the wolf’s howl · scavenger hunts. give educational instructions, such as, “let’s find an...

THE WOLF’S HOWL Wass Elementary School

Nationally Accredited School, Blue Ribbon School 2011-12, 2012-13, & 2013-14 State of Michigan Rewards School

JUNE 9, 2016 VOLUME 5, NUMBER 7

MR. MATT JANSEN – PRINCIPAL MR. NICK KOLBE & MRS. JACKIE SKINNER – HEAD TEACHERS

Mr. Matt Jansen Principal

Main Office

248.823.3900

Attendance Office

248.823.3901 FAX: 248.823.3913

A Blue Ribbon School

MISSION STATEMENT:

The purpose of

Wass Elementary School is to

ensure that each

child reaches his or her highest

learning potential.

The strength of

the Wolf is in

the Pack and

the strength of

the Pack is in

the Wolf.

Congratulations 5th Graders!

Mr. Kolbe’s Class Christopher Black, Nolan Booth, Atom Boswell, Vishal Chandu,

Julia dos Santos Weiss, Chelsea Durfee, Adithya Ganesan, Saadia Haque, Carma Holbrook, Aiden Hymas, Gabriella Kniffen,

Charlee Lawson, Madison Long, Matthew Meitzner, Benjamin Muter, Chris Naoum, Kyle Nguyen, Zaynab Noor,

Makayla Potter, Max Ray, Aubin Rolack, Kurt Sajonas, Yonathan Solomon, Lilly Spaulding, Eve Stark, Brandon Tranter,

Ethan Trinidad, Nolen Trombat, Grace Wentzel

Mr. Lawson’s Class Sahil Ahmed, Farrah Alaowad, Paige Antosh, Zain Baig,

Hailee Black, Jakob Bouna, Hannah Dempsey, Khalil Drone,

Connor Durfee, Madison Emmitt, Ashley Fry, Kevin Gorani, Sabrina Johnson, Julian Kirchler, Jacob Landess, Benjamin Maher,

Zara Mirza, Gabe Murray, Katherine Myke, Brandon Nguyen, Nandika Patel, Shivika Rao, Katherine Schwab, Alexandro Segura,

Arnav Shah, Theodore Shi, Usayd Siddiqui, Ethan Snow

Ms. Schwarz’s Class Justin Anton, Kaleigh Babin, Robert Barbu, Stephen Carlier,

Emiliano Colin, Michael Dancea, Vishal Dattathreya, Ava Davis, Mary Dawood, Jenna DeJonckheere, Aleksander Dordevic,

Phillip Duong, Gwen Grijalva, Chloe Hermonat, Luke Joseph, Carrie Lawson, Amelia Lin, Ibrahim Mahmood, Harman Mand,

Yara Mashal, Nicolas Potts, Fahmida Rahman, Kartik Rao, Alexander Savaya, Alexa Schrader, Ian Smith, Luke Summerhill,

Owen Woodstock

MIDDLE SCHOOL HERE WE COME!!!

Fifth Grade Graduation Ceremony The ceremony and reception for the Fifth Grade

Graduation will be held at Wass Elementary School on

Thursday, June 16, at 8:45 a.m.

Message from the Wass PTO

Dear Wass families,

June is here and with it marks the end of another school year. It seems like

we were all just sending our kids off for the first day of school doesn’t it?

What an incredible school year!

Just a recap of what took place the past couple of weeks:

The beginning of May, our entire school participated in the Running With

the Wolves event. We raised over $4000! Besides that, the event brought

out some amazing school spirit and many were brought to tears as we

watched each student cross the finish line.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this awesome event!

The Wass family picnic was another fun success. There was food, fun and

chickens! Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate! Just an FYI, we are

looking for a committee to chair this event next year and have come up

with a few ideas to spice it up a little. Please contact a member of the PTO

board if you and your friends are interested!

We had a wonderful week showing our appreciation to our Wass staff during

Staff Appreciation Week. We are so deeply thankful for each and every

one of them for teaching our children and molding them into who they are

today and into the future. Thank you Wass Wolf leaders. We are so grateful

for you.

Finally, at the last PTO meeting we thanked each volunteer who graciously

took on the roles as chairpersons for each of our events throughout the

school year. We also had to bid farewell to Debbie Meitzner and Armida

Johnson who have graduating children and will now move on to Larson

Middle School. Thank you both from the bottom of our hearts for supporting

our school and we wish you well in your future! Renee Muter, who has

been a Wass parent for the past 19 years will finally retire from her many,

many roles here at Wass. We’ll miss her tremendously as well. Thank you

Renee!

