What`s News in the Woods… - Farmington Woods Elementary School

What’s News in the Woods…
Farmington Woods IB/PYP Elementary Magnet School
May/June 2015 Newsletter
http://fwes.wcpss.net for any info updates
From Mrs. Pierce...
As we enter the last few weeks of
the school year, it is a fantastic time
to reflect on the growth and successes of our students and our school
community. We have be recognized in
a variety of ways for not only our IB/
PYP but for academics and wellness of
our students. Watching the success
of our 5th graders at Exhibition last
week serves as a shining example of
the growth and achievement possible
within an IB School environment.
Spring can become a busy time for
families and within the school (as
evidenced by the calendar of events
in the newsletter) but it is essential
that learning remain a priority for
students so that they are prepared as
possible for the next
level. Thanks to the
wonderful staff and
supportive families we continue
to focus each day on students
and their learning success.
It was an honor for WCPSS to
be chosen to host the National
Magnet Schools of America
Conference in April and another
highlight of the outstanding
magnet programs available to
WCPSS students. FWES was
thrilled to offer a tour of our
school to visitors from across
the US and they continued to
share their positive
impressions of our
school with staff who
attended the confer-
A Walk in the Woods ...


Walking/Biking to School Wednesdays! To
get your heart pumping and oxygen flowing,
join us each month. This month we will be
doing Bike To School day on May 6th–
meet at 8:20am and Walk to School Day
on May 13th at 8:30am from Kildare Plaza. Thanks to our Wellness Committee for
promoting physical fitness and exercise
daily for our school community!
Youyuan Hung Do on June 4th! Farmington
Woods as a partnering school with the Confucius Institute will celebrate 10 years of
the organization’s work providing cultural
exchanges through education between the
US and China. Our school’s Mandarin program and teacher on loan from China are
because of our partnership with the Confucius Institute. On June 4th, our semester
PBIS Celebration will center on celebrating
this partnership as students will have an
opportunity to participate in a number of
activities related to learning about Chinese
culture. Our school’s Mandarin Teacher
Mr. Liang has been working with school
PBIS team to develop this event. Much of
the focus of this experience will be to simulate what in China is referred to as Youyuan
Hung Do which roughly translated means
Garden Games. We are developing games
and arts experiences related to Chinese
culture to celebrate the day. As we have
begun to discuss this with students, we see
how excited they are about the great
ence for the remaining 3
days of the event. What a
special place we have here at
FWES!
As summer quickly approaches, I hope you will all continue to be inquirers and learners in those summer months
and count the days until we
get to start another school
year together.
Respectfully,
May 6 Bike to School Day! 5th Grade Beach Trip
(Frerichs, Pausley, Ramos)
May 7 Cultural Arts– Masked Marvels
May 8 9:30am Volunteer Tea; 9:30-11:00 5th
Grade Career Fair
May 16 Last Super Saturday School
May 20 9:30, 2:30, 4:30 Proctor Training
Lead by Example
May 22 7:35 , 2:30 Proctor Training
May 25 Memorial Day Holiday
May 26 EOG ELA for 3rd-5th; K-2 eat bag lunches in classrooms– no lunch visitors
things they will learn that day. The
Celebration will occur throughout the
school and events for students at all Gold
Ticket levels will be related to Chinese
Culture and Games on June 4th.
May 27 May 27 EOG Math for 3rd-5th; K-2 eat
bag lunches in classrooms– no lunch visitors;
6:00pm 5th Grade Handbell Concert
May 28 6:00pm 4th Grade Handbell Concert
May 29 EOG Science for 5th Grade; altered
lunch
Teacher Appreciation Week May 11-15:
Please show your appreciation to the wonderful FWES staff during our Appreciation Week, sponsored by the FWES PTA.
Information on how to volunteer to help
during the luncheon is on the last page in
the PTA section. Mark your calendars and
start planning: Monday– Thank you ; Tuesday– Show Love with Flowers; Wednesday–
Treat; Thursday– Help; Friday– Surprise
and Staff Luncheon Event
June Events are listed below….
Score Letters Home; 1st Grade Author’s Tea
June 4 Go for the Gold Celebration Day– You Yuan!;
6:30 PTA Board of Director’s Meeting
June 5 Awards Day K-1 9:30; 2-4 10:30
June 8 Last Day of School; 5th Grade Celebration
10:00am; 5th Grade Picnic in Courtyard 11:30am12:30pm; Report Cards Go Home with all students
after 12:30pm
 Teacher Characteristics for 2015-16: If
Have a great summer!
Don’t forget to Read Every Day!
Check website throughout the summer for updates as
they will be added through August 17th.

