Whitworth Elementary School

09/09/2026

🐺 THANK YOU, WHITWORTH FAMILIES! 💙

What a great first day of school! It was awesome to have our students back in the building, see classrooms full again, and begin another year together. A huge THANK YOU to our students, parents, families, and staff for helping us get the year off to such a positive start!

At Whitworth, we are ALL IN—and this year, our ALL IN 3 gives students three simple expectations to carry with them everywhere:

📚 Be a Learner & Let Others Learn
🛡️ Be Safe
💙 Be a Good Human

We also started talking about our Big Five from Day 1. These are the behaviors that get in the way of having a safe, respectful place for everyone: swearing, defiance, hate speech, disrespect, and intent to injure. We want students to know exactly where the lines are, while also knowing that every day is another opportunity to make good choices, learn, and grow.

🚗 A couple arrival & dismissal reminders:

Students who walk, ride, or roll to school should arrive no earlier than 7:40 AM and may wait near the bike racks where our office staff can see them. Please avoid gathering near the gray double doors or in the bus lane.

Vehicles arriving before 7:35 AM should line up on Ash Street and wait until a staff member signals that vehicles may enter.

At dismissal, please continue following our designated pick-up areas: 4th grade families use the gym lot (except Mrs. Cramer), 5th grade families use Ash Street, and families picking up both a 4th and 5th grader use the gym lot. Following these routines helps us keep nearly 400 students moving safely and efficiently.

The first few days always take a little patience as everyone learns the routine, and we appreciate you working alongside us.

Day 1 is in the books! 🐺💙

Thank you for trusting us with your kids and for being our teammates. We’re excited for what is ahead.

ALL IN. ALL YEAR. ALL TOGETHER.

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Traffic cone principal in position for new arrival procedure! Please use Ash street if arriving before 7:35am. Thank you!

09/08/2026

🚲👟🛴 Walk, Ride & Roll to School – Arrival Reminders
Whitworth Families,

As we get ready for the start of school tomorrow, we want to share a few quick reminders for students who walk, bike, scooter, or roll to school. Our goal is to keep everyone safe and make morning arrival as smooth as possible.

Students walking, riding, or rolling to school should plan to arrive no earlier than 7:35 AM.

Once students arrive:
🚲 Bikes and scooters should be parked at the bike racks.
👀 Students arriving before the doors open may wait near the bike rack area, where they are visible to our office staff and school cameras.
🚫 Please avoid gathering around the grey double doors near the bus lane.

🚗 A Reminder for Families Dropping Off
If you arrive before 7:35 AM, please line up on Ash Street rather than entering the school parking lot. A staff member will signal vehicles when it is time to enter and begin our regular drop-off process.
Thank you for helping us establish safe arrival routines right from the start. A little planning and patience in the morning goes a long way toward keeping all of our Wolves safe! 🐺💙
Be a Learner. Be Safe. Be a Good Human.
ALL IN!

09/08/2026

📢 Calling All Graham Cracker Heroes! 📢

Hi Whitworth Families,

🐺 Help Us Start the Year Stocked & Ready! 💙

As we kick off a new school year, we’d love a little help filling our classroom snack supplies!

One simple item makes a BIG difference: graham crackers! 🙌

If you’re able to help, we’re asking Whitworth families to donate unopened boxes of graham crackers. These snacks give us an easy option to help students refuel when they need a little boost during the school day.

Every box helps us start the year ALL IN and ready to learn! 🐺💪
Thank you, Whitworth families, for always being such great teammates!

If you’d prefer to shop online, here’s a great option through Amazon:
Whitworth Snack Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1UQJD1H4AO2LL?ref_=wl_share

You can send them directly to the school address and we’ll handle the rest.
Address should read Darrick, Dallas, OR, and it will come to Whitworth.
If needed, our address is: 1151 SE MILLER AVE, DALLAS, OR, 97338

If you'd prefer, please send a box or two with your child to school.

Your kindness helps us keep the “grumble” out of “growling wolves” before lunch and in the afternoons 😄 — and we appreciate it more than you know!

Thank you for being ALL IN for our students! 💙💛

— Principal Bruns

09/08/2026

🛴🚲 E-Bike & E-Scooter Safety Reminder

Whitworth Families,

As electric bikes and scooters become more common, we want to make sure families are aware of Oregon’s age requirements and our expectations for student safety.