In just a few days we will witness another graduating class from Wass.

There will be many tears shed that morning and as our graduates move

forward we hope that their foundation that they learned from Wass will

remain with them forever. Congratulations to our graduates! GO WASS

WOLVES!

This has truly been an amazing school year. We seem to get better and

better as each year passes and we thank all of you for that! Have a great

summer and we’ll see everyone in September!

Ayessa Potts and Lisa Leitheiser

Wass PTO Co-Presidents

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Important Links for Parents You can access important information about the following topics on the

Wass website. I am encouraging all parents to go the Wass and TSD

websites for all information this year.

Wass Website: http://wass.troy.k12.mi.us/

Home Access Center

Student-Parent Handbook

Specials Calendar and Schedule

Elementary Lunch Menu

School Messenger

Weekly e-News

Important Forms for Parents

2016-2017 TSD School Calendar

TSD Code of Conduct

PTO Information

Daily Life & News at Wass... To view Upcoming Events, News, and our School Activities Twitter feed, please visit the Wass website to see the different sections below the picture slide show.

Wass Website: http://wass.troy.k12.mi.us

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http://wass.troy.k12.mi.us/

http://wass.troy.k12.mi.us/

Don’t Let Your Child Waste the

Summer in Front of a Screen! The lazy days of summer can often lead to lazy hours in front of the TV, computer

and other electronic devices. But experts say it’s important to limit recreational

screen time—even in the summer. For most families, that’s easier said than done!

Replace screen time with activities such as:

Acting. Instead of watching a show, your child can create one! She can choose a

story line and act it out with friends or stuffed animals.

Classic games. Fill a bucket with traditional summer toys, including sidewalk

chalk, balls, bubble stuff and water sprayers. When the weather is right, your

child can take it outside for hours of fun.

Scavenger hunts. Give educational instructions, such as, “Let’s find an oak tree

leaf.” “Pick three daisies.” Or, “Find three things that are round.” Remember,

you can have a scavenger hunt anywhere, even in a store or on vacation.

Reprinted with permission from the May 2016 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School

Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2016 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.

Make Summer Reading Sizzle

for Your Elementary Schooler Research shows that when kids don’t keep up with reading over the summer, they

can lose up to three months of learning—and feel the effects for a long time!

Fortunately, this doesn’t have to happen.

To encourage summer reading:

Join a reading program. Ask the librarian at your local library for a list of

programs your child can attend.

Be creative. Remember that all kinds of reading materials can help your child

maintain and build skills—comic books, craft magazines and even cookbooks.

Focus on your child’s interests. Ask him if there is something he would like to

learn more about during the school break. Maybe he wants to identify stars and

constellations at night or learn how to camp. Help him find books about subjects

he loves.

Plan a book swap. Have your child invite friends to participate in a book

exchange event. If a child donates two books he has read, he can exchange

them for two books he hasn’t read.



MEDICATION PICK-UP

If your child has medication or an EpiPen in the school office, please make

arrangements to pick the items up on or before the last day of school. We

cannot send medication home with your child. All medication will be

properly disposed of if left unclaimed.

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Fifth Grade Camp For the fourteenth consecutive year, our fifth grade class has experienced

outdoor education at YMCA Camp Storer. It is a great experience for each

student to culminate their elementary school experience with. Everything

about this year’s camp experience was simply amazing. The weather was

perfect for outdoor activities, games, and sleeping at night. A special

thanks goes out to Mr. Lawson (Camp Director) for planning and organizing

camp along with the help of Ms. Schwarz and Mr. Kolbe. I would also like to

thank the PTO for providing the busses for our students to safely transport

our students and staff to and from Jackson, MI.

Warm Weather Dress Code Policy We want students to be as comfortable as possible while attending school,

yet we request that their clothing be appropriate for a school environment.

Please follow these guidelines in helping your child dress appropriately for

school.

Students should not wear short shorts, cutoffs, or high-cut athletic shorts.

Students (boys and girls) should not wear halter tops or midriff tops.

Spaghetti-strap tops should also not be worn.

Clothing that advertises alcohol, cigarettes, or that have inappropriate

sayings or language are not to be worn to school.

