Every two years the stars align for Space Night. It’s a unique opportunity to celebrate our Planetarium and to educate our community about space, STEAM, and science in a super fun and interactive way.

A plethora of activities include: excavating for gems, dancing in a space disco, designing lunar rovers, listening to a lecture from a NASA scientist, building with Brickz4Kidz, touring our Planetarium, and much more.

Doors will open at 6:00pm, but food trucks will start at 5:30pm so you can have dinner without missing a minute of fun. The first 100 students will receive a free space backpack. Attend Space Night and you are sure to have a blast! 

Wood Acres PTA proudly supports Martha’s Table and the hundreds of our D.C. neighbors it serves daily who are experiencing hunger or homelessness by increasing access to healthy food.  This is an easy and impactful way for kids to directly help their community on a regular basis.

SHARE: A short video you can watch with your children to learn about Martha’s Table.

WHAT: 

• Nut-free trail mix (for example, chex mix, granola, dried fruit, goldfish, low-sugar cereal)

• Meat and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread (no condiments)

• Sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches (no peanut butter)

• Dry/canned goods (for example, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta, pasta sauce, cans or pouches of chicken/tuna, low-sugar cereal, black beans, white or brown rice

·     Reminders: Please have your items in a grocery bag.  

WHEN & WHERE: Drop off bins will be placed by the Kiss-n-Go loop entrances from 8:00-9:15 a.m. Alternatively, you can drop off your donations Thursday evening before drop off dates at the Committee Chair’s residence (see PTA newsletter for address).

Thank you, Wood Acres!

Wood Acres PTA proudly supports Martha’s Table and the hundreds of our D.C. neighbors it serves daily who are experiencing hunger or homelessness by increasing access to healthy food.  This is an easy and impactful way for kids to directly help their community on a regular basis.

SHARE: A short video you can watch with your children to learn about Martha’s Table.

WHAT: 

• Nut-free trail mix (for example, chex mix, granola, dried fruit, goldfish, low-sugar cereal)

• Meat and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread (no condiments)

• Sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches (no peanut butter)

• Dry/canned goods (for example, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta, pasta sauce, cans or pouches of chicken/tuna, low-sugar cereal, black beans, white or brown rice

·     Reminders: Please have your items in a grocery bag.  

WHEN & WHERE: Drop off bins will be placed by the Kiss-n-Go loop entrances from 8:00-9:15 a.m. Alternatively, you can drop off your donations Thursday evening before drop off dates at the Committee Chair’s residence (see PTA newsletter for address).

Planetarium Dome Training for Volunteers.

In-person event at WAES Planetarium. Connect with other volunteers and learn best practices!

If you are a new volunteer or want to sharpen up your skills, you are welcome to attend this training session.

Session will run 6pm to about 7:30pm.

Get ready for the 2026 Science Fair!

The Science Fair will be Wednesday, February 25th, from 5:30-7:00pm in the Wood Acres Cafeteria.

Register here and start brainstorming! No idea is too small - it is all about curiosity and creativity! Just help your kid come up with a hypothesis and test it! Kids can work solo or in groups.
We're looking forward to seeing all of the great projects! The links below have some fun ideas for science experiments:

https://www.eia.gov/kids/for-teachers/science-fair-experiments/

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-projects
https://www.education.com/science-fair

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/activities/science-fair-project/

Students can work solo or in groups!

Follow the scientific method—>all you have to do is ask a question, make a prediction, and test it.

Important Guidelines:

Do not bring anything flammable or liquid into the gym. Also, no food, allergens, or anything potentially messy. However, you are more than welcome to include these aspects in your experiment! Just do so *at home* and document in your poster with images and words (or even video!).

The Wood Acres PTA is excited to host another fun-filled Family Movie Night. Get comfy and come in your PJs!

Reservations are no longer accepted as this event is now SOLD OUT.

