A-Z Parent Guide to The Woods Academy

A Z GUIDE

We hope this guide helps our parents understand all the terminology we use at The Woods Academy!

A

After Care: Montessori After Care provides our Montessori families an after school option that is an extension of the Montessori classroom. After Care is offered from 2:45 - 6:00 pm daily. Study Hall is offered for students in Grades 1-8.

Annual Fund: The Woods Annual Fund provides immediate, flexible resources to help fund the school’s highest priorities - academics, immersion learning experiences, arts/technology/athletics, professional development, and faculty and staff salary and benefits. The Woods Annual Fund gives us the ability to handle the unexpected, and meet operational needs as they arise. As with all independent schools, tuition does not cover the entire cost of a Woods education. Click here to find out more about the Annual Fund.

Auction: Each year, The Woods hosts an auction to bring together the parent community in a fun and celebratory setting. There is a fundraising arm of the auction to help raise money for certain areas needed for the school.

B

Book Fair: The Scholastic Book Fair is a big hit for the students at our school. The book fair is chaired by a parent volunteer and is set up in the MPR for a few days in the winter season. Teachers send home information around the book fair, available books, and how the fair will operate that year. Parents typically send in money with their students and they are able to shop for books with the help of their teacher and parent volunteers. Parents are encouraged to volunteer throughout the week to help!

C

Carpool: Carpool is a well-oiled machine at The Woods. Morning carpool is from 7:55am - 8:15am (8:30am for Montessori students) and afternoon carpool is staggered with 2:45pm for Montessori, 3pm for LOWER SCHOOL, and 3:15pm for MIDDLE SCHOOL. Younger students with older siblings will leave at the older sibling’s time. Note that half day Montessori 3-year-olds have afternoon carpool at 11:30am.

Morning carpool for Montessori and LOWER SCHOOL students happens at the front of school. MIDDLE SCHOOL morning carpool is in the back of the school.

For afternoon carpool, all students are picked up in the front. Cars line up starting in the back of the school and are directed by the facilities team at TWA. Christmas Fund: The Christmas Fund has become a tradition that was started in an effort to relieve the stress of the gift season. WAPTO collects funds from families (this is 100% voluntary on the parents behalf) and then evenly distributes them among all faculty and staff. This gives not only our dedicated homeroom teachers a gift, but also the specials teachers, administrative staff, facilities team, and extended care staff who take such great care of our children. A check is presented to each staff member as a gift from Woods families, collectively.

D E

Divisions: Our school is divided into three divisions - Montessori (Mont.) for age 3 - Kindergarten, LOWER SCHOOL (LS) for Grades 1-4, and MIDDLE SCHOOL (MS) for Grades 5-8.

Division Director: Each division has a lead person who helps coordinate the day to day operations at each level. The division director is always extremely responsive and helpful, and is a great contact if you have any questions about curriculum, schedules, field trips, activities, or the like.

Dress Uniform: The Woods has a dress uniform which includes a navy blazer with a school patch. This more formal uniform is worn by MIDDLE SCHOOL students every Monday for Chapel; and by Lower and MIDDLE SCHOOL students when we have Mass and on other special occasions like the Annual Christmas Concert, Grandparents Day, and School Picture Day. Find out more about the dress uniform in our Uniform Guide.

E-Folder: Our weekly newsletter is called the E-Folder. It’s sent to parents, faculty, and staff every Wednesday at 3pm. The newsletter includes upcoming events and important information for the following week. Everyone is encouraged to read the E-Folder every week.

Eighth Grade Leadership Team: Our Grade 8 Leadership Team is a group of students in Grade 8 who serve as role models and leaders of the student body.

They help to organize fundraisers, clean up the school campus, and coordinate other student-focused initiatives throughout the year.

End of School Year Fund: Similar to the Christmas Fund, WAPTO organizes an end of school year fund for faculty and staff. WAPTO collects funds from families (this is 100% voluntary on the parents behalf) and then evenly distributes them among all faculty and staff at the end of the school year.

