Weekly Hoots

Wise Owls Family 🦉

As we enter the final month of the school year, I find myself reflecting on what an incredible journey this has been. It has been a true honor to serve this school community and to partner with you in supporting our students. As many of you know, this will be my final month as principal, which makes these last few weeks even more meaningful to me.

While there is a sense of excitement about what lies ahead, there is still so much important work to be done. Our students continue to learn, grow, and achieve each day, and it is important that we all stay focused and committed through the very end of the school year.

I ask for your continued support in helping us finish strong by:

• Making sure your child attends school each day and arrives on time
• Encouraging consistent effort and a positive attitude toward learning
• Staying informed about assignments, events, and end-of-year activities
• Taking time to celebrate your child’s growth and accomplishments

Your involvement has always been a key part of our success, and that remains just as true now. I also encourage you to stay connected by attending upcoming events and reaching out to our school team whenever needed.

Serving as your principal has been one of the greatest privileges. I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me and for the strong partnership we have built together. I will carry these memories with me, and I am confident that this school will continue to thrive in the years ahead.

Let’s make this final month together one to remember—for our students and for our entire school community.

With pride and appreciation,

Dr. Gantt

Principal at the most Amazing School on Earth!

#FirstThingsFirst!

Working in education can be difficult to say the least; however, we have an AMAZING staff who truly loves what they do! Please use this form to shout-out a WES staff member. Our goal will be to share on our Social Media page to encourage our staff for the aWESome work they do!

Mrs. Gorski is the best! Being new to her class this year, I can truly see why she was named Teacher of the Year last year. After having Ms. Cafeo, who set the bar so high, I’m happy to say I have not been disappointed this year.

We absolutely love Mrs. Gorski. She keeps us well informed about everything going on in the classroom and is always quick to respond when I have questions. My son loves her, and having a teacher who makes him feel good about going to school means everything. I can’t thank her enough for that.

Every time I see her, she has a smile on her face and genuinely looks like she loves what she does and that makes all the difference.

This teacher makes a big impact during morning drop-off. When I bring my son to school, we always hope she’s the one helping him out of the car. She consistently has a warm, welcoming attitude and genuinely looks happy to be there, which sets such a positive tone for the day.

It really makes a difference. You can’t expect a child to feel excited about school if the person greeting them doesn’t seem like they want to be there but she always does. That kind of energy first thing in the morning goes a long way, and it does not go unnoticed.

Despite managing an unusually large caseload, Debbie consistently goes above and beyond to ensure every student feels supported, challenged, and valued. Her ability to balance instructional demands with individualized attention is remarkable. She not only meets students where they are linguistically and academically, but actively creates opportunities for them to grow more confident.

Our mission is to cultivate a caring community that utilizes a multitude of teaching and learning experiences to prepare children for their next adventure.

1. We believe that everyone deserves to feel safe, valued, and appreciated.
2. We believe that all children deserve a high quality education.
3. We believe in collaboration and making connections.

Staying Safe

Owning Your Actions

Acting Responsibly

Respecting Everyone & Everything

“South Carolina Compulsory Attendance Law requires that a parent or guardian shall require his child to attend regularly a public or private school or kindergarten of this State which has been approved by the State Board of Education, a member school of the South Carolina Independent Schools and Association, a member school of the South Carolina Association of Christian Schools, or some similar organization, or a parochial, denominational, or church-related school, or other programs which have been approved by the State Board of Education f rom the school year in which the child is five years of age before September first until the child attains his seventeenth birthday or graduates from high school.”

The iReady Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your student's needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. The purpose of iReady is to determine how our students have grown during the year. Our Kindergarteners - 5th Graders will participate in iReady End of the Year Testing on

• Tuesday April 21st & Wednesday April 22nd (K-2nd Reading)
• Tuesday April 28th & Wednesday April 29th (K-2nd Math)

Please find some iReady Family Resources linked below.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If your child is not currently enrolled in a Berkeley County School, please note that you should complete the New Student Registration form.

Welcome back BCSD families! To ensure a smooth start for the upcoming school year, Berkeley County School District requires all parents/legal guardians of returning students to complete an Online Returning Student Registration through the PowerSchool Parent Portal.

• This mandatory process includes providing two proofs of residency and is essential for reviewing and updating contact information, submitting required annual forms, and providing transportation details.

• Families needing assistance with creating a PowerSchool Parent Portal account or have forgotten their username or password, should contact your student’s school.

