Z A GUIDE
We hope this guide helps our parents understand all the terminology we use at The Woods Academy!
CBAAfterCare:MontessoriAfterCareprovidesourMontessorifamiliesanafterschool optionthatisanextensionoftheMontessoriclassroom.AfterCareisofferedfrom 2:45-6:00pmdaily.StudyHallisofferedforstudentsinGrades1-8.
AnnualFund:TheWoodsAnnualFundprovidesimmediate,flexibleresourcesto helpfundtheschool’shighestpriorities-academics,immersionlearning experiences,arts/technology/athletics,professionaldevelopment,andfacultyand staffsalaryandbenefits.TheWoodsAnnualFundgivesustheabilitytohandlethe unexpected,andmeetoperationalneedsastheyarise.Aswithallindependent schools,tuitiondoesnotcovertheentirecostofaWoodseducation.Clickhereto findoutmoreabouttheAnnualFund
Auction:Eachyear,TheWoodshostsanauctiontobringtogethertheparent communityinafunandcelebratorysetting Thereisafundraisingarmofthe auctiontohelpraisemoneyforcertainareasneededfortheschool.
BookFair:TheScholasticBookFairisabighitforthestudentsatourschool.The bookfairischairedbyaparentvolunteerandissetupintheMPRforafewdays inthewinterseason Teacherssendhomeinformationaroundthebookfair, availablebooks,andhowthefairwilloperatethatyear Parentstypicallysendin moneywiththeirstudentsandtheyareabletoshopforbookswiththehelpof theirteacherandparentvolunteers.Parentsareencouragedtovolunteer throughouttheweektohelp!
Carpool:Carpoolisawell-oiledmachineatTheWoods.Morningcarpoolisfrom 7:55am-8:15am(8:30amforMontessoristudents)andafternooncarpoolis staggeredwith2:45pmforMontessori,3pmforLOWERSCHOOL,and3:15pmfor MIDDLESCHOOL Youngerstudentswitholdersiblingswillleaveattheolder sibling’stime NotethathalfdayMontessori3-year-oldshaveafternooncarpool at11:30am.
MorningcarpoolforMontessoriandLOWERSCHOOLstudentshappensatthe frontofschool.MIDDLESCHOOLmorningcarpoolisinthebackoftheschool. Forafternooncarpool,allstudentsarepickedupinthefront Carslineup startinginthebackoftheschoolandaredirectedbythefacilitiesteamat TWA
ChristmasFund:TheChristmasFundhasbecomeatraditionthatwasstartedin anefforttorelievethestressofthegiftseason.WAPTOcollectsfundsfrom families(thisis100%voluntaryontheparentsbehalf)andthenevenlydistributes themamongallfacultyandstaff Thisgivesnotonlyourdedicatedhomeroom teachersagift,butalsothespecialsteachers,administrativestaff,facilities team,andextendedcarestaffwhotakesuchgreatcareofourchildren Acheck ispresentedtoeachstaffmemberasagiftfromWoodsfamilies,collectively.
DDivisions:Ourschoolisdividedintothreedivisions-Montessori(Mont.)forage 3-Kindergarten,LOWERSCHOOL(LS)forGrades1-4,andMIDDLESCHOOL(MS) forGrades5-8
DivisionDirector:Eachdivisionhasaleadpersonwhohelpscoordinatetheday todayoperationsateachlevel Thedivisiondirectorisalwaysextremely responsiveandhelpful,andisagreatcontactifyouhaveanyquestionsabout curriculum,schedules,fieldtrips,activities,orthelike.
DressUniform:TheWoodshasadressuniformwhichincludesanavyblazerwith aschoolpatch ThismoreformaluniformiswornbyMIDDLESCHOOLstudents everyMondayforChapel;andbyLowerandMIDDLESCHOOLstudentswhenwe haveMassandonotherspecialoccasionsliketheAnnualChristmasConcert, GrandparentsDay,andSchoolPictureDay.Findoutmoreaboutthedress uniforminourUniformGuide.
EE-Folder:OurweeklynewsletteriscalledtheE-Folder It’ssenttoparents,faculty, andstaffeveryWednesdayat3pm.Thenewsletterincludesupcomingevents andimportantinformationforthefollowingweek.Everyoneisencouragedto readtheE-Foldereveryweek.
EighthGradeLeadershipTeam:OurGrade8LeadershipTeamisagroupof studentsinGrade8whoserveasrolemodelsandleadersofthestudentbody Theyhelptoorganizefundraisers,cleanuptheschoolcampus,andcoordinate otherstudent-focusedinitiativesthroughouttheyear.
EndofSchoolYearFund:SimilartotheChristmasFund,WAPTOorganizesanend ofschoolyearfundforfacultyandstaff.WAPTOcollectsfundsfromfamilies (thisis100%voluntaryontheparentsbehalf)andthenevenlydistributesthem amongallfacultyandstaffattheendoftheschoolyear
ExtendedCare:MontessoristudentswhoneedtostayatTheWoodslongerthan thetypicalschoolday(normally,M3endsat11:30amandM4/Kendsat 2:45pm)cansignupforextendedcare.Extendedcarehappensinaseparate classroomfromtheMontessoriclassroomsandisstaffedbytrainedandloving teachers!
