appreciate all of the positive comments about Wawaloam School, it truly is a special place! 

REMINDER: THIS TUESDAY ALL STUDENTS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO TRY THE BROCCOFLOWER~

Wawaloam Kindergarten and Lineham Pre-School registration is happening now at Wawaloam and Lineham School.  If your little one will be 5 on or before September 1st, 2017 you may register him/her at this time. 

PTA KIDS CHOICE BOWLING EVENT IS THIS SUNDAY 1/29/17

PTA MEETING THIS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 at 6:00 at Metcalf S 

SAVE THE DATE: MARCH 22, 2017  K-6 MATH NIGHT AT METCALF SCHOOL 5:30-7:30

COMMUNITY NEWS YOU CAN USE:

Screenagers Announcement:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjekNnM2lTamFjRkE/view

Please join us on Wed., Feb. 1, 2017 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm in the EWG Junior/Senior Library (snow date, Feb. 2, 2017).  Any questions, contact Catherine Murray, Middle School Counselor at 397-6898 x 219 or catherine_murray@ewg.k12.ri.us  

Week Ending January 20th

Thank you to so many of you who sent back the Wawaloam School Survey information. We truly appreciate the open and honest communication we received from you! We will be reviewing this feedback at an upcoming School Improvement Team Meeting.

BOWLING EVENT

On behalf of the PTA, please remember to sign up for the bowling event next Sunday, January 29th. Have fun indoors the week before the Super Bowl! Just $10 a bowler. Proceeds benefit the science programs, school field trips and much more!

There will be fun raffle items, including lift tickets to Wachusett Mountain! The time slots are: 10:30 to 12; and 12:30 to 2.  Thanks for your support.

Remember the Kumquats? At the end of the month, we will all have a chance to try the BROCCOFLOWER!

Have a great weekend to all! Go PATS!!!

Melissa Marino

COMMUNITY INFORMATION 

URI Swim Lessons

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjQm5Id0pVaUhBa1U/view

8th Grade Parent Information Night Notice:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjUE5SWERkZlJ0U1k/view

Lacrosse Registration:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjNzEzVElZZGdGZUE/view

Week Ending 1/13/16

Lots of Team Spirit Today at Wawaloam School! 

What a great way to end the week! So many friends participated in our Show Your Team Spirit Day today!!  We were able to honor everyone's favorite team today, it was fun to see all of the different sport and recreation team gear!  We are looking forward to the Patriots game this weekend! 

A reminder that on Monday, January 16th  it is Martin Luther King Day and there is no school.

With the fair weather forecast, hopefully everyone will be able to spend some time playing outside in the fresh air.

I wanted to share what I read about having a chance to see seals this weekend. I copied and pasted the following right from the website Rome Point Seals 

Thursday, January 12, 2017  We squeezed in a quick seal hike today to scout out the situation for the upcoming MLK day holiday weekend. All signs indicate plenty of seals around, a run of good weather, and extra low tides for the 3 day weekend so we intend to take full advantage of the upcoming seal watching opportunities.  An afternoon seal watch this weekend should make for good seal observation unless watercraft work their mischief and chase the seals from the rocks.

This would be a GREAT way to spend some time as a family. If you have never taken this hike, consider doing so. Check the low tide times before heading out.

Have a wonderful weekend, thank you for another great week with your children. 

Melissa Marino
#ewgrsd 

January 6 Wawaloam Updates and Information

Dear Wawaloam School Community, 

Happy New Year to everyone! I know that 2017 will be a year filled with growth, excitement, and learning! We are all back in our typical routines after what I hope were wonderful holidays for everyone. My favorite part is following a slower pace for a few days and enjoying the time with my family. 

SCIENCE! 

The New Year brings us many new opportunities for learning including new Science Kits! Ask your children about what they are learning in Science! Kindergarteners have started with brand new science kits on Motion. Grade 1 is exploring Sound and Light and Grade 2 is learning about Solids and Liquids. We will have these kits until March 8th and I would encourage you to ask your child all about the exciting information they are learning about. If you would like more information about the specific learning topics, you can look at the Gems-Net Website and click the grade your child is in for the kits they will explore this year. 

Gems-Net Science Website

PLEASE CONSIDER FILLING OUT THE YELLOW SURVEY THAT CAME HOME THIS WEEK. WE WILL REVIEW THESE AS PART OF OUR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM AND YOUR FEEDBACK WILL HELP US CONTINUE TO GROW AND IMPROVE. 

Please tell your friends that Kindergarten Registration for the 2017-18 school year will begin January 24-February 23 on Tuesdays-Thursdays from 10:00-2:00. Special arrangements can be made by calling the office at 295-8808. 

At Wawaloam School, we will continue to monitor attendance closely and want to work with you if you are struggling to get your children to school on time. The beginning of the day is such an important part of feeling ready and organized for children.  The morning routine helps set the tone for the day and is an integral part of community building in the classroom. We just want to let you know that we are always available to help in any way we can! 

DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN? 

Hoping you are all ready for the snow we are anticipating for the morning! If you build snowmen, send pictures to melissa_marino@ewg.k12.ri.us and we will print them for all of the students to admire on Monday! 

Enjoy the weekend~ !

Melissa Marino  #ewgrsd 

Happy Holidays!

What an amazing week! We hope you enjoyed all of the activity as much as we did. Thank you to all of you that came and volunteered and helped us to make all of the holiday magic happen!

Wishing you all a joyous and magical holiday break! Looking forward to seeing you all in 2017!
A special thank you to Rick Rheinberger (GRINCH) for his annual trip to Wawaloam School to read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!

