Woodstock Elementary Newsletter May online...Woodstock Elementary Newsletter May 2015 ! PTA President’s Message: It is hard for me to believe another school year is coming to a close!

Woodstock Elementary Newsletter May 2015

Principal’s Message:

The State’s end-of-the year test, SAGE (Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence), helps measure each student’s academic growth at the end of the school year. SAGE is administered yearly to students in third through sixth grades. Students will be assessed in reading and math in 3rd grade, and in reading, math, and science, in 4th - 6th grades. When students do their very best, we have an accurate view of their strengths and areas of academic concern. Students will be testing during the month of May. Please talk with your children about the importance of trying their best as the results of these tests indicate how much they have learned this school year. The following suggestions will give added support to your children in doing their very best: Help your child/ren • Get enough sleep and come well rested. • Have a good breakfast - This gives

students energy, which enables concentration.

• Be on time to school - Arriving late can increase anxiety and is also very disruptive when other children are testing.

The following ideas for conversations with your children about SAGE tests will give added support to the directions that your child’s teacher gives prior to the test: • During the test read each question

carefully and read each answer carefully, or listen closely to the teacher if the question is being read to you. Remember in selecting an answer, it sometimes helps to go through the

process of elimination in trying to find the right answer.

• Since these are not timed tests, take your time and answer each question.

• When you are finished with the last question, encourage your children, as we do, to go back and carefully review their answers.

The tests are administered in small segments, usually in the mornings. Please know that the best preparation that a child has to be ready for the next grade level is excellent school attendance all year long. Parents, we appreciate all that you do each day to send your children to school ready to learn. As we approach the end of another school year, I want you to know how much I enjoy working with your children, with you, and with many volunteers who come into the school to help with many activities throughout the school year. This school has the most amazing PTA I have ever had the pleasure of working with...THANK YOU!

Thank You Mrs. Wilson: Mrs. Wilson is retiring after 30 years of teaching 6th grade here at Woodstock! There will be an open house for Mrs. Wilson on Friday, May 29th from 2:00-4:00. The community is invited to drop in to visit with her. There will be note cards where students and parents can write a story or a ‘thank you’ to leave with her. Refreshments will be served. The open house will be in the multi-purpose room of the school. We hope you drop in to say ‘goodbye’!


PTA President’s Message:

It is hard for me to believe another school year is coming to a close! I guess it's true what they say, time flies when your having fun! It has been an Un "BEE" Lievable year! I have gained a greater understanding, appreciation and respect for what it takes to run such an amazing school and PTA! Our teachers, the staff and parents of Woodstock Elementary are truly the most amazing people around. You have made my job as PTA president an easy one by just doing what you do every day! Thank you to every volunteer that has spent any amount of time in our school throughout the year. Every single one of you has made a difference by being in our school! I am so grateful and blessed to have been given the opportunity to serve as your PTA President this school year! It has been a gift to me that I will cherish always. Thank you all for a wonderful year. You have inspired me! **Please attend the Volunteer Appreciation Lunch on Thursday, May 21st @ 12:30 PM in the Teachers lounge. Nichole Gunther Woodstock PTA President 2014-2015

What an un-BEE-lievable Year!!!

Calendar: Hard to believe we are nearing the end of the school year. Please mark your calendars with the following activities! May 1st: Dads & Donuts 7:20am 5th: PTA Board Meeting 8:15am 4th – 8th: Teacher Appreciation Week 6th: BoxTops Store (last one) 7th: Teacher Appreciation Luncheon 8th: Kindergarten Orientation (New students) 8th: Snow cones 16th: Snow cones 16th: MayFaire Celebration 10am to 12pm 19th: Band & Orchestra Concert 21st: Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon 22nd: Birthday Lunch 22nd: Snow cones 25th: No School 28th: Read-a-Thon Get Air Field Trip 29th: No Snow cones June 2nd: Movie Day, Big Hero 6 3rd: Talent Show 4th: Field Day- Starts @ 8:45 5th: Awards Assembly 5th: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL Jr. Achievement: Thank you, thank you, thank you to the amazing, incredible and outstanding volunteers who have made our Jr. Achievement program possible. We appreciate each and every one of you!!!!! Eden Barker, Michelle Luker, Christy Van Orman, Sam Kimmel, Brandon Oliver, Carolyn Linthorst, Austin Larsen, Rivka Richman (2 classes!), Joe Russo, Jason Ivins and Melinda Cullimore.


