News from Wellington Elementary PTA

November 2009 Newsletter

Happy Fall

Autumn is officially here!!! It's a wonderful transition from the Texas summer heat! We've had a very busy and successful year so far: Boosterthon fundraiser, SMART Share Book Drive, Fifth Grade Social, Box Tops Drive and Red Ribbon Week celebration. Did you see our Save the Planet Club featured in the Flower Mound Leader? Great things are happening at Wellington! We appreciate your support!

At our October PTA meeting, the Kindergarten teachers and students provided a wonderful pumpkin display and they performed for us as well! We also enjoyed some very interesting and informative presentations:

Mrs. Ketola -- Bookmarks for Research
Mrs. Mitchener - School Web
Mrs. Krause -- Denton County Child Sexual Abuse

Thanks so much to everyone who helped make this meeting such a success!

Mark your calendars -- November 13th is Science Night and Book Fair! We are very excited to host a new program called "Science in the Movies"! The presentation will begin at 6:15 p.m. in the gym. There will be many other demonstrations during the evening.

With the Holidays right around the corner, we are gearing up to take on more Community Service activities. We want to give back to our community during this Holiday time which can be a little more difficult for those who are less fortunate. We will have a Food Drive in November and a Toy Drive in December.

Check the website for more information.

Shawn Boyd
shawn.pta@gmail.com
972-874-9727

PTA Vision...
Making every child's potential a reality.

Wait till you read about.....

:: Fall News from Dr. Macke

:: Book Fair - Traci Gentile

:: Grandparent's Thanksgiving Lunch

:: Volunteers-Jodi Rhinehart-Doty

:: But I Forgot.....

:: Fun Run

:: Box Tops

:: Membership - Tammy Peden

:: WES Spirit-Vicki Christensen

:: SMART Book Drive

:: 5th Grade Social

:: Environmental-Renee McCann

:: WES Safety

:: Reflections-Debra Wilson

PTA Mission
PTA is...
A powerful voice for all children,
A relevant resource for families and communities, and
A strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child.

Fall is in the Air!

Dear Wellington parents,

Fall has arrived! We're starting to feel that nip in the air and hear the lovely sounds of sneakers squeaking down the hall after rain (and rain, and more rain!).

As we approach the various winter holidays, I like to take moment to explain to our new families our holiday philosophy at Wellington. We believe that it's important for children to learn about and respect many different ideas and cultures when it comes to celebrations. Rather than avoiding celebrations all together to be equitable, we enjoy everyone's various holiday cultures. Our children will be talking about traditional Christmas celebrations around the world, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, and any other mid-winter events appropriate for children to study at this time of year. If your family has a cultural tradition that we may not have much information on, feel free to submit information and elementary level activities to the office administrators for review!

Out around the district you may be starting to hear talk of a Tax Ratification Election that will probably occur very early in the 10-11 school year. Kathy Duke, School Board member, spoke about the budget concerns of the district at our very first PTA meeting. Dr. Roy and other School Board members are speaking at various meetings throughout this school year, so if you missed Ms. Duke, you may want to check LISD's website for another opportunity to hear the presentation.

The "Reader's Digest Condensed" version is that the funding LISD is receiving from state and federal governments is not adequate to meet our current operating expenses, resulting in about a 19 million dollar deficit. Upper level administration has already been trimmed as much as possible (the state allows for around 11% of funds to be spent on administrative costs; LISD spends approximately 5.5 to 6% on administrative costs), so that means cuts to balance the budget will have to come from programs. Class sizes can't be changed at the elementary level, but would certainly be increased at the middle/high school level. Also of concern are our extra-curricular programs. 70% of LISD students participate in some form of extra- curriculars, which has been well proven in research to be associated with keeping students IN school with good grades. Without a way to make up the budget short- falls, there would have to be cuts in many areas, such as band, choir, sports, night schools, summer schools, etc. In short, if you want LISD to continue to provide services at the level to which we are accustomed, the budget deficits MUST be balanced somehow. A tax change is necessary to gain the extra funds. I'd like to strongly encourage you to search out the information available on this serious issue over the rest of this school year and be prepared to express your opinion at the polls when the tax election is considered! As Dr. Roy will say, "We'll have school. No question about that. You, as parents and voters, will determine what that school will look like."

