"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~Maya Angelou
Be a Friend, Not a Bully: How Will You Show Kindness This Month?
Wilder School District 133
October is Bullying Prevention Month
Update From Our Counselors
Our middle and high schools will implement Sources of Strength, an evidence-based best practice youth suicide prevention program, this year. The program will kick off with adult and student training at the middle/high school, and then the Peer Leaders will start planning activities with fun and engaging themes for the entire student body to participate in throughout the year.
Sources of Strength is designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing the prevalence of suicide, bullying, and substance abuse. Sources of Strength moves beyond a risk focus and utilizes an upstream approach, mobilizing a group of influential Peer Leaders to spread messages of Hope, Help, and Strength throughout their school and community. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support (protective factors) around young individuals so that these youth in school can leverage their strengths when times get hard.
Sources of Strength's mission is to empower a well-world and prevent suicide by increasing help-seeking behaviors and promoting connections between peers and caring adults. The program uses a fun-filled, active learning style to encourage open discussion about the very real problems that youth face and what can help. Sources of Strength believes it takes students, educators, and staff working together to create a lasting positive impact.
-Rosalie Sanders & Maria Loera, Counselors
Wilder Mid/High School
What an exciting time for our school!
Our high school football team has secured two back-to-back victories, a remarkable achievement after two and a half years without a win! The first win came during Homecoming, making the celebration even sweeter. Coach Duty shared, "This season, we’ve gone back to the basics, treating it like we had a brand-new roster. Offensively, we’ve introduced new strategies, and defensively, the team is working together like never before. It’s all starting to come together. We focused on fundamentals, built a solid foundation, and worked our way up from there."
The hard work, dedication, and belief from our coaches and players have truly paid off, and we couldn't be prouder. The support and energy from our parents, families, and friends after both wins have been incredible. This is a victory not just for our team but for the entire Wilder community. Let’s keep up the momentum and finish the season strong! Go Wildcats!
Shoutout to the varsity girls' volleyball team, who continue to dominate with a 13-1 record! Their game on Thursday, 10/10, was a thrilling display of teamwork and persistence. With intense volleys and a neck-and-neck third set, the Wildcats pulled through and came out on top. A huge thanks to the coaches and players for your commitment and determination!
October Updates and Upcoming Events:
- Habit of Mind for October: Persistence! This theme is showing up across our athletic teams and in our classrooms, encouraging our students to keep going, even when faced with challenges.
- End of 1st Quarter: Wednesday, 10/18
- Progress Reports Sent Home: Wednesday, 10/25 – Keep an eye out for your student’s progress updates.
Red Ribbon Week starts October 28
- Fentanyl Awareness Presentation for Parents: Saturday, 10/28, 6-7 PM – Join us for an important discussion on fentanyl awareness and prevention.
- Fentanyl Awareness Assembly for Students: Sunday, 10/29, 10:30 AM – Students will attend an assembly focused on fentanyl awareness and safety.
We’re so proud of all our athletes, students, and staff for their achievements this season. Let's continue to show our school spirit and support our teams and community at these upcoming events!
-Principal Lindsey
Wilder School District in the News
KTVB and Idaho Ed News featured the ribbon cutting for our new agricultural building! We extend our deepest gratitude to the generous donors who have supported this project, including R&M Steele, JMF Construction, Foote Excavation, Salmon River Construction, Calkins Plumbing, S&S Concrete, Orchard Valley Irrigation, Green's Heating and Air Conditioning, Town and Country Electric, JDM Woodshop Inc., and Gross Farms.
Special thanks to Mike and Julie McGarvin for overseeing the project and ultimately saving the district over $200,000.
Wilder Elementary School
Wow, we have had such a great school year already, and there are more great things to come!
First, I want to thank our elementary parents for attending your parent-teacher conferences this Fall. Since I've been here, we've always had good attendance for conferences, but this year was even greater! We have over a 96% participation rate! Thank you for partnering with your teacher to support your student!
Next, I want to share a reading challenge underway during the month of October. October is my birthday month, and I want to celebrate by inviting each family to join Dr. Zamora's Reading Adventure. We aim to have our elementary students read with their families for at least 60 minutes per week. Whether it is the students reading to the parent or sibling, the parent reading to the student, or everyone reading side-by-side, all of this counts as family reading time. Your student should have a weekly log provided to them by their teacher. Just return the completed logs, and like any good birthday celebration, we'll have surprises along the way!
I also want to give you a heads-up on a STEM family night on Wednesday, October 16, from 6 pm -7:30 pm in the Elementary (or maybe Mercer). Details are being worked out, but this will be a night where families can engage in STEM activities together. More info on this will be coming soon, but save the date and time.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to reach out to me!
-Dr. Zamora
Wilder Academy of Virtual Education
Hello Wilder Academy of Virtual Education Families!
It was awesome meeting so many of you at our Pizza Party and Collaboration Day last month! Your energy was contagious, and we loved hearing your ideas on how we can make virtual school even better. We're excited about all the student activities you’re pumped for, and we’re here to make sure your virtual learning experience is as engaging and fun as possible.
Clubs, Student Council & More – Oh My!
From student clubs to our brand-new Student Council, there’s a lot going on—and it’s just getting started. We want to make sure you’re getting all the opportunities to connect, engage, and make your mark. On top of that, we’re constantly looking at cool tech solutions to improve how you interact with your classes. So whether it’s class projects or casual hangouts, we’ve got your back when it comes to making sure your virtual world is just as dynamic as the real one.
