Be Involved, Be Committed,
Be Inspired in 2015/16
WPCA Parents Make a Difference!
WPCA Student Spotlight
Jacob Snook
Megan Woods
Alishah Kurban
Grade: 7th
Teacher: Mrs. Nestor
Grade: 6th
Teacher: Ms. Bowman
Grade: 6th
Teacher: Ms. Mund
Years at WPCA: 8 years
Years at WPCA: 1 year
Years at WPCA: 4 years
What do like best about
WPCA: I like that our
school participates in activities I am eligible
for like Student Council and National Junior
Honor Society.
What do like best about
WPCA: I love the atmosphere and the students. As well as the teachers and advanced
classes.
What do like best about
WPCA: I like how organized the school is. I
also love how they teach us Moral Virtues.
What career choice are you going to choose:
What career choice are you going to choose: I want to be a professional baker and open a
What career choice are you going to choose: I would love to be a Pediatrician.
store front. I would also like to be a 6th
I would like to be an NFL wide receiver,
grade math teacher.
study Cyber Forensics, or Computer ProWhat is your favorite subject, and why: My
gramming.
overall favorite subject is math. I enjoy math What is your favorite subject, and why:
because of my teacher and the challenge that Math is my favorite subject. I am very good
What is your favorite subject, and why:
it gives me each and every day.
at math and it is fun to learn.
Math, it is challenging, fun, and cool.
When you’re not at school what do you like When you’re not at school what do you like
When you’re not at school what do you like doing: In my free time I babysit and have a
doing: I like to cook or bake. I am really
doing: I like to play football, play video
business named “Lots of Laughs”. I also
active and love doing sports like volleyball,
games, and read my Bible.
enjoy sports and playing my violin.
soccer, football, and others.
What Moral Focus Virtue do you like the
What Moral Focus Virtue do you like the
best, and why: I like honesty because we use best, and why: Respect is my favorite virtue.
it the most and it gets us the farthest in life. I believe in respecting others the way you
want to be respected.
What Moral Focus Virtue do you like the
best, and why: My favorite Moral Virtue is
Perseverance because it is very important
and will help you get through life.
4th / 5th Grade Musical Rehearsal Schedule
“Pirates” Rehearsal Schedule:
Thursday, March 10 - 3:45 to 4:30pm:
Scene 3
Emanuel Lewis, Nora Carr, Zander Early, Kelbi Fleming, Emily
Oswald, Heaven Sain, Rory Garnaat, Denise Lewis, Aniyah Lake
Friday, March 11- 3:45 to 4:30pm: Scene 4 & Scene 7
Kurt Hildorf, Logan Slocombe, Jayden Webb, Ryan Rubelman,
Joseph Kyle, Gwenyvaer Kofoed, Tiffany Jefferson, Emanuel
Lewis
Tuesday, March 15 - 3:45 to 4:30pm: “So You Wanna Be A
Pirate” & “King of the High “C’s”
Kurt Hildorf, Melissa Silvestre Salazar, Kate Snook, Morgan
Christenson, Trey Inman, Heaven Sain, Joey Norton, Jordyn Brock
Thursday, March 17 - 3:45 to 4:30pm:
Scene 5 & Scene 6
Emanuel Lewis, Kurt Hildorf, Zander Early, Carlos Salais, Braylon Jorden, Samantha Patrick, Emily Oswald, Gwenyvaer Kofoed
Friday, March 18 - 3:45 to 4:30pm: Scene 8
Andrea Aguilar, Jenna Brennan, Kurt Hildorf, Kelbi Fleming, Kate Snook, Aniyah Lake,
Rory Garnaat, Yasmin Rodriguez Velazquez, Jordyn Brock, Addison Gates, Emanuel Lewis
WPCA will celebrate a school-wide healthy
snack day on Wednesday, March 30th.
Please look for more information on this
event in the coming weeks.
Windemere Park Charter Academy
The Patriot Press
VOL. 7— March 2016
FROM THE DESK OF Mrs. Yvonne Thomas
-Principal
ABOUT NHA
OUR MISSION
Providing a safe, nurturing environment where students can
grow academically, socially and morally.
