Willow Grove

Thank you for your flexibility over the past week to meet the needs of our students during the heat wave. As a result of having to add minimum days, we will need to convert the March 25th Professional Growth minimum day to a full day of instruction. We are hoping that this provides families plenty of time to update calendars accordingly.

Thank you for your patience as we continue to hear back from the district about volunteer clearance status. As of Friday, we did not have any clearances back from the district. We will continue to share updates as we receive them during this new process.

In the meantime, volunteers may support in the classroom by signing in the front office.

Help your child be an Attendance H.E.R.O.:

Here. Everyday. Ready. On-time.

Parent partnership is crucial to ensuring our students are receiving the full advantage of consistent school attendance. Students who attend school regularly are significantly more likely to achieve proficient academic levels in reading and math, do better on tests, as well as likelier to graduate and be successful in future endeavors. Help us accomplish this by:

• Establishing consistent bed times and wake up times

• Planning ahead to avoid scheduling appointments and vacations during school

• Communicating with teachers regarding illnesses or religious/cultural holidays

• Staying engaged and regularly checking in with your children about their experiences

• Emphasizing the importance of attendance with your children

• Reaching out to us for help to address any barriers to attendance

We are still in need of 2 parent/community members to join our School Site Council Voting Members.

School Site Council is the school governance body, which reviews school-wide data, develops a school plan, and allocates supplemental school funds in ways that further the goals articulated in the plan. The governance body consists of the site principal, school staff members, and parents/community members.

• Meetings will be held every other month throughout the school year via Zoom and/or in person.
• Meetings will be held in the afternoons.

Names submitted will be placed on a ballot should it exceed the number of slots open.

Please email Mrs. Lynn if you are interested: klynn@powayusd.com

Please see below for information about Math Olympiads.

On Saturday, September 21st from 1:00-3:00 PM, Westview Robotics will be hosting their Annual STEAM Workshop for students grades 1-8 on Westview campus. This workshop will be free for all participants, so we invite your students to be taught by our experienced student mentors for the afternoon. This is a phenomenal event to get HANDS ON experience in STEAM!

Please sign up through our registration form using an email you will check frequently to keep you informed on confirmation emails and details as we get closer to the event. Each workshop has limited space and will be closed when we have reached our capacity.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact outreach.wvrobotics@gmail.com. We have also attached a flyer that includes detailed information about our workshops and the link to signup. We also have a fundraiser at Frescos the same day as our workshop. Our fundraisers allow us to deliver free workshops!

This week our school community will be focusing on the Other People Mindset of Identifying and Appreciating the Good in Others. It’s important to deliberately work to identify and appreciate others’ character strengths. Identifying and appreciating the good in others is a core tenet of the Other People Mindset. This isn’t always what comes naturally. Often, it’s easier to blame others for our problems or find flaws in others to use as excuses for our own jealousy, bitterness, or resentment. The problem is that this negativity usually leads to problems — for ourselves, for the other person, and for our relationships. To practice and encourage the character strength of perspective with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families, where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.

“What makes me happy is the appreciation of people around me.” -NADIA COMANECI

Ms. Brynn Blatnick - Speech and Language Pathologist

Hello Grizzly Families!My name is Brynn Blatnick, and I am thrilled to be joining Willow Grove Elementary as the new CF-SLP this year. I look forward to working with some of your children and helping them achieve their communication goals!

A little bit about me: I am originally from Rocklin, California, but I chased the sun down to San Diego six years ago. I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences from San Diego State University (Go Aztecs!). While this is my first year as an SLP, I am excited to bring the latest education, evidence-based practices, and cutting-edge research in the fast-growing field of speech-language pathology.

Over the past two years, I gained valuable hands-on experience at the SDSU Speech and Language Clinic, as well as during two graduate-level clinical rotations—one in an outpatient setting at Sharp Rees-Stealy and another in schools within the San Diego Unified School District. My goal is to collaborate with your child’s teachers and other service providers to ensure that speech therapy is meaningful, comfortable, and educationally relevant.

