Lower School Upcoming Events

Friday, December, 13, 2019 – Chorus Concerts, Gresham Chapel, 1:00 pm
Wednesday, December 18, 2019 – 6th Grade Field Trip to Center for Civil and Human Rights
Friday, December 20, 2019 – Early Dismissal at 11:30 am after Holiday Parties (10:45-11:30)
December 23, 2019 – January 6, 2020 – Holiday Break, Academy Closed

2020-21 Tuition

The following tuition rates will be in effect for the 2020-2021 academic year. Click here for President Gulley's tuition letter from November 23, 2019. The re-enrollment deposit of $3,500 will be applied toward the tuition fee:

Grade	2020-2021 tuition paid in full by June 15, 2020	2020-2021 tuition paid with eight-month payment plan in monthly installments from June 2020-January 2021*
Pre-Kindergarten	$19,050	$2,004
Kindergarten	$23,000	$2,498
Grades 1-6	$25,650	$2,829
Grades 7-12	$29,950	$3,366
Transition Program Fee	$11,100	$1,388

*Families may choose to pay the full tuition by June 15 or select the eight-month payment plan, which begins in June 2020 and ends in January 2021, and requires that payments are made by automatic draft. Full tuition, less the $3,500 re-enrollment deposit, is divided over eight months. The monthly installment amount includes $60 per month for the Tuition Refund Plan, which is required when participating in the payment plan. 

Coat Drive

The Lower School is in the process of collecting gently worn and brand new coats which will be donated to the Jesse Draper Boys and Girls Club.  The Academy has a close working relationship with the Boys and Girls Club which is located on Walker Avenue behind the Lower School building.  This coat drive will continue until Monday, December 16th. All sizes needed from youth small (6-8) up to adult large and x-large for teens.  All donations are greatly appreciated.

Holiday Parties and Early Dismissal – Friday, December 20th

Lower School Holiday Parties will take place from 10:45 until 11:30.  

Also, please note the Academy has an early dismissal on this last day before the holiday break, Friday, December 20th.  Students are dismissed at 11:30 to carpool and bus transportation.  Buses will depart from the Lower School at 11:45.

If you are coming in a car that morning, please do not park in the Lower School bus lane, along any yellow or red curb, or along the lane between the teacher parking lot and the softball field.  Buses have to be able to make the turn at Walker into the Lower School and travel down to the bus lane.  Thank you.

Dress Uniform Plans

Lower School students are required to wear the dress uniform every Friday in January and February.  The first Friday to wear the dress uniform will be January 10th, and the last day will be February 28th.  Students may also be asked to wear their dress uniforms for special activities.  Blazers should be clean with the patch firmly attached to the front left pocket and all buttons sewn on the front.  Please refer to the Student Regulations Handbook.  Note that khaki shorts are not a part of the dress uniform.

Counselor’s Corner

Our Character Education Curriculum theme, “Solid as a R.O.C.K” continues and we are now focusing on the word Optimistic.  Our lessons in the classroom focus on ways and ideas about how our LS students can exhibit optimism. More specifically, our lessons will focus on encouraging oneself and others, celebrating each other’s success, practicing positive self-talk, and understanding how our mistakes can create learning opportunities.  

Ms. Strawn’s lesson, while working with our 4th grade students, was a holiday-themed Breakout EDU activity! Their challenge was to retrieve the keys to Santa's sleigh back from the sneaky elves! Breakout activities are a great way to encourage collaboration, team building, positive self-talk, curiosity, and risk-taking. Through this lesson, the students were also able to further develop their skills of critical thinking, participation, creativity, and communication. 

Ms. Strawn is also working with our 5th graders in the classroom on figuring out friendships. In this lesson, students learned how to recognize healthy and unhealthy characteristics in relationships and developed a better understanding of what they feel is important to them in exploring relationships. We also discussed how their friends and peers can influence their relationships, as well as identify the trusted adults in their lives that they feel comfortable talking about relationships with. 

Mrs. Lauchlan’s 6th grade lesson focuses on identifying gender stereotypes and roles.   This lesson brings about great conversations and promotes students to recognize their own stereotypes that may exist surrounding gender.  By gaining awareness in gender stereotypes, students tend to challenge these “gender boxes” and take pride in recognizing their own individuality.  While encouraging students to feel more confidence in themselves, this lesson helps to create a safe environment for those around them to embrace their own individuality as well.  

Please contact us, at taylor.strawn@woodward.edu  and/or carrie.lauchlan@woodward.edu, if we can be of support in any additional ways or if you have any questions or concerns. We want all Lower School students to R.O.C.K!

