Warrior News
April 2024 Edition
April will be a super busy month! We've got Kindergarten Orientation for all incoming Warriors next week. Then, Ms. G has planned an amazing Field Day (which we could still use volunteers for -- see below for details). The week of April 22-26 will be especially busy with our BOGO book fair, middle school visits and parent orientation, our K-1 music program, Breakfast with Buddies, and our annual Warrior Run and Carnival. We know it is going to fly by so hang on as we get close to finishing out what has been an amazing year so far!
Upcoming Events 📆
April 11
Kindergarten Orientation, 5:30-6:30
If you have an incoming kindergartener, please join us with your student for our annual kindergarten orientation! Students will get to do fun stations while parents have the opportunity to learn more about Whitson.
April 18
Field Day
Join us for Field Day! We would love to have you volunteer if you're interested as well! 3rd-5th grades will be in the morning and K-2nd will be in the afternoon. PK will go when they are here.
Please note this is a change in date from the original calendar.
April 23
Middle School Parent Orientation, 5:30-6:30
Fifth grade parents, learn more about middle school and where your student will be attending!
April 25
3-5 Breakfast with Buddies, 7:45-8:30 AM
Come join us for Breakfast with Buddies for our 3rd-5th grade students!
April 25
K-1 Music Program, 6:00-7:00
We can't wait to see some of our littlest Warriors perform at their music program!
Please note this is a change in date due to middle school orientation.
April 26
Warrior Run and Carnival, 5:00-7:30
Come join us for our annual fun run and carnival! There will be face painting, inflatables, balloon animals, carnival games, cake walk, and more!
All Upcoming Events
- April 1: Grace Med Dental
- April 2: PTO, 6:00-7:00
- April 4: Papa John's Night
- April 11: Kindergarten Orientation, 5:30-6:30
- April 12: Spirit Sticks for Sale, 9:00-9:35
- April 18: Field Day **Please note this is a change of date from what was in the original calendar.
- April 19: NO SCHOOL
- April 22-26: BOGO Book Fair
- April 23: Pie Five Whitson Night
- April 23: Middle School Orientation for 5th Grade Families, 5:30-6:30
- April 25: K-1 Music Program, 6:00-7:00 **Please note this is a change of date from what was originally scheduled due to middle school orientation being the same night.
- April 25: 3-5 Breakfast with Buddies, 7:45-8:30 AM
- April 26: Spirit Sticks for Sale, 9:00-9:35
- April 26: Warrior Run and Carnival, 5:00-7:30
- April 29: NO SCHOOL
- May 2: Field Day Make-Up
- May 2: Papa John's Night
- May 2: Band and Strings Concert, 6:00-7:00
- May 3: Spirit Sticks for Sale, 9:00-9:35
- May 3: Camp Qu-Tu for 5th grade
- May 6-10: Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 7: PTO, 6:00-7:00
- May 10: Spirit Sticks for Sale, 9:00-9:35
- May 10: Talent Show, 1:00-3:00
- May 13-17: Spirit Week
- May 14: Panda Express Whitson Day
- May 15: Battle of the Books, 1:00 PM
- May 16: Preschool Graduation, 2:00 PM
- May 17: Spirit Sticks for Sale, 9:00-9:35
- May 17: Last day of Preschool
- May 20: 5th Grade Promotion, 2:00 PM
- May 21: Last day of school, day ends at 11:30 AM
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!
The Latest at Whitson 📝
Author Visit: Bridget Heos
We got to have Kansas author, Bridget Heos, join us and talk about her experience as a writer! She writes a very fun series called The Mustache Baby and over 100 other books. Mrs. Schwinn has been reading many of her fun books these past 2 weeks and students have enjoyed them! If you need some memorable read alouds as a grandparent or parent, her series will be a hit.
Peeps Slime in Mrs. Burgardt's Class
Miss Cox, a student teacher in Mrs. Burgardt’s 2nd grade class, had some fun and made peeps slime with the kids! Looks like fun!
New Gaga Ball Pit in PE!
PE just got a brand new Gaga Pit! All grades are excited to learn this new game!
Check out a video of this in action here.
SUMday Math Competition
Several of our 4th and 5th grade students spent a Saturday in March at the Topeka SUMday competition! They’ve been preparing hard and that paid off!
Check out all the students that participated, including our Top 10 finishers (NINE Warriors!!) and our Top 3 finisher in Geometry!
We are so proud of them for all of their hard work and for representing Whitson well! Way to go, Warriors!
Pancake Shield Party in Miss Mendez' Class
Miss Mendez’ 4th grade class had their 4th Shield Party ! They had to celebrate with some pancakes! This looks like so much fun!
Spring Break IXL Challenge Winners
Over Spring Break, we challenged students to complete 150 minutes on IXL. Today we celebrated our students that did over 10 minutes on IXL over break!
✍🏻Everyone that did over 10 minutes got a color changing pencil!
🍦Students that did between 60-150 minutes got an ice cream sandwich!
🍕Students that met the goal of 150 minutes had a pizza party!
We are so proud of everyone who sharpened their brain over break! Special shout out to Gabriel in 4th grade who had the highest minutes in the school over break with over 600!!! What a star! ⭐
Braille in Library
5th graders have been learning about Louis Braille and how he invented Braille for the blind during library with Mrs. Schwinn. They then used candy dots to make their own Braille words.
