Hi families! This is our last week before our kinders will become first graders! We are so excited to celebrate them on their next big step! You may have noticed that we don’t have any other posts for literacy, math, and social studies. We will not be having our regular schedules due to continuation, a first-grade sneak peek, and other fun activities (and cleaning…). 

Check out our last week of events! It sure has been a blast! I’m so happy to have taught your kiddo! 

Upcoming Events

• Continuation 
  • On May 29th, from 9:30-10:15 AM, we will hold a kindergartner continuation ceremony to celebrate the students moving on to first grade and all their hard work. 
• Class Party
  • On May 30th from 10:15-11:15am we will have our class party. If you can provide a donation or step in as a volunteer at our classroom party, please click on the sign-up genius link.
• Carnival 
  • On May 30th from 2:00-3:00 PM, the school will be holding a Carnival to end the year with celebration. From 3:00-5:00 PM, there will be an open house and during the open house you can come and see the projects your students worked hard to create. 
• Carnival Basket
  • Thank you to all of you who have made donations! Please check out the silent auction at the carnival!

This week is Westgate’s Earth Week! Earth Week is an environmental movement that was created to celebrate the earth and encourage environmental ideas. Earth Week will last from Monday to Friday. Each day there will be a different daily topic that focuses on the theme for this year - Planet vs. Plastics. As a part of Earth Week, our class will be participating in the Great Global Cleanup. We will be doing a trash pick-up at our school on Thursday, May 9th afternoon to help clean up our community. Please send your students comfortable walking shoes and extra water for the day. They will be provided with disposable gloves.

Welcome back families! I hope you had a restful break! Please check out our other classroom pages to see what we will be doing this week. We have some exciting events in store, including, watching the solar eclipse on Monday! Don’t worry, families! We will have eclipse glasses and will discuss the importance of wearing them while looking at the sun. Feel free to talk to your kindergartener about that at home as well! 

In addition to this, we will begin spelling tests based on spelling patterns. This week, we will be working on short a sounds and on Friday, students will be tested on 4 CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words and 1 CVCC (consonant, vowel, consonant, consonant) word. 

Field Trip March 19th

Hello wonderful families! 

Kindergarten is going on a field trip to the Butterfly Pavilion on Tuesday, March 19th. Please complete the permission form here by Friday, March 15th. Send your students with a sack lunch, a water bottle for the day, and have your student wear a purple or white Westgate shirt. We will be participating in a Butterfly Buddies lesson to connect with our year-long service-learning curriculum.

I wanted to share with parents that we will be having another lockdown drill in the springtime. We will be reminding students what a lockdown drill is and what we do in a lockdown drill. We know this is a delicate subject and often difficult for kindergarteners, so we want to take our time discussing it with them so they feel the most comfortable. 

Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

IMPORTANT! 

On Monday (February 12th), we will be exploring how the biscuit has been transformed through the ages through the work of Black chefs and inventors. To support student learning, we will eat biscuits and make butter as a class! Please let us know if you would not like your child to eat any of these items and bring a substitute for them to eat in place. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let us know as soon as possible. 

Kindness Week

Specials!

We will be starting a new round of specials this week! On Monday, we will be back with Mrs. M in Art. 

Donation Opportunity and Can Your Kiddo Eat Figs? 

In one of the stories, students will learn about figs and fig trees. If you would like to donate dried figs to our classroom for students to try a fig, please let me know. If you would not like your student to eat a dried fig, please also email me. 

Kindness Week and What About Valentine’s Day? 

Kindness Week is celebrated during the week of Valentine’s Day or the week of February 12th. It is a long-standing tradition at Westgate. We celebrate and spread kindness by doing different activities throughout the week. Each day has a different theme, aligned with the different love languages. ​

Monday – Words of Affirmation​

Tuesday – Quality Time​

Wednesday – Acts of Service​

Thursday – Gift Giving​

For kindness week, the kindergarteners will walk to the bus barn on Wednesday, February 14th and hand deliver cards of appreciation to our bus drivers. You can submit your permission slip here for your child to attend our field trip. Please have your permission slip signed by Tuesday, February 13th. As we will be walking to the Bus Barn, please have your child bring a warm jacket, gloves, beanies, etc. Be prepared for weather if necessary!​

We will be joined with a high school class to build community within our school as well! Sadly, we will not be having any chaperones joining us at this time, but please feel free to email me if you would like to attend our next field trip.

But wait… What about Valentine’s Day? At Westgate, we do not exchange cards, candy, or treats. We instead focus this time on how we can show appreciation to members in the community.

As we dive into the new year, we are excited to introduce our Advocacy Theme for January: Growth Mindset.

What is a Growth Mindset? A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, hard work, and perseverance. It's about embracing challenges, learning from criticism, and understanding that effort is the path to mastery.

Skills Students Will Learn: In the upcoming weeks, your child will engage in various activities and discussions across different classes that aim to cultivate a growth mindset. Here's a glimpse of the skills they will be focusing on:

Resilience: Students will learn to bounce back from setbacks, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles.

Perseverance: Embracing the idea that success often involves sustained effort, students will be encouraged to stay committed to their goals, even when faced with difficulties.

Adaptability: Developing the ability to adapt to new situations and learn from experiences will be a key focus, fostering a mindset that values continuous learning.

Embracing Feedback: Students will be taught to see feedback as constructive, using it to refine their skills and enhance their understanding, rather than viewing it as criticism.

Extending Growth Mindset to Personal Lives: It's essential to emphasize that the principles of a growth mindset extend beyond the classroom. Encourage your child to apply these concepts in their daily lives:

Goal Setting: Help your child set realistic goals and work with them to develop a plan to achieve those goals. Celebrate progress along the way, reinforcing the idea that improvement comes with effort.

Positive Self-Talk: Encourage your child to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind them that their abilities are not fixed and that they can improve with dedication and hard work.

Embracing Challenges: Teach your child to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Encourage them to approach new experiences with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn.

We believe that fostering a growth mindset will not only enhance your child's academic journey but will also contribute to their overall personal development. If you have any questions or would like to further discuss how to support your child in embracing a growth mindset, please don't hesitate to reach out.