The Paw Print Dec/Jan 2016

the
p
Newsletter for the families of
Whitmore Charter School
AW
of the
RINT
Arts and Technology
Call of the Whitmore Wolves
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
Happy Holidays!
Winter is here! Much cooler temperatures… disappearing daylight. As we join our family and
friends to celebrate this holiday season, I want to thank you for your extraordinary support,
dedication and commitment. This month marks the beginning of the holiday season, a time that is
filled with family and friends, festivities, fun, and food. It is a time for counting our blessings, making happy memories with those we love, and focusing on simple pleasures.
In this edition...
pg 2 - Pup Club
pg 3 - Life Skills
Awards
pg 4 - Donor Thanks
pg 5 - Breakfast with
Santa
pg 6 - 4th Grade
Fieldtrip
pg 7 - Middle School
Interact
pg 8 - Calendar of
Events
The PAW PRINT is edited and
published by Julie Martin-Borba
Content provided by: WCS Teachers,
Staff and Parents
Printed by: CUSD Media Center
Funded by: WCSAT
Full color copies are available for
download at the WCSAT website:
http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Newsletter comments, questions
or feedback?
jumartin@ceres.k12.ca.us
At WCSAT there are so many wonderful people and so many great things happening that it is easy
to feel very thankful every day. Our students are so wonderful and so much fun to be around, they
work hard and take great pride in their learning. Our teachers are so dedicated and creative in the
work that they do with our students; they are here at school long before school starts and long after
the students leave for the day. And of course all of you parents. I’d like to take this opportunity
to thank all of the volunteers that support our students and staff. On any given day, you can walk
through our classrooms and see parents and relatives reading with kids to support literacy, playing
math games, hanging artwork, making material for lessons, and assisting with the many special
events that we have throughout the year. Your contributions and support are what makes our
school so special, and you are making a difference in the lives of our children. On behalf of the students and staff at Whitmore, I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you for all you do. It is no wonder
that WCSAT is such a great place for children to grow and learn, with all of us working together to
make it the best it can be!
I would also like to take this time to thank our partners in education: Steve Fisher from Horace
Mann, Alex Shoob from Shoob Photography, and Del Ambris from Costless Foods of Ceres.
Congratulations to Whitmore for winning 1st place in the Ceres Fire Department Breast Cancer Photo Contest for the second year in a row! Our trophy, with the photo attached, is proudly
displayed in our front office. Both students and staff had a wonderful time creating a photo to help
remember family and friends who have been affected by Breast Cancer. We look forward to next
year and continuing raising awareness with another 1st place photo.
If you ever have any concerns, questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
209-556-1610 or you may email me at dviss@ceres.k12.ca.us. - David Viss, Principal.
¡El invierno ya está aquí! Las temperaturas mucho más cálidas… la claridad se está desapareciendo. Mientras
nos juntamos con familiares y amigos para celebrar la temporada de fiestas, yo les quiero dar las gracias por
su apoyo extraordinario, dedicación y compromiso. Este mes marca el comienzo de las fiestas, un tiempo que
está lleno de familia y amistades, festividad, diversión y comida. Es el tiempo de contar nuestras bendiciones,
hacer recuerdos bonitos con nuestros seres queridos, y enfocarnos en los simples placeres.
En WCSAT ay tanta gente maravillosa y tantas cosas estupendas que están ocurriendo que es muy fácil de
sentirse agradecido todos los días. Nuestros estudiantes son maravillosos y muy divertidos de pasar tiempo
a su lado, ellos trabajan duro y tienen gran orgullo en su aprendizaje. Nuestros maestros son muy dedicados
y creativos en el trabajo que hacen con nuestros estudiantes; ellos están aquí en la escuela mucho antes de
que las clases comiencen y mucho después de que los estudiantes se han ido a casa. Y claro todos ustedes los
padres. Me gustaría tomar esta oportunidad de darles las gracias a todos los voluntarios que apoyan a nuestros
estudiantes y personal. Cualquier día, se puede caminar por nuestras clases y mirar padres y familiares leyendo
con los niños para apoyar la literatura, jugando juegos de matemáticas, colgando arte, y haciendo el material
para las lecciones y asistiendo con muchos eventos que tenemos durante todo el año. Sus contribuciones y
apoyo es lo que hace a nuestra escuela muy especial, y usted está haciendo la diferencia en la vida de nuestros
hijos. Departe de los estudiantes y el personal de Whitmore, me gustaría extender un caloroso agradecimiento
por todo lo que usted hace, muchas gracias. ¡No cabe duda que por eso WCSAT es un gran lugar para que los
estudiantes crezcan y aprendan, con todos nosotros trabajando juntos para hacer que sea lo mejor que pueda
ser! Si en algún momento tiene alguna preocupación, preguntas, o sugerencias, por favor no espere para comunicarse conmigo al (209) 556-1610 o por correo electrónico a dviss@ceres.k12.ca.us.
