November 7, 2018

Issue #1

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year. I would like to

personally thank each family for supporting us in a smooth school

opening. You have shared with us the most precious gift –your child—

and we are enjoying getting to know them. I enjoyed the opportunity

to visit with many of you at our recent Open House session(s). It was a

pleasure to see the children with their families – to see the smiles and

the love and the care. I left school that evening with pride in our

students and their families, and with a renewed sense of the great

importance of the work we do with and for our community.

The procedures and daily activities of your child’s classroom

should now be familiar and comfortable to them. Students have taken

WBI Makes the World a Better Place: Painting Our Future, One Color at a

Time. Each and every person has a different perspective that colors this world and makes

it a unique and beautiful place. This message sets the foundation for what we hope to teach

our students this year; the value of varying perspectives, points of view, and differences

and the role they play in appreciating each other’s uniqueness. We encourage our parents

to have conversations with their children about this topic as we build our students’ problem

solving skills, appreciation of differences in others, and self-esteem throughout the

schoolwide reading of the book Wish Tree.

Our teachers are eager to meet with you to discuss your child’s academic and

socio-emotional growth and development. We look forward to partnering with you this

school year. If you have any questions about what we are doing to support your child,

please contact your child’s teacher to discuss your questions and/or to schedule a

conference. WBI teachers are reaching out to families to schedule all initial conferences to

be held before the end of January.

A special thank you to the WBI PTA and WBI staff who will be hosting a variety of

events for our students. Thus far our students have enjoyed participating in the WBH

Homecoming parade, Pep Rallies, Character Development Lessons, Fun Run, Harvest

Festival, Restaurant Nights, treat day, and our team has several more fun events planned for

this school year. For more information on school events, follow the WBI PTA Facebook

page at https://www.facebook.com/wbipta/, visit the WBI website, read the biweekly

teacher newsletters, check for email blasts, or call the school office.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jones

many back-to-school assessments, met new friends, met new staff members, participated in

welcome assemblies, participated in positive behavioral interventions and support lessons,

and also actively participated in character developing lessons and with our Boosterthon

activities! We are working to develop well rounded and productive student citizens.

P A G E 2

Grade Level Announcements

Third Grade: Wow! Third graders are doing an AWESOME job learning new routines and

showing BRUIN SWAG behavior. We are learning about building our stamina

in reading and choosing “Just Right” books for independent reading time. In

Math, we are starting to learn about addition and subtraction of 4 digit

numbers. Your child needs to know their facts from memory. We are learning

about the Water Cycle in Science and will move into Economics for Social

Studies. Please study vocabulary/notes each night with your child so they

are prepared for the tests in Science and Social Studies. The school agenda

your child brings home is an important piece to teaching your child

organization and responsibility. Please check this agenda

nightly. Please encourage your child to read for the

school-wide 40-book challenge. We look forward to

working with you and your child this school year!

-- Third grade teachers

Fourth Grade: Time flies when you’re having fun!! We are already through the first nine weeks! It has been memorable, with our “Flo-cation” and a visit from “Michael”. Boosterthon was

great, the fourth graders are very excited to receive their class incentives. As November approaches your students will be exploring and investigating Native American Language Groups in Virginia Studies. We will culminate our studies with a special History Day on November 14th. Please join us on November 13th at 6:30pm for a special 4th grade PTA program. We are beginning Virginia’s Natural Resources in Science and will be working on 4.4 Multiplication and Division in Math. Please review multiplication facts from 0-12 every night with your student. We are seeing many students who do not have instant recall of these facts and it will affect their ability to multiply correctly. Finally, READ,READ,READ!!! Please have your students read every night. We have been working on Main Idea and will soon be working on Identifying Sequence of Events. We would like to thank all of you for making the opening of this school year a breeze!

-- Fourth Grade Teachers

P A G E 3 Grade Level Announcements

Hello 5th Grade Parents & Guardians!

We’ve had quite an interesting start to the new school year with the threat of

bad weather. I think we’ve all finally established classroom routines and

started good work habits. We want to thank you in advance for providing the

support your child needs to become a better student and grow into an

amazing person. Our focus this year at WBI is to promote responsibility and

citizenship. We are encouraging all of our students to respect themselves,

respect others, make the right choices, and lend a helping hand. With your

help, we will raise thoughtful, courteous, and hardworking young men and

ladies!

Reading: Please make sure your child is reading for at least 20 minutes

every night. It is best if you are able to ask them questions about the book

they are reading to increase their comprehension. The children should be

able to have a conversation about their story. Make sure they can answer all

of the W questions – who, what, when, and where. Be sure they are digging

deeper and can answer why and how too.

