West Dodge Station Elementary School

Last week, WDS first graders traveled to Morrill Hall and Pioneers Park for our field trip! We went to the planetarium and enjoyed learning about plant and animal defenses.

Mrs. King’s class recognizing and participating in Worldwide Autism Day by wearing blue. Learning how to be empathetic to others. 💙💙💙

WDS first graders read a "how to" story in their reading unit this week and followed the steps to fill water bottles with beans to make shakers. They really enjoyed shaking their instruments along to music!

Please join us on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, as Dr. Jean Twenge presents “Parenting and Guiding the Smartphone Generation”. A Q&A session featuring Dr. Twenge, Creighton Volleyball Coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth, EPS High School Counselor, Martha Dowd, and EPS students will follow the presentation.

Additional information can be found at https://bit.ly/parentingthesmartphonegeneration.

Thank you WDS families! WDS Student Council partnered with COPE of Elkhorn and our school collected around 2,500 items to help those in need. We appreciate your generosity and are thankful for you!

WDS fifth graders celebrated Pi Day. The students worked on some activities and finished up with a piece of pie!

WDS 5th graders “attended” a virtual field trip sponsored by UNL on Nebraska fossils.

Meteorologist Emily Roehler from Channel 6 news came to speak to WDS fifth graders today. Her presentation paired up with our Earth Systems unit and she discussed the water cycle as well as severe weather and ways to stay safe.

This week, we celebrated the one and only Mrs. Herold for National School Counselor’s Week! Mrs. Herold is such an important part of our school and we appreciate everything she does for the staff and students of WDS! Thank you Mrs. Herold! 🩷

Second graders are learning about the properties of materials. Today we conducted a strength test by using our observations. Students made different glues using the ingredients flour, corn starch, corn syrup, and gelatin. We tested each glue’s strength by stacking washers on a paper clip. With these results, students will make their own glue to create a picture frame.

Stay safe and warm!

Silver Graphics Art
Place your orders by November 22nd to receive free shipping to the school!
www.silvergraphics.com

Thursday, November 16, West Dodge Station singers Charlotte K., Aria G., Jude N., and Calla H. represented EPS at the Nebraska All-State Children’s Honor Choir. Their diligent preparations culminated in a performance on the Lied Center Stage.

WDS Staff and students shared some smiles for World Kindness Day!

On Friday, students and staff had the privilege to listen to Major Katie Brugler for our Veterans Day assembly. Happy Veterans Day to all who served and are serving.

Mrs. Zimmerman’s 5th grade food scientists recorded properties of three different food mixtures.

Second grade had a wonderful field trip to Arbor Day Farm. We learned all about seeds, plants, and trees. We did many activities about the parts of a plant, seed dispersal, and discussed ecosystems. It was a great day!

Thank you PTO, for the “spook”tacular gift! We appreciate your thoughtfulness!

The first graders enjoyed Apple Day!
We learned about the parts of an apple and labeled them on a diagram. Then, we peeled apples and made applesauce. Last, we sampled our applesauce, along with apple cider, apple slices, and apple butter after lunch. Everything was apple-icious!!

First Grade Fun Fact Friday!

This is our second year as a team and we love working with first graders. Did you know Miss Royal was a competitive clogger? She's got some moves! Mrs. Sailer and her sister are both still in first grade, as teachers, that is! Mrs. Black is originally from Kansas City and is an avid KC Chiefs fan, with or without Taylor Swift!

WDS Staff Fun Fact Friday!!

Meet the West Dodge Station fifth grade team…Mr. Kassmeier, Mrs. Zimmerman, Mrs. King, and Mr. Clark! Did you know that Mr. Clark is a Civil War nerd and (with a lot of help) has traced his ancestry back to around 1118 in Rankliburn, Scotland? When Mr. Kassmeier was growing up, his elementary school class had 4 boys and 12 girls. It is hard to believe that there are more students at WDS than in Mrs. Zimmerman's entire hometown of Earling, IA. When Mrs. King isn’t working hard at WDS, she loves to travel and work on her crafts. Thanks for all you do for our students at WDS!

Staff Shout Out Saturday!

Meet your 4th grade team at West Dodge Station. This is the second year we have all been together. We love working together and bouncing ideas off each other. Here are some fun facts about us. Mrs. Bretting actually enjoys getting up at 5:00am to workout. Mr. Holtz loves to attempt to golf. Mrs. Powers loves to cheer on the Husker football team, which has been an exhausting hobby the last few years. We look forward to a great year with our 4th graders!

Thanks for all your hard work!

WDS preschoolers participated in their Fun Run on Thursday! They had so much fun! Thank you to all who donated and helped us achieve our goal! Stay tuned for more Fun Run pics!

First grade enjoyed being audience members at Arthur the Musical at the Rose Theater yesterday.
Thanks again to our generous PTO for sponsoring our field trip!

Congrats to our new preschool teacher, Ms. Mandy DiMauro, on earning her first paycheck! Congratulations…and we are so thankful you are a part of the WDS family!

First graders read Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun and had the courage to try it. The book’s message fits our WDS expectation “Be Respectful”.

4th graders interviewing 5th graders about what they will be doing next year.

WDS fourth graders visited the State Capital Building, Morril Hall, and Memorial Stadium this week to learn more about Nebraska.

At West Dodge Station, we like to call it Happy Mrs. Petersen Day! Happy Administrative Assistant’s Day to the best there is! Thank you for all you do for the staff and students at WDS! We appreciate you!