Upcoming events and dates:

WALS Flock Together One Day Workshop
Based on the work of Dr. Jane Nelsen & Lynn Lott, this one-day workshop provides parents with valuable information and practical strategies to build mutually respectful relationships with your child. You will learn how to re-frame challenges into "opportunities to learn," address feelings compassionately, set limits and understand behavior in order to respond more effectively to the needs of your child. The workshop will be facilitated by Carrie Lauchlan and Kelli Watling, Certified Positive Discipline Parenting Workshop Facilitators and the Woodward Academy Lower and Primary School Counselors, respectively.
 
In this relaxing, fun environment, parents participate in activities designed to deepen an understanding of their children and what techniques may work for their children.
 
It is also suggested to purchase a copy of the book Positive Discipline: The Classic Guide to Helping Children Develop Self-Discipline, Responsibility, Cooperation, and Problem-Solving Skills by Jane Nelson (ISBN: 0345487672).  Although not necessary, it may be beneficial to begin reading (or listening to) the book prior to Flock Together. 
 
Date: January 22, 2019
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Lunch: We will break for lunch from 11:00 AM -12:00 PM. You are welcome to have lunch with your child on this day. 
Location: Woodward Academy Lower School - Room 308

Contact: Carrie Lauchlan at carrie.lauchlan@woodward.edu or (404) 765-4426 if you have any questions. 

More information about Positive Discipline can be found at: https://www.positivediscipline.com

A sign-up form will be sent out at a later date. 

Holiday Concerts

The Lower School concerts are coming soon, so mark your calendar.  Please note that the concerts ARE NOT held in the Lower School building.  Please refer to the schedule below.

Thursday, December 12
1:30pm – Orchestra Concert, Richardson Hall
Friday, December 13
1:30pm – 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Chorus, Honor Chorus, and Handbells Concert in Gresham Chapel

NOTE: please refer to your parent letter from the music teacher regarding the uniform for the concerts.

Holiday Attire Information

During the week of December 16-20, students will be allowed to wear holiday socks and modest holiday jewelry.

On Friday, December 20th, students may come out of uniform only if they wear their spirit shirt.

Lower School to Participate in Kid's Heart Challenge

On Friday, January 17, 2020, our students will have an opportunity to participate in the American Heart Association's Kids Heart Challenge, formerly known as Jump Rope for Heart!  Forms and envelopes were handed out this week and the website to register is www.heart.org/kidsheartchallenge. There is also an app you can download for further info and fun activities!  It will be a great time for a great cause!  All proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association and this is a voluntary event!  Thank you ahead of time for your support!

We look forward to a great participation as we raise funds for the American Heart Association! Every student who collects or donates at least $20 will be allowed to come out of uniform on that Friday of the event. All donations must be turned in with the donation envelope or if donation is done on-line, print the confirmation and turn this in to Coach Duke.

KID’S HEART CHALLENGE – JANUARY 17, 2020

Students have received their envelopes for our annual Kid’s Heart Challenge (formally Jump Rope for Heart) event from Coach Duke.  We are having our annual JRFH event Friday, January 17, 2020 to benefit the American Heart Association!  All students who raise at least $5.00 AND bring in their signed permission form will be allowed to participate in the event on that Friday.  Those students who only raise $5.00 will not be eligible to be out of uniform.  All students who have not raised or donated at least $20 and plan to participate, will be allowed to change from their uniform to their gym clothes for the jump time.  4th graders will jump during 5th period, 6th graders will jump during 6th period, and 5th graders will jump during 7th period.  We will have so much fun for a good cause and students will also have an opportunity to win some really cool prizes!  Please remind your children that all checks for donations are to be made out to the American Heart Association (AHA).  Donations can also be made online and there is a matching program for companies that wish to match what their child raised.  Thank you for all your support and a big thank you to all the children who are already looking forward to jumping! Contact Coach Jeanine Duke (404-765-3603 or jeanine.duke@woodward.edu) for more information.

You can make a donation on line by clicking here.

Information About Ordering Yearbook

Don't forget! Yearbooks are on sale for $90 at woodwardyearbook.com. 100% of the proceeds from yearbook sales go to support Woodward's student publications program which includes the Phoenix yearbook, The Blade news, and Silent Voices, our literary arts magazine. Your generous support of our program helps us run a nationally recognized, award winning program.

Attention 5th and 6th Graders: MANNERS THAT MATTER

It is never too early to fine tune those table manners and social graces.  As today's young people grow into tomorrow's adults, they will need every available tool to help them achieve a successful future.  As parents, you can support this process by giving your children a head start and enrolling them in "Manners that Matter," an etiquette and social skills class.

