Click HERE to view this week's Wildcat Weekly for Monday, October 7, 2024. 
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Click HERE to view all School Board and Superintendent communication to WESD families.
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Engaging parents, staff, and students in education and our work here at WES is one of the most important aspects of my role as Superintendent.  I will be holding Leadership Chats (formally "Frank Talks") in October, December, February, and April.  All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend these in-person events.  Please note the times as two events are scheduled after drop off and two in the evening to help accommodate all parents and their schedules. Find the Leadership Chat schedule HERE. 
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2024 Garden Fest  
Thurs., Oct. 10; after school
VOLUNTEER AND/OR BRING AN ITEM 
It's almost Garden Fest time! We are working to make it better than ever this year and we need your help!

Garden Fest will be held on Thursday, October 10th, after school. We will be using Garden Bucks for this event. Click below for payment info. We also need your help to make the event a success. Sign up as an event volunteer and/or donate items to sell at the event HERE.
2024 Garden Fest 

Lunchtime Drama Club 
Starts Tues., Oct. 8
Tues & Thurs; Lunchtime; Rm. 36
• Grade 1-4: Tues., 12:20-1pm  REGISTER
• Grade 5-8: Thurs. 12:20-1pm REGISTER
Starting this Tues., Oct. 8, we are excited to introduce a new lunchtime activity for grades 1-5 in the music room 36. Practice stage voice and presence, play Improv games, learn theater terms, develop a sense of timing and rhythm, and perform a monologue. Questions? Contact Ms. Sokolova. 
Drama Club Info 

Upper School Choir (Zero-Period)
Starts Thurs., Oct. 10
Thursdays; 7:30-8:20 am; Rm. 36
REGISTER HERE
Upper School students: We are thrilled to announce that zero-period choir is back! Choir will start this Thurs., Oct. 10 in music room 36. Develop your performing and singing skills, learn winter holiday repertoire, sing warm-ups, rounds, and cannons, and  participate in the winter concert. Questions? Contact Ms. Sokolova.
Upper School Choir Info 

Fall Teacher-Parent Conferences
Oct. 15, 16, 24 & 25 (Minimum days)
Parent-teacher conferences for the Lower School grades will take place on the 4 minimum days this month.  Conferences will be held in person, providing a great opportunity for updates on your child's progress and getting to know teachers better. Sign-up links will be communicated shortly. 
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Full agenda and Zoom link will be posted HERE. All WESD parents and community members are encouraged to attend this meeting and participate in the open session at 3:30 p.m. Past recorded meetings are posted HERE, and a full list of 2024-25 meetings is HERE. 
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2024-25 Yearbook Cover Contest
Deadline: Wed., Oct. 30
Interested in designing a yearbook cover this year? Create a picture that represents our theme, "Space." The artwork can represent anything from real-life space travelers and their spacecraft to fictional representations of all things space. Learn all the details and requirements below. 
Yearbook Cover Contest  
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Pumpkin Carving Contest & Halloween Events
Thurs., Oct. 31
This year's Pumpkin Carving Contest will take place on Halloween morning! This year’s categories are Funniest, Most Creative, Spookiest, Classic Jack O’ Lantern and Kids Only. Click HERE for details and form. Please bring your decorated pumpkin to the library courtyard at drop off, along with the filled-out flyer.
2024 Halloween Events 
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Garden Reference Library —Share your ideas!  
WES has created a new Outdoor Classroom (Garden) Committee comprised of parents, teachers, and administrators to support our students' programming in the school garden, and we would love your input! The Outdoor Classroom/Garden team is building a reference library for teachers and future WES Outdoor Classroom/Garden volunteers and needs your great ideas for activities and snack suggestions you love or had success with in the past. Please submit recommendations HERE. 
Outdoor Classroom / Garden Committee

Woodside School Directory - Konstella
The 2024-25 online school directory in Konstella has been updated. Konstella enables you to find other parents, send them messages, organize school and classroom activities, and more. If you are new to the school or Konstella, please take a few minutes to sign up, confirm your information is correct, and explore the site. Be sure to download the mobile app to access Konstella on the go. Hard copies of the school directory will be sent home with students in the fall. Families with two households should stop by the school office to pick up another copy.   
2024-25 Online School Directory 

2024-25 WESD School Calendar
Find the calendar for the 2024-25 school year below. As always, student attendance is essential, please do not schedule vacations, appointments, etc. on school days. Thank you.
2024-25 School Calendar 

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PARCEL TAX ELECTION
IS HEREBY GIVEN to the qualified electors of the Woodside Elementary School District of the County of San Mateo, California (the "District"), that by the provisions of the California Education Code (the "Education Code") and the California Government Code, an election will be held on November 5, 2024, for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors of the District the measure summarized as follows: 

