Our week began with our Greater Laconia community coming together to enjoy a wellness event coordinated by our elementary school physical education teachers (with the help of many community-oriented health advocates). Our first 'Rockin' Fun Run' was held on Saturday, November 2nd, on the campus of Woodland Heights School. Students, parents, teachers, and other community members participated in this 2-mile event that was highlighted by awards, gifts, live music, a DJ, free T-shirts, a visit by WHiSkers (our school Mascot), and healthy refreshments provided by our school lunch service. Special thanks go to our WHS PE Teacher, Mitzi Tucker for providing the energy and leadership necessary to make this wonderful event happen! Here is a video produced by our dear friend, Janet Brough, to commemorate the day. Enjoy!
On Tuesday, we held a students and staff flu clinic in our school health office (thank you, Mrs. Ganchi) -- this was a nice follow up to our dental education and dental clinic held last week (and also coordinated by our School Nurse). That evening, Mrs. Kelley and I had the pleasure of updating our Laconia School Board on our school's comprehensive community engagement program (see blog post below). The presentation was well received, and reflected the proactive nature of our work to bring students, staff, and families together here at WHS.
We sent Quarter #1 progress reports home on Wednesday, and know that teachers put a great deal of effort into completing those reports so that they accurately and completely provided a picture of student progress over the first ten weeks of school. The progress reports indicated levels of individual student growth toward attainment of our curriculum standards, information on attendance rates, goals for future student learning, and general statements on student performance. we are grateful for the amount of effort and quality of work our teachers invest in this important process.
On Thursday, we held parent conferences beginning at 1:00pm., and many not ending until 8:00pm. These conferences were very well-attended by our parents, and provided great opportunities for important conversation about student progress and academic goal-setting. We thank our WHS-PTO for providing dinner for our staff, most of whom met with parents non-stop through the afternoon and evening and would not have had an opportunity to enjoy dinner otherwise (the homemade casseroles, salads, soups, and desserts were fantastic!). Representatives from local agencies and youth sports programs were in attendance to meet with families and share opportunities for participation and engagement. Also on Thursday evening, we offered a clothing drive, bake sale (to benefit our 5th Grade class), Fall Book Fair evening hours, and and ongoing rotation of special presentations by the Lakes Region Family Resource Center in support of developing strong families in our school community (see blog post below for more information). This evening was definitely a highlight of our school year so far. Many thanks to everyone for their contributions!
On Friday, our Grade 1 and 2 students were awarded spirit bands for their strong academic and social skills growth over the first marking term of this school year. [Grades K & 5 received spirit bands very early in the school year for the exemplary models they set for being a 'Wildcat' at WHS, and Grades 3 & 4 received their bands in mid-October for the hard work they invested in completing a rigorous course of fall assessments this year.]
Get set, WHS, another GREAT week starts on Tuesday!!