Math: Your child should have mastered all of their basic multiplication facts,

as this will help tremendously as we get into division, fractions, and decimals.

You can ask multiplication problems while you are cooking dinner or driving to

soccer/baseball practice. There are several free math game websites your

child can practice on as well.

Science: This year we will be learning about cells, atoms, rocks, oceans,

sound, and light. We will also be reviewing all of the science standards they

learned in 4th grade. The SOL test will be cumulative. Make sure your child

is reviewing his/her notes each night.

History / VA Studies: We are continuing our study of Virginia’s history

including geographic features and the economy and recreation in each region

based on those features. We will be discussing the Revolutionary War and

Civil War. Make sure your child is reviewing his/her notes each night.

-- Fifth Grade Teachers

PTA Announcement Thank you to all the

families that helped make Boosterthon a success.

We raised enough money to purchase outdoor

accessories and provide instructional

material for the students.

We have some upcoming events for our students and families to attend. November 20th from 6-8pm is Skate Night. December 14, 17 & 18

with be our holiday shop where kids can shop for gifts at a small cost for

family members.

We also have pencil grams. Beginning

December 10-13th, kids can purchase a smelly

pencil for themselves or for a friend for $1 before

school during those dates. Also we will be hosting a snack and a

movie event soon for $5 and we will be showing Polar Express which will take place afterschool.

P A G E 4

Resource Announcements

Library/ Media:

Thank you for all your

support for the library during

our fall book fair. We had an

awesome turnout!

Reading: Fall is finally upon us, and our first report card is rapidly approaching! This may be a time when families are made aware that their child is not where they should be in reading. We use several assessments to monitor reading in Chesapeake. These assessments are used by all elementary and intermediate Chesapeake schools. The first assessment is the Reading Inventory, which is given on the computer, and you will receive a copy of this with your child's report card. All students are also given a formal reading assessment using Fountas & Pinnell to determine a guided reading level. You will be receiving a green card with your child's guided reading level, as well as a strategy to work on to strengthen your child's reading. This card will come home with each report card, so please sign it and return it to your child's teacher. All students are also given a reading comprehension pre-assessment to determine their strengths and weaknesses in regards to reading skills such as main idea, cause & effect, etc… So, what do you do if your child is not reading on grade level? The most important thing to do is to read a variety of genres and to read every night for twenty minutes. You can also quiz your child on sight words if decoding is a concern. If fluency is an issue, you can have your child practice reading fluently to their pets or younger siblings. Comprehension questions were sent home earlier in the year, but if you need another copy, please let your child's teacher know. You can make a huge difference in your child's reading level!

Ginger Wade WBI Reading Specialist

Internet Safety: Please remind your child of the following: Personal Information. Don’t give out personal information without your

parents’ permission. This means you should not share your last name, home address, school name, or telephone number. Remember, just because someone asks for information about you does not mean you have to tell them anything about yourself!

Screen Name. When creating your screen name, do not include personal information like your last name or date of birth.

Passwords. Don’t share your password with anyone but your parents. When you use a public computer make sure you logout of the accounts you’ve accessed before leaving the terminal.

Photos. Don’t post photos or videos online without getting your parents’ permission.

For more tips, please see the following PDF: http://www.safekids.com/kidsrules.htm.

Physical Education: WBI families:

parents please make sure your kids are eating well and getting proper

rest as our physical fitness testing has begun

for the fall!

P A G E 5 Resource Announcements

Resource Team: In Fourth Grade, our Native American Studies are underway. We have two very special events coming up this month to showcase some things we know and to have some fun, new experiences. On Tuesday, November 13, all 4th graders are encouraged to come out and perform for our evening PTA program at 6:30 pm. More information will be coming home soon about this special event. The following day will also be very special as we have scheduled our Native American Studies Day on Wednesday, November 14th . Students will have wonderful hands-on learning time with the Resource Teachers and some very special guests… it’s sure to be a special day!! **Students should wear sneakers, their Native American Tribal shirt, and perhaps dress in layers as events will be both inside and outside the building as weather permits

Guidance: Chesapeake Public School Character Counts Poster Contest Choose to illustrate one or all 6 character traits and submit a poster of any size:

Caring, Citizenship, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, & Trustworthiness. A winner from each grade level will be recognized. One poster will be selected to represent WBI in the city-wide poster contest in December. Students should submit their poster with their name, grade and classroom teacher’s name on the back. Posters are due by November 15th.

