Weekly Hoots

Dear Wise Owls Family,

As we continue to work together to provide the best possible education for your child, I want to take a moment to emphasize the critical role you play in their academic success. At the Ville', we believe that education is a partnership between the school, the students, and their families. Your involvement is key to helping your child thrive both academically and personally.

Stay Involved!

Your continued involvement in your child’s education is one of the most important factors in their success. Whether it’s attending school events, volunteering, or simply talking with your child about their day, your presence makes a difference. Research shows that students whose parents are involved in their education tend to achieve higher grades, have better social skills, and show improved behavior.

Communicate Regularly with Teachers!

Open communication between home and school is essential for us to best support your child’s learning. I encourage you to reach out to your child’s teachers regularly. Whether you have questions about classroom expectations, progress, or just want to check in, your involvement in this dialogue helps ensure that your child is staying on track. Teachers are here to partner with you, so don’t hesitate to connect with them through phone, email, or in-person meetings.

Read Together Daily!

One of the most impactful ways you can support your child’s education at home is by reading with them daily. Reading not only strengthens language and comprehension skills, but it also fosters a lifelong love of learning. Whether your child is just beginning to read or already an independent reader, sharing books together builds confidence and improves literacy. Even a few minutes each day can make a huge difference.

I truly believe that when we work together, great things happen for our students. Let’s continue this partnership and make this year a successful one for your child.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to your child’s education.

B. Gantt

#AllforONE!

Our mission is to cultivate a caring community that utilizes a multitude of teaching and learning experiences to prepare children for their next adventure.

1. We believe that everyone deserves to feel safe, valued, and appreciated.
2. We believe that all children deserve a high quality education.
3. We believe in collaboration and making connections.

Staying Safe

Owning Your Actions

Acting Responsibly

Respecting Everyone & Everything

Monday, September 30th

Monday Morning Parliament

Wednesday, October 2nd

Custodian Appreciation Day

Tuesday, October 8th - Thursday, October 10th

CogAT Testing for all 2nd Grade

Thursday, October 10th

PTO Meeting @ 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

End of Quarter 1

Friday, October 11th

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Saturday, October 12th

PTO-Sponsored Fall Carnival @ WES

Monday, October 14th - Friday, October 18th

Book Fair Week

Tuesday, October 15th - Wednesday, October 16th

Iowa Assessment for all 2nd Grade

Thursday, October 17th

Family Literacy Night @ WES (5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.)

Report Cards sent home

Tuesday, October 22nd - Wednesday, October 23rd

CogAT Testing for selected 3rd-5th Grade students

Friday, October 25th

Early Release Day

Monday, October 28th - Friday, November 1st

Red Ribbon Week

• Monday - Team Up Against Drugs
• Tuesday - Grade-Level Color Day
• Wednesday - Red Out
• Thursday - Book Character Day
• Friday - Pajama Day

Monday, October 28th

Monday Morning Parliament

Tuesday, October 29th

Picture Day

We are the FIRST SCHOOL IN THE ENTIRE LOWCOUNTRY to be a part of Run Hard, an 8-week after school program to prepare our students to run (or walk) a 5K race. Click the link on the image (below) for more information. It's a great way for our students to set goals and get fit 🏃. If you are interested in volunteering as a coach, please let me know asap (email me 😁).

Our students will participate in the 5K run at the Reindeer Run in Charleston on Saturday, December 14th. Once we recruit at least 4 more schools, we (the schools) will be able to host our own 5K. This is going to be A LOT of fun and support our Health & Wellness initiative.

Sign Up is $90 per student. The sign up cost covers all Run Hard swag and entry into the Reindeer Run.

RUNNER REGISTRATION OPENS - September 1st @ 8AM
REGISTRATION CLOSES - October 7th @ midnight
FIRST WEEK - October 14th

RACE DATE: December 14, 2024
Location: Reindeer Run - downtown Charleston. *program participation fee includes entry into the 5k*
Start Time: 8:00 AM

Do you think you have a student that could be gifted in any of the arts? Please sign them up for STEP auditions coming in January 2025. The forms will be open from Aug. 23 through Nov. 22 to accept nominations.

The Special Talent Enrichment Program (STEP) serves Berkeley County School District students in grades four through 12 who have been identified through auditions as gifted in dance, music, theatre, visual art and creative writing. The program currently consists of a two-week summer session and Saturday programs at Goose Creek High School. Middle school STEP students are also eligible to enroll at Marrington Middle School of the Arts.

