General Information
Backpack Folders – Your child will be given a folder in which he/she will carry homework and school communications. It will go home nightly and should be checked often.
Class Dojo – Most communication will be through the Class Dojo app. Please follow this link for more information. Class Dojo
E-mail – If you would like to e-mail me at school, my address is [email protected]. Please do not e-mail me any vitally important information that I need that day because our system may be down or I may not be in class. I always try to check my e-mail daily, but I would hate to miss an important messages.
School Website – Check out our school’s website: http://www.wcpss.net/willowspringses. Our class page can be found under the "Academics and Programs" tab and will have some helpful information throughout the year including things to do over Track Out. My class website can be found at http://haley.weebly.com, but you already know that if you are reading this. 😜
PBIS – Our school uses Positive Behavior Incentive Support (PBIS), which is a proactive structure that unifies student expectations throughout the school. Whether students are in the cafeteria, the playground, the hallways, special areas classes or the classroom, the same behaviors are expected. At Willow Springs Elementary, we practice the “3 B’s” – Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful. The classroom rules we create will all fall into one of these categories. Please encourage your child to demonstrate these behaviors at home as well.
School Transportation – The same behaviors expected in school are expected to be demonstrated on the school bus. Also, all per Wake County Policy, bus riders are responsible for having a tag attached to their backpack with their name, school and bus stop information on it. This tag will be provided by the school system. If you change backpacks during the year, please let us know so we can put a tag on the new backpack. In addition, for safety reasons, the bus driver will NOT dismiss a Kindergarten or first grade student at the bus stop unless a responsible person is present at the bus stop to meet them. Please make sure to arrange for a responsible person to meet your child at his/her bus stop. In the event that no one is present to meet your child at the bus stop, the driver will return your child to the school.
Parent Box – Please encourage your child to keep toys at home. Toys interfere with the instructional day and will be taken away and placed in a Parent Box if they are seen in the classroom. Parents may then come to claim the toys, or they will be returned to the child at the end of the school year. When toys are a part of the instructional day or Dojo reward, a note requesting that students bring them to class will be sent home.
Conferences – Parent/teacher conferences are held at least twice a year. The first conference will be at the end of the first quarter in September. The second conference will be held during the third quarter. However, if you would like to schedule additional conferences, I will be available before or after school. We are partners in your child’s education and we should work together for his or her benefit.
Report Cards – Progress reports will be sent home at the end of each quarter. Children will receive the following grades:
1 – Insufficient performance of targeted grade level standards with support.
2 – Needs support to meet targeted grade level standards.
3 – Demonstrates proficiency of targeted grade level standards.
4 – Extends targeted grade level standards.
Absences – If your child is absent for any reason, please send me a Dojo message to let me know that your child will not be in class for the day. This is very helpful as I mark attendance and reasons for absences on the computer. It is time consuming to go back the next day to change entries. If you cannot call or email, please send a note with your child when he/she returns to school; otherwise, it will be considered an unexcused absence. Please make every effort to send your child to school each day. There is a direct correlation between student achievement and attendance. Our goal is to have all children miss less than 10 days in a school year. Although good attendance is very important, if your child is sick, do not worry about what he/she will miss at school. We will catch him/her up when he/she returns.
Student Check In/Out – If your child is tardy or leaving early, please stop by the office to check your child in or out. You will need to ring the bell on the brick wall beside the entrance doors. The office staff will call the room so that your child can meet you at the office. Please remember that academic learning will begin at 9:15 and occur until 3:40 p.m. each day. If a child is consistently late to school or checked out early, he/she will be missing out on instructional time. Also, the office requests that students not be checked out after 3:00. Thank you for your cooperation on this issue.
