Willow Grove

Week of August 13th, 2023

Week of April 7, 2025

SPRING BREAK 4/14-4/18

As a reminder, Spring Break is next week, from April 14th to April 18th. We hope you take this time to relax, recharge, and enjoy time with loved ones.

We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday, April 21st! The next edition of the Connect Ed will be coming out on Sunday, April 20th.

Wishing all of our Grizzly families a wonderful and restful Spring Break!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ODYSSEY OF THE MIND!

Back on March 16th, our Willow Grove Odyssey of the Mind team won 2nd place at the state competition. This accomplishment qualifies them for the WORLD final tournament in May at Michigan State! Congratulations to our Willow Grove Odyssey team!

Be sure to check out the team's appearance on Fox 5 News earlier this week!

Thank you to the Willow Grove Foundation for supporting this incredible program for our Grizzlies!

VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST

Please see below for information regarding the annual Volunteer Breakfast.

UNDERGROUND TEACHER/STAFF SPIRIT WEEK

Who noticed the staff this week, decked out in bows, plaid prints and their favorite western wear? Who loved the holiday sweaters and Super Spy Friday gear? The staff had a super fun time this week celebrating the beginning of April with a secret "Underground Teacher/Staff Spirit Week"! We hope your children got in a good giggle with our fun outfits...we sure did!

NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT REMINDERS

PUSD New Student Enrollment Reminder

Poway Unified New Student Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year opens on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 8:00AM. Please forward this information to families new to the area or our school district. This enrollment period includes new Kindergarten and TK students.

We can’t wait to meet our new families! New Student Enrolment for Poway Unified School District is an online process. Packets are completed digitally using any computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection. Please contact your assigned school of residence to schedule an appointment if you do not have access to a device/internet or need assistance with completing the online enrollment packet.

School starts on August 13, 2025 for the 2025-26 school year. Welcome to PUSD! For more information about our schools and programs, visit our website.

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and Kindergarten Lottery Information

If a school reaches near capacity for TK or Kindergarten, a lottery may be needed to determine student placement. To be included in the lottery (if required), families must submit their new student enrollment packets between April 1, 2025, and April 9, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. Only students who enroll during this period will be eligible. If a lottery is necessary at our school, families will be notified. District conducts the lottery for each site.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

See below for the April Counseling Newsletter:

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Counselor Corner April 2025.pdf

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POSITIVITY PROJECT

Hi Grizzly Families, this week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. Appreciation of beauty and excellence means you notice and value the world’s beauty and people’s skills. You don’t take things for granted.

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence is the ability to identify and enjoy that which is admirable in the world. There are three types of goodness in which positive psychology focuses: physical beauty (e.g. a sunset, a song, or building); an exceptional skill or talent; and moral goodness (e.g. a character strength). Appreciation of beauty can generate awe; appreciation of a skill can generate admiration; and appreciation of moral goodness can generate moral elevation. All of these feelings (awe, admiration, and moral elevation) help us forget ourselves and find increased joy and meaning in the world.

Appreciating excellence and beauty helps an individual experience positive emotions and connect to the world around them. It’s an outward facing strength, meaning the individual is focused on the world outside their head. And, not only is the individual outwardly focused, but often deeply absorbed in a sense of awe or admiration, freeing them to forget anxieties and troubles. And it is associated with other strengths, such as gratitude, curiosity, love of learning, and purpose.

“Appreciation is a beautiful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” -VOLTAIRE

Upcoming Events

4/7- Foundation Meeting

4/7-4/10- Book Fair

4/14-4/18- Spring Break

4/25- Volunteer Breakfast

News from PTA

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR THIS WEEK!

We are looking forward to another wonderful book fair!

GRIZZLY PAW TILES ARE BACK!

The PTA is excited to announce Grizzly Paw Tiles are back for another year!

These colorful tiles are a fun way to leave a lasting print at Willow Grove for all current and future Grizzlies to see.

A portion of proceeds from each tile sold comes back to the PTA, and they can be purchased at https://www.willowgrovepta.org/store/p/1-grizzly-paw-tile or by scanning the QR code below. The last day to purchase is Monday, April 21st, so get yours today!

TEACHER APPRECIATION LUNCHEON MAY 9!

On Friday, May 9th, the PTA is hosting a Fiesta Themed Luncheon with catering from Tacos and Gorditas as our final Teacher Appreciation Luncheon of the school year.

This event will cap off Teacher Appreciation Week so we really need your help thanking the teachers and staff for everything they do for us and our children during the year. We truly have the most amazing faculty!

