November 2016

Upcoming Dates: 11/3 Early Release - Conferences 11/4 NO SCHOOL - Conferences 11/6 Day Light Savings - Set clocks back! 11/7 Veteran’s Day Assembly at 8:40 am 11/8 Field Trip: Feeney & Mitchell 11/9 Vision and Hearing Rechecks 11/9 Field Trip: Merz 11/10 Story Teller During Lunches 11/11 NO SCHOOL: Veteran’s Day 11/15 Whatcom Museum Presentations for 5th Grade 11/16 Mobile Dental Clinic 11/16 Field Trip: Foote & Cornelsen 11/17 Family Inquiry Night: Painting Italy 11/18 Picture Retakes 11/18 Field Trip: Howard 11/18 WWU Opera Performs Magic Flute at 8:40 a.m. in WK Cafeteria 11/21 Snowflake Drive Begins 11/22 WWU NeRDS Club Presentations for 5th Grade 11/24 NO SCHOOL: Thanksgiving Day 11/25 NO SCHOOL 11/30 Scholastic Book Fair Begins 12/1 PTA Meeting in the Library with School District Superintendent Dr. Baker from 6-8:30 p.m.

King Elementary 2155 Yew Street Road • Bellingham, WA 98229

360.647.6840 http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org

http://wadekingpta.org

Comments or Suggestions?

mailto:wadekingpta@gmail.com

A Note from the Principal

Dear Wade King Families,

November is here and with it comes another opportunity for our staff to connect with your family during student involved conferences. Most families will be conferencing with teachers on Thursday or Friday this week. If you are unsure of your conference time, please connect with our main office or your child's teacher and we’ll confirm your conference time.

There are several things you should know about your upcoming student involved conference. Your child will come with you and play an important role in his/her

conference. Having children involved in parent-teacher conferences helps children take ownership of their learning, and sets the stage for student goal-setting and accountability.

Your conference will include time for your child to show you his/her work. Teachers will have clear directions for you and your child to follow as well as examples of student work at your child’s grade level. This will enable you to see how your child is performing in relation to grade level standards.

Your conference will also include time for you and your child to meet with your child's teacher. This is an opportunity to work together to set academic and/or social goals for your child.

In most cases, there will be several other families in the classroom during your child's conference. The teacher will be meeting with one family while other students are sharing their work with their family.

Our specialist team will have activities for school aged siblings in the gym on Thursday afternoon and evening and during the day on Friday. If you have two or more school aged children, this is a place that your child(ren) can go when they are not conferencing.

If you have not yet filled out our district online volunteer application, and want to volunteer in our school this year, our secretary Mrs. McMeel will be available to help you complete your application in the office.

During your child's conference, you will see your child's work in relation to grade level standards. Although it is important for you to know whether your child is meeting grade level standards, we hope your focus will be on the growth that your child has made and that you will support him/her in setting short and long term goals.

(continued on the next page)

Volunteer Opportunities

Math Tutoring We have several students who would benefit from individualized math tutoring. If you are a parent who would like to be trained and could commit to working with one or more students 2-3x/week, please contact our Dean of Students, Paul Gutzler.

Playground Support Do you like playing basketball, soccer, kickball and other games with kids? We’d love to have you volunteer during our recesses. Please contact our counselor, Regina Wike, if you can help.

Harvest Item of the Month On the 4th Wednesday of each month, a local fruit or vegetable is served in the cafeteria for all students to try. If you are available to help prepare and distribute the harvest item during all or some of our lunches, we’d love to have you join us. Lunches are from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please contact Debbie Murphy, our office assistant, if you can help.

Shop for Schools Week at Launching Success

November 20-26th

This is a special week set aside for you to support our school by

shopping at Launching Success. For every dollar you spend between Nov. 20-26, 10% will be returned to Wade

King in the form of a check. It’s that easy! This year the school that brings

in the most money will also win a Tegu Block Kit!

This is a great way to purchase educational toys and gifts

and support Wade King at the same time!

(Principal’s Message - Continued)

These are some things you might ask your child: What are you doing now as a reader, writer, or mathematician that

you were not able to do when the school year started? What are you working on as a reader? As a writer? As a

mathematician? As an inquirer? What will you do to improve your work? What is challenging for you? What will you do to keep trying when

you are doing things that are challenging? How will you take responsibility for your own learning? How will you challenge yourself to learn new things? What do you do to be a good friend? How do you make your

classroom a great place for yourself and your friends to learn? What do you want to be able to do in a couple weeks? By the end of

the year?

You’ve likely heard educators and/or parents talking about the power of having a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset. The concept of a growth mindset was developed by Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford. Individuals who have a growth mindset know their own effort and hard work will help them develop and learn new things. A growth mindset enables us to learn from our mistakes, persevere when we’re challenged, and become motivated to succeed.

Conferences provide a perfect opportunity for you to foster a growth mindset in your child. As your child shares his/her learning with you during their conference, we hope you will focus on the growth that your child is making and the strategies your child will use to overcome challenges. Giving children specific praise about the effort they put into tasks, rather than simply saying “you are smart” or “you did good” is another way to develop a growth mindset. You might say, “You used a number line to solve that problem. What other strategies could you use to solve math problems?” or “You have improved as a writer because you are using the word wall to help you spell words. That makes your writing easier to read.”

Parents sometimes wonder what to do if they have something private to share with their child’s teacher. Student involved conferences are not private meetings between teachers and parents; they are an opportunity to talk about learning and growth. Many of you have already engaged in informal or formal conferences with your child's teacher through phone calls, emails, quick chats before or after school, or pre-arranged face to face meetings to address individual concerns. These will continue throughout the year as parents and teachers feel they are needed.

