Wattsburg Area Elementary Center

Wattsburg Area Elementary Center
Mercyhurst Hockey Players visit WAEC
September
2014
Inside this issue:
Important Dates
3
Back-to-School Info
3
From the Nurse’s
Office
4
Reminder-No Latex
4
Attendance Tips
Kindergarten Update
5
Library News
6
1-2-3 Magic Parenting Seminar
7
Trooper Lunch program
8
WASD AntiHarassment & AntiRetaliation
9
Important Dates to Remember
September 26
September 30
October 13
November 5
November 10-13
November 13
November 14
November 14
Pumpkin Run
School Pictures
No School for Students Act 80 Day
School Picture Make-up Day/Yearbook pictures
Book Fair
Parent Teacher conferences 4:00—7:00 pm
No School for Students—Act 80 Day
Parent Teacher conferences during the school day
Afternoon Student Pick Up
In an effort to ensure the students’ safety, parents who
choose to pick up their child/children after school are
required to send a note to their child’s homeroom teacher
which includes the date, name of person picking up the
child/children, and the parent’s signature.
Please see the Student Handbook, page 4-5, for more details.
Thank you for your cooperation.
LOST AND FOUND
Please encourage your children to check the
Lost and Found table in the front hallway if
they are missing any items. Also, check with the
office secretaries if your child is missing jewelry or glasses. At the end of each month, any
items not claimed will be donated to either our
nurse’s office or a local charity.
After the first week of school,
children should walk to their classrooms on their own. We ask parents
to refrain from walking with the
children to their classrooms after
the first week of school as this
procedure is disruptive to student
learning and creates overdependence in children. If parents
have concerns that they wish to address with the teacher, parents
should call or send a note to the
teacher requesting a phone conference or request to schedule a conference before or after school.
Thank you for helping
all students settle
into the
school routine.
Notes from the Nurse
……
With another school year underway, here are a few reminders:

Immunizations: If your child receives any new immunizations during the year, please send an updated immunization record from your physician so we can update your child’s records.

Kindergarten students: Please send the updated shot record with required immunizations if you have not already done so. Please send in copy of the physical and dental exams when completed.

Third grade students: Please send in a copy of the dental exam when completed.

Medications: If your child requires prescription medication at school (antibiotics, etc…) orders must be obtained from the prescribing physician. Please remember to send in a medication form signed you and your
physician. All prescription medication must be in the original container form the pharmacy.

If your child requires over-the –counter medication at school, please send the medication in the original container with a note stating what the medication is for, the dose, and the time it is to be given

For the safety of all students, ALL MEDICATION MUST BE DISPENSED THROUGH THE NURSE’S OFFICE.

CHIP Insurance: If at any time you or your child is in need of medical insurance coverage, applications are
available in the nurse’s office for CHIP insurance.