Please consider signing up to volunteer your time during setup, take down, and the event itself, bring in a needed beverage item, or donate towards the cost of catering. Our fundraising goal for this event is $1300 and your donations will go towards the cost of catering with Tacos and Gorditas for 90 people as well as dessert.

You can access the signup here: Fiesta2025

Please know that the teachers are enormously grateful for all of the love we shower them with during Teacher Appreciation Week as well as throughout the school year, and your contributions make a huge impact.

Thank you again for your continued support of the PTA in appreciating our fabulous faculty; let's show them some LOVE!

Staff Luncheon Chair,

Hannah Morris

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Keep up with the latest Willow Grove PTA News:

Instagram: @ptawillowgrove
Facebook: Willow Grove Elementary School PTA

News from the Willow Grove Educational Foundation

WGEF 2025 SPRING GALA - PARENTS NIGHT OUT!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!! Mark your calendars, book your sitters, and join us at our annual Spring Gala on Saturday, May 10th at the stunning Del Mar Social! We’re so excited to introduce a new venue and an entirely fresh experience that you won’t want to miss. Join us for a night of delicious food, drinks, dancing, a live and silent auction, and the opportunity to mingle with other fellow Willow Grove parents and staff!

Don’t have a sitter? Not to worry, we’ve got your covered at Shaolin Kempo Arts, just 150 feet from the venue:

Website: http://www.shaolinkempoarts.com
Address: 3422 Tripp Court, San Diego, CA 92121
Time: 5:00 – 9:15 pm (prompt pick-up time)
Activities: zipline, obstacle course, dodgeball, parkour, slackline, balloon volleyball, paper airplane building, & more
Food provided: Pizza dinner, bottled water, Oreos
Ages: K – 5th Grade
Cost: $100 per child
Interested? Email Lori Larocque, lori@carmelvalleykarate.com

Purchase tickets on our website and we can’t wait to see you there: https://www.willowgrovefoundation.org/spring-gala-tickets

Are you interested in supporting our event as a sponsor? We offer a variety of sponsorship levels to suit every level of participation! Join the many families, friends, and grandparents from the Willow Grove community who have already pledged their support. We’re so grateful for your generosity, which helps us enrich the educational experience for every child at Willow Grove. To see our sponsorship options, please see the attached document or visit our website at: https://www.willowgrovefoundation.org/spring-gala-sponsor-2025

If you have an item you’d like to contribute, we’d love to feature it in our silent auction.

Contact our Spring Co-Chairs, Katrina Betts (mrskatrinabetts@gmail.com) or Michelle Becker (Michangel22@hotmail.com) with any questions, or information about donations and sponsorship opportunities.

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2025 Spring Fundraiser Sponsorship Letter (1).pdf

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THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AT ROSINA’S!

We appreciate everyone that came out and enjoyed a dinner at Rosina’s in support of WGEF! 20% of all proceeds was given directly to the foundation. Good food for a good cause is a win win!

ART COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Want to get involved in organizing and coordinating the Deep Space Sparkle art program for your child's grade-level classes? We are looking for a volunteer for each grade level to help manage their grades inventory, monthly lessons, and preparation of supplies. Please contact Trina Serrano trinacserrano@gmail.com for more information.

Click Here to Sign Up

SHARE THE LOVE! IT’S NOT TOO LATE!

The Willow Grove Educational Foundation supports essential programs at our school such as PE, Kindergarten and Grade-Level Impact Teachers, and Library Development. A donation to the WGEF is a great way to show our kids some love by ensuring that programs like The Grizzly Gazette, Math Olympiad and Odyssey of the Mind receive the ongoing support that they need.

We encourage you to share with friends, family, grandparents, aunts and uncles who might like to get involved and support our amazing Grizzlies.

We are 85% to our annual goal! Help us reach it and make sure that our students feel the love by donating to the WGEF’s Grizzly Growth Fund. Fliers went home in your student’s green folders the week before break, but we have many other ways to make it easy for you to donate. EVERY dollar counts!

Venmo: @WGEFGrizzlies

Zelle: Wgeftreas@gmail.com

Website: https://bit.ly/4aK1lEh

JOIN THE FOUNDATION!

Do you want to get more involved in your child’s education? Consider joining us in the 2025-2026 school year to help raise critical funds for their future! Join us for a fun and fulfilling experience with other Willow Grove parents - Everyone is welcome!

Please contact our WGEF President, Trina Serrano, to learn more about this exciting opportunity trinacserrano@gmail.com