International Student Visit
All the kindergarten and 1st grade students enjoyed visits from the Washburn University International Student Program! They got to learn all about Japan!
Leprechaun Trap in Preschool
Preschool set a leprechaun trap. They didn't catch him, but he did leave them some yummy Lucky Charms cereal! They did their math lesson with it and then ate it. Both preschool classes also earned their stuffie dance party today for good behavior. What a way to celebrate the end of the quarter!
2nd Grade Field Trip
2nd grade had so much fun on their field trip ! They were so excited to come back and report that Pitt State had won and that it was a close game!
Spirit Week Pictures
We saw a lot of mustaches and we are pretty impressed with how quickly they grew during spirit week! Plus some wacky!
4th Quarter Warrior Way Store Menus
Stuco members worked hard to get our 4th quarter Warrior Way store menus ready! Can't wait to see what they come up with! We love how into it they are getting and letting their voices be heard!
Book Buddies!
Miss Courtney’s Pre-K class and Miss Holmes 3rd grade class had some fun with their book buddies!
Nap Shield Party!
Ms. Navas’ 2nd grade class earned a shield party and chose to take advantage of pajama day with a “Nap Party!” They look so cozy and relaxed!
2nd and 3rd Grade Music Program
2nd and 3rd grade threw a great pajama party, or should we say music program!
KAP Kickoff Assembly
Your child might have come in late March talking about how some of our teachers did some strange things at an assembly… well that’s because we had our annual KAP Kickoff Assembly !
Our 3rd-5th graders start state assessments (KAP) next week and we like to give them a fun way to remember things they can do to prepare and do their best on the test. Teachers acted out what students SHOULD do vs. what they should NOT.
Students SHOULD:
- Arrive to school on time
- Eat a good breakfast
- Get a good night sleep
- Stay focused and on task
- Keep a positive attitude
- Use the tools available to them on the test
Students should NOT:
- Be late to school (Cue Mrs. Lyndelle walking in late)
- Eat a sugary breakfast or no breakfast at all (Cue Mrs. Dayo with ALL the sugary snacks)
- Stay up too late (Cue Mrs. Pierce sleeping on the floor)
- Get distracted (Cue Mr. Groves playing Master Blaster 3000)
- Tell themselves they can’t do it (Cue Ms. Hayes giving up without even trying)
- Not use tools and think they can do it all in their head (Cue Ms. Kellim trying to use her paper to measure instead of the tools)
Then we ended our time with our second annual walk down the hallways where PK-2 students made signs encouraging the 3rd-5th graders and cheered them on. We know that your students might be feeling a little worried about the testing that is happening now, but we are hoping these events helped them have some fun, encouraged them, and reminded them that we ultimately just want them to do their best!
Thank you to all that participated! We can’t wait to see our Warriors shine!
Warrior Staff Highlight ⭐
Our 2nd Grade Team
Our second grade team plays such a pivotal role in students' education. Students leave first grade and this magical maturing happens before they enter second grade where teachers get to really solidify the expectations for learning and behavior AND help students grow and thrive academically. It is the last year before state testing so this team is crucial in ensuring they leave them being ready to move on. We are so grateful for all they do for our students!
Click each picture below to learn more about our incredible certified support team!
Important Updates and Information 📌
Library News 📚
PE News 👟
Spanish Enrichment
We are going to focus on:
- Kindergarten: Learning about prepositions of place.
- 1st grade: Learning and speaking about things we take to a picnic.
- 2nd grade: Learning vocabulary about climbing.
- 3rd grade: Learning the Cause- Effect of why leaves change color.
- 4th grade: Learning and writing about SPRING.
- 5th grade: Reading and learning who to identify the problem and the steps to follow to solve it.
How We Do School at Whitson
How Can You Help at Home?
Last month we talked about a strategy we use at Whitson frequently called precorrection. This strategy is all about anticipating what might be challenging for a student and getting ahead of it by reminding them what we expect to see. We gave examples of what this looks like at school last time, but you can use it at home, too! Check out the infographic and video below that give step-by-step directions of what this could look like for your family.
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.
The Warrior Way
- 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 COMPASSION. As we finish out a month focused on inclusion, we want to remind Warriors and families that including others, regardless of differences, demonstrates compassion and the Warrior Way!
Learning Out Loud
- 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 and next we are focusing on EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE. Look below for what we expect from our Warriors when embracing the challenge. Then, talk with your Warrior about times you have embraced challenges and how it has helped you learn more. We cannot wait to see who will win the P.R.I.C.E. award for being an Outstanding Warrior in Embracing Challenge!
From the District
Save the Date! Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year Opens in April
Save the date! Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year will open online this month. Families are encouraged to register early, as we anticipate classes filling up quickly again this year.
Information regarding enrollment, school supply lists, and other items for families to prepare for next year will be available in April at topekapublicschools.net. View the 2024-2025 Academic Calendar here.
As a reminder, returning families will receive an email to register their students from Synergy Student Information System and enroll through ParentVue. Families new to Topeka Public Schools will create a new account and register online.
2024-2025 Academic Calendar
Click the link below to view the calendar in both English and Spanish for the 2024-2025 school year.
Reminders
All About Whitson Crisis Drills
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.
Get Connected
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