Principal's Message
Kimberlie Rens, Principal


Principal’s Message 2011

Dear Families:

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year!! Willow Grove is a special place to learn. Willow Grove continues to be a school built on 5 Roots that are aligned with the PUSD Strategic Vision and Goals. They are:

  • Rigor, Relevance and Relationships
  • Cultural Proficiency
  • College Readiness
  • Professional Learning Community, and
  • State of the Art Technology.

We are working very hard to ensure your child will enjoy a successful, exciting experience at our school. Our goal, as always, is to create a positive school climate that maximizes instructional time for student learning, while developing strong physical, social, and emotional characteristics in a safe environment.

Our office and custodial staff has been very busy getting ready for a great year, while welcoming some new staff to our school.   Teachers have been in and out all summer, creating a warm learning environment to greet your child on opening day!

To ensure a smooth start to the year, it is important to clarify rules and expectations for student safety and maximized learning. Please review the important information presented in this letter so the school year begins as smoothly as possible. This information has also been posted on our school site web page at www.powayusd.com/pusdwges.

Dates to Remember:

August 17-18, 2011 Continuing Willow Grove Student Registration; 7:00-3:30
August 23, 2011 Class Posting 4 PM by front gates
August 24, 2011 First Day of School, 9:00 AM – 3:20 PM
August 24-September 30, 2011-Kindergarten transition days; Kindergarten dismissal 1:40
September 1, 2011 Back To School Night, 5:30-6:00 PM- K-2 Classrooms Open, 6:05-6:35 PTA Association Meeting, 6:40-7:10- 3-5 Classrooms Open
September 5, 2011 Labor Day - Holiday, No School
November 14-18  Dismissal 12:30 PM daily for Parent Teacher Conferences – Progress Reports

Summer Office Hours: The office reopens August 8th from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM with the exception of a couple of days when the office will be closed which will be announced and posted on our website and front door.  Starting August 22, the office hours will be 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Thursdays, office hours will be 8:30 AM – 2:30 PM.

Registration: Please be advised that Willow Grove is enrolling NEW students on a provisional basis at this time, as we are approaching maximum capacity.

We will be registering all RETURNING students to Willow Grove for the 2011-2012 school year from 7:00-3:30 on August 17 and 18th.  It will be critical to register your child in order for them to be placed into a classroom.  Please refer to the Willow Grove enrollment page on the website for the required forms.  Please be sure to bring two proofs of residency if your address has changed since last year. 

School Hours: M, T, W, F – 9:00 AM – 3:20 PM, Th 9:00 AM – 1:40 PM for grades K-5. Kindergarten students will dismiss at 1:40 PM through September 30, 2011. The first full day of kindergarten will be October 3, 2010, with dismissal at 3:20 PM.

Classroom Assignments: Classroom assignments will be posted on Tuesday, August 23th  at 4 PM by the front gates of the school. The PTA and Foundation will be available for membership and event information. Willow Grove staff will not be present at the posting.

Arrival: Students will report to the playground and line up with their teacher by 8:55 at their designated classroom number spot. Parents are invited to join the PTA and Principal at 9:15 AM on the first day of school for refreshments in the Multi-Purpose Room after they have dropped their children off at class. Kindergarten parents are invited to come at 8:45 – 9:15 AM the first day with their students, then join us in the MPR for a meet and greet with myself and parent representatives from our Willow Grove PTA and Educational Foundation.  After the first day, playground supervision will begin at 8:40, twenty minutes before school begins. Students in grades 1-5 should walk to the playground, and Kindergarten students should walk to the Kindergarten playground.  Please do not have your child arrive before 8:40, as there will be no adult supervision on either playground until that time. Students will line up in their assigned area on the playground at 8:55. The tardy bell rings and school begins promptly at 9:00. Students are expected to be in their seats ready to learn by that time. After the 9:00 bell, students will need to come to the front office for a late slip before going to class.

Dismissal: At dismissal time, teachers will walk their students to the front of the school, where parents will meet their children. We ask parents to wait by the large cement area away from the gates, as there is greater space and visibility there. Please do not meet your children inside the school or by the classroom, as it is a distraction to the learning environment, and causes great congestion. Our goal is to maximize instructional time for student learning, and decrease congestion in the hallways.

