First Friday Kick-Off Event: Friday, Oct. 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Our First Friday community service initiative kicks off this year with an evening event for the whole family on October 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in The Deighton Alleyne Gymnasium. First Fridays offer opportunities for our students to have authentic and reflective service experiences and give back to our community. Author and activist (and WES friend) Emmanuel Ofosu will be on hand to sign his book, Emanuel’s Dream (books available for purchase).

RSVP: https://www.pingg.com/rsvp/852477thqyhxnw7fk

Children and adults can participate in these activities:

Making Moster Stuffes for children who are ill; painting Kindness Rocks; writing postcards to the troops; making and selling bracelets ($1 each); knitting baby beanies for the NICU; sorting toiletries; making fleece blankets; preparing snack bags; and more!

Food and drink are available to purchase with proceeds benefitting organizations chosen by students. Tickets can be purchased at the event by cash, Venmo, and text to pay (via credit card). Menu includes hot dogs, veggie dogs, chips, fruit, water, popcorn, and a special Middle School bake sale. All items are $1 or $2 each.

New! Bicycle Collection at the First Friday Kick-Off Event!

WES is collecting used bikes (children or adult-sized) bikes to benefit Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah’s foundation in Ghana, West Africa, beginning on Friday, October 4. Bikes will be sent to Ghana for distribution, and Grade 2 teacher Sarah Poland will travel to Ghana as a guest of Mr. Yeboah to assist with the bike distribution.

Thank you for your participation. It is a great way for parents to model what giving back is all about.

WES Family is a Finalist in the Disney & Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year

Over the summer, WES nominated the Oeltmann family (Davis, Grade 8 and Ethan, Grade 7), to be the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year. Now they’re one of the Top 30 finalists! With your help, they can win a $10,000 grant for WES. Please like and share our post on facebook so that they can make it to the next round as one of the five finalists!

Watch GMA Oct. 7-11 to see if they make the top 5 and visit pointsoflight.org to learn how you can get Disney tickets for volunteering! We are so proud of the Oeltmanns and their efforts to give back to our community.

LEDO Pizza & Pasta Nights: Sept. 30 and Oct. 1

Don’t worry about making dinner! We’ve got you covered with delicious pizza, salads, entrees, pasta, and sandwiches! When you eat in or carry out, the WES PA receives 20% of every dollar spent at LEDO’s on these nights. Simply mention WES. For take-out orders call (301-656-5336). Also participating is Sarah’s Handmade Ice Cream & Treats, who will donate 10% of your order to the WES PA when you mention Promo Code: WES10

Both are located at the Kenwood Station Shopping Center next to Whole Foods on River Road. All proceeds benefit the WES PA and help fund awesome events all year long! Additional parking available in the WES parking lot: the gate to the Capital Crescent Trail will be unlocked so that families can walk over and avoid the busy Kenwood Station parking lot. Thank you for participating.

Virtue of the Month: Tolerance, “Celebrating Difference”

Each month the entire WES Community considers one virtue and looks for ways to reaffirm the virtue into the school’s culture and climate. Chaplain Kristen will guide a variety of discussions and reflection about these virtues in Chapels and in religion classes, and all teachers look for ways to incorporate discussions and activities about these virtues across the curriculum and school day. The virtues our school will be studying this year are Tolerance, Forgiveness, Humility, Reverence, Justice, Loyalty, Perseverance, Stewardship, and Peacefulness.

The study of tolerance calls us to respect the dignity of every human being—even those whose beliefs and practices may differ from our own. We will discuss the benefits of diversity in and around our community and reinforce the importance of mutual respect, justice, and reconciliation for all. Students will discuss how to be tolerant and how behaviors like open-mindedness, empathy, and patience serve as a foundation for being tolerant. In Chapel and in religion class, Chaplain Kristen will challenge students to go beyond just showing tolerance but to love one another—a higher and sometimes more difficult calling to be sure.

Parents and all members of the WES community can join us in this endeavor by discussing with your children:

  • A time when someone who you thought was different from you actually had a lot in common with you
  • How individual differences and experiences can make teams and communities stronger
  • An unfair stereotype you have experienced and what that experience felt like
  • Ways to stand up for someone who is being put down or teased

WES students thrive in our tolerant, caring, and loving community. Help us keep this integral part of WES alive.

WES Teacher Highlighted as an Extraordinary Educator in Bethesda Magazine

WES Grade 2 Teacher Sarah Poland has just been recognized by Bethesda Magazine in their Extraordinary Teachers profile in the September/October edition which recently hit the newsstands. Sarah’s work over the last four years in making her content relevant, connecting it to community service, and empowering her students to use what they have learned to truly make a difference has made her a standout educator in the Bethesda area. As you may recall, three years ago, Mrs. Poland’s class read the book Emmanuel’s Dream, an inspiring true story about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, the Ghanaian athlete, author, and activist. Through Ms. Poland’s efforts, the students corresponded with Emmanuel via letters and Facetime. She and Trina Curtis-Belote (who was teaching Grade 2 at the time) held a lemonade stand and raised funds for Emmanuel’s Education Foundation which works on the behalf of people with disabilities in Africa. A year later, Emmanuel came to WES and presented to students in Grades 1-5 and led a PE class for second-graders. Efforts like these are one-of-a-kind. Congratulations to Sarah! The recognition is well deserved, and we could not be more pleased to know that the Bethesda community once again will see the tremendous faculty we have.