Wow! We are already halfway through the school year! We hope you all had a wonderful winter break! We were SO excited to welcome students back into the building yesterday - we truly missed them and the joy they bring us!

We have some exciting and big things coming up this year and they all start this month! From a districtwide food drive to our PTO and SPMT meetings to Whitson's Multicultural Fair, January is going to be jam-packed with so much fun and excitement! You will find more about each of those events below.

As we start this new year, please remember to send your child with a winter coat (and reach out to us if you don't have one!) and check the reminders below about arrival and dismissal.

The last week before break, we had a special delivery from Mr. Michael from Hands to Hearts! He brought a special gift for our PK-1st grade students! They were so excited and full of joy! Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Michael

Ms. Mallory Jacobs was surprised as being named the Kansas School Counselor Association, School Counselor of the Year! We are so proud of all the hard work you do for our students!

We are so incredibly proud to have Ms. Jacobs at Whitson! She is truly incredible and cares deeply about all of our families! Congratulations, Ms. Jacobs - 2022 Kansas School Counselor of the Year!!

Check out the video below to hear more about just how amazing Ms. Jacobs is!

We had our annual Geography Bee. All of our participants did such an amazing job! They worked hard over for months before the event, studying and staying after school to prepare and we are so proud of them!

Congratulations to our top 3!

• 1st Place: Josh from Ms. Mendez’s class
• 2nd Place: Carolyn from Ms. Mendez‘s class
• 3rd Place: Peter from Mrs. Garcia’s class

Way to go, everyone!!

We had our 2nd quarter Warrior Way party! Students could buy the party for 200 tickets, which they earn through following our Warrior Way expectations of…

• Self-Awareness
• Compassion
• Respect
• Responsibility

Students got to have hot cocoa, build with marshmallows, and then have a marshmallow fight outside! Their smiles say it all!

Our 5th grade band and strings students did an amazing job at their Winter concert! For only playing their instruments for a few months, what they are able to do is so impressive! We cannot wait to see how much more they continue to grow at their next concert!

Our 3rd-5th graders got a special show and lesson on growth mindset from our friends at McEachron Elementary School! They taught us to not give up and learn from our mistakes through riding unicycles! It was amazing! Thank you, Mustangs!

Thank you so much to the 20/30 Club for the donation of coats for our students! Just in time for the real Winter cold! A special thanks to Billy Skrobacz from Capitol Federal for the delivery!

• January 5: Return to school
• January 10: PTO Meeting, 6:00-7:00
• January 11: SPMT, 4:00-5:00
• January 16: NO SCHOOL
• January 19: Math Contest Tryout, 8:10-8:40 or 3:40-4:00
• January 24: Class Picture Day
• January 25: Spelling Bee, 9:00-10:00
• January 26: Title 1 Multicultural/Reading Night, 5:30-7:30

• February 2: Papa John's Night
• February 7: PTO Meeting, 6:00-7:00 ***Please note this is a change from the originally scheduled date of February 14th.***
• February 8-9: Parent/Teacher Conferences
• February 9-10: NO SCHOOL
• February 14: Valentine's Day Parties, 2:30-3:30
• February 21: 4th and 5th Grade Music Program

Want all of these dates easily accessible and to be able to check if anything changes? Access our school calendar on the Whitson website! There, you can add the calendar to your own or even sign up for email alerts if something changes using the menu with the < sign above Saturday!

We are so excited to host our Multicultural Fair on Thursday, January 26th from 5:30-7:30 PM. Your family has the opportunity to decide which destinations you want to visit and build your own itinerary! Featured countries include: Russia, Nepal, Philippines, Finland, Colombia, Bangladesh, Bahamas, and Japan! At each destination, you will learn more about what makes each country special and unique. We will also have food trucks and books available! Artwork from various countries made by students will also be on display! Plan your itinerary now through the link below!

We have an exciting night planned and hope to see you there!

As the weather begins to cool, we want to remind families and staff of school closing notification procedures. When making decisions about closing school, a number of factors come into play, including the safety of travel but also the safety of students who will be home during the day.

Should school be canceled, we will:

• Send a text, email, and/or phone call via SchoolMessenger
• Update the district social media pages
• Update the district website
• Contact our local media partners

To sign up for text message updates, text Y to 67587. To learn more about school delays and closures, please review our How We Communicate With Families document.