"To maintain and enhance Woodside School's academic excellence by providing quality instruction in math, science, reading/writing; attracting/retaining outstanding teachers; and maintaining low student-teacher ratio, shall Woodside Elementary School District's measure be adopted extending the District's existing school parcel tax, currently at $366.66 per parcel (raising approximately $392,000 annually), for 12 years, without increasing the tax rate, as annually adjusted, with independent citizens' oversight, exempting those 65 years and older, and all funds spent only for Woodside School" 

 

The election shall be consolidated with other elections as may be held on the same day in the same territory or territory that is in part the same.  The Superintendent of Schools, by this Notice of Election, has called the election pursuant to a resolution and order of the Board of Trustees of the Woodside Elementary School District, adopted June 4, 2024, under the provisions of Sections 5304 and 5322 of the Education Code and Section 50079 of the California Government Code. 
FULL PARCEL TAX ELECTION INFORMATION HERE

 

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Find Resolution #2024-21, approved on May 14, 2024, by the Governing Board of the Woodside Elementary School District.  
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• 2024-25 LCFF Budget Overview for Parents
• 2023-24 Annual Update
• 2024-25 LCAP
  (posted August 26, 2024)
  Internal LCFF/LCAP page

As a result of California Senate Bill 553 (SB 553), all employers that fall within the scope of California Labor Code (LC) 6401.7 and LC 6401.9 are required to establish, implement, and maintain an effective, written Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) no later than July 1, 2024. Please find the plan for the Woodside Elementary School District below: 

WESD Workplace Violence Prevention Plan

Effective; July 1, 2024
WD WVPP Published Online: Jun 27, 2024
Hard copies of the plan printed for All Staff, Jul 9, 2024
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has received a subgrant application for Woodside School District, San Mateo County, CA. Pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 11988 and 44 CFR Part 9.12, final notice is hereby given of FEMA’s intent to provide funding for this project under the Public Assistance Grant Program (PA). An initial disaster-wide Public Notice for DR-4683-CA was published 9/11/2023. Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions. Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. EO 11988 and EO 11990 requires FEMA to consider alternatives and provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority and low-income populations. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). This notice serves as a project‐specific final notice for FEMA’s funding action located within a wetlands. FEMA has determined the only practicable alternative is to fund the use of contracts to restabilize a creek embankment, repair in kind a damaged fence, and storm drain discharge line. In addition to using mitigation measures which include adding Stitch Piers along the creek embankment in three identified areas. This action complies with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements. There is a potential for the facility to be impacted by future flooding events due to its location within the wetlands. The proposed work will take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory and will have little potential to impact or affect wetland values. 
FEMA Final Public Notice 
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WESD's School Wellness Policy is available HERE. We encouraged the general public and school community (including parents, students, and representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, and school administrators) to participate in the District's wellness policy process. If you would like to provide input, contact Nurse Abbe or Director of Business Waly Ndiaye.

Attention parents of 4-year-olds - Transitional Kindergarten is expanding!
If your child turns five on or between September 2, 2024 - September 1, 2025, they can attend TK beginning this August 2024. Registration for the 2024-25 school year opens on January 15, 2024.

Please find the 2024 WESD Public Notice Inviting Interested Contractors (California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Program Informal Bid List for Woodside Elementary School District) HERE and the 2024 California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCAA) Informal Bid List HERE. 

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Facilities Needs & Solutions for Quality Education 
As part of our commitment to continue providing high-quality education, we have been studying our facilities needs. Our school is in need of critical repairs that extend beyond our everyday maintenance. Thank you to everyone who has weighed in with feedback over the past year.

Illness Protocol ... From School Nurse Abbe
This is a reminder about illness and when students should be kept home. While some students begin to first show symptoms of being ill at school, there are some students who are coming to school with significant symptoms of illness that should be at home. Click HERE to learn about "Stay At Home" symptoms and the protocol for returning to school after illness.

Appointment Pick Up & Visitor Policy Reminder
We need your support ensuring the safety of our students. If you are picking up your child during the day for an appointment, please sign him/her out at the front office. Our office team will notify the teachers. Please do not pick up directly from the playground during recess, lunch, etc. Also, if you are visiting/volunteering on campus, please sign in at the office and obtain a visitor's badge. 

No Dogs on Campus
Please do not bring your dogs to campus at ANYTIME — including after-school sports teams/clubs using the WES field, weekends and summer break. This is a school policy and large signs are posted at the entrances to campus. We have had a significant problem with dog waste on our fields and campus. It is also important to provide a clean and safe environment for our students, especially those with allergies and animal fears. Please use our beautiful Woodside trails to walk your dogs. More information HERE.