Fred A. Olds Weekly Update: April 27th
24-25 Olds ES Family Campus Guide or https://bit.ly/OLDSFAMILY
Upcoming Events:
Friday, May 2nd - Makeup day for previous school closure
Saturday, May 3-Trash Clean Up with The Great Raleigh Cleanup, 9-1030AM
Tuesday, May 6th - Character Breakfast
May 5th and 8th - Letterland Day at Pullen Park (WCPSS Event)
Wednesday, May 7th - Walk and Roll to School day
Tuesday, May 13th - Kindergarten Orientation
Growing and Glowing at Olds!
Our Olds PTA has shown a huge amount of dedication and support through the annual fundraiser, Howl at the Moon! A plethora of experiences and goods were offered and were all used for a great cause, our school! This all culminated at a wonderful event yesterday evening. Thank you to those who planned, coordinated, and donated to this effort. Our PTA is constantly glowing and working hard to support students and staff! If you are interested in helping the PTA keep growing, contact them below.
Parent Survey
To support our school in knowing how we have or can support and engage with families, please complete the WCPSS Panorama Parent Survey. We are striving for a 80% participation rate, help us get there!
https://surveys.panoramaed.com/wakecounty/family/surveys?language=en
Yearbooks Available for Purchase
Now's the time to purchase your child's yearbook! You can refer to the flier sent home in Tuesday folders or go to https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016052151643383 to purchase. Please consider donating a yearbook when you purchase one for your child.
Lost and Found Pictures
Parents, please review these pictures to see most of the current items in the lost and found. There are a large number of items included, please make sure you retrieve your items as soon as possible.
Pictures can be found at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e_5EJdUvJeXUD-vnggPcWK2SOKcIY5Cx/view?usp=sharing
Kindergarten Orientation
If you have a rising Kindergarten student, please join us on Tuesday, May 13th at 9 am for Kindergarten Orientation! An email was sent to those families who have already enrolled. If you have a rising Kindergartener or know someone who does, please make sure they are enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year.
Letterland Days at Pullen Park
WCPSS’s annual Letterland Days at Pullen Park is an exciting, interactive event where young learners experience the world of Letterland—an engaging phonics program that turns letters into characters with stories, songs, and hands-on activities. This is a perfect event for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students and pre-school aged children.
Join on May 5 and May 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Pullen Park to meet Letterland characters, and to participate in hands-on arts and crafts and literacy activities! Admission into the park is free and ride tickets are $2. Register to attend here. Learn more here.
Save the Date: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony
Parents of 5th grade students, please save the date and time for this year’s Promotion Ceremony. The Ceremony will begin at 9:30 am and doors will open at 9 am for audience members to arrive.
PTA Updates
Advocacy Update
The 2025-2026 state legislative session is underway and several bills impacting public education have been introduced. A couple to pay attention to are:
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HB 806 - Public School Operational Relief - would eliminate class size limits for K, 1, 2, 3 and reduce the amount of required licensed teachers to only 50% of the teachers in a school, bringing traditional public schools down to the level required of charter school staff.
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HB 636 - Promoting Wholesome Content for Students - allows censorship of school libraries and allows any person in the community served by the school district to file legal action against the district.
For a complete list go to Legislative Updates – Public Schools First NC
Additionally, the NC Senate has already introduced and passed its budget plan, which includes just a 2.3% raise for teachers and 1.25% raise for school employees – both increases fail to match inflation. In a recent press release, Dr. Shaneeka Moore-Brown, NCPTA President, said “This budget overlooks the real needs of our schools and public school families, opting instead for shortsighted policies that undermine the well-being of our educators and students. The Senate’s budget . . . fails to recognize the vital role that education plays in the future success of our state and our children.”
Although the Senate has already passed its proposed budget, they will have to negotiate with the House to reach a final budget so there is still time to advocate for changes. The NCPTA created a sample letter you can use to contact your state Senator to encourage them to invest more in our school. The letter is here and you can find your legislators here. The House’s budget plan is expected soon.
Trash Clean Up with The Great Raleigh Cleanup- May 3rd
The Great Raleigh Cleanup is coming to Olds Elementary on Saturday, May 3rd! Join us from 9-10:30 to hear about the mission of The Great Raleigh Cleanup and do a trash pick up in the blocks surrounding our amazing school.
Waivers will need to be signed when you arrive. Some trash grabbers and gloves will be provided by the organization, but please feel free to bring your own if you have them! To give us an idea of how many folks may be coming, please sign up here.
Yearbook Pictures
The Olds PTA yearbook is in need of pictures! We’re filling out the pages from the first half of the school year and could use more pictures from all kinds of events: choir, fall festival, field trips, first day of school, spelling bee, and walk/roll to school. And keep those pictures from the rest of the year coming in, too! It helps if you put the event or grade in the email subject.
If you’ve been meaning to send pictures but haven’t yet, go ahead and email them to oldsptayearbook@gmail.com.
Book Giveaway
Heads up: Olds will be collecting books for a free summer book giveaway again this year at the end of May. There will be collection boxes at school the week before the event. We accept picture books through YA novels (no board books or workbooks). Contact Amy Weinberg (amy.weinbergnc@gmail.com) with questions or to arrange an early book drop off.
Follow Us On Social Media
To keep you updated on exciting events, important announcements, and ways to get involved in our school community, we invite you to follow our PTA on social media!
Find us on:
- Facebook: Old’s Elementary PTA
- Instagram: @oldselementarypta
By following us, you'll stay in the loop about upcoming activities, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support our students and teachers. We love sharing photos from events, helpful resources, and community news that benefits our families.
PTA Calendar
Click here to access this year’s PTA calendar of events!
Spirit Rock
Interested in reserving the spirit rock? Click here!
Please continue to visit our website at www.wcpss.net/oldses. As always, please reach out to the main office should you have any questions or need additional information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Kristen McCollum
Your Proud Principal
