Be Involved, Be Committed,
Be Inspired in 2015/16
Windemere Park Charter Academy
WPCA Parents Make a Difference!
Library Happenings
Holiday Baskets
So much has been happening in the WPCA library!
*We had a great fall book fair and were able to add over 150 new books to the
WPCA library & classrooms!! Thank you to all who supported the fair with your
time, talents and purchases! Keep your eyes out for opportunities to help with our
next fair...coming February 1st-5th!
*Our 2nd-6th grade students celebrated Picture Book Month in November by participating in a Mock Caldecott Award. We will watch the official awards in January to
see how our favorites do.
*We've been able to connect with authors, illustrators & schools all around the
country thanks to Twitter! We will even be having a few authors Skype with some
classes starting in January! Follow our happenings on Twitter at @WPCALibrary.
*Our Kindergarten & 1st grade students have been seeing & hearing some of the
Great Lakes Great Books award nominees this month...they will even have an opportunity to vote on their favorites! Their votes will help determine the actual winner!
*Did you know that you & your students can access our online library catalog at
home? It's called Destiny and is available on the student Launch Pad at
launchpad.mynha.com Students can also create a book request via a form on Launch
Pad as well.
*A huge thank you to the library volunteers! Thank you Cathy Mills for coming in
weekly to shelve books & Rhonda Snook for creating our amazing bulletin boards!
*Please help your students to remember to return their library books on time! Library days are:
Tuesday: Holmes, Carver, Kruse, Holloway, Hubble, Estes, Bowman, Major, and
Guly
Wednesday: Brooks, Cary, Sepeter, Constantinou, Dittmer, Lang, Eyestone, Brann,
and Lucky
Thursday: Grabemeyer, Keck, Vanderlaan, Newport, Van Norman, Vacha, Mund,
Luter, and Nestor
Open library times are 7:45-8:45 and 10:30-11:30 with teacher approval.
Re-enroll for 2016-17 School Year
It is already the time of year when re-enrollment decisions need to be made to ensure a seat is held for your
child/ren for the next school year. You may enter your re
-enrollment decision online on your child’s page by going to www.windemereparkcharteracademy.org. You
will be asked to enter your user name and password. If
you do not know your user name and password, please
contact the school office at 517-327-0700.
Household Verification Forms
Every year we ask families to verify their household
information. Many of you had the opportunity to do this
during your parent-teacher conference. If you did not
verify your information during conferences, your form
will be sent home in your child’s Thursday folder. Please
look over the information and make corrections if necessary and return the form to the office. This process helps
us to keep accurate contact information on file for your
children.
Thank to the families that have already contributed to our
Holiday Basket. As a reminder the baskets are given to
some of our very own WPCA families.
The Patriot Press
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRINCIPAL
-Mrs. Yvonne Thomas
We are still in need of a few items such as:
toilet paper
tooth paste
granola bars
paper towels
peanut butter canned soup
facial Tissue
crackers
jelly
Please send in items by Tuesday, December
15th. Thank you for helping support our
WPCA families.
Greeting Patriots,
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.
School Closings
With the winter months upon us, there is a possibility of
severe weather that could result in school closings. In the
event that this does occur, you will receive an automated
phone call. It will also be posted on the school website, Facebook, Twitter, and the local news stations. Windemere
Park is a district in itselt, so please look for Windemere
Park and not a county or school district. Parents will be notified of any closings as soon as possible.
NHA Launch Pad Updates
NHA has been working hard at making it easier for all students to access
resources from home. One new feature introduced this school year is Clever.
Clever is a program that links students’ NHA accounts to other programs. One
program that uses Clever is i-Ready Math and Reading.
With Clever, all students can access i-Ready from a home computer by
going to www.launchpad.mynha.com and logging in when prompted using their
NHA username and password.
Students in grades first through six also continue to have access to IXL
Math. IXL can also be accessed through NHA Launch Pad, but does require a
separate username and password to log on.
IXL and i-Ready can also be accessed on iPads. IXL has its own app that
can be downloaded and i-Ready can be accessed through the Puffin Academy
app.
Please see your student’s teacher or contact Mr. Jokisch at
[email protected] if you are in need of your student’s NHA or IXL
username and password.