August 20 Class Lists Posted at 4:30pm

August 21 8:30-11:00am Open House for 15-16

August 24 First Day of School for 1st-5th Grades

August 24-27 Kindergarten Staggered Entry
24– Last Names A-D
25– Last Names E-K
26– Last Names L-R
June Events:
June 3 Retest for 3rd Grade ELA ONLY; EOG
May 6 & 7– Spirit Nights at Kildare for Dinner!
May 15 Teacher Appreciation Luncheon– Volunteers needed!!!
Own your Actions
10:30; 2:15 1st Grade Author’s Tea
May 5 5th Grade Beach Trip (Lemak and Herrema)
May 14 4th Grade to NC Symphony; 9:30 Principal Talks for Parents– EOG Review and Prep
Give and Earn Respect
June 2 5th Grade Talent Show K-2 9:30; 3-5
May 4 2nd Grade Percussion Day
May 13 Walk to School Wednesday; K to Natural
Sciences Museum
Go for the Gold!
you are interested in providing information
about the teacher characteristics that will
best support your child in the next grade
level, you may send those to Jennifer
Thakur ([email protected]) and/or Winston
Pierce ([email protected]) by Thursday,
June 11th. Teachers should not be identified
by name, as many of our teachers will be
teaching different grade levels next year,
but the characteristics that support your
child best in a learning environment will allow
us to make the best classroom placement
decision next year.
Calendar Items to Note...
May 11-15 FWES Teacher Appreciation Week!
Winston Pierce
Demonstrate Cooperation

May/June, 2015
27– Last Names S-Z

August 28 1:00-2:00 Kindergarten Open House to Meet Teacher

August 31– First day for ALL Kindergarteners
Learning Lasts a Lifetime Team updates...
5th Grade: Students in the fifth grade have
delved into an IB unit inquiry into what a
memoir is and what makes a memoir wellwritten. The theme is "How We Express
Ourselves" and the central idea is, " People
use different forms of expressions to convey their uniqueness as individuals." Students
created a functional collage to represent
who they are and a poem about where they
are from. They are using effective techniques such as a bold beginning, figurative
language, colorful words, and sensory details
to make their memories come alive for the
reader. In addition to writing 3 chapters
about moments from their lives, they will
also show another way they express their
uniqueness. This may be a movie, dance, art,
photo, etc. Fifth graders will also participate
in "cycles", in order to prepare for Middle
School and the EOG's. Fifth graders are
participating in a middle school like rotation
for 6 days, from May 14-May 21. Students
will switch classes each 45 minutes to review
in ELA, math, and science. Students will get
the opportunity to learn from each fifth
grade teacher and also learn about human
growth and development.
3rd Grade: Third graders really enjoyed and
benefitted from their trip to the arboretum
in April. They were able to see a variety of
plant adaptations up close, explored plant
life cycles, and used movement to understand how different types of soil interact
with water and plant roots. Students will now
be inventing new plants that have adaptations that make them well-suited to survival
in a specific region or biome. We can't wait
to see how these amazing plants turn out!
2nd Grade: Second grade classes experienced a wonderful trip to the North Carolina
Museum of Natural Sciences on Tuesday and
Wednesday of last week. Second grade students were able to use their prior knowledge
and experiences from our IB Unit of Who
We Are during the engaging Curiosity Classes. Students were able to see first hand
various types of animals in the different
stages of their life cycle through real life
animals and vivid photography. Students
were invited to be risk-takers and touch
some of the animals that were presented
during the Curiosity Class. Students were
able to contribute to class discussions using
their knowledge and the new information
they were learning. It was evident that
Farmington Woods Second graders were
making connections between their school
learning and their off campus learning right
before our very eyes! In addition to our class
we were able to explore the multiple areas of
the museum and make even more connections with our learning. Students were
able to participate in multiple learning
labs within the museum during their museum exploration time. Some students
chose to use the learning labs to explore
personal interests. Some students explored where seismic activity is happening in our world using satellite infor-
mation. Other students watched videos that
show evidence of the polar ice caps melting.
Some students enjoyed manipulating robotic
creations or Solar System models that engineers from the museum created. These were
just a few of the experiences that might
have happened on the trip. The students
were buzzing with excitement upon our return and repeatedly stated how great their
trip had been!
AIG/Enrichment: From your Enrichment/
AIG teacher: I hope that your child is having
a great year, full of learning that will last a
lifetime! While we still have a way to go before wrapping up this school year, it's not
too early to think about some summer activities that you can do with your child to keep
skills sharp and encourage their love of adventure and discovery. You will find many
summer math activities, books, and calendars
at my math site https://
farmingtonmath.pbworks.com. I hope you
find this site to be a helpful resource for
you and your child! Sincerely, Mrs. Rowe
Want to Stay Informed
This Summer?
Check out our website
for up to date
information:
http://fwes.wcpss.net
From the Front Office...Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Farr, Mrs. Nagy and Mrs. Oddo



