WATTLES EXPRESS Wattles Elementary School

2014 National Blue Ribbon School, Michigan Blue Ribbon School 2013 and 2014 State of Michigan Rewards School

MARCH 30, 2016 VOLUME 2, NUMBER 6

MRS. JOYCE BRASINGTON – PRINCIPAL MRS. SHARON KREZA - SECRETARY MRS. DEBBIE HAZEN - SECRETARY

Mrs. Joyce Brasington

Principal

Main Office

248.823.3400

Attendance Office

248.823.3401 FAX: 248.823.3413

Our mission statement

is an acronym for

WATTLES.

Working

All

Together

To

Learn,

Ensures

Success

From the Principal

Dear Wattles Parents and Students:

March was filled with great learning and great activities for our staff and students. A few of the highlights included our Star Wars

celebration on March 31 where students celebrated their reading accomplishments. On March 4, COSI (Center of Science and Industry) brought its traveling program on the Human Body to our

school. This innovative and interactive program stimulated the imaginations of the next generation of doctors. The day began with

a 45-minute interactive assembly introducing the students to the human body followed by hands-on activities during which the students examined the importance of the nervous system and

explored how food fuels the body. We appreciate our PTO providing this special assembly for our students.

As our calendars turn to April, we have the opportunity to celebrate our parent volunteers who make our school a better place for

students and staff. If you know someone who volunteers their time and talents to our school or in the community, please take a moment

and thank them. We will also be able to thank Mrs. Kreza and Mrs. Hazen. Administrative Professionals Day is on Wednesday, April 27. Along with providing administrative support to the staff and me,

Mrs. Kreza and Mrs. Hazen set the tone in our building for caring and compassion. If a child is ill, forgets their lunch, misses the bus, or

loses a tooth, Mrs. Kreza and Mrs. Hazen are always there to provide comfort. They greet parents, answer phone calls, and handle every imaginable situation which could arise with 470 students and 60 staff

members.

Joyce Brasington, Principal

Chess State Tournament

Congratulations to our second place State chess champions. Fifth graders Rithwik Paladuga, Johnathan Chen, Abhinav Hari were joined by first grader Anish Hari to win four of their five matches. The

team’s only loss was to the eventual first place winner. The tournament was held on March 26 in Lansing. The team is coached

by parent Venkata Hari. Their trophy is displayed in our showcase.

Spring Break

Students are dismissed at 12:17 on Thursday, March 31 and will return to school on Monday, April 11.

Regardless of when Easter is celebrated, students attending public schools in Oakland County will always have spring break the first full

week of April and school will not be in session.

C.A.T. Award Winners

Congratulations to all of the students who were honored at our character education assembly for being Caught Acting Terrific. Kindergarten: Tanmayi Anna, Amelia Armstrong, Dominic Bert, Dominik Blackwell, Yuyang Duan, Tristin Ecklesdafer, Sawyer Fuller, Christina Goetz, Isabella Ishak, Myah Johnson, Vendaant Kumar, Jonah LaPado, Roman Maizy, Vanesa Malushi, Ana Rodriguez Andrade, Madalyn Schaefer, Ajita Sharma, and Alexander Wingblad

1st Grade: Miguel Bacall, Krisanto Bushkashi, Sophia Cekaj, Tristan Groom, Lillian Heron, Adiyan Hussain, Rubin Ianos, Matthew Jackson, Anisha Karjela, Antonio Langer, Gabriel LaPado, Honor Leininger, Darius Mitchell, Guru Prasath Raja, Ben Thompson, Andrei Vasile, Jessie Wen, Vivian Whiteaker and Daniel Williamson 2nd Grade: Kryollos Attia, Aaron Beam, Brenna Bielecki, Eliana Brikho, Emma-Grace Budry, Eva Chandrakapure, Mason Chiew, Violet Clark, Mia Dominguez,

Emerson Enrique, Thinh Giang, Elise Gole, Devin Grabke, Brendan Jaskulka, Amelia Krause, Diego Laredo, Samyu Madhavan, Wiktor Otwinowski, Girish Ramesh, Daryl Savage, Sarvesh Selvam, and Morgan Valle 3rd Grade: KayleighBlair, Caleb Dominguez, Alexandra Eichenlaub, Daniel Ianos, Yogesh Jagadeesh, Jordan Jakupi, Cassidy Finley, Joanna Mathews, Sarah Maiteh, Mithun Nandhakumar, Rhea Pawar, Addison Pokley, Kshithi Prasanna Kumara, Sarah