In closing, I just want to say how fortunate I am to lead this school.The smiles, the laughter, and the joy infiltrate our hearts every single day. Enjoy the time off together.

Respectfully,
Melissa Marino #ewgrsd

*Please take a moment to read the Superintendent's newest blog post by following the link below:

http://erinakes.blogspot.com/

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

​URI Water Safety Instructor Training link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjQkttNi1uSmtFRTA/view

URI Lifeguard Training link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjOFBwYUJNbkNZR1U/view

ATTENTION PARENTS OF PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN The Family and Consumer Science Department at Exeter-West Greenwich Senior High School in conjunction with the Child Development classes will be offering a 12-week preschool experience for 3, 4 and 5 year olds from February 27th to May 25th, 2017. High school students will plan and operate the preschool experience under the guidance of Linda Sawicki; Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher. The program will be run from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, every Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Class size will be limited to 12 children and enrollment will be on a first come basis. Children must be potty trained (no pull-ups) at the time of registration. The total cost of the program will be $70.00 to cover snacks and supplies. Payment is due on the first day of preschool. Any questions should be addressed to Linda Sawicki at Linda_Sawicki@ewg.k12.ri.us. Once again this year we will be using an online registration form. To access the online registration type the following link into your web browser.

 https://goo.gl/B3rsSo

Week ending December 16th, 2016

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to invite Nurse Larkin to the Kindergarten meeting to share the "cough spot" presentation with our students. On an annual basis, for the past several years, we have spent the time reviewing the benefit of coughing into your elbow (instead of your hand) as a method of preventing the spreading of germs.  For more information :Cough Spot 

Caution: Your Kindergartener may have come home and told you that Mrs. Larkin showed them her elbow tattoos and that I sneezed on them! Rest assured, this is all part of the collaborative presentation we have been working on together for the past 4 years!  Mrs. Larkin has very convincing "stuffed animal" germs and we use a handful of pom-poms to show what it would look like if you could actually SEE the germs when someone sneezes/coughs!  I hide the pompoms in my hands and fake sneeze toward Mrs. Larkin and all of the colorful pom-poms go FLYING! This is all part of the student engagement process. Did they mention any of this to you? We would LOVE to know if you heard about this! 

The Cough Spot Tattoo (on Nurse Larkin)

Obviously, we do not want children who are sick to come to school, but we want to do whatever we can to prevent as many absences as possible! The statistics that show the difference it makes when students miss just a couple of days per month are vitally important to consider when you make the decision to keep a child home from school. The following link will provide you with some interesting facts about the significance of attendance and what you can do at home to avoid chronic absenteeism from school.

*We will be recognizing children who have missed one day or less during each quarter with a certificate of congratulations. 

Parent Information Regarding Attendance 

Attendance Works is a national and state initiative that promotes better policy and practice around school attendance. We promote tracking chronic absence data for each student beginning in kindergarten, or ideally earlier, and partnering with families and community agencies to intervene when poor attendance is a problem for students or schools. DID YOU KNOW? • Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school. • Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) can make it harder to learn to read. • Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks. • Being late to school may lead to poor attendance. • Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit now so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work. 10 Facts About School Attendance Worth Thinking About TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20th WHOLE SCHOOL PAJAMA DAY AT WAWALOAM SCHOOL Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!  Melissa Marino  @MelissaMarino9   #ewgrsd COMMUNITY NEWS *CLASS OF 2019 BREAKFAST WITH SANTA EVENT CANCELED Unfortunately the Breakfast with Santa event scheduled for Saturday, December 17th has been canceled due to lack of ticket sales.

Week Ending December 9th

                                     

                                  Bwana Iguana Visits Wawaloam Kindergarten Students

       


A very special "Thank You" to Mr. Alan Shawn Feinstein for making it possible to have a visit this week from Bwana Iguana for our Kindergarten students. The show included seeing an array of turtles, lizards, and snakes and learning new information about these fascinating reptiles! Check it out! Bwana Iguana

Did you know that tomorrow (12/10) from 1-3 you can ice skate for free at the Boss Arena if you bring an unwrapped new toy for a child. If you have never gone, consider trying it out. They have special little carts that new ice skaters can use to help them keep their balance on the ice. Once you get over the workout involved with getting everyone laced up and on the ice, it is a blast!

There are still about 40 tickets left for the EWGPTA Polar Express event! If you are interested, you can contact Tami DePietro at jd340@cox.net.  She would need your child's name and the number of people in your group.
Children are invited to wear PJs, bring blankets and they will be serving hot chocolate and cookies!

Check out this link for a few suggestions as we get closer to the holiday celebrations.
Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday
My favorite? #4 Remember why you are doing this. Ask yourself why you celebrate certain holidays. If this task or that errand doesn't contribute something meaningful to your celebration, cross it off your list. Chances are no one will notice that it’s missing.

I will end this week with a special picture that exemplifies the mindset here at Wawaloam: Mr. Greenberg, our Elementary School Social Worker happened to be wearing a yellow and black vest today. I told him I liked his bee vest! I told him he needed to wear the antennae headband. I asked him if I could take a picture, he didn't even blink. We decided he should stand next to the Bee Kind poster in the office. 

The people who work here make such a difference every day! They would do anything for your children! Just look at this picture and you will agree! 

COMMUNITY NEWS YOU CAN USE 

~EWG Class of 2019 Breakfast with Santa Fundraiser~

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjVS1hR2xGQ3hGN3I5VnVyLW1DNkxkbjNrU3Iw/view

EWG Knights Youth Football & Cheer - Informational Flyer Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_SShHJTJjZjU19qdXUxZ21iZWs/view