Woodman Park Bugle
November 2015
A Principal’s Note- November
A couple of years ago, a student came up to me from recess crying. She was new to WPS and was very shy. When I asked her why she was crying, all she kept saying was “vespa”. My only basis of knowledge of ‘vespa’ was the mini moped that could be found in Europe, so I could see no connection to the student’s upsetting plight. Fortunately, I had a Google Translate App on my Smartphone and tried it out. I quickly learned that “vespa” was Italian for ‘wasp’. The student had been stung at recess! After a quick trip to the Health Office and a phone call home, all was better. But the incident made me think about our changing student population.
When I started at WPS ten years ago, we had only about three percent of the total student population as English Language Learners (ELL). Sometimes these ELL students are called English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Today, WPS has a student population range of at least seven to ten percent ELL. Even this percentage is misleading. Once a student passes a normalized ELL test, the ACCESS, the student can be advanced out of the ESOL program and ELL status. However, such students still have academic and social struggles in school while speaking another language at home other than English. It is safe to say that WPS has at least fifteen percent of its student population primarily speaking a language other than English at home. As of the first of October this year, WPS has students speaking twelve different languages other than English. Even this number is too low since some students have advanced out of our ESOL program and speak an additional language that is not accounted for officially.
It is further inaccurate since some of our Indonesian students do not speak the same dialect of Indonesian and cannot understand each other in their native language. The languages that we have spoken include in random order: Vietnamese, Pashto, Nepali, Indonesian, Teluga, Tamil, Lao, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Farsi, and French. As you can imagine, this can pose some communication issues between the staff and students, and school and families.
Fortunately at WPS, we have a full time ESOL teacher named Mrs. Ruland and a part time ESOL teacher named Ms. Phillips. Together they meet with students in small groups out of the classroom to go over basic English skills. They also “push in” to classrooms to support students during whole class instruction. The patience and skill that these ESOL teachers provide are inspiring. They are lifelines for these students and families when it comes to filling out forms, understanding cultural differences, and simply being a known friendly face. The academic and social growth that the ELL/ESOL develops is a true testament to the efforts of staff like Mrs. Ruland and Ms. Phillips.
In our main foyer, there are several flags flying from some of the countries where our students’ families originate. These serve as a reminder to the diversity of our school’s population and as a symbol of ‘welcome’ to those families when they enter our school. These students and families enrich our school community with their experiences. We would be a very different school community without them. Woodman Park is truly a ‘Statue of Liberty’ school where we accept and embrace all students.
Sincerely,
Patrick Boodey, Principal
Stay Informed to Get Involved
Please join us for our next PTA Meeting
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.
In the WPS Library
Your WPS PTO Board
President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Volunteer Coordinator
Jen Spargo Jill Brooks Anne Michiels Jenn Martin Carolyn Williams
Yes We Can 5K, benefiting Dover High School Unified Program
Dover High School
November 8th, 11am
Join DFSA in support of Dover High Unified Programs in this fun, family-friendly 5k road race. The 5K is open to anyone who cares to run, walk, push or be pushed. The event will be followed by a health fair. Dover Unified uses sports and other programs to activate youth with and without disabilities to interact, learn and growbased on their similarities - not their differences.Questions and more information:
Race entrees: $20/adults, $10 kids
FALL YOUTH BASKETBALL PROGRAM….Sign up TODAY. Click on the icon for full details.
Begins this Saturday
For all you skiers/snowboarders anxious to hit the slopes!
Attached is WPS Ski Club info for the upcoming 2016 season at Gunstock with a new change from Friday evenings to Sunday mornings. For more information, please contact WPS PTO parent organizer, Michael Lazarz, at:.
Do you have a student who loves to write?
Please see the attached information regarding a young writers program being offered throughout the school year. The next session starts November 17th…get your pen & paper out
Calling All Photographers
The 2015-2016 Yearbook photo collection is underway. If you attended a WPS event, were part of a WPS afterschool program, or got that perfect shot while at Woodman, please think about submitting it for inclusion in the yearbook. Space is limited, so the more WPS students in the photo the better. Email any pictures to Laura Beatham at and please include the date of the picture, the grades of the students in the picture and a description of the event/place the picture was taken. Your pictures will help to include as many students as possible in the candid sections, and help to make the book a great memory of the year for everyone.
$$$ FUNdraising $$$
UPDATES on YOUR efforts: The Wentworth greenhouses Fall Mums Fundraiser took in approximately $1000. The PTO hopes your ‘customers’ loved their beautiful flowers.
With the first submission of the school year WPS will be receiving a check for $1300!!! AMAZING
Please share this easy fundraiser with your aunts, uncles, grandparents and neighbors without school aged kids. They love to help our youth and it takes little effort and a Ziploc bag. Our next submission will be March 1; please keep clipping.
Exciting news! The WPS PTO has been selected to be a part of the “Hannaford Helps” Reusable Bag Program featuring the new bright blue bag! We are so honored! Please help support our mission of providing enrichment opportunities for all WPS students by buying this beautiful blue reusable bag from now through December 31, 2015. A $1 direct donation is included in the price of the bags. What does that mean for the WPS PTO? For every “Hannaford Helps” Reusable Bag purchased at the 833 Central Avenue Hannaford, the WPS PTO will receive a $1 direct donation! It's a great time to replace some of your reusable shopping bags and support enrichment at WPS!
Here’s what’s happening Inside the Park
Wall of Honor
Stop into school after November 8th and check out the WPS Veteran Wall of Honor located in both the front foyer and downstairs next to the café.
Ask your child what Veteran’s Day means to them and why we reserve a day to honor these men & women. Find out what they have learned and done during class to gain more insight.
If your student knows a special veteran, past or present, and you haven’t sent in a picture and/or form that went home with them, please stop by the office during November to pick up a copy. Send it back to school with your student and we’ll be sure to get it on display.
What’s new to the Bugle for 2015-16?
Show your stuff on what you know about the staff. We believe that being a community means getting to know each other. This year we will highlight a new staff member in each addition of The Bugle. Take time to ask a few questions of those you meet at our school events and make the best of your years here at Woodman Park School. Great friendships start here. And it isn’t exclusive to the students. Each member of the school cares for its students and we hope it shows.
This month’s staff member is Mr. Brown~ Dean of Students
1)How long have you worked in a school environment?
I have worked in schools for 17 years, 16 of them as a gym teacher in ME, CT & NH and now my new role as Dean of Students.
2)Do you have a favorite sport and what team do you cheer for?
My favorite sport to play is baseball.
Football is my favorite sport to watch and The Patriots are the team I cheer for.
3)What was your favorite subject in school?
Math
4)What do you like to do with your time outside of WPS?
Spend time at my family’s camp with my two boys (Zach, 11 & Alex, 7) and my wife Rebecca.
5)If you could hold another job, besides your DREAM job hre at WPS< what would it be?
I would enjoy being a Meteorologist.
Ride the WPS Wave
Ride the WPS Wave ~ each monthly Bugle edition will have a hidden wave within one of our articles. Your student has a chance to earn $5 worth of School Store Bucks by sending an email to with the student’s name, grade and which article you found the wave in by the 10th of each month. A name will be drawn from all of the entries and awarded their prize. Did you find it today?
Thank you for reading the Bugle. Encourage a friend to do the same. Please send any suggestions or items that you would like consideration for inclusion to Tara Culcasi @ .
Follow Woodman Park on Facebook for up to date events and happenings. Woodman Park School PTO.