Whitewood Elementary

We want to wish our students and families a wonderful Thanksgiving break! Enjoy this time with family and friends, and take the opportunity to let your minds and bodies rest.

Congratulations to our November Wrangler's of the Month:

K: Levi

1st: Kadence

2nd: Kohen

3rd: Jenaya

4th: Parker

5th: Donny

To celebrate their hard work, students get Pizza Ranch for lunch with Mr. Porterfield! Way to go Wranglers!

Whitewood Elementary extends a heartfelt thank-you to Nonna’s Kitchen in Spearfish for including our students in their menu contest. Students designed their own appetizer, main course, and dessert. The winning menu will be available at Nonna’s Kitchen December 3rd–7th! We appreciate this wonderful opportunity! Be sure to stop by and try it!

Whitewood Elementary’s 3rd and 5th graders hosted their families for Arcade Night on November 18th! Mr. Porterfield shared a brief overview of Bloxels and how it is used in the STEM classroom. Families then jumped in alongside students to build, design, and create their own games. It was a fun and interactive evening for all!

National Diabetes Month is observed every November to raise awareness about preventing, detecting, and managing diabetes. Lucille was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last year and we are so glad she is a part of our school! Students were asked to wear blue to school on November 19th as we "Stand with Lucille" in her diabetes journey!

So far this year, students have earned 160 books from the vending machine for their hard work and kindness! Way to go!

As the weather gets colder, please be sure to send your child dressed appropriately for outdoor play. Coats, hats, and gloves are a must on chilly days. We also recommend labeling all of your child’s belongings to help prevent mix-ups.

When snow arrives, students may play on the hill only if they are wearing snow pants and are dressed appropriately for the conditions. Thank you for helping keep our students warm and safe!

If school is delayed or cancelled due to bad weather, parents will receive a district-wide message directly to cell phone numbers and emails. Updates will also be shared with local radio, news stations, and on the Whitewood Elementary Facebook page! Follow https://www.facebook.com/WhitewoodElemSchool461official to stay up to date!

We had a special guest at Whitewood Elementary—Alexandra Hanson from Alexandra Hanson Fine Art! Students enjoyed painting pumpkins and perfecting their brush strokes. What a fun and creative experience for our students!

Whitewood Elementary extends our heartfelt gratitude to all Veterans for their service and sacrifice! We also want to give a big thank you to Mrs. Hill for orchestrating yet another outstanding performance this year.

Please join Whitewood Elementary for our Holiday Program on Friday, December 12.

• Preschool–2nd Grade: 6:00 PM in the gym

• 3rd–5th Grade: 7:00 PM in the gym

Mrs. Whitted’s class conducted a “sweet” science experiment using candy corn! Students predicted which liquid—warm water, Sprite, vegetable oil, or vinegar—would dissolve candy corn the fastest. Most students chose Sprite as their winner. However, after performing the experiment, they discovered that warm water actually dissolved the candy corn the quickest!

Mrs. Lisko's class tested different items to see if they would absorb in water or not.

Mrs. Zacher's science lesson was "How far can a whisper travel". Students experimented with making cup telephones. At the end of the lesson, they connected all of their phones together and to their surprise, IT WORKED!

Mrs. Mollman's kinder class had a feast for Friendsgiving! Students gathered their desks together and enjoyed snacks and good conversation with friends.

Mr. Porterfield’s class created a popsicle stick chain reaction! This spring-loaded design was built entirely from popsicle sticks stacked strategically. Students had a blast watching their hard work snap into action!

Each month, we highlight one of our amazing staff members, and this month we are excited to feature Ms. Dena, our wonderful lunch lady!

Ms. Dena has been our master chef in the Whitewood kitchen for three and a half years! She’s always finding fun and creative ways to keep our students excited about eating healthy. We’re grateful for all she does to nourish our students and brighten their days! To get to know Ms. Dena, we asked her a few questions:

Favorite Food? Pizza and mexican

What is your favorite thing about your job at Whitewood Elementary? Interacting with the children!

What fills your free time? Things you enjoy doing? Reading and music

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Africa! And go on a safari

What would be your super power? Animal communication (Ms. Dena has a dachshund named Lucy!)

"The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you" - B.B. King

Student council will be selling hot chocolate after school on December 4th for $1.50! They will also be selling candy canes after school on December 16th! Purchased candy canes will be delivered by student council members to students on Friday, December 19th.

Members sold popcorn and water to students on November 20th! It was a huge success, as they sold out of both! Thank you for your continued support of the Whitewood Elementary Student Council.

The next PTO meeting will be December 1st at 3:10 in the staff lounge. We hope to see you there!!! If your child is a student at Whitewood Elementary they will have free access to the after school program during the meeting.

Whitewood Elementary PTO would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out for Turkey Bingo on November 21st! Your support and participation made the event a wonderful success!

Brit Porterfield, Principal

Email: lexi.ridley@k12.sd.us

Website: https://www.meade.k12.sd.us/whitewood-elementary/
Location: 603 Garfield Street, Whitewood, SD, USA
Phone: 605-269-2264