king elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../feb-2017-wade-king-newsletter.pdf · place &...

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King Elementary 2155 Yew Street Road • Bellingham, WA 98229 360.647.6840 http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org http://wadekingpta.org Comments or Suggestions? [email protected] February 2017 A Note from the Principal Dear Wade King Families, As a school that offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years (PYP) Program, our robust Program of Inquiry (POI) is the foundation for our instruction. In fact, all authorized PYP schools must have a POI. Every school’s POI has six transdisciplinary themes that remain constant through the grades. The 6 themes and their definitions are: Who We Are Where We Are In Place & Time How We Express Ourselves An inquiry into the nature of self; beliefs and values; personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health; human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human. An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries, explorations, and migrations of humankind; the relationships between and the interconnectedness of individuals and civilizations, from local and global perspectives. An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic. How the World Works How We Organize Ourselves Sharing the Planet An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment. An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human made systems and communities; the structure and function of organizations; societal decision making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment. An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution. (continued on the next page) Upcoming Dates: 2/20 NO SCHOOL for President’s Day 2/21 1 st -5 th Report Cards Go Home 2/22 Kinder Report Cards Go Home 2/23 Parent Café - CANCELLED 3/1 Kindergarten Registration Begin 3/1 Student Transfer Forms Due 3/1 Kindergarten – Bellingham High School Art Show at Wade King from 2:50 – 4:30 pm 3/2 PTA Meeting from 6-7:30 pm in the Library – Come learn about volunteer opportunities! 3/9 Talent Show at 6 pm in Cafeteria (PTA Sponsored Event) 3/10 This is now an EARLY RELEASE DAY (Prior to our snow days, this was not a school day for students and learning day for staff). 3/12 Daylight Savings – Clocks spring ahead! 3/22 5 th Grade Exhibition from 6:30-7:30 pm in the Gym/Cafeteria

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Page 1: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

King Elementary 2155 Yew Street Road • Bellingham, WA 98229

360.647.6840 http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org

http://wadekingpta.org

Comments or Suggestions?

[email protected]

February 2017

A Note from the Principal Dear Wade King Families,

As a school that offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years (PYP) Program, our robust Program of Inquiry (POI) is the foundation for our instruction. In fact, all authorized PYP schools must have a POI. Every school’s POI has six transdisciplinary themes that remain constant through the grades. The 6 themes and their definitions are:

Who We Are Where We Are In

Place & Time How We Express

Ourselves

An inquiry into the nature of self; beliefs and values;

personal, physical, mental, social and spiritual health;

human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures; rights and responsibilities; what it means to be human.

An inquiry into orientation in place and time; personal

histories; homes and journeys; the discoveries,

explorations, and migrations of humankind; the

relationships between and the interconnectedness of

individuals and civilizations, from local and global

perspectives.

An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings,

nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our

appreciation of the aesthetic.

How the World Works

How We Organize Ourselves

Sharing the Planet

An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the

interaction between the natural world (physical and

biological) and human societies; how humans use

their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and

technological advances on society and on the

environment.

An inquiry into the interconnectedness of

human made systems and communities; the structure

and function of organizations; societal

decision making; economic activities and their impact

on humankind and the environment.

An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite

resources with other people and with other living things;

communities and the relationships within and between them; access to

equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.

(continued on the next page)

Upcoming Dates:

2/20 NO SCHOOL for President’s Day

2/21 1st-5th Report Cards Go Home

2/22 Kinder Report Cards Go Home

2/23 Parent Café - CANCELLED

3/1 Kindergarten Registration Begin

3/1 Student Transfer Forms Due 3/1 Kindergarten – Bellingham High

School Art Show at Wade King from 2:50 – 4:30 pm

3/2 PTA Meeting from 6-7:30 pm in the Library – Come learn about volunteer opportunities!

3/9 Talent Show at 6 pm in Cafeteria (PTA Sponsored Event)

3/10 This is now an EARLY RELEASE DAY (Prior to our snow days, this was not a school day for students and learning day for staff).

3/12 Daylight Savings – Clocks spring ahead!

3/22 5th Grade Exhibition from 6:30-7:30 pm in the Gym/Cafeteria

Page 2: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

Are you able to volunteer? We have several

PTA Committee openings!

Open Now! Financial Review of the PTA Budget

Open Next Year… Recruiting Now!

President Membership Co-Treasurer After School Programs Spirit Wear Dessert Auction Chess Club Co-Volunteer Coordinator Phone Directory Farm to School Hospitality Talent Show Co-Facilitator Globe Trot (finance and lead planner)

Our school has been extremely fortunate to have a robust, active PTA to coordinate numerous activities that support staff, students and families. New volunteers are needed to maintain these valuable programs. Training, templates, and support are provided to ensure the success of new volunteers.

Please attend a PTA get together on Thursday, March 2nd from 6-7:30 in the WKE library to learn more about PTA positions and reasons to get involved.

Potluck dinner and childcare provided by YMCA.

Please RSVP!

(Principal’s Message continued)

When Wade King opened nine years ago, the definitions of these transdisciplinary themes were all we had. Using our state and national standards as guidelines, grade level teams collaborated to develop a central idea for each theme. These central ideas are concept-based big ideas that incorporate our standards. Developing central ideas is challenging work as they must be important to know regardless of where you live or where you are in time. Each central idea becomes a springboard for teachers to create a unit of inquiry that spans 4-8 weeks. Each grade level engages in six units of inquiry each year, one for each transdisciplinary theme. One powerful component of the POI is that over the course of a students’ elementary experience, they will have six different opportunities, one at each grade level, to develop a deep understanding of each theme.

