The Whiting Lane School Parent Teacher Organization held its fourth meeting of the school year on Thursday, December 11th in the school cafeteria so that our members could enjoy food from the Birdcode food pantry fundraiser. Attendees also experienced a special presentation from Katherine Bruns, Recycling Coordinator with the West Hartford Department of Public Works, regarding our school's new Food Scrap Program (see details below). Thank you to the parents, board members, teachers, and staff members who attended. Please mark your calendars for our next meeting scheduled for Thursday, January 8th at 6:30 pm. Our PTO holds meetings on the 2nd Thursday of every month with childcare available for those who attend. Please join us in-person or virtually!
The PTO wants to express holiday greetings and gratitude to everyone in our Whiting Lane Community. May your season be filled with family, friends, and all of your favorite things. We look forward to starting 2026 with a renewed sense of our PTO mission: to support and to enrich the lives of the children, teachers, staff, and families of Whiting Lane School.
Thanks to the hard work and generosity of our community, the Whiting Lane Food Pantry was able to provide $50 grocery gift cards for families to use over the holidays. Families who use our food pantry do not receive pantry items for three weeks due to the school holiday break. 
- Bar Taco Food Pantry Fundraiser (dine in only!) - Monday, January 12th
- Whiting Lane Movie Night - Friday, January 16th
- Art Ventures After School Program - Starts January 22nd (Sign-Up Required)
- Whiting Lane Wolf Pack Game - Saturday, March 7th (Tickets on sale soon)
- Rock 'n Run Pep Rally - Friday, April 24th
- Rock 'n Run - Friday, May 8th
- Spring Fair - Friday, June 5th
- Whiting Lane Yard Goats Game - Friday, June 12th
- Whiting Lane at Quassy - Wednesday, June 17th
After School "Art-Ventures in the Rainforest" - This after-school program sponsored by the PTO will take place on Thursdays at Whiting Lane School from 3:20-4:35 PM starting January 22nd and running through March 19th (with no class on 3/12), and is open to students in K-5th grade. Register your young artist for the chance to experiment with whimsical and original art forms and techniques with talented instructors from Imagine Art Ventures. The Fee is $169 (+$8.50 registration fee) for 8-weeks of ART fun! All art materials are included. See flyer below for additional information. Register Online Now!
Garden Club - Even though snow currently covers the ground, it's never too early to think about spring planting! Have you noticed the fabulous garden boxes in the back of Whiting Lane? Would you be interested in helping to maintain those garden boxes this upcoming spring? Our PTO is looking for a community member to cultivate our school garden by organizing and maintaining spring planting this year. If you have a little bit of time, and a little bit of a green thumb, we need you! Please reach out to president@wlpto.org.
Do you run for fun? Our PTO is interested in organizing a Whiting Lane running group to represent our school at local road races in town. Children of all ages are encouraged to run, walk, or stroll their way across the finish line while representing Whiting Lane School. We would also work together to create motivational and colorful signs to cheer on race participants! This initiative is meant to create a sense of school spirit at local running events. If you are interested, please attend our next PTO meeting. 
Food is not Trash! Whiting Lane currently participates in a school recycling program that focuses on teaching students to separate their liquids and recyclables when in the cafeteria. Starting in January 2026, our school will be moving into our compositing efforts! This process will require parent volunteers to assist during lunch to help children through the compost procedures. Please look out for announcements from Principal Sousa-Purcell on how to sign-up for Cafeteria Compost Duty. Help empower our students to believe they can help the earth!
Currently at Whiting Lane, policies with Nutrition Services require students to take food on their lunch tray that they may not even want, creating excess waste within our cafeteria. Our new food scrap initiative moves to remedy this food waste problem within our school. School compost will be stored in secure bins, collected by Paine's on Thursdays, and then brought to Quantum Biopower in Southington where the compost will be turned into electricity though anaerobic digestion!
Furthermore, West Hartford is proudly a Sustainable Connecticut Certified Town, but did you know that 40% of our trash in Connecticut is currently trucked out of state because we do not have room for it? Food waste makes up 25% of this percentage, despite being easy to separate and remove, and the average family of 4 throws away approximately $1600 in food scraps a year. Alternatively, composting reduces overall waste, helps the environment by cutting back on trash transport, and saves money because removing food scraps from the waste stream reduces fees charged for trash collection. Food scrap disposal costs about 30% less than trash disposal.
For more information on the West Hartford Food Scrap program, particularly for information on how families can participate at home, follow @WestHartfordRecycles on Instagram and Facebook or visit the WH Public Works website. 
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Charleston Wrap Fundraiser this year. Our PTO received $1100 in profit! These funds directly support school field trips, teacher wish list items, holiday gift cards for custodial & office staff, and more! Your participation in these fundraisers is truly appreciated and help to directly enrich the learning environment for our students & staff.
Stay tuned for an update on Whiting Lane After-School Karate Club! We are hoping for a February 2026 kick-off.
Whiting Lane School Spirit Wear Store - Check out new styles added, including knitwear, a fanny-pack, leggings, slip-on shoes, and more!
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