Date: Friday, February 20th
Check-in: 5:30–6pm (pick your comfy spot and grab dinner!)
Movie starts: 6:30pm
Movie: How to Train Your Dragon (PG)
Location: WAES Cafeteria

Food & drinks:

• FREE popcorn and water for all attendees

• Two food trucks will be available: El Jefe Pizza and Hangry Panda

Important: This is NOT a drop-off event and due to allergies, this is a nut-free event.

Teen volunteers needed!
We are happy to support (and in need of) teen volunteers seeking Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. Please contact the WAES Family Movie Night Committee Chairs, Khara Mayson or Rikki Zaritsky, to schedule.

We look forward to another great night with our Wood Acres community!

Grab your skates and get ready for Wood Acres Skate Night!

When: Saturday, February 14th, from 6:30pm-8pm
Where: Cabin John Ice Rink

The online store is live and you need to purchase your tickets in advance – they’re now available HERE

Cost:
Tickets: $10
Skate rentals (if needed): $5

Pro tip: This event usually sells out, so buy your tickets now!

Siblings and parents can skate (with tickets) and spectators are welcome to watch (no ticket needed). 

If your family could use assistance covering the cost of a ticket, please contact our counselor, Andrea Solazzo, at andrea_c_solazzo@mcpsmd.org or 240-740-1120.

Questions? Email Cristy Heffernan Seth or Jennifer Lim, PTA Skate Night Committee Co-Chairs

Raid the pantry and make a donation to Martha's Table tomorrow Friday, February 6th and receive a new jibbitz for your Crocs! Learn more about Martha's Table and find out what non-perishable items can be donated in the flyers below or click here.

Where: Drop off bins will be placed by the Bus Loop, Kiss-n-Go loop & Bar-T entrances 

When: Friday during morning drop off from 8:30am - 9:00am. 

Alternatively, you can drop off your donations tonight (February 5th) at 5809 Rockmere Dr., Bethesda, MD 20816.

Questions? Email Sarah Terbrueggen or Jessica Mullins, Martha's Table Co-chairs.

Planetarium Dome Training for Volunteers.

In-person event at WAES Planetarium. Connect with other volunteers and learn best practices!

If you are a new volunteer or want to sharpen up your skills, you are welcome to attend this training session.

Session will run 6pm to about 7:30pm.

Join us for our General PTA Membership meeting on February 3rd from 6-7pm in the Wood Acres media center.  

We will have a presentation about smartphone use and the benefits and importance of delaying smartphones and social media for kids and younger teens. Katie Carney, a local Bethesda mom, started Smart About Smartphones and is well versed on the topic. She has successfully implemented a neighborhood pledge, runs a website, hosts events and distributes materials with the aim of encouraging in-real-life experiences rather than social media smartphone use. We are lucky she has agreed to speak to Wood Acres parents about this topic!

We will also be discussing open board positions for next year. We can't serve our school and function as a PTA without the amazing volunteers that serve on our PTA Board. We will have a Q&A about open board roles for the upcoming school year.

Bar T has offered to watch your children so you can attend the meeting. Sign up HERE to reserve space for your child and opt-in for pizza!

Wood Acres PTA proudly supports Martha’s Table and the hundreds of our D.C. neighbors it serves daily who are experiencing hunger or homelessness by increasing access to healthy food.  This is an easy and impactful way for kids to directly help their community on a regular basis.

SHARE: A short video you can watch with your children to learn about Martha’s Table.

WHAT: 

• Nut-free trail mix (for example, chex mix, granola, dried fruit, goldfish, low-sugar cereal)

• Meat and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread (no condiments)

• Sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches (no peanut butter)

• Dry/canned goods (for example, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta, pasta sauce, cans or pouches of chicken/tuna, low-sugar cereal, black beans, white or brown rice

·     Reminders: Please have your items in a grocery bag.  