Windemere Park Charter Academy : 3100 W. Saginaw Hwy.: Lansing, MI 48917
517.327.0700 (main) : 517.327.0800 (fax) : www.windemereparkchartercademy.org
VOL. 4 — December 2015
The Month In A Glance
December 10 - Watch Dog Information Night
5:00pm-6:30pm
December 18 - University Jean Day - University top w/
jeans for $1
December 21 - January 4 - Winter Break - No School
January 5 - WPCA Spirit Day
Wear red, white, and blue with jeans
January 5 - February 12 - NWEA MAP Testing for Grades
K-2
January 8 - Moral Focus Green Day
Please look for note from teacher
January 12 - Parent University
4:30-6:00pm
January 15 - Records Day - No School for Students
January 18 - Martin Luther Kind Jr. Day - No School
January 22 - University Jean Day - University top w/
jeans for $1
January 27 - Winter Wonderland of Reading
5:30pm-6:30pm @ WPCA
February 1 - WPCA Spirit Day
Wear red, white, and blue with jeans
February 1-5 - Scholastic Book Fair
February 3-5 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
February 4 - Half-Day with dismissal at 11:30am
February 5 - Half-Day with dismissal at 11:30am
February 5 - Moral Focus Green Day
Please look for note from teacher
February 12 - Teacher PD - No School for Students
February 15-19 - Mid-Winter Break - No School
March 1 - WPCA Spirit Day
Wear red, white, and blue with jeans
March 4 - Records Day - No School for Students
‘Tis the season to be jolly!! Watching the students learning in
the classroom or playing outside during recess brings a smile to my face.
It is absolutely amazing to see how much students are learning and the
great lessons teachers plan. Thank you for partnering with us to make
the 1st half of the school year a success.
Along with the season comes cold, snowy weather. Please make
sure your child is prepared for outdoor recess during the winter season.
Hats, boots, gloves and scarves ensure that students enjoy their recess.
If you are in need of assistance or would like to donate items please stop
by and let us know! Students will continue to go outside for recess in
temperatures at and above 10 degrees. Students without a doctor’s note
restricting them from outdoor activities will participate in daily recess.
Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns with this
practice.
Before our Thanksgiving Break, we sent home Household Verification and Re-Enrollment forms for all of our students. This is a practice that occurs every year. This information is helpful in two ways.
First, it updates our contact information that we have on file. We want
to make sure we can communicate to you when needed. Second, our Re
-Enrollment forms help us plan for the 2016-2017 school year. If you
haven’t filled out the form and returned it back to school, please do so
ASAP.
Best wishes to your family during this time.
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
Three Ways to Practice Self-Control at Home
1. Support children with timely reminders
Examples of Excellence
Middle School Outstanding Student Recognition Program
It is helpful to remind children of what is expected. If children are reminded of the rules or expectations, they will have time to stop and think. This
practice will allow children to improve their connection to the task at-hand as well as lessen impulsive behavior.
2. Play games that help kids practice self-control
When we ask students to play games that involve listening and following directions, we’re encouraging them to practice self-control. Possible games
include:
The Freeze Game-Kids dance when the music plays and freeze when it stops.
Red Light Green Light-Kids walk towards the caller when green is called out and stop when red is called out.
Color Matching Freeze- children find a colored mat/paper when the music stops based on the color called out. This can also be linked to different
dance moves. Each colored mat/paper could be linked to a particular dance move.
3. Give kids a break
Self-control can grow increasingly difficult as the day wears on. If your child has homework for the night in addition to reading for twenty minutes it
might be helpful to try giving your child a brain break in between the two activities. Giving a break can help children recharge.
-From the desk of Mrs. Guess
Moral Focus in Action
Self-Control: restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires
K - 2nd: Patience - Wait calmly and quietly during trying situations.
3rd - 5th: Delay of Gratification - Wait by foregoing an immediate pleasure to gain a more substantial one later.
6th - 8th : Self-Discipline - Maintain patience and calmness during trying circumstances, especially those in which there
is no control over the outcome.
Showing Patience Every Day, by Miss Holmes
During the month of December, our Kindergarten Scholars will be learning about the virtue of self-control. Students will learn that selfcontrol means to show patience. We will read many stories that help to teach the lifelong skill of self-control. Students will learn that
every day we have opportunities to show self-control, whether it is waiting for our turn to get a drink or taking turns.
Showing Self Control in Third Grade, by Mrs. Constantinou
Greetings families! Here at WPCA we are committed to growing scholars and citizens. Our moral focus virtue for the month
of December, self control, is a big one for us here in third grade. Our third graders are at an interesting point in their lives.
