Whitewood Elementary

As the leaves change and mornings turn chilly, please make sure your child is dressed for the weather. Layers or a light jacket are perfect to keep them warm at the start of the day.

With cold and flu season upon us, please keep your child home from school if:

• They have a fever of 100.0*F or greater
• Students must be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine
• It is recommended that your child stay home with vomiting/diarrhea if it occurs two or more times in 12 hours
• Please notify the school if your child has any known allergies or medical conditions

Parents, we need your help! Please take a few minutes to complete a free/reduced lunch application. Even if you don’t qualify, every application helps our school receive important funding for programs that support all students.

https://www.meade.k12.sd.us/page/freereduced-meals

Congratulations to our September Wrangler's of the Month:

K: Jensen

1st: Harper

2nd: Rosemary

3rd: Colton

4th: Weston

5th: Riley

To celebrate their hard work, students will get Pizza Ranch for lunch October 2nd with Mr. Porterfield! Way to go Wranglers!

Our Breakfast with Grandparents on Monday, September 8th was a huge success! We were thrilled to welcome 85 grandparents who joined their grandchildren for a special morning meal. Thank you to everyone who came and helped make this event so memorable! A special thanks to Mrs. Hill and the choir students for their wonderful serenading!

We had special visitors during Homecoming Week—Sturgis Scooper Homecoming Royalty! 👑 Our students loved singing the school song and learning new cheers from the Royalty. What a fun way to celebrate school spirit! 🎉

The Monument Health Surgery Department, Surgery Center, and Orthopedic Clinic teamed up in a “Battle of the School Supplies” throughout August—and Whitewood Elementary was the lucky recipient! Thanks to their generosity, over 300 items were collected for our students. We are so grateful for their support of our school and community!

Please join us Tuesday, October 7th for our annual Family Night from 5:30-7:00 in the Whitewood Elementary Gym.

5:30-5:55: Light Meal

6:00-7:00: This year we have the Black Hills Raptor Center presenting to our families in the gym. Students will be receiving a free book as they leave for the evening! Free food and free book! Come one come all!!

Mrs. Lisko will be set up in the hall for all the littles. Please accompany your preschool child as they have fun learning!

Join in National Walk to School Day Wednesday, October 8th! This event encourages students, families, and our community to walk or bike to school, promoting healthy activity and community spirit.

A big thank you to the Whitewood 8-10 Club for sponsoring this event and providing crossing guards to help keep everyone safe along the way!

On Thursday, October 9th, Science Steve will be visiting our school! 🎉 We’re so excited to see what fun experiments and amazing science discoveries he has in store for us. 🔬✨To learn more about Science Steve, go to https://www.sdpb.org/learn/sciencesteve.

Changes that directly impact Whitewood Elementary will be discussed at the upcoming school board meeting. We encourage families to attend and stay informed about what’s happening in our school and community. Your presence and involvement make a difference!

📅 Tuesday, October 14th

🕠 5:30 PM
📍 Williams Administrative Building, 1230 Douglas St., Sturgis

Our PTO is hosting the Fall Festival on Friday, October 31st during the school day! Students will enjoy activities like face painting, a musical pumpkin walk, limbo, and so much more!

If you would like to help with the fun, please reach out to the school office or a PTO member. We’d love to have you join us in making this a special day for our students!

This month we are highlighting our trip to Reptile Gardens!

A huge thank you to our amazing PTO for giving students the opportunity to visit Reptile Gardens! 🐍🦎🦜

Kindergarten through 2nd grade enjoyed their trip on Tuesday, September 9th, while 3rd through 5th graders had their adventure on Thursday, September 11th. Students had a wonderful time exploring with snakes, lizards, birds, and so much more—it was a memorable experience for all!

Each month, we highlight one of our amazing staff members, and this month we are excited to feature Ms. Barb, our lunchroom and recess helper!

You’ll find Ms. Barb in the cafeteria every day, helping students with all their lunch needs—whether it’s filling water cups, passing out napkins, ketchup packets, or silverware, she has it all and does it all! When she’s not in the cafeteria, she’s out on the playground, keeping a watchful eye and lending a hand whenever students need support.

Last spring, Ms. Barb broke her leg, and we missed her dearly. We are so happy she is on the mend and back with us at Whitewood Elementary! She greets everyone with a warm smile, and our students love her.

We are so thankful for all that Ms. Barb does for our school and community. To help everyone get to know her better, we asked her a few questions:

Favorite Food? shrimp and pineapple

What is your favorite thing about your job at Whitewood Elementary? Getting hugs from the lil' people. I missed the kiddos smiles :)

What fills your free time? Things you enjoy doing? Volunteer at the Whitewood Library, Sunday School. Dress up and Baking

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Australia, Holland

What would be your super power? TO LOVE ALL KIDS AND DOGS, Kindness, Always have a back- up plan!

"School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside." -Lon Watters

Congratulations to this year’s Student Council members! Candidates shared their speeches with the school, and students cast their votes to elect our new council. We are proud of all who participated and showed great leadership!

3rd Grade - Brighton, Maime, Jenaya

4th Grade - Hannah, Tillie

5th Grade- Lydia, Mason

Student Council will be selling water and popcorn on Thursday, October 2nd after school!

Student Council Bake Sale: Monday, October 20th during Conferences and Thursday, October 23rd during Conferences. Student Council members will have a table set up to sell baked goods!

The next PTO meeting will be October 6th 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.

Please come support the community and school at the Whitewood City Council Meeting, Monday October 20th at 5:30 at City Hall.

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