Wakefield School News Volume 25 Issue 2 October 2017

Transcription

1 Wakefield School News Volume 25 Issue 2 October 2017 The school year is in full-swing. By the time you read this newsletter we will have had parent-teacher conferences (Oct. 2) and are well on our way to finishing the first quarter (Oct. 20). Several helpful items can be found on school website A reminder to check out our school website ( for several helpful items for parents and students. Some examples of items that can be found on the website include: u Parent-Student Handbook u ipad Handbook u TeamMates Mentor Application u Lunch Menu u Monthly Activity Calendar u Newsletter u Board Meeting Information Also don t forget to check out our school Facebook page. Our page is called Wakefield Community School District. This is the ONLY school Facebook page that is administered by school officials. Others such as Wakefield High School are not administered by our school. Random drug testing reminders Beginning two years ago, Wakefield High School has been doing random drug testing on 7-12 students who are in extra-curricular activities. A few reminders of how this policy is administered: **Students in 7-12 who are in any extra-curricular activities (and his/her parents) are required to sign a Random Drug Testing Consent Form in order to participate in that activity. **Extra-curricular activities include: All sports, FBLA, FCCLA, FFA, Speech, One-Act, Art Club, Swing Choir, Pep Band, NHS, Student Council, Quiz Bowl, District Music Contest Participants. **Once the consent form is signed, it is valid for that entire school year. **Drug testing is done on random dates and at random times of day throughout the school year.

2 Screenagers shown to 4-12 grade students Wakefield School gained access to a new documentary called Screenagers and showed it to students in grades 4 through 12. The movie is about teenagers and kids and how much time they spend in front of screens (phones, ipads, computers, video games, etc). Parents are strongly encouraged to visit for various tips for parents and kids. Below is a portion of Tech Talk Tuesdays one of the many resources found on the website: For this week s TTT, talk with your children about your car rides to and from school, practices and road trips. Making the car a screen-free zone is safer for the driver and a wonderful opportunity for family bonding and excellent modeling for our future drivers. Here are some questions to ask: What is/could be fun to do on a phone/screen in the car (when not driving of course)? What are things one can do in the car if not on a phone or tablet? How do you feel about no screens in the car, except for music, podcasts, and maps? ipad reminders A few reminders about the ipads: *Students have all been asked to change their Internet passwords. This will prevent other students from using their password and possibly doing something inappropriate under another student s name. *Students should NOT do anything to change the settings on ipad accounts. Jason Heitz, 7-12 Principal *Do not keep ipads in vehicles, especially in hot or cold weather. *Do not remove the ipads from their cases for any reason. *Do not store ipads in the bottom of a book bag that contains several heavy books. *Encourage your students to take care of their ipads. They will be receiving the same ipad in their future years of high school.

3 From the Principal s Pen Jerad Wulf, PK-6 Principal ~ Parents and teachers provide the tools with which students build their futures ~ Conferences help parents, teachers connect Parent Teacher Conferences were held on October 2. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with your child s teacher. Research shows that children whose parents are actively involved with their education achieve at higher levels in school. Parents and teachers that work together greatly enhance a student s ability to do well in school. Together, they can share insight with each other and create plans that can be implemented in both school and home. When parents and teachers work together, children develop a positive attitude toward school, feel proud of their achievements, and simply enjoy school to a much greater level. Elementary planning special day with Grandparents/VIPs Teachers, students and staff of Wakefield Elementary School are looking forward to hosting the 9 th annual Grandparent s/vip Day on Friday, Oct. 20. The annual event will begin with registration at 10:15 a.m. in the school s main gym. Guests are invited to eat lunch with the students and take part in various scheduled activities during the afternoon. The day will conclude at 2:30 p.m. Invitations for Grandparent s/vip Day were mailed out by the school. Residents of the community who would like to volunteer as a grandparent/vip can call the elementary school at (402) Grandparents/VIP Day is being celebrated in conjunction with the annual Wakefield Balloon Days festival on Oct. 20, 21 & 22.

