Little Turtle Elementary School

Little Turtle’s second grade students took part in the City of Columbia City official proclamation of Arbor Day! With the proclamation wrote by Mayor Ryan Daniel and delivered by Chip Hill, second grade planted an Oak Tree at the front of the school with help from the Columbia City Tree Board. In addition to the tree, three books were donated to the school media center to be checked out and read! Happy Arbor Day!

It's that time of the year, we encourage all parents/guardians to complete online registration! Spring registration is open until May 30, 2025. Registration helps us create class sizes, transportation routes, staff support and more! Registration must be completed in a browser and cannot be completed through the Skyward App. We've created step-by-step instructions to get started! https://www.wccsonline.com/o/wccs/page/registration-returning-students

As a reminder, schools and the administrative office are closed on Friday, April 18, 2025. View the calendar: wccsonline.com/documents/school-year-calendars/2024-2025/559892

We celebrate our WCCS librarians, media specialists and their assistants today for National School Librarian Day! Our school libraries are a place for books, media, technology, homework resources and so much more! Thank you for all you do! #WCCSExperience #NationalSchoolLibrarianDay

Today, we celebrate the incredible paraprofessionals across Whitley County Consolidated Schools who support, inspire, and make a difference in our students' lives every single day! Our paraprofessionals are heroes in our classrooms providing individual attention, supporting students with special needs, helping teachers, and creating a positive learning environment. Your dedication, patience, and compassion do not go unnoticed! To our amazing paraprofessionals: THANK YOU for being essential members of our school family. You truly make a profound impact on our students' educational journeys. Thank you, WCCS Paraprofessionals: Ms. Amstutz Ms. Barrell Mr. Beck Ms. Corkwell Ms. Frankart Ms. Grahovac Ms. Gresley Ms. Harper Ms. Henry Ms. Herron Mr. Hicks Mr. Hopkins Ms. Mosher Ms. Renbarger Ms. Rugg Ms. Schrader Ms. Shoda Ms. Snyder Mr. Sittler Ms. Stump Ms. Trumbull Ms. Wagoner Ms. Wiggins Ms. Wilderman Ms. Yager Ms. Zickafoose Instructional Assistants: Ms. Shew Ms. Leighty Ms. Bedwell Ms. Tucker Ms. Baker Ms. Priest Ms. Reed Ms. Wilderman Ms. Thomas Ms. Henry Ms. Sowders Ms. Walters Ms. Schlosser Ms. Slagal Ms. Tinsley Ms. Helton Ms. Schneider Ms. Gavin Ms. Kanning Ms. Hoopingarner Ms. Bergman Ms. Geiger Ms. Schuman Ms. Wolter Ms. Barrera Ms. Moore Ms. Presley Ms. Johnson Ms. Wyatt Ms. Gates Ms. Halferty NOW HIRING! Love working with students and in a collaborative setting? We want you! We currently have open paraprofessional positions across our district. Join our team and make a difference in students' lives. Apply today at wccsonline.com and click the "Employment Opportunities" button. #ParaprofessionalAppreciationDay #Hiring #WCCSExperience #WCCSRelationshipBuilders

Children five-years-old by August 1, 2025, are invited to attend Whitley County Consolidated Schools’ Kindergarten Round Up on March 27, 2025. After completing online enrollment, call your local elementary to schedule your Round Up time. This is an opportunity for families to tour the school, meet the principal, teachers and staff, receive important information, test kindergarten readiness and more! Remember, complete enrollment first. wccsonline.com/o/wccs/page/enrollment-new-student

Our fourth grade students experienced the Indy 500 today with the Indy 500 Mobile trip. This program brings the world of Indy 500 to students by offering interactive stations led by 500 Festival staff and volunteers featuring racing equipment and an actual Indy Car. #WCCSExperience #Indy500

The 2nd Annual Tech-Know Tournament was a success! We are thankful for all of our volunteers and sponsors! We are proud of all of the Tech-Know Turtle Robotic Team members! They all did a great job and represented Little Turtle well. Teams 30424A (Brooklyn C., Madelyn A., Oliver D., and Kaci N.) and 30424C ( Jackson C., Carter E., Alex H., and Lainey G.) were paired together in the finals and finished in 3rd place. Team 30424B won the Teamwork Championship and will be representing Little Turtle at the State Championship in Indianapolis on March 22! This team was the Robot Skills Champion which is skills driving and autonomous. Congratulations to Hudson D., Max H., Kambry M., and Layla S.!

Reminder: Teacher Only Day Thursday, March 20, 2025. View our school calendar at wccsonline.com.