At Whitson, we practice the Warrior Way at all times, which is:

• Self-Awareness
• Compassion
• Respect
• Responsibility

The Warrior Way helps us make good choices with our behavior and show kindness to others. This month our focus is on RESPONSIBILITY. Check out the picture below to see all the ways we show respect at school and talk with your Warrior about how you can show and take responsibility at home or out in public.

In addition to the Warrior Way, at Whitson, we also believe our learning is P.R.I.C.E.less, which stands for

• P - Perseverance
• R - Reflection
• I - Innovation
• C - Curiosity
• E - Embrace the Challenge

Our P.R.I.C.E. language describes how we learn at Whitson. This month we are focusing on CURIOSITY. Look below for what we expect from our Warriors when being curious. Then, talk with your Warrior about how they can be curious learners.

TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE SENDS ALERTS TO TOPEKA PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILIES

Topeka Public Schools utilizes the SchoolMessenger system for web services and to deliver text messages to families in the district. Alerts come straight to your mobile phone with important information about school events, school closings, and more.

Parents and guardians can participate in this free service by signing up in Tyler SIS, or by sending a text message of "Y" or "Yes" to the TPS short code number, 67587. You can also opt-out of these messages at any time by simply replying "stop" to one of our messages.

View our communications document to learn more about how Topeka Public Schools communicates with families throughout the school year. Don't forget to follow us on social media! We're active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Please see this document to see the different supports and services that Family Service and Guidance Center can provide for you and your students.

It is getting to the time of year where it is pretty chilly outside! Even when it is not cold in the morning, it has at times gotten colder throughout the day. We still have many students coming without coats to school. We are outside for recess unless the wind chill and/or temperature is below 20 degrees. PLEASE send your child with their coat each day so they can stay warm! If you are in need of a coat, please reach out to us and let us know!

Thank you to everyone that has helped make pick-up and drop-off go more smoothly by staying in your cars and only parking along the curb next to the school. Please be reminded that if you park and get out of your car during arrival and dismissal, you are subject to a fine as it is a no parking zone. Additionally, the cones on Arnold at dismissal are to mark that the curb opposite the school is NO PARKING and that the street is a one-way at that time.

Please see the document below to learn all about the crisis drills we do at Whitson so that we are prepared in the case of emergency. These drills are mandated for us to do by the state of Kansas.

To complete the review:

1. Go to greatschools.org
2. Locate the school through the search bar
3. Click on the review icon.

Thank you for helping promote the many positives in our schools.

Dear Parents,

We would like to invite all of the parents of Whitson students to attend our PTO meetings. These meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6pm in the library. We believe that the partnership between school and home is critical to student success and truly believe that YOU can make a difference. Our next meeting will be NEXT TUESDAY, January 10th. Please consider joining us!

PTO helps raise funds for many school projects such as PE and recess equipment, classroom libraries, and field trips! Come to a meeting or contact us to see what options are available for extra help.

Please e-mail us with questions! ptowhitson@gmail.com

Thank you,

Whitson PTO

President: Julie Phillips

Vice President: Chelsea Douglas

Secretary: Jennifer Phelps-Roper

Treasurer: Helen Swan

This dynamic resource will take advantage of leading technology resources to connect with parents, students, and other community members. Using existing tools, streamlining access to information, allowing parents and the community to customize the information they receive and engage users with timely and responsive news and conversation about our schools and students.

The TPS Mobile App is free and available for both Apple and Android devices. Just search for Topeka Public Schools in the App Store or Google Play, or click on the convenient links below to go directly to the app download.

TPS will be partnering with Kansas Central School Bus in implementing a free school bus routing parent notification App and website service. This program will allow you to view the real-time location of your child's school bus on your device.

This App is free and available for both Apple and Android devices. Just search for Here Comes the Bus in the App Store or Google Play, or click on the convenient links below to access the app download site.

More information regarding this service will be mailed to you along with you bus route information the first full week of August.

How to get signed up:

1. Visit www.herecomesthebus.com or download the app to your smart phone or table from the Apple Store or Google Play.

2. Click the 'sign up' button.

3. Enter school code 29036 and click 'Next' followed by 'Confirm.'

4. Complete the 'User Profile' box.

5. Under 'My Students,' click 'Add.' Enter your child's last name and student ID number. If you do not know your student's ID number, please call Ms. Perkins in the office.

6. Once you confirm your information, you're ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!

Email: kpierce@tps501.org
Website: https://whitson.topekapublicschools.net/
Location: 1725 Southwest Arnold Avenue, Topeka, KS, USA
Phone: 785-438-4570
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitsontps