Mon 08-27    

- LS Open House 

- Seniors and Parents College Info Night

Tue 08-28        

-MS Open House 

-HS Open House  

Wed 08-29      

Thu 08-30    

Fri 08-31      

-Drop/Add ends
-Community School Registration ends   

LOWER SCHOOL   

The science lab is one of the many wonderful additions to the Lower School and we are so excited to welcome Mr. Joseph Falcione (photo above) to our faculty. His passion and enthusiasm for science is contagious, and he has very high expectations for his program. His lessons are creative and engaging while aligned tightly with the classroom science curriculum. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will have regularly scheduled visits to the lab, and our youngest scientists (PreK-3/PreK4) will visit periodically throughout the year.

We are equally excited to introduce to you our new Media Specialist, Mrs. JoAnne Fults. She is enjoying her newly renovated Knowledge Center and will be integrating research and study skills into her curriculum this year. The library will be open to serve our students from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mrs. Fults is looking forward to working with students and families this year and has a few special surprises in store! 

If you haven't logged into Skyward, please do so. This is where you will find class updates, the grade level newsletter and information about what is happening in your child's class and across the Lower School. If you are having trouble logging on or navigating, please let us know. We are happy to help you. Further assistance will be available during our Open House.

Lower School Open House will take place on Monday, August 27 from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. We will run three information sessions to allow parents with multiple children to attend all presentations. Each classroom teacher will hold three presentations: 6:00, 6:30, and 7:00 pm.  All special area teachers will be available to meet with parents throughout the evening. This event is for parents only.

We would like to recognize that resolving the traffic congestion is a priority for us. As always, the safety and well-being of your children is our first concern. We appreciate your patience and support, as we need your help to make this better for everyone.   A few reminders to keep the traffic moving;

Regarding Student Drop-Off....

Please remember that students are not allowed out of the vehicle until school personnel are there to greet them and escort them out of cars. We will be on the sidewalk at 8:10 am. Encourage your child(ren) to have all of their materials that he/she will need in the car and ready to go when you arrive at school. Students must exit from the left side of the car only. Please pull away from the drop-off area as quickly as possible while being mindful of the traffic flow.

Regarding Student Pick-Up....

Parents of Kindergarten and First grade should remain in the right lane around the Lower School until your reach the designated pick-up location. K/1 parents will not be allowed to exit via the gate across from the first grade classrooms. They will only be allowed to exit via the main gate.

Parents of PreK3/PreK4 students should stay in the right lane and pull into the pick-up loop to start the cue.

Parents of 4th/5th grade students should stay in the right lane and pull into the pick-up loop to start the cue no earlier than 3:25 p.m. It is important that the PreK parents have access to the loop from 3:00-3:25 p.m. 

Parents of 2nd/3rd grade students should remain in the left lane around the pond and stay in the left lane until you reach the designated pick-up location.

Please remain in the vehicle and allow the faculty to help your child into the car with his/her belongings. The only exception is for students in PreK-3/PreK-4 as parents must buckle students in the car seat.

Remind your children to be looking for you (your car) when they are in the designated pick-up area and move quickly to your car when their name is called.

Students will only be allowed to enter the vehicle on the left side.

Please make sure your nametag is in the windshield. This will help us identify your car and have your child ready for you.

Arriving on campus too early will cause the traffic to back up and jam. Parents do not need to be on campus at 3:15 p.m. for a 3:30 p.m. dismissal time. Arriving at the dismissal time or slightly later will help the traffic flow. And as always, we ask that you refrain from using your cell phone during the drop-off and pick-up processes for the safety of all students and staff.

Sincerely,

Melissa Fagan 

Director of Lower School

Theresa Nabavi 

Associate Director of Lower School

Important Dates:

Mon., Aug. 27 - Parent Open House (PreK3-5th grade) 6:00 p.m.  

Mon., Sept. 3 - No School - Labor Day

Making the Most of Skyward

As you know by now, we are using Skyward as our main management and communication tool for student information, including grades and schedules. Teachers are expected to post assignments in their Skyward grade books a week ahead of time. By doing this, due dates will appear on student calendars in the system that are also viewable by parents. I would expect that if you log in on Saturday evening or Sunday, you should be able to map the coming week for student assignments. We should be operational with this in all of our classes for the week beginning Monday, August 27.

The Purpose of Edmodo

You may have heard your son or daughter reference Edmodo. This is a virtual space that many of our teachers use in conducting their classes. In Edmodo, teachers can post assignments and host class discussions. The use of this technology is great practice for the virtual classroom spaces that students will encounter in colleges and universities. In addition, this is an excellent resource for students who may miss class for one reason or another over the course of the semester. Edmodo is an extension of the classroom with its target audience being the students in the class. To this end, it is not intended to replace Skyward as the primary venue for communication with parents. However, parents are welcome to view Edmodo sites and can get an e-vite to join an individual class by contacting the WPS teacher for that site. Click for a directory. 

Open House, Tuesday August 28

Please plan to join us for our Open House on Tuesday, August 28 at 6:30 p.m.. Teachers, counselors, and administrators will be available to meet with you. We look forward to seeing everyone.

Dance Team Tryouts

The dance team is open to all HS students in 9th-12th grades. If your child is interested in auditioning for the team, encourage them to attend the preaudition clinic on Thursday, Aug 23 from 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Room 101. Click for more information.

Clubs

On Wednesday, August 21, a special assembly was held to introduce the high school students to many of the exciting clubs that are available and looking for new members. Most clubs meet twice a month during the assembly period.  Some clubs have special qualifications like National Honor Society or Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), both of which require a certain GPA and in the case of Mu Alpha Theta, stellar math grades.  Other clubs have elected members like SGA, and some require an audition like Tri-M (Choral Honor Society).  However, the overall majority of the clubs welcome and encourage all students to join.  Some of these popular clubs include Habitat for Humanity and Pre-Med. Joining clubs is a wonderful way to make new friends and become more involved at WPS.     

Overall, we are off to a fantastic start for the 2012-13 school year. As always, I would like to thank to all of our families for their ongoing support of the high school at Windermere Preparatory School.

SGA Visits NYC    

COLLEGE CORNER

The high school team welcomes new College Counselor, Nancy Gerena, who comes to WPS with more than 10 years of guidance and college counseling experience. Nancy will be working primarily with the junior class this year.

 

We are jumping right into college planning with On Campus College Admissions Visits from a variety colleges and universities, including Wesleyan University, Boston University, University of Alabama and Florida State. All high school students may attend these visits; all juniors and seniors are encouraged to attend. The college visit schedule will be posted on Skyward and announced in homerooms. Click to see the WPS College Planning Calendar for September.  

 

The Meritas Strengths for Success (S4S) program teaches and nutures student study skills, self-knowledge, career discovery, and college readiness. This month, in preparation for their role in Personal Learning Plan (PLP) development, every high school student will be assisted with goal identification and writing an individual mission statement. Click for info. 

 

The entire faculty is getting involved in college planning as teachers and staff proudly display their college alma mater.  Parents are invited to share college connections with WPS students. If you are interested in participating in our Parent College Network, please use this form to tell us about your alma mater and interest in assisting.

 

Our theme this month is EXTRACURRICULAR involvement. Highly selective colleges want to know how students have differentiated themselves from their academically exceptional peers.  

 

WPS counselors look forward to assisting students with identifying and achieving their individual college goals. To make an appointment with any of us, please call the high school office.  

Debra Santostefano - Seniors and Department Programming

Nancy Gerena - Juniors and College Visits

Laura Lykins - International Student Advisor

Judy Osmond - Sophomores and Freshmen