WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
2015-2016
Primary School Back to School Logistics
New Faculty and Staff
We are proud to have recruited highly experienced teachers and assistants to join our faculty. Please join us in welcoming the following faculty to our school community:
Kelly Rogers, Math Coach/ Support Teacher
Catherine Krim, Grade 1 French Teacher
Stephanie Sneed, Grade 2 English Teacher
OsaOyegun, Grade 2 English Teacher
Anne Maton, Grade 3 French Teacher
GeorginaHaslemore, Grade 4 English Teacher
Evelyn Borbon, Kindergarten Spanish Assistant Teacher
Gillian Rogers, Early Childhood PSPE Teacher
Lisa Troshinsky, EAL Long Term Substitute Teacher
...and returning in a different role:
Anouk van Aanholt, Learning and Technology Coordinator
Pierre-Marie Lasseron, FAL Teacher
Angie Bernal, Grade 3 Spanish Teacher
Matt Cahir, Grades 1 to 5 PE Teacher
Nancy Carpenter, Grade 1 Assistant, Long Term Substitute
Class Assignments
Class lists will be made available on the Parent Portal on August 28th. In addition, they will be posted on each floor of the building for the first day of school.
Each year in May, when teachers know their students and classroom cultures very well, grade-level teaching teams, learning support and single subject teachers meet to develop classes for the next school year. The building of classes is a lengthy process with a great deal of information sharing and strategizing.
The goals of building classes are:
- To create heterogeneous classes that are academically balanced.
- To create heterogeneous classes that are socially balanced.
- To balance boys and girls.
- To balance learning styles and consider social dynamics of the class groupings.
- To determine cohort groups of learners within each class. Having a group of “learning friends” is important to schedule learning support teachers across all grades, languages and subject areas. It is also important for differentiated learning groups within classes.
Unexpected changes do happen late in the summer (such as families moving), so lists are posted just prior to the start of school for the sake of accuracy.
First Week of School
Please see our first week arrangements here. Pre-Kindergarten parents, please take note that the first two days of school for your children will be half days, and there is a meet and greet time scheduled on Monday, August 31 from 10:30- 11:30 AM.
On the first day of school, parents are invited to catch up with one another and with Kindergarten through Grade 5 children at ourOpen Playground event, from 4:15 to 6:00 PM. Parents may enter the school following dismissal at 4:15 PM. This is an open house/welcome back to school event, intended to promote community and provide an opportunity for parents and students to interact as we enter our new school year together. The playground will be open only after the normal dismissal routines have been completed, so please plan to arrive after 4:15 PM. Also, be mindful of DC street parking regulations, as enforcement is strict in the neighborhood.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Transitioning over 450 students at the end of the school day to after school classes, extended day care, and car and walking dismissal locations is no small task, and safety is our primary focus. Therefore, we ask that you familiarize yourself with school procedures, outlined in the Family Handbook(which will be posted prior to the start of school). These procedures are essential in maintaining a smooth and safe transition at the end of the school day for students. While we do have extended daycare for Kindergarten through Grade 5 beginning the first day of school, after school classes begin the third week. For this reason, our volume of children during dismissal time is the greatest the first few weeks of school, and the times at car line and gate dismissal are a bit longer. Please plan accordingly.
To communicate the method of transportation at the end of the school day (for those students who do not stay in aftercare, please complete the dismissal authorization form and return it by the first day of school to the front office. More than one dismissal method may be checked on the form, if applicable.
Pick-up passes will be mailed to each family. Please display this pass in the lower right corner of your car windshield for the entire time you are waiting in the pick-up line so all of the dismissal teachers can see your child’s name until the moment your child is walked to your car.
Parent Thursdays
We appreciate our parents in all that you do, and we encourage you to get involved at any level that works for your family! There are plentiful volunteer opportunities and other ways to stay informed and involved. Please mark your calendars for our Thursday morning parent sessions. In addition, there will be parent coffees with Melody Meade and her team. The schedule for these parent events is posted on the Parent Portal throughout the year. We hope you can join us!
Library
The WIS Primary School library is a vibrant physical and online space that fosters a love of learning and reading. Students are welcome in the library anytime during open hours (with a teacher's written permission). Our librarians collaborate with our teachers to ensure that (1) information and communication literacy skills are taught to students and reinforced authentically within our units of inquiry and (2) the units of inquiry, students' language acquisition and their interests are supported through a current and diverse print and online collection. Feel free to learn more about our library's online databases (including passwords), print collections, programs and services at the library's website:
Student Information Questionnaire
We encourage you to complete the formPlease Help Me Get to Know Your Child. This first communication to your child(ren)’s teachers is important. Please send this form in with your child; it will be collected by the homeroom teacher.