Parents may also wonder how to stay connected with their child’s learning at school after their conference. First through fifth graders write a daily agenda message to share learning that is happening in their classroom. Reading these messages and using them as a springboard for conversations with your child is one way to stay connected. Attending special classroom events and school-wide family nights, reading classroom and school newsletters, and reviewing student work that comes home with your child, are all ways parents can stay informed and involved in their child’s learning academic progress. Your child’s teacher will also update you with a report card that will be sent home in January and June. Finally, email exchanges and phone calls are other great ways to communicate with your child's teacher when you have specific concerns.

Our staff is looking forward to meeting with you and your child! Stephanie Johnson, Principal

SUPPORT Wade King PTA.

Joining PTA is NOT a time commitment! When you join Wade King Elementary PTA, you join a community that encourages student

achievement and believes in building partnerships between families and school. TOGETHER we

can make a difference! Anyone can join the PTA: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We

encourage EVERYONE to get involved. When you join the PTA you became available for

special member discounts.

Some benefits available to you as a member of the Wade King PTA

Barnes and Noble Baskin Robins Xfinity Arena Everett Fed Ex Office Great Wolf Lodge Ticket Monster Perks Key Arena Tickets Le May Car Museum Silverwood Park

National PTA Benefits AARP · Boxed · Good Housekeeping · Hertz · LifeLock Lifetouch · MetLife · Mountain America Credit Union

Quicken Loans · Schwan's Cares · Staples · Sylvan · TeenSaf

Member benefits are available to all WSPTA members. PTA members may access discounts by visiting wastatepta.org

Kiwanis Club Donates Dictionaries Many thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Bellingham for donating an enhanced dictionary to every 3rd grade student in the Bellingham School District. We are very grateful for their support of our blossoming readers and writers!

Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Wade King!

When: November 30th – December 8th Where: Wade King Library Why: It’s a great way to get kids excited about books, do some holiday shopping, and help support Wade King! Fifty percent of all proceeds will be used to purchase new books for our library.

The great thing about the Scholastic Book Fair is that you get your books at the time of purchase. You don’t need to wait for your order to come in.

Family and friends that cannot attend will be able to order online.

Watch for flyers coming home with additional information.

2nd

Annual Snowflake Drive

Last year’s Snowflake Drive was such a success that we’re doing it again! Just like last year, Wade King is partnering with Alderwood Elementary to bring joy to families in need over the Holiday Season. Snowflakes will be hung up in the Wade King entry way and ready for

you to take starting November 21st. Gifts need to be delivered to the Wade King office by December 12th. Gifts should be wrapped with the original snowflake attached.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Assistance

If you are in need of assistance this holiday season, please contact Regina Wike, our school counselor, for additional information. There

are several community programs available to families.

LINK YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD! You must re-link your card to Wade King EVERY YEAR!

It only takes a moment and our school earns money every time you shop!

Last quarter our school was awarded $848.16.

The more families who link their card, the more our school earns!

There is no cost to you and no affect to your own rewards.

Community Rewards is an additional program to provide funds to schools!

It's easy to link your card online at Fred Meyer Community Rewards.

Counselor Corner In October, parents gathered to discuss “How To Lay Ground Rules For Kids and Their Devices.” This Parent Connect conversation focused on how technology impacts kids and families. If you weren’t able to make it, you may find it worthwhile to review the PowerPoint, which walks you through several resources, or check out the Resource Sheet. The questions that guided small group parent discussions may also be helpful. We hope you’ll join us for the next Parent Connect on February 23rd to discuss parenting challenges and rewards. Parent Connect provides a venue for parents to talk about topics that are important to them. If you have ideas for future topics or questions about Parent Connect please e-mail Mrs. Regina at Regina.Wike@bellinghamschools.org

Online Volunteer Registration If you haven’t already done so, we are asking all volunteers, including parents, guardians and grandparents who plan to volunteer in classrooms and/or on field trips, to take a few moments to complete our district online volunteer application. You can find the application on our website at bellinghamschools.org (go to ‘about’, then ‘volunteer program’), or log in directly at bellinghamschoolsvolunteers.hrmplus.net. This application must be filled out and approved prior to volunteering, whether you are a regular volunteer or occasional helper or chaperon. If you need support, you can call our school secretary Debbie McMeel at 647-6840 or our district Volunteer Coordinator Jennifer Gaer at 647-6848.

Thank you for your time and commitment to our students this year!

PORT FESTIVAL PERFORMANCE

Come join the King Singers and King Consort at the annual Bellingham Port Festival on Friday, December 2nd. Our school

performs at 4:00 p.m. After the performance, stay for a while to watch other groups or wander through the Gingerbread Creations

Exhibit. This is a fun, annual event and our students have been working hard to prepare for this performance. Participating

students need to rendezvous at the Ferry Terminal in Fairhaven at 3:30 p.m. Performers, be sure to wear your King Singers or King

Consort T-shirts and black (or dark colored) pants.

Wade King Families Join Us for a Fun

Evening of Painting and Connecting When: Thursday November 17, 2016 | 5:15 – 7:45 pm Itinerary:

5:15 Dinner (Pizza for purchase when you RSVP)

5:45 Brief meeting to approve the PTA budget

6:00 IB and Art Talk | Monica Savory, IB Coordinator

6:15 Painting by “Date and Paint” ~ Italian theme

o Easy step by step instruction given by a local artist o Use of acrylic paints, brushes, & apron o Create an original Italian masterpiece on a 16" x 20" stretched canvas

to take home Costs: $10 per canvas (scholarships are available) | Pizza for Purchase

CLICK HERE TO RSVP by Monday November 14th!