Sandals, slides, flip flops, clogs, roller shoes, and high heels are discouraged

since they do not offer sufficient protection for the feet while children are

playing at recess. Tennis shoes are required for gym. These should have

white or light colored soles since dark soles mar the surface of the gym floor

(even the so-called scuff proof shoes).

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For Our Children’s Health and Safety We all love our furry friends, but for our Wass students’

safety, security and allergy concerns, please help us by

keeping your dog at home or from “following” you to

school. We have a policy of no dogs on school property

while school is in session – this includes drop-off and

dismissal. Thank you for your help!

Remember the 85-15 Rule When It

Comes to Discipline

Too often, discipline gets a bad rap. Many parents think it means punishing children

when they misbehave, which isn’t very enjoyable for children or parents.

However, the word discipline actually comes from the Latin word disciplina, which

means “teaching.” So try thinking about discipline in a different way. Think of

discipline as a way to give your child the tools he needs to succeed in life.

Most of your discipline—roughly 85 percent—should focus on encouraging the

behavior you want to see in your child. You can do this by being a good role model.

For example, if you want a kind child, be kind to others. If you want a responsible

child, keep your own commitments.

You can also point out others who display the behaviors you’d like to encourage.

And when you see your child doing the right thing, notice and compliment him.

That leaves just 15 percent of the time to focus on correcting your child’s negative

behavior. While you will still have to set rules and enforce consequences, you’ll get

to spend most of your time focusing on the positive.


Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2016 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: W. Sears and

M. Sears, The Successful Child: What Parents Can Do to Help Kids Turn Out Well, Little, Brown and

Company.

WASS MERRY MELODIES CHOIR CONCERT

The Wass Merry Melodies Choir put on two outstanding performances for

our students and parents. Congratulations to Mrs. Kniseley and the

3rd/4th/5th grade choir members for performing “True Friends.” Mrs.

Kniseley wrote, directed, choreographed, and selected songs that

represented the Wass Wolves’ Way core values of Responsibility, Respect,

Integrity, and Perseverance. It was an amazing performance!

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Wass Wolf Packs The final Wolf Pack meeting of the year took place on

May 26. Students participated in Minute to Win It games

while their peers practiced giving encouraging words that

aligned with our core values of the Wass Wolves’

Way. Fifth graders were honored by allowing them to share

their favorite Wass memory. It’s hard to believe that this year’s fifth

graders have been a part of 36 Wolf Pack lessons over the past four years.

Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence

Awards $3500 to Wass Teachers Wass received $3500 from the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence

this year. Congratulations to Ms. Rzepka (Dash Robots for Coding Club),

Mrs. Cubitt (Book Grant), Ms. Torres (iPad Styluses), Mrs. Monzo (iPad

Styluses), Mr. Gieleghem (iPad Styluses), Mrs. Clos (Creative Lab), Mrs.

Skinner (Listening Grant), and Mrs. Kniseley (Music Grant), whom received

grants for their students.

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Studies Show that Good Summer

Health Leads to School Readiness Studies show that when kids are physically healthy, it’s easier for them to learn and

succeed. How your child spends his summer will affect his health—and how he does

in school next year.

Emphasizing healthy habits on vacation doesn’t have to be boring or intimidating. It

can be fun! All it takes is a little extra focus on:

Being active. Most kids should exercise for at least one hour a day. Instead,

many watch TV and play video games for hours on end. Make a list of

alternatives, such as taking family walks, gardening, visiting local parks and

joining a sports team. Ask your child, “Which would you like to do?”

Eating well. Involve your child in making healthy meals. You might borrow a

cookbook from the library and try some new recipes with fruits, vegetables,

whole grains and lean proteins. Avoid potentially harmful or unnecessary

ingredients, including excess sugar.

Staying hydrated. This is especially important during hot summer activities.

Remember that every drink doesn’t need to be sweetened or flavored. Water is

refreshing—and free! If you serve juice, consider diluting it with water. The

earlier you start doing this, the less your child will notice.

Promoting wellness. In addition to taking care of your child when he’s sick, work

with his doctor to prevent illness. Discuss vaccines, summer safety, vision,

hearing, allergies and other critical topics. Be sure to keep his medical records

up to date!