Traffic Flow: Parents driving students to and from school should follow the procedures of state law. Enter the parking lot to drop off your child by making a right hand turn off of Via Azul, and exiting left or right onto Via Inez.  Please drive all the way forward in the drop off/pick up zone.  Do not let your child out of the car until you are stopped at the edge of the curb.  Please abide by the directions of our wonderful volunteers and staff. They are working hard to ensure safety of our children. Cars in the traffic circle should never be left unattended at any time. Do not enter the bus drop off circle. If you need to enter the school campus for any reason, please park your car in a designated space in the lot or on the street.   Pedestrians should cooperate with the Student Safety Patrol, located by the crosswalk of Via Inez and Via Fiesta, demonstrating good citizenship and safety practices for our students.

Bicycle Riding: Only students in grades 3, 4, and 5 may ride a bicycle to school.  Children must wear a helmet, provide a lock for the bicycle, and follow safety rules/laws.  A permission form, obtained from the office, must be completed and on file with the office for students who wish to ride their bikes to school.  Bikes must be walked once on school grounds.  No rollerblades, razors, scooters, skateboards or motorized scooters are allowed on campus.

 Visitors and volunteers: PUSD Board Policy 4.415 prohibits volunteers on campus unless they have completed a background check and had a TB Skin Test. All visitors and cleared volunteers must report to the office, sign-in, and wear a visitor's pass. The PTA keeps track of volunteer hours and reports them to the Palomar Council.

Gates and School Safety: The gates to the school are closed to ensure that visitors and volunteers sign in at the front office and wear an appropriate name tag. We cannot take chances with student safety. Please remind your child that NO student may leave the school grounds during the school day without being checked out of the front office.

School Lunch: Hot lunches are available for $2.50 including milk. You may pay your child's lunch in advance by sending cash or check payable to PUSD Food Services, to the front office. For credit cards payments, go to www.mylunchmoney.com . Please note there is fee for each $100.00 transaction. Lunch envelopes are available there. If your child receives free or reduced lunch, you must submit a 2011-2012 application to Food Services annually. You will be charged for a regular lunch until the application is submitted, so please submit ASAP.   Applications are available on-line at www.powayusd.com under the Food and Nutrition Department link, or you may request one in the front office of the school. WGES schedules students to play first, then eat. This practice reduces food waste as students do not rush through lunch to eat. It also reduces playground problems entering the classroom, as students relax while enjoying their lunch. Students have twenty minutes to play, and twenty minutes to eat. If your child is a slow eater, you might consider having them bring lunch so that they can take the full twenty minutes to eat.

Willow Grove PTA and Educational Foundation: Our PTA and Educational Foundation are two very important organizations in our school. They support many activities that directly impact student learning and the positive school environment. I urge you to join me in becoming a member.  Your participation in these two organizations will help families find the most appropriate way to lend their support to our school that fits their lifestyle. Many parents want to help in classrooms. Many want to help with special events. Others want to contribute financially to enhance programs for our children. Look for additional information from PTA and the Foundation on our website or the first day packet of information that your child will bring home. Thank you in advance to those of you who become a part of these organizations.

Extended Student Services (ESS): Willow Grove offers an Extended Student Services Program located on campus. ESS is a before and after school child care program that extends the learning day for students. It is available for all students from 6:30 AM - 6:00 PM. For information, contact Marcy Golden at mgolden@powayusd.com .

Preschool: For preschool information, contact Heather Smith (full day program) at hsmith@powayusd.com.

Attendance: It is important you keep us informed about your child when they are not in school. When your child is absent, please call or e-mail the school to inform us of the reason for the absence each day they are not in attendance.  In addition, if they will be tardy more than 30 minutes please call also.  If your child will be absent from school due to anything other than illness for 5 days or more, please contact the school for a study contract. Our attendance hotline number is 858-674-6300. Press option #2 to report a student’s absence.

Medication: Students who are required to take medication during school hours must be assisted by school personnel.  No medication may be given at school without  a Medication Authorization form completed by the physician detailing instructions for administration. This form may be picked up from the school office. For safety reasons, an adult must bring the medication to the school office in the original container medication is dispensed.  Children may never have medication in their possession at school.  This includes aspirin, inhalers, cough drops, etc. 

We would appreciate your reviewing this important information with your child. Enjoy the rest of summer. Our staff looks forward to working with you and your child this year.

With Grizzly Pride,

Kimberlie Rens
Principal