PURPOSE
Challenging each child to achieve...
VISION
To better educate more children.
The Month In A Glance
March 16 - 4th Annual WPCA Chili Cook-Off
5:30-7:00pm in the WPCA gym
March 17 - School Board Meeting
12:00-1:00pm
March 18 - Awards Assembly
3rd-5th at 8:15am
1st-2nd at 9:45am
6th-8th at 1:45pm
March 18 - University Jean Day - University top w/
jeans for $1
March 22 - 5th Grade Camp Parent Meeting
6:00pm
March 24 - 4th and 5th Grade Musical “Pirates”
Performance begins at 6:30pm in the WPCA gym
Students please arrive at 6:00pm
March 29 - What’s Brewing with Mrs. Thomas
7:45am
March 30 - Healthy Snack Day
March 31-April 8 - Spring Break
April 11-29 - M-STEP Testing 5th & 8th Grade
April 18-June 8 - NWEA Testing
April 11 - WPCA Spirit Day
Wear WPCA or Patriotic themed clothing with jeans
April 25-May 13 - M-STEP Testing 3rd & 6th Grade
April 25-26 - Kindergarten Round-Up
4:30-5:30pm
May 5 - Moral Focus Green Day
Please look for a note from teacher
May 6 - No School
May 9-26 - M-STEP Testing 4th & 7th Grade
May 19 - School Board Meeting
12:00-1:00pm
Dear WPCA families,
Buckle your seat belt and enjoy the March is Reading Month ride! With
the help of Mrs. Moore (librarian), teachers, students, administration and parents
this is sure to be an exciting month of reading! Please make sure to read the
weekly E-Blast, Teacher’s newsletters, and the Patriot Press (March) to keep up
on all the activities.
We had a wonderful participation during our Spring Parent Teacher
Conferences! Although our goal was 100%, I’m extremely happy to have
92.23% participation. Thank you for participating. If for some reason you were
unable to schedule/attend conferences please contact your child’s teacher. They
will still like to discuss the progress your student is making this year.
Thank you for your feedback on the Voice of the Parent. Great News,
our window is still open for those who wanted to but forgot. Our goal is that we
have 90% participation and currently we have heard from 83% of our families.
Your feedback is so important for WPCA so please take the survey. Here are the
results from the survey as of Monday, 3/7/16.
Overall Satisfaction
Likelihood to re-enroll
Proud students attend WPCA
Satisfied
92%
91%
93%
Neutral
6%
5%
6%
Dissatisfied
3%
3%
0%
Discipline
Safe Environment
Principal Working to Improve WPCA
74%
88%
90%
19%
9%
8%
9%
3%
3%
Deans working to Improve WPCA
86%
11%
3%
Secretaries are helpful
98%
2%
0%
March’s moral focus virtue is Encouragement! We look forward to discussing
this very important virtue with your students this entire month.
Thank you for choosing WPCA!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Thomas
Windemere Park Charter Academy : 3100 W. Saginaw Hwy. Lansing, MI 48917
517.327.0700 (main) : 517.327.0800 (fax) : www.windemereparkcharteracademy.org
Effort = Success from the desk of Mrs. Noffke
March’s Moral Focus
Encouraging your Student at Home
As the school year continues, it is important to encourage your student to do their very best in school. First, taking time to set expectations and goals with your child clearly communicates your interest in helping her to be her best. Build on that by showing your
enthusiasm for education in a variety of ways.
These include:
 Maintaining a relationship with your child’s teacher.
Tell the teacher about your expectations and your child’s goals.
Ask her for suggestions on achieving them. Also ask the teacher
to clearly state her own expectations and goals for your child.
Agree on a way for the two of you to exchange information
about your child. After an initial face-to-face meeting, many
teachers and parents
find that email is an efficient way to keep in touch.
• Supporting the programs at your child’s school.