HFFoundersDay:FoundersDayisacelebrationeachyearinJanuarywhenthe communitycomestogetherforMasstocelebratethefoundingofourschool.Did youknowTheWoodsAcademywasfoundedin1975?Agroupofdedicated parentsworkedtore-establishtheclosingUrsulineAcademyasOurLadyofthe WoodsAcademyandsubsequentlyTheWoodsAcademy
Holidays:SeeChristmasFund,ThanksgivingPies,andSantaWorkshopamong manyotherfunactivities
Hot(Catered)Lunch:Weofferhotlunchfromathirdpartyvendorforstudents inGrades1-8.ThemenuandorderformaresenttoparentseverySundayso thattheycanordertheirchild’slunchfortheweek.BesuretochecktheE-folder fortheinformation!
PONMLowerSchool:TheLOWERSCHOOLatTheWoodsincludesGrades1-4 These studentsareoftenreferredtoas“Graders.”
Lunchers:MontessoristudentsinKindergartenaresometimesreferredtoasthe “Lunchers.”Thistermdatesbackmany,manyyearstowhenourKindergarten studentsweretheonlyMontessoristudentswhostayedatschoolforlunch
Mass:WecelebrateMassasacommunitythroughouttheyear!Studentsattend andmustbeindressuniform Parentsarewelcometoattend
Montessori:WecallourearlychildhooddivisionMontessori Thisdivisionforages 3-6(includingKindergarten)iscomprisedofthreemulti-ageclassroomsthat followtheMontessoriphilosophy.Montessoriisachild-focusedapproachto educationthatDr.MariaMontessori,anItalianphysician,developedfor educatingchildrenaroundtheglobe LearnmoreaboutMontessoriinour“What isMontessori”e-book
MontessoriGraduation:AllMontessoristudents(ages3-6)andtheirfamilies areinvitedtoattendtheannualMontessoriGraduationandProgram.Thisevent givesouryoungeststudentstheopportunitytoperformsongsandpoemsfor theirfamilies.Duringtheprogram,theMontessoriLunchers/Kindergarten studentsalsoreceivetheirMontessoridiploma
MLKDayofService:TheWoodsputstogetheraserviceinitiativeonMLKDayfor thosewhoareinterested It’sagreatwaytobuildcommunityandgivebackto thosemostinneed.
MPR:TheMPRisthemultipurposeroomatTheWoods.Thislarge,dynamicspace nearthefrontentranceoftheschoolbuildingisusedforeatinglunch,morning parentcoffees,chapeltime,andmore
Namecard:Everyfamilyreceivesanamecardfortheircaratthestartofthe schoolyear.Thisneedstobedisplayedonyourcar’sdashboardformorning andafternooncarpool.
Owlcove:TheOwlcoveisourschoolstore,whichsellsthegymuniform, sweatshirts,andotheritems Wedonotsellthedailyuniform,however Thatcan bepurchasedatFlynn&O’HaraorLandsEnd
ParentAmbassador:AParentAmbassador(formerlyknownastheRoom Parent)willenhanceourinvolvementwithnewparentsandTheWoods communitythroughoutreachdesignedtosupportWoodsandWAPTOsocial activities,events,andserviceprojectsthroughouttheyear.Ourgoalistocreate apositionwhereparentambassadorscanwelcomenewparentsandshare theirknowledgeandknow-howofTheWoods,whilebolsteringgreater participationfromallWoodsfamilies
ParentOWLvocate:AlsoknownasParentAdvocate,thisgroupofparents activelysharetheirexperiences,thehallmarksofaWoodseducation,and insightsaboutlifeatTheWoodsAcademy.
SRPPEUniform:OurPEuniformisagreenshirtwithourschoollogoandblackshorts withourlogoalongwithsneakers FindoutmoreinfoonthePEuniformhere It’s wornonPEdaysforstudents MIDDLESCHOOLstudentswillchangeintotheirPE uniformsatschool(theymustpacktheuniformandtheirsneakers)whileLOWER SCHOOLstudentscanweartheirPEuniformtoschoolontheirPEday.
PrayerPartners:Prayerpartnersareoneofthewaysthatwefulfillourmissionof beinganinclusiveCatholiccommunity Thejuniorpartners,studentsinGrades1 through4,areeachpairedwithaseniorpartner,astudentfromGrade5through 8 Thesespecialpairingshelpemphasizeourfamilyculture,bringingeveryone togethertobuildrelationshipsthatlastalifetime.
ProgressReports:MIDDLESCHOOL:Midwaythrougheachtrimester,MIDDLE SCHOOLparentswillreceiveaprogressreportfortheirchildgivingasnapshotof theirachievementatthatpointintime
ProgressReports:Montessori:Montessoriparentswillreceiveanannualprogress reportjustbeforethespringParentTeacherConferences Thisreportindicates howthechildisdevelopinginavarietyofpre-determinedskillsets.