Teacher Appreciation Week: Thank you to all the volunteers who helped to decorate our Woodstock faculty doors! They look amazing! *Christy Van Orman *Jenny Sperry *Jami Hunt *Rivka Richman *Annie Jarman *Carolyn Linthorst *Erica Ketcher *Rachel Brusch *Mariah Barlow *Natalie Wonnacott *Tiffanie Ibanez *Paula Gause *Robyn Ivins *Ashley Enquist *Melinda Cullimore *Jill Kinder *Haylee Wilkinson *Amber Oliver *Christine Christianson *Tiffany Conk *Janna Hartle *Denece Taylor-Begay *Kristen Clements *Kristen Davis *Miriam Barth *Binela Pracic *Tiffanee Orgill *Lyndie Anderson *Amanda Radford

Birthday Lunch: It’s our last birthday lunch for the year! This month we are celebrating May & June birthdays on May 22nd. Students will receive an invitation in class as a reminder. Parents are welcome to join their students. We hope to see you there! A special thank you for our birthday lunch co-chairs Mariah Barlow and Mandy Childs and all the volunteers who have helped through the year.

Woodstock Birthday Book Club:

A special shout out to all of our May & June Birthday Book Club Students!

May June Abby Cook Kilee White Kyra Hartvigsen Ashlynn Hunt Alexia Brusch Alex Christiansen Dezirae Kitt Emy Parson Ryann Barlow Isabelle Kasteler Mayelene Christiansen Helayne Christiansen Max Wilkinson Zach Marsh Oliver Wayman Bailee Anderson Isaac Zamudio Rylin Anderson Timothy Ricks James Wilking Kaden Smedberg Angelene Barrowes William Henry Elynn Barrowes Chloe Nord Alex Gudgell Hunter Neumeyer Evan White Emree Epperson

Field Day: Mark your calendars!! Field day is happening Thursday, June 4th. We will have 4 large inflatables, snow cones, games, our 6th grade vs. faculty baseball game and Murray firemen water activity.

Volunteers who signed up at the beginning of the year will be receiving an email with more information. If you didn't sign up but want to volunteer, please contact Jenny Sperry at [email protected]. Field Day requires A LOT of volunteers! But it's the funnest day of the year! It's going to be a blast! You don’t want to miss this!


Woodstock Get Air Field Trip: Woodstock Parents!!

Our read-a-thon prize school-wide field trip to Get Air is coming up on May 28th and we are so excited! You still have time to fill out the Granite school district waiver as well as the online waiver found at getairsaltlake.com if you haven’t done so yet. Remember, if your child does not have BOTH waivers filled out, they will not be able to go on the field trip.

We would love to have lots of parents accompany us on this fun day. If you are able to walk with your child’s class, please let your teacher know. If your student brings home a lime green permission slip that means that we don’t have yours on file and need it returned. The Get Air waiver is good for one year, so if you are already registered, you do not need to do it again, just check the box on the form.

Attached to the newsletter email is the schedule for each grade’s field trip. Please note that the special ed units will walk with 4/5th grades and the PM Kindergarten will come in the morning that day. We have the park all to ourselves, so there will be plenty of room for our students to run around and have a wonderful time!!

We are thrilled to have raised over $12,000 from our read-a-thon this year! Thank you for your wonderful support of our school!

Reading is un-BEE-lievable!!!

Meet the Masters:

May brings the introduction of the artist Rembrandt van Rijn. The students were taught about his special technique of painting with highlights and shadows. They will get to use this technique in their art projects this month. We send out special thanks to the following parents for helping us this month: Lyndsie Anderson (2 classes), Marci Olson, Annie Jarman (2 classes), Tiffy Conk (2 classes), Haylee Jones, Robyn Ivins (2 classes), Carolyn Linthorst (2 classes), Mariah Barlow, and Anita Nahata. We also want to thank Cindy Nielsen for helping make copies of learning packets each month.

It has been a fun year and we thank all the parents and teachers for making this program a success. Watch for our sign up table at Registration Celebration so you can join us next year!

Meet the Author:

April concluded Meet the Author for this school year. A HUGE thank you to everyone that helped teach about authors and books in the classrooms! Don’t forget to check out our sign-up table in August at the Registration Celebration for the 2015-16 school year!!!


