First Week Finished!

 

Congratulations on a successful first week of school! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we practice and implement new procedures. Please note that next week kindergarten students will begin their first full week of school.  This may cause a few delays during arrival and dismissal, but I have no doubt that we will quickly get back into a steady routine of drop-off and pick-up.

 

This week, students did an amazing job practicing the Wiley Way. Continue to speak to your child at home about what it looks like to Work Collaboratively, Act with Empathy, Yield to Kindness, and Respect themselves and others. 

 

Kindergarten Families - First Week - Cheers and Tears (9/5/23 8:45 am -9:45 am ) 

 

Kindergarten caregivers, please join us after drop off on Tuesday, September 5th, in the Learning Commons to connect with fellow caregivers, exchange stories, and form lasting friendships over coffee. Whether you're raising a cup to the exciting times ahead or shedding a tear at the thought of your child's growth, this event promises a supportive and understanding community.

 

Next week, ONLY,  we will allow kindergarten parents/guardians to escort their children to class. This is not a time to linger or attempt to conference with the homeroom teacher. Help your child practice independence by decreasing your support each day (move from walking to the classroom door to the stairs and then finally to the main entrance). Please have your child prepared to walk to class by themselves by the end of the week. Adults will be on duty every morning to assist students with getting to class. If you plan to escort your child to class, please park on Calvin Street or just beyond the parking lot entrance at college place. Do not disrupt the morning carpool by parking in the flow of traffic. Thank you in advance! 

 

1st - 5th-grade families, help us welcome our new K caregivers by donating refreshments for this event. 

 

Arrival

 

Make sure that you have your child at school by 9:15 am every morning. We will continue to demonstrate grace as you make your best effort to arrive before the tardy bell rings; however,  we will soon begin marking students tardy.  The first bell to allow students into the building rings at 8:45 am with instruction beginning at the sound of the 9:15 bell. Consistently late students consistently miss instruction. 

 

Dismissal

 

Dismissal begins at 3:45 p.m. If there are changes to be made to the way in which your child normally goes home, please communicate this with your child and their homeroom teacher. If you need to communicate a change that was not communicated we ask that you call and communicate this with the front office prior to 2:30 pm. We understand that emergencies occur and communicating with us as soon as possible will ensure that the message is delivered in a timely manner. 

 

Excused Absences for Religious/Educational Reasons

 

As you make plans for the school year, we ask that you submit requests for excused educational or religious absences well in advance. All requests should be submitted at least two to three weeks prior to the requested dates. According to policy, excused absences for educational reasons are authorized for educational experiences that are comparable to school academic experiences. The intent of the experience should be educational from the outset and an academic assignment (i.e. journal entry, reflection, presentation, images, project, etc.) will be required as verification of the educational experience.  Family trips and vacations that were not designed, initially, to be educational will not be excused. The form linked here should be used to request the excused dates prior to the absence. 

 

Office Closed Daily 3:30 - 4:15 

 

This year we will close our office for dismissal between 3:30 and 4:15. At this time, we will not be dismissing students from the office except in the event of emergencies. This is our busiest time of the day and we are completely committed to the safe and timely dismissal of all our students. We ask that if you know that you have to pick up a child for an appointment or special occasion, you do so before this time or communicate the transportation change before 3:30. If your reason for early dismissal can wait, we ask that you wait patiently in our carpool line as every minute of instruction matters. Fifteen minutes of missed instruction a day is more than an hour of missed instruction a week.  Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. 

 

New Security Checkin - Photo ID required 

 

We will use our new security check-in for all visitors, late arrivals, and early departures. Your photo ID is required to visit any location on campus and to check out your child early any time during the school day. Please communicate this to all family members and other individuals who may participate in this process.  

 

Volunteers- You must register EVERY YEAR!  

 

Parents, staff, and community members may now register to volunteer in our schools through MyVolunteer. All volunteers must re-register with the new system to volunteer in the 2023-24 school year.   If you wish to attend field trips, lead small groups, or volunteer in the classroom you must register to volunteer. 

•  Make sure you include your name and contact information when you begin the registration process.  If you leave the CRC background site before completing your contact information, you will have to begin the process again.

•  You must include your social security number to register to volunteer.  If you do not have a social security number, please contact volunteers@wcpss.net or call 919-694-8233.

• You will be notified by the MyVolunteer system if you are approved to volunteer.