AUDITION REGISTRATION

FULL STEP DESCRIPTION

If there is a change of transportation, a note with a parent/guardian's signature MUST be provided. Any student that tells staff that his or her parent/guardian told them to go home by another means will not be honored. For the safety of our students, a change in transportation must be submitted in writing to the student's teacher AND to the Front Office.

To ensure that our students remain safe while off-campus, we are asking families to purchase a WES School Spirit Shirt. Students will be able to wear their School Spirit Shirt on all of their Field Studies which has our 2024-25 AllforONE! logo and our school's contact information (on the front of the shirt). Also, 100% of the proceeds will go back in our field trip budget to ensure that we can keep costs down for families.

Shirts cost $10

Order your shirt using the link below

*shirts will come white with the blue logo or blue with the white logo

Show your school spirit and support our students by grabbing your WES Car Magnet! Every purchase helps fund exciting programs and activities, enriching your child's school experience. Plus, you are showcasing your WES pride in your community. Join us in making a difference—buy now and roll with school pride!

Car Magnets cost $10.

Children who read more often show different development trajectories than those who read less. These differences occur specifically in the part of the brain responsible for reading, and the network of different circuits and signals becomes stronger and more sophisticated as the child improves their reading skills.

Interestingly, there is also a two-way relationship between emotional development and literacy in children. Here are some other ways in which reading influences our brains:

• It helps develop empathy and teaches us how to think in sequence by linking cause and effect through story structure.
• Reading in different languages can help grow the brain, particularly the hippocampus and the cerebral cortex.
• It allows us to feel the same emotions we would if we actually experienced the things we are reading about.
• Listening to audiobooks or hearing someone else read to you (e.g. parents reading to children) is also considered a way to exercise the brain.

The percentage of parents satisfied with school-home relationships grew last year from 75.8% to 93.2%.

Our goal is to have 100% of our families satisfied with school-home relations. We want our families to know that you are a most welcomed and appreciated member of the WES school community. This year, we have hosted our Meet the Teacher Night to allow families to come into the building and see the school, meet their teacher, and to join in on the excitement for the 2024-25 school year. We have hosted our Curriculum Night, allowing families to get a sense of what we are doing this year and seeing a day in the life for your students.

Our Parent-Teacher Conferences are designed so that parents have the opportunity to discuss how their child is doing, specifically. Our Parent-Teacher conferences will be held on Friday, October 11th (a scheduled Teacher Workday). The conferences will be 10-15 minutes in length and teachers will share how students are doing at the close of the 1st quarter academically, socially, and emotionally in the classroom. We welcome students to join the conversation, but our goal is to share where our students are and our plan to keep them moving forward.

If you haven't already, you can anticipate receiving an invitation for conference times from your student's homeroom teacher.

Saturday, February 8th - Sweetheart Dance

Friday, March 7th - Boosterthon Fun Run

Thursday, April 10th - Spring Fling (a part of STEAM Night)

Friday, May 23rd - 5th Grade Celebration

Breakfast and lunch will be served on every day. If your student wants to eat breakfast at school, they should arrive to school between 6:50 a.m. - 7:18 a.m. Breakfast will no longer be served after 7:45 a.m.

“South Carolina Compulsory Attendance Law requires that a parent or guardian shall require his child to attend regularly a public or private school or kindergarten of this State which has been approved by the State Board of Education, a member school of the South Carolina Independent Schools and Association, a member school of the South Carolina Association of Christian Schools, or some similar organization, or a parochial, denominational, or church-related school, or other programs which have been approved by the State Board of Education f rom the school year in which the child is five years of age before September first until the child attains his seventeenth birthday or graduates from high school.”

Please also submit any medical or additional excuses to the front office. We process our attendance forms once per week so you may not immediately see that the note has been accepted.

• Our school's website is found at https://www.bcsdschools.net/o/wes
• WES Facebook page is Whitesville Elementary School Wise Owls
• The Weekly Hoots newsletter will be emailed & texted to families every Sunday evening. Please be sure to have your updated information in PowerSchool.
• Our PTO's website is wiseowlspto.com.
• Our PTO's Facebook page is Whitesville Wise Owls PTO.
• Schoology: Teachers will update their grades weekly.
• Rooms: Our two-way form of communication at WES. Every teacher at WES will use Rooms as a tool for communication.