3RD ANNUAL RUNNING WITH THE WOLVES We had BEAUTIFUL weather for the 3rd Annual Running with the

Wolves. Race times for all participants can be found at:

http://www.eastsideracingcompany.com/race-results/. In the list of

races on the site, look for May 13 – Wass Elementary Running

with the Wolves. I would like to thank all of the volunteers that

helped out with this PTO fundraiser. A special thanks goes out to

Ayessa Potts (event chairperson), the committee members, and Mr.

Cavataio (PE Teacher) for their dedication to this event. It was

outstanding!

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http://www.eastsideracingcompany.com/race-results/

Troy School District Art Show The following students’ artwork was selected to be displayed in Troy’s All-

District Art Show at the Services Building from May 23rd through May

25th. The district held its reception for artists and their families on Tuesday,

May 24th. Congratulations to all of our Wass Wolves that had their art

displayed.

Kindergarten - Elliott Croy, Ridhima Dannana, Jake Merkel

1st Grade - Annabelle Beaubien, Rafael Zanta Leao da Silva

2nd Grade - Eddie Artimov, Madison Miller, Liam Wegner

3rd Grade - Lauren DeJonckheere, Elliot Booth, Sadhana Rao

4th Grade - Kaydence Frailey, Nicholas Gebal, Mason Bui, Rachel

Asirvatham, Kara Crepeau

5th Grade - Ethan Trinidad, Katie Schwab

KROGER REWARDS – TIME TO RE-ENROLL

The Wass PTO continues to participate in the Kroger Community Rewards

Program. It is time to go on-line and re-enroll. Please go to

www.kroger.com/CommunityRewards to continue earning donations for

Wass Elementary School PTO. (Our group is listed as “WASS ELEMENTARY,

org #82678). If you haven't enrolled yet, please do so to help the Wass

PTO – it’s the easiest fundraiser you will ever be asked to join!

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http://www.kroger.com/CommunityRewards

Summer Volunteer Work Can

Build Character & Leadership The world’s problems can seem overwhelming. But kids can learn that every person

can make a difference, and when people work together, the results are amazing!

Summer volunteering is a great way to teach this lesson to your child—all while

building his confidence, compassion and leadership skills.

To get started, talk with your child about:

Interests. What subjects interest him most? How do they relate to others’

needs? If he loves animals, he could help an animal rescue group. If he’s

interested in business, he might help with a charity fundraiser. Your child’s

enthusiasm is a great motivator.

Skills. Your child’s strengths can be gifts to others. He might hold a bake sale or

read to younger children. Sometimes it’s fun to learn new skills, too, such as

how to help with landscaping or home repairs.

Needs. Perhaps your child has noticed a park that needs sprucing up. Or maybe

a homeless shelter needs food. Go online with your child and search for

upcoming community service events in your area. You could even ask your

child’s teacher if the school needs help over the summer.

Schedules. Volunteering takes time, and families are busy! Set realistic goals

that leave room for other priorities. Depending on your family’s commitments,

you and your child might volunteer just a few hours here and there—or decide

to take on one large, exciting project!



Safety Patrol and Service Squad Members of the Month

The following fifth grade students were

recognized as Safety Patrol and Service Squad

Members of the Month by the fifth grade teachers

for their outstanding service to the Wass school

and community. These students work hard to

keep our students safe on their way to and from

school, and during the school day. Mr. Ron Lawson is the Safety Patrol

Director and Mrs. Kristyn Cubitt is the Service Squad Director.

Service Squad & Safety Patrol Members

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WASS FAMILY PICNIC

The Wass Family Picnic was a great family event. It takes a lot of

planning and preparation to make this community event go well.

Thank you to all of the volunteers that made donations, served at

the event, or set up for the evening. This event couldn’t go on

without your support. I would like to especially thank Renee Muter

for chairing this event for several years. She is finishing her 19th

year as a parent at Wass and has faithfully organized, planned, and

run our picnic for the majority of those years. Thank you, Renee!

You will certainly be missed.

WASS FIELD DAY WAS A BLAST Mr. Cavataio must have a deal with Mother Nature as he ordered up

another beautiful day to host Field Day at Wass for our Wolves. The

K-2 Field Day in the morning and the 3-5 Field Day in the afternoon

went smoothly and the students had a great time participating in

each of the events. Thank you to all of the volunteers that helped

run the stations. You did a GREAT job! Thanks as always to Mr. C!

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the wolf’s howl · scavenger hunts. give educational instructions, such as, “let’s find an...

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