Extended Care: Montessori students who need to stay at The Woods longer than the typical school day (normally, M3 ends at 11:30am and M4/K ends at 2:45pm) can sign up for extended care. Extended care happens in a separate classroom from the Montessori classrooms and is staffed by trained and loving teachers!

F

Founders Day: Founders Day is a celebration each year in January when the community comes together for Mass to celebrate the founding of our school. Did you know The Woods Academy was founded in 1975? A group of dedicated parents worked to re-establish the closing Ursuline Academy as Our Lady of the Woods Academy and subsequently The Woods Academy.

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Holidays: See Christmas Fund, Thanksgiving Pies, and Santa Workshop among many other fun activities.

Hot (Catered) Lunch: We offer hot lunch from a third party vendor for students in Grades 1-8. The menu and order form are sent to parents every Sunday so that they can order their child’s lunch for the week. Be sure to check the E-folder for the information!

L M

N O P

Lower School: The LOWER SCHOOL at The Woods includes Grades 1-4. These students are often referred to as “Graders.”

Lunchers: Montessori students in Kindergarten are sometimes referred to as the “Lunchers.” This term dates back many, many years to when our Kindergarten students were the only Montessori students who stayed at school for lunch.

Mass: We celebrate Mass as a community throughout the year! Students attend and must be in dress uniform. Parents are welcome to attend.

Montessori: We call our early childhood division Montessori. This division for ages 3-6 (including Kindergarten) is comprised of three multi-age classrooms that follow the Montessori philosophy. Montessori is a child-focused approach to education that Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, developed for educating children around the globe. Learn more about Montessori in our “What is Montessori” e-book.

Montessori Graduation: All Montessori students (ages 3-6) and their families are invited to attend the annual Montessori Graduation and Program. This event gives our youngest students the opportunity to perform songs and poems for their families. During the program, the Montessori Lunchers/Kindergarten students also receive their Montessori diploma.

MLK Day of Service: The Woods puts together a service initiative on MLK Day for those who are interested. It’s a great way to build community and give back to those most in need.

MPR: The MPR is the multipurpose room at The Woods. This large, dynamic space near the front entrance of the school building is used for eating lunch, morning parent coffees, chapel time, and more.

Namecard: Every family receives a namecard for their car at the start of the school year. This needs to be displayed on your car’s dashboard for morning and afternoon carpool.

Owlcove: The Owlcove is our school store, which sells the gym uniform, sweatshirts, and other items. We do not sell the daily uniform, however. That can be purchased at Flynn & O’Hara or Lands End. Parent Ambassador: A Parent Ambassador (formerly known as the Room Parent) will enhance our involvement with new parents and The Woods community through outreach designed to support Woods and WAPTO social activities, events, and service projects throughout the year. Our goal is to create a position where parent ambassadors can welcome new parents and share their knowledge and know-how of The Woods, while bolstering greater participation from all Woods families.

Parent OWLvocate: Also known as Parent Advocate, this group of parents actively share their experiences, the hallmarks of a Woods education, and insights about life at The Woods Academy.

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R

PE Uniform: Our PE uniform is a green shirt with our school logo and black shorts with our logo along with sneakers. Find out more info on the PE uniform here. It’s worn on PE days for students. MIDDLE SCHOOL students will change into their PE uniforms at school (they must pack the uniform and their sneakers) while LOWER SCHOOL students can wear their PE uniform to school on their PE day.

Prayer Partners: Prayer partners are one of the ways that we fulfill our mission of being an inclusive Catholic community. The junior partners, students in Grades 1 through 4, are each paired with a senior partner, a student from Grade 5 through 8. These special pairings help emphasize our family culture, bringing everyone together to build relationships that last a lifetime.

Progress Reports: MIDDLE SCHOOL: Midway through each trimester, MIDDLE SCHOOL parents will receive a progress report for their child giving a snapshot of their achievement at that point in time.

Progress Reports: Montessori: Montessori parents will receive an annual progress report just before the spring Parent Teacher Conferences. This report indicates how the child is developing in a variety of pre-determined skill sets.