David Viss, Director
3435 Don Pedro Road, Ceres, CA 95307 • (209) 556-1610
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
The Pup Club
The
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
Provided by Ms. Amy Zschaber
K-8 Studio and Digital Arts Teacher
place for Our Young WCSAT Artists
Gabriel Hernandez
3rd Grade
Title: Birds in Snow
Bryce Caulkins
2nd Grade
Title: Anansi Spider
Justice Franco
4th Grade
Title: Matisse Fish
Joellene Roton
1st Grade
Title: Laurel Burch Cats
Nathan Miranda
5th Grade
Title: Tlingit Fish
Sebastian Gomez
Kindergarten
Title: Penguin
Kevin Rubio
7th Grade
Title: Mandala
2.
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
K-5 Life Skills Model Student Awards
Each month teachers are pleased to face the challenge to select just one student who exemplifies the traits of this
year’s life skills. Please join the WCSAT staff in congratulating the following students for earning the recognition as a
“Life Skills Student of the Month” for his/her class.
October 2015 - Responsibility
Grade
K
K
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
Teacher Student
Mrs. Burnett Karis Thiessen
Mrs. Rodrigues Ella Terrones
Ms. Hansen
Benjamin Gutierrez
Mrs. Tornquist/Salinas Hope Wells
Mrs. Lewis Reese Donaldson
Mrs. Fischer Payton Baker
Mrs. Kobrock Evan Webster
Mrs. Crawford Hannah Hartsfield
Ms. McNeal Tatyanni Coconi
Mrs. Terrones Gabriel Abracosa
Mrs. Aguiar Avery Bezanson
Mr. Sundy Samantha Oller
November 2015 - Honesty
Grade
K
K
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
Teacher Student
Mrs. Burnett Alejandra Gutierrez
Mrs. Rodrigues Kai Fortuna
Ms. Hansen
Lawton Hartsfield
Mrs. Tornquist/Salinas Julian Huaracha
Mrs. Lewis Annalise Ely
Mrs. Fischer Olivia Gutierrez
Mrs. Kobrock Alana Inahara
Mrs. Crawford Maxwell Clawson
Ms. McNeal Izabella Jacquez
Mrs. Terrones Justice Franco
Mrs. Aguiar Bella Carerra
Mr. Sundy Samuel Caulkins
K-5 Encore Model Student Awards
October 2015
Music
Art
Dance
Drama Preet Pannu
Sammy Lloyd
Jessica Potts
Tatianni Coconi
November 2015
Tech Jayson Trevino,
Music Ariela Roman
PE
Reymundo Soto
Art
Hannah Methvin
Alyssa Santillanes Dance Ivan Chavez
Drama Emma Green
Tech Samarath Gill
PE
Kaylee Johnson
Evan Webster
3.
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
Upcoming Events and Activities
Dance-A-Thon
Fri
Jan 15th
K-5 Musical
Tues Feb 2nd
K-5 Musical
Thurs Feb 4th
Literacy Night
Wed Feb 24th
Fine Arts Night
Tues Mar 15th
Teacher Appreciation
May 2nd - May 6th
Open House/Living Museum Wed May 11th
K-12 Dance Recital
Thurs May 12th
Last Day of School
Thurs June 2nd
Volunteers are needed for each of these events!
If you are interested in volunteering,
please send an email to
whitmorecharterpbc@gmail.com.
WCSAT Parent Booster Club Officers
for the 2015-2016 School Year:
President: Renee Gaskill
Vice President: Vivian Guel
Treasurer: Julie Martin-Borba
Secretary: Rosemary Freitas
General Board Member: Christina Richards
Booster Comments or Questions?
whitmorecharterpbc@gmail.com
4.
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
Breakfast with Santa
On December 5th the Whitmore Charter
Parent Booster Club hosted the 8th Annual
Breakfast with Santa event. Families enjoyed
breakfast, shopped with local vendors and
took photos with Santa.
An abundance of thanks is due to the PBC
Board for coordinating the details of such a
great event! Additional thanks for all the
volunteers who spent a Friday afternoon
helping to decorate or a Saturday morning
cooking food, serving beverages and selling
tickets.
A special thanks to Interact students from
Central Valley High School who donated
several hours on Friday, December 4th to
help decorate the WCSAT Multi-purpose
room. Also, a tremendous thank you is due
to the student volunteers from Ceres High
School who graciously gave up their Saturday
morning to serve food and help with clean up.
The food for this event would not have
been possible without the expertise of
Casey Paulino. Also, thank you to Joyce
Ertner for taking the photos with Santa
and thank you to Jose and Michael for
providing excellent custodial support.
Sixth graders sold cinnamon buns and
bagels to raise funding for Outdoor Education.
Thank you to everyone who bought these
delicious treats.
This event would not have been possible
without the generous donations from local
businesses and merchants.
A special thanks to “Santa” for finding time
in his busy schedule to take photos with our
guests!
Thank you to Cost Less Foods of Ceres
for donating the pancake mix, orange
juice, sausages and maple syrup.
