Whitewater Valley Elementary Parents & Guardians - 

Fall has definitely arrived and shares a reminder that change can, in fact, be beautiful!  Please make sure your kiddos are dressed appropriately and layered up for the chilly mornings and warmer afternoons.  Our school has turned the boilers on, so the classrooms and common areas are warm and toasty.  We are moving our temp check/health screening stations indoors to make sure we're getting accurate temperatures as well.

Stay connected! -  Please click Stay Connected to explore the multiple ways you can follow Whitewater Valley Elementary on social media and online.  We share updates on each platform and want to keep you informed!  

Fall Benchmark Assessments – All K-5 virtual and face-to-face students in the Southwest Local School District are given benchmark assessments in the fall to establish baseline achievement data.  Students in grades K, 1 & 2 were given AIMSWeb Plus early literacy assessments in September.  Students in grades 1-5 started taking the NWEA MAP Reading and Mathematics assessments last week.  The data from fall benchmark assessments is especially important since our students learned in an emergency remote setting away from the building last spring and have shifted gears as learners during a global pandemic.  Teachers are currently analyzing the data in teams with our instructional coach and Mrs. Neckel to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of each student and teach each one on a more personal level.  Your child’s scores will be shared with you at your upcoming conference.  Students will take benchmark assessments in the winter to help us measure progress toward expected academic standards and growth goals. 

Third Grade OST Fall Reading Assessment – Every third grade student, face-to-face and virtual, will be taking the Ohio State Test (OST) in Reading the week of October 19^th.  Ohio's Third Grade Reading Guarantee is a program to identify students from kindergarten through grade 3 that are behind in reading. Whitewater Valley Elementary will provide help and support to make sure students are on track for reading success by the end of third grade. Families can find more information and resources about the Third Grade Reading Guarantee here: http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Literacy/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee/Third-Grade-Reading-Guarantee-Family-Resources

Face-to-Face Families 

Fire Prevention Week – It’s Fire Prevention Week October 4-8^th!  The Harrison Fire Department will be visiting students in grades K-2 on Thursday to share fire safety tips.  After the classroom presentations, the students will take a walking tour of the fire trucks, engines, and ambulances in the front parking lot.  We appreciate the Harrison Fire Department and all of our parents & guardians who are first responders.  Thanks for keeping us safe and well!

School Picture Make-up Day – Lifetouch will be at Whitewater Valley Elementary on November 9^th for picture make-ups. 

Fall Holiday Parties -  Fall parties will be taking place in each homeroom the afternoon of October 29^th.  Students in grades K-5 will be able to wear costumes.  Teachers will send guidelines for safe costume choices (no weapons, no hair dye, face paint, etc.).  Due to COVID guidelines and restrictions, parent volunteers will not be allowed in the building to help during the parties.  However, parents can help classroom teachers organize the party events & treats!  PTA will be helping teachers identify a room parent/party coordinator to help the teachers organize games, snacks, and crafts for your child’s class.  All food and snack treats need to be commercially produced/store bought.  Non-perishable fall holiday donations can be sent to school the week of Oct. 19th & 26^th.  Food and drinks that need to be refrigerated can be dropped off at the office on Oct. 29^th from 8:00am-1:00pm.  Make sure your donations are labeled with the teacher’s name and room number. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences -  Our fall Parent-Teacher conferences will be October 13 & 15.  All conferences will be completed using ZOOM Video Conferencing.  All grade levels and departments will use ZOOM because this platform has a waiting room feature for teachers to manage back-to-back conferences.  Click this the link to reserve a time that is convenient for you to discuss your child's progress: https://signup.com/go/NcEeGki

Mrs. Ferguson’s Art Photos -Mrs. Ferguson (WVE art teacher) is uploading photos to Facebook again this year. Parents and guardians can find the page by searching “WVE Art class”. You can like the page to see new posts in your notifications. 

Virtual Families 

School Picture Make-up Day – If your child is enrolled in our virtual platform first semester and you missed virtual picture night, you can call the office and schedule a make-up appointment with the Lifetouch photographer on November 9.

​​​​​​​Parent-Teacher Conferences -  Our fall Parent-Teacher conferences for virtual students are happening on a consistent basis.  Parents are Learning Coaches and communicate often with the virtual grade level teachers.  You do not have to schedule a separate conference Oct. 13 or Oct. 15.  If you would like a one-on-one video conference with your child's virtual teacher, please email the teacher directly as they will not be included in the online sign ups.

Virtual Help Desk -   If your child is experiencing Virtual problems, please visit the SLSD VR Help Desk at https://www.southwestschools.org/departments/curriculum-3/virtual-instruction-87/. We have several tech team members monitoring this system and can be of assistance. If you cannot fill out the form, call the WVE office and we can complete the form with your child's information for you.

PTA  

You can get involved and help support the Whitewater Valley Elementary PTA in the following ways:

Membership - Become a member!  PTA is collecting $ for membership here:  https://wvepta.membershiptoolkit.com/home  We currently have 103 families who have joined our PTA.  Please consider becoming a member to support our students and teachers!

Meetings - We would love to have more parents attend PTA meetings and now it's easier than ever!  First semester, the monthly meetings will be held via video conferencing on Google Meets.  Our next meeting is October 20 at 7:00.  You can use the following code to join us from the comfort of your home:

meet.google.com/pmd-oubk-fws  or by phone: (US) +1 401-702-0541 PIN: ‪430 276 040#

Box Tops - PTA is collecting Box Tops for Education virtually this year.  You can learn more by visiting https://youtu.be/Hh94b2BvFK4.  Please share this opportunity with extended family, friends, and grandparents.  We look forward to having everyone scan receipts so our school can earn more money through the Box Tops for Education program!

The end of the quarter is just 3 1/2 weeks away!  Let's finish strong, WILDCATS!