School Entrance – Students who are being brought to school by their parents or other authorized persons are to be dropped off at the school’s main entrance. For safety reasons, it is requested that parents not walk their children to class after the first week of school unless you have signed in at the office. If you need to send a message, please use Dojo. COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Eating Lunch with your Child - Parents are welcome to enjoy lunch with your child in the cafeteria. After signing in, please meet us in the hallway outside the office. School policy states that you and your child may sit together at a back table while eating lunch or outside at the picnic tables. Unfortunately, no other children may sit at the table with you due to safety regulations.COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Forgotten Lunches or Lunch Money – We are fortunate that our PTA does have a lunch fun for children who have forgotten lunch or run out of money. Without the fund, Child Nutrition Services would provide a lunch of fruits, vegetables, and water. If your child uses the PTA fun, please make every effort to repay it for the next student. In addition, another option to make sure your child always has at least one paid lunch on his/her cafeteria account is to set up automatic payments for your child’s lunch account at www.mylunchmoney.com so they will never be out of money.
Birthdays - Each child’s birthday will be recognized at school because it is a very special day for him or her. If you wish to send in a treat for the class, it will be passed out during recess. Please clear it with me first so that we can make sure we don’t have more than one event on a particular day and so we can make sure no child is allergic or has other medical issues. According to Wake County Policy, all treats must be store bought for health reasons. Also, treats do not have to be edible. Fancy pencils, mini containers of Play-doh or bubbles make great birthday treats instead of sweets. Thank you.COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Snacks – In first grade, we do not have snack time as our lunch is scheduled in the middle of the day making snack unnecessary. However, if you find your child is hungry in the mornings or by the time they get home, your child may bring a snack to eat during the first part of either recess. If you choose to send a snack, please make sure it is a healthy snack. Thanks!
Water Bottles – Our classroom does not have a water fountain. Since research shows that a hydrated brain is beneficial for learning, students are allowed to bring water bottles to school each day. This is optional, however, as students may use the drinking fountain whenever we stop by the restroom. Students are responsible for remembering to take their water bottles home to be cleaned each week, but you may need to help them remember sometimes. COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Backpack Folders – Your child will be given a folder in which he/she will carry homework and school communications. It will go home nightly and should be checked often.
Class Dojo – Most communication will be through the Class Dojo app. Please follow this link for more information. Class Dojo
E-mail – If you would like to e-mail me at school, my address is [email protected]. Please do not e-mail me any vitally important information that I need that day because our system may be down or I may not be in class. I always try to check my e-mail daily, but I would hate to miss an important messages.
School Website – Check out our school’s website: http://www.wcpss.net/willowspringses. Our class page can be found under the "Academics and Programs" tab and will have some helpful information throughout the year including things to do over Track Out. My class website can be found at http://haley.weebly.com, but you already know that if you are reading this. 😜
PBIS – Our school uses Positive Behavior Incentive Support (PBIS), which is a proactive structure that unifies student expectations throughout the school. Whether students are in the cafeteria, the playground, the hallways, special areas classes or the classroom, the same behaviors are expected. At Willow Springs Elementary, we practice the “3 B’s” – Be Safe, Be Responsible, and Be Respectful. The classroom rules we create will all fall into one of these categories. Please encourage your child to demonstrate these behaviors at home as well.
School Transportation – The same behaviors expected in school are expected to be demonstrated on the school bus. Also, all per Wake County Policy, bus riders are responsible for having a tag attached to their backpack with their name, school and bus stop information on it. This tag will be provided by the school system. If you change backpacks during the year, please let us know so we can put a tag on the new backpack. In addition, for safety reasons, the bus driver will NOT dismiss a Kindergarten or first grade student at the bus stop unless a responsible person is present at the bus stop to meet them. Please make sure to arrange for a responsible person to meet your child at his/her bus stop. In the event that no one is present to meet your child at the bus stop, the driver will return your child to the school.
Parent Box – Please encourage your child to keep toys at home. Toys interfere with the instructional day and will be taken away and placed in a Parent Box if they are seen in the classroom. Parents may then come to claim the toys, or they will be returned to the child at the end of the school year. When toys are a part of the instructional day or Dojo reward, a note requesting that students bring them to class will be sent home.
