News from Pray-Woodman Elementary

We hope that you are enjoying the One Book, One Pray-Woodman program. It's great to see the students bringing back the answers to their questions and winning prizes as your family reads the weekly chapters from The BFG or The Chocolate Touch. We hope you can join us for our Family Read Night on Thursday, March 3. More information is coming soon on the many great activities that your family can enjoy together.

Conferences will be Feb. 17 and Feb. 18. You should be receiving information from your child's teacher.

We would like to thank our PTO for all of their wonderful support! They have provided grants for each teacher as well as buses for field trips, name tags, conference food, and many other things that benefit our students and staff. This semester they will sponsor restaurant nights, a popcorn party, and the first annual PWS PTO carnival with a goal of raising around $6,000 to purchase a set of 25 Chromebook computers, cases, and a cart. Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 23 (10:00-2:00) for the carnival. We invite you to get involved in this exciting event!

We are looking forward to a fantastic February at Pray-Woodman!!!!

Nils Gabrielson

Principal

Pray-Woodman Elementary School

Maize, Kansas

316-350-2603

2ND & 3RD GRADE MUSIC PROGRAM

Dear Parents,

I am very excited about the upcoming music program. This year the theme is "Pajama Party." Attendance for the music program is expected. Our program is a performance assessment of the work we have done in class. Please meet at Maize High School (11600 W. 45th St. North) 15 minutes before your performance. If your family arrives before 6:15 or 7:15, please have your child wait with you in the auditorium and a staff member will come get the student performers from the auditorium. Class groupings and performance times are listed below.

March 8th, 6:30 p.m. - Andrus, Eikelman, Hobbs, & Johnson

March 8th, 7:30 p.m. - Ewert, Martin, Schweikert, & Wiltse

Costume Notes: Students will need to wear pajamas to the music program. Pajamas should be appropriate for school. Shorter night shirts can be worn with leggings and spaghetti straps can be worn over t-shirts. If you only have pajama pants you can wear them with a t-shirt. The stage lights do get warm so keep that in mind. If you do not have pajamas you can wear sweat pants or athletic pants and a t-shirt. Students may also wear slippers or tennis shoes.

We Need Stuffed Animals to Borrow: Please bring a cozy special friend for us to borrow for the music program. Make sure the friend is labeled with your first initial and last name. I will keep all friends in a tub with the classroom teacher's name. Friends should be small enough to dance with and will be returned after the program.

If you have any questions please contact me. I have enjoyed working with all of your students and appreciate all of your support.

Thank you,

Mrs. Swedberg

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: (316) 721-0902

LOST & FOUND

ATTENTION!! Please check the lost & found. There is an over abundance of items waiting to be claimed.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Special counseling groups are beginning at PWS after the holidays. A group will be offered to support students who have experienced divorce. We would meet during lunch and lunch recess. Students would enjoy time together focusing on the following topics through games, books and discussion:

* Sharing my story

* Organization and time management between two homes

* How to handle emotions

* Positive ways to solve problems

Another group will be offered to support students who would benefit from strategies to manage big emotions, especially anger. We would meet during lunch and lunch recess once a week for a total of 6 sessions. Students would enjoy time together focusing on the following topics through games, books and discussion:

* Strategies for self-control

* Organization and time management

* How to handle emotions

* Positive ways to solve problems

* Getting along with others

If you are interesting in having your child participate in either of these groups, please contact Carrie Heide, PWS counselor at [email protected] or 721-0902 ext. 2684.

YOUNG REMBRANDTS

After-school art and drawing meets in the cafeteria, with Pray-Woodman teacher, Ms. Black. Artists are needed Tuesday at Maize Elementary (for Pray-Woodman students who are in YMCA After-School care) and Thursday at Pray-Woodman. Enrollment is online at www.youngrembrandts.com/wichita.

Each week is an exciting new topic and composition especially for young artists. Artists will practice their compositional skills, art techniques and vocabulary, fine motor skills, patience, persistence, and attention to detail. Students develop creativity, imagination and confidence!

Young Rembrandts combines our love of art and children to teach, empower, and build confidence that goes beyond art. Our program dispels the myth that art is a talent a child has or doesn't have. We view art as a skill that can and should be developed. Don't delay join the after-school art team today.

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

Every other year we participate in the Jump Rope for American Heart Association. This is a fundraiser to help in the fight against heart disease. The event will be held February 22nd-25th during Physical Education class. The collection of donations is not mandatory, but all students will participate in the rope jumping. Packets and collection envelopes will be distributed sometime around the 1st of February.

The collection envelopes will be due by Thursday, February 25th. Permission slips must be turned in if you are collecting donations. This is not only a great opportunity to help fight America's number one killer - heart disease, but students can earn many fun prizes.

