Principal Update
December 2021
Whitney Families,
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En el lado derecho del boletín de noticias, aparecerá una barra con las funciones de ADA y traducción. Destinatarios podrán traducir su boletín de noticias al idioma deseado allí.
On the right side of the newsletter, a bar will appear with the ADA and translation features. Recipients will be able to translate this letter to their desired language there.
Happy Holidays to our Whitney Wildcat families and friends!
As you head into the holiday season with your families, I wish you health, happiness, and joy. Each day, I am reminded of the treasures we have at Whitney and am grateful for the wonderful people who fill our school. This year is certainly a year to appreciate everything you have and the people around you.
The past few months have definitely been tough on all of us. As much as it is stressful for us in the building, I am sure it is as stressful for you at home. If COVID has taught us anything, it is that we are interconnected in all we do. That is true in education too. Parents, guardians, teachers, and staff all work together to provide a safe environment so learning can happen.
Thank you for being a part of the Whitney Dream Team!
If you have questions please reach out via telephone (573-1900) or via Let's Talk and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
December 20th - 31st - No School - Winter Break
January 11th - Hour of Code Event
January 17th - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday
January 24th - No School - Second Quarter/Semester Break
February 3rd - Report Cards go home
Academic Winners!
Keira Schorzman
Harper Frazier-Ceja
Sarai Ballardo Guevara
Azalia Sawyer
Amya Martinez
Dominik Russell
Liam Walker
Neymar Lopez
Kamillah Rodriguez-Radillo
Keelin Schorzman
Sophia Nogales
Valentino Galarza
Gunnar Bruseau
Carlos Bejarano
Abigail Orozco
Jaliza Sanchez-Martinez
Marisabel Valencia-Salas
Adalynn Ceja
Pedro Castillo
ROAR Winners!
Nohealanie Fast
Tolsen Pappas
Yanireth Aguilar Serrano
Elden Driver
Cristopher Trujillo
Matthew Marx
Reymundo Ortiz
Joshua Nidiffer
Jahat Bacilio
Romeo Zabala
Samson Mendoza
Jose Pedrizco
Athena Hoffamn
Gabriel Baez
Bianca Quezeda
Gavin Wilson
Conner Kurz
Romeo Munguia
Sebashton VanAllen
Ariana Galindo
WINTER MUSIC PROGRAM
Modified/Balanced Calendar
The Yakima School District is studying the effects of moving to a modified school year instructional calendar. We are excited about your input as we consider options and their impacts on our community. CLICK HERE for more information and examples for the 2022-23 school year.
To gather your feedback, we're using a tool called ThoughtExchange. All of our voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued. This ThoughtExchange will close on December 19, 2021, at 11:59 PM. You can come back to the ThoughtExchange to enter your thoughts and to rate other thoughts as to their relevance to you as many times as you would like before December 19th.
CLICK HERE to participate in the ThoughtExchange
You'll be asked to provide your thoughts to an open-ended question, consider and assign stars to some of the ideas shared by others (10 to 20 is ideal), and learn what is important to the group.
Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you'd like to participate and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to star some of the new ideas shared since you first participated. The ratings will help us understand the most important areas to focus on.
If you need technical help, please call ThoughtExchange at 1-800-361-9027 ext. 4 or email help@thoughtexchange.com
Thank you in advance for your help and input. The results of this ThoughtExchange will be shared publicly on January 18, 2022.
1st and 2nd Grade Opportunity at Ike
WAPC Seasonal Health Alert: Holiday Hazards
The holidays are a wonderful time of year. But, they also create opportunities for poisonings and toxic exposures—especially in children. The Washington Poison Center offers these helpful tips to keep your days merry, bright, and healthy.
* Make sure all gifts, even if wrapped, are safe for children. Watch for button batteries, the small cylindrical batteries found in watches, hearing aids, and keychain flashlights. If swallowed, button batteries can cause burns, internal bleeding, swelling of the airway, and even death.
* Monitor holiday lights when children are present. Children are drawn towards sparkling lights, and have a tendency to put lights in their mouths. Be extra careful with bubble lights, as the liquid can cause burns, irritation, and carbon monoxide exposure.
* Place mistletoe and holly berries up high and out of reach. The toxins in mistletoe and holly berries may lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Call the poison center at 1(800) 222-1222 if holly berries or mistletoe are ingested.
* Keep open alcoholic beverages and cannabis (marijuana) out of the reach of children. Alcohol and cannabis can have strong effects on a child, even in small amounts. Clean up leftover alcoholic beverages immediately. Always store alcohol and cannabis out of sight and reach of children, preferably locked up.
* If you are traveling, keep prescription and over-the-counter medicines in child-resistant containers, not plastic zip lock bags or pill keepers. Keep these containers out of sight and out of reach of children.
* Contrary to popular folklore, poinsettias are not poisonous. Ingestion may irritate the mouth, stomach, or skin, but will likely not cause severe symptoms.
* Wash hands and sanitize often, but keep cleaners and sanitizing products (including hand sanitizer) out of reach and out of sight of any small children.
* Keep pets safe from holiday hazards, as well. If you think a pet has ingested something potentially toxic, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Parent Survey: Monday, December 13-January 2
A mini-survey was launched to families, some staff, and some students on Monday. It will be open until Jan 2. It takes 2 minutes (max) to fill out and school data results will be impacted by the number of folks that complete it.
Families: will access with a link that was sent out via ParentSquare from the District or can CLICK HERE
Students: will be emailed a link unique to each of them
Staff: will be emailed a link unique to each of them
Donations for Student Incentives in the PBIS Rewards Store
Visitors and Volunteers
Now in effect volunteers and visitors will be allowed to enter YSD schools and buildings with the following requirements.
Visitor/Volunteer Requirements
- All visitors/volunteers staying less than 30 minutes are not required to provide proof of vaccination. These visitors must be masked and maintain 6 feet social distancing.
- All visitors/volunteers staying longer than 30 minutes will be required to provide proof of vaccination. These visitors must be masked and maintain 6 feet social distancing.
All volunteers must have an application on file with the Yakima School District.