February is a short, but busy month. We will have a spirit week, parent/teacher conferences, Valentine's Day, and our first music program since the pandemic! We cannot wait to keep learning with you all!
As the winter and cold continues, sicknesses are going around quickly. Please be sure to keep up hand-washing and send your child with their coat so we can hopefully keep them at bay and stay healthy!
Food Drive
We collected a total of....
2,416 ITEMS!
That is amazing and we could NOT have done it without your support!
Congratulations to...
- 1st Place: Mrs. Austin's class with 377 items. They have earned a pizza party!
- 2nd Place: Mrs. Stevenson's class with 208 items. They have earned a hot cocoa party!
SUMDay Competition
- Jason P.R.
- Peter P.
- Devin R.
- Tyler H.
- Colt F.
- Marlene P.P.
- Brody M.
- Sam M.
- Paxton S.
- Levi W.
- Josh C.
- Felix D.
- Lily N.
- Jake P.
- Lennon C.
- Daniel C.G.
- Brighton G.
Spelling Bee 🐝
In January, we had our annual spelling bee! Our 4th and 5th graders worked so hard and did such a great job! We are so incredibly proud of each and every one of them!
A special congratulations to…
- Weston from Mrs. Brandt’s class for winning!
- Carolyn from Ms. Mendez’ class for getting second place!
- Levi from Ms. Mendez’ class for winning the written qualifying spelling test!
Weston and Levi will go on to represent Whitson at the Shawnee County Spelling Bee in February. Carolyn will also be there in case she is needed!
Way to go, Warriors!
National School Counselor Week
Two of our 2nd graders and Miss Jacobs got the opportunity to meet Governor Laura Kelly as she signed proclamations for National School Counselor Week!
February 7
PTO Meeting, 6-7 PM
Get involved and join the PTO Meeting!
Please note this meeting was originally scheduled for February 14th, but we have moved it up a week.
February 8-9
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Your conference time will remain the same as in the fall unless you need to change. Additional information will be sent home soon. School-home relationship is crucial for student success!
All Upcoming Events
- 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
- March 2: Papa John's Night
- March 6-9: Spirit Week!
- March 7: 2nd and 3rd Grade Music Program, 6:00-7:00
- March 9: End of 3rd Quarter
- March 10: NO SCHOOL
- March 13-17: Spring Break, NO SCHOOL
- March 21: PTO, 6:00-7:00
- March 22: SPMT, 4:00-5:00
- March 25: SUMday Math Competition
- Week of March 27: Science State Assessments (5th Grade Only)
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!
Synergy
Attention Parents! Beginning later this year, Topeka Public Schools is moving to a new, fully integrated Student Information System, Synergy by Edupoint.
This one system will replace the district's current student information system into one platform that will host and manage student data in an efficient and user-friendly manner.
Synergy will provide access to both parents and students, just like our current system. However, with Synergy, Parents/Guardians will use a single sign-on to access all of their children’s information regardless of school.
As part of the seamless Synergy Education Platform, Synergy SIS enables schools and districts to easily extend functionality to include online registration, CI3T, assessment, analytics, and special education management in a single platform.
How important is parent/caregiver self-care? Ask a Child Therapist!
What parent hasn’t wished for 10 minutes of quiet to themselves? Sometimes that 10 minutes can be tough to find. Even after the kids are in bed, there’s laundry, dishes, paying bills and a dozen other tasks that need to be done.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Taking care of yourself is so important! That’s why February’s Ask a Child Therapist Topic is Self-Care for Parents and Caregivers.
- Parents and caregivers are encouraged to submit questions about parent/caregiver self-care to marketing@fsgctopeka.com.
- We’ll continue to post weekly videos to Facebook and our website in which an FSGC staff member will answer questions.
- Please join us for monthly FREE Zoom Q&A sessions where more parent/caregiver questions will be answered. This month’s Q&A will be Thursday, February 23, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. There’s no sign-up. We’ll post the Zoom webinar link on Facebook and our webpage. To join us, simply click the link at 6:30 p.m. on February 23 to join us.
TPS Weather Notifications ❄️
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.
Family Service and Guidance Center Services
Winter Coats🥼
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!
Arrival and Dismissal 🚗
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.
Rate and Review Whitson
To complete the review:
- Go to greatschools.org
- Locate the school through the search bar
- Click on the review icon.
Thank you for helping promote the many positives in our schools.
Whitson PTO
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
Topeka Public Schools App
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.
Here Comes the Bus App
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