The Wildcat Word

Whitney Families,

We strongly recommend that all students read over break. Reading stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world. It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. We cannot stress enough the importance of reading for the developmental growth of our kids!

Our teachers are doing an amazing job of building our kids' stamina to engage in becoming resilient readers. But, just like exercising our muscles, we need to exercise our brain. If we skip 10 days of working out, then working out for the first time in 11 days will be very challenging! Please help your child over break with daily brain exercises by reading with and/or having them read over break. Reading is a great workout!!

We will begin benchmark testing as soon as we return from break. This will be an opportunity to see the growth in our students from fall to winter. Watch for information to come home toward the end of January.

Mr. Hunt

Principal

December 22nd - January 2nd - Winter Break - No School

January 5th - Classes Resume

January 12th - Breakfast After the Bell changes (see below)

January 19th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

January 28th -Noon Release - Staff Professional Development

Please check out the Events section of ParentSquare to see the most updated information.

Our lost and found is becoming increasingly full, particularly with coats. We kindly ask that you ensure your child’s name is clearly labeled on their coat so we can return it promptly if it is misplaced. Families are welcome to stop by the office after school to check for missing items.

Traditionally, any unclaimed coats without names are donated in the spring. This year, due to the volume we will be donating them at the end of each month starting at the end of January.

Due to the low number on breakfast in the morning we will be pivoting back to having Breakfast After the Bell starting on January 12, 2026. This change means that breakfast will no longer be offered in the cafeteria between 8:00 and 8:45. Instead Breakfast will be served in the classroom between 8:45 and 9:00.

Details

• Gates will still open at 8:00am with supervision by a staff member.

• Students may go into the cafeteria between 8:00 and 8:15am.
• At 8:15am all students will go out to the playground.
• We still do not have anyone opening car doors until 8:15am.
• Breakfast will be given out in class after the bell at 8:45am.

As we head into Winter Break and find ourselves indoors more often, I thought it would be a good time to share some tips and recommendations for internet safety. Most school aged children can navigate the internet and technology better than many adults, however it is still important to teach them the dangers that lurk in the virtual world:

• As a parent, educate yourself on the websites that your child is visiting. Set-up privacy settings on their accounts. Most social media websites have an age limit, as parents we need to enforce those rules at home.

• Teach your child about posting on sites or through online messaging. Remind them that deleting a post does not mean it is permanently gone. All their online posts, comments, likes, and shares are a part of their digital footprint.

• Know who your child is talking to online. Advise your child never to approve friend requests or add people that they don’t know in real life. Be sure they know never to meet anyone in person that they have met online.

• Look into setting parental controls on your child devices or gaming systems that may alert you to their online activity.

• As a parent, please know there are research studies that have observed a relationship between social media use and anxiety in kids. Please see this article for more information: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/what-parents-need-to-know-about-social-media-and-anxiety

• Set up rules with your child and inform them of your expectations when they are using the internet or social media. Some basic rules are; setting time limits, do not share passwords with friends, do not participate in bullying behavior, remind them to alert you to any questionable online behavior, etc.

-Mrs. Padilla

Keep your days merry, bright, & healthy

The holidays are a wonderful time of year. But, they also create opportunities for poisonings and toxic exposures—especially in children. The Washington Poison Center offers these helpful tips to keep your days merry, bright, and healthy.

* Make sure all gifts, even if wrapped, are safe for children. Watch for button batteries, the small cylindrical batteries found in watches, hearing aids, and keychain flashlights. If swallowed, button batteries can cause burns, internal bleeding, swelling of the airway, and even death.

* Monitor holiday lights when children are present. Children are drawn towards sparkling lights, and have a tendency to put lights in their mouths. Be extra careful with bubble lights, as the liquid can cause burns, irritation, and carbon monoxide exposure.

* Place mistletoe and holly berries up high and out of reach. The toxins in mistletoe and holly berries may lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Call the poison center at 1(800) 222-1222 if holly berries or mistletoe are ingested.