Along with the upcoming holidays that are just around the corner, we have special events that come up at this time of year. Be watching your teachers' websites and the office website for news about special programs, such as our grandparents' Thanksgiving luncheon, choir programs, performances at Barnes and Noble and many more!

Happy Fall!
Robin Macke, Ph.D., Principal

Remember!
Grandparent's Thanksgiving Lunch November 20th!

Please send in the form with your money. You will be given your lunch ticket when you arrive that morning. We look forward to seeing you!

Dr. Robin Macke

Volunteers
by Jodi Rhinehart-Doty.

Volunteer of the Month for November - Jean Graham

Jean Graham put in many hours organizing our wrap pacs. This is Jean's third year working on the wrap pacs and she works all year long to make them a success. She works on selecting a wrap pac vendor each year, works with the teachers on getting supply lists in and ordering and distributing the wrap pacs. Thank you for all of your hard work, Jean!
(You can read more about Jean on the front PTA bulletin board at school in the Volunteer of the Month section.)

Our Volunteer of the Month is nominated by anyone at our school (staff, teachers, students or other volunteers). They receive use of the "Volunteer of the Month" parking spot in the front of the school and their bio and picture is placed on the PTA board outside the front office. So, if you know of anyone who is doing a great job as a volunteer please nominate them! We really want to recognize our fantastic volunteers! Nomination forms can be found outside the front office in the flyer bin by the PTA board.

Top Wellington Volunteer Needs for November:

BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS

Book Fair is coming up and we are "Traveling the World"!
Set-up is November 11th at 2pm. Fair starts Thursday Nov 12th and runs through Nov 18th at 2pm. It is only five days this year. Science Night is November 13th and Book Fair will be open that night as well. We have during school, afterschool and evening time slots available. This is a great time to do some shopping close to home with the benefit going to our PTA. Contact Kathryn Kelley at steveyeager@msn.com for volunteer opportunities.

FOOD DRIVE VOLUNTEERS

We will be doing a three day food drive to help out families in
our area with CCA. The dates are November 17, 18 and 19. We need afternoon volunteers from 2:50 until 3:15 each day. Please contact Misty Daley at misty@daley4.com if you are able to help out.

TEACHER LUNCHEON VOLUNTEERS

Amanda Renter, our Hospitality Chair for PTA, needs volunteers to make or purchase food for the upcoming Teacher Luncheon on Friday, November 20. This luncheon will have an appetizer theme. If you can help out please contact Amanda at arenter@verizon.net.

GRANDPARENT LUNCH VOLUNTEERS

We are having our annual Grandparent's Lunch on November 20. We will need a bunch of volunteers to help during the day. We will need people to check grandparents in and give them their tickets, volunteers to put ice in glasses and fill them with tea/water and people to help carry lunch trays, refill drinks, empty trash, etc. Lunch will go from 10AM until 2:30PM. We are asking for volunteers to sign up for at least one hour shifts. If you can help out please contact Jodi Rhinehart-Doty at jodi.pta@verizon.net.

by Dr. Macke

We've all heard those words, often just as we're pulling into the driveway after picking up our child from school. With a sigh, we put the car back into gear and head back to school for the forgotten folder, homework, lunch box, jacket, you name it! Then we find out that Wellington only permits students to go back to the rooms to retrieve forgotten belongings until 3:10 p.m., which can be frustrating.

Why on earth would we do that? There are two basic reasons, equally important!