Picking Up Student Medication: All student medications must
be picked up by a parent at the end of the school year from
the front office. Medications not picked up by June 19th will
be disposed of by the School Nurse. Please don’t forget to pick
up your child’s medication.
Moving or Address Change for 2015-16: Please inform Mrs.
Nagy ([email protected]) in writing if you are not going to be
returning to Farmington Woods or WCPSS for the 15-16
school year so that records can be updated. If you have moved
and need to update your address to receive summer mailings,
please provide her with the new address and a new proof of
residence so that receive important communications.
Summer Office Hours: The school office will be open most
days from June 9-August 17 between the hours of 8:00am4:00pm. The office will close for lunch daily and occasionally be
closed for full days due to maintenance and repair work schedPage 2
uled in the summer. Please visit the website or call 919-4603469 before visiting in the summer to check on staff and
building availability.

Report Card and Student Belongings Left at the End of the
Year: Report cards and any other belongings of students who
are not in attendance the last day of school will be kept in the
front office for pick up during the summer.

Lost and Found: Items not claimed in the lost and found by
June 8th will be donated to a local charity.

Update phone numbers: For a variety of reasons, phone numbers change for parents. Please
don’t forget to let the front office know if you
have a new phone number so that we can update
records and include you on any summer School
Messengers that may go out with important information about
the start of the school year.
What’s News in the Woods…
EOG Testing Proctors Needed
with our EOG
testing.
The End of Grade Testing process for
3rd, 4th and 5th graders includes the
administration of each test by a certified
teacher but each test setting must also
have the support of a test proctor. With
16 3rd-5th grade classrooms and many
special education students who need different testing settings for End of Grade
Testing, FWES will need an additional 1012 people each testing day to serve as
proctors.
district policies.
If you can assist, please use
these links to
sign up for
proctoring and
proctor training sessions:
Testing proctors walk around the classroom during the test and observe students and notify the test administrator of
any problems or concerns so that they
may be addressed according to state and
Schools across the district rely on strong
parent involvement to assist at this important time of year for our school and
our students and we hope you will consider
helping FWES on May 26, 27 and/or 29
To serve as a proctor :
1)
You will need to be a registered volunteer
2)
You will need to be able to remain in
the testing setting for the entire
testing time period (maximum of 4
hour from 9am-1pm).
3)
You must attend a 45 minute proctor
training session prior to testing
Support Learning Through the Summer:
Each
year the
Learn More about
intervenkeeping kids off the
tion team
“Summer Slide” and how meets on
you can help at home:
too many
students
http://www.rif.org/us/
who come
literacy-resources/
back
articles/keeping-kidsfrom a
long sumoff-the-summermer
slide.htm
break
having to
spend weeks regaining some of the skills
they worked so hard to acquire over the
previous school year. While summer provides
a welcome break from school, there should
be no break from learning! This summer take
advantage of community resources and the
extra time with your child to continue learning while creating long-lasting memories together. To ensure that your child’s learning
continues and their skills remain sharp, consider the following options this summer!
Visit your local community library. Did you
know there are 20 Wake County public libraries, with bookmobile services in Eastern
Wake County! As the days get longer and
hotter, visiting an air conditioned library is
an excellent way to beat the heat and engage
your child in learning. Check out the calendar of events at your local library during the
summer, as many locations host free activi-
Page 3
ties that are engaging and promote literacy
and learning all summer long! Ask your child’s
teacher to provide you with the most appropriate reading level or even a leveled reading
list in order to appropriately challenge your
growing reader this summer. Talk about the
books they check out and are reading! Ask
your child questions about the story details,
characters and plots. Show an interest in
what they are reading, and check out a book
for yourself! Modeling is one of the strongest ways children learn…they do what they
see! Remember, your child should be
reading every single day to maintain their
skills!
Plan a field trip to one of the many museums throughout the triangle! Marbles Kids
Museum, Museum of Natural Sciences, and
the NC Museum of Arts are all within a short
driving distance. Many of the museums have
activities for children and families for nominal fees! Hands on learning allows children to
explore their physical world and is another
important way your child learns!
Take advantage of time in the kitchen or
on a road trip to promote math skills. Count
all the green cars, follow a recipe to bake a
blueberry pie, weigh and compare sand in a
bucket, play board games like Uno, Rumi Kub,
and Sequence. The options are infinite! Summer presents a great time to slow down and
count (add, subtract, divide or multiply)
shells, rocks, fireflies, or flowers. Arrange
for your child to do chores around the house
We need your watchful
