The Wildcat Word

Whitney Families,

At Whitney, we’re proud to serve over 400 wonderful students! Our top priority is making sure every child feels safe and supported at school.

When a concern or incident is shared with an adult, we do our best to address it right away. For more serious situations, we take extra care by conducting a full investigation, which includes talking with all students and staff involved.

We truly value open communication and encourage both students and parents to reach out whenever something doesn’t feel right so we can work together to resolve it.

If you’d like to speak or meet with Mrs. Nalley or Mr. Hunt, here’s the best way to connect with us:

1. Start by talking or messaging your child’s classroom teacher — they’re often the best first point of contact.
2. Call the office at 573-1900 and leave a message, and we’ll return your call as soon as possible.
3. Or call the office to schedule a meeting at a time that works for everyone.

Please note that we’re unable to accommodate walk-in meetings, as our schedules are often full throughout the day. Scheduling an appointment helps ensure we can give you our full attention and the time needed to address your concerns thoroughly.

Thank you for helping us keep Whitney a safe and caring place for all students!

Mr. Hunt

Principal

October 22 - Noon Release - Staff Professional Development

October 27 - 31 - Conference week / Noon Release

November 10 - 11 - No School / Veterans Day

Please check out the Events section of ParentSquare to see the most updated information.

We are continuing to refine our morning breakfast procedures to ensure every student has the opportunity to eat if they wish. During conference week, we will be attaching student ID cards to their backpacks to help streamline this process.

Students are not required to take breakfast in the morning, but they will have another chance to enjoy a “Second Chance Breakfast” during or immediately after their first recess. This model allows students who aren’t hungry first thing in the morning, have a long commute, or arrive later to still start their day with a healthy meal.

Please note that each student is eligible for one breakfast per day. Using ID cards in the morning helps our kitchen staff accurately provide one meal per student while keeping the process efficient and fair for everyone.

It's that time of year when our lost and found is filling up with coats, jackets, and sweaters that have been left on the playground. Help us, help you ensure that these items get back to their rightful owner by writting your child's name in the inside of the item with permanent marker.

A few friendly reminders to help keep our school day running smoothly and safely:

• Morning supervision begins at 8:00 a.m. Please do not drop off your child before that time, as staff are not available to supervise early arrivals.
• School starts promptly at 8:45 a.m. To ensure your child arrives to class on time, please plan to drop them off by 8:40 a.m. The gate closes at 8:40 when the bell rings.
• Students may bring snack-sized bags of chips to lunch, but family-sized bags are not allowed.
• Kinder parents: If you wish to park and walk up to pick up your child, please arrive early enough to find parking in the Kinder lot.
• If you are in the pickup line, please remain in your vehicle to help keep traffic flowing.
• For families waiting near the flagpole, please stay on the grass area and avoid crowding the sidewalks. This helps ensure that students can walk safely without stepping into the street.

Halloween is just around the corner. This year at Whitney we will be allowing students to wear costumes All Day on October 31, 2025. Students do not have to wear a costume to school. Costumes need to be school appropriate, no weapons, no masks, no face paint please and clown costumes will not be allowed in the school at all. Teachers may have a celebration if they choose to do so. Teachers may allow for treats to be eaten during their optional celebration but this is not required. If the teacher does not allow for treats to be eaten in their classroom, students may distribute their treats to their classmates to take home. If your child brings treats they must be store bought and individually wrapped. Treats may not include nuts. Treats brought in the morning may be left on the table in the office entry area. Please label them with your child’s name and teacher name and the teacher will pick them up before their celebration. If you do not want your child to participate in any Halloween activities please let their teacher know and we will provide alternate activities for them.

Parents are a child's first and most important teacher. As partners in the educational process, both you and your child's school have something in common: For your child to learn! When you meet with the teacher, you can each share important information about the talents and needs of your student, as well as have meaningful discussion on how your child can continue to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for lifelong success.

