Dear Parents/Guardians,

I can't believe that spring break is already behind us! The students and staff are enjoying the warmer weather and recess outside.

We have three school events coming up later in April. The first is next Friday and Saturday when PTO is hosting a book fair and Donuts with GrownUps event. Then on the 21st of April, WPS is hosting a Fine Arts Night. All of our special area teachers will be showcasing their classes and the students' work. Finally on April 28th, IUK will be hosting the Young Author Event and there will be a whole room dedicated to Western and displaying all of our students' books. We hope that you can join us for all of these fun events!

Coming up at the beginning of May is Teacher Appreciation Week! This is the week we celebrate our AMAZING teachers and all that they do for our students and our school. We have THE BEST teachers at WPS and they work very hard each and every day to make our school the best place for your child's education.

The month of May also brings a lot of fun and excitement as the students look forward to summer break! Looking ahead to the end of the year be sure to mark your calendar for our end of the year WPS Growth Parade and Celebration. The dates are below for each grade level and parents are invited to attend. It will take place at the football stadium from 1:15-3:15 and parents are welcome to sit in the bleacher area. Students will be parading around the track and participating in fun activities on the field. This will be a great way to celebrate all of the ways the students have grown this year!

As always, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you for partnering with us to provide the best education possible for our Panthers!

All the best,
Melissa DeWeese
WPS Principal

Did you know that, on average, students lose 20-30% of their school year gains in reading during the summer? We often call this the "summer slide." Younger children are prone to the most learning loss during the summer because they are at a crucial stage in their development. It is very important that students continue reading throughout the summer.

An easy way to help negate the summer slide at home is to have a set time each day to read with your child. Children who read and are read to a minimum of 30 minutes a day have a significantly less amount of learning loss. If you don't have appropriate books at home for your child to read this summer, please contact me (Mrs. DeWeese) so we can help. We don't want any child to go without the proper resources to continue their learning in the summer.

On May 2nd, representatives from the Kokomo Howard County Public Library will visit during lunch time to share with us information about their summer reading program. This is a great way to continue reading during the summer and earn some cool prizes too! Look for more information to come home.

Student drop off reminders- please stay in the designated car line to drop off your student in the morning. Students should be prepared to exit the vehicle when it stops, adults should remain in the car. Students dropped off at the north end of the lot should enter Door A, students who are dropped off at the south end of the lot should enter Door R. Drop off begins at approximately 8:25AM.

End of day reminders- please make sure all changes to student pick up are complete before 2:00PM. If you are picking up your student early, you must do so before 3:15PM. When using the car line for pickup, please announce your student using the PikMyKid app or have your student's ID car tags ready to show the staff member who checks you in.

Traffic FLow Map

Student Drop off/Pick Up Map