Whitewood Elementary

Congratulations to our February Wrangler's of the Month:

K: Kydon

1st: George

2nd: Eli

3rd: Khaleesi

4th: Hannah

5th: Kenzie

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

To celebrate the 100th day of school on February 5th, our students aged very gracefully overnight! Classrooms were filled with “100-year-olds” sporting gray hair, glasses, suspenders, pearls, shawls, and canes as students dressed up to look 100 years older and 100 days wiser.

As part of our 100th day of school celebration, students took part in a school-wide scavenger hunt that had everyone searching high and low. 99 pictures of Mr. Porterfield + 1 lucky picture of Mr. Bruce were hidden throughout the building for students to find as they traveled to and from their classrooms. A prize was awarded to Weston for spotting Mr. Bruce’s picture, which was sneakily hidden on the bottom of Mr. Porterfield’s coffee cup!

We had a wonderful week celebrating HEART WEEK February 2-6, filling our school with learning and heart-healthy fun.

Monday kicked things off with a special presentation from George and Mrs. Lisko. Students learned what Heart Week is all about and heard George’s story. He shared about his heart journey, including showing his scar from multiple heart surgeries.

Tuesday, our Student Council hosted a heart bag sale after school and raised $200 to be donated to Heart Heroes.

Wednesday had students rotating through heart stations, getting their bodies moving and their hearts pumping with fun exercises!

Thursday brought perfect weather for a refreshing walk outside—keeping both hearts and minds happy and healthy.

Throughout the week, students also participated in a Heart Week coloring contest. Congratulations to Jordan (2nd grade) and Riley (5th grade) for their winning entries!

We wrapped up the week on Friday with the entire school wearing RED for George. We are so thankful George is part of our school, and we loved celebrating him and his incredibly special heart.

We would like to send a huge thank you to our very own Sturgis Brown High School Science Club for putting on an exciting science experiment presentation for our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students!

Our students were amazed by the hands-on experiments, engaging demonstrations, and the enthusiasm the high school students brought with them. It’s always so special to see our older students inspiring the next generation of scientists right here in our own community.

Thank you for sharing your time, knowledge, and love of science with us—we appreciate you!

Thank you to all the parents and guardians who attended parent teacher conferences! Your time, support, and partnership make a tremendous difference in your child’s education. We appreciate the opportunity to connect, share progress, and work together to help our students grow and succeed.

-From the staff at Whitewood Elementary

Congratulations to Mrs. Hill's 5th grade choir members who competed in the Solo & Ensemble Contest at Stagebarn Middle School! Our talented students earned a SUPERIOR RATING—the highest rating possible!!

A special thank you to Joanne Baer for accompanying our students—your time and talent do not go unnoticed. We appreciate you!

Family Night is coming up at the end of March, and we’re excited to announce a special presentation by the Black Hills Raptor Center! To check out the Black Hills Raptor Center and the work that they do, go to: https://www.blackhillsraptorcenter.org/

An RSVP form will be sent home with students in the coming weeks—please keep an eye out for it in your child's backpack.

Is your little one ready for their preschool or kindergarten journey? We’d love to meet them!

Preschool and kindergarten screening for the 2026–2027 school year is coming up!

Thursday, March 26 | 3:00–5:30 PM

Friday, March 27 | 8:00 AM–12:00 PM

Each screening time slot is 30 minutes.

Call the school at 605-269-2264 to sign your child up today!

A special thank you to hygienist Becca Fulton for visiting our preschool, first, and third grade students to share important information about dental health! Students learned about proper brushing and flossing techniques, healthy habits that keep smiles bright, and why regular dental checkups are so important.

Thank you to hygienist Natalie Williamson for visiting our kindergarten class and teaching students all about oral health! Our young learners had a wonderful time learning how to properly brush, floss, and take care of their teeth. Thank you for making dental health education fun and engaging!

A special thank you to the Whitewood Library for hosting Whitewood Elementary’s 4th graders for an engaging presentation by Mike Runge, Deadwood City Archivist, and Trevor Santochi, Geologist. Students listened and learned about rocks and fossils found right here in the Black Hills!

