December 20th, 2010
Dear Woodland Parents,
What a great run so far! We continue to grow as a school community here at WHS, and are so grateful to you for your partnership in creating the very best learning experience that we can prove for WHS students. The number of parent volunteers in our building supporting teachers, kids, and activities is truly remarkable. Keep up the great work, Parents, we are definitely making a difference TOGETHER!
Here are a few notes from some of my friends here at Woodland Heights that will help to bring you up to speed on their activities and what is going on at our school from their perspective. Enjoy!
A.] Tami Horan & Kim Lacasse (School Management Assistants):
Here are a few notes from your friends in the WHS Main Office:
*When ‘AlertNow’ automated messages are sent to your telephones, there will be a short pause before the recording begins. If you have a cell phone, please remain on the line and you will be able to hear the message (some cell phone users have cancelled the message before it begins!).
*January 28th @WHS Spaghetti dinner and Game Night! There will be more information to follow.
B.] Jessica Ganchi (School Nurse and Health Educator):
Here are a few notes to help us all stay happy and healthy throughout the winter months.
Cold and flu season is upon us. The “flu” is a respiratory illness spread by cough, sneeze, or nasal discharge. Symptoms of the “flu” include high fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, and muscle aches. Students should stay home from school with flu symptoms and return only after being fever free, unmedicated, for 24 hours. Remember, you cannot get the “flu” from the flu vaccine! It’s not too late to get the flu shot- get yours today.
Germs are easily passed from child to child at school. Please keep your child at home with fever of 100.0 degrees or more, with diarrhea and/or vomiting within the last 24 hours. Please do not send your child to school until he/she has been free from fever for 24 hours. Hand-washing (with soap) is a key factor in warding off illness. Encourage hand-washing after using the bathroom, before and after eating, and upon return home from school.
Remind your child to dress appropriately for the weather and outdoor recess. It is getting cold outside. A jacket, hat, gloves/mittens, snow pants and boots (during winter) are necessary to participate in outdoor activities. Don’t forget to pack a pair of shoes to change into at school. The nurse’s office does not have a supply of shoes/boots to borrow. Please contact the nurse if you need help getting winter clothes and boots for you child. The Santa Fund and St. Vincent de Paul have assistance available.
Cough drops are not kept in the nurse’s office. If you would like your child to have cough drops at school, a note must accompany the cough drops. They will be kept at the teacher’s desk.
C.] Mollie Babcock (School Guidance Counselor):
As the guidance counselor at WHS, my role is to support students academically and socially/emotionally, as well helping them look towards their futures! I am here as an advocate for students and families, and I work within our greater school community to help create an environment that is emotionally safe for children and causes them to feel cared for and respected.
I work with students in several ways, including classroom guidance, small groups, and individual meetings. Each grade will have classroom guidance at certain times throughout the year. Small groups run for different lengths of time, and are often topic focused. Individual student sessions happen for many reasons. Students are referred by teachers and parents, and also make self-referrals when they need someone to talk to.
I am very excited to introduce our new character building and recognition program at WHS called Keys to Character. Each school quarter, we will highlight a character trait to focus on for the term. We believe that quality character education helps us to create a safe, caring and inclusive learning environment for every student, as well as it strongly supports academic development. When a staff member observes a student demonstrating a trait highlighted in that or any other school quarter, they will fill out a form and submit it to me. I then highlight that student by reading his/her name on the next day's morning announcements. The students name is also added to our Keys to Character bulletin board that is right in the front lobby! I am very pleased to see that the students are both excited about this program and embracing its purpose and goals!
In addition, our Pupil Enrichment Program, also known as PEP, continues to go strong this year. Through this program, students are paired with an adult staff member in the building who serve as his/her mentor. Each week, students spend time with their PEP mentors. We also do whole-group activities each month, including a breakfast and a community-based event. In October, we spent time at Heritage Farm, going through the corn maize, enjoying a tractor ride, petting the farm animals, and even picking out our own pumpkins! During November, several students showed off their athletic skills with a trip to the bowling lanes up at Funspot!