I am passionate about getting to know your child, fostering their speech and language skills, and making therapy sessions both enriching and enjoyable! Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Looking forward to a wonderful school year!

9/16- 5th Grade Picture Day

9/17- P.E. Begins

9/17- Picture Day

9/19-9/20- Picture Day

9/24- Internet Safety Assembly

9/30- No School for Students (Professional Growth Day)

10/1- First Full Day of Kindergarten

10/4- Friday Flag

10/10- Running Club Begins

Picture Day is being held throughout the week next week. Please make sure to confirm your child’s designated day and send them to school camera ready for their yearbook photo!

The PTA is proud to host our annual movie night with a showing of Wonka! Please mark your calendars for Friday, October 18th from 5:30 to 9pm. We will have family fun prior to the movie with a DJ and games, food and dessert trucks, and concessions, followed by the movie on a blockbuster sized screen, you won’t want to miss it!

Exciting news, Grizzlies! Willow Grove Running Club, an amazing opportunity for all grade level students to stay active, have fun, and build sportsmanship, begins on October 10th. The Willow Grove PTA proudly brings this program to our school in collaboration with the PUSD. Parents, please show your encouragement by signing up to track laps! Join us in making this year’s Running Club an incredible journey of health, teamwork, and achievement! For more details, contact Running Club Chair, Roopa Raghav, at tl.roopavathy@googlemail.com

Mrs. Lynn will be featuring her morning Book Talk beginning on October 18th! Students can review the approved book of their choice during the morning announcements. To enter, fill out a form from the library, office lobby, and the Willow Grove PTA website, and drop off a completed form in the PTA drop box in the front office. We hope you will take this opportunity to share your favorite book with all your fellow Grizzlies!

Anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of Willow Grove students can join the PTA! This includes parents, grandparents, educators, students, and friends. There is no commitment to volunteer when you join the PTA, although our time and talent is always welcome! Individual memberships start at only $20 each. With your help, this year promises to be full of exciting adventures for our Grizzlies.

Your PTA membership and donations help create a community and connect students and families together through a variety of ways, including fun events such as Movie Night, Grizzlies Got Talent Show, Cultural Night, STEAM Night, and College Field Day, as well as supporting teachers, replacing playground equipment, green folders, classroom and workroom supplies, and much, much more!

We are 40% to our $65,000 goal - Please help us get closer! In these challenging economic times, decreased funding threatens vital programs in our schools. The Willow Grove Educational Foundation steps in to raise critical funds, ensuring that our students continue to benefit from essential programs such as art, P.E. instruction, grade-level impact and enrichment teachers, kindergarten aides, teacher stipends, library development, continued staff education, educational technology, instructional programs, Math Olympiad, The Grizzly Gazette Newspaper, Odyssey of the Mind, and NEW this year - Science Olympiad!

We are asking for $425 per enrolled child, however any amount helps! Your tax-deductible gift directly impacts each of these programs and without your donations, they wouldn’t be possible. Visit www.willowgrovefoundation.org to donate and learn more! You can also donate via Venmo - WFEFGrizzlies or Zelle - wgeftreas@gmail.com. Please consider any amount, and thank you for your generous support of our school programs!

Please follow us on our social media platforms:

X (formerly Twitter) - @WGFoundation

Instagram - @willowgrovefoundation

Facebook - Willow Grove Educational Foundation

Our popular dinner nights will be back soon, where a portion of the proceeds comes back to WGEF! Stay tuned for more details!

The 15th Annual Golf Tournament is on Monday, November 18th, 2024 at the Santaluz Club. Registration kicks off soon, so stay tuned for more details!

Our Spring Gala will be on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 at the Del Sur Ranch House. More details to come!

Our first Grizzly Artist of the Week is McKenna in Ms. Huckleberry's class! Make sure to check out her original work hanging in the front office.

Ready to show the Willow Grove community your art skills? Each week a grizzly drawing will be featured in the ConnectEd and displayed in the front office. Simply take a picture of your child's artwork and email to jmelton@powayusd.com.