RedTeam:TheMontessoridivisionuseschild-friendlytermstodistinguish amongthevariousagegroupswithinthemulti-ageclassrooms.TheRedTeam studentsarethefirstlevelMontessoristudents,typically3yearolds.
RISEScholars:RISEScholarsisaselectiveprogramforGrade7and8students whoare:
Readyforahigherlevelofacademicchallenge
Intellectuallycuriousandaself-awarestudent Stronggraspoffoundationalskills Expressaninteresttodomoreandmakeanimpact(application-based)
TheRISEScholarsexperienceisfocusedonaself-directedresearchproject whichincludesawrittencomponentandaction-basedprojectwhileworking withamentorteacher ThisprocessspansoverGrade7andGrade8,andit culminateswithapresentationtotheschoolcommunity.
Santa’sWorkshop:FortwodaysinDecember,theMPRistransformedintoa winterwonderlandforstudentsinGrades1-4foralltheirChristmasshopping needs Studentsareabletobuyaffordablegiftsfortheirspecialpeople(and pets) Grades5-8areabletojoinattheendofthedayforashoppingbonus whensupplyallows!
Snow(intheforecast!):Whenthereissnowonthegroundorweexpectsome lightsnow,sendyourkidsinwithsnowboots,hats,andglovessotheycanenjoy thesnowduringrecess!Noboots,nosnowplaying.PleasenotethatTheWoods AcademyfollowsMCPSasitrelatestosnowdaysunlessotherwisenotedbythe school
SocialMedia:WeencouragefamiliestofollowusonFacebookandInstagram (@TheWoodsAcademy)andshareourcontentwithyournetworks!
StudyHall:StudyHallisanafterschoolprogramopentostudentsinGrades1-8. StudyHallgoesuntil6pmandstudentsgettoplayoutside,bewithfriends,and getsomehomeworkdoneaswell
UTTagDay:TagdaysareTheWoods’nouniformdays Tagdaysarelistedonthe schoolcalendarandthereareremindersintheE-folderespeciallywhenthe dayshaveaspecialtheme.
TeacherAppreciation:WAPTOtypicallyorganizessomethingspecialeach monthtoshowappreciationforourfacultyandstaff Thismayincludecoffeein themorningwithabarista,aflowerarrangement,delicioustreats,etc WAPTO willshareinformationabouttheseeventsforparentstohelpastheycan TeamLeader:FacultyatTheWoodsareorganizedintothefollowingteams: Grades1-2,3-4,5-6,7-8,Arts,WorldLanguage,andAthletics.TeamLeadersare facultymembers,selectedbytheAssistantHead,whoareresponsiblefor facilitatingparentandteachermeetingsaswellassupportingthe administrationwithandcommunicatingaboutscheduling,discipline,andother programmaticissuesrelatedtostudents
ThanksgivingPies:Eachyear,WAPTOgivesthankstoourteachersaround Thanksgivingwithourannualpiegift.Eachfacultyandstaffmemberwillreceive adeliciouspiefromWAPTOtoenjoywithfamilyandfriendsoverThanksgiving break
ThisWeekinSports:ThisWeekinSportsisourweeklyathleticemailthatis distributedtoparentsofMIDDLESCHOOLstudents Theemailcontainsreminders aboutgames,practices,tryouts,andmore.ItissentonSundaysat10amand includesinformationfortheupcomingweek.
Trimester:TheWoodsAcademy’sschoolyearisdividedintothreeapproximately 11weekperiods LS&MSstudentsreceiveareportcardattheendofeach trimester Allafterschoolactivitiesincludingbeforeandaftercareandstudyhall requireregistrationeachtrimester
Uniform:Ouruniformisworneverydaybystudentsunlessnotedotherwise You canfindthefulldetailsofouruniforminourUniformGuide Onlystudentsin Grades1-8weartheuniform.Montessoristudentsdonothaveauniform.
MIDDLESCHOOL:TheMIDDLESCHOOLatTheWoodsincludesGrades5-8.
WWAPTO:TheWoodsAcademyParentTeacherOrganizationisreferredtoas WAPTO.AllparentsaremembersofWAPTO. ReadmoreaboutWAPTOandtheir eventshere
What’sNewwithWAPTO!:AmonthlynewsletterfromWAPTOaboutupcoming eventsandthingstokeepinmind
WindowonTheWoods:WindowonTheWoodsreferstoourmonthlyemailthat issenttoourcommunitywitharticlesofcampushappeningsandothernews. Youcanalsofindthesestoriesandmoreonourwebsite.
WoodsThisWeek:WoodsThisWeekisourSundayweeklyemailthatreminds parents,faculty,andstaffoftheupcomingcalendarevents Thisemailissenton Sundaysat10am
WoodsNet:WoodsNetisouronlineparentportal.Allparentsaregivenaccessto thisportalandareencouragedtovisititoften.WoodsNethastheschool calendar,parentdirectory,andhelpfullinks.Herearetheinstructionsonhowto accessWoodsNet RemembertoalwayscheckWoodsNetforanyinformation youneed Weliketosay“Whenindoubt,checkWoodsNet!”