• Volunteer Registration LinkClick the link below to start your volunteer registration: https://myvolunteer.com/wcpss/volunteer/login

American Indian Education Open House on Aug. 31

 

The Office of Indian Education welcomes American Indian students and their parents and guardians to an Open House from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, at the Indian Education Center located at 201 Avery St. in Garner. Share with families who may be interested in attending.

 

Talking Points

 

Please make sure that you have connected to Talking Points in order to receive communication from your classroom teachers.  Talking Points allows families and teachers to communicate through a two-way multilingual platform. With Talking Points, you can reply in your own language and the teacher will receive the message in English. The software used in Talking Points syncs directly to the contact information we have in PowerSchool. If you believe you have trouble connecting or communicating with your child’s classroom teacher via Talking Points first contact the teacher via email and if the problem is not resolved check with our Data Manager (sbbarr@wcpss.net )  to ensure that the information we have on file is correct. 

 

Transportation

 

BUS RIDERS: Please be patient with transportation as we work together to make sure that your child is safe and delivered to school in a timely manner. Remember that if your child is a bus rider they are required to have a bus tag to get on the bus in the afternoon and students in kindergarten and first grade are not allowed to get off the bus unless an adult is visible and recognizable. 

 

CARPOOL:  If you are in need of a carpool tag please visit our receptionist in the front office.  Our carpool is extremely quick and efficient. Please make sure that your carpool number is hanging in your window and facing the outside during dismissal. The first few weeks will be the slowest, but if you pay attention, follow the traffic pattern, and stop at the correct cone (and not your child)  we will be done in 30 minutes or less.  Thanks in advance. 

 

WALKERS: Visit the office if you need a walker tag. Remember that if your child is actually walking home they must leave the premises at dismissal. Families who choose to hang around and play at the playground must adhere to our playground rules. 

 

Chess Club

 

Fall Chess will run on Wednesdays, September 20th - November 15th after school until 4:45pm. Registration is now open to novice and experienced 2nd-5th graders. To learn more and register, please visit the PTA website. 

 

Afterschool Clubs

 

Fall Afterschool Clubs will run on Tuesdays, September 26th - November 14th (skipping 10/31 & 11/7) from 4:15-5:30pm. Registration opens on Tuesday, September 5 at 6pm. Learn more about club topics and registration here.

Band Information Session

 

All 3rd-5th graders are eligible to join the Wiley Band. Registered and interested families are invited to a Band Information Session on Thursday, September 7th at 6 pm at Wiley. Learn all you need to know about the band program, meet with our partner instrument rental company, and have your child try out the different instruments. Learn more about Wiley Band and register now.

 

PTA Sustainability Committee Interest Meeting

 

Help make Wiley a greener school by joining the PTA Sustainability Committee! We will have a meeting to discuss upcoming projects on September 12th. For more information, check out the Sustainability Committee on the PTA website. Have questions? Please contact Lauren Miller at secretary@wileypta.org.

 

Spirit Night at Two Roosters Ice Cream

 

Join us at Two Roosters on Thursday, September 14th, for our first Spirit Night of the year! Two Roosters will donate 20% of all in-person and online purchases made between 2:00pm – 9:00pm to the Wiley PTA. Please share this opportunity with family and friends!

 

Don’t forget to mention “Wiley Elementary School” at checkout (in person and online) to count as a Spirit Night purchase. Read more information here.

 

Next Wiley PTA Meeting

 

Save the date for our first in-person meeting of the year, which will be held on Thursday, September 28th during the Wiley Open House. See this year’s PTA meeting schedule here.

 

If you are not already a part of the Wiley PTA, a donation of $15 or more secures your membership.

 

The Wiley Family Directory

 

Want to connect with other Wiley families or find a carpool partner? To learn more or opt-in, check out the Family Directory page on the PTA website.

 

What's the Wiley Foundation?

 

The Wiley Elementary Foundation is a non-profit group that supports the award-winning quality of our International Studies magnet program, mainly by supplementing teacher and staff salaries. It's separate from the PTA, but the groups work side-by-side to meet different, important needs at our school. The Foundation is led by a Board of volunteers (mostly parents) and offers families several fundraising activities to join in during the school year. Last year the Foundation presented our school with over $22,000. Our biggest event will be the adults-only Wiley Way Soiree on the evening of Saturday, October 21, 2023. Stay tuned for ticket and sponsorship information!

 

Spirit Rock

 

Reserve the Wiley Spirit Rock to celebrate a special event, birthday or thank you! The rental rate is $20 per 24 hours. All funds raised support the Wiley Elementary Foundation. To find out more and sign up, go to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094bafa822a0fb6-wiley#/

 

Upcoming Dates