• For those without internet access or unable to register online, please contact the school to arrange a date and time to complete the registration at the school using a district device.

  
  

To get started, parents/legal guardians with a Parent Portal account can access the Returning Student Registration by clicking the POWERSCHOOL PARENT PORTAL button below. For more information about PowerSchool Parent Portal, please visit our Parent Portal Resources page.

• Enrolled BCSD students who will complete the 2025-2026 school year and plan to return to the same school within BCSD for the 2026-2027 school year.

• Students moving from primary to elementary, elementary to middle, or middle to high within the same school zone.

• Currently enrolled in Pre-K4 (CERDEP) in BCSD and remaining in the same school.

• Students moving to a new school due to BCSD updated attendance lines.

The purpose of our Monday Morning Parliament is to come together as ONE school and to share celebrations, reminders, and to showcase how aWESome we really are! #FirstThingFirst

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Reading

Reading

Writing

Math

Math

Science

WES Multi-Purpose Room

tba

WES Basketball Court

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Volunteers Needed

Reach out to Coach Felkel (felkeld@bcsdschools.net)

Volunteers Needed

Reach out to Coach Felkel (felkeld@bcsdschools.net)

Reach out to your child's teacher

Kindergarten - 7:45 - 9:00a.m.

3rd Grade - 9:15 - 10:15a.m.

WES Multi-Purpose Room

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

2nd Grade - 7:45 - 8:45 a.m.

1st Grade - 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

4th Grade - 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.

Show your school spirit and support our students by grabbing your WES Car Magnet! Every purchase helps fund exciting programs and activities, enriching your child's school experience. Plus, you are showcasing your WES pride in your community. Join us in making a difference—buy now and roll with school pride!

Car Magnets cost $5.

Tuesday, May 26th - 5th Grade End of Year Celebration

VantageSpeech.com

843-790-4093

Vantage Speech is a licensed speech-language therapy company located in Moncks Corner, Summerville, and Port Royal, South Carolina. We provide Clinic & home-based comprehensive speech and language evaluations, therapy, and consultations. Vantage Speech was founded to provide in-depth personalized services while building quality relationships with clients and their families. Services are throughout the greater area of Charleston & Beaufort, which includes Berkeley, Dorchester, Charleston, Beaufort & Jasper counties.

yourscagent.com

843-879-0349

Sarah's agency, Sarah Modesitt State Farm, offers a range of insurance products including auto, home, business, life, and health insurance. They also provide quality financial services to assist customers in protecting what matters most to them throughout their lives. Sarah and her team are dedicated to genuinely educating their customers about their insurance needs and ensuring they feel protected.

GCGROUP.COM

843-970-1970

Since 2013, The Gasperic & Collins Group (Formerly The Gasperic Group) has been a top-producing realty in Charleston and its surrounding South Carolina communities. For us, client bonds matter more than anything. That means working with us means you’ll always be informed, supported, and heard.

charlestonswaglab.com

843-771-6080

We are a full service advertising specialties company offering a wide range of promotional items to promote your company.

We can assist your marketing objectives with these quality programs:

• Corporate recognition programs
• Premiums and Incentives Sales
• Trade Show Programs
• Safety Programs
• Service Awards
• Employee Recognition

• Product Introductions
• Business Gifts
• Sport Tournaments
• Company Outings
• Thank you programs
• E-Commerce Services: online stores and fulfillment services

Students at WES will receive school breakfast and school lunch at no cost to the student during 2025-26 school year, under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The Community Eligibility Provision is a federally funded initiative, which serves schools with high percentages of students from low-income families. The program was established in 2010 and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If a negative balance exists on a student's account from previous school years, the balance will need to be paid in full.

Breakfast and lunch will be served on every day. If your student wants to eat breakfast at school, they should arrive to school between 6:50 a.m. - 7:18 a.m. Breakfast will no longer be served after 7:45 a.m.

• Our school's website is found at https://www.bcsdschools.net/o/wes
• WES Facebook page is Whitesville Elementary School Wise Owls
• The Weekly Hoots newsletter will be emailed & texted to families every Sunday evening. Please be sure to have your updated information in PowerSchool.
• Our PTO's website is wiseowlspto.com.
• Our PTO's Facebook page is Whitesville Wise Owls PTO.
• Schoology: Teachers will update their grades weekly.
• Rooms: Our two-way form of communication at WES. Every teacher at WES will use Rooms as a tool for communication.