Whitford Newsletter
December 3, 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Whitford families,
Each December, I like to reflect on the first part of the year. For the past two years, it seems the beginning of the school year has brought challenges, new learning, and operating in vastly different ways. This year I’ve been reflecting on the abundance of aggression seen not only here at Whitford, but also around the district. One conclusion I have come to is that we had little to no true relationships with students for the past two years. Last year was mostly online and only a portion of our students returned for the hybrid school. It’s only now that I feel I’m able to truly connect with students and families and begin to build the trust needed to have success. I want to report that we have seen a decrease in aggressive behaviors and Whitford is beginning to feel like the safe place I’ve always known it to be.
This is not to say that everything is perfect. We have crowed hallways during the common passing periods and lunch time is challenging as we are required to spread out the students due to social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols. You might be wondering what we’re doing about it. Well, the first thing I want to say is that the teaching staff came together, without my knowledge, and agreed to better supervise the hallways between classes. This has made a tremendous difference as I believe students make better decisions when adults are watching. Another mitigating factor is that we are making an effort to highlight student work, kindness and gratitude. Students want to do the right thing and thanks to our staff, we were able to begin Monday after Thanksgiving with a Zoom assembly recognizing how students and staff are grateful for one another. This brought smiles to faces and a better sense of belonging to our school community. Students seemed happy to be back and were excited to see their friends and teachers.
An additional step we would like to implement soon is parent volunteers helping at lunch and in the hallways. We are not asking you to be the disciplinarians, but just a supportive presence for kids. It could be playing basketball, helping in the cafeteria, or just standing in the hallways making sure all is safe. I’m working with our volunteer coordinator to set this up and we are hoping to get this going after the new year. I know how crazy this time of year can be and we are working on a system making sure it is easy to sign up and volunteer. You will receive something in Parent Square in the next few weeks with how to sign up.
The month of December is also a time of need. We have numerous families who need support with food, clothes, and other toiletries. Our PTO is supporting our families in the form of gift cards. If you have a desire to give this year, what would be best is to purchase a gift card from a local store (Fred Meyer, Target, etc.) and give it to the front office and we will make sure to get it to a family in need.
Finally, I want to thank you again for your support of our school. The ever-changing COVID-19 guidance, a new schedule, and an increase in student population have all contributed to a most unusual beginning of the year, but we are seeing signs of hope. Our students are settling in, our teachers are adjusting to the drastic schedule change, and our support staff are working with students and families who need support. Whitford will continue to be a special place where students in three years go from wide-eyed 6th graders to a mature 8th graders ready for high school and hopefully having a clear picture of their path to success.
Take care,
Brian Peerenboom, Principal
Whitford Middle School
Students Show Gratitude Toward our Bus Drivers
Picking up your student early?
If parents need to pick students up early from school, you may:
- Park along the front of the building if it is before 3:15 PM, or
- Between 3:15 - 3:45 -- Drive through the bus lane and then park in a parking space in the farthest lane from the building. After 3:15 buses may already be parked in the bus lane closest to the school.
This plan will help you avoid getting caught in the queue of parents waiting to pick up students at the end of the school day.
Calling All Readers
Join the Oregon Battle of the books for the 2021-2022 school year
The Battle of the Books is an exciting tournament of reading. Students will form teams of 4-5 players and share reading the list of 16 books prescribed by the Oregon Battle of the Books statewide organizing committee. The Whitford tournament will begin in mid-January 2022. Battles will be after school until only one team remains in the field. The team that wins the Whitford title will then move on to compete against other schools in the regional meet, which will take place on a Saturday in March.
May the best team become Champion of the Books!
Details:
There are 16 books
You may pick your own team of 4-5 players. If you CANNOT find a team, sign up and look for prospective teammates in the library.
Each student must read at least 8 of the 16 books. Each team member is encouraged to read as many as possible to be prepared for the battles.
Teams must create a team name.
Each team must have a team captain.
All teams will battle at least twice in the preliminary round
If you wish to join, pick up the contract in the Library or from Mr. Miller in room B12.
Questions? Please contact Mr. Miller at school or by email. WTMS-communications@beaverton.k12.or.us
Students and parents must sign the contract and register their teams by December 17th.
Whitford student named top in MASTERS Science Competition
Congratulations to Madeline Rejab, named one of the Top 300 MASTERS in the Broadcom MASTERS national middle school science competition! Maddie's project, "Catalase vs Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition Rate," was conducted at home during our year of Distance Learning. She earned the privilege to compete at nationals when she competed in the Northwest Regional Science Expo, Oregon's state science fair. Maddie was among thousands of students in grades 6-8 to enter the national competition in June of this year. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Maddie!
Southridge High Offers Tours for incoming 9th graders.
Option School Deadline 12/10 4PM
Reminder -- if your student is interested in applying for BASE, ACMA, or ISB please make sure to submit an application. Applications are due Dec. 10 by 4pm
For more information including online application click here.
Congratulations Whitford's THPRD Cross Country Team
It was so good to see our Whitford Students out participating again. The girls team placed 2nd overall in the 3,000 meter run. With Elena Burpo placing 5th and Johana Middlebrooks placing 6th. The boys 3,000 meter team had Reece Igarta place 7th and Leonardo Reed placed 9th. Way to go Whitford.
When we are past the holidays it will be almost time for THPRD Track! Registration for THPRD Track and Field opens on December 4.
http://www.thprd.org/facilities/recreation/cedar-hills/middle-school-programs.
The season starts on February 24 and runs through May 5.
Are your Student's Immunizations Up to Date?
Exclusion day for immunizations is Friday, February 16th. Students will need to have fully updated immunizations in order to attend school following that date. Please be sure to provide the office staff with any updated information for your student.
Dental Sealants at Whitford December 9
Free dental screenings and sealants are available for 6th and 7th grade students provided by Virginia Garcia dental care professionals. Dental sealants are coatings put on the back teeth to help prevent cavities. Whitford will have our first sealant clinic during school on December 9th. To sign up your student please fill out a consent form below.
School Sealant Consent (English)
https://hipaa.jotform.com/SchoolSealants/Consent
School Sealant Consent (Spanish)
Don't let your guard down!
Our crossing guards work hard every day to help our children get to and from school safely. Whether on school property or in the community, if you see a crossing guard, please do what they are asking you to do. It takes all of us to keep the roads safe for everyone. Please be especially mindful in school zones, at intersections and crosswalks (marked and unmarked), near bike lanes and in neighborhoods. Thank you!
Whitford Student Newspaper
Each week, we will have 11-13 new articles that update on our site. They will range in topics so not every section will have updated pieces each week.
https://sites.google.com/bsd48.org/twt-issue-whitford/home?authuser=2
Whitford Yearbooks
The Yearbook is now available for purchase. The cost is $15. To purchase a yearbook with a credit card, you can go through the online payment system. To pay with cash or check, have your student bring payment to the office. Yearbooks are handed out to students the last week of school.
Upcoming Events
December
12/9 Dental Sealants8-4
12/16 Band Winter Concert