In August, teachers focused on building routines and procedures in all areas of the building. We say we go slow so we can go fast later, meaning we want to take the time to make sure students know what is expected of them now (which takes some time to do well) so that they "know how to do school" later in the year and we can focus on learning. Students have caught on quickly to their new teachers and we are so impressed with how well they are following the Warrior Way, even our new Kindergarten and Pre-K students!
September will be a big month for instruction and learning so please help us out by getting your student(s) to school on time and being here each day - they can't learn if they aren't here! Thank you for continuing to support us and making Whitson a great place to be!
Whitson Flyover! ✈️
Check out this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that our students and Mrs. Schwinn and Mrs. Barb Wright got today! As members of the Civil Air Patrol, they got to go on a flight directly over Whitson! We were able to communicate with them over the radio. Enjoy these pictures they took from up in the sky!
Thank you, Advisors Excel!
A huge thank you to Advisors Excel for their generous donation to our staff and students today! We are so grateful to have some brand new soccer balls and jump ropes for recess along with supplies for the classroom!
September 4
Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
There will be no school on Monday, September 4th due to the Labor Day holiday.
September 12
Grandparent's Day
Please join us for Grandparent's Day on September 12th. You can RSVP for lunch and see the schedule at this link. Please RSVP by September 6th.
September 13 - DATE CHANGE
PTO Meeting, 6:00-7:00
The first PTO meeting of the year will be in the Whitson library on September 13th from 6-7 PM. Join us and find out how you can get involved and support our school!
Please note this is a date change from the originally scheduled date of September 5th.
All Upcoming Events
- September 4: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
- September 6: Preschool Parent Night, 6:00-7:00
- September 7: Papa John's Night
- September 12: Grandparent's Day
- September 13: PTO, 6:00-7:00
- September 19: Geography Bee Tryouts, 8:10-8:40 or 3:40-4:00
- September 20: Family Fun and Fitness Night, Hummer Sports Park, 5:00-7:00
- October 2-6: Spirit Week
- October 2-16: Trash Bag Fundraiser
- October 3: Picture Day
- October 3: PTO, 6:00-7:00
- October 5: PK-2 Breakfast with Buddies, 7:45-8:30 AM
- October 5: Papa John's Night
- October 9-10: NO SCHOOL
- October 11: SPMT, 4:00-5:00
- October 17-20: Fire Prevention Week
- October 17: 4th and 5th Grade Music Program, 6:00-7:00
- October 23-26: Book Fair
- October 24: Spelling Bee Tryouts
- October 25-26: Parent/Teacher Conferences
- October 26-27: NO SCHOOL
- October 30: Hearing and Vision Screening
- October 30: Fundraiser Pick-Up
- October 31: Halloween Parade and Parties, 2:00-3:00
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!
Hearing & Vision Screenings
The hearing and vision screenings will be occurring on November 9th this school year. Students will go during the school day to have their hearing and vision checked. A report will be sent home with results after the date. Please contact the office if you have any questions or concerns!
How Can You Help at Home?: Academics
Area I: Academic Responsibilities
Parents will:
Review all school communication
Model and reinforce learning in the home
Make learning a priority
Take an active role in your child’s learning
This comes directly from our Ci3T (Comprehensive Integrated 3 Tiered Model of Support) plan, which supports the whole child, from academics to socially-emotionally to behaviorally. You can learn more about the whole plan here.
Sign up to receive texts from Whitson and TPS!
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 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.
Synergy Communication
Synergy Mail has been amazing for us because we can send messages from our phones; however, Synergy does not have the capability to send text messages.
You can:
- Sign up for School Messenger and receive texts that way 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.
AND/OR
- Download the Parent Vue app from your phone's app store and set up push notifications so those notifications appear directly on your phone.
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. 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: Chelsea Douglas
Vice President: Taylor Phelps
Secretary: Katherine Phelps
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