Mrs. Wood's class has been busy warming hearts through a special project called Postage Pals at the Whitewood Public Library. Students took time to write thoughtful letters to senior citizens at an assisted living in Spearfish, sharing kind words, stories about their school days, and messages of encouragement. Through Postage Pals, our 5th graders learn that a simple letter can go a long way in making someone feel valued and remembered. We are proud of their kindness and care for others!

Mrs. Zacher's class put their engineering skills to the test with a sweet (and slightly competitive!) challenge—building heart candy catapults using only spoons, rubber bands, and popsicle sticks. With a limited set of materials and big ideas, students worked in teams to design, build, test, and improve their catapults. This hands-on activity was the perfect mix of learning and fun, proving that science and engineering can be both challenging and sweet.

Our kindergarten students have been busy thinking like engineers in STEM class!

Using Magna-Tiles, students took on the exciting challenge of engineering the tallest tower they could build. The class designed, built, tested, and improved their creations as they worked toward reaching for the sky! Along the way, students discovered the importance of a strong foundation and balanced shapes. When towers toppled, they didn’t give up — they adjusted their designs and tried again. Through teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving, our young engineers showed great perseverance and excitement for learning.

Mrs. Herweh is working with our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students who would like to participate in the America's Field Trip Contest this March! This nationwide contest is open to students in grades 3 through 12 and encourages them to share their perspectives and creativity. It’s an exciting opportunity for our students to showcase their talents on a national level! Prizes include a paid trip to a historical site and $500 cash — what an incredible experience!

A special thank you to Mrs. Herweh for supporting and encouraging our students as they take on this amazing opportunity. Good luck to all who participate!

This month we highlight Mrs. Hillary Hill. Mrs. Hill began teaching music at Whitewood Elementary three years ago and has been making a joyful impact ever since. Students know her as one of the friendly, welcoming faces always greeting them in the hallways with a smile. Her classroom is filled with energy, encouragement, and plenty of music-making fun!

Mrs. Hill and her husband, Bob, call Whitewood home. Together they have two daughters, Grace and Addison. Grace is currently attending college in Sioux City, Iowa, and Addison attends Sturgis Brown High School. Their household also includes two dogs, Wrigley and Winnie, and two bunnies, Theo and Diggs.

In addition to teaching music and choir at Whitewood Elementary, Mrs. Hill also teaches at Sturgis Williams Middle School and Stagebarn Middle School, and she directs drama at Sturgis Brown High School. We are so fortunate to have someone with her talent, dedication, and school pride sharing her love of music with our students each day!

To get to know Mrs. Hill a little better, we asked her a few questions:

Favorite Food? I really like Mexican food, Italian food, and sushi

What is your favorite thing about your job? I love so many things about working at Whitewood elementary! I love teaching in the community where I live. I love teaching in the community where I grew up and went to school. I love working with a staff and community who care so much about the students. I love working with the students and getting to make music with all of them! I love getting to put on awesome performances with the students that are valued and appreciated by the community!

What fills your free time? Things you enjoy doing? I spend a lot of time these days directing plays for Sturgis Brown High School drama club, which I love! I also enjoy acting in community plays, doing music performances in the community, coaching figure skating classes in Rapid City, being a church youth group leader, being a member of the Whitewood 8-10 club, camping, scrapbooking, hiking, and being a member of the Black Hills Runners Club. I run many 5K's, 10ks, and half marathons each year, around the Black Hills, usually with my mom, and sometimes with my daughter Addie.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? I have only seen a play on Broadway once, so I would probably go see a lot of Broadway shows.

What would be your super power? It would be nice to be able to be in two or three places at once! Or to not require any sleep ;)

Whitewood Elementary Fact of the month: By 1913, Whitewood School served 113 students, while the city itself had a population of just 390 residents. The school employed six teachers who were held to strict expectations—teachers were required to remain unmarried and follow rigid guidelines. These included no loitering in ice cream parlors, no skirts higher than two inches above the ankle, no hair dye, and no traveling out of town without prior approval from the school board. Wow!

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

St. Patrick's Day

Student Council will be selling popcorn for $0.50 and flavored water for $1.00 on Tuesday, March 17!

Heart Health Week

Student Council members sold Heart Health bags after school on Tuesday, February 3rd. They raised $200 donated to Heart Heroes! Great job!

The next PTO meeting will be March 9th 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. Note the date change!

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