Whittier Weekly Newsletter
September 24, 2020
A Focus on Belonging and on Literacy
Dear Whittier Families,
As I shared above in the video, this week there was a systemic focus on connection and belonging. Like most things that are important, consistent and ongoing focus is what is required to really make a difference. Look at this week of "Start With Hello" and a spirit day where we all sport our green as just one small step in a constant journey to focus on inclusiveness, belonging, and advocacy for each and every child, staff member, and family in our school.
In addition to this focus on the culture of our school and community, and making sure that ALL members of the Whittier community are respected and honored, we are also committed to academic achievement, progress, and high expectations for student success.
As a believer in the philosophy of keeping things simple and focusing on what's most important, we have two main goals in school improvement:
1. creating a culture and climate of care and support
2. continuously increasing student academic achievement
Below are several resources for parents to become familiar with Lexia Core5. This application is individualized and adaptive to every student so that they may progress as they are ready and have mastered skills.
A Few Notes to Keep in Mind:
- It is challenging and will sometimes frustrate the learner as it demands mastery. Most things in life that are worthwhile have some degree of difficulty. Encourage your child to view it as an opportunity to develop grit and perseverance. Celebrate overcoming obstacles.
- using the program consistently to practice skills is important. The program assigns a weekly amount of time for practice. It is okay to exceed the time, but the minimum amount of time recommended should be completed each week.
- Talking to your child about their progress, using some of the resources below to have fun with the skills, and celebrating accomplishments are really important.
- There IS School Tomorrow, September 25th. It's also a Spirit Day. Wear Green to celebrate Start With Hello Week.
- There is NO School on Monday, September 28th.
Tech Support for the next Four Weeks:
Wednesday @ 4:00-6:00pm
Thursday @ 4:00-6:00pm
To access:
Log into your student's fcps account
Go to meet.google.com
Use the Code WHEShelp
Thank you, as always, for your continued support for your child and our school.
Be well,
Mr. OhEithir, Principal
Supporting Literacy and Having Fun With It
They are organized by grade level and correspond to the focus of what your student is working on in Lexia.
Please Join Our PTA! We Need You.
Wow! What a different start to the school year! Your WHES PTA Executive Board is excited to welcome you back to 20-21 school year.
We need your help!
- What ideas do you have to support our students during virtual learning?
- What ideas do you have for activities to support students?
- What do you want from your PTA?
- Let us know by completing the feedback form here: PTA Membership Feedback
Show your support of public education by joining our PTA.
- Click here: WHES PTA Homepage
- Then click on JOIN!
Looking forward to a great year!
Whittier Elementary School - Believe, Achieve, Succeed
We will also communicate through our school website
Follow me on Twitter @fcpsOhEithir where I will communicate school news and happenings
Email: lorcan.oheithir@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/whes/home
Location: 2400 Whittier Drive, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
Phone: (240) 236 3100
Twitter: @fcpsOhEithir