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Dear ,

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate this very unique school year. There is a lot of important information in this week's newsletter. Please make sure to read it carefully and make note of upcoming student assessments, important dates, and safety recommendations.

Don't forget to select your preferred method of instruction for the third six-week cycle. All Wharton families need to do this by TODAY, Nov. 13 even if they don't plan to change their current method of instruction. Head over to HISD Connect, log in, click on forms and fill out the Student Commitment Form. While you're there, make sure you have filled out the Socioeconomic Form. We need to reach 100% completion and we're not there yet.

I would also like to inform you that Wharton's After School Program (ASP) will remain closed at this time and will NOT reopen in January as previously considered. We will continue to evaluate and will send out a notice once it looks like reopening will occur.

Finally, as we near the holiday season, please be mindful of the recommended safety precautions for gatherings. COVID is still here and we can't let our guard down. Mask up, wash hands, and stay safe!

Thank you and have a great weekend!

Jennifer Day

Spirit Night at Torchy's
Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 3 PM to 9 PM
Support Wharton by dining in or taking out from Torchy's Tacos at 2411 S. Shepherd. Make sure to mention Wharton and show this flyer on your phone or printed out.

Socioeconomic Form for 2020-2021
Thursday, Nov. 19
Please see this letter from Ms. Murillo asking all parents to fill out this form by Nov. 19. You can also visit our Title 1 webpage to learn more.  Help your Grade get to 100% form completed. Which grade will win? Ready Set Go!!

INCOMPLETE FORMS BY GRADE:
PK - 38, K - 54, 1 - 56, 2 - 51, 3 - 40, 4 - 37, 5 - 29, 6 - 33, 7 - 22, 8 - 13

Thanksgiving Sunshine Cart
Friday, Nov. 20
Please sign up to help us show our gratitude to all our Wharton teachers and staff this Thanksgiving season.  We appreciate all your support in helping us fill our Sunshine Cart for next Friday, Nov. 20. If you want to help with anything else send us an email at Hospitality@whartonpto.org.

Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 23-27
No classes.

Student Fall Individual Picture Day
Friday, Dec. 11
Virtual students are invited to participate – Please MARK YOUR CALENDAR. Pictures will begin at 8:30 AM. INSTRUCTIONS for virtual students will be communicated to parents soon.

Print Your Holiday Cards and Support Wharton!
If you are purchasing holiday cards or gifts, visit Minted.com and use Wharton's unique code: FUNDRAISEWK8DA to receive a 20% discount. Wharton will receive 15% of sales on orders placed with our code through December. For the fine print, please log into our Wharton PTOMinted page.

Our school is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school thanks to the generous contributions of parents over the years. The IB program is funded entirely by Wharton's PTO, and each year we need to raise $43,000 to cover its costs. Here's how you can help:

1. Commit to donate monthly for a year or the entirety of your child’s time at Wharton. We now have an option to set up a recurring monthly donation of $25, $50, $100, $200 or $500.
2. Make a one-time donation.

To learn more about the value of the IB Program and to donate, click the button below. 

As the cases of CoVid-19 are increasing around the nation, we have another Wharton family hit with the virus. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them for a speedy recovery. I have contacted everyone who was the most at risk.

Let this serve as a reminder that we are not back to normal yet. Take care when planning your holiday gatherings. The health department published a guide regarding holiday gatherings, please read it here and follow the guidelines. We all want to be safe when we come back from the holidays. Don’t put others at risk.

Thank you for not sending children to school when they are not feeling 100%. This helps decrease the spread of everything: colds, flu, strep, and CoVid. Even if your child has allergies, constantly blowing their nose in the classroom increases their exposure (time without a mask). Parents, as yet another precaution, if you have any symptoms, have your child stay home and learn virtually.

We still do not have the Rapid BinaxNow tests, hopefully soon. I don’t have access to the consents yet, either.

Safety corner: We had a lockdown drill yesterday and it went very well. The students were very calm throughout the drill.

