The Viking Voice Whittier Elementary

Español

Viking soccer program looks to expand

Another successful Whittier Football Club (FC) soccer season wrapped up on September 30, with a wet but joyful jamboree day. Each team played two games within their grade levels and our parent coaches were joined by Boise High soccer players to direct the teams. It was fantastic to see the kids giving it their all on the field and to have so many families and staff out cheering on their little players.

Over 175 players signed up for the month-long soccer program with weekly practices, which culminated in the all-day jamboree powered entirely by parent, teacher, and community volunteers. Kindergarten through 6th grade students made their way out to the field each practice day to enjoy a quick snack and an hour of fitness where they built soccer skills and experience in a team sport. Amazing volunteer coaches led Kindergarten/1st grade, 2nd/3rd grade, and 4th/5th/6th grade groups Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Whittier FC strives to include everyone and will work to accept any student who want to play. We make an effort to reduce barriers, to translate information into other languages for families, and to equip players with gear if they need it.

Next season, we want to add more practice days, but we need more volunteers! We would love to see more parents and family involved with anything from assisting coaches to supervising snack time to helping organize the jamboree. If you have the time and energy to help us next season, please reach out to ptowhittierelementary@gmail.com.

As a community-led and community-focused program, we are immensely grateful for all the participants, their families, our coaches, referees, staff cheerleaders, and all of the Viking Village volunteers. See you next season!

We are grateful for the Victorino family and Mrs. Velikoff, who spearheaded the Whittier FC program.

STEAM Night a huge success

Our event's success is due to the synergy of thorough planning, excellent community partners, and a school that loves STEAM. -Dr. Sonia Galaviz

674 participants attended this year’s STEAM night! It was an opportunity for Whittier families to gather and learn about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math from our community experts. It took a village to pull off an event like this, and a village is what we are—with 60 community volunteers and 45 teachers/staff who made sure this event was a hit.

A HUGE thank you to Dr. Galaviz (Title 1 Interventionist) for bringing this event to our school!

Viking T-shirts gifted to all kindergarteners

In October, the Viking Village Volunteers granted 200 Viking T-shirts to our wonderful kindergarten students. With hopes to promote and bolster a sense of community and foster school spirit amongst our youngest and newest students, the Viking Village Volunteers voted to make this an annual program for all incoming kindergarteners.

Kindergarteners were all smiles after receiving their new Whittier Viking shirts.

October book fair rakes in the dough

This year’s October book fair was a huge success! Thanks to your support, we raised $4,200 for books—up from $3,800 last year!! This generous amount allowed us to:

  • Buy new books for the library
  • Provide scholarships for over 100 students to receive new books
  • Fund new books as prizes for Read Across America week.

We want to give a HUGE shout out to our wonderful volunteers who helped run the Book Fair! We couldn’t do it without you! Mrs. Jones and all the kids thank you for making this possible.

Dinner provided for teachers at parent teacher conferences

This year, we partnered with Jimmy John’s on Broadway to provide dinner for all of our teachers during parent-teacher conferences.

We want to extend a HUGE Whittier thank you to General Manager Bradley Aguilar and his team for providing an awesome assortment of foods for our amazing teachers.

Candy and fun had at trunk or treat event

On Halloween, teachers and staff dressed up and passed out candy to all kiddos who attended our annual Trunk or Treat in the school parking lot.

Thank you to all teachers, staff, and parents who made this event happen for our Whittier community—and to the kiddos who showed off their fabulous costumes!

Whitter families and staff had a spooktacular time at Whittier's Trunk or Treat event.

More than $4,000 in grants awarded to teachers and staff

Wow! Wow! Wow! I’m incredibly grateful for awarding our class with your generous grant! My students cheered when I shared the news with them. Mil gracias for your beautiful gift to us. -Maestra Soto, Sixth Grade

As of November 15, the Viking Village Volunteers have funded 20 grants to support Whittier’s staff and teachers totaling $4,157.73!

Teachers and staff used these grants for a variety of needs including books, a light table, headphones, field trips, games and activities for the Recess Alternative Program (RAP) cart, Trunk-or-Treat candy, sensory items, a vacuum backpack for our hardworking janitorial staff, and more.

The Viking Village Volunteers wouldn’t be able to support our school in these ways without donations. If you are able, please consider donating to the Viking Village so we can continue awarding grants to our wonderful teachers and school staff.

Grant money provided funds for a light table for our kindergarten students and headphones for 6th grade.
GIVE

Bee the Change fundraiser buzzed in over $1,000

Bzzzbzzzbzzz. Our inaugural Be(e) The Change fundraiser and event was sweeter than honey! Each grade competed against each other for the chance to choose which prank to pull on Principal Flock. Needless to say, the students did a great job swarming around and collecting and depositing loose change into their hives that were located in the school entryway.

At the end of the 10-day fundraiser, we counted $1,136.74 in change, with first and second grades raking in the most money!

There was an inspirational twist to this fundraiser by creating a Bee The Change board for students to write how they plan to “be the change” in their school, communities, and homes. Our students were incredibly thoughtful in their posts, and the 2nd grade class even made lawn signs of how they were going to “be the change.” The outcome was heartwarming and made us even prouder of our little Whittier Vikings.

In addition to the fundraiser, we hosted one of the first all-school assemblies since 2020 to celebrate not only the money raised but also the commitments we made to each other on the board. During the assembly, Principal Flock had to endure two pranks. 1st grade chose the Lego Walk of Fire, and 2nd grade chose to spray paint her hair. Principal Flock handled both pranks like the queen bee she is!

The assembly was a perfect way to end this 10-day event, and the positive energy we felt from students and staff was palpable. We can’t wait to see what next year brings!

Upcoming events

We have some fun events planned and hope to see you there!

  • Online beanie fundraiser/sale: Stay warm this winter while also showing your school spirit! Purchase here for only $12 by December 15! Pick up your order December 18, 19, or 20, after school in the office. The Viking Village receives 25 percent of all sales.
  • Winter Wonderland: December 12. There will be a market in the Community Center gym 8am-8pm. Families can participate in festive holiday activities inside the school 5pm-6:30pm.
  • Viking Village Volunteers meeting: December 13 at 4pm in Whittier Library.
  • Restaurant FUNdraiser: 16 de enero en Boise Fry Co.
  • Whittier CommUNITY Benefit Event: February 7.
  • Festival of Cultures: April 18.
  • Staff appreciation: May 6-10.
Our new Whittier Beanie makes a great stocking stuffer!

Whittier CommUNITY Benefit Event: “It Takes a Village”

We are excited to announce our first-ever fundraising event and invite your participation! This event will raise money for enrichment programs, enhance academic opportunities, and provide overall school support to teachers and staff.

  • What: Our inaugural Whittier CommUNITY Benefit Event
  • When: February 7, 2024

To RSVP, complete the Whittier CommUNITY Benefit form by December 15, or reach out directly to PTOWhittierElementary@gmail.com.

Looking for a way to personally thank your student’s teacher (and other school staff)? We made it easy!

If you’re looking for a way to spread some holiday cheer to your student’s teacher, look no further!

Head on over to Staff & Teacher Wish Lists for grade-level wish lists along with wish lists from other support staff and everyone’s favorite drinks and snacks!

We’re going to keep these lists up through the year, so feel free to come back at a later date and see what things our teachers and staff might need.

This is amazing! How can I get involved and stay in the know?