Head Lice: The students will be checked for lice during the first weeks of school. After summer vacations,
sleepovers, visits with cousins, etc….there are always a few students who acquire head lice. Please monitor
your child at home for signs of head lice throughout the year. Signs to look for include:
Itchy scalp
Red and irritated skin at the nape of the neck
Tiny pearlized eggs stuck to the hair shaft very close to the scalp
Small, brown wingless bugs (they are very fast and hide well)
Lice cannot jump, do not come from pets, and must be treated with a lice-killing shampoo. Please refer
to the WAEC Student Handbook for more information
Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s health during the school year.
Mary Rea RN, CSN
School Nurse, WAEC
824-4117
Please do not send latex products, including latex balloons, to school to use as
party decorations or as a part of treat bags or gifts for children at classroom
parties or birthday celebrations. There are people who are highly allergic to latex products who are in our school every day.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.
As a reminder, students may only ride the bus to a
friend's house on Friday. Each student’s parent must
send a signed, dated note with the names and addresses of the students involved.
In the interest of children’s safety, neither the
transportation coordinator nor the elementary center staff will make changes to children’s bus stops
based on phone contact from parents.
Dolly Parton's
Imagination Library
This program provides a free book
each month to all children enrolled in
the program, from the time they are
born until they reach five years of age.
The books are selected by a blue ribbon
panel of experts in early childhood education and are age and development appropriate. They are mailed directly to
the child's home.
United Way of Erie County is working
to make sure that every eligible child is
enrolled. You can help, by spreading
the word. If you have a child, under
the age of 5 who lives in Erie County
they can be signed up online at
www.unitedwayerie.org/imagination and
Kindergarten Newsletter
Kindergarten is off to a great start
this school year. Both popsicles on
the
playground and Kindergarten orientation were very well attended. During
September students will learn about
each other, participate in name and
number activities, and practice the
school rules.
School Lunch Information
When sending money to pay for
your child’s lunch, milk, or ice
cream, please make sure to put
your child’s name either on the
check or the envelope.
You may contact our cafeteria
by calling (814) 824-3400 ext. 4543.
Attendance Tips
Welcome back to school! As we start another exciting year here are some
helpful tips from the Attendance Office:
If you have a doctor or dentist appointment, get a health excuse and turn it in to the attendance office.
When writing an excuse be sure to include the students last
name.
If you are going on a trip or taking a vacation, please complete
a Non School Sponsored Educational Field Trip Form prior to
leaving. You can get these at the office or online at wattsburg.org under the parents tab in downloadable forms. It is
called Non-Educational Field Trip Form.
Kindergarten Attendance Update
There have been some changes to attendance policies in Pennsylvania concerning kindergarten
attendance this year. Previously, Kindergarten students were not required to comply with Pennsylvania’s compulsory school attendance laws. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that
once a parent or guardian elects to enroll a child in public kindergarten, that child has “entered
school” and the parent or guardian must comply with Pennsylvania’s compulsory school attendance
laws. If the child has excessive unexcused absences the parent can be prosecuted. All attendance policies can be found in in the Student Handbook, beginning on page 11.
Please feel to call Mrs. Wright in the Attendance
Office with any questions at 824-3400 ext. 4521.
Have a super year!
LIBRARY NEWS
My name is Heather Hedderman. I am the elementary librarian. The library allows students to check out 1 book in K, 1, 2, and 3. All 4th grade students can check out 2 books.
The library runs on a DAY 1-4 schedule.
My recommendation is to keep their library book in a plastic bag (to keep it dry) and in the
student’s backpack! The books are collected at 9 AM on a library day in a classroom
crate/cart and brought to the library after announcements.
Students will be allowed to check books out for 8 school days to allow weekends for reading longer chapter books.
BOOK FAIRS
The library hosts two Book Fairs each school year. Students can shop during their regularly schedule library day. Parents/guardians are encouraged to shop with younger children.
Mrs. Hedderman is trying a new company and format this year.
The company is called The Reading Warehouse .
Paper backs will be $3, Hard back books $6, and pencils 3 for $1.
It is just a BOOK FAIR...nothing fancy or expensive!
Dates for the fairs are NOVEMBER 10—14th including Parent Teacher Conference times
and
VOLUNTEERS
Finally, Mrs. Hedderman is in need of parent volunteers to assist with
shelving books, displays, and more. Parent volunteers are always appreciated. During a typical week, Mrs. Hedderman checks in/out about 600 –
700 books which need to returned to the shelves! Consider picking 1 afternoon or morning per week and spend 1 hour helping the library!
