Whitman SchoolSchool News & Announcements
- April 18, 2012 -- Late Opening Day
- May 16, 2012 -- Late Opening Day
- May 28, 2012 -- Memorial Day (No School)
- June 13, 2012 -- Last Day of School
A Message from the Principal
Welcome to a new school year! I am very excited to have you back and also to welcome our new families to Whitman. I hope you are looking forward to a wonderful new year as much as I am.
I hope you enjoy our new website. It is obviously still under construction so please be patient.
I encourage you to explore the website at your leisure. This is a work in progress, so throughout this inaugural year, we will continue to add information in an effort to make it an exciting & informational resource for all.
I want to encourage you to use the Parent Handbook/Calendar link on the left hand side of the website. This resource will provide you with school expectations, policies and procedures.
As school begins, please take note . . . The first bell will ring at 8:40 AM. Children should be in their seat and ready to learn by 8:50 AM. Please do not drop your students off earlier than 8:35 as we will not have supervision outside until that time. We appreciate your help with this. Students will be dismissed at 3:00 PM. Portland Public Schools has again scheduled late openings on the 2nd Wednesday of every month for professional development for staff. The first bell will ring at 10:40 on those days.
Maintaining strong school attendance continues to be an important goal for Whitman. The state requires a 96% attendance rate for an "exceptional" rating. This past year, we achieved a 94.6% rating. We are so close. Please help us achieve the highest rating by getting your students to school every day and on time.
Most of our staff returned this year despite the budget cuts to schools. The years ahead will continue to see cuts but we will do all we can to support our students & provide them with a rigorous education. Due to the cuts to this school year we were unable to maintain our half-time music program and our in-building language support for our Vietnamese families. As you can imagine, we were sad to lose both positions.
This year Whitman is fortunate enough to be participating in a grant that allows all of our students and staff to receive a free, healthy snack consisting of a fresh fruit or vegetable each day. Snacks will be consumed in classrooms so little to no instructional time is lost.
Our first Parent Tea is on Wednesday, September 15th at 8:45 AM in the school library. We will be introducing various school staff, sharing information about Whitman and our upcoming activities. Refreshments and coffee will be provided. I hope you will join us!
Our Open House Event will be Thursday, September 30th from 6:00-7:30pm and will begin in the cafeteria. You will have the opportunity to visit your child's classroom, begin to form a relationship with the classroom teacher, sign up for Fall Parent/Teacher conferences as well as learn about the grade level curriculum, specials, homework expectations, and activities. I look forward to seeing you then, if not before.
Sincerely,
Lori Clark
Whitman Principal
I hope you enjoy our new website. It is obviously still under construction so please be patient.
I encourage you to explore the website at your leisure. This is a work in progress, so throughout this inaugural year, we will continue to add information in an effort to make it an exciting & informational resource for all.
I want to encourage you to use the Parent Handbook/Calendar link on the left hand side of the website. This resource will provide you with school expectations, policies and procedures.
As school begins, please take note . . . The first bell will ring at 8:40 AM. Children should be in their seat and ready to learn by 8:50 AM. Please do not drop your students off earlier than 8:35 as we will not have supervision outside until that time. We appreciate your help with this. Students will be dismissed at 3:00 PM. Portland Public Schools has again scheduled late openings on the 2nd Wednesday of every month for professional development for staff. The first bell will ring at 10:40 on those days.
Maintaining strong school attendance continues to be an important goal for Whitman. The state requires a 96% attendance rate for an "exceptional" rating. This past year, we achieved a 94.6% rating. We are so close. Please help us achieve the highest rating by getting your students to school every day and on time.
Most of our staff returned this year despite the budget cuts to schools. The years ahead will continue to see cuts but we will do all we can to support our students & provide them with a rigorous education. Due to the cuts to this school year we were unable to maintain our half-time music program and our in-building language support for our Vietnamese families. As you can imagine, we were sad to lose both positions.
This year Whitman is fortunate enough to be participating in a grant that allows all of our students and staff to receive a free, healthy snack consisting of a fresh fruit or vegetable each day. Snacks will be consumed in classrooms so little to no instructional time is lost.
Our first Parent Tea is on Wednesday, September 15th at 8:45 AM in the school library. We will be introducing various school staff, sharing information about Whitman and our upcoming activities. Refreshments and coffee will be provided. I hope you will join us!
Our Open House Event will be Thursday, September 30th from 6:00-7:30pm and will begin in the cafeteria. You will have the opportunity to visit your child's classroom, begin to form a relationship with the classroom teacher, sign up for Fall Parent/Teacher conferences as well as learn about the grade level curriculum, specials, homework expectations, and activities. I look forward to seeing you then, if not before.
Sincerely,
Lori Clark
Whitman Principal