Stay tuned because we’ve got some exciting stuff coming soon that will bring you and your teachers closer—virtually, of course!
Stay in the Loop with WAVE!
If you haven’t yet, ensure you’re signed up for ParentSquare and StudentSquare! These platforms make it super easy to stay connected. Grab your phone, scan the QR code on the flyers, and get the app to keep the convo going.
Need a Place to Study?
Our Nampa Campus is open for drop-in study sessions! If you need a change of scenery, some extra help, or just a quiet place to grind, come by anytime between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM—no need to RSVP, just drop in when you’re ready.
WAVE Student Council
For those of you who’ve signed up for WAVE Student Council (shout out to all the future leaders out there), we’ll be hitting you up next week with details on our first meet-up. Can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned!
Upcoming Events – Mark Your Calendar!
We have several exciting events coming up:
The next field trip is October 25, 2024
We’re heading to Lowe Family Farmstead for a day of fall fun—hayrides, activities, and all the autumn vibes you could ask for. Don’t miss out!
There’s so much to look forward to this year; I can’t wait to experience it all with you! Need help with anything? Don’t hesitate to reach out—I’m always here for you!
-Principal Jones
Athletics
Check out the full lineup of Wilder's games on our event schedule.
WHS Football
The Wilder Varsity Football team has had a great couple of weeks. Their first win of the season came against Idaho City for homecoming. They won 36-30. Offensively, Julian Neri led the way with 176 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns. Defensively, Conner Smallwood had 16 tackles; four of them were tackles for loss, and one was a sack. On a “pushed up” senior night, your Wildcats won 52-14 against Centennial Baptist. Shaun Flemming, Jonas Puga, Richard Gonzalez, Brandon Perez, and Julian Neri all had touchdowns. Ezra Johnson and Conner Smallwood led the way defensively, both having an interception. Ezra had seven tackles, and Conner had four tackles. The Wildcats have been on a winning streak for the first time in two years. Their next game will be October 18th, when they travel to Bruneau to take on Rimrock.
-Coach Josh Duty
WMS Football
To all you Wildcat friends, family, and fans, I want to say thank you for all the support that you’ve given us throughout the season. At the beginning of the season, they started off as kids, but these kids have worked hard and have grown into the young men/women they are today. I want to highlight that the best part of the season has not been just the practices, games, traveling to the beautiful mountains of Garden Valley, or the tough battles between Notus, but it’s seeing these young men and women develop in the weight room. I couldn’t have been any more proud of them. Tune in this week as we take on the Centennial Baptist Mustangs, and don’t forget to tune in next week as our final game is against the horseshoe bend Mustangs
Go Wildcats!
-Coach Xavier Barbosa
WHS Volleyball
Volleyball is off to the best start in school history! Currently, there are ten wins and only one loss! Monday, Sept 16th, The varsity suffered its only season loss to a tough Liberty Charter team. The six players fought with courage, having no subs on the night. Since then, they have rebounded with six more wins, never dropping a set in our conference games. They have defeated Idaho City, Rimrock, and North Star at home and Centennial Baptist and Notus on the road. They added a non-conference win against TVCA. They have three conference matches left and are looking good going into district playoffs. Senior night, they will face Riverstone International on Oct 10th. The Wildcats are currently tied for 1st place in the district and 11th in the State among 2A schools (according to MaxPreps).
-Coach Glenn Smith
FFA
Wilder FFA students attended the Treasure Valley District Leadership Workshop on September 25th. They participated in workshops and activities to help develop leadership skills and create bonds with other FFA members. Students had a great time and are excited for more events!
Idaho FFA Foundation Scholarship Raffle Tickets are for sale now! Raffle tickets are $20.00 each, and $10.00 of that goes directly back to the chapter for things like student travel and dues. Students can also save theirs to be used as scholarships at graduation. Please see an FFA member to purchase.
What's For Breakfast & Lunch?
Keep up to date on what's for breakfast and lunch on our website dining page.
From Our Superintendent:
Generation Alpha is the student born between 2010-2025. Districts are responsible for learning as much as possible about this generation and their learning styles and needs to best serve them. A recent researcher, Edward dos Reis, and his colleagues referred to this generation as digitods, which refers to this first generation of students who, from birth, have always had access to online technology. If this generation is born with technology in their hands, how could we, as educators, utilize this information to accelerate the depth and breadth of learning?
In this dive into Generation Alpha, I would like to focus on one specific learning style/need for students to be the most successful in school and how this shift will continue to elevate their pathway post-high school. How these students learn will be intertwined with technology, interactive, personalized, and often self-directed.
One of the most meaningful ways for Generation Alpha will be:
1. Interactive and Hands-On Learning
Experiential Learning: Generation Alpha students thrive in environments where they can engage in hands-on activities. Whether it's through science experiments, building projects, or interactive simulations, these students learn best by doing.
STEM Activities: Activities that involve coding, robotics, and engineering challenges are particularly engaging. They allow students to apply concepts in real-time and see tangible results of their efforts.
Hands-on learning is a greater asset than ever before for this next generation of learners. It is not just that students may have some hyperactivity issues; all students need the opportunity to showcase their depth of learning by applying that learning through an experiential model that far exceeds some building blocks, along with STEM-focused activities. Wow, what a skilled learner this can produce.
I am using multiple research articles to support the framework discussed above. If you are interested in research, please contact the district office for a list that I am accumulating. Thanks for your interest, and I look forward to next month’s topic of Collaborative Learning.
-Dr. Dillon
