Dear Wise Owls Family,

As we come to the end of the first quarter, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s education. The first quarter has been filled with learning, growth, and achievements, and it’s important to take a moment to celebrate the hard work of our students, teachers, and families.

With the end of the quarter, you will soon receive your child’s report card, providing insight into their progress so far. Please take time to review it with your child, discussing both their strengths and areas where improvement may be needed. Our goal is to help every student reach their full potential, and with your ongoing support, we can continue to create a positive and productive learning environment.

Looking ahead to the rest of the school year, I encourage you to remain engaged in your child’s education. Here are some ways you can support your child throughout the coming months:

• Stay in Communication: Keep in touch with your child’s teachers and stay informed about their academic progress. Regular communication ensures that any challenges are addressed early.

• Promote Good Study Habits: Encourage your child to set aside time each day for homework and review. Consistent study routines help students manage their workload and prepare for upcoming assignments and assessments.

• Encourage a Growth Mindset: Remind your child that learning is a process. Encourage them to embrace challenges and learn from their mistakes. With perseverance and effort, they can overcome any difficulties they may face.

• Monitor Attendance: Regular attendance is critical for academic success. Please ensure your child is at school on time and ready to learn each day.

As always, we are here to support both you and your child in any way we can. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Together, we can ensure that the remainder of the school year is filled with success and achievement.

Thank you for your continued support!

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, 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 - Movie Character Day
• Friday - Pajama Day

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming Oct 8–Oct 17. Our students are excited to shop for their own books and every purchase at the Fair benefits our school! For more info, visit https://scholastic.com/bf/whitesvilleelementaryschool4.

Monday, October 28th

Monday Morning Parliament

Tuesday, October 29th

Picture Day

Friday, November 1st

Kindergarten, 3rd, and 2nd Grade Tags of Honor Celebration

Sunday, November 3rd

Daylight Savings

Monday, November 4th

1st, 4th, and 5th Grade Tags of Honor Celebration

Tuesday, November 5th

Election Day - Schools & Offices Closed

Friday, November 8th

WES STEAM Day

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.

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.