One is that teachers are still working after school. All of our classroom teachers
tutor a minimum of two days per week and when there is need, many add in yet
another day of tutoring. That time is precious for those students who are struggling and we try very hard to keep it free of interruptions. On non-tutoring days, we have one day reserved for meetings, such as faculty meetings, professional learning
community meetings, RtI meetings, ARD meetings, meetings with the counselors,
etc. Other days, parent meetings are frequently held after school as well, especially during the fall and spring conference times! 22 parents multiplied by a half hour or more is a lot of after school time that you don't want children interrupting. As a parent, you
may be thinking but "my child rarely forgets anything!" and you're probably quite
correct in that! That's where our size gets in the way. We currently have 914
students. Doing the math - if each child forgets something ONLY TWICE in a
whole school year, it's still 1,828 visits back to the classrooms, interrupting
tutoring, meetings, etc. Easier to picture, in a class of 22, that would be 44
interruptions, which is a little over two months of school days.

Our second reason for continuing the guideline of 3:10 is more for the sake of your child's growth. It's been in effect since the school opened, but wasn't as noticeable until the security doors were installed. In the younger grades, there is rarely anything so important left behind that the child can't do without it until the next day. Forgotten work might result in a missed star or sticker, but younger children are given multiple chances to make up missed work, get things completed etc. A missed star in first grade or a few minutes of center time in Kindergarten devoted to finishing a paper has no impact on their cumulative school record but does help teach a valuable lesson. As the children get older, there are sometimes grade penalties, but those are good learning experiences. A "B" instead of an "A" because of forgotten work may be a little disappointing in fourth grade - but has a LOT more impact if work is still being forgotten in high school and is
affecting that G.P.A. that is so important for college. It's so much better to learn the responsibility lessons in elementary school where the penalties are very mild than to suddenly be faced with them in middle or high school when it has much more impact. Our teachers remind students to gather their work at the end of the day and they have 10 minutes leeway to retrieve things, but after that, it becomes a lesson in responsibility and organization.

Naturally, there will be exceptions, but those need to come through an administrator. An example would be a little first grader who is usually very careful with her things, but wasn't feeling well and took off her glasses to put her head down and then left without them. Another might be an older student who had all of the materials for a large project but realizes as he gets in the car that he was carrying so much he dropped a piece in the hall, which might be swept up by
custodial staff. In short, unusual situations will be considered, but our focus is on
preserving those after school times free of interruption. Hope this clarifies!

Fun Run A BIG Success!

The Boosterthon Fun Run proved successful again this year! The students had fun participating in the program. The funds raised are being put back into the school through grade level and fine arts grants. Thanks for supporting our Fall Fundraiser!

Fun Run Leaders

Box Tops

The Fall Box Tops contest results are in! Thank you to everyone who brought in Box Tops for our fall contest. We received 12,246 box tops.

1st Place - Mrs. Van Scoyoc's 4th Grade Class
2nd Place - Mrs. Kinney's 2nd Grade Class
3rd Place - Mrs. Mayo's 3rd Grade Class

Keep collecting box tops! The next contest will be held in February.

It's Never Too Late To Join PTA!

There's still time to join PTA if you haven't already done so. You can access the membership form on the Wellington website or email Tammy Peden (link to email tpeden@rockpointechurch.org) to have one sent to your inbox.

Student Directory Coming Soon!

The directories will be ready soon. Forms will be sent home with students early next week if we have incomplete directory information. Please return them as soon as possible.

If you have a business you'd like to promote, we still have advertising space available. Email Jamie Spence for more information. (link to Jamie's email - pjspence@verizon.net)

WES Spirit

Sweatshirts and long sleeve tee's will go on sale next week. Order forms can be picked up by the office. The "winter wear" will be on display in the cabinets across from the lunchroom. Tables will be set up at Science Night (Nov. 13) with sizing samples.
T-Shirts are still available, if you would like to purchase one.