We are no longer the “little kids”; we are growing up (sometimes too fast!) and becoming capable young citizens. With this
increased awareness comes the need for self-control. We remind our young scholars to show self-control when they resist
talking with peers in the hallways and bathrooms. Our students demonstrate self-control when they check their emotions at
recess, knowing that words are a better way to solve issues than physical contact. Our young citizens face so many challenges, triggers, and excitement in their lives, and their ability to demonstrate self-control at every juncture makes us proud of
our amazing students here at WPCA!
Stop, Think and Then Go, by Mrs. Major
Self-control in December? For some, that may seem outrageous to even consider. With the holidays, the temperature changes, and the
impending time off at the end of the month, self-control may be the last thing on anyone’s mind, especially if you are in middle school.
However, this is exactly what we will focus on this month. To gain control, one must Stop, Think and then Go. It really is about impulse control. In order to achieve this, middle school students will identify an area where they need to gain some control and make a
goal of improvement, whether it is with their homework, their phone, or even their siblings. They will then practice every day and monitor themselves. At the end of 14 days, most should have more control over this area of struggle. It should be a productive December!
6th Grade
Parker Alverson
JaNya Anthony
Lorenzo Arredondo
Kissa Bardell
Alexis Briggs
Pablo Cabrera
Colleen Dymond
Alejandro Flores
Raquel Honesto
Ellie Johnson
Zachary Knickerbocker
Alishah Kerban
Edison Lee
Dontae Lewis
8th Grade
Manx Bailey
Zoe Barber
Skylar Bernier
Odessa Bryant
Nina Caston
Christien Dunn
Kayla Edwards
Araceli Hernandez
Denecio Hidalgo
Damien Leyrer
Olivia Leyrer
Phoenix Marble
Anna Oudsema
Kelis Price
Joel Ruiz
Cecilia Silverio
Peyton Smith
Elysia Sobleskey
Mariah Tagger
Olivia Tozier
Noah Vandlen
Megan Woods
Julian Zwemer
McKinley Hixon Jr.
Jayden Knapp
Aslynne Luter
Ryce Miller
Ashlea Nicolas
Jacob Nieto
Santiago Ornelas
Julian Pilar
Corinth Price
Mitchell Raphael
7th Grade
Paige Adair
Jose Avila
William Barton
Lorenzo Bonilla
Selma Brockhaus
Alexa Brooks
LeeAnne Brownlee
Lauren Burnside
Abrianna Buskulic
Ivan Chingana
Andrew Davis
Kyra Edwards
Michelle Figueroa
Serina Hicks
Khristian KopulosKeyton
Elijah Larkins
Alejandro Martinez
Daijha McCollum
Donovan Owens
Andrew Patrick
Baron Pham
Eliana Powell
Christian Pung
Lauren RamierzGiles
Omar Solorzano
Sydnie Thomas
Natalie Tungate
Hayley VanAlstine
Madilyn Zwemer
Sean Walter
Becky Ray
Amir Risper
Mercedes Roman
Isaiah Ross-Walker
A’shonti Stedman
Kayla Taylor-Morris
Elisea Travis-Knight
Iyanna Wilson
On a High Note
We have been busy in the music room! I would like to congratulate all of the second and third grade students on their performance of “Mighty Minds!” in November. They did a great job! The following week, we had a talent show in the gym! We saw lots
of talented students singing, dancing, telling jokes, and even demonstrating Tae Kwon Do! I am excited to work with such talented
students!
During the month of December, we have been doing some fun activities with music from The Nutcracker. Students have been
working on a dance with the music from Trepak, and playing along with the music from the March and the Overture.
The 6th grade orchestra students are making progress on their new violins and violas! We have recently started working on bow
hold and bowing on the string. They are sounding great! 6 th graders, thank you for your hard work!
The middle school choir has been working on singing rounds and growing into confident, independent singers. We are working
on some fun winter music, including “Dona Nobis Pacem,” which translates to “Peace on Earth.” We think this is a timely message!
Fourth and fifth grade students will soon be finding out the details of their musical! Stay tuned for this announcement! Students
will be receiving scripts and CDs so they can practice and prepare at home!
Parents can sign up to receive text messages from me using the Remind app. Go to remind.com/join on your smartphone or
computer and enter the class code for WPCA Music. The code is: @80e6
As always, please contact me with questions
or if you’d like to volunteer! Thank you!
Miss Johnson
[email protected]