WESTERN BRANCH INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

PARENTS BULLETIN Jan - Feb 2018 News From Principal Jones

Well, what a snow we had this January. We hope that our students had a fun time making memories as they played in the snow with families and friends. As a result of the snow and school closures there have been adjustments to the school calendar. Please refer to the notes included in this newsletter for changes in the school schedule. In January, students participated in the Reading Inventory (RI) diagnostic. This computer-adaptive diagnostic tool provides information about a student’s growth and comprehension development using Lexiles as the measure. Information about your child’s performance will be coming home soon. During the SRI diagnostic, students are asked to read a short passage and then fill in the blank based on the information in the passage. See the sample below: There were people all over the place—lots of them. There were shops, hundreds of them. The streets

were full of cars.

It was . cold late busy safe

To encourage growth in reading please read with your child each night and challenge your child to build their vocabulary while identifying key elements of the text to include identifying the author’s purpose and answering questions and locating the clues to Who, What, When, Where, Why, and inferencing questions. Note: Students who did not demonstrate expected growth on this diagnostic will receive remediation and may soon have the opportunity to participate in another administration of the diagnostic. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the second 9-weeks. Wow! Teachers will soon be contacting parents of students who are anticipated to have a D or E on their report card as these students may be considered for retention. The teacher will work collaboratively with each parent to develop a plan to encourage student success. Students will soon be bringing home their report card and accompanying reading card. Please take a moment to review your child’s report card and reading growth card with them. The reading growth card provides information on your child’s growth in guided reading groups and also a suggested reading strategy for your child to practice. If you have any questions about these documents, please contact your child’s teacher. WBI is preparing to kick off the annual Sunflower Mentoring program. Faculty and staff members will discreetly provide support, guidance, encouragement, and needed materials to encourage continued growth and success of our students. They may even spend time with them during the day reading, working on sight words, organization, or even basic math facts. If you would like to recommend that your child be assigned a mentor, please contact your child’s teacher. Teachers and staff will also recommend students. Next month is Black History Month or National African American History Month, a celebration of the achievements by Black Americans and a time for recognizing the role of African Americans in U.S. history. Since the late 1970s, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. At WBI, we are excited to celebrate, and our Multicultural Committee has planned several engaging activities to supplement our curriculum during the month

of February. They have planned to spotlight the evolution of music, highlighting the contributions of African American artists. They will also encourage students to volunteer to showcase their voice and talents through “spoken word” during our Loving Learning Night event. Last month we celebrated Literacy Month with daily events and our culminating Literacy Night. Thank you to all of the families, teachers, and staff who supported this schoolwide event! It was surely an evening filled with literacy and fun.

Effective, January 2, 2017, Mr. Parrish has accepted a job with the department of curriculum and instruction as the Safe Routes to School Coordinator. He has faithfully served the students, staff, and parents at WBI for the last 3.5 years. His knowledge, experience, compassion, and love for children will truly be missed. Please join me in sharing congratulations with Mr. Parrish as he prepares to embark upon a new and exciting journey. I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Kimberley Kithcart, former teacher at WBI will serve as WBIs assistant principal. We are excited to have her join the leadership team and she is looking forward to serving and meeting the needs of you and your child!

In closing, I want to thank you for your diligence in ensuring that your child is at school on-time and well-prepared for learning each day. Please be reminded that our students’ academic day begins promptly at the sounding of the tardy bell and continues until dismissal each afternoon. It is very important that students are not dismissed early unless the child has an unavoidable appointment or emergency as valuable instruction from the teacher and required assignments can be missed if your child leaves early. Thank you for supporting the wonderful teaching and learning taking place here at Western Branch Intermediate!

Yours Truly,

Dr. Jones :)

Safety Procedures: If you drop off your child in the morning, we have a designated drop-off line from 7:25 am until 7:45 am. Please remain in the drop-off line until after your child exits the vehicle. After 7:45 a.m., you will need to walk your child into the office to sign them in late. DO NOT drop them off on the side of the building, and please DO NOT pull into a parking spot in the front of the building. During drop-off hours, if you wish to escort your child in, park on the side of the building and walk your child in. Reminder: ALL Visitors are required to present a driver’s license or picture I.D.

Is your child having a birthday? Just a quick reminder, while you can’t bring treats, you may bring novelties for your student. Balloons aren’t permitted on the school bus.