Rotaru, Jack Townsend, Teresa Tran, Brennen Tucker, Neha Vutukuri, Reid Weber, and Lily Wingblad

4th Grade: Antoun Attia, Ian Babcock, Kevin Cekaj, Selina Chen, Deepak Chilukuri, Nolan Clark, Saylor Fuller, Carson Hermani, Donald Horn, Cassidy Horton, Tara Madurkar, Keira Mertz, Lauren Metohu, Teagan Pruitt, Rakshith Raja, Sakina Reza,

Daniela Rumi, Chris Sebastian, Mostafa Siddiqui, Faith Thomas, Renee Tiwari, Rebekah Williamson and Julie Young 5th Grade: Trinity Adams, Malak Al-Sharabi, Dorian Brahimllari, Noah Dawson, Gabriel Ealy, Vincent El-Khoury, Manushree Ganta, Ava Grabke, Andrew Graziosi, Audrey Haller, Ashley Held, Brooke Held, Medhasri Jasti, Jayla Jones, Meghana Kalahasthi, Sunny Miller, Sophia Stachurski, Joesph Szczepanek and Dyuthi Annigeri

Wattles Wolves

Upcoming PTO Meeting - All Parents Welcome All parents are welcome to attend a PTO meeting. Our next meeting

will be on Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. Childcare will be available.

Early School/Late School Half of the schools in Troy are considered “early” schools and the

other half are considered “late” schools. The different start/end times are necessary to accommodate the district’s bussing schedule.

In 2016-2017, we will remain an “early” school with a similar start and dismissal time. In 2017-2018, we will become a “late” school and our school day will start at approximately 9:10 and end around

4:05. I will share more details during the next school year but I wanted you to be aware of the upcoming change.

Field Day

Wattles Field day will be held this year on Monday, June 13, 2016. In order for this event to be successful, we need several parent

volunteers. Please consider helping us on this special day by signing up at the link below. After clicking on the link below, click on “More” and choose “Volunteers”.

http://wattlesfieldday.weebly.com/ April Dates – For Your Calendar

School dismissed at 12:17 on Thursday, March 31—end of

third marking period.

No school Friday, April 1 thru Sunday, April 10

School resumes Monday, April 11

Volunteer Breakfast on Thursday, April 21 at 8:00 a.m.

5th Grade Band Concert at Athens on Tuesday, April 26 at

7:00 p.m.

Kaiser Fun Photo Day on Wednesday, April 27 during the

school day

School Fair on Friday, April 29 from 6:00-8:30 p.m.

School Fair

The biggest event of the year is quickly approaching. The school fair will be on Friday, April 29 from 6:00-8:30. There will be games,

prizes, raffles, silent auction, food, and fun for all ages.

In order to monitor older students, we are requiring all middle school

students to be accompanied by a parent. Parents must also accompany

their elementary-age children. No drop-offs please.

Parents have been asked to donate items to their classroom baskets for the silent auction. Raffle tickets for families to sell and pre-order ticket forms have been sent home. Pre-order ticket forms have also

been sent home.

Our fair co-chairs, Mrs. Hallberg and Mrs. Stachurski provide an incredible evening of family fun with the help of many volunteers.

We need many, many parent volunteers for this event. Please click on the link below to volunteer:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0844a9ae292-wattles3

Student Council Fundraiser The Wattles community raised $3,607 for the Leukemia and

Lymphoma Society! On behalf of the student council, thank you so much for supporting such a wonderful cause.

Mrs. Jajou’s class won the Olive Garden lunch.

Hearing Screening The Oakland County Health Department will be conducing hearing

screenings for all students in Grades K, 2, and 4 beginning April 15. If you are concerned about your child’s hearing and he/she is in

grade 1, 3, or 5, please email Mrs. Hazen at dhazen@troy.k12.mi.us to have him/her added to the list.

D.O.G.S. Step Up Again

Many thanks to our D.O.G.S. who worked the evening of March 22 to prepare our building for painting. Your help was invaluable!

Michael Upton Bal Chana

Sterling Logan Greg and Ethan Obidzinski

Srinivas Gowda

Special thanks to my husband (James) and my parents (Ron and Alfreda Chaffee) for helping as well. It was great to have them meet

some of our Wattles parents and work in our building.

News from PTO Thank you to all of the volunteers who have made the PTO a great organization!!! We have several events on the horizon!

April 18th to May 2nd weeks - Principal, Secretary and Teacher Appreciation Weeks - we need some volunteers - send a note to

sisklori@gmail.com if you want to get involved! April 29th - School Fair (6:00-8:30 p.m.)

