Southside Chit-Chat

Welcome 2025-26! We had a great first day with an opportunity to take a first day picture with the Monster Truck, and we also had our older students help launch the new year with our younger students with a butterfly release! This is the first edition of the 2025-26 Southside Chit-Chat. Our goal is to publish at the beginning of each month. Each edition will have a link to items such as the breakfast and lunch menu and other helpful links (please see end of the newsletter for menus).

• Bethany Noble, Title I Teacher.
• Katie Padgett, moved from Title I to 1st Grade Teacher.
• Carol Johnston, returns to Southside as a 1st grade Para-educator.
• Amanda Lonzi is our new At-Risk Para-Educator.
• Lisa Leyva is our new Associate Custodian.

Southside Summer Reading logs are due on Friday, August 29. Last year was a big year as Southside not only won their division for summer reading for the WAEMSP (Wyoming Association of Elementary and Middle School Principals), they also won the Governor's Challenge. Let's do it again! Turn those reading logs in!! Students need to turn in logs to participate in the annual water wars with the staff!

During the course of this year, our staff and students will focus on the 8 Keys of Excellence. For the months of August/September our focus is on INTEGRITY! On September 1 our classroom buddies (partnerships between upper grades and lower grades) met and worked through the definition of Integrity. We also illustrate this point by holding one hand up and saying, "These are the values we hold as important such as kindness and friendship."

Then we hold up the other hand and say, "This is how we behave." (...even when no one is watching...)

When our behavior matches those positive qualities that we want to be known by, that's when we have integrity.

This is a great time for our older students to mentor our younger students! Future topics under the 8 Keys of Excellence will be: Failure Leads to Success, Speak with Good Purpose, This is it! (Make the most of every moment!), Commitment, Ownership, Flexibility, and Balance.

WYTOPP INTERIM ASSESSMENT for GRADES 3-5 Schedule

Grades 3-5 will be taking their first interim WYTOPP test during the month of September. To be the most successful on this assessment good attendance by our students is very important. Here is the WYTOPP Schedule:

• 5th Grade -- September 9th -11th
  
• 4th Grade -- September 15 &18
• 3rd Grade -- September 22 & 24

This interim test is valuable in providing our teachers with growth data for the end of year summative assessment. Attendance, rest, and excellent nutrition is vital for students to do their best! Let's SHINE on the WYTOPP!

We understand that the cost of student breakfasts and lunches can be a significant monthly expense for families. To help, we ask that all parents complete the Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Application.

If you have not yet completed this application, please call 764-6183 and ask for Mrs. Allen for assistance.

Completing this application is very important—not only does it support families, but it also helps our school continue receiving Title I funding, a vital resource for our academic intervention programs. These programs provide support for all learners, including access to computer-based learning tools, one-on-one instruction, and small group interventions.

Because Southside Elementary School qualifies as a Schoolwide Title I School, we are able to offer these valuable academic supports to all students.

Staff and students have been discussing safety including fire drills, evacuation drills, and even things as simple as lining up and walking down the right side of the hallway. We have already had one Fire Drill and individual classrooms have practiced different ways to evacuate the classroom and the building. High praise to all of the adults in our building for keeping safety a #1 Priority!

Heely shoes—or any shoes with wheels—should be kept at home. These types of shoes are unsafe in our school environment due to the variety of flooring, the speed students can reach, and the difficulty of seeing around corners.

We also want to be especially mindful of our younger students and ensure a safe environment for everyone. While Heelys may be a very “cool” shoe, they are not safe for school use.

Thank you for helping us keep our school safe!

All visitors are required to check in at the security kiosk located at the front entrance. To do so, you will need to present a valid driver’s license.

Our office staff is required to ask every visitor to check in through this system. The kiosk quickly scans each ID against national databases to help ensure that individuals who may pose a safety risk do not gain access to our students.

For the safety of everyone on campus, please remember to bring your driver’s license each time you visit our school.