Absent Students: Please call 638-7947 to report your child’s absence or tardiness to school. An answering machine is available from 3:30 pm – 8:30 am. Your child should return to school with a written note explaining their absence. Please Note: 24 hours advance notice is needed to request homework. Tardy Students: School starts promptly at 7:45. Students are expected to be in class by 7:45. To ensure your child is not tardy to class, we encourage you to let them ride the school bus to school. Dismissal Changes: As a reminder, to ensure the safety of all our students, the ONLY acceptable methods of communication for dismissal are: >Send a signed/dated note with your child >Drop a note off to the school prior to dismissal. >email a note to wbibruins@cpschools.com (This must be received no later than 1:30 in the afternoon.) For safety reasons, phone calls requesting a dismissal change are not allowed. The design of Western Branch Intermediate provides space for separate exits for “bus riding” students and “pick-up” students. At the end of the day, “bus riding” students will board the bus from the exit closest to their class. “Pick-up” students will report to the cafeteria and will be released to the proper adult or parent after verification from the staff on duty. Please be patient as we verify each adult to ensure they receive the correct child.

News from the Nurse: TDap Vaccine for rising 6th graders: is a state mandate. Review info sent home with your student. Discuss with your child’s provider at their next appointment. Medication: ALL medications MUST be transported to school by an adult along with physician orders; students can NOT bring meds to school. Illness: Students MUST remain out of school for 24 hours after last vomiting or fever (100.4). Invest in a thermometer; hand-touch is NOT an accurate reading. Nutrition: A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast, and a bottle of water for school lead to a better day and greater success. Emergency Info: Ensure accurate contact info is on file in the main office in case of emergency.

Due to the loss of instructional days, several school calendar adjustments HAVE BEEN made. Please note the changes below:

Fri., Jan. 26 will be a regular, full instructional day.

Mon., Jan. 29 will be a regular, full instructional day. Tue., Jan. 30 will be a regular, full instructional day.

Wed., Jan. 31 will be a regular, full instructional day (no change) Thu., Feb. 1 will be a regular, full instructional day (no change)

Fri., Feb. 2 will be a teacher workday/in-service day. no school for students. Mon., Feb. 5 will mark the first day of the third quarter.

February is WBI's Literacy Month!

We will celebrate reading all month long, so be on the lookout for lots of fun reading opportunities! If you would like to volunteer as a guest reader, please let your child's teacher know. We will celebrate the halfway mark of the 40 Book Challenge, on Friday February 9th,

so please check your child's 40 Book Challenge Reading Log to ensure they have read at least 20 books toward the challenge, so they may participate in the activity!

February 5th -9th will be our Literacy Week, with fun activities planned for each day! February 12th -16th will be I Love Reading Week with activities planned by Mrs. Hill during class

library time, and on Tuesday, February 13th, we will have our WBI's Loving Learning Night, which will include the PTA Bookfair, Literacy Cakewalk, Mad Scientist and Math Exploration!

February 20th-23rd will be Hink Pinks and Hinky Pinkies on the morning announcements. February 26th-March 2nd will be Dr. Seuss Week.

Let's show how much we love reading at WBI!

Ginger Wade

Reading Specialist

PTA updates: PTA will be hosting a Virginia Diner fundraiser from February 8-20th. More information and packets will be sent home in February. PTA will be hosting our annual Book Fair from February 12-16th. Monday and Tuesday will be Preview Days so students may look at the selections and make a wish list. All classes will also have a scheduled time to come back and shop. The Book Fair will also be open for parent shopping in conjunction with Literacy Night on February 13th from 6-8 p.m. We appreciate your support!

School Newsletter Page 2

Valentine's Day Candy Grams will be on sale from 7:25-7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2/7, Thursday 2/8, and Friday, 2/9. Each candy gram is $.50 and will be delivered to students on Valentine's Day. If you do not want your child to receive a candy gram, please send an email to wbipta@gmail.com.

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~~News from the 3rd Grade~~

Welcome to 2018! We hope you and your family had a restful break and enjoyed some family time together. We are getting ready for the end of the second nine weeks of school on February 1st. Your child has been retested on the Reading Inventory (SRI) test and has been given a formal running record to see how their reading level is progressing at the midpoint of the school year. We hope to see your child has made gains on these reading assessments, as we are half way through third grade. We are continuing to work with multiplication and division facts this month in math. Your child should be practicing their facts at home each night as we are giving weekly quizzes to check for mastery. We are busy learning about Greece, Rome, and Mali in Social Studies. We will be starting Earth Patterns and Cycles in Science. It is important to make sure your child is reading each night at home. Plan a trip to the public library to get books on their reading level to help them progress in reading. Love, the third grade teachers

4th Grade Info!

