Monday, February 22, 2016

Test Preparation

Each month, the National Association of Elementary School Principals publishes its Report to Parents.  This month's Report to Parents, "Test Preparation", offers test-preparation tips families can use to help students perform at their best.


Thursday, February 18, 2016

GDW Participates in Six Flags Read To Succeed Program

Gary D. Wright Elementary School is proud to be participating in the 30th annual Six Flags Read To Succeed Program.  Read to Succeed is an exciting program that encourages students in grades K-6 to read for enjoyment.  GDW students who complete six hours of recreational reading and submit their program logs by the deadline will earn a free ticket to Six Flags!  As a reminder, the deadline for turning in your child's reading log is Tuesday, February 23, 2016.  It is our hope that by participating in the Six Flags Read To Succeed Program you and your child have been enjoying time spent reading together!


Friday, February 12, 2016

Happy Valentine's Day, GDW!

Today GDW students were excited to celebrate Valentine's Day by participating in a variety of fun-filled activities during their classroom parties, including Valentine exchanges with their classmates, playing games, making crafts, and eating delicious treats!  We would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to all of our volunteers for making this year's Valentine's Day celebrations so special!  Happy Valentine's Day, Wildcats!




Wednesday, February 10, 2016

GDW 5th Graders Present "Off Their Rockers"

Today GDW's fifth graders rocked the house in their performances of "Off Their Rockers", a musical which takes place in a senior center.  As the plot of "Off Their Rockers" unfolds, the senior center director decides to liven things up for the seniors by enlisting the help of friends and family to introduce songs and dances, encouraging the seniors to "get off their rockers" and have some fun.

Under the direction of Mr. Prosek, students performed some classic rock 'n' roll songs including "Rock Around The Clock", "At The Hop", "The Peppermint Twist", and Dancin' In The Street".  The students looked and sounded amazing.  Many students joined Mr. Prosek in getting into character by dressing up as seniors, putting a whole new "twist" on the phrase, "they grow up so fast"!  Way to go Wildcats!




Thursday, February 4, 2016

Positively Reinforcing School-wide Expectations

Each day during morning announcements, the students and staff at Gary D. Wright Elementary School join together in The Wildcat Creed, where we pledge the following:

We will show respect for our school community each day.
We will accept responsibility for all of our actions.
We will come to school ready to learn, with a positive attitude.
These three R’s make Wright Elementary a great place to learn.

These school-wide expectations are part of our school’s focus on fostering a safe and effective learning environment.  Just as we teach our students to read and write, we must also teach them our expectations for their behavior while at school.  The expectations outlined above apply to all areas of our school, including the classroom, bathroom, playground, cafeteria, and hallway. Throughout the school year, staff recognize those being positive models of behavior with various incentives including issuing students “Pawsome Cards”.  Recently, as a result of earning 100 Pawsome Cards and redeeming them at the Pawsome Store, GDW Fourth Grade Student Rocco Sauer chose to have “Lunch with the Principal”.  Rocco and I enjoyed our time together, and he even surprised me with a delicious sandwich for lunch.   During lunch, Rocco filled me in on what to expect during Candy Bar Bingo, which was another great event that was recently held and sponsored by the GDW PTO.  It was my first time attending a Candy Bar Bingo event, and I quickly learned that combining bingo, candy, friends, and family will result in a lot of smiles and a good time had by all!