Overall, we have had a tremendous start to the year, and I am greatly enjoying my role as school counselor. Please check out the guidance wiki page, which is accessible through the WHS webpage. This wiki offers information about different guidance programs, as well as the different topics being covered in classroom guidance.
D.] JeromeKramer (Behavior Specialist/Consultant):
It has been a very exciting school year for me as your school’s new Behavior Specialist. Since becoming a part of the Woodland Heights faculty, I have had the opportunity to work with teachers, administrators, and families to create some exciting changes to the overall behavioral approach in our school. First and foremost, any behavioral issues and/or behavior plans focus on the student’s positive achievements within our academic community. Second, those students struggling with misbehaviors will be taught Expected Behaviors. Expected Behaviors are:
“Skills, strategies, scripts, plans, etc. that helps our students at WHS know how to conduct themselves in all school social situations.” – Jerome Kramer “Every environment has a set of unwritten rules that people expect to be followed such as talking when it is your turn, respecting personal space, etc. When people follow these rules, some of which are not always explained to the student, then he/she is considered to be “doing what is expected”. Students who don’t follow the rules are doing what is unexpected and people may have “weird” thoughts about them.” - Michelle Garcia Winner
If you’d like to learn more about how we help students to grow as school citizens here at WHS, please call me at school or write an email to jkramer@laconia.k12.nh.us. It has been a pleasure to work with the students, staff, and families of WHS. Thank you for the warm welcome, and “Happy Holidays!”
E.] Ryan Marsh (Director of Student Services):
Welcome to the first posting of our WHS Newsletter. I will be adding to the newsletter each quarter/month to keep you informed of news and happenings within the field of Student Support Services.
This new initiative is a way for us to stay connected throughout the year and keep you up to date with anything new in the Student Services department.
We have experienced great success with the integration of Laconia’s Preschool program into the WHS community. It has been so exciting to see students engaged in fun and interactive learning opportunities. If you get a chance, check out the Preschool Wiki at http://whspreschool.wikispaces.com/.
Speaking of technology, Special Educators have been using Apple IPAD’s as a means to deliver quality instruction to students. We are certainly learning together and welcome the integration of technology here at WHS.
I look forward to continuing to build strong relationships with you, your children and the greater Laconia community. I welcome your input with our WHS Student Services model and am confident that, by working together, we can celebrate further student growth and achievement.
Have a safe and happy Holiday season.
F.] Dennis Dobe (School Principal):
First of all, it has been wonderful to be here with you at Woodland. You have a great school, staff, and student body. As well as everyone is doing, there is still a keen interest in continuous improvement. As a result of that we continue to explore new ways to teach and support our learners, and build upon and refine the good work we’ve already done. The biggest news in recent weeks has been the escalation of parent volunteerism at WHS, the redesigned WHS PTO, and the opening of our school’s new computer cluster in the library (now referred to as the ‘WHS Commons’). Speaking of the Commons, we will be opening the library and computer cluster to families beginning the week after the holiday break (January 4th). On Tuesday and Thursday nights in January and February, we will staff these ‘Common’ areas with a member of our faculty from 6:00-8:00pm., and invite you and your family in to learn more about our computer technology and how it is used here at WHS. You’ll have plenty of extra time to use the new cluster to learn with your kids, and/or explore our library’s print collection and borrow some great books to read, if you like. An unrelated matter that I’d like to mention: Keep up the great work at arrival and dismissal time! Our system seems to be running very smoothly, and it will continue to do so as long as we remain patient and considerate, and continue to follow the ‘rules of school’. There are great things happening here at WHS all the time, and I warmly invite you to be a part of it whenever your schedule will allow. Keep on top of all of our news by accessing our school website at www.laconiaschools.org/whs. Many thanks for your ongoing support!
All of your friends here at Woodland Heights School wish you and your family the very best for a happy and safe holiday season!!