Attending events such as back-to-school night, conferences,
plays and family math night show your child that being at school
is a priority for you. If schedule and resources allow, also consider volunteering at school and participating in school fundraisers.
• Creating a suitable environment for homework.
Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to study.
Ask her to let you know which supplies she needs, and offer to
pick them up for her. Be available during homework time to
look over homework and give suggestions, but never do your
child’s homework for her. If your child has difficulty doing her
homework, write a note to her teacher explaining the problem.
• Keeping up with your child’s assignments.
Doing school work is your child’s responsibility, but you should
be aware of what she is studying as well as the status of homework assignments, tests and class projects.
• Staying positive about school and schoolwork. You may not
always think so, but your attitude does rub off on your child.
Whenever possible, mention that the latest social studies unit
sounds interesting or that the upcoming field trip should be exciting. Say a good word about your child’s teacher, too. “I really
like the way Mr. Thomas always sends home a study guide before your science tests. I know it helps you to feel more prepared.”
By encouraging your student to do their very best, your student
will continue to impress and dazzle you academically and behaviorally. WPCA will be talking about encouragement all this
month. We are excited to partner with our families to encourage
our scholars both at school and at home.
Source: www.parentinstitute.com
Encouragement: The act of inspiring another person with courage, spirit, or confidence.
K - 2nd: Friendliness - Seek to befriend others, being open and inviting to them (i.e. smile at others, invite others to play, offer help to other students).
3rd - 5th: Thoughtfulness - Express care and concern for the needs and feelings of others (i.e. seek to understand the needs of others, offer help and
support to others without being asked).
6th - 8th : Generosity– Willing to give support and encouragement to others, regardless of self-interest or personal gain (e.g. time, words, actions, or
gifts).
How Can You Encourage Others? by Mrs. Brooks
“Success isn’t about what we achieve in life, it’s about what we inspire others to do.”—Author Unknown.
In Kindergarten, we will spend the month of March learning about and celebrating encouragement. We will be reading several books about the
power of encouraging others, and we will even write a story about a time we encouraged someone else! The Kindergarten students are looking
forward to using what they learn about encouragement to inspire friends here at school and their families at home. The Kindergarten teachers
are looking forward to teaching our students about encouragement, and learning some of the amazing ways our students are inspiring others!
Using Thoughtfulness to Encourage Others by Mr. Newport
The Moral Focus topic for the month of March is Encouragement. The third graders will be focusing on the word: Thoughtfulness. To be
thoughtful you must always express care and concern for the needs and feelings of others. The third grade teachers and staff will have daily
discussions with their students about encouragement, and how to show thoughtfulness. On Wednesdays all the third graders will meet in Mr.
Holloway's room as a whole group. We will read books, watch videos, and discuss "real world" events that help explain to the students how
we show thoughtfulness to each other. Please encourage your child to talk about ways to be thoughtful at home and school.
Your Words Are POWERFUL! Use Them With Care! by Mrs. Lucky
Our focus for the month of March is Encouragement. So far this year, the eighth graders have already experienced and exemplified the virtue
of encouragement. They have received encouragement from their family members, teachers, and peers. When students constantly receive
words of encouragement from the people around them, it makes it much easier for them to encourage others to be respectful, wise, and grateful, to have courage, self-control and to show perseverance with everything they involve themselves in and out of school.