eyes to help!
Proctor/Volunteer
Sign-Up:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e094dadad2c72015
Proctor Training Sign-Up:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e094dadad2c7eogproctor
with math motives in mind. Earning any
amount of money provides opportunities for
your child to count, save, and budget for
something special! Chores also promote responsibility, time management, and organizational skills that are key to successful learning in school!
Finally, experience the great outdoors!
Physical activity is vitally important for
maintaining a healthy weight and it promotes
positive mental health! Check out the local
Parks and Recreation resources in both Cary
and Raleigh and get moving! We live in one of
the most beautiful areas in the country with
refreshing lakes and exciting trails to bike
and hike! Cary’s prime location between the
Blue Ridge Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean
affords unique options for “daycations.”
There is no better science lab than the
great outdoors, so this summer go exploring!
Summer is a perfect season for parents to
provide customized instruction with creative
curriculum matched to your individual child’s
learning interests, all within a relaxed learning environment! If you commit to reading
every day and are intentional about spending
time learning and growing together this summer, you will set your child up for a successful start to the new school year! We look
forward to hearing about all the fun learning
experiences you and your child engage in this
summer!
- The Farmington Woods Intervention
Team
Newsletter Title
Magnet Musings from the desk of Anna Goodrum, IB Coordinator
Action can take many forms, such as community service, celebration of cultural differences and solutions to problems. So
you may ask, what is action for a five-year-old, seven-year-old,
or ten-year-old? Effective action does not need to be grandiose. It’s as basic as a classmate consoling another classmate
who was crying over a lost item. Or it could be a student, after
learning about the US Constitution in class, writing a constitution for her family. Action is students growing crops, preparing
and maintaining our garden with the help of the whole school
community, and donating what we grow to the food bank. We
are cultivating global citizens at FWES.
viduals were struggling to have
the basic necessities of life.
Students immediately wanted to
take action. They ended their
Exhibition presentations with a
link to UNICEF, and set up a
table in the lobby where the
school community could donate
to help those in Nepal. When
tragedy strikes, it is comforting to know that our students are
compassionate, caring individuals that want to make a difference.
As 5th graders prepared their Exhibition topics on Wellness
this year, they learned how to take care of their brains and
bodies. They created public service announcements, awareness
ribbons and flyers on various topics. News of the earthquake in
Nepal grabbed their attention as they realized that these indi-
FWES wants to learn about the action that you take as a family!
We have created a page on the website to gather this information: http://fwes.wcpss.net/about/actions-within-community/
Please visit the site record the action that your child takes. We
can all make a difference!
Farmington Woods PTA
http://farmingtonwoodspta.org
to join or get more information
 FWES Spirit Nights on Kildare!
May 6 & 7 at City BBQ, Tijuana Flats, Patrick
Jane’s and Hurricane’s
Coupons to support FWES are going home today–
take them to the restaurant and help your
school!
 Teacher Appreciation Volunteers Needed! The
PTA will be hosting a luncheon for our fantastic
staff on Friday, May 15th and in order for every
staff member to attend, we need at least 2 registered volunteers in every classroom. We need
your help– please use this link to sign up to help
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C4AAEA92AA
31-teacher show the staff how much we appreci-
ate our school!
 FWES Tumblers Still Available: As you are getting ready for summer, you’ll need to have fluids
close by to counter the heat– the FWES Tumbler
is a perfect item to add to your summer wardrobe. Order forms are on the website. They also
make a great teacher gift !
 Leadership Needed for 15-16: Several leadership positions are not yet filled in our PTA for the
15-16 school year. If you are interested in becoming involved and making a difference for students
and families, please visit the PTA website and
share your interest– we’d love to have you!
May/June, 2015
Counselor’s Corner
Jennifer Thakur (919-460-3474) and Christine Cox (919-460-2742)
During the month of May, all 3rd,
4th and 5th grade students participate in End of Grade testing. Unfortunately, this can be a
stressful time for our students
and staff. Please remember that
butterflies before a big test are
normal; but high levels of anxiety
and stress can be both physically
and emotionally taxing. Remind
your children to do their best, but
that it's ok to make mistakes. Here are some simple
tricks that will prepare them both
mentally and physically for
EOG's...
The Night Before a Big Test:
1. Go outside and play!
2. Eat a nice relaxing dinner
3. Get plenty of rest
(recommended 8-10 hours)
*Don't spend time doing "extra
school work" - RELAX and enjoy
the evening!
The Morning Of a Big Test:
1. Get up with plenty of time to
get ready
2. Eat a nice healthy breakfast
(stay away from sugary foods)
3. Tell yourself that you can do
it! Positive self talk is key to
feeling confident.
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