Whitewood Elementary

The staff at Whitewood Elementary wishes you all a wonderful holiday season! We hope you enjoy the break, spend time with family and friends, and take time to rest and recharge.

Congratulations to our December Wrangler's of the Month:

K: Autumn

1st: Ryker

2nd: Delilah

3rd: Torsten

4th: Ollie

5th: Mason

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

If school is delayed or cancelled due to bad weather, parents will receive a district-wide message directly to cell phone numbers and emails. Updates will also be shared with local radio, news stations, and on the Meade School District Facebook page and Whitewood Elementary Facebook page! Follow https://www.facebook.com/WhitewoodElemSchool461official and https://www.facebook.com/meadeschooldistrict461official/ to stay up to date!

A simple breakfast will be offered to students on days that there is a late start, weather or scheduled. This is new to the district.

Whitewood Elementary’s PreK program has been awarded SASD’s Exemplary rating through the Preschools of Excellence program. This recognition reflects high standards in instruction, family engagement, classroom environment, and student readiness.

We’re proud of the work our staff puts in each day to create a strong early learning foundation for our youngest learners. Thank you to our families and community for supporting our program and helping make early childhood education a priority in Whitewood.

Students performed at the Whitewood Elementary Christmas programs on Friday, December 12th. The split performance began with PreK through 2nd grade. Bells were ringing and students were singing to the “Jingle Bell Rock,” the program ended with audience participation during the traditional “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Third, fourth, and fifth grade students then performed a Holiday Moosical. The cast and choir put on an entertaining show filled with creative costumes, singing, and acting.

A special thank you to Mrs. Hill for organizing another great performance!

The Whitewood 4th grade and 5th grade TAG students received National Honorable Mention honors and National Honor Roll honors, which means scores in the top 50%, top 10%, respectively. There were 7,118 fifth graders and 7,173 fourth graders who participated in this contest across the country. We are so proud of our Whitewood TAG participants! A special thank you to Mrs. Sandness for her dedication and support of our students.

The Whitewood 2nd grade and 3rd grade TAG students received National Honorable Mention honors and National Honor Roll honors, which means scores in the top 50%, top 10%, respectively. There were 3,905 second graders and 6,116 third graders who participated in this contest across the country. Earning these honors is tremendous! We are very proud of each and every member of our 2nd and 3rd grade Whitewood TAG group and thank Mrs. Sandness for all she does!

Please join us for Donuts with Dad (and father figures) on Tuesday, January 13th from 7:15–8:00 AM in the gym! Coffee from Crooked Horn Coffee in Whitewood will be available, and this is a free breakfast for all dads who attend. A form will be sent home after Christmas break to RSVP for this event. Please be on the lookout in your child's backpack!

Our preschoolers and third graders teamed up for Study Buddies this month! They had a great time learning side by side with a fun hands-on activity—making playdough! The students loved collaborating and getting creative together.

Kindergarten students were busy building with the SuperSpace big tiles, using their engineering skills to create a castle. Creative minds at work in the classroom!

The Whitewood Choir has been busy spreading festive cheer throughout our community! Students visited local businesses and events around Whitewood, sharing their beautiful voices and bright smiles through holiday caroling. Mrs. Hill read her favorite holiday book in the library while choir members joined in with instruments.

Mrs. Meredith’s and Mrs. Whitted’s classes teamed up for a sweet collaboration! Students worked together to decorate cookies, sharing creativity, teamwork, and lots of smiles along the way.

The theme of teamwork at Whitewood Elementary shines through once again as second grade and fifth grade students teamed up to decorate Christmas cookies together! From sharing ideas to lending a helping hand, students showed cooperation, creativity, and plenty of holiday cheer. It was a sweet way to build connections across grade levels and make festive memories!

Each month, we highlight one of our amazing staff members, and this month we are excited to feature Mrs. Herweh, one of our great paraprofessionals!

This is Mrs. Herweh’s first year as a paraprofessional at Whitewood Elementary, but she is no stranger to the classroom. She previously taught for eight years in Maine, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to our school. We are so thankful for her willingness to jump in wherever she is needed. Her creativity knows no bounds, and both students and staff appreciate her so much.

Mrs. Herweh met her best friend and husband, John, while attending college. They have three children—one boy and two girls—along with three dogs and one cat. Mrs. Herweh loves to make students laugh by sharing how her last name, Herweh, is pronounced “HER WAY.” How fun is that?

Her husband served in the military for many years, and as a result, the Herweh family has lived in eight different states. They are happy to now call the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota home.

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

Favorite Food? I love all kinds of Chinese food. We celebrate the Chinese New Year every year in our home and Chinese food is always on the menu! I love sweets.. especially chocolate!

What is your favorite thing about your job at Whitewood Elementary? I used to teach elementary school and I really loved my job. It was always so exciting to teach children new things and share my love of learning. My favorite thing about working at Whitewood Elementary is that I get to work with students of all ages, not just one grade. I also feel pretty lucky to work with the best teachers and staff.

What fills your free time? Things you enjoy doing? I really enjoy traveling to new places with my family, making all sorts of crafts, camping and photography.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? I would love to travel to Germany. Some members of my family were originally from Germany and I have never gotten to visit there. I have always enjoyed reading fairy tales about castles and I think it would be pretty special to visit some in person!

What would be your super power? If I could pick a super power, I would love to be able to time travel! How amazing would it be if you could go back to the 1700's and experience Christmas is Williamsburg, Virginia or travel to the year 2300 and see what life is like in the future?

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try." - Dr. Seuss

January meetings and events are to be announced.

Council members sold candy canes to students to spread joy for the holiday season!

Student Council hosted festive dress-up days the week of December 15th–19th, wrapping up the fun with an Ugly Sweater Contest! This year’s student winner was Rosemary, and the staff winner was Mrs. Lisko. Thank you to Student Council for spreading holiday cheer throughout the week!

The next PTO meeting will be January 5th 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.

Chili Feed following the parade at Hale Hall

1025 Meade Street

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