Washington Wizards Weekly Updates 10/16

Dear Washington Wizards,

⭐ Laying the Foundation: A Message from Mrs. O’Brien

As we enter the third week of October, our focus centers on friendship. Creating a space where every student feels seen, valued, and welcomed is key to our school community.. We encourage families to talk at home about how small acts of friendship make our Wizards stronger together. The strongest magic is kindness.

🧱Bricks of Brilliance: Shout-Outs & Spotlights

Thank you to all our students for their big smiles and picture-ready outfits on Picture Day! We appreciate our photographers for helping the day run smoothly.

A huge shout-out to Mrs. Karras, Mrs. D’Alessandro, and staff and family volunteers who organized and hosted our annual Harvest Fest. The games, pumpkin activities, and community spirit made it an unforgettable celebration!

Thank you to Ms. Timpone for coordinating our Week of Respect activities. These events provided a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the kindness and respect our students demonstrate year-round. I am so proud of our students for stepping up as leaders and helping foster a strong, supportive school community.

🔨 Tools for Success: Reminders for Families

Washington School’s Wall of Honor In honor of Veterans Day, we are creating a special Wall of Honor to recognize and celebrate the veterans in our Washington School community. We invite families to share a photo, a short note about their veteran, or another small item that can be displayed on a bulletin board in our building. Please submit by 11/10 and be sure to write your child’s name on the back of anything submitted so we can return them at the end of the display. Thank you for helping us honor the brave men and women who have served our country!

The first “Wyckoff Connected Parent Night” of the school year will be held on October 22nd at 7:30 pm, at Lincoln School. The workshop, entitled Leaping Forward as Literacy Learners: Supporting your Kindergartener at Home, will be led by Lincoln Reading Specialist Mrs. Barbieri and Lincoln Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Lacasse. This session is intended for the parents of early primary students looking to support their child’s growth in emergent literacy. Please click here to view the flyer for this event.

Halloween is rapidly approaching! Weather permitting, parents are invited to attend the outdoor parade on Friday, October 30th starting at 2:30 pm on the backfield. We hope you can join us for this fun tradition! New this year - all students may wear their costumes to school for the full day, there will be no changing during the day. Costumes should allow students to engage in learning, participate in recess/PE, and use the restroom. Props of any kind (guns, knives, wands etc.) and costumes that blow up or require a fan are not permitted. Please be mindful of appropriate and safe costumes. Dressing in costume is optional and at the discretion of each family. Additionally, we ask parents not to send in any treats or goodie bags (edible or non-edible) with their children, as teachers are not permitted to distribute those to the students.

We are very excited to announce that author Lucille Colandro, author of the There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed books, is visiting our K-2 students on Wednesday, October 21 . If you would like to purchase one of her books she will be happy to autograph it. Her books are available for purchase on Amazon. Email Mrs. T with any questions jtelesmanich@wyckoffschools.org

Family Conferences will take place on November 9th from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM and on November 16th from 2:00-7:00 PM. There will be no school for students on 11/9, 11/16 is a minimum day and 11/17 is a delayed opening with a 10:20 start time. We are offering conferences with our specialist teachers. If you wish to discuss your child's progress, please sign up using the links provided below. Classroom teachers will also be sending out sign ups today. Please arrive on time for your scheduled conference, and contact us in advance if you need to reschedule.

Guidance

Art

Music

Spanish K-2 3-5

PE - Cornetta

PE - Enright

Sincerely,

Kelly O’Brien, Principal