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Dear Wharton Families,

As we enter the winter break, everyone is looking forward to spending more time together as a family. Two weeks off from school may seem like plenty of time to get everything done while enjoying all the holiday celebrations, but it can be a challenge to juggle all of it while keeping your children productively occupied.

One way to do so is to redirect them into creative activities like making their own holiday cards and gifts. 

Enjoy old traditions or create new ones by:

• making your own holiday cards
• stringing popcorn and cranberries or making paper chains to decorate the tree
• baking and decorating cookies together
• making a collage to give as a gift
• creating a coupon book of services
• watching a holiday movie or special on TV
• setting up a jigsaw puzzle and working on it during the holidays
• reading a book together
• writing poems together about the holidays
• lighting paper lanterns and releasing them with wishes for the New Year
• making a donation in a friend or family member’s name to their favorite charity
• giving lessons, subscriptions, movie passes, or restaurant gift cards
• showing your children how to create a digital photo album or calendar from favorite photos
• giving a young gardener seeds, potting soil, a pot, and instructions on how to grow a plant.

Be sure to show your children how to recycle gift wrap and boxes, and take them with you to recycle the tree. Show them how to write thank you notes for those extra special gifts. And finally, don't forget to encourage your students to read! 

Have a safe and wonderful winter break!

Jennifer Day

December 20-31
Winter Break
We'll see you back on Monday, January 3.

January 5 - 21
Wharton DLA Kids Heart Challenge
Wharton DLA is partnering with the American Heart Association by participating in Kids Heart Challenge (grades K-5) & American Heart Challenge (grades 6-8)! Students will learn to make healthy choices, stay active, and help family members affected by heart disease. 

You can register your student by downloading the Kids Heart Challenge App (K-5) or American Heart Challenge App (grades 6-8), finding our school, and registering. The TOP 25 students from grade (K-5) & (6-8) that raises the most donations will get the opportunity to SLIME Coach Cardinal or Coach Vann. 

Sign up your student for Kids Heart Challenge (K-5)! 

Sign up your student for American Heart Challenge (6th-8th)! 

January 14
Wharton Middle School Chess Club Interest Meeting
Details in the Middle School section.

Thank you also to the following families who contributed daily treats and food for teachers and staff.

• Gonzalez & Lamas families, Gonzalez Daycare
• Manuel Romero, Romero's Las Brazas Restaurant 
• Frank M. Ramirez, KW Metropolitan of KellerWilliams.realty
• Manil & Nimisha Vakil
• Paul Pavlov
• Jose Garcia
• Raul Ortega
• Eckhard & Maria Stock
• Enriqueta Martinez

Wharton Angels: Thanks to the kind-hearted donations of many Wharton families, this year 105 deserving students received gifts.

Stay safe over the holidays:

We have had a number of positive cases of COVID and strep throat this week at Wharton. Please keep your families safe and test for COVID before you see friends and family this holiday.

Go to the CDC.gov website for travel restriction information.

HISD has partnered with Fulgent to test for COVID. Stay tuned for information. Wharton has not been selected to participate yet. You can find the consent online here. 

Any interest in a CoVid-19 vaccination on our campus? Please email dana.bethancourt@houstonisd.org

Nurse Dana

Wharton PTO would like to thank all Wharton families for their support this semester! We wouldn't be able to do the work that we do without you.

We're still seeking donations to our Juntos campaign. If you'd like to contribute before the end of the year, please visit our Juntos web page to donate.

Save the date for our annual Wharton Eagle Fun Run (powered by Boosterthon) February 14 - February 25. We're still seeking t-shirt sponsors. If interested, please contact Laura Gonzalez at laura@whartonpto.org.

Have a wonderful winter break!

Wharton Student Council is thrilled that you were able to be part of their first community service project of the 2021 school year. Thanks to the contributions of the entire Wharton family, we were able to support the Houston Area Woman's Center with the following:

• over 1,500 sanitary pads assortment 
• over 1,200 diapers/pull-ups
• over 300 tubes of toothpaste
• over 200 toothbrushes
• over 100 deodorants
• uncounted miscellaneous toiletries

ATTENTION  Wharton 6th-8th Graders!

Suraj Vadapalli, a student at Carnegie Vanguard High School, who has been playing chess competitively since kindergarten is hosting a Chess Club at Wharton with other CVHS students. See more details below.

WHO: Wharton 6th-8th graders (limited to the first 20 students who sign up). Open to all skill levels.

WHAT: Chess Club will be hosted by Carnegie Vanguard High School Students

WHERE: Wharton Library

WHY: Playing chess has been shown to be helpful in a lot of ways. Improvement of memory, focus, problem-solving, logic, creativity, and mathematical skills are some of the many benefits.

WHEN: Chess Club interest meeting is Friday, January 14. Chess Club will then meet on Fridays from 4:30-5:30 pm. Please save the date for a scholastic chess tournament that will be held at Wharton on Saturday, January 15. More details coming soon.

Wharton Dual Language Academy

900 W Gray St

Houston TX 77019