During the upcoming weeks, teachers will continue administering district-wide assessments, including (but not limited to):

• GT Testing
• Reading and Math Progress Monitoring (1st-8th)
• District formative assessments (K-12th)  
• ‘Middle of Year’ Reading Benchmark Running Records (K-5th)

We thank parents for their support as our teachers coordinate and administer these assessments. Please note that these assessments are required by the district and our teachers have to complete them within a very short assessment period. 

E-Rate Student Testing

All HISD students have been automatically enrolled in a course titled District Student Training Course, which provides students with information on COVID-19, Digital Citizenship, and the HUB. 

This course is available on the HUB and fulfills the district’s E-Rate requirements. 

All students need to complete the course by Friday, December 4, 2020.

Please help to ensure that your student has completed the E-Rate test in collaboration with your teacher.

Kinder & 5th Grade Virtual Students - Gifted & Talented Testing

Testing will be done on campus – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, November 17-19.

Testing is voluntary. Those who will attend must come all three days to complete all sections of the test.

Please confirm if your student will be coming in for testing or not by emailing: elssy.cazares@houstonisd.org and lhancock@houstonisd.org.

You can also call Ms. Hancock or Ms. Elssy at 713-556-5160 or 713-535-3771.

Kinder GT Testing

• Tuesday, Nov. 17th – 8:30-10:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 18th – 8:30-10:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 19th – 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Different parts of the test are given each day.

Students who come for testing need to attend all three sessions to complete the test.

Please use the W. Gray gate in the morning for drop off.

Parents cannot wait inside the building. You will need to drop off the student in the morning and pick up in the main office at the end of test time.

5th Grade GT Testing

• Tuesday, Nov. 17th – 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 18th – 8:30 – 11:30 a.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 19th – 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Different parts of the test are given each day.

Students who come for testing will need to attend all sessions to complete the test.

Please use the W. Clay gate behind the school in the morning for drop off.

Parents cannot wait inside the building.  You will need to drop off the student in the morning and pick up in the main office at the end of test time.

Friday Nov. 13 at 6 PM Virtual Middle School Dance: We have invited 5th grade and all Middle School to our first virtual dance.  Please ask your student to check their school email for additional information.

Congratulations to 7th Grader Michell Garcia! Michell is a finalist in HISD's 2020 Holiday Greeting Card contest. HISD will announce the winners next week! Who will take home the top prize? Take a look at all 18 finalists and read more about the contest here.

Houston Women’s Center: Last year, our students collected more than 4,000 cans of food – the most cans ever donated to the center!  In lieu of our Annual Canned Goods Food Drive, Middle School will be collecting donations to benefit the Houston Women’s Center from Friday, Nov. 13 to Friday, Nov. 20. We wanted to continue our annual tradition in a virtual and socially distanced manner.  All funds will be donated to the center on Monday, Nov. 23. Thank you for supporting our students' efforts year after year. We ask students to donate any amount starting at $1. You may send donations via venmo @ivonne-MtzAguirre or cashapp $imm1993. If you have any questions, you may email Ivonne Aguirre at imm93@hotmail.com.

This year, Wharton will be once again carrying out its Wharton Angels Holiday Gifts Program. We are looking for sponsors to donate two gifts for one Wharton student. 

Please email Mary Murilloby Wednesday, Nov. 18 to be added to our list of Wharton Angels sponsors. Indicate if you have a preference of gender, age, or no preference. Also, indicate how many students you wish to sponsor (1, 2, or 3).

Donors will receive their assigned students' information on Friday, Nov. 20.  Specific instructions on what to buy, wrapping, labeling, etc. will be included with your assigned student’s information.

Gifts should be dropped off in the main office on Thursday, Dec. 10 or Friday, Dec. 11 between 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

We will ensure your gift is delivered to the corresponding student during the week of Monday, Dec. 14.

Wharton K-8 Dual Language Academy PTO

900 W Gray St

Houston TX 77019