Dolphin Digest

Dolphin Pod,

Welcome to another great week in the Dolphin Pod! 🐬💙💚

We had a short week, but packed it full with our Little Dreamers preschool story time, a preschool leaf hunt (pictured below), 4th grade Wax Museum (pictured below), Bus 8 earned a dance party for good behavior, our 2nd graders finished up testing, and we showcased all of the hard work our students have been doing with visitors from our school district office on Friday.

We are so proud of our students for meeting our schoolwide WIGs (Wildly Important Goals) in both ELA and math! 🎉 To celebrate their hard work, we will enjoy a schoolwide Sharpen the Saw Day! As part of Leader in Me, Habit 7 reminds us to take care of ourselves by renewing our heart, mind, and body. ❤️🧠💪 Students will participate in fun activities designed to help them recharge, stay active, and grow in different ways! Ask your kiddo how they sharpened their saw and what they did to exercise their heart, mind, and body!

Looking ahead, Red Ribbon Week is coming soon, along with Field Day on Friday, October 30! We have lots of fun ahead, and we can’t wait to keep learning, growing, and celebrating together!

Once a Dolphin, always a Dolphin! 🐬

Mrs. Kimberly Robson

Principal

Monday, October 19

• National School Bus Safety Week

• Good News Club 2:20-3:45

• Girls with GRIT 2:45-4:00

Tuesday, October 20

• National School Bus Safety Week

• Clemson Univ Nursing Students Present to 1st Graders 8:15am in Cafeteria

• Running club before school

Wednesday, October 21

• National School Bus Safety Week

• Archery after school

• America Reads Tutoring after school

Thursday, October 22

• National School Bus Safety Week

• Teacher Pathway students visit (CTC)-9:30-10:15 &1:30-2:25

• Fundraiser Kick-off Assemblies

• Running Club before school

• Boys with GRIT after school

• West End Singers before school

• Festival Choir after school

• Art Club after school

Friday, October 23

• National School Bus Safety Week

• Red Ribbon Week-October 23-31st

• Third Grade Field Trip to Zoo

Save the date for Tuesday, October 27th as our 2nd and 3rd graders are going to perform "Disney- The Movies and the Music" for you! This will take place at Easley High School at 6:00pm. Doors will open for seating inside the auditorium no earlier than 5:30pm.

Red Ribbon Week is coming soon- October 26-30th! Check out the daily focus and special themes as we celebrate being drug free and making healthy choices.

Here is your chance to give money to help with breast cancer research! On Friday, October 30th, your child will be able to purchase items from the list below and all proceeds go directly to breast cancer research:

• Autograph the pink EPD police car- $5
• Special pink EPD sticker- $5
• Special pink EPD patch- $15

⏱ West End Elementary School PTA , our fundraiser starts in 5 days! Students should get a head start by registering at ShopFund.com using Group Code: W88A8 to participate. Add at least 10 family & friends as contacts to unlock the Spin-to-Win game for a chance to win from over $125,000 in nationwide prize giveaways. Stay tuned for launch day! 🎉

Please plan to join us at either 12:00pm or 6:00pm on Thursday, November 5th for some pizza and a session all about raising responsible kids! We will be partnering with Carolina Family Services to offer this parent workshop free of charge with food and fun! Both sessions are the same, just return your form indicating which session you will attend. We will also have a question/answer time at the end of the session for families to ask any school related questions. We hope to see you there!

Do you have a preschooler aged zero to four years? If so, we would like to invite you to bring him or her to our interactive story time each month here at West End. The remaining dates for the first semester are: November 12 and December 10. Please click on the link below to register your child to attend.

We are excited to offer our families a Title I Sponsored Parent Resource Center filled with educational materials that families can request to use at home! These resources are designed to provide extra practice and support your child’s learning outside of school. If your child could use a little extra practice with reading, math, or another skill, we may have a resource that can help! ❤️

👉 Just submit the Parent Resource Center request form below at any time to let us know what you need, and we’ll get the resources ready for you!

For questions or assistance, contact Mrs. Kela Simpson, Title I Curriculum Specialist at (864) 397-2520 or kelasimpson@pickens.k12.sc.us.

Family engagement plays a vital role in student success, and we'd love to have you involved at West End Elementary!

Becoming a school volunteer is simple. Just complete the five-step volunteer verification process, including the required online training, to be approved for the school year.

Click below to read the requirements and complete your volunteer training online today! We can't wait to partner with you to make this an amazing year for our Dolphins!

This graphic shows how West End Elementary parents can help their kids practice "Begin with the End in Mind" at home. You can build excitement around goal-setting together by creating fun visual goal charts, dream boards, or writing out a family vision statement. Help your child tackle big goals by breaking them down into small daily steps, reviewing their progress often, and celebrating every win along the way!

This guide shows parents how "Change Starts With Me" by modeling positive habits so children can grow into confident, caring leaders. Families are encouraged to practice active listening, share daily quality time, and set up cozy study spaces with fun, age-appropriate chores. By joining in on school activities and workshops, parents can partner with West End Elementary to make a lasting, positive impact together!

Carolina Family Services is on-site at West End Elementary to provide student, parent, or family counseling. These services are provided to you free of charge, please reach out to our licensed therapist, Ms. Kori Watt at kori.watt@carolinafamily.org.

Did you know that West End has a licensed mental health counselor on-site?

A licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) provides assessment, counseling, and treatment to help individuals improve their mental health and emotional well-being. To contact her, please email Korri Watt at korri.watt@carolinafamily.org or call her at (864)397-2518.

Did you know that West End is a proud partner with the Pickens County YMCA Mentor program? Together, we work to match students at our school with a positive, caring adult, who can provide extra one-on-one support that is extremely valuable. Here is the thing- we need more mentors!

Please consider joining us! www.pcymca.net/mentor

YMCA Mentor Training Schedule

Ryan Smith, Mentor Director

ryansmith@pcymca.net

YMCA of Easley, Pickens & Powdersville

200 Frank Parrot

Easley, SC 29640
864.307.0213

www.theYMCA.us

West End Families, We value your input and feedback and consider it as we make decisions here at West End. Please feel free to give us your feedback on anything related to our school in the form below. You are also welcome to submit questions here. Please give us 24-48 hours to respond to all questions. Thank you for your time and ideas! We appreciate you and you are an important part of the DOLPHIN POD!