Happy New Year WAAS Families!

After a two week vacation of spending time with family and friends and relaxing, it is great to begin a new calendar year at WAAS!  It was fun to reunite with the students yesterday and observe how much they had grown in those two weeks.

It is difficult to believe that our first semester of school will end on Friday, January 15.  That means that mid term exams for our middle school students will be next week.  Exams will be from 8:00-10:00 am and then middle school students will resume a regular, but abbreviated schedule. Please note the exam schedule:
                                                Monday  Language Arts
                                                Tuesday  Social Studies
                                                Wednesday  Science
                                                Thursday  Math

Due to our mid term exams, teachers will not be giving homework or have projects due next week.
Our 4/5 class will resume the regular schedule.

Hopefully,  you and your child have noticed that the teachers and I are more intentional about recognizing and applauding students’ efforts  We are making a more concerted effort to compare a student to himself or herself (rather than compare to another student) and recognize the student’s progress.  Overall, research supports that applauding a student’s effort is a stronger motivator than to recognize a grade.  While grades should reflect what a student has learned, the focus is more on the  result.  Praising efforts focuses more on the process.  Teachers are recognizing efforts by classroom bulletin boards, sending emails to parents and students, writing notes on papers and/or simply telling them.  We are having fun doing this!
Congratulations to our Science Olympiad Team for earning Second Place out of 16 middle schools in the state for the Invitational Tournament in Pinehurst on Dec. 5.  Please click on the link below to read the article in Port City Daily News.
For our Family Fun Night, we are looking for a karaoke machine to use. Please let Toni Kirby or me know if you have one that you are willing for us to use.
Don’t forget to order lunches!
Reminder of the following dates:
January 8  First Friday  8:00 Ask the Director
January 15  Last Day of the Second Nine Weeks
                    Community Service and on line Survey completed for second nine weeks
                    Birthday Celebrations  November 1-January 15
January 18  Holiday  No School
January 22  Report Cards Issued
                    Family Fun Night
I wish you a happy new year!
Beth Upton
Director