We have another exciting event with Texas Roadhouse this month. On Science Night, we will have the Texas Roadhouse Mobile Kitchen bring food to Wellington. Watch for flyers with the menu to come home with your student(s), fill out the form [if you are interested] and send it back to school with payment. You will be able to pick up your food that night and eat in the cafeteria. The flyers for the mobile kitchen will be going home next week.

Our November spirit nights will be:

11/03 - Chili's
11/09 - Texas Roadhouse
11/17 - Culver's

Thanks~ Vicki Christensen

SMART Book Drive

WES participated in the PTA SMART Share program for the first time! This program usually runs for four months; however, Wellington families donated 3400 for the Book Drive in seven (7) days!!!

Ms. Brookbank and Ms. McClure are the popcorn party winners -- each class donated over 300 books!! These books will benefit several schools in LISD as well as hospitals in the metroplex.

Thank you for making this a huge success!!!

Quick Links

PTA Calendar

Wellington PTA Website

LISD PTA

Area 16 PTA

Texas PTA

National PTA

Wellington Elementary Website

Background Check

Greater Lewisville Special Education PTSA

5th Grade Social - A HUGE HIT!

Wellington's first 5th Grade Social was a huge success!! As you can see from the pictures, there was a lot of fun had by all and over 100 students attended!! A BIG Thank You to all the Parent Volunteers and Teacher and Staff Volunteers who helped make this night a success!!

Debra Wilson

Go GREEN with WES!!

News from the Environmental Committee:

The "Save the Planet Club" had its second meeting this month and it was a great success. Many thanks to Mrs. Brookbank for being our teacher sponsor for October! The students, with the help of Mrs. Brookbank and Mike Cooper, conducted a litter index of the WES grounds. We picked up trash, indexed it, and discussed ways to reduce the amount of litter around WES as well as our own neighborhoods. The students decided to create a "green task force" to keep up the clean up effort. Once again, I was astounded by their enthusiasm and purposefulness....very inspiring to watch!

Our next meeting is set for November 20th. I will be sending out a reminder in advance, so be on the lookout.

We will be participating in Texas Recycles Day with an event in conjunction with Science Night and the Book Fair on November 13, 2009. The Environmental Committee will be collecting items to be reused, repurposed, and recycled. Your trash may be someone else's treasure. So as you clear out space for the new, bring the old to us and we'll make sure it stays out of the landfills and gets a new life...in one form or another!

A quick update on our recycled sculpture project: The materials have been collected, sorted, and cleaned up...ready to be fashioned into a work of art. Because of the great response we had to the project, it grew, and we are evaluating the best possible location for the masterpiece. I have included a few pictures to give you an idea of what, and how much, was collected. I know the kids are looking forward to seeing their efforts evolve!

One last note: Keep collecting those bottle caps!! You can place them in the assigned bin located across from the cafeteria, or if you're of the competitive nature, you can hold on to them for a bit until after the holidays. We will have a bottle cap drive and the winning class will get to celebrate!

Renee McCann
Environmental Chair WES PTA
rmmccann@msn.com
Green Sorted

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" ---Mahatma Gandhi

WES Safety Reminders

As this year's Child Safety and Welfare Chairperson, I'd like to thank all of you for doing your best to help with the traffic flow around the school during drop off and pick up times during the very hectic first week of school. As we move forward in the school year, here are a few helpful reminders to keep in mind for the safety of all of our students:

1. When walking to school or parking near the school, you MUST use the crosswalks. Please do not cross the street or parking lot where there are no crosswalks. Other drivers are not expecting you to cross in front of them and you or your child(ren) could get hurt.

2. Please do NOT park on Kenwood directly in front of the school during drop off and pick up times. Doing so causes limited visibility for drivers leaving the school parking lots, limits the visibility of our crossing guards and can inhibit the ability of buses to pass through the area to enter the parking lots.