WHEN & WHERE: Drop off bins will be placed by the Kiss-n-Go loop entrances from 8:00-9:15 a.m. Alternatively, you can drop off your donations Thursday evening before drop off dates at the Committee Chair’s residence (see PTA newsletter for address).

We’ll be collecting cookies for our teacher and staff cookie exchange. 

Cookie Sign Up: Please sign up for a general slot (any cookie goes!) or a nut-free/gluten-free slot that is allergy friendly. Then, send in or drop off your cookies during morning arrival on Friday, December 19th. We’ll be collecting at the bus loop and front entrance. Don't forget to label the main ingredients of all treats. Please sign up HERE

Container Pick Up: We also have an assortment of last year's cookie bins/containers that can be used again for this year's collection. Please swing by the school's front entrance Wednesday, December 17th, 8:30-9am and pick one up! 

Thank you for helping us carry on this fun holiday tradition! 

Adrienne Olson, Anne Cynamon, Alice Cho, Margueritte Harlow, Jenny Sarma

The WAES PTA, Staff Appreciation Committee

Our PTA General Membership will vote on the Wood Acres PTA Bylaws (link to meeting was shared on Dec 10th PTA newsletter). Every three years, the Wood Acres PTA must adapt our bylaws to meet the current template provided by FreeState (state level PTA organization). We incorporated all previously approved amendments into the current document.

The entire document can be found through the link below:

Wood Acres ES PTA By-laws

Last day EXTENDED to Dec 14th! We are excited to kick off another year of the Holiday Gift Drive to support our sister schools, New Hampshire Estates ES, Oak View ES, and Eastern MS! Please help us fulfill the holiday wishes of a child from these communities in need by signing up HERE to contribute a gift. 

Most of the requests this year are gift cards for specific stores (e.g., Amazon, Costco, Target, etc.), which gives families the flexibility to purchase according to their own needs. To allow us enough time to organize and deliver all gifts before the holiday break, this year’s gift delivery deadline has been extended to Sunday, December 14th.

Questions? Please first visit our FAQ page .

For additional assistance you may email one of our Committee Chairs: Tricia Cuna Weaver, Maria Burton, and/or Elizabeth Kelley.

Many warm thanks for your support this holiday season!

Wood Acres PTA proudly supports Martha’s Table and the hundreds of our D.C. neighbors it serves daily who are experiencing hunger or homelessness by increasing access to healthy food.  This is an easy and impactful way for kids to directly help their community on a regular basis.

SHARE: A short video you can watch with your children to learn about Martha’s Table.

WHAT: 

• Nut-free trail mix (for example, chex mix, granola, dried fruit, goldfish, low-sugar cereal)

• Meat and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread (no condiments)

• Sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches (no peanut butter)

• Dry/canned goods (for example, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta, pasta sauce, cans or pouches of chicken/tuna, low-sugar cereal, black beans, white or brown rice

·     Reminders: Please have your items in a grocery bag.  

WHEN & WHERE: Drop off bins will be placed by the Kiss-n-Go loop entrances from 8:00-9:15 a.m. Alternatively, you can drop off your donations Thursday evening before drop off dates at the Committee Chair’s residence (see PTA newsletter for address).

…Running NOW until Wednesday December 10th!

We are excited to kick off another year of the Holiday Gift Drive to support our sister schools, New Hampshire Estates ES, Oak View ES, and Eastern MS! Please help us fulfill the holiday wishes of a child from these communities in need by signing up HERE to contribute a gift. 

Most of the requests this year are gift cards for specific stores (e.g., Amazon, Costco, Target, etc.), which gives families the flexibility to purchase according to their own needs. To allow us enough time to organize and deliver all gifts before the holiday break, this year’s gift delivery deadline is Wednesday, December 10th.

Questions? Please first visit our FAQ page .

For additional assistance you may email one of our Committee Chairs: Tricia Cuna Weaver, Maria Burton, and/or Elizabeth Kelley.

Many warm thanks for your support this holiday season!