What an interesting beginning of the New Year we have had!! As a result we are working very hard to make up the work we have missed. Fourth graders are learning about Fractions, Multiples, and Factors in Math. We will be studying the Solar System and the Sun, Moon, and Earth during our Science lessons. We are going to the planetarium in February, more on the dates to come. Virginia Studies sees us learning about the settling of Jamestown and the interactions between the colonists and the Native Americans. In Reading, we are working on Summarizing, Comparing and Contrasting, and as always reviewing past strategies in preparation for the SOL’s in the spring. We are looking forward to many fun activities in February to celebrate Reading Month! Literacy Night will be a blast!! Continue to review with your child as it won’t be long before its SOL season! Thanks for all you do! Fourth Grade Teachers

Fifth Grade News! The fifth grade is moving along! We hope that everyone enjoyed playing in the snow! During January and February, we will be learning many skills which will help our children achieve success. Reading: SOL 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8 we will work on Summarize Information, Poetry, Informative writings, Determine Important Text, Compare & Contrast, Fact & Opinion, and Identify Cause & Effect. We will also continue to focus on close reading, text structures, writing in reading response journals, and building stamina. **Please have your child read for 20 mins. nightly & ask questions ** Math: SOL 5.18 We are finishing up Variables. Then we will start on SOL 5.1 Round Decimals, SOL 5.5 Word Problems with decimals, 5.2 Recognize, name equivalent fractions and decimals; compare, order fractions, and decimals. Science: SOL 5.7 We are working on the Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Changes and we are continuing to review SOL 5.1 (Scientific Investigations, Reasoning, and Logic per nine weeks with each unit.) Social Studies: We will start VS. 7a-c Civil War Causes & Battles and then we will begin VS. 8 a-c & VS.9 a,b Reconstruction, Segregation, and Twentieth Century Transition. **Reminder** The Field trip will be on Friday, Feb. 9th. Please have your child study notes nightly, SOLPASS, Study guides, Jefferson Lab, VDOE, & textbook as a resource. Parents remind your child to continue to use S.W.A.G. throughout the day and please replenish supplies.

Internet Safety Tips:

How Much Screen Time?? Now that you have that your child has that new tablet, cell phone or laptop how much time should they be using their devices? Here are some helpful tips: Minimize screen time:

• Screen time for children under 2 years old is not recommended. • For children 2 to 5 years, limit screen time to less than 1 hour per day • Avoid screens at least 1 hour before bed.

Mitigate the risks associated with screen time: • Prioritize educational, age-appropriate and interactive programming. • Be present and engaged when screens are used and co-view with children.

Be mindful of all screen use in the home and model positive habits: • Turn off screens when not in use and avoid background TV. • Be aware of how adults’ use of screens can influence children.

Adapted from: New tips and resources on screen time for parents , Submitted by Matthew Johnson on 01 Jun 2017.

Your shopping can earn WBi moneY!

Parents and staff, The usual ways to earn money from Boxtops and Tyson Labels are great, but we have several more ways for you to earn WBI even more money. Please read below and go to our website for information and bonus offers. 1. BoxTops – Go to this http://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp and download the bonus app to double your earnings by scanning your receipt. Also check here for periodic sweepstakes: http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/sweepstakes. Make sure you cut out the coupons neatly and double check the expiration date. 2. Farm Fresh: From 9/6/17 – 5/31/18, you can scan our school key tag when making purchases to help us earn points for free equipment. More Key tags are available at WBI. Read about the program at http://www.farmfresh1234.com/ and click on INFORMATION. 3. Harris Teeter has a program that will link your VIC card to our school every year from August 1 - June 1. You must relink each year. Go to their website and register an account under your VIC # or phone number and link your card to our school. Every time you use your VIC card and you purchase Harris Teeter products, a percentage will go back to WBI. Harris Teeter will send WBI a check three times a year if there is a minimum of $250 in December and March and at least $25 in June. Link now at this address: http://www.harristeeter.com/community/ Relink your VIC card on August 1 every year. IMPORTANT: Your VIC card is unlinked every June 1. Please relink with school code - 8596. 4. Kroger has a similar program to link you Kroger card to WBI. Go to this link and register your Plus Card: https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow Now your purchases will earn money for WBI. *** You must do this each year! *** School code 84535. 5. Tyson Chicken Labels also supports schools. Please bring in labels from their packages. 6. If you go to Boxtops’ marketplace website, you will see different companies that sell online. Some companies will give more points (eBoxTops) than others for every dollar you spend online. Create a personal Boxtop account, link it to WBI, and then follow the shopping links to earn WBI more cash. http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/marketplace/ Thank you for all your support and if your place of business would like to recycle for us toner cartridges, ink jet cartridges, and old cell phones, I can provide a free shipping label to them. All they do is fill it, seal it, and have UPS come and pick it up. The profits come right to WBI. Thanks, Scott Greiling, WBI Boxtops Coordinator

Western Branch Intermediate School 4013 Terry Dr.

Chesapeake, VA 23321 (757) 638-7941

Attendance Line: (757) 638-7947 School email: wbibruins@cpschools.com

School Hours: 7:45 am – 2:14 pm