While Oregon law changes on January 1, 2027, those changes still do not allow typical 4th- and 5th-grade students to operate e-bikes or motor-assisted scooters because they are not yet 14 years old.

For the safety of our students, Whitworth students should not use electric bikes or electric scooters as transportation to or from school.
​​​​​​
Please take a moment to review the graphic below. Thank you for partnering with us to keep our Wolves safe! 💙🐺

ALL IN 3: Be a Learner • Be Safe • Be a Good Human

09/07/2026

09/03/2026

🐺 ALL IN. EVERY DAY. — Let’s Keep Building on Our Attendance Success!

Whitworth Families,
As we get ready to welcome our Wolves back for another great year, we want to celebrate something that YOU helped make happen last year: Whitworth continued to make meaningful progress with student attendance!

Over the past few years, we have made attendance a major focus—not because we want students coming to school when they are truly sick, but because being at school consistently matters. A LOT.

📈 LOOK AT OUR PROGRESS!
A few years ago, approximately 72% of Whitworth students were regular attenders.
Last year, we climbed to approximately 79–81% regular attenders during the school year.
That means roughly 8 out of every 10 Whitworth Wolves were on track to attend more than 90% of their school days! That is real progress, and it happened because of the partnership between our students, families, and staff.

👏 THANK YOU, WHITWORTH FAMILIES!
We also saw some incredible individual success stories. One of our Wolves improved from 66% attendance in 4th grade to 98% in 5th grade! Those are the kinds of celebrations we want to continue recognizing—not just perfect attendance, but growth, perseverance, and families working with us to overcome barriers.

🎯 WHY DOES EVERY DAY MATTER?
It can be easy to think, “It’s only a day here or there.” But those days add up quickly.
Missing just two days per month can put a student into the range considered chronically absent.
For our students, missing school means missing more than an assignment. It means missing direct instruction, class discussions, small-group support, practice, relationships, routines, and experiences that are difficult to recreate later. Our goal isn't perfection. Our goal is consistency.

🐺 OUR CHALLENGE THIS YEAR: KEEP CLIMBING!
Last year showed us what our Whitworth community can accomplish. This year, we want to take another step forward.

Our goal is for EVERY student who can be at school to BE at school.
And when attendance becomes difficult, we don't want families avoiding us—we want you talking with us.

Sometimes there are very real barriers: illness, transportation, family circumstances, anxiety about school, morning routines, or other challenges. Our job is to partner with you and help.

This year we will continue to:
⭐ Monitor attendance early instead of waiting until it becomes a major concern.
⭐ Celebrate students who demonstrate strong attendance and students who make significant improvement.
⭐ Reach out to families when we begin noticing attendance patterns.
⭐ Work WITH families to identify barriers and possible solutions.
⭐ Help students feel connected to school through caring adults, engaging classrooms, and the supports available throughout Whitworth.
⭐ Remember that sometimes the most important question isn't “Why weren't you here?” but rather “What can we do to help you get here?”

💙 ALL IN MEANS SHOWING UP

Our ALL IN 3 this year are:
📘 Be a Learner & Let Others Learn
🛡️ Be Safe
💙 Be a Good Human
And there is one thing that helps make all three possible:
BE HERE.

Families, thank you for the tremendous progress we made together last year. Let's keep it going.
Set those alarms ⏰.
Build those morning routines 🎒.
Get to bed on time 😴.
Communicate with us when you need help 🤝.
And let's get our Wolves to school!
🐺 ALL IN. EVERY DAY.

Let's make 2026–27 our best attendance year yet!
— Darrick Bruns
Principal, Whitworth Elementary

09/02/2026

Come to Whitworth and Meet Your Teacher on Sept. 8th

Orientation First Day (Required Attendance Day)
Tuesday, September 8th:

Come anytime during Session one or two:

10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

Classrooms will not be available from 2:00-3:00pm

Please enter through the gray double doors on the brick wall near the bus lane.

Orientation Day is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to:

Meet your student's teacher

Explore the classroom

Drop off school supplies

Learn more about Whitworth

Confirm transportation

Complete beginning-of-the-year tasks

update contact info, check in medications, photo opportunities, etc.

Orientation Day is a required attendance day and helps us begin building strong relationships with our students and families. Most visits take about an hour. We can't wait to see you on September 8!

08/31/2026

Welcome!

Our new teachers! Welcome to Dallas School District.