The Wheatland News

What is "normal"?
Grit

NORMAL

One common question I get asked is whether what a child is doing is considered “normal”. Educators look at student academic growth, behaviors, emotional regulation, etc., based on grade level standards and developmental milestones, not to mention experience in working with children, to guide us and what we expect of students, with the knowledge that not all students meet the same growth and milestones at the same time. However, the majority do, and most can cognitively understand what they have been taught and what is expected. Some need more reminders and repetition than others, and more time to develop some skills, and all students will improve.

As far as what is considered “normal”, contemplate this situation that happens mostly in preschool years before children come to WES. A five-year-old bites a kindergarten classmate. Developmentally, most children learn that this is not acceptable in preschool, but it does happen occasionally in kindergarten. Why? There can be many reasons, but some common ones include not developing self-control yet, so they “communicate” by biting. Other reasons can be sensory overload, feeling threatened, or seeking attention. Although the child being bitten would not appreciate being bitten, the other child may be delayed in their development. This presents a difficult challenge because both sides of that equation are justified in how they feel about the situation. Consider it from the parents' perspective. One parent is upset because their child was bitten, and the other parent has empathy for that child while also knowing that their child is delayed in learning not to bite, and most likely is working on teaching them a replacement behavior, most commonly to use their words.

Below are some links to a variety of websites that have more information about various developmental milestones. I’d encourage you to learn more about them, including the teenage years.

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Psychological Association

Healthychildren.org

Johns Hopkins Medicine

CDC

GRIT

Have you experienced frustration, failures, and had to be resilient? If you’ve lived for very long, I imagine I know your answer. We know that great learning opportunities occur when we experience failure and learn what to do the next time. We experience struggles and have to demonstrate determination. We know that these skills are vital for success. According to Dr. David Bredehoft, being a model of grit is key for your child to develop it. He emphasizes praising effort rather than a grade and allowing them to solve small problems because that will help them solve more complex problems, too. In Dr. Bredehoft’s article entitled “11 Commonsense Ways to Raise Gritty Children”, you can read more on the topic of grit on the Psychology Today website!

Jan 2 - No School (Professional Learning Day)

Jan 5 - No School (Professional Learning Day)

Jan 6 - School resumes

Jan 6 - Quarter 2 Report Cards available to view in PowerSchool

Jan 12 - PTO Giveback Night at McAlister's, 5:00-9:00pm

Jan 12 - BOE Meeting, 6:30pm at District Office

Jan 13 - PTO Meeting, 7:00pm in the WES library

Jan 14 - WES Chess (Winter Learning Session), 3:45-4:30pm in the WES library

Jan 19 - No School (MLK, Jr. Day)

Jan 21 - WES Spelling Bee, 9:00am in the WES library

Jan 21 - 4th Gr. StuCo Meeting, 3:45-4:30pm in the WES library

Jan 27 - 2nd Gr. Music Concert, 6:00pm at Andover High School (call time 5:45pm)

Jan 27 - 3rd Gr. Music Concert, 7:00pm at Andover High School (call time 6:45pm)

Jan 28 - 4th Gr. Symphony Field Trip

Jan 28 - WES Chess (Winter Learning Session), 3:45-4:30pm in the WES library

Jan 30 - 4th Gr. Famous Kansas Museum, 9-9:45am & 1-1:45pm

Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a fun, safe, and restful winter break. As we welcome in 2026 I can’t help but to reflect on the many blessings. I’m so fortunate to work with your children and I’m thankful every day for the support I see from you, the teachers, and the whole Wheatland staff to make sure students feel heard, loved and safe. As this new year begins, I want to encourage you to continue to be hopeful. Hope dampens the anxiety circuits in the brain, and when you feel less anxious, your brain function improves. There are lots of studies you can read about how hope leads to improved brain health. Here’s just one article about the benefits of experiencing hope. Additionally, many of us will be thinking about setting some goals for ourselves in the new year. Here’s a helpful article about setting successful goals that you might enjoy.

In counseling class this month we will focus on respect as our monthly theme. We’ll also continue Safer, Smarter Kids lessons.

We have a closet full of new and gently used winter coats, gloves and hats. If your child needs a warm winter coat, or if you know of a child in need, please email me at raineyh@usd385.org and I’ll be happy to assist. If you have a coat you’d like to donate, I’m happy to add it to our stock.

Book recommendation for January: UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World by Michele Borba, Ed.D.

Thank you all for your help with our drive for Wichita Children's Home. STUCO took a field trip and delivered the items during their last meeting. They learned about how WCH helps kids from the area.

This month, STUCO members will be working on creating handmade stickers and cards for the Board of Education and working on a kindness project.

Meeting Date: 4th Grade members only - January 21st

First Student, which provides the district’s transportation service, has rolled out a new, improved FirstView App. This new app will allow enhanced, real-time tracking capabilities for all transportation services. If you have the FirstView Classic app on your phone, please delete it and download the FirstView 1.0 app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. You will need to use code D5F5F to access Andover’s information. If you have Transportation issues you can call First Student at (316) 247-1926.

Reporting Absences

If your student will be absent for any reason, you must notify the WES Office. Please email Claire at pruettc@usd385.org or call the office at (316) 218-4820 to report any absence. Simply notifying your student's teacher does not mean the message is received in the office and your student may be marked incorrectly. If your student will be absent for 4 or more days in a row, you must fill out a Pre-Planned Extended Absence Form and return it to your child's teacher.

Changes in Dismissal/Signing Out

If you need to make a change to your child's method of transportation after school, you must notify the office no later than 3:00PM. If possible, please try to keep changes to a minimum. Frequent changes cause confusion for students. If the office has not received notification of a change, your child will be sent home via the method they usually take. Additionally, if you are signing out your child at the end of the day, please do not pick up your student after 3:15PM if at all possible.