Conferences – Parent/teacher conferences are held at least twice a year. The first conference will be at the end of the first quarter in September. The second conference will be held during the third quarter. However, if you would like to schedule additional conferences, I will be available before or after school. We are partners in your child’s education and we should work together for his or her benefit.
Report Cards – Progress reports will be sent home at the end of each quarter. Children will receive the following grades:
1 – Insufficient performance of targeted grade level standards with support.
2 – Needs support to meet targeted grade level standards.
3 – Demonstrates proficiency of targeted grade level standards.
4 – Extends targeted grade level standards.
Absences – If your child is absent for any reason, please send me a Dojo message to let me know that your child will not be in class for the day. This is very helpful as I mark attendance and reasons for absences on the computer. It is time consuming to go back the next day to change entries. If you cannot call or email, please send a note with your child when he/she returns to school; otherwise, it will be considered an unexcused absence. Please make every effort to send your child to school each day. There is a direct correlation between student achievement and attendance. Our goal is to have all children miss less than 10 days in a school year. Although good attendance is very important, if your child is sick, do not worry about what he/she will miss at school. We will catch him/her up when he/she returns.
Student Check In/Out – If your child is tardy or leaving early, please stop by the office to check your child in or out. You will need to ring the bell on the brick wall beside the entrance doors. The office staff will call the room so that your child can meet you at the office. Please remember that academic learning will begin at 9:15 and occur until 3:40 p.m. each day. If a child is consistently late to school or checked out early, he/she will be missing out on instructional time. Also, the office requests that students not be checked out after 3:00. Thank you for your cooperation on this issue.
School Entrance – Students who are being brought to school by their parents or other authorized persons are to be dropped off at the school’s main entrance. For safety reasons, it is requested that parents not walk their children to class after the first week of school unless you have signed in at the office. If you need to send a message, please use Dojo. COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Eating Lunch with your Child - Parents are welcome to enjoy lunch with your child in the cafeteria. After signing in, please meet us in the hallway outside the office. School policy states that you and your child may sit together at a back table while eating lunch or outside at the picnic tables. Unfortunately, no other children may sit at the table with you due to safety regulations.COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Forgotten Lunches or Lunch Money – We are fortunate that our PTA does have a lunch fun for children who have forgotten lunch or run out of money. Without the fund, Child Nutrition Services would provide a lunch of fruits, vegetables, and water. If your child uses the PTA fun, please make every effort to repay it for the next student. In addition, another option to make sure your child always has at least one paid lunch on his/her cafeteria account is to set up automatic payments for your child’s lunch account at www.mylunchmoney.com so they will never be out of money.
Birthdays - Each child’s birthday will be recognized at school because it is a very special day for him or her. If you wish to send in a treat for the class, it will be passed out during recess. Please clear it with me first so that we can make sure we don’t have more than one event on a particular day and so we can make sure no child is allergic or has other medical issues. According to Wake County Policy, all treats must be store bought for health reasons. Also, treats do not have to be edible. Fancy pencils, mini containers of Play-doh or bubbles make great birthday treats instead of sweets. Thank you.COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.
Snacks – In first grade, we do not have snack time as our lunch is scheduled in the middle of the day making snack unnecessary. However, if you find your child is hungry in the mornings or by the time they get home, your child may bring a snack to eat during the first part of either recess. If you choose to send a snack, please make sure it is a healthy snack. Thanks!
Water Bottles – Our classroom does not have a water fountain. Since research shows that a hydrated brain is beneficial for learning, students are allowed to bring water bottles to school each day. This is optional, however, as students may use the drinking fountain whenever we stop by the restroom. Students are responsible for remembering to take their water bottles home to be cleaned each week, but you may need to help them remember sometimes. COVID POLICY MAY CHANGE THIS PRACTICE.