3. The only traffic driving between the two parking lot entrances should be staff, buses and residents living on or around Kenwood. If you want to drop your children off at the cafeteria doors, please approach the school from Sharondale Drive or Eastbourne Lane. Likewise, if you want to drop off at the front entrance, please approach from Bruton Orand. You may ONLY turn RIGHT when exiting the faculty lot near the cafeteria doors. You may ONLY turn LEFT when exiting the circle drive in front of the school.

4. Please remind your children to walk their bikes and scooters in the crosswalks, on the sidewalks on campus and on the sidewalks adjacent to the school and in-between crosswalks.

5. Students must enter and exit vehicles on the sidewalk adjacent to the school. Please do not allow your child(ren) to exit your car on the driver's side as they could be hit by passing cars.

6. Park only in designated parking places in the front lot. The faculty lot is for teachers and staff only.

7. Do not park in front of the fire hydrant that is just adjacent to the faculty lot entrance and exit AT ANY TIME. State law mandates that no vehicle be parked within 15 feet of a hydrant at any time, regardless of whether or not the curb is marked. Parking in front of the hydrant is a traffic violation and punishable by the Flower Mound Police Department.

Following these rules will not only help to ensure the safety of all our families, but it will also help in getting you to and from school as efficiently as possible. If you have any questions about these safety reminders, please feel free to contact me.

Jeff Shelby
jeffshelby@verizon.net

Reflections Deadline! - Friday, November 6th!

Don't forget the Reflections Deadline above! Turn in your entries outside the office by 8:15 Friday, November 6th! Please email or call me with questions.

Debra Wilson
Reflections Chair
972-874-1319

dlwtahoe@aol.com

What is KidWorks?

KidWorks is a safe, supportive place for children who have experienced the divorce of their parents and its consequences. In the eight-week program provided without charge at KidWorks, children and their parents can share their experiences and express their feelings through play, drama, art and other creative activities under the supervision of trained, caring listeners.

Why provide support services for children of divorce?
With an attitude of "being strong" and "getting over it" toward children and families dealing with divorce, our society places value on happiness, success and health. Children of divorce may feel "different" from their peers at school, church and sports. They may also feel the pressure to not tell anyone (even in their family) how they think or feel. At KidWorks, the shared circumstance of loss and major changes in their lives frees children to explore, identify and express themselves and to heal from the trauma of divorce. Children of divorce who internalize their personal experience and do not have adequate support may experience depression, school adjustment problems, substance abuse, or other coping problems.

Who should come to KidWorks?
Children ages 5-18 and adults who are trying to cope with the results of divorce will find others like themselves at KidWorks. Groups are divided 5-8, 9-12, 13-18 and adults. Parents or guardians accompanying KidWorks children have a support group of their own to discuss the special needs of their children, effective parenting skills and the needs of parents dealing with the aftermath of a divorce.

What will a program participant do at KidWorks?
Group sharing, art activities, puppets, drama, and play, are some of the activities that trained facilitators will companion children through. Facilitators are trained to listen to children and respond in an encouraging, supportive manner. Children can paint, draw, and recreate stories.

What is the difference in support for children of divorce and counseling?
Support services are not treatment. They are not counseling. Support is listening, being present to children as they share thoughts & experiences, express feelings and ask important life situation questions. Support includes trusting that a child will share and heal when given a safe environment in which to do this work. It can even be fun. Children of divorce are not "broken" and do not need "fixing." They need to be given a place where they feel comfortable enough to express their deepest hurts.

Children and families needing additional special services will be referred to licensed professional counselors in CounselingWorks.

For More Information Contact:
Larry Barber, KidWorks Director or Beverly Ritz, KidWorks Program Coordinator
6320 LBJ Frwy - Suite 126
Dallas, TX 75240
972.960.9981
www.kidsindivorce.org

School Calendars are still Available!

Calendar Cover

Enjoy artwork from Wellington students and be "in-the-know". Purchase a Wellington Wildcats calendar for only $5.00!

Call Deb McMann if you have questions: (972) 355-8036.

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Katie Mayer
Wellington Elementary PTA Publicity

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