6th Grade Student of the Month: Darren

Darren comes to school every day with a smile on his face that brightens everyone's day.  He is a kind and diligent young man who excels in the classroom due to his hard work and determination.  He is also a natural leader.  He brings out the best in his peers.  Congratulations to Darren for being named our 6th Grade Student of the Month.

Graham Gunn, Little Free Library, Eagle Scout Project

We have a little free library!  These libraries give the opportunity to take a book and read it, while donating a book to the library that someone else may enjoy.   Our little free library is already full of wonderful choices.  I want to thank Graham Gunn for constructing this precious gift for us.  This was his Eagle Scout project and he did an amazing job.  Graham is a former Whiteside student and he will be graduating from Belleville East this spring.  We are so excited to be the recipient of this wonderful project.

7th Grade Student of the Month: Sophie

Our 7th Grade Student of the Month lights up the classroom with her smile and positive attitude.  She is kind to all her classmates and always ready with a word of encouragement and a helping hand for someone in need.  She is a leader who knows how to give direction while making sure that everyone feels included.  She also works hard in all of her classes and is a model of academic excellence.  Congratulations to Sophie for being named our 7th Grade Student of the Month!

Preparations for Coffee Shop #3

Everything in our Coffee Shop is prepared with love!  The cookies from the last coffee shop were delicious!

Conference Spelling Bee

Our school was well represented with our four spelling scholars at the Belle Fair Conference Spelling Bee.  We even had a third place overall finisher.  Thanks to our spelling scholars for representing Whiteside Middle School.

7th Grade Student of the Month: Nate

Kind.  Generous.  Thoughtful....barely begin to describe Nate.  Everyday, Nate impresses us with his genuine good nature.  He is always considerate of others and goes out of his way to help anyone he can.  Nate is a leader in the classroom, in his many school  activities, and in the community.  He is extraordinarily talented and inspires all of us to be the best we can be.

Bus and Brunch

Our G.O. Team honored our bus drivers with a special Bus and Brunch.  The students wanted to thank the bus drivers for all they do to keep the students safe as they travel to and from school.  Our bus drivers work hard!  The G.O. Team members had a special brunch for the drivers and personally thanked them for all they do for our school community.  One of the bus drivers told the students, "You are showing the love."

Bus and Brunch Invitations

For their next service project, our G.O. Team members decided to show their appreciation to our bus drivers.  Our students  know that our bus drivers work hard every day to make sure the students get to school and home safely.  The G.O. Team members made special invitations and personally delivered them to all the bus drivers to invite them to the first annual Bus and Brunch.  Below is an example of one of the beautiful student made invitations.

Fares Family

I want to thank the Fares family for their donation to the Weekend Warrior.  Mrs. Fares heard about the great program that our own 7th grader, Nate, started and immediately wanted to contribute.  The Fares family had a "Givemas" and asked that in lieu of gifts, everyone donate food for the Weekend Warrior program.  We are fortunate to have such a generous community!

8th Grade Girls Basketball

Congratulations to our 8th Grade Girls Basketball Team for a fantastic season!  We loved cheering you on at all the games.

The Writing Workshop with Mrs. Coates

Our 8th grade students improve their writing through the writing workshop.   Thanks to Mrs. Coates for meeting with our students in groups and one on one to help them become better writers.

Document Based Questions in Mrs. Lodes's Classes

In 6th grade social studies, our students use document based questions (DBQs) to write essays.  This evidence based practice is also used in 7th and 8th grade social studies.

Service Projects: Belleville Area Humane Society and Student Council

Our students are always doing service projects.  Serving is an important part of our extra curricular activities.  Our Student Council collected items for the Belleville Area Humane Society.  The members had fun delivering the items to our furry friends.

7th Grade Engineering Design Challenge

7th grade science students helped Harry during their engineering design challenge.  Students constructed the tallest free standing perch possible so that Harry could see across the room.  Engineering design challenges promote creative scientific thinking and teamwork.  Thanks to Mrs. Phillips for this outstanding lesson!

Scholar Bowl

Our Scholar Bowl Team is off to a fantastic start!  On Wednesday, Jan. 15, they beat West Junior High School at home.  The next match will take place at Joseph Arthur Middle School on Jan. 22.   We are looking forward to a great season with this team.  Go Warriors!

The Weekend Warrior, Leo's Helping Paw, and the Amanda Steffy Family

Nate, along with the help of Mrs. Debbie Woods,  keeps growing our Weekend Warrior program.  He worked with Leo's Helping Paw to secure a big food donation for our program.  Nate was able to triple the number of backpacks going home on Fridays due to the generosity of this great organization.  Thank you to Amanda Steffy and her family for the food donations through Leo's Helping Paw.  Amanda Steffy is a former Whiteisde student who wanted to give back to her school.  This is the Whiteside Way!  No child in our school will ever have to worry about food insecurity over the weekend or on long breaks.

8th Grade Student of the Month: Gabby

Gabby has been a wonderful addition to our school this year.  She is always willing to lend a helping hand.  She participates in activities, gets along with her classmates, and always has a smile on her face.  She works incredibly hard and does not get discouraged when faced with a challenge.  Congratulations to Gabby for being named the 8th Grade Student of the Month.

The Weekend Warrior: Nate and Mrs. Debbie Woods

Our 7th  grader, Nate, works hard every Friday to pack twenty-five backpacks filled with food for our students.  This was Nate's own idea at the beginning of the year and he has made his dream a reality.  Nate beleives  that no student should ever have to worry about food insecurity over the weekends or long breaks.  Through his passionate leadership, Nate was able to get funding for the program, along with donations from area churches.  Nate is a great example for all of us!  I also want to thank Debbie Woods for helping Nate with this important project that is near and dear to her heart.  Mrs. Woods and Nate are making our school community a better place, one Friday at a time.

8th Grade Student of the Month: Ashley

Ashley is an incredibly friendly and hardworking student.  She is an active member of the National Junior Honor Society and Photo Club.  We can always count on Ashley to be responsible and helpful in and out of the classroom.  Ashely, we are so proud of you and we appreciate all of your hard work. Congratulations to Ashley for being named the 8th Grade Student of the Month.

7th Grade Girls Basketball

We would like to thank our 7th Grade Girls Basketball Team for a great season!  We loved cheering for our team.  Go Warriors!