Daily Announcements

Join us February 26, for our Party for the Playground Auction at Goldbug Island. Ticket orders will go home the first week of February. Proceeds will go towards playground equipment for the new school. For more information and Corporate Sponsorship, please click on our PTA Link!

BLT Tuesdays
Keep clipping Box Top$ for Education coupons, Campbell's Labels for Education, and Tyson Support Your School panels throughout the year!
Turn them in to Top Flap Fallon (Ms. Fallon in Room 24)-your name goes in a drawing for small prizes each Tuesday and you'll be supporting Whitesides too!

BP's A+ for Energy Education Program has awarded Beth McCall and Suzanne Shuler a $10,000 grant that will promote energy conservation and actively engage every grade level.

Whitesides met all state AYP standards for 2008-09 school year. Congratulations to our Whitesides family for your hard work.

Buy a Brick Fundraiser will help support funding playground equipment for the new school while beautifying the campus. Add your family name and message and show support for the school at the same time. To access, use the PTA link to get to ordering information.

Whitesides Elementary earned an "EXCELLENT" Absolute rating given by the State Department of Education on the 2008 PACT. Congratulations teachers, students and parents! We are extremely proud of your efforts and what we accomplished together.

Its never too early
to begin!
Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary offers both full-day and additional half day programs for 4 year-olds in 2010-2011. There will be a parent information meeting on March 2, at 6 PM. Registration Packets are available in the front office. Screenings will be done the last week of May, 2010.

Ms. Goodall has an exciting new Art webpage featuring our own Whitesides' Artists! Check it out at www.msoiensartroom.com

Our Mission Statement
The Whitesides family will provide the highest quality of education through a challenging curriculum in a safe, nurturing environment that builds leadership skills, develops an appreciation for diversity, and promotes individual creativity. Our goal is to engage students in a program of academic excellence that will prepare them to be independent, responsible citizens in our community.


Welcome to our web site. We hope you will use this resource to stay informed about school events.

For information regarding new student registration, please click on the link to the left under resources.

Thank you teachers, students, and parents for your collaborative efforts.

Congratulations Mrs. Alice Light for being named Whitesides Teacher of The Year for 2009-2010.


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Do you Know?…………..

Where did Whitesides Elementary School get its name?

Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School was named for Mary P. Whitesides, more fondly known as “Miss Mamie.” Miss Whitesides, former principal of Mt. Pleasant Academy and devoted teacher, dedicated her life with over 50 years of service in public education. Whitesides opened in 1956 serving 350 students in grades one through seven.

William H. Royall Jr. was the first principal and was followed by the following administrators: Sid Gosnell, Tom Ferguson, Tom Lee, Dave Schlachter, and current principal Lona Pounder.

Mamie P. Whitesides Elementary School was built in 1956 for a cost of $186,628. A new school designed to serve 800 students is being planned for 2010 at a cost of 22 million dollars.

Keep up-to-date on the building plan for our new Whitesides Elementary. Updates are posted regularly.

From the Principal

Greetings from Whitesides. This year we have approximately 600 precious children in grades Child Development through grade 5. Our dedicated professional staff is highly qualified and includes seven National Board Certified teachers. Our parents provide exceptional support for our school through the PTA, by volunteering in classrooms, by tutoring students, by attending parent conferences, and by supporting home-school relations. This dynamic partnership enables Whitesides to provide a warm and nurturing environment for children to learn and "Reach For The Stars." Whitesides was one of only nineteen schools in the county that met increased AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) state benchmarks for student progress in 2008. When 2008 state PACT results were released in March, 2009, Whitesides earned an "EXCELLENT" Absolute rating for overall achievement.

We are truly blessed by significant community support. October will bring us together for a family night dinner. In November, Whitesides plans many activities for children. Our chorus will hold a fall concert as we celebrate No TV Week, Children's Book Week, American Education Week, family game night and Book Character Dress Up Day. Students will shine in our annual Variety Show, and family fun will be had by all at our annual Spring Fling.

Looking for some academic practice and review? Please check out some of the resource links provided on the left side of the page. You will find under math, exercises from Houghton Mifflin Mathematics that will help you and your child practice math facts. You can also do drill and practice from the other math resource sites or experiment with the wonderful science resources available to you as well. Have a great time exploring these resources with your child. Students in grades who use Study Island in school, can also acess this program from home.

Every Day Math was adopted for all grades for 2009. You will be learning more about this new series in parent newsletters from your child's teacher.

Parents are invited to chat with the principal during informal lunch gatherings once a month. These "Lunch with Lona" sessions are scheduled the first Monday of the month and will be held from noon to 1 PM. Buy a school lunch or bring your own as well as any ideas you want to discuss.

Click on our calendar for regular updates of events scheduled at Whitesides.


Yours in education,
Lona Pounder

Upcoming Events

Friday, February 12
H1N1 Vaccination Dose 2 for students under age 10
Sunday, February 14
Valentines' Day
Monday, February 15
No School
Presidents' Day
Wednesday, February 17
Ash Wednesday
Interim Reports

Weather

Today, 2/9/2010
High: 58 Low: 35
Rain showers likely
58% chance of precipitation.
Tomorrow, 2/10/2010
High: 49 Low: 31
Breezy
0% chance of precipitation.