Thank you to Producers Dairy for providing white and chocolate milk for the
kiddos.
Thank you to Panera Bakery for donating
bagels, Starbucks for donating coffee and
Pizza Guys for providing pizzas to the volunteers who set-up on Friday afternoon.
5.
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
4th Graders Visit A California Mission
Mrs. Terrones’ and Ms. McNeal’s
4th grade classes traveled to San
Juan Bautista Mission and State
Historic Park on December 4th.
Students learned what life was like
for the missionaries and Native
Americans during the mission days
while completing a scavenger hunt.
The state historic park includes a
museum, hotel, carriage house and
jail house. Students were able to
actually see what it was like for
early settlers. Fun fact: the Breen
family (survivors of the Donnor
Party) settled here when they
finally made it to California.
Fourth graders also began their
mission projects this month. Students were given the choice to
visit a mission and make a video or
pictorial tour, research the mission
and create a Power Point or build a
mission model.
6.
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Middle School News
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
Trunk or Treat
On October 23rd Whitmore students and their families enjoyed an
evening filled with games, food and fun. Thank you to the Parent
Booster Club for hosting this event! A big thank you to Mr. Hunn
for returning to Whitmore Charter for the night and serving as the
DJ for this event. Fun was had by all, especially by the children who had their photo taken with surprise
guest, Princess Belle.
Middle School Spirit
Congratulations to Mrs. Knudsen’s homeroom for winning this
year’s Red Ribbon Spirit Week in the Middle-School division!
Can anyone tell our Spirit Day color was blue?
Interact Updates
Interact has 47 active members this year! Our club is as busy as ever.
Recent activities include the following:
•
•
•
•
We enjoyed a successful movie night and raised $130 to send to
Rotary International to help end Polio world-wide!
With the help of all K-8 Whitmore students, we collected 213
cans to donate to the areas needy this winter.
We’re bringing homemade cards and cookies to the guests of
Walnut Grove Senior Care facility when we sing Christmas
carols to them on Dec. 9th.
We’ll serve breakfast to the needy at the Red Shield Center in
Modesto in January.
Our “Teens of Jeans” collection will begin in January too. Please
hang on to your gently used jeans to turn into us! We’ll help teenagers in United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
“Act as if what you make makes a difference. It does”
– William James
Interact Receives
Award
Interact President
Naiyleah Arellano (featured
at right) accepted the
prestigious Presidential
Citation for our work in the
2014-2015 school-year.
Whitmore Charter Middle
School Interact is the only
Ceres club to achieve this
honor. We are diligently
working on earning the
award again this year.
Interact Advisor
Kathie Knudsen
7.
The Paw Print http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT
Dec/Jan 2016 Volume 9, Issue 3
Important Dates!!!
Safety Tips/Parking Lot Rules
* Do not park and leave your vehicle
in the drop-off/pick-up lanes
SUN
* If you plan to walk your child to
and from your vehicle, please park
in the school parking lot.
13
MON
14
Please complete and submit the 15/16
“Application for Free or Reduced
Priced Meals”. Eligible applications
result in more funding for our school!
One:World Technology
Reminder
20
Articles and/or Digital Photos from
WCSAT families would be greatly
appreciated.
To place your ad or announcement in
the Paw Print, complete and submit
an application with payment.
To get our application OR to send
articles and/or digital images, please
visit the WCSAT website at:
http://wcs.ceres.k12.ca.us/WCSAT/.
THURS
17
FRI
18
K-5 Lifeskills
Assembly
2:30pm
SAT
19
No School
21
22
23
24
29
30
31
25
26
No
School
27
28
No
School
= Turn in Box Tops the last
school day of each month to
your child’s teacher.
= Spirit Fridays, wear your
WCSAT gear and colors
Jan 2016
SUN
MON
TUES
WED
10
4
5
No School
PBC
Officer Mtg
5:15pm
11
12
6
Life Skill of the Month
Cooperation
THURS
No School
Backpacks
Be sure to check your child’s backpack
each Wednesday for important information provided in the communication
folder. Return all items as requested.
16
Organization
Winter Break
3
Reminder
WED
Middle School
Winterfest
6pm
Please charge your child’s Chromebook
or tablet at least 3 nights per week and
remember to have child bring his/
her device to school every day, fully
charged for use in the classroom.
We understand the concerns related to
damage or loss of these devices. More
information can be found at the
One:World link on our school web
page.
TUES
15
* Do not stop in the road to let your
child out.
School Meals Application
Life Skill of the Month
Dec 2015
* Pull all the way forward in the
drop-off and pick-up lanes
7
FRI
SAT
1
2
8
9
15
16
PBC Members
Mtg 5:15pm
13
14
Dance-A-Thon
Class
Fundraiser
17
18
19
20
26
27
No School
24
25
21
22
23
28
MS Assembly
10am
29
30
PBC
Officer Mtg
5:15pm
PBC Members
Mtg 5:15pm
K-5 Life skills
Assembly
2:30pm
8.