From the Principal's Desk

Greetings Whitman Families,

Welcome back! I am truly excited to partner with you as we pursue excellence for our Whitman community this year. I would like to share a few helpful reminders regarding our daily school protocols to ensure a safe and orderly environment for all.

To ensure proper supervision, please note that our school doors open promptly at 8:45 am. Since we do not have supervision services before this time, we appreciate your help in timing your arrival for the start of the school day. Our hours are 8:45 am–4:11 pm.

For early pick-ups, please plan to arrive by 3:30 pm. Once you have signed your child out, you are welcome to wait in the security area. If you arrive after 3:30 pm, we will kindly guide you to the designated pick-up area to meet your student.

Regarding dismissal, we use a placard system to help ensure a smooth and safe process. Please display your assigned number in your vehicle so our team can efficiently assist with pick-ups. We kindly ask that parents remain in their vehicles; this helps us manage traffic and keeps our dismissal process calm and organized for everyone.

We love having our families involved in our school community! We are excited about the prospect of volunteers joining us this year. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the office to learn more about the background check process. Once that is set, we would be delighted to coordinate a time for you to help. If you would like to meet with me or any staff member, please reach out to the office to schedule a convenient time.

Finally, a quick note about cellphones: to minimize distractions, we ask that devices remain stored away in a backpack and silenced during school hours. We will share more information soon regarding our full policy on this matter.

Thank you for your partnership and support in making this a wonderful and productive year. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly at deborah.charaman@pontiacschools.org.

Warmly,
Deborah Charaman, Ed.D.
Principal, Whitman K-4 Elementary