Please remind

your student to

practice their

BRUIN swag in

school:

-- Be safe

-- Be Respectful

-- Understand each

others

differences

-- Show Integrity

-- Be Neighborly

Attendance:

Please use our

attendance email when

your student will be absent

wbiattendance

@cpschools.com.

Remember, absent notes

need to be turned in to the

office within 4 days of the

absence.

Fundraisers Admirals Hockey Game The Norfolk Admirals Hockey Team is pleased to offer the Bucks & Pucks Fundraising Program to Western Branch Intermediate School. The Bucks & Pucks program gives schools the opportunity to bring students, parents, staff, and friends of the school out for a night of hockey. Red level tickets are offered to the school at the discounted rate of $15 and from each ticket purchased, $5 will go directly back to Western Branch Intermediate. Come out and support your local Admirals Hockey Team all while raising funds for your school. There may even be a surprise guest riding the Zamboni during the first intermission! The selected date for Western Branch Intermediate School is Friday, December 7th at 7pm! Tickets can be purchased in school by cash or check, or online at }https://osp.osmsinc.com/ChesapeakeVA/.

2018 United Way Campaign

The United Way organization is changing the odds for children, veterans

and families throughout South Hampton Roads. This year the United Way

Campaign at WBI will be scheduled for students Friday, November 9th

through Friday, November 16th. The homeroom with the highest

contribution will earn a fun activity for their class. Students and their

families can contribute along with our faculty and staff by donating spare

change, any dollar amount as well as a check payable to United Way of

South Hampton Roads UNITED WAY! Please help us support our

community by contributing to the UNITED WAY!

Canned Food Drive

WBI will be supporting our local community for the holidays with a Canned

Food Drive. Please begin sending in your non-perishable donations with

your student to school on Tuesday, November 13th through Friday,

November 16th.

Meal Prices & Payments

We use the online payment system MyPaymentsPlus for school meals. MyPaymentsPlus has several great benefits:

– allows for quick payments towards your student’s account – allows you to see what your child is purchasing

– eliminates the worry of forgotten lunch money

– mobile app to quickly check balances and make payments

When you create your free account at MyPaymentsPlus you will have the option to put money on your student’s Meal Account or General Account. Money in the Meal Account will only allow your student to purchase a full meal. Money in the General Account can be used toward meals and a la carte/ snack items. MEAL PRICES for 2018-2019

Breakfast: Lunch: A La Carte Milk:

Full Pay $1.35 Full Pay $2.70 $0.55

Reduced $0.30 Reduced $0.40

Adult $2.00 Adult $3.70 The meal price includes choice of meat/meat alternate, grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk. To make a complete meal, students must choose at least 3 out of 5 food groups and at least one must be a fruit or vegetable. If students do not choose a complete meal, items will be charged at a la carte prices.

Snacks are available for purchase at lunch time. Snack selections and prices can be found on our menu site, cpschools.nutrislice.com. All snacks are not available at all schools, please check with your child’s school for availability. Students who do not have money in their general account or cash on hand will not be allowed to purchase snacks.

For other questions regarding MyPaymentsPlus and payment of school meals, please contact the School Nutrition office at 547-1470.

CHESAPEAKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SCHOOL NUTRITION SERVICES

Unpaid Meal Charge Procedure

Prepayment for meals may be made directly to the student’s meal

account at the school by cash or check or through MyPaymentsPlus.com.

The use of MyPaymentsPlus.com allows parents to pay and replenish a student’s meal account using a credit or debit card via a

secure Internet site. Up to three lunches at the elementary level, and up to two lunches at the secondary level may be charged

should a child not have funds.

After lunches have been charged and the student account is still in the negative, an alternate, complete meal consisting of a turkey

sandwich, fresh fruit, baby carrots and milk will be offered. No child will be denied lunch because of a lack of funds. After three

alternate meals are served, the principal and guidance counselor will be notified.

School Nutrition Services will notify households of negative balances via emails, weekly printed charge notices and/or automated

weekly phone call(s).

“Delinquent” debt (deemed collectible) will remain on the student’s meal account as long as they are enrolled in Chesapeake Public

Schools.

When it is determined that “delinquent debt” is uncollectible, as in when the student withdraws or graduates from Chesapeake Pub-

lic Schools, it shall be considered “bad debt” and may be forwarded to Virginia Department of Taxation’s Debt Set-Off Program for

further collection. Bad debt may not be absorbed by the non-profit food service account and must be restored using non-Federal

funds. These funds may come from the school district’s general fund, special funding from State or local governments, or any other

non-Federal sources.

More information about MyPaymentsPlus and the application for meal benefits can be found at www.cpschools.com/school-nutrition-

services.

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