These are the units of inquiry grade levels are engaged in right now: Kindergarten – How the World Works Central Idea: Scientists observe the natural world, collect information, draw conclusions, and ask further questions. First Grade – How the World Works Central Idea: Matter with which we interact exists in 3 fundamental states: liquids, solids, and gases. Second Grade – How We Express Ourselves Central Idea: Traditional tales are used to teach the values of a culture. Third Grade – How the World Works Central Idea: Water is a common and finite resource with uncommon properties. Fourth Grade – How We Express Ourselves Central Idea: People use poetry to express their ideas, emotions, and beliefs. Fifth Grade – How We Express Ourselves; The Exhibition Central Idea: Ideas, feeling, beliefs, and values are expressed when people align themselves with issues, movements, and causes.

You can view our entire POI by clicking here.

This year we are embarking on a school wide art project to create a visual representation of the six different themes. We are collaborating with Janet Lehwalder, a local artist and former teacher, to create six large silk banners that depict each theme. First, students had the opportunity to create their own silk piece so they had an understanding of the artistic process. Then each theme was assigned to 2-3 classes. Working with their teachers and each other, students challenged themselves to brainstorm images that could represent their theme. Finally, the IB Coordinator and a few teachers are currently combining these images in a cohesive way. Our silk artist will then return to have students add color dye to the banners. Our amazing PTA is helping to fund this project that will be displayed at the front of our school to highlight our POI for years to come.

Stephanie Johnson, Principal

Silk Banner Painting Photos

Page 3: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

Kindness Challenge In our January Newsletter, we shared ways that adults and students within the Wade King community have taken action. Last week, our Action Team, which is made up of fifteen 4th and 5th graders, shared a Kindness Challenge with our school during our Monday Morning Meeting. They taught us many, many ways we could show kindness and encouraged us to see how many kind acts we could carry out during the week.

If you are interested in trying our Kindness Challenge at home, you can see our list of ideas by clicking here.

Page 4: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

Our Family Fun Night was great fun! Three hundred people played Bingo and Jeopardy with Italian trivia,

had a dessert auction, and ate gelato and popcorn.

Page 5: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

A huge thank you to Woods Coffee who donated $200 in coffee and supplies for this event. THANK YOU Woods Coffee!

Lunch Time Storyteller

Storyteller, Linda Tiffany, joined us for lunch last Thursday. She told great Italian stories while our kids ate their lunch. Be sure to ask your child about this!

Thanks to the Wade King PTA for sponsoring this event as one way to build understanding of Italian Culture. By the time we have our World Tour in May, we will have lots of new

knowledge about Italy.

Wade King Chess Tournament

101 Students from around Whatcom County came to Wade King on Saturday, February 4th for a chess

tournament. Wade King’s chess team came in first place! Congratulations!

Page 6: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

d

Cold Weather Does Not Deter Head Lice We have had very few cases of head lice at Wade King, but wanted to remind you that cold weather doesn’t deter head lice as they stay warm and cozy on the head. As coats and hats continue to be worn, it is a good time to remind your children not to share coats or hats. When students come back from breaks, there is sometimes an increase in head lice because they often spread from head to head contact during play or sleep-overs which happen more often during breaks.

What you can do: Check your child about once a month for signs of lice or nits in the hair.

Teach your child not to share hats, scarves, or other hair items and to avoid head-to-head contact.

Long hair can be braided or pulled back to reduce accidently brushing against others.

If you find head lice or are notified that your child is suspected of having them, do not panic. It happens to

many, many families! Head lice do not carry disease and there are effective ways to get rid of this pest.

What the school does if head lice are suspected on a student: We call parents/guardians of the student to inform them and discuss treatment options.

The student will privately be reminded not to share hair items or have head to head contact.

The student will not be sent home. He/she will go home as usual at the end of the day, to be treated that

evening and can return to school the next day if they have been treated.

We ask families to let our office know if they find head lice on their child. We keep a confidential record of this

and if a classroom has two or more students with infestations, other parents at that grade level will be notified

that head lice have been an identified at school. Identities are never disclosed in this notification.

If your family is having difficulty getting rid of head lice, or cost of treatment is a problem, please contact our school nurse, Alyssa Johnson for help and support. There is also information about treating lice on our school website (under Families, Health Services) and on the CDC website.

Parking Lot Tips Please be cautious of your speed in our school zone. Our Sheriff has been watching for cars that are exceeding the

school zone speed limit to ensure student safety! During pick up and drop off times, always walk up to the school on the sidewalks! THANKS for yielding to our buses so they can drive into the school driveway and bus loop without waiting. If you want to get out of your car, park in the parking lot and walk on the sidewalks up to the school. If you chose to use the pick-up/drop-off loop, stay in your car, in line, and continue moving up as the line moves

forward. Our staff will help your child get into your car when you get to the front of the school. Our goal is to keep this loop moving!

Page 7: King Elementarywadeking.bellinghamschools.org/.../Feb-2017-Wade-King-Newsletter.pdf · Place & Time How We Express ... transdisciplinary theme. ... In our January Newsletter, we shared

Celebrating Chinese New Year

新年快乐 In addition to learning the Chinese language with Wong Lao Shi (ie. Mrs. Hagin), our school community learns about Chinese culture. During the month of January, we learned how families celebrate Chinese

New Year and then we had our own celebration on February 2nd. We appreciate our 5th graders for putting on a dragon parade, ribbon dance, and providing musical accompaniment.