Red Team: The Montessori division uses child-friendly terms to distinguish among the various age groups within the multi-age classrooms. The Red Team students are the first level Montessori students, typically 3 year olds.

RISE Scholars: RISE Scholars is a selective program for Grade 7 and 8 students who are: Ready for a higher level of academic challenge Intellectually curious and a self-aware student Strong grasp of foundational skills Express an interest to do more and make an impact (application-based) The RISE Scholars experience is focused on a self-directed research project which includes a written component and action-based project while working with a mentor teacher. This process spans over Grade 7 and Grade 8, and it culminates with a presentation to the school community.

S

Santa’s Workshop: For two days in December, the MPR is transformed into a winter wonderland for students in Grades 1-4 for all their Christmas shopping needs. Students are able to buy affordable gifts for their special people (and pets). Grades 5-8 are able to join at the end of the day for a shopping bonus when supply allows!

Snow (in the forecast!): When there is snow on the ground or we expect some light snow, send your kids in with snow boots, hats, and gloves so they can enjoy the snow during recess! No boots, no snow playing. Please note that The Woods Academy follows MCPS as it relates to snow days unless otherwise noted by the school.

Social Media: We encourage families to follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@TheWoodsAcademy) and share our content with your networks!

Study Hall: Study Hall is an after school program open to students in Grades 1-8.

Study Hall goes until 6pm and students get to play outside, be with friends, and get some homework done as well.

T

U W

Tag Day: Tag days are The Woods’ no uniform days. Tag days are listed on the school calendar and there are reminders in the E-folder especially when the days have a special theme.

Teacher Appreciation: WAPTO typically organizes something special each month to show appreciation for our faculty and staff. This may include coffee in the morning with a barista, a flower arrangement, delicious treats, etc. WAPTO will share information about these events for parents to help as they can.

Team Leader: Faculty at The Woods are organized into the following teams: Grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, Arts, World Language, and Athletics. Team Leaders are faculty members, selected by the Assistant Head, who are responsible for facilitating parent and teacher meetings as well as supporting the administration with and communicating about scheduling, discipline, and other programmatic issues related to students.

Thanksgiving Pies: Each year, WAPTO gives thanks to our teachers around Thanksgiving with our annual pie gift. Each faculty and staff member will receive a delicious pie from WAPTO to enjoy with family and friends over Thanksgiving break.

This Week in Sports: This Week in Sports is our weekly athletic email that is distributed to parents of MIDDLE SCHOOL students. The email contains reminders about games, practices, tryouts, and more. It is sent on Sundays at 10am and includes information for the upcoming week.

Trimester: The Woods Academy’s school year is divided into three approximately 11 week periods. LS & MS students receive a report card at the end of each trimester. All after school activities including before and after care and study hall require registration each trimester.

Uniform: Our uniform is worn everyday by students unless noted otherwise. You can find the full details of our uniform in our Uniform Guide. Only students in Grades 1-8 wear the uniform. Montessori students do not have a uniform.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: The MIDDLE SCHOOL at The Woods includes Grades 5-8.

WAPTO: The Woods Academy Parent Teacher Organization is referred to as WAPTO. All parents are members of WAPTO. Read more about WAPTO and their events here.

What’s New with WAPTO!: A monthly newsletter from WAPTO about upcoming events and things to keep in mind.

Window on The Woods: Window on The Woods refers to our monthly email that is sent to our community with articles of campus happenings and other news.

You can also find these stories and more on our website.

Woods This Week: Woods This Week is our Sunday weekly email that reminds parents, faculty, and staff of the upcoming calendar events. This email is sent on Sundays at 10am.

WoodsNet: WoodsNet is our online parent portal. All parents are given access to this portal and are encouraged to visit it often. WoodsNet has the school calendar, parent directory, and helpful links. Here are the instructions on how to access WoodsNet. Remember to always check WoodsNet for any information you need. We like to say “When in doubt, check WoodsNet!”