Kindergarten Round Up Information | Children five-years-old by August 1, 2025, are invited to attend Whitley County Consolidated Schools’ Kindergarten Round Up on March 27, 2025. After completing online enrollment, call your local elementary to schedule your Round Up time. This is an opportunity for families to tour the school, meet the principal, teachers and staff, receive important information, test kindergarten readiness and more! Remember, complete enrollment first. wccsonline.com/o/wccs/page/enrollment-new-student

Today is National Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day! We're celebrating Chet Burch and Chad Ralston! They are the district maintenance technicians and help keep our buildings running day-to-day! “Chad and Chet are worth their weight in gold. They are given multiple projects, working together to create a beautiful space. One of the projects they have finished is the eSports room at ISMS. They both have their own sets of skills, and they learn from each other. These fellows have put their heart and soul into their work, which shows. As a corporation, we are very blessed to have these two guys on our team,” said Vicky Borders, WCCS Corporation Custodial Trainer. Read more about Chet and Chad and their work here: https://www.wccsonline.com/article/2069985 #EverydayEagles #WCCSRelationshipBuilders #WCCSExperience

Notice: Radio Road, between SR9 and SR205, is closed March 3-7 for NIPSCO to complete some work. Please make sure you plan alternative routes and give yourself extra time to safely get to and from school.

Notice: Radio Road will close March 3-7 for NIPSCO to complete some work. Please make sure you plan alternative routes and give yourself extra time to safely get to and from school.

Mark your calendars! WCCS is hosting a Robotics Tournament on Saturday, March 8! Cheer on our Coesse, Little Turtle and Northern Heights teams! Concessions are available and the first match begins at 9:45 a.m. with the National Anthem and welcome at 9:10 a.m. Hope to see you there!

As a reminder, there is no school on Friday, February 14 and on Monday, February 17. These are included as snow make-up days in our calendar. View our school calendar at wccsonline.com. There is a quick link at the top of the page. Enjoy your long weekend, eagles!

Happy National School Counseling Week! Our buildings have been celebrating this week to bring attention to the unique contribution of school counselors. Presented by the American School Counselor Association, National School Counseling Week is celebrated the first full week in February. WCCS extends appreciation to our school counselors and student support staff who help our students thrive in a variety of different ways. Consider how you can show appreciation for your school counselor this week. Maybe it's a quick note or a simple high-five, anything to let them know they're valued. #WCCSExperience #WCCSRelationshipBuilders #SchoolCounselingWeek

Remember, there is no school on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. Feb. 4 is a Professional Development Day for our staff. View our school year calendar at wccsonline.com/documents/school-year-calendars/332185

Last Friday, Whitley County Consolidated Schools' entire third-grade class experienced the excitement and wonder of the Shrine Circus in Fort Wayne—a cherished community tradition that has delighted local students for more than half a century. Thanks to the generous Shriners and Whitley County Shrine Club, every third-grade student received a free tickets to the spectacular event. This long-standing tradition allows children to enjoy a memorable day of entertainment at no cost to their families. "The Shriners are all about kids. We have hospitals for children but we care about all kids. We're grateful to be able to do it,” said Joe Simon, the Shrine Circus coordinator for Whitley County. Third-grade students are even escorted by police to the Fort Wayne Coliseum for the event. “This is so fun for our students. They love when the Shriners ride our bus over and spend the day with us. It’s great to get our students into the community too. Often students want their parents to go to another performance. It’s a trip they talk about for years; we still hear from former students about how fun the circus is,” said Jacqueline Snoddy, Coesse Third Grade Teacher. The circus outing provides more than just entertainment. It offers students a unique educational experience outside the classroom, exposing them to performances and exciting acts that spark imagination and create lasting memories. This incredible gesture by the local Shrine Club demonstrates their commitment to the community and children's experiences. For 72 years, they have been bringing joy to students throughout the region with circus tickets, embodying the organization's mission of supporting youth. The smiles, laughter, and wide-eyed wonder of our third graders serve as a testament to the Shriners' ongoing dedication to making childhood special. #ExperienceWCCS #ShrineCircus Thank you, WCCS Transportation for the photos!

WCCS Families, With winter break here, I want to remind you that the safety and well-being of our school community continue to be a top priority. The holidays are a time when some students may need additional support. During the break, the reporting feature for STOPit, our anonymous reporting system will be shut off. Students will continue to have access to the app for local resources and the Crisis Text Line services during the break. The reporting feature will come back into service on January 5. -Lyle Kuhmichel Director of District Safety and Student Services

The Tech-Know Turtles represented Little Turtle well at the competition in Plymouth on last Saturday! There were 48 teams at this competition. The team of Jackson Cordes, Carter Ehresman, Lainey Geiger, and Alex Harris tied for 3rd in the Teamwork Competition! The other teams also represented Little Turtle well! The team of Hudson Daily, Max Hart, Kambry Myers, and Layla Strass finished 10th in skills out of 48 teams. The team of Brooklyn Cooper, Oliver Daily, Madelyn Anderson, and Kaci Nicodemus placed 19th in skills! Great job to all teams