4 Costume parade Oct. 31 Preschool through 3 rd grade students at Wakefield Elementary School will participate in the annual costume parade on Tuesday, Oct. 31. Students will dress in their costumes at the end of the day and will parade through the Wakefield Health Care Center around 2:30 p.m. The students should reach the Wakefield Business District around 2:50 p.m. They will return to school for regular dismissal at 3:35 p.m. Students are asked to bring their costumes to school to change into at the end of the day. If you would rather your child not participate, please send a note or notify the school. Students in grades 4-6 will participate in their own celebration with various activities planned by the elementary student council. Family groups organized This year we will be assigning all students (K-6) to a family group. Family groups are supervised by a school staff member. Mixed aged groups will meet a few times a month to learn about prosocial behaviors or how to deal with various issues. One of the goals of the family group is to increase the connection/relationships that students have. By Lori Harding (lharding@wakefieldschools.org) 7-12 Guidance Counselor Seniors preparing for post high school The seniors are very busy preparing for their future post-high school plans. I met with the senior class as a group and have met with each of them individually. Nearly half of the seniors and their parents attended the August 29 th financial planning meeting hosted by EducationQuest. Following that meeting, the yearly counselor update meeting was held. All seniors have been encouraged to apply to 2-3 colleges by the end of the semester. To help encourage students to complete this task, an Apply2College event was held September 7 th during the first part of the school day. Thirty-two seniors met in the computer lab and completed 52 applications by the end of that time frame! A big thank you to Rhonda Lorenzen and Karen Kluthe for assisting me in helping guide students through the process. Oftentimes seniors put off applying because they are unsure how to

5 go about the process or they feel they don t have the time. I am extremely grateful to administration for allowing this event to take place during the school day. It was a great success! Several seniors are taking the October ACT test with the goal of raising their scores to make them eligible for more scholarships. Seniors should also be visiting colleges they are interested in this fall. Physically getting on campus, talking with advisors in their fields of interest, and taking campus tours are very important when choosing the college that will be the best fit. Another reminder for seniors this year is that they may begin completing their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) the first of October. The first thing seniors need to do is create a federal student aid ID. Each student will need an ID for themselves and for one of their parents. A parent is required to have an ID, as it is their ID that will act as a signature for the application. Both FAFASA IDs can be created at fsaid.ed.gov. I will be giving a FAFSA checklist to students on October 2 and also it to parents who have given me their address. This checklist will outline all of the information needed to complete the FAFSA. I would encourage families to have completed their FAFSA by the end of Juniors encouraged to explore career/college Individual consultations are underway with juniors. The focus of these sessions is to encourage juniors to explore and research career and college options. The ACT will again be given to all juniors next spring, in part as the required state assessment. All high school students have access to On To College (formerly John Baylor) ACT test prep materials, which can be accessed online. These study materials include multiple video study sessions, online quizzes, and other materials that they can access on their own at any time. They may also participate in group-viewing sessions that will take place 2 weeks prior to the October and April ACT tests in the counselor s office from 7:30 8:10 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The more prepared students are to take the ACT test, the greater their chances of getting higher scores. Higher ACT scores can often times equal greater financial assistance. Important dates All students and parents are encouraged to keep an eye on important dates posted on the white board and bulletin boards outside my office. Seniors are given Counselor Corner information sheets each month that list important dates to watch for, college recruiter visits, scholarship information, and other information important to their senior year. Because it is primarily the students responsibility to take charge of their future regarding the pursuit of furthering their education and applying for scholarships, I want to provide them with as much information as possible. Just realize, the information I give them will not be all-inclusive. There are thousands of scholarships available and it would be impossible for me to list all of them. Please contact me anytime if you have

6 any questions by or phone ( ).

7 10 Top College Application Mistakes 1) Misspellings and grammatical errors Misspellings on something as important as the application shows that either you don t care or you aren t good at spelling. Some students even misspell their intended major. But don t stop with a spell check, proofread for grammatical errors too! 2) Applying online, but the application isn t actually submitted If you apply online, you should receive confirmation that the college or university received it. Confirmation could be an message, a Web page response, or a credit card receipt. Follow through and make sure that your application has been received. 3) Forgotten signatures Make sure you sign and date the form. 4) Not reading carefully For example, if the form asks what county you live in, don t misread it as country and write United States. 5) Listing extracurricular activities that aren t Those that make the list include sports, the arts, formal organizations, and volunteer work. Make sure your activity information is accurate. Colleges may check with your high school. 6) Not telling your school counselor where you ve applied Let your counselor know which colleges you re applying to and ask him or her to review your high school transcript before sending it to colleges. 7) Writing illegibly First impressions count, so take your time and use your best handwriting. It will make a better impression. 8) Using an address that friends might laugh about, but colleges won t Select a professional address. Keep your fun address for friends, but select an address using your name for college admissions. 9) Not checking your regularly If you ve given an address, the college will use it. You don t want to miss out on anything because you didn t read your . 10) Letting mom or dad help you fill out your application Admission people know if your parents help, whether you have two different styles of handwriting or your admissions essay sounds more like a 45-year-old than a 17-year-old. It s fine to get advice, but do the work yourself.

8