Thank you again for supporting our library. The best way to reach Mrs.
Hedderman is by email – [email protected]
What’s New?
Trooper- School Lunch Program
Wattsburg Area Elementary Center will be
participating in the Trooper-School Lunch
program. The Trooper-School Lunch program is an interactive program designed to
establish rapport with children and youth as
well as emphasize the Department’s commitment to the Governor’s Partnership for Safe Children. Since most police officers public contact is in a formal, line-of-duty atmosphere, the Trooper-School Lunch
program enables children to associate and talk with police officers in a relaxed and informal setting. This will
give students a chance to spend their lunch time casually
conversing with a police officer. The students will hopefully realize police officers are real people too. This program will reinforce the idea that the Pennsylvania State
Police are friendly and can be called upon with reliance in
a time of need.
We are excited to be a part of this program however, due
to the unpredictable nature of a state trooper’s schedule,
we cannot know exactly when they will stop by for lunch.
They will come when an available officer is in the area.
The teachers have explained to their students that troopers will be joining them for lunch at some point. You may
want to discuss this with your child at home as well, so
that the children will not be surprised or concerned when
they see the troopers, but rather excited and looking forward to this unique opportunity.
10782 Wattsburg Road
Erie, PA 16509
(814) 824-3400
www.wattsurg.org
Mr. Kenneth A. Berlin
Mrs. Leslee M. Hutchinson
Superintendent
Assistant to the Superintendent
Wattsburg Area School District Anti-Harassment and Anti-Retaliation Statement
The Wattsburg Area School District does not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment based on sex. Retaliation against individuals who file complaints about sexual harassment or participate in the investigation of
such complaints is prohibited. The District encourages any student who believes he or she has been subjected
to sexual harassment to report the harassment to the District. The District will conduct a prompt investigation. Any students found to have engaged in sexual harassment or retaliation will be promptly disciplined according to school and district policies including, if circumstances warrant, suspension and/or expulsion. Also,
district staff members found to have engaged in sexual harassment or retaliation will be promptly disciplined,
and such discipline may include, if circumstances warrant, termination of employment. The Wattsburg Area
School District encourages students, parents, and staff to work together to prevent sexual harassment. To
report an incident of sexual harassment, please contact the Wattsburg Area School District’s Title IX Compliance Officer:
WASD Title IX Compliance Officer
Mrs. Leslee Hutchinson, Assistant to the Superintendent
10782 Wattsburg Road
Erie, PA 16509
(814) 824-3400
Wattsburg Walking Club
Sponsored by Fuel Up to Play 60
Monday—Friday 8:30-8;50 pm
Starting Monday, September 22,
A Warm Welcome
to the New Staff
at the Elementary Center!
The Elementary Staff extends a warm welcome to….
Mrs. Danielle Woodfield as she joins the 3rd grade team. Mrs. Woodfield
moved into Mrs. McAvoy’s classroom because she is now a kindergarten teacher. Danielle
received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Millersville University and
her Master of Education from Edinboro University as a certified Reading Specialist. She
has taught for 7 years in the Harrisburg area at North Side Elementary School. During
her time at North Side, she taught for one year in 4th grade and six years in 3rd grade.
Mrs. Woodfield was all smiles as her husband backed the U-Haul truck up to the loading
dock to bring all her teaching materials into the elementary center. She is looking forward to beginning the school year and getting to know her students.
Miss Erica Bucceri is joining the 4th grade team and is also so excited to
meet the children in her classroom. Many of the students already know Miss Bucceri because she did her student teaching with Mr. and Mrs. Pearce. Throughout the 2013 -2014
school year, she was a substitute teacher for the elementary center. Miss Bucceri has
moved into Mrs. Dellamedaglia’s old classroom because Mrs. D is teaching 6th grade in the
Wattsburg Area Middle School. In addition, Miss Bucceri graduated from Edinboro University with a degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education. Miss Bucceri is so excited to return to the elementary center and stated, ‘This is a dream come true and the best
thing that has ever happened to me!”
Mrs. Amy Heslop, formerly Miss Amy Izbicki, will be substituting for Mrs.
Melissa Conway who just had a little baby girl, Charolette, on August 18th. Mrs. Heslop has
been subbing in the district for several years. She attended Edinboro University and is
certified in Elementary Education, Special Education, Mid-Level English, Mid-Level Mathematics, and as a reading specialist. Mrs. Heslop is excited to be teaching at her alma mater.
The Elementary Center also has 3 new dining room aides to assist the children in
the cafeteria and they are Mrs. Julie Gottschling, Mrs. Rebecca Troutman, and
Ms. Kirsten Koprowski.
Mrs. Barboni and I had good conversations with them during the interviews and we are
looking forward to them being part of our team.
A sincere welcome to all of our new team members!