* Keep open alcoholic beverages and cannabis (marijuana) out of the reach of children. Alcohol and cannabis can have strong effects on a child, even in small amounts. Clean up leftover alcoholic beverages immediately. Always store alcohol and cannabis out of sight and reach of children, preferably locked up.

* If you are traveling, keep prescription and over-the-counter medicines in child-resistant containers, not plastic zip lock bags or pill keepers. Keep these containers out of sight and out of reach of children.

* Contrary to popular folklore, poinsettias are not poisonous. Ingestion may irritate the mouth, stomach, or skin, but will likely not cause severe symptoms.

* Wash hands and sanitize often, but keep cleaners and sanitizing products (including hand sanitizer) out of reach and out of sight of any small children.

* Keep pets safe from holiday hazards, as well. If you think a pet has ingested something potentially toxic, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

When to Keep Your Child Home

We've had a lot of students out sick lately. Here are some materials from the Yakima Health District that may help you in determining whether to keep your child home or bring them to school:

When to Keep Your Child Home English

When to Keep Your Child Home Spanish

On November 18, 2025, the Yakima School District Board of Directors adopted Resolution No. 04.25.26, placing a bond measure on the April 28, 2026 Special Election ballot.

Click here for more factual information contained in the Board-adopted resolution and supporting financial documents.

Proposition No. 1 – Yakima School District No. 7
General Obligation Bonds – $200,000,000

The Board of Directors of Yakima School District No. 7 adopted Resolution No. 04.25.26 approving a proposition for bonds. This proposition would authorize the District to rebuild and refurnish Hoover and Garfield Elementary Schools; modernize buildings, upgrade District facilities for energy efficiency and replace roofs and, make improvements and additions to athletic facilities and playgrounds throughout the District, and make other capital improvements; to issue $200,000,000 of general obligation bonds maturing within a maximum of 20 years, and to collect excess property taxes annually to repay the bonds, as provided in Resolution No. 04.25.26.

Be Here, Win Big!

Whitney is celebrating families of students who show up and shine with raffle prizes the whole family can enjoy - gift cards to your favorite restaurants and shops, board games/family activities, and other cool surprises.

Why:

• Every day that a student is in class means more learning more friends, and more fun!

• Win cool prizes for the whole family.

How to enter:

• Come to school on time everyday

• Miss no more than 1 school day per month

When is the raffle drawing?

• Winners will be drawn on the last school day of every month.

Parents and families:

Help your child get to school on time every day - attendance adds up to success!

Good attendance = better grades + strong habits + more opportunities + more smiles + prizes!

As a PBIS school, we honor our students' great behaviors with PBIS points which they can then cash in for prizes from our Wildcat Store. Students have reported that the store is a big motivator. We would love your support to keep our store stocked with items our students are excited to earn. Please review our Amazon wishlist if you would like to make a donation.

Our Attendance Goal this year is that 85% of Whitney students have less than 18 abscences. Please help us make this goal a reality by bringing your child to school every day! Below is a report of our current attendance data which shows that we are not trending towards our goal of 85%. Please help us make attendance a priority by bringing your students to school every day unless they have a fever of over 100 degrees, vomiting, or diarrhea. Last year we had 69% of our students had less than 18 absences.

In today’s digital world, screens are everywhere—from tablets and smart phones to laptops and gaming consoles. But not all screen time is created equal. This Beyond the Bell: Family and Caregiver Resource offers strategies families can use to encourage responsible use of electronic devices for their child.

• Click HERE for English

• Click HERE for Spanish

Click here to check out Whitney Wildcat custom tees, hoodies, and accessories. Don’t forget to use the discount code at checkout. New discount codes are displayed across the top of our apparel page.

Visitors

Please check in at the office if you would like to join your child for lunch.

Volunteers

If you would like to volunteer in your child's class you must have an application on file with the Yakima School District. The application requires a background check. You can pick up a Volunteer applications from the office or attached below.