Eagle Connection #8

Hello Wilkesboro families!

We hope that you’ve enjoyed this fine fall weekend. Here are some updates for the week of October 16-20. You can find full details from your child's teacher below.

Please check your child's green folder tomorrow for information about our first lockdown safety drill. The lockdown protocol requires all students to be in a secure location within the school. We have planned a drill for Thursday morning. We previously shared with you WCS’s safety protocols for this year, and we’ve also included a link to those on the EAGLE CONNECTION page. Please take time to review how parents should respond should a real lockdown occur. We will continue to practice with students this week to be ready for Thursday’s drill.

On Wednesday, we will participate in Unity Day as part of bullying awareness month. We invite everyone to wear orange to show unity for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion and send a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying.

Our PTO wants to thank you for the great efforts with the annual capital campaign fundraiser. We’ve raised 34% of our goal, and our top class was Bauguss followed just behind by Bentley, Johnson, McManus, and Wehrmann. The class who raises the most will win a trip to Sweet Frog. Students who raise funds can earn a WES silicone bracelet, pop it toys, ticket to a pizza party trip to Pizza Hut, and chances to win gift cards. The next collection date is Friday, October 20, so please send in donation envelopes on Friday.

We want to remind you that PTO will host our annual Fall Festival on Thursday, October 19 from 5:00 - 7:30. The event is free for students who are invited to wear costumes and includes door to door visits, carnival games in the gym, a costume parade, free popcorn and snow cones, and a visit to the spooky library. Our PTO will host BINGO in the cafeteria beginning at 6, where guests can buy cards to play to win a variety of awesome prizes, including a 65” TV and a $500 gift card. There will be a silent auction of homemade cakes and baked goods, and PTO will also have hot dogs, pizza, snacks, and drinks for sale for $1 each. Students can also pay $1 for a chance to win goodies at the cake walk on our stage and to win prizes from the spinning wheel. We hope your family will join us for this fun Wilkesboro tradition.

PTO is still collecting donations of wrapped candy for fall festival. Please send it in with your child or leave in the bin by the front office. Also, if you’ve signed up to volunteer, please look for an email from Ms. Vanessa about opportunities to volunteer at fall festival.

On Friday, our kinders, 2nd, and 3rd graders are headed off for field trips. We wanted to let you know that our online payment portal is now open. You can find details about how to pay with a link to submit payment on our website. https://wes.wilkescountyschools.org/ Please note that payments already made or submitted in person will not be reflected in the online portal. Please call our office with questions.

We look forward to a fun and productive week. Thanks for your support and engagement with our school. Have a great evening!

The WES PTO has BIG plans for the 2023-2024 school year! 100% of this campaign will fund projects and needs for our STUDENTS and TEACHERS! We are challenging every student to raise $100 with a total fundraising goal of $25,000 We encourage you to reach out to friends, family, neighbors, and businesses. As always, we truly appreciate our Wilkesboro Elementary families. Please see below for how to donate and find a link to an online option.

The YMCA will be operating an after-school childcare program on our campus each day. You can learn full program details on the YMCA website: https://ymcanwnc.org/children-and-teens/before-and-after-school-academy.

You can also sign up for the YMCA after school care using this link for the Wilkesboro Elementary site. Once you are signed up, please communicate with your teacher to let them know your plans.

Also, this year the YMCA classroom will be in building 2. Please park in our back parking lot beside the MEGA Toy playground when coming to pick up your children. Thank you!

We welcome volunteers to help with school events. WCS uses Volunteer Tracker to help organize this process, and we use Sign Up Genius (shared via email and ClassDojo) to make signing up easy and convenient. To get signed up, follow steps below.

1. Go to www.wilkescountyschools.org

2. Go to the PARENTS tab at the top (or VOLUNTEER at the bottom).

3. Click on VOLUNTEERS.

4. Click on VOLUNTEER TRACKER.

5. Go to the green NEW REGISTRATION and follow instructions from there.

Level 1 volunteers can help in many ways. Level 1 volunteers can sign up to help with book fairs, school events, class parties and projects, Field Day, Fall Festival, and proctoring for tests.

Level 2 volunteers can do all level 1 tasks but can also help chaperone field trips and work more closely with students in small groups. Level 2 volunteers can also sign up for classroom tutoring and assistance, reading buddy program, tutoring, leading after school activities, and chaperoning school events field trips.

We ask that all parents/guardians who plan to attend field trips sign up to be Level 2 volunteers at the start of the year. It takes a few weeks to verify volunteers, and signing up early will make sure that you are approved in time for this year’s events and field trips.

We are looking for friend, positive people to help on morning carline. If you're interested, please complete this form and we will be in touch. Thanks for considering this volunteer opportunity!

Fill out the form below to sign up.

Do you have questions about your child's health or ? Our school nurse Kimberly Sluder is here to help you. You can find her at school at 336-838-4261 or on ClassDojo. You can also reach her by email -- Nurse Sluder at sluderk@wilkes.k12.nc.us

Do you need to make a transportation change or have questions about your child's records? Our office manager Vanessa Simmons is here to help. Please CALL or DOJO by 2:00 with any transportation changes. Also, to maintain safety as we learn new families, please make sure to show the office staff your WES car tag or photo ID when you come to the office to pick up your child. You can find her at school at 336-838-4261 or on ClassDojo. You can also reach her by email -- Vanessa Simmons at simmonsv@wilkes.k12.nc.us

Our talented team of school nurse, school social worker, and school counselor are here to help your family. School nurse Kim Sluder (sluderk@wilkes.k12.nc.us), school social worker Brandy Walsh (walshb@wilkes.k12.nc.us AND link to SSW Page), and school counselor Rachel Minick (minickr@wilkes.k12.nc.us) can help your family access information and resources for your child's health and overall well being. They can also provide referrals for school-based therapy provided by Jodi Province Counseling. You can contact this team on ClassDojo, by email, or by calling the office at 336-838-4261.

School starts at 7:50 each day. Students who are participating will be marked PRESENT or ABSENT. If your child is not in school, you will need to send in absence notes the next day and it will be coded as excused or unexcused. Written notes are required and can come directly from the parent/guardian or a medical office. Also note that ClassDojo messages are great for communicating an absence, but they do NOT serve as legal documentation of absences. Please send a written note. Thanks in advance for your help!

Email: spearsr@wilkes.k12.nc.us
Phone: 336-838-4261

Email: spearsr@wilkes.k12.nc.us
Website: wes.wilkescountyschools.org
Location: 1248 School Street, Wilkesboro, NC, USA
Phone: (336) 838-4261
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wilkesboroelementary/
Twitter: @WilkesboroElem1