February 4, 2011
Dear WHS Parents,
Welcome to midway point of our 2010-2011 school year! The following are some updates and bulletins that we’d like to share with you today. As always, there is a wealth of information about our school, events, and happenings on our school website at http://www2.laconiaschools.org/whs/.
A.] Upcoming Events: Here are some upcoming dates for your family calendar:
February 8 - WHS-PTO (6:30pm.)
February 8 - Family Night in the Commons (6-8pm.)
February 9 - NAEP Assessment for Grade 4 (10:30am.)
February 10 - Laconia Elementary School Winter Concert (2pm. & 6:30pm.)
February 14 - Keys to Character Assembly (9am.)
February 28 to March 4 - Winter Break (School Closed)
B.] NECAP Assessment Results: January and February are definitely our season for mid-year assessments. It is from student participation in these assessments that we learn how students are progressing in our school, and how effectively we are doing our job here at WHS. One of the most important assessments of the year is administered every October, and is called the NECAP Assessment. This statewide test is taken by our third through fifth grade students. We have just received the NECAP results for the test taken by our students this past fall. We are sending a report home with your Grade 3-5 child that will outline her/his performance on this test. Please take a look at it, and contact us if you have any questions about your child’s report. Remember, only our 3rd-5th Graders will be coming home with these reports today.
C.] Our New School Website: If you haven’t visited our new school website recently, you are in for a real treat! To promote consistency of websites across our school district, we have moved to an entirely new website format that we think you will really like. Check it out at: http://www2.laconiaschools.org/whs/. On our website you will find a great deal of information about our school, events, policies, and even classroom happenings and ways to support your child’s education at home. You can go to the website anytime to explore what we have posted. Our new website has been designed and maintained by Mrs. Plourde (what an outstanding job she has done!). Please let us know what you think!
D.] WHS-PTO: The February WHS-PTO meeting will be held this coming Tuesday evening at 6:30pm. This group of WHS parents meet monthly to plan their efforts that involve supporting the school and improving the school experience for WHS students. Recently the WHS-PTO has planned and hosted events such as the WHS Halloween Party, Polar Express, and Family Fun Night. Drop by for one of their meetings soon to learn how you can help. There is no expectation or commitment if you join us for a meeting. Just come out and see what’s going on!
E.] Family Night in the Commons Series: We are nearing the end of our ‘Family Night in the Commons’ series for this year. For this program, we open our school library and WHS Commons computer cluster for family use on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8pm. Many thanks go to Mrs. Plourde, Mrs. Prescott, and Mrs. Bergmann for organizing educational programs and offering support to the families who attend these nights. To access the schedule for this program, go to: http://whsoffice.wikispaces.com/'Family+Night+in+the+Commons'
F.] Winter Weather and Winter Dress: Our weather has been pretty tough lately. With loads of snow and brutally cold temperatures, we have had some difficulty maintaining continuity in our school over the recent weeks. While at school we always try to get the children out to recess if the weather allows (if the temperature is around 20 degrees with a minimal wind chill, we will go outside for recess). Considering the walk to school or wait at the bus stop, and it is clear why we need to have students come to school with appropriate winter gear every day. Thanks so much for all of your support in making this happen for the kids this winter. When we do get outside, the kids have a marvelous time. Thanks again for your part in making sure that your child can participate in this special time of day.
G.] Motor Traffic at WHS: With snow-congested roadways and parking lots that can offer some challenges to visibility, it is important for drivers to use caution when coming to or leaving school grounds (and it is especially important to use caution when driving on school grounds!). Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to assure student safety at all times while on Woodland Heights School grounds.
H.] Illness and Attendance: If your child complains of not being well in the morning (beyond the typical crankiness or avoidance of getting out of bed on a cold morning), please spend a little time to determine whether your child might truly be sick, and if so, please do not send him/her to school. As hard as we try to keep our school clean and sanitary, it can also be an incubator for germs and illness. If your child is discolored, running a fever, has a bad cough, or bright redness at the back of his or her throat, please keep her/him and home for the day. If you intend to keep your child at home, be sure to call our school office to notify us of the absence and your child’s symptoms. Another reminder: please do not to send your child to school with medications. There are strict guidelines for medications on school grounds, and your child should not be bringing them to school. Please talk to our school nurse, Jessica Ganchi, for more information about the dispensing of medications here at WHS. Regarding cough drops: we don’t provide them, but your child can bring them in and use them with a note from you.
I.] Change of Phone Numbers: Please remember to inform Mrs. Horan or Mrs. Lacasse if you have a change of phone numbers. It is critical that we are able to contact you in the event that you child becomes ill, injured, or involved in some other emergency. Also, we need to keep our phone number database up to date in the event that we need to send out an ‘AlertNow’ automated message regarding an early dismissal, school cancellation, etc. Many thanks for your help with this!
That should do it for now. I hope that you and your family enjoy a ‘Super’ weekend!
Sincerely,
Dennis Dobe, Principal