Coach Buchanan

Coach Schauer

LIBRARY LOWDOWN

Please stop by our book fair for a great book and to root for your favorite team (K-State, KU, or WSU) during conferences. We will be open Wednesday during the day for our half day kindergarten parents. We will close at 7:30 Wednesday night. Our Thursday hours are 12:00-7:30. Please remind your child to bring their ticket to put in our drawing. Students from each grade level will be awarded prizes if their name is drawn. No purchase necessary.

__________________________________________________________

The PWS Box Top Drive will be February 22-March 4. Students are encouraged to bring box tops that are not expired to school during these two weeks. Box tops can be found on all sorts of groceries and paper goods including Ziploc bags, granola bars, cereal, yogurt, and more. Classes will compete to see who can collect the most per student. Winning classes will get to choose a special activity to do during library time. The overall winning class will also get a pizza or sundae snack. Thank you to those of you who sent box tops in the fall. We earned over $1700!

SPECIAL MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

The Orchestra Teacher (Dory Jones Thompson) invited her brother to perform for the Orchestra and Band classes. Timothy Jones is an instructor at a university in Brazil. The top picture shows the pages of music to one of the pieces he played.

ONLINE BULLETIN BOARD

The Maize School District introduced an Online Bulletin Board, which replaced all paper flier distribution. Click here for information about student-related activities and events, which could include those sponsored by a Maize school or partner agency and that are related to academics, athletics or fine arts.

PWS PTO Scoop .... By Petrissa Palmer & Danielle Vequist, Co-Presidents

Hello 2016!

We are planning for the months ahead to the end of the school year with family fun and gathering time.

We have a number of spirit nights coming up to end out the school year. As always, do not feel any pressure to attend them all, come to what works best for your family's budget, appetites and schedules. Please don't forget to mention you are with PWS.

2/9- Chipotle (50% of purchases go to PWS Music and P.E.)

2/16- Sonic(every 3rd Tuesday of the month)

3/15 -Sonic

3/30- Chipotle (50% off purchases goes to PWS Math and Reading Labs)

4/14- Chick-Fil-A

4/19- Sonic

5/17- Sonic

Also, in May we will have a Jason's Deli night.

Another easy way to help our school is to link your existing Dillon's card to PWS. As parents we still get our discounts, and the school gets a percentage of our purchases from Dillon's. Your student will be bringing home information about a contest we are having. The grade with the most families linking their cards with the school will win a Popsicle Party and BONUS RECESS! If you signed up last year, please make sure you renew it this year. It has to be renewed for 2016.

As always we appreciate your support!

Thank you,

Petrissa Palmer

Dillon's Fundraiser

Re-enrollment in the Community Rewards Program is required each year. After January 1, 2016, please follow the directions below in order for purchases throughout 2016 to credit PWS.

ATTENTION DILLON'S CUSTOMERS

Pray-Woodman School was recently accepted into the Community Awards Program with Dillons!! PWS will get credit for most purchases its members make using their registered Plus card. The more we shop at Dillons, the more opportunity for PWS to earn big rewards. It's so easy!!

To enroll:

Visit Dillons website at www.dillons.com/communityrewards.
Sign in OR create an account.
Click on "Enroll now."
Enter the 5-digit NPO and search ( our schools unique NPO number is 84604).
Select PWS and click "Enroll."

To create an online account at Dillons Website:

Visit Dillons website at www.dillons.com/communityrewards.
Click on "Register" at the top of the page.
Enter your email address, password, zip code (select preferred store).
Click on "Create Account" at the bottom of the page.
You will receive an email confirmation to your inbox, to activate your account click on the link in the body of the email and enter your sign in information to confirm.

For assistance in setting up an online account or with general questions, please feel free to contact Dillons at 800-576-4377, option 3.

THIS IS A TERRIFIC WAY TO EFFORTLESSLY SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL.

THANK YOU!!

AFTER SCHOOL PICKUP/PARKING

Parking along Academy Street or in one of our parking lots is an option for picking up your children after school. If you choose to pick up your students this way, we ask that you walk over and pick your students up from the waiting area. If you are unable to do this, please wait in our parent pick-up car line. Thank you!

RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

Keep saving pull tabs! They really do make a difference!

EMERGENCY ALERTS & NOTIFICATIONS

In the event of an emergency in your child's school, the Blackboard

Connect parent notification system will be used to notify you of the situation and will alert you to steps you need to take in order to reunite with your child. Voice messages will be sent to all phone numbers and emails listed in Skyward Family Access "Family 1". To view the contact information the district has on file, please log on to Skyward Family Access and click on "Student Information." If you are unsure how to log on to Skyward Family Access, please contact your child's school for assistance.

January - SELF-DISCIPLINE

Practicing self-control...setting long range goals and achieving them...making good choices.

February - HONESTY

Speaking the truth...keeping your promises...being trustworthy and reliable...being sincere in both actions and words...doing what you know is right.