The first month of school is down, routines and procedures are getting smoother, and lots of learning is taking place. Thank you so much for attending Open House. Students were very excited to show off their new teacher, classroom, and school.

During the last two weeks, all kindergarten through third grade students participated in their very first assessment of the year, DIBELS. DIBELS is a series of short one-minute phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluency measures that we use to monitor as a literacy screener, benchmark assessment, and progress monitoring. Students should show adequate growth throughout the year. Students will be tested again near the end of 2nd quarter and at the end of the year. Teachers analyze each child's scores and determine a learning plan to better support individual needs in literacy. These ongoing assessments help guide instruction as well as track student growth.

Students in second through 5th grades have also taken the diagnostic in IXL. IXL is an online reading and math program used to support the mastery of the state standards. The diagnostic provides a specific snapshot of skill mastery for each student. Teachers will use IXL daily to support lesson mastery. Students can access IXL from home too for more skill practice.

It has been a busy week so we hope you take time to relax a little this weekend. We hope you enjoy the long Labor Day weekend to the max with family and friends. There is no school on Monday, but we resume on Tuesday, September 5th.

Title I and Code of Conduct Presentation via Zoom:

At Open House, you learned about Title I and our Code of Conduct. As we mentioned, we would have another informational meeting to review specific items about Whitmore and how Title I funds support our school. It is also important that families understand our Code of Conduct. Visit the The Code of Conduct webpage to review.

September brings us many events. Mark your calendar!

Upcoming Events:

* September 4 - No School - Labor Day

* September 5 - School resumes; GATE testing for all 5th grade students

* September 7 - PTA meeting @ 5:10pm

* September 8 - Whitmore T-shirt Designs Due (traced in black sharpie); Family Movie Night (Elemental)

* September 8 - Last day of 2:15pm dismissal for kindergarten students and their siblings.

* September 11 - 1st day of CATS CLUB - Students must be registered to attend this after-school program

* September 11 - All students dismiss at 2:25pm. KIDCO and CATS CLUB are open!

* September 14 - Spirit Night - Dining for Dollars (Location - TBD)

* September 19 - Fall School Picture Day; Title I Presentation via zoom; Code of Conduct Presentation via zoom @ 6:00pm. Zoom Link.

* September 20-22 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - School Dismisses at 11:25pm

* September 26 - T-shirt order forms go home; T-shirt Design winners announced

Connect with Whitmore:

via Whitmore Webpage

via Facebook @whitmorewildcatsTUSD

via Instagram @whitmorewildcats

via ClassDojo - Please let teachers know if you are not connected so they can assist you.

After School Care:

KIDCO is on-site for after school care. At this time, KIDCO is full. KIDCO operates from dismissal until 6:00pm. Please be advised that KIDCO is separate from TUSD and has its own holiday schedule which sometime differs from the school. Please reach out to them for more information.

If your child is enrolled in KIDCO, please use the staff parking lot to pick up your child. There is a sandwich board sign by the door with a doorbell to alert KIDCO staff.

The Lighthouse YMCA is another option for after school care. The YMCA program began on the first day of school and ends on the last day of school. The YMCA will pick up your child from school and take them to the Lighthouse City YMCA. Full time and part time plans are available. Programming is also offered for No School Days as well as School Breaks. Check out the YMCA website for more information about the program, including monthly fees and how to register!

Whitmore's CATS CLUB starts Monday, September 11th. The first rounds of invitations have gone out. This will provide students with tutoring, enrichment, and sports programs both before and after school. Please note that students participating in sports must have a sports physical form completed and signed by a doctor. NextCare is an Urgent Care that provides this service. Cross-Country is our first sport and it is for all grades, Kindergarten through 5th. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Kunk via ClassDojo.

Reporting Attendance:

This year, TUSD/Whitmore streamlined our attendance reporting procedures. Parents/guardians can now log into ParentVUE to enter a student's absence.

* Open ParentVUE and sign in

* Select the student you are reporting

* Select "Attendance" from the menu on the left

* Click "Report Absence"

* Select the start date

* Select an end date

* Select a reason for the absence

* Enter a note (required)

* You can click on "Add Doctor's Note or document." This is not required.

** Select your file to upload

** Once accepted, the note will be visible in the student's documents tab

** Click "Save"

* Once the Attendance Office has reviewed and accepted the parent-submitted attendance, you will receive an automated email

* Absences will be updated by the end of the business day. This includes any absences that are called in.

* Please submit your student's absence as early as possible to expedite processing.

Alternatively, to report an absence or late arrival to school, call 520-232-8002, and our attendance clerk, Ms. Austin, will assist you. If it goes to voicemail, please leave a message with the following information:

* Student's full name

* Student's teacher

* Your name and relation to the student

* Reason for the absence/tardy

School Hours:

7:45am - Students may enter campus; Breakfast begins in the cafeteria

8:10am - First bell - Students line up and teachers lead to class

8:15am - Tardy bell rings; Class begins

8:30am - All gates are locked except the one closest to the office, off of the bus bay/Glenn St.

2:15pm - Gates are opened.

2:25pm - Whitmore dismisses

Bus Riders:

All students who ride the bus must have and wear an ID to get on the bus at home and at school. Bus riding students were provided a temporary ID to use until we get the official school IDs. Please ensure your child keeps their ID with their backpack and school items so they have it available daily. This is their ticket to ride!

Jennifer Figueroa, Principal

Whitmore Elementary School

Meet Ms. Sawyer! She is our school counselor. She started implementing the Character Strong curriculum and collected PBIS points from students for rewards. Lots of student attended our weekly lunch party on Wednesday.

Through positive behavior, students earn points to redeem for rewards. This is our PBIS plan! Students have a menu of items to choose from weekly. Look out for you child's name being recognized on ClassDojo as a Cool Cat! Teachers nominate students who are rocking kindness, safety, and responsibility!

Ms. Sawyer also provides student check-ins and small group support. If you think your child would benefit from these services, please contact her through Dojo or by calling 520-232-8046.

This year Whitmore has a partnership with COPE Community Services. COPE provides individual counseling, group counseling, family counseling, and family support. We will have a recovery coach coming to Whitmore weekly to work with students who are enrolled with COPE. Mr. Elijah Carbajal is our recovery coach. He will be working with students on developing and practicing coping/social skills through individual and/or group support. If you think your family or child could benefit from these services, please contact Ms. Sawyer @ the school or Mr. Carbajal via email. This is a free family service provided by TUSD. If you have more questions or would like more information, please let us know.

Parent Drop-off and Pick-up:

Enter the parking lot from Glenn (this is an entrance only). There are two lanes. The right lane is a valet and keeps moving as students exit their vehicle curbside. All students must exit the vehicle curbside to use the valet lane. If that is not possible, please park and an adult will cross in the cross walk. Do not park in the right lane. You must use a space to park.

The left lane is not a drop-off or pick-up lane. It is used to park into a parking space. Please do not let your child exit the car in this lane. The adult (usually Mrs. Fig or Mrs. Madrid) will assist in merging traffic. Do not merge yourself. Continue forward until the monitor guides you. Driver speed should be at a minimum speed to ensure student, family, and staff safety.

Our mission is to encourage, motivate, and support all students, families, and the community to meet each child’s needs – socially, emotionally, and academically so they develop into a mature, responsible, and respectful citizen.

Our vision - Safe Environment, Take Academic Risks, Get Involved with School Enrichment Programs (the school community), and Take Pride in Education by Respecting, Acknowledging, and Including students of all different backgrounds and differences.

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Address: 5330 East Glenn Street, Tucson, AZ

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Office: 520-232-8000

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