Green Team:

The Woodstock Green Team is going out with a bang this semester! Last month we celebrated Earth Day ("Earth Week" at Woodstock!) and the 2nd and 4th graders had a fun assembly with "Carrie Cottonwood," an almost life-sized cottonwood tree that moves and gives high-fives and hugs. The Tree Utah volunteer who came with Carrie led an interactive assembly where the children learned all about trees, why they are important for our lives and our planet's environments, and how they provide habitat for wildlife. Then, many grades 2nd and up participated in class-room exercises where they wrote short essays with pictures about how they and their families help the planet...look around in the hallways for their inspiring works!

Lastly on the Green Team front, this month we will submit our "portfolio" for our 3rd "pillar" of Woodstock's Green School Certification from the Utah Society for Environmental Education. This Pillar will be our Environmental Education Pillar, and will join the other two pillars we have already received (Sustainable Practices, and Community Outreach). Between the "Planet Learning Tree" training five of our teachers took last Fall, and our Earth Day activities this year, and the on-going educational aspects of our recycling program, our Idle Free campus, and of course our fabulous community garden, we will fly through this pillar with green colors!

And, oh boy, speaking of our garden...

Our Woodstock garden fieldtrips are in full swing! Thanks to all of the parent volunteers who came along for our spring planting. Upcoming in May we have 2nd grade 5/5 12:30pm, 3rd grade 5/6 12:30pm, Villareal 5/13 12:30pm, 5th grade 5/14 12:30pm, 6th grade 5/19 12:40pm, and 4th grade 5/20 12:30pm. (If you are interested in helping, please contact Sariah Henry 801.230.2040 - text is fine.)

The SOUL Garden's annual MayFaire Celebration will be on Saturday, May 16th from 10am to 12pm. It's a family friendly, FREE event. A flyer will details will be sent home in your child's backpack shortly. We'd love our Woodstock families to attend!

Hear ye, Hear ye!!! We are looking for SUMMER GARDENERS!!! Please EMAIL [email protected] if you are interested in taking a week / a day (pair up with another family) this summer starting June 7th through August 14th. You will reap the reward of the organic produce from our plots AND from the community areas at SOUL garden. This experience is one that your family will never forget! Hope to see you at the garden...


A Reminder from our Treasurer:

The end of the school year is right around the corner. Please make sure that you turn in your receipts for PTA activities soon. If this is new to you, here are the instructions: Go into the office and then walk down the hall that goes past Ms. Pearson's office. (This is a grown up only hall, so if you have kids with you, please ask them to sit in the office while you create your check request) As you turn the corner, there will be individual cubbies on the right. The PTA cubby is on the far left. In the cubby, there is a folder with check reimbursement forms. There is also a basket with pens, a calculator, and a stapler. Fill out the check request, staple on the receipt(s) and place your request in the left side of the folder. I try to check the folder regularly, but if you need your check quickly please call or text me at 385-393-0929. Also, please remember to cash your checks! Thank you! Marci Olson, Woodstock PTA Treasurer

Reflections 2015-2016:

Next years theme for reflections is "Let your imagination fly." We are desperately in need of an individual who is willing to step up and be in charge of this or we will be unable to have this program at our school next year. The due date to submit reflections is in October. If you would be willing to help, please contact us at [email protected].

Volunteers Needed for 2015-2016:

Next year will be here before you know it and we are already planning and getting things ready. We know we have such wonderful parents at Woodstock who may not know how to get involved more at the school. If you have a few hours or a few minutes we would love your help. If you are willing to volunteer your time please contact is at [email protected] and we will work with you to help find the perfect fit and help you get more involved!

Registration Celebration 2015-2016:

Registration Celebration will be on August 6th from 4:30-7:00 pm at Woodstock. We will be sending out a postcard with a reminder as that date gets closer. On the post card will be a link to download the documents that will need to be filled out for registration or there will be copies of the papers at the school the day of the celebration to fill them out. We will not be mailing home packets or having them in the office this year so be sure to look for the postcard. With help of the wonderful Mrs. Nielsen in the office we will be sending home the list of general school supplies for next year and then at the celebration you can see the specific items added for each teacher. It will also be posted on our PTA website.

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Woodstock Elementary Newsletter May online...Woodstock Elementary Newsletter May 2015 ! PTA President’s Message: It is hard for me to believe another school year is coming to a close!