Examples of Excellence
Middle School Outstanding Student Recognition Program
6th Grade
Parker Alverson
Lorenzo Arredondo
Alexander Banks
Kissa Bardell
Mylena Bradley
Alexis Briggs
Dalon Brown
Emilio Cabrera
Pablo Cabrera
7th Grade
Paige Adair
Jose Avila
Dale Barton
Chloe Bowlin
Selma Brockhaus
Alexa Brooks
LeeAnne Brownlee
Lauren Burnside
Aubrianna Buskulic
Celeste Castillo
Ivan Chingana
Levi Cromwell
Darlin CurielCalderon
Andrew Davis
Colleen Dymond
Naeshon Giles
Mavion Hixon
Alexander Holmes
Raquel Honesto
Ellie Johnson
Zion Jones
Shayna Jordan
Zachary Knickerbocker
Caden Knight
Tristen DenmanPeters
Thomas Dunham
Kyra Edwards
Michelle Figueroa
Jordan Fritz
Makayla Hayes
Serina Hicks
Gabriela Honesto
Khristian KopulosKeyton
Elijah Larkins
MarKayla Mayhoe
Daijha McCollum
Mia Nelson
Alyssa Otton
Donovan Owens
Andrew Patrick
Baron Pham
Eliana Powell
Christian Pung
Lauren RamirezGiles
David Rivera
Moet Sain
Jacob Snook
Omar Solorzano
Katey Stine
Sydnie Thomas
Natalie Tungate
Hayley VanAlstine
Sean Walter
Hannah Welch
Madilyn Zwemer
Alishah Kurban
Edison Lee
Dontae Lewis
Olivia Leyer
Anna Oudsema
Landon Pothoff
Kelis Price
Deonna Rushin
Cecilia Silverio
Peyton Smith
Davion Spitzley
Mariah Tagger
Olivia Tozier
Noah Vandlen
Darrius Welch
Mason Woods
Megan Woods
Julian Zwemer
8th Grade
Manx Bailey
Zoe Barber
Skylar Bernier
Zachary Berry
Odessa Bryant
Nina Caston
Kayla Edwards
Brian Escutia
Auslan Grambau
McKinley Hixon
Gabby Lopez
Aslynne Luter
Ryce Miller
Ashlea Nicolas
Jacob Nieto
Santiago Ornelas
Corinth Price
Mitchell Raphael
Becky Ray
Mercedes Roman
Isaiah RossWalker
A’shonti Stedman
Kayla TaylorMorris
Elisea TravisKnight
Iyanna Wilson
On a High Note by Ms. Johnson
6th Grade Orchestra
6th Grade orchestra students are preparing for Solo and Ensemble Festival, which will be held at Paragon Academy in Jackson on Saturday, March 26! Orchestra started in the beginning of November and these students have already made significant progress! Participating students will select a piece, rehearse their
music until they can play it flawlessly, and then perform in front of a judge, family, and friends. The judge will give students verbal and written feedback. This
is a great opportunity for our students and allows them to grow as musicians! Good luck and “Break a leg!” to these brave and ambitious students!
4th and 5th Grade Musical
The fourth and fifth graders are working hard to prepare for their musical, “Pirates!” The performance will take place on Thursday, March 24 in the WPCA
gym. The show will begin at 6:30pm and students will need to arrive at 6:00pm. All fourth and fifth graders are asked to wear pirate gear, if possible. We will
be brainstorming in class about what pirates would wear. Please no weapon accessories (like cutlasses and swords.) Rehearsals begin next week for students
with speaking parts and singing solos. Rehearsals will be held in the music room from 3:45-4:30pm. Students must memor ize their lines befor e their r ehearsal!
It’s Time to Celebrate National Reading Month by Ms. Miller—Reading Specialist
Dear Parents and Students,
How does a monster begin a bedtime story?
“Once upon slime …”
I encourage you to read aloud to someone this month! It is National Reading Month! Statistics say that more than half the children in this country – 13 million
children - will not hear a bedtime story tonight. Reading aloud is the single most important thing you can do to prepare a child to learn. Reading will put him or
her on the road to success! Story books are terrific, but so are jokes, riddles and brain teasers. There was once a girl in a house at night that had no lights on at
all. There was no lamp, no candle, nothing. Yet she read. How? If she can do it so can you! By the way… she was blind and read braille. You can find this riddle and many more on the internet. I have provided you with a list of fun sites that are appropriate for you and your child to read tonight. Do you know…? “Who
is the king of all school supplies?”
www.funology.com
www.ducksters.com
www.everythingmom.com
www.littlelunchnotes.com
www.free-for-kids.com
www.happinessishomemade.net
www.ReadAloud.org
The ruler! :) (is king of school supplies)