Hello Wonderful Wendell Families,

  

     Here are the Sunday Night Announcements for the week of September 13th:

 

 

     New Stuff

 

     Open House Extravaganza

     Please mark your calendars for the evening of Tuesday, September 21st and make plans to attend our Open House Extravaganza!

 

     This is an opportunity to visit your child(ren)'s classroom(s), where teachers will share a 20 minute presentation detailing grade level-specific curriculum and procedures.  There will be two sessions during each block (see below) to accommodate families with multiple children. 

 

     As we did with our Meet The Teacher event in August, our Open House Extravaganza will be staggered in order to comply with health and safety recommendations.  Here is the schedule:

 

     4:45-5:05, 5:10-5:30 - Last Name Q-Z

     5:30-6:00 - General PTA Meeting in the Auditorium

     6:00-6:20, 6:25-6:45 - Last Name H-P

     6:45-7:05, 7:10-7:30 - Last Name A-G

 

     There will be dinner available for purchase (more on that next week, as details are still being finalized), so please consider bringing a blanket/chairs and enjoying a picnic on the front lawn before or after your session.

 

     The PTA meeting at 5:30 in the auditorium is open to everyone, as there is plenty of space there to socially distance.

 

     Please contact me at jzellmer@wcpss.net with any questions/concerns... See you there!

 

     Z-Chat on Tuesday

     You are invited to join me for lunch via Google Meet on Tuesday anytime between 11:30am and 12:30pm for the first Z-Chat of the school year.  This informal time is your chance to ask questions, share concerns, or simply spend some time talking with me about any school-related topic you'd like!

 

     In case the hyperlink above doesn't work, here is the full link:    https://meet.google.com/tmz-cfqe-jpk

 

     No School on Thursday

     There will be no school for students on Thursday, September 16th (WCPSS Teacher Workday).  Students will return on Friday, September 17th.

 

     National PTA School of Excellence Survey

     In order for WES to continue as a National PTA School of Excellence, we need all of our families to complete this short survey.  It should take less than 5 minutes... Thanks for your help!

 

     Apex Fun Run Program

     After taking a break last year, I am pleased to announce that WES will once again participate in the Apex Fun Run fundraiser this fall.  The two-week program will begin on September 27th and culminate with the Fun Run on October 7th. 

     For those of you new to WES, the Apex Fun Run has been our primary fundraiser for the last few years... More information will be shared soon.  Thanks in advance for your participation!

 

     Instructional Assistant Appreciation Week

     Please consider doing something to celebrate our fantastic Instructional Assistants this week!

 

 

     Friendly Reminders

 

     Morning Arrival

     Students may not arrive to campus before 8:00 each morning, as there are no teachers on duty until then.

     Carpool families, please keep your child(ren) in your car until staff comes out when the 8:00 bell rings.

     Families with students who walk to school, please do not allow your child(ren) to arrive on campus before 8:00.

     Families of bus/cab riders... You're good.  We don't unload buses and cabs until 8:00 anyway.

 

     If your child(ren) arrive(s) late (after 8:30am), you must park and walk them to the front door, where you'll be buzzed into the office to sign in.  Please do not simply drop your late child(ren) off in front of the school, as there are no staff on duty after 8:30am.  

     

     Ms. Armstrong and I will reach out to any families who consistently don't comply with our procedures... Thanks for your cooperation!

 

     Afternoon Carpool Procedures

     Our new dismissal procedure this year during afternoon carpool has been successful so far.  At this time, new carpool numbers/tags will not be distributed... Families can simply come through the line as usual.  We hope to fully implement our new system later this month, at which point new tags will be issued to all carpool families.  Please contact Mr. Zellmer at jzellmer@wcpss.net with any questions/concerns. 

 

     Thanks for continuing to follow these procedures during dismissal:

 

     - Please go through the carpool line at the end of the day.  Yes, the line is long.  Yes, you may have to circle the building a few times before you can get into the carpool loop.  But you are setting an example for your child(ren) by following the school rules and procedures... Thank you!  

     - Please do not park your car and walk up to ask for your child(ren).  If you do, you'll be asked to go back to your car and come through the carpool line like everyone else.  You are also setting an example for your child(ren) by not following the school rules and procedures.

     - Please be kind to our staff and to each other.  WES staff work together to safely dismiss over 200 carpool students each day, and we're all doing the best that we can... Thanks for choosing kindness!

 

     Proper Wearing of Face Coverings

     With cases on the rise across WCPSS, here is a reminder about the importance of our children wearing face coverings properly while on campus here at WES:

 

     In the event of an positive case at school, if face coverings have been worn appropriately (over nose, mouth, and under chin) and consistently by both the person with COVID-19 and the potentially exposed child, then the potentially exposed child does not need to quarantine.  Wearing a face covering properly may end up keeping your child(ren) at school instead of at home for two weeks!

 

     Please consider having this discussion regularly with your child(ren), as we want to keep as many kids on campus for in-person learning as possible. 

 

     Essential Visitors on Campus

     Determining what constitutes an “essential visitor” is now a school-based decision in WCPSS.  Here at WES, there are four circumstances under which families will be admitted into the building:

 

     - Checking your child(ren) in late

     - Checking your child(ren) out early

     - The office has contacted you asking you to come pick up your child

     - You have a scheduled meeting with a WES staff member

 

     Thanks for your cooperation... Please contact the front office with any questions/concerns.

 

     Join the PTA!

     Please join the PTA (and purchase some new WES spiritwear!) by following this link.

 

     Sign Up for the Spirit Rock

     The WES Spirit Rock is a great way to celebrate your student! Here's how:

 

     1) Email WES PTA to reserve the week you want to paint the rock.

wendellespta@gmail.com

 

     2) After you receive confirmation for your week, pay the $25 fee on memberhub here:

https://wendelles.memberhub.com/store/items/147443

 

     3) Paint the rock on Saturday or Sunday to celebrate your student!

 

     Thanks for supporting our Wendell Eagles!

 

     WES Family Handbook

     Please take some time to read through our 2021-2022 WES Family Handbook, which contains school-specific information on a variety of topics.

 

     Here Comes the Bus App

     The Here Comes the Bus app is now available in the App Store for WES families.  Existing app users will need to add students back but should not need to reinstall the app.  Please reach out to Ms. Armstrong at asarmstrong@wcpss.net with any questions/concerns.

 

     Mr. Zellmer's Google Voice Number

     Once again, I have a Google Voice account dedicated solely to one-on-one family communcation.  Please text or call me at 919.374.0503 anytime!

 

 

 

     WHO'S GOT IT BETTER THAN WES?  NOBODY!