What to Expect

As you prepare for your parent-teacher conference, here is what you can expect:

A Two-Way Conversation

Like all good conversations, parent-teacher conferences are best when both people talk and listen. The conference is time to learn about your child's progress in school:

• Ask to see data about your child's attendance, grades, and test scores.
• Find out if your child is meeting school expectations and academic standards.
• Talk with your child's teacher about what your child is like at home.
• Share information about your child's skills, interests, needs, and goals, so you and the teacher can work together to help your student succeed.

Emphasis on Learning

Parent-teacher conferences focus on how well your child is doing in school. They also emphasize how your student can do even better. To prepare for this dialogue:

• Look over your student's homework, tests and notices.
• Bring a list of questions to ask the teacher.

Opportunities and Challenges

Teachers want your child to succeed. It is important to hear positive feedback about your child's progress, as well as be receptive to discussion for areas of improvement.

• Think about your child's strengths and challenges before the conference.
• Be ready to ask questions about ways you and the teacher can help your child with some of his or her challenges.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

We will be having our Book Fair this year during conference week in the Library.

Check out additional information on getting an eWallet set up and preview books from the fair here.

Halloween is right around the corner! Follow our safety tips to ensure this spooky night doesn’t become too scary with an unexpected poisoning.

Be careful with glow sticks. The liquid in glow sticks is generally not toxic, but can cause irritation if swallowed or splashed into the eyes. NEVER put glow sticks in the microwave.

Use dry ice safely:

• Wear gloves and be careful when handling dry ice

• Do not store dry ice in the freezer, and always use it in a well ventilated area

• Swallowing or touching dry ice can cause significant burns and injury

Inspect all candy before eating for signs of tampering or compromised packaging. This includes tears, broken seals, pinholes, or discoloration.

Submitted by Washington Poison Center

Be Here, Win Big!

Whitney is celebrating families of students who show up and shine with raffle prizes the whole family can enjoy - gift cards to your favorite restaurants and shops, board games/family activities, and other cool surprises.

Why:

• Every day that a student is in class means more learning more friends, and more fun!

• Win cool prizes for the whole family.

How to enter:

• Come to school on time everyday

• Miss no more than 1 school day per month

When is the raffle drawing?

• Winners will be drawn on the last school day of every month.

Parents and families:

Help your child get to school on time every day - attendance adds up to success!

Good attendance = better grades + strong habits + more opportunities + more smiles + prizes!

As a PBIS school, we honor our students' great behaviors with PBIS points which they can then cash in for prizes from our Wildcat Store. Students have reported that the store is a big motivator. We would love your support to keep our store stocked with items our students are excited to earn. Please review our Amazon wishlist if you would like to make a donation.

Our Attendance Goal this year is that 85% of Whitney students have less than 18 abscences. Please help us make this goal a reality by bringing your child to school every day! Below is a report of our current attendance data which shows that we are not trending towards our goal of 85%. Please help us make attendance a priority by bringing your students to school every day unless they have a fever of over 100 degrees, vomiting, or diarrhea. Last year we had 69% of our students had less than 18 absences.

Beyond the Bell: Elementary to Middle School: How Families Can Support Attendance at Every Stage

Regular school attendance is key to academic success and personal growth. Whether a child is in elementary or middle school, family and caregiver support makes a big difference. This Beyond the Bell: Family and Caregiver Resource offers age-appropriate steps families can take to help their students stay committed to showing up every day.

Beyond the Bell: Raising Money-Smart Kids: A Family Guide to Financial Literacy

Financial literacy is about helping children build a healthy relationship with money that will serve them for life. Starting early and tailoring lessons to your child’s developmental stage can make learning about money fun, engaging, and meaningful. This Beyond the Bell: Family and Caregiver Resource offers age-appropriate tips families can use to help their children become money-smart.

• Click HERE for English

• Click HERE for Spanish

Click here to check out Whitney Wildcat custom tees, hoodies, and accessories. Don’t forget to use the discount code at checkout. New discount codes are displayed across the top of our apparel page.

Visitors

Please check in at the office if you would like to join your child for lunch.

Volunteers

If you would like to volunteer in your child's class you must have an application on file with the Yakima School District. The application requires a background check. You can pick up a Volunteer applications from the office or attached below.