This program is available to us through The Cotillion Group. It is a six-week course for fifth and sixth graders that focuses on teaching and strengthening important skills children need to face new situations with confidence. Some of the class highlights include:

* First Impressions
* Introductions and Toasting
* Table Manners and Silverware Savvy
* RSVP and Thank You Notes
* Cellular Phone Etiquette
* Social Skills
* Public Speaking

Classes will begin on Wednesday, January 15th immediately after school in the library, continuing every Wednesday for 6 weeks. The program will culminate on February 19th with a Student-Parent Reception, held in the gym, where students will be able to showcase all their newly honed skills. Brochures with registration information will be coming home soon in backpacks. If you did not receive a brochure or you have questions, please contact us at valerie.cotillion@yahoo.com or 770-781-5580 or click the link below.

Manners that Matter Brochure

Eagle Exchange Podcast

Welcome to the Eagle Exchange Podcast! Twice a month, Upper School Students will be giving you insight into the lunch table conversations from a variety of Lower School Students! Topics vary from light-hearted to intriguing current events. Take a listen and subscribe to join the Eagle Flock! New episodes will be released on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Make sure to follow our Social Media Pages @waeaglexchange for Instagram and Twitter and check us out on SoundCloud to hear your child's interesting stories! The most recent episode focuses on the Lower Schoolers opinion about the recent Upper School Panel that came down to talk to the students about different religions. Enjoy the episode and look forward to more fun podcasts with the Lower Schoolers.

Podcast Link

Now Accepting Sibling Applications

We are now accepting applications for the 2020-2021 school year! We want to make sure siblings of current Woodward students have primary consideration for openings, so we encourage parents to visit the Admissions Getting Started page to apply today. If you have family, friends, or neighbors interested in applying their children, you can send a letter of recommendation to admissions@woodward.edu to improve their chances for acceptance. Thank you for entrusting Woodward with the education of your child, and we look forward to helping your family and friends share the Woodward experience!

Interfaith Initiatives

Greetings Woodward Academy Community,

October was a busy month for our Chaplain’s Council interfaith student leaders. We spent the month sharing about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Diwali throughout our campus, as we hosted assemblies and made announcements.

In November, we will continue to share about the beautiful traditions on our campus. In addition to honoring our veterans and giving thanks with our families this month, students will also share about special celebrations in their religions throughout campus. This month, our Muslim student leaders will lead us in a deeper appreciation of the Prophet Muhammad on Mawlid. We will also continue preparations for our upcoming interfaith immersion trip and join together in an interfaith prayer service focused on giving thanks. 

This month, our students will participate in the following religious observances:

• November 1 (Christianity) - All Saints Day is the day to honor saints throughout the ages.
• November 9 (Islam) - Mawlid al-Nabi is the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims mark this occasion with fasting, parades, special worship, or dedicating more time to read the Qur’an.
• November 12 (Sikhism) - The birth date of Guru Nanak Dev Ji celebrates the founder of the Sikh faith and the first Ten Gurus, born in 1469.
• November 24 (Sikhism) - This date commemorates the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, the ninth of the Ten Sikh Gurus. He is remembered not only for his defence of the Sikh Faith, but also for willingly giving up his life for religious liberty for all faiths.

Please feel free to visit our Interfaith Initiatives page to see the times of all interfaith prayer opportunities or to share a prayer request.

Blessings,

Chaplain K
Rev. Katie O. Kilpatrick
Academy Chaplain
Woodward Academy
404-391-7589

Parent Community

Our Parent Community hosts many wonderful events during the year, and we encourage you to take this opportunity to share your time and talents to whatever extent you are interested. Whether chairing an event, volunteering a few hours, or helping us spread the word about exciting activities we have planned - there is a job for everyone. Being part of the Parent Community is a great way to get to know other parents, your child’s classmates and teachers, as well. For more information, please click here to visit our Lower School Parent Community page.

Lower School Intramurals

The Lower School sponsors an intramural sports program for boys and girls.  Intramural programs generally run Monday – Thursday with a few exceptions.  Students must have a signed permission form turned in by the first day of the activity.  Permission forms are sport-specific and are available two weeks prior to the first day of the event. Links for the specific sport will be shown below this message and will appear when the Lower Letter has been published on Friday two weeks prior to the first day of the event.  The events begin at 3:45 and end of 5:15pm.

We have record numbers of students participating in intramurals and the coaches need time to prepare accordingly.  Therefore, a student MUST have a signed permission slip by the Monday that the intramural activity begins or they will NOT be allowed to participate.  Thank you for your cooperation as this will keep our program safe and successful!  There will be a separate form for each sport they plan to participate in during the year.  Again, the student must have the signed permission slip turned in prior to the start of the activity.

2019 -2020 Intramural Schedule

Wrestling Permission Form