May 24th - Talent Show and Ice Cream Social (6:30-8:30 p.m.)

June 14th - Fifth Grade Graduation (7:00 p.m.) and Zoyos!!

We want to make the next year focused on health and fitness so let us know if you have some ideas!!!

All parents are welcome to attend a PTO meeting. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m.

Thank you,

Lori Sisk sisklori@gmail.com

M-Step

Students in Grades 3-5 will be taking the state-wide assessment called M-Step. You will hear more about testing schedules from your child’s classroom teacher. Tests will be administered over a two-

week window for each grade. Grade 5 testing begins the week of April 11. Grade 4 testing begins the week of May 10. Grade 3

testing begins the week of April 25. All tests will be taken on the iPad so it is critically important iPads come to school fully charged.

The Tardy Trap The habits learned when we are young tend to stay with us for a

lifetime, for better or worse. It’s important that we help our children develop the habit of being on time.

Please be aware that even one minute tardy is no small thing for the following reasons:

Your child often misses important initial instructions.

Your child is “out of rhythm” with the rest of the class.

Your child has missed an important informal socializing

opportunity.

Your child draws attention in a negative way, simply by

walking in late.

Your child disrupts the entire class and alters the normal

routine.

Perhaps most importantly, a child who is often late is receiving

an unspoken unintentional message: “Your education is not

important enough to adjust our family schedule by a few

minutes. It does not matter if you walk in after others are

settled, or if the teacher needs to repeat instructions for your

benefit alone.”

For the good of your child and all children in his/her classroom, please make the necessary adjustments immediately if you

sometimes fall into the “tardy trap”.

Watch D.O.G.S. at Wattles Elementary Calling all fathers, grandfathers, step-fathers, and other significant male father-figures in a Wattles student's life! The Wattles Watch D.O.G.S. wants you to join the pack!!

Watch D.O.G.S.® (Dads of Great Students) is an innovative program being used by schools across America which helps them to be positively impacted by the committed

involvement of fathers and father-figures in their student’s life. Not only will you spend meaningful time with your student(s) in the school setting, but the other students gain a

positive male role model. Some students do not have a father-figure present in their

homes. Volunteering just 1 day will make a huge difference.

The Wattles program started this school year with tremendous success - for the school (both students and teachers) as well as for those individuals that had the opportunity to

volunteer as Watch D.O.G.S. All D.O.G.S. will have the opportunity to support students

and teachers in classrooms or in small groups, help in the media center, patrol the halls and parking lot, provide assistance at lunch and even participate during recess – yes,

you can play tag or quarterback again. The possibilities are endless! The children, especially your own, will love having you! And, once you’ve volunteered, the National

Center of Fathering provides you with lots of resource information on fathering and child development.

Please take a moment to sign up for at least one (1) day to be a Watch D.O.G. using Sign-Up Genius, https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050C4FABAF2C7-watch/21563338. Select your preferred date(s) and click on the "sign up" button. Then, click on submit

and sign up button at the bottom of the page. Type your child's name in the "my comments" section. Complete the contact information so you'll receive a reminder

email.

If you need assistance or have questions, please contact our parent coordinator, Bob

Schneeweis at rschneeweis@gmail.com, or contact Michael Upton at uptoncm@hotmail.com. If D.O.G.S. can only volunteer in the morning or

afternoon, simply contact the office at 248.823.3400, and office staff will sign you up directly! It’s that easy.

Join in. Come to Wattles!

Wattles Elementary School Presents…. Little Caesars Pizza Kits!

It’s Pizza!Pizza! time! Time for you, your friends, and your family to stock up with Little Caesars Pizza Kits! Have them on hand for quick dinners, birthday parties or entertaining! We need your support! Every child that sells 2 kits will get a coupon for a free brain freeze Friday item!

How: Collect payment at the time you take orders. Make checks payable to Wattles PTO. Please fill

out the top portion of your order form with your name and your best contact phone number (cell phones preferred). When: 5/2/2016 Fundraiser start date.

5/13/2016 Order form and payment due. Be sure your order form is

correctly tallied! Double check all rows and columns. Late orders will NOT be accepted.

5/19/2016 (3:00pm-5:30pm) Pick Up of pizza kits.

Where: In the cafeteria. Pick up your pizza kits as soon as possible. We will not be responsible for any kits remaining as we

do not have storage onsite for them-they will be donated to the local food bank. Remember, if the products thaw they can be refrozen once.

Questions: Please feel free to call Jill McBeth at 248-